Some thoughts on Packing your new MOD.

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Packing your new MOD

Contents:

Data Gathering
- Manually
- via Overunity

Package Preperation
- Files to include
- Path Structures

Optional Preperation
- File Names
- BSA archives

Compression types and info

Finding a host
- Existing Mod databases
- Making your own site for hosting

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Data Gathering

Manually

Collecting the files you use in your mod can be a very daunting task when done manually if you have not prepared for the packaging from the start and have a lot of files that you use. What is needed is to collect all the files from the subfolder's in the Data Files folder that your mod needs in order to avoid the default exclamation point marker. If you do not have a utility to help you do this it, or you did not prepare your files in such a way as to make it easy to search for them you are in for a lot of time to get them collected.

I suggest getting the utility called Overunity 1.9a by Shanjaq to make this step MUCH easier and more reliable for both yourself and for those getting your project. But should you wish to do it manually here is one way that can be done.

First if your project only uses Artwork (Bookart, Icons, Meshes, Music, Sound, Splash, and Textures) from the original game then your mod only requires an ESP file. This is the easiest mod to both package and for the enduser to install. If you made any new Artwork File names or used any Artwork filenames that were created by others then you will need to collect the files that were used. To do this you will need to have three things running on your computer. TESCS, My Computer, Second My Computer.

Make it so all three windows can be seen on the screen by setting each one to a "tiled" state rather then a maximized one you will have better access to view and copy files and folders. Now manuver both of the Explorer Windows to the Morrowind Data Files directory so that you see the esp files and Artwork folders mentioned above. Now right click in one of those windows and select "NEW..." and "Folder" Name this folder something like MYMOD or FORPACKING etc. Then open this folder. Now you are ready to start collecting your files.

Open the TESCS and make your mod the ONLY one loaded besides the ESM's that it calls on, set your mod as the active one and hit ok. After it loads you will go through EVERY item menu and look for the * that signifies an altered or new item from your mod. These items will be the ones you must check to be sure of what files they call on. If you know you only placed X amount of those items and the list shows more then that it is a safe bet that it is an original file but a check may still be helpful just to be sure.

To check a file marked with an * you highlight it and then right click and select "Edit" when that sub menu opens look at the "Button" in the window that has a filename in it. This is the artfile called on by this object. Now look for that file name in the corrisponding folder of the Morrowind Data Files directory that you have open. Here is an example...

Now in the above example here are identifying things.

1) This is the * marking you want to look for in the item menus. When you see one highlight the file and right click. That brings up the next Submenu.

2) The location of the buttons and the number of them will depend on what item type you are looking at in the menu. for Misc Items the top one is the "Mesh" artfile. The filename listed will also include the subfolder where the file is located in the "Meshes" folder. DO NOT CLICK on this button as it will then begin the process of replacing this artfile. Instead you will then look for this file in the Explorer Window that you have open. (SEE #4)

3) The button that has a file name ending in TGA, BMP, or DDS is USUALLY an Icon file. that is the oimage that shows up in the 'in-game' menu's. So you will need to check for this file as well. (SEE #5)

4) As you can see the file was indeed in the "m" folder under "Meshes" in the Data Files directory. What you would do now is recreate this in the Second Explorer window you have open that is currently in the folder you made at the beginning of this proccess. So you will make another folder now called "Meshes" Then open that folder and make One more folder named "m" Now you can open that folder and copy the file from the first 'Explorer Window' and paste it in the 'Second Explorer Window' Then return to the TESCS window and look for the next file, or the Icon.

5) This is where I look for the Icon file mentioned on the button marked as #3 above. But when I open the 'Icon' Folder I do not find the folder or the file that is called on. Now if I know I can load and run my mod with no erros then this 99% of the time signifies that this Icon file was part of the Original Morrowind or its expansions and therefore I do NOT have to include this file in my mod as those who get my mod will have it already. Where this might not be true is if I am using someone elses BSA file mod that has this file in that BSA archive. If you do not have any "non-original" BSA files then you are safe and do not have to include this icon.

However if you do need to include an icon listed then you will go back to the Second Explorer Window and go back to the MYMOD (or the name you gave it) folder. So you would now see that as the location your at and would see the new "Meshes" folder you made. Right click again and create another new folder this time named "Icons" and if the file in question is in another subfolder then open the new "Icons" folder you just made and make the other new folder, then open it and Copy the Icon file from the First Explorer Window and paste it in the Second one inside the new subfolders you made.

These steps will have to be done for every item listed with an * in the TESCS Item Menu's. So you can see that for a large project this could take many painstaking hours and pose a big threat to missing a file or texture etc. This is why I again would recommend getting the Overunity 1.9a Program which does this for you automaticly by reading the information in the ESP file and then scanning the folders for the files that fit that information. I will detail the use of Overunity 1.9a in the next step.

[Step One]

Data Gathering

via Overunity

Overunity is a 3rd party program made by Shanjaq that performs a scan on ESP/ESM files and can provide a list of the files called on by the ESP/ESM as well as provide information on files that are called on but not found in the Data Files folders where the ESP/ESM looks for them. There is also a feature on this program that allows you to "Build an instalation folder" This is the most valuable thing to me for this program. This function basically does as I described above but does it VERY fast compared to how long it takes to do it yourself. Here is the part of the Overunity read-me that describes this function.

The modders will love this one, so far a good percentage of plugins are missing a few files. I've added the ability to explore all files in use by a mod and build an installation fully intact. You can choose not to include resources from other plugins if your mod depends on these other plugins(install only what's yours in order to decrease archive size) via the Exclusive Scanner. (makes a text file recording broken links in the .esp and associated .nif files)

Finally, you can check your plugins media references against all other plugins in your Data Files directory with the Shared Resource scanner. This allows you to determine whether the resources you're using are the ones you intend to distribute. Often a modder can get confused about which resources are unique to his/her mod and this results in an oversized final product without knowing of compatibility issues.

Also as a result of the Shared Resource scanner, you can now thoroughly destroy any plugins you no longer desire to keep!

DEFAULT MORROWIND RESOURCES ARE OVERLOOKED BY ALL SCANNERS/INSTALLATION BUILDERS!
THEY ARE COPYRIGHT TO BETHESDA AND NO-ONE MAY DISTRIBUTE THEM.

You will need to follow the instaltion information given by Shanjaq to make sure the program functions properly. I assure you it works very well and you will never want to pack your mod with anything else after using it I would bet on that. So far it has helped me archiving things and I have had no errors what-so-ever from using it. But it has found several errors for me that I would surely not have realized until after release of my work either. So it is a very useful tool for packing your work and checking for files etc.

Step One

Once it is installed you will begin by opening your ../Bethesda Softworks/Morrowind/ folder and clicking on the Overunity.exe it will open a new window that looks like this ( version 1.9a )...

This is where the files you have "loaded in Overunity" will be displayed. When you first install and run the program this area will be blank. To load a file you will need to drag and drop the ESP/ESM you wish to 'load' into the Overunity window from the Data Files folder. Open your "My Computer" or Windows Explorer and navigate to the Data Files folder. Then set the Explorer window to Tile mode so it can be side by side with the Overunity window. Left click and HOLD the mouse button on the ESP/ESM you wish then drag the mouse into the Overunity window and release the button. Overunity now has this file loaded in it's configuration and can access the information from it for the right click menu that pops up when right clicking on a file name in the Overunity Window. *see step two*

The tribunal Check Box should be checked if you are loading and performing functions on a Tribunal Dependant Mod. Otherwise it is not important if it is checked or not.

Same as #2 only for Bloodmoon.

This cancles all actions you have done via drag and drop loading of mods into Overunity and closes the program without saving the loaded files in the configuration.

This will save the files you loaded in this session of running Overunity into the configuration.

Clicking on the PLAY button will do one of two things depending on what you have installed. If you have the FPSOptimizer installed then clicking on PLAY will start that program. If you do not have the FPS Optimizer installed clicking on PLAY will run the Morrowind Launcher.

Step Two    Right Click Options

This will open a small "ok" window that shows what is in the description window for the mod that is usually accessed through the TESCS Data Files option. It can be handy for making sure you have filled in that info first of all and second it can be helpful to ensure you have it the way you want it before exporting the files to a packing folder.

This is very helpful to use when loading mods that need to come in a certain load order. If you load them all  into Overunity and then simply choose them one at a time based on the order you want and click this function if will set the dates accordingly.

This simply removes the selected pluggin from the Overunity program configuration window that you are looking at. It will NOT remove it from your folders.

This one WILL remove the mod from your folders as well as ALL files connected to it. However if you are afraid that you have shared files between the mod you wish to remove and one you wish to keep Overunity tries to do the best it can to check ALL esp files for references to meshes and textures BEFORE it deletes them. It takes quite a while to do this for several pluggins but if you have over 50 pluggins it could take a very long time to do. It is best to uninstall multiple plugins simultaneously via multi-select(ctrl+click on unwanted plugins,) that way the Exclusive Scanner(which is the slowest part) only needs to be run once for multiple plugins

This simply removes the current loaded pluggins from the Overunity configuration window that you are looking at. It does NOT remove them from your folders.

This is a handy feature as well to help you make certain that you have only the latest pluggin file you made before creating the packing folder. Clicking on this brings up a secondary input window where you will be asked to give a percent similar limit to scan for. IE do you want the names it looks for to be 20% similar or 80% similar etc Generally a 50 is pretty good at spoting anything close to the name.

This will actually look for specific strings of data within the pluggin selected. This can be helpful in finding error's that are reported when you load a game to play new mods and all you get is "Such-n-such.NIF" mesh not found. You can then use overunity to scan the pluggin for that name, thus helping to quickly locate what pluggin uses the mesh in question.

This is a GREAT function and is VERY helpful in making certain you have all the files you need in order to create the packaged pluggin for download that you are making. Now also INCLUDES texture subfolders!!

This will scan all the files called on by your pluggin and check those against other pluggin files to see if any other pluggins you have use the same resources.

This is the function you will use to make copies of all the files your pluggin uses and have them automatically placed in a different folder making it very easy for you to pack only the files your pluggin requires and to make the package you create have a standard set-up that makes it much easier for people to install your pluggin.

This function will breakdown your mod into seperate files based on objects, it also creates stripped down ESP files when doing so. This can be handy for very large ESP's that have dificulty running through other third party programs etc.

[Files to include]

Package Preperation

Files to include

This is pretty straight forward, or should be at least. As mentioned in Data Gathering you will need to include any files that your esp/esm calls for and that do not come from a file that your pluggin depends on. So following the steps outlined above you should have your files collected in their own folder(s) now and ready to be packaged. However there is one more file you should include in this package and now is the best time to make that file.

YOURESPNAME_ReadMe.txt

I had not really intended on laying out any specific example of a read-me file but after looking it over again now that I have had some sleep I have decided to just give a simple example. The different sections are of course all completely up to the person writing the read me but I have marked some below as optional simply because they are such a controversial thing.


******************************

Name of Game mod is meant for. *ie Morrowind or Oblivion.
Name of mod
Version of mod
Dependencies of mod

Author(s) name
Author(s) contact info
Link to website or forum thread etc
   
******************************

Index:
1. Installation
2. Playing the Plugin
3. Save Games
4. Version Notes
5. Credits
6. Permissions
7. Spoilers

******************************
    1. INSTALLING THE MOD
******************************

Directions for installing your mod.

******************************
    2. PLAYING THE MOD
******************************

A brief description of how to start the mod's quest(s) or where to find the changes it makes etc.

******************************
    3. SAVE GAMES
******************************

Brief information on what precautions should be taken in regard to using this mod with old save games.

******************************
    4. VERSION NOTES
******************************

Specific changes made from one version to the next if needed, otherwise simply a description of the files and any game features altered by the mod.

******************************
    5. CREDITS
******************************

IMPARATIVE portion of the read-me. Remember to respect the time and efforts given by all those who made anything your using in your mod. A really nice way to do that is to list where each resource can be gotten from the web and who to contact about it.

******************************
    6. PERMISSIONS (OPTIONAL)
******************************

A brief listing of your wishes in regard to the use of things you made and/or information on what you wish in regard to the redistribution of your mod from other hosting sites etc.

******************************
    7. SPOILERS (OPTIONAL)
******************************

As suggested by the title, just spoiler information about things that may be complicated to figure out or hard to find etc.

[Path Structures]

Package Preperation

Path Structures

There are various preferences for packaging structures of mods by those who download them. The one that seems to be the best liked is to have it extractable directly to the Data Files folder. Others however think it is more prudent for a modder to use a Base folder that has a direct structure below it that can be copied directly to the Data Files folder. Here are examples of the two structures as they would appear in the compressed file that you would upload.
Structure #1a
..\YOURMODNAME\Data Files\*Sub-Folders as needed*
..\YOURMODNAME\YOURMODNAME_ReadMe.txt
Structure #1b
..\YOURMODNAME\Data Files\*Sub-Folders as needed*
..\YOURMODNAME\Data Files\YOURMODNAME_ReadMe.txt
Structure #2a
..\Data Files\*Sub-Folders as needed*
..\YOURMODNAME_ReadMe.txt
Structure #2b
..\Data Files\*Sub-Folders as needed*
..\Data Files\YOURMODNAME_ReadMe.txt

These structures are definately prefered over RAW file placement. IE placing NIF and DDS/TGA/BMP files all in the same folder or not in any folders at all etc. That kind of packaged file can be extremely difficult for a user to manage and get installed properly and many people will simply not even bother trying to do it so your mod will not be enjoyed nearly as much or by as many people unless you package it in as easy a fashion as you can for the user to install.

Something that may help you in understanding this further is to review the many install guides that can be found posted in various forums, including the one I have made and posted here in this forum. If you see some of the things that people have to do in order to install poorly packaged mods you may better understand how to package your own. To take it a step further download some mods and try to install them yourself if you haven't already. If it frustrates you to install one packaged a certain way then don't pack yours that way.

This step in preparing a mod can be almost as and for some more important then a good readme included in the compressed file you make. So take the time to be sure of how you are packing it and test unpacking and installing it yourself as well, this will help you to know better what users will be facing when they get your file and can help you to make it as simple as possible.

The above directory structures are made even easier for a modder to do when you use the Overunity program mentioned above in Data Gathering. The Export Resources function of that program allows you to build the path structure when you use it and will place all the files your mod calls on in that path structure properly etc. Makes it very easy to do but should still be checked by you when completed to assure all files needed made it into the right places and into the compressed file etc.

[File Names]

Optional Preperation

File Names

Ghostwheel has made a tool TES Rename that I have found to be worth paying for and yet he gives it away for free. this tool goes by the name TES Rename. By following the guidelines he sets forth in the read-me for it you will be able to take your mod files and give them all standardized name structures with ease. Not to mention that you can also create BSA files from this same tool, but I will go over that later.

For me I find the best combination to prepare for naming files is to first use Overunity to collect the files into their own subfolder as mentioned above. Once I have that done I can then very easily copy them to the TESRename folder structures so that they can be manipulated and worked with by the program. First I have it scan the ESP/ESM in question and create a CFG file for it based on that scan. Now I am able to import that into a spreadsheet application which gives me greater control over file name's since the manner in which it creates the CFG file makes it difficult to do any other way.

Once in the SpreadSheet app I can then select the column to change the names in and in so doing I can search for specific strings and replace them all at once should I wish to. IE if I have Head-new-001 all the way through -025 I can easily search for Head-new- and replace it with MyMod_Head_ this makes the process much faster and allows you to change the names and the references of the files all at the same time so ALL the files in your mod can be unique to your mod in name. This is a good thing to avoid overwriting issues of mods that may use older files of other mods and things like that.

HOWEVER!!! Because of the filename alterations it is IMPARITIVE that you make absolutely certain credit is given to those who made the meshes and/or textures within your project. It is very helpful to make note of the new names given to the files so you can include the NEW name in the credit given as well. Something that may be helpful for this is to create a new interior cell in your mod for each modder whose resources you use, such as "!!DisplayCell 4 credit to Dongle" this cell does not have to be linked "in-game" but is sure to be seen in the TESCS should anyone be looking in it. You can then place one of each thing you used from said modder in their cell and it is easily referenced by you and others for credit to the objects they made.

Anyway by altering the names of all the files in your project you help to insure that your work will not overwrite anyone elses files if they get your project. Also it helps them to better be able to remove your project if/when they wish to do so. They only have to search for a specific string and it will bring up all your files and will not delete files used by other projects.

A big drawback to re-naming can be giving Credit. Because so many people seem to be light on reading credits and sometimes on giving it having file names altered can cause even more confusion and could be a potential problem if proper credits and very clearly stated ones are not given by you. You should also be sure that no original game meshes and textures are included in your file when re-naming as this too can be a drawback. Not only in filesize but in legally holding to the EULA of Morrowind.

At anyrate this is an optional preparation step and because I think it should be thought about and considered by those releasing mods, I included it here.

[BSA Archives]

Optional Preperation

BSA Archives

Again Ghostwheel's tool TESRename comes in handy, only this time it is in making a BSA archive that operates the same way as those that came with the game and expansions. Much the same as the above renaming method I again advise using Overunity to collect the files. If you wish go ahead and do the renaming of the files first as well. Or you can simply package them as they are.

If you do not rename the files first you will still have to generate a configuration file, or CFG file but once that is done you can then very easily click on the create BSA Archive and poof it is all done. But I urge you to verify all files needed were included and to test the BSA very actively to be certain. To test I strongly advise creating "Clean" Data Files folders and installing the BSA and ESP/ESM to test it in an empty enviornment. This can be done by changing the names of the folders you use like Meshes, Textures etc into something like Meshes_01, Textures_01 then make new folders that are empty of files and load your BSA Archive Mod. If no errors come up you should be good to go.

A plus to this is that it makes it VERY simple for people to install and uninstall your project BUT you will need to give very clear directions on how to install a BSA file because it requires a change to the Morrowind.ini file. Some people dislike or are afraid of or simply do not understand BSA files but for larger projects I really wish they would get used much more often. I would recommend however that until you are certain you have all files and textures etc included that you NOT pack your project in a BSA. Do heavy testing and make very sure you are done adding objects THEN make the BSA as your V1.0 release.

Again this is simply an optional packing suggestion and I offer it here as I did the renaming above. Strictly as something for you to consider when you package your project for release.

[Thread_Whisperer]

Compression types and info

There are several types of file compression so I will try to only go with those types most commonly found in the Morrowind modding world. I hope to try and help you to determine which type would be best suited to your project and also what may be best suited to your target audience as well.

But for a much broader exploration of Archive formats feel very free to explore this site here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archive_formats

.zip - Most Operating System Programs are capable of extracting this format since it is a very basic and a widely used one. The tool specifically designed for use with .zip is called WinZIP and can be found here...

http://www.winzip.com/

.rar - Winrar is the most common morrowind mod compression tool I have seen used. It compresses files tighter, or smaller, then WinZIP does. This makes it easier for people with large mods to make them use less memory and thus be faster for people to download. The Winrar utility is also capable of handling .zip files in both making them and extracting them. It can be found here...

http://www.rarlab.com/index.htm

.ace - Winace is another of the common formats found in Morrowind modding again it is more powerful in compressing files then WinZIP and thus like Winrar it helps when compressing larger files and mods it can be found here...

http://www.winace.com/

.7z - 7zip is the most powerful compression tool I have found used for Morrowind. This format is usually used for mods that are over 100 megabytes when un-compressed. The 7zip utility can be found here...

http://www.7-zip.org/

General Compressor/Extractor

Zip Genius is a very highly recommended extraction utility for Morrowind mod user's because it is capable of dealing with the most common compression formats as well as many other types. This is useful in that you only need to become familiar with one program to be able to work with almost all the compression formats, including 7zip, you will find in Morrowind Modding. This tool can be found here...

http://www.zipgenius.it/index2.htm

Those are pretty much the compression formats used as a standard by modders for Morrowind. If you find a mod in a different format please refer to the link above as it has much more information about each format type here AND many others available.

[Thread_Whisperer]

Finding a host

Existing Mod Databases

Morrowind Mods.org

Another of the seldom used mod hosts that already exists. There are some restrictions on upload sizes and such but an email sent to cryonaut about the file and such can help for files above 2.4 megabytes. Never hurts to offer your work in more then one place if you really want to get it out there for folks.

http://www.morrowind-mods.org/main/index.php

The File database can be directly linked here...

http://www.morrowind-mods.org/main/modules.php?name=Downloads

and to upload a mod or update of one you can go here...

http://www.morrowind-mods.org/main/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=AddDownload#adddownload

Summit Database

This is the first mod database to come out for Morrowind Mods to my knowledge and has been long standing as one of the largest for sure. It had it's difficult times and still has many people that dislike using it. But Apy continues to try and bring it back to what it was when it first came onto the net and has done a great job so far of getting the files sorted out. All in all the site continues to offer a great service for people even though it has to deal with File Planet. the main page can be found here...

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com

The File database can be directly linked here...

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Mods.List

and to upload a mod or update of one you can go here...

http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/submit_processor.php?clusters=mods

TESRealm

TESRealm is another good database that really seems to be under used so may be a good place to put at least a second copy of your work so as to have two places with your file. The main page can be found here...

http://tesrealm.com/

To register with them go here...

http://tesrealm.com/auth/register

Then after registering you can upload here...

http://tesrealm.com/submitfile/

TheLys

TheLys will be missed, all the best MadPauly...

[Thread_Whisperer]

Finding a host

Making your own site for hosting.

Freewebs.com

Freewebs is a fairly reliable source for hosting webpages and small mod releases. The bandwidth they give with their free service is not the greatest HOWEVER the only advertising your site will have to put up with is a small linkback text link at the bottom of your site. This is a plus in my opinion as I hate the side menu popup ad's from YahooGeocities and other similar hosting providers. I would however STRONGLY advise against expanding your freewebs site with any of their pay services. If you can afford to pay for a site I urge you to consider a different provider. Anyway the free services of freewebs can be reviewed here...

http://members.freewebs.com/page.jsp?page=ourServices

TES Source

TES Source has a wonderful little utility for building a site from a template where you simply enter text info and images etc. Very simple and straight forward as well as being part of an Elder Scrolls site that also hosts mods. Definately worth a look!

http://tessource.net/content.php?page=Hosting

[Thread_Whisperer]

This thread was made with only good intentions in mind to try and help folks get a better start with learning some of the in's and out's of packing mods they make for Morrowind. I in no way wish to claim this as the end all beat all guide for packing mods for Morrowind but meerly offer it as what has worked best for me in doing so over the past 3+ years. Please remember that many folks will have many ways of doing the same thing and for some, one way will always work better for them then another etc. That is truly the beauty of computers, multiple ways of achieving the same result. All the best and I hope if you needed the help that you have found at least a start to your answers here.

TW