General clarifying questions regarding STEP 3 0.1.0b guide

[Amatheon]

Hi everyone! First post.

 

So my questions here are pretty basic but I can't find completely unambiguous answers anywhere so...

 

1) LOOT...

1a) The guide explicitly states in the sections on LOOT that any time a mod is installed that adds a plugin that LOOT must be run, errors addressed and everything sorted. I can see two ways to interpret this.

   First - Even while going through the STEP guide the first time you must run LOOT every single time you install (activate?) a mod with a plugin, regardless of whether you'll just be adding more mods in a few seconds or not. I can't think that this is right but this interpretation is clearly what the text as written implies.

   Second - You only run LOOT and do sorting once between the last time LOOT sort was performed and the next launch of the game, if and only if you installed one or more mods that added a plugin. This makes the most sense to me given how MO2 isolates mod installs but perhaps there are reasons to run LOOT between each mod that adds a plugin?

1b) To further complicate this I've noticed that at least one mod high on the STEP list (XP32 Maximum Skeleton Special Extended) require mods that are further down on the list (RaceMenu & FNIS). These errors are listed in LOOT right away but if I were to resolve these errors when encountered (as the text seems to suggest) then I would be installing mods out of order which (see below) appears to be prohibited.

 

2) MO2 STEP install order...

The guide explicitly states that mods must be installed in the order presented in the guide. This language makes it seem clear that the action of installing the mods on the STEP Core list must be performed in explicit order; not just that the mod list must be in the order presented before you try and run it. Can someone clarify? Is it sufficient that, before I run LOOT for the last time (each time?), my mod list is shown in the STEP order, regardless of what order the mods were actually initially installed in?

[TechAngel85]

You run LOOT any time a mod is installed that adds a new plugin to your load order to ensure the plugin is sorted corrected. If you're going through the Guide and installing several mods at a time, then you can just simply sort periodically throughout the mod installation part of the Guide. I can see how all the wording can be confusing. I've updated it for the next release to be more clear. That is there for users who choose to run the game before completing the entirety of the mod installation step of the Guide.

 

You can install the mods in any order that you wish as long as the mods are listed in the order they are listed in the Guide's tables. This is "mod order" or "install order". We say this because if you don't install them, in order as they're listed, then you might miss installation instructions or the instructions may not make sense because you're missing mods that should have already been installed. The Guide is written for mods to be completed in the order they are listed so if you deviate from that, just be sure you have all the instructions completed for each mod. However, your final result should match the order in the Guide.