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Vortex Mark as Light Feature

1ae0bfb8

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Not sure how many Simsettlements forum members use Vortex I use it for my mod management.
The recent update to 0.18.9 brought in an interesting feature. You can now use Vortex to set a plugin to 'light'. What this means is that if a plugin can be remade from ESP to ESL, you can now do that from within Vortex.
To do this, go to your plugins tab in vortex, and make sure that you have the flags column enabled.
If a mod can be marked as light, you will see an outline of a feather (I guess).
Double click the plugin and a new section opens up and there's a button that you can click which simply says 'Mark Light'.
Click that, you're done.
I went ham on this last night and marked about 30 plugins as light, which means that out of nowhere, I have 30 slots available in my load order.......
Give it a try.

If you know about this, apologies, I'm late to the show.
 
I’m still thinking about this feature. Not quite sure about it at present.
 
i was sceptical at first, but i tried it on a test game and it worked without any impact at all - i then changed one mod in my live game - no issues - tried another - no issues. eventually took the plunge and went postal - no impact except i've got a ton of free slots......
 
I’m still thinking about this feature. Not quite sure about it at present.

@Whisper, you know I have been playing with it for a week or two. Everything I have converted has continued to work well and I see no save file corruption. I have been very careful though and only changing them a few at a time then testing them for hours. I am being conservative and only flagging ones I might have anyway if I was starting a new game. Still, from everything I have read on the nexus forums: https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/7715188-could-be-light/page-5?hl= could light

I would target HadtoRegister's comments.
 
What bothers me about this feature is that these possible-light files are “accidental” - they were not set up to deliberately be esl-tagged esp files. Not from the start, not deliberately-done by the author.

So if the author makes changes and re-releases, and the new release is not a potential light file (thank you CK)...

:explode:

It will of course be very situational depending upon the mod involved.
 
@1ae0bfb8, I have been collecting videos, link and my own testing results and documentation here at the bottom of the thread:

https://simsettlements.com/site/index.php?threads/baking-a-game-save-bags.9447/#post-66784

Still, I am very happy to have someone else posting on this independent of my own observations.

I was extremely happy to see this thread! :crazy Some days it is nice to find out that I might not be as crazy as I think I am.

I really think it is important to read "hadtoregisters" comments before users who don't want to jeopardize their save files in the interest of science go crazy mid-playthrough.
 
What bothers me about this feature is that these possible-light files are “accidental” - they were not set up to deliberately be esl-tagged esp files. Not from the start, not deliberately-done by the author.

So if the author makes changes and re-releases, and the new release is not a potential light file (thank you CK)...

:explode:

It will, of course, be very situational depending upon the mod involved.

hahaha, anytime something is too good to be true. I am also still looking for the catch or some other more official or knowledgable documentation. I figure someone like @IDEK or maybe @pra might drop their two cents at some point?

All I can recommend to users who want to test this feature is, "own it." It may be a while before anyone publishes guidance so no help if you pork your game other than the user themselves.
 
Not sure how many Simsettlements forum members use Vortex I use it for my mod management.
The recent update to 0.18.9 brought in an interesting feature. You can now use Vortex to set a plugin to 'light'. What this means is that if a plugin can be remade from ESP to ESL, you can now do that from within Vortex.
To do this, go to your plugins tab in vortex, and make sure that you have the flags column enabled.
If a mod can be marked as light, you will see an outline of a feather (I guess).
Double click the plugin and a new section opens up and there's a button that you can click which simply says 'Mark Light'.
Click that, you're done.
I went ham on this last night and marked about 30 plugins as light, which means that out of nowhere, I have 30 slots available in my load order.......
Give it a try.

If you know about this, apologies, I'm late to the show.
This is really something quite incredible.

i was sceptical at first, but i tried it on a test game and it worked without any impact at all - i then changed one mod in my live game - no issues - tried another - no issues. eventually took the plunge and went postal - no impact except i've got a ton of free slots......
How does it work?

I assumed it'd have to automatically compact/renumber FormIDs, but if this were the case then it'd be essentially like uninstalling and then reinstalling the mods in question which it seems like it isn't the case here since that usually leads to issues.

I have never used Vortex(Been using MO2 for a while now) before but I may have to download it if only to try this out and then compare before after in xEdit.

hahaha, anytime something is too good to be true. I am also still looking for the catch or some other more official or knowledgable documentation. I figure someone like @IDEK or maybe @pra might drop their two cents at some point?

All I can recommend to users who want to test this feature is, "own it." It may be a while before anyone publishes guidance so no help if you pork your game other than the user themselves.
It's certainly fascinating, and for the first time I'm wanting to download Vortex. Am installing it now, though likely I may stick with just using this new Mark as Light feature. I will also use it for testing "Download with Vortex" for my mod uploads from now on, I may not bother testing with NMM Downloads since I also heard that Vortex is the most commonly used mod manager now at around 2/3rds of players. And with this new feature I think that number is certainly going to go up.
 
hahaha, anytime something is too good to be true. I am also still looking for the catch or some other more official or knowledgable documentation. I figure someone like @IDEK or maybe @pra might drop their two cents at some point?

All I can recommend to users who want to test this feature is, "own it." It may be a while before anyone publishes guidance so no help if you pork your game other than the user themselves.
That shouldn't actually be a problem. If you can switch to light whithout breaking the save, I see no reason why switching back should be a problem.

It all implies that saves refer to content by filename+internal form id only, no matter the type
 
I posted this back about a week ago.

Still seems relevant.

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@RayBo, mate, i love your video's and i'm sorry if i accidentally stole your thunder with this post, that wasn't my intention, but your video above absolutely nails it.

hadtoregister is a good, good guy. he's one of the most helpful users in that forum, together with augusta callida and rmm200. they go the extra mile every day to help people. if anyone here has any issues with vortex, i'd recommend the vortex support forums, because those people will 100% get you going.

in terms of my own game setup, over the years, i've done everything that can wreck a game and learned the hard way, so i don't use console commands, don't remove mods during a playthrough, i keep the game as stable as possible, so i took a ton of precautions with this before i converted the first plugin.
at each step, i tested the game, and it looked fine and as raybo's video shows, as you convert from esp to esp marked esl, you are getting plugin slots back.
its a cool feature. i like it.
 
@RayBo, mate, i love your video's and i'm sorry if i accidentally stole your thunder with this post, that wasn't my intention, but your video above absolutely nails it.

hadtoregister is a good, good guy. he's one of the most helpful users in that forum, together with augusta callida and rmm200. they go the extra mile every day to help people. if anyone here has any issues with vortex, i'd recommend the vortex support forums, because those people will 100% get you going.

in terms of my own game setup, over the years, i've done everything that can wreck a game and learned the hard way, so i don't use console commands, don't remove mods during a playthrough, i keep the game as stable as possible, so i took a ton of precautions with this before i converted the first plugin.
at each step, i tested the game, and it looked fine and as raybo's video shows, as you convert from esp to esp marked esl, you are getting plugin slots back.
its a cool feature. i like it.
Amazing stuff! Yeah HadToRegister seems super helpful and also often quite funny.

On my next PC I'll set up Witcher 3 modded and I will use Vortex for that. I'd try it on Fallout 4 but I have an extensive set up via MO2 currently, maybe if I did restart my FO4 build.
 
@RayBo, mate, i love your video's and i'm sorry if i accidentally stole your thunder with this post, that wasn't my intention, but your video above absolutely nails it.

hadtoregister is a good, good guy. he's one of the most helpful users in that forum, together with augusta callida and rmm200. they go the extra mile every day to help people. if anyone here has any issues with vortex, i'd recommend the vortex support forums, because those people will 100% get you going.

in terms of my own game setup, over the years, i've done everything that can wreck a game and learned the hard way, so i don't use console commands, don't remove mods during a playthrough, i keep the game as stable as possible, so i took a ton of precautions with this before i converted the first plugin.
at each step, i tested the game, and it looked fine and as raybo's video shows, as you convert from esp to esp marked esl, you are getting plugin slots back.
its a cool feature. i like it.

@1ae0bfb8, ha!

No worries. There is absolutely no thunder to steal :bye

I saw it as collaboration and support. :drinks

Want we do and say on theses forums should ultimately be focused on the assistance of Sim Settlement users, FO4 / modded game players, and the modding community as a whole.

Open, collaboration, documenting observations, and the sharing of information are essential to that experience and environment.

“It’s a good thing”
 
Want we do and say on theses forums should ultimately be focused on the assistance of Sim Settlement users, FO4 / modded game players, and the modding community as a whole.
100% this. That's how I view modding as a whole
 
Thank you. I'm not sure yet. Right now I'm trying to see what other people think about it. It took me a long, long time to get Mod Organizer 2 set up and I'm going to have to read directions then read them again. And that you tube posted above, I'll be checking that out too saving the site so I can watch, try, repeat watch, try again. Hit my head against the wall, reinstall everything because I messed up something and eventually get it right. So making sure it's worth switching to. :)
 
I see that Feature in Vortex to but i think there will be a Problem with Sorting and Load Order after.Vortex say me i can mark near 70%-80% of my Mods to light.Thats great but the Problem after is how you Sort them.With ESP i can say Vortex the Plugin must be load at place 60 with this light you can not do the same.You can order only the light to be Place before or after a Fix Load Order Number.That mean if on place 60 is a normal ESP you can say Vortex to place the Light Plugin after 60 but the problem is then when there are other Lights behind 60.The new one get place random behind or before them.If now under that light is a Conflicting other light its difficult to switch them then as you have no Fix Numbers same as for ESP Plugins.
 
I see that Feature in Vortex to but i think there will be a Problem with Sorting and Load Order after.Vortex say me i can mark near 70%-80% of my Mods to light.Thats great but the Problem after is how you Sort them.With ESP i can say Vortex the Plugin must be load at place 60 with this light you can not do the same.You can order only the light to be Place before or after a Fix Load Order Number.That mean if on place 60 is a normal ESP you can say Vortex to place the Light Plugin after 60 but the problem is then when there are other Lights behind 60.The new one get place random behind or before them.If now under that light is a Conflicting other light its difficult to switch them then as you have no Fix Numbers same as for ESP Plugins.
? I might not be understanding?

You can put an "esp-flagged as an esl" anywhere that you would put a normal esp? You don't need to resort or order them differently after they have been flagged in vortex. Normal "pure" esl's need to go at the top and vortex will do that, but "light/flagged" can go and should be sorted by vortex / loot in the same way they were sorted as they were as an unflagged esp.

Sorry, if I am not understanding?
 
Yea sorry i have difficult to understand myself this Morning the entire night i google for this to try to understand if is good or not and what at the end i have from it or will change for me :) all what i find until now is only that is not good doing this change midgame.
 
Yea sorry i have difficult to understand myself this Morning the entire night i google for this to try to understand if is good or not and what at the end i have from it or will change for me :) all what i find until now is only that is not good doing this change midgame.
That is correct - that change should only be done at the beginning of a new game or when adding new mods to an existing game.
 
I have mixed feelings about Vortex. I don't have to think much to use it, which isn't really a good thing.

I've used the "make lite" option and haven't had any problems so far. I hate that I can't re-arrange the load order the way I want it. I've used the "manage rules" option so I can pick one specific plug in after another one, but I've had times where that just does not work.

When it doesn't work, I think about going back to Mod Manager 2 and then I think of all the work I have to do for that and tell myself I'll think about it.
 
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