The continued dedication that our community displays towards Skyrim as a modding platform never ceases to amaze us. Looking back, other titles have come and gone but the Skyrim modding community remains as strong as ever. In fact, the Skyrim Nexus hit the 1 billion downloads mark at the end of last month. One Billion! Modders everywhere have made the harsh icy lands of Skyrim their home and with the release of the Special Edition, it would seem this tradition is likely to continue.
While it's definitely going to be fun returning to a fresh but familiar Skyrim, there are certain considerations that we modders must make before getting back on the wagon, so-to-speak. Specifically, in regards to compatibility.
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Save file compatibility
Unmodded or "vanilla" save files from the original Skyrim are supported by Skyrim Special Edition (SSE). Simply copy (rather than move) the appropriate files from the original folder (/Documents/My Games/Skyrim/Saves), to the new one (/Documents/My Games/Skyrim Special Edition/Saves).
More concerning to us modders however, is compatibility between modded save files and SSE. In short, there are no guarantees that a modded save file for original Skyrim will be compatible with SSE. This is especially the case with save files that are dependent on modded content that is not compatible and present in your SSE installation.
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Mod compatibility
As Jim outlined in his previous post, there are several key changes that determine SSE compatibility with original Skyrim mods. These include new compression methods, new methods of handling meshes and animations, to name a few. This means updating will simply not be possible in many cases. For those that are able, it will take some time for authors to convert and republish their work, so please respect their time and efforts and be patient.
Authors, we encourage you to please hide existing, or refrain from publishing, any mods that have not yet been confirmed as working with SSE. Once confirmed, feel free to use our new duplication tools and publish your file. For more information about compatibility and updating mods for SSE, Thallassa has written up a detailed outline which can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/wiki/sse#wiki_how_will_mods_work_for_sse_on_pc.3F
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So with all of that said, we suggest that you prepare yourself to "start fresh", both with a new character and a new set of SSE compatible mods that can be found on our SSE Nexus site. That may sound a bit ominous, especially to those of you with huge load-orders, but it's important to remember that SSE is a stand-alone installation separate from original Skyrim. This means that you can keep your current Skyrim installation, load-order, and data folder intact with NMM appropriately handling the titles separately when utilized.
Which brings me to the release of the latest (and possibly last!) update to Nexus Mod Manager. This update brings support for SSE, with all of the bells and whistles you'd expect including easy downloads, installations, and endorsements of SSE mods. Again, NMM will treat SSE as a separate title from original Skyrim, hopefully making the process as intuitive as currently possible.
Download the latest version: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/modmanager/
It's been a long but lovely road for Nexus Mod Manager. The knowledge we've gained from NMM will be instrumental during the development of our next platform... Until then, stay tuned and happy modding!
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A moderator has closed this comment topic for the time beingI'm going to lock this news post comments section now so we can keep everything in one place.
Just something I'd like to share for new and returning Nexus users regarding SSE and its future:
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We, the community, need to be very patient and respectful as modders navigate this exciting but turbulent time brought on by SSE. There are many hurtles that modders will need to jump, some more than others, to bring their original Skyrim content to SSE, as well as some things many of them need to wait for (e.g. SKSE to be rewritten for SSE, etc). We need to be respectful and appreciative of their efforts and time, not only because of what they do for us, but also because if we are not then some of them, understandably so, may leave the SSE modding scene (as some of them left the original Skyrim scene). If that begins to happen then there is, in my opinion, no chance that SSE will surpass original Skyrim (even despite 64-bit, Dx11, etc).
Spread that message/sentiment far and wide around the community because it is a very real possibility that SSE could splinter this community more than it will breathe new life into it; the deciding factor is, in my opinion, ultimately how we, the community, treat the modders that have gone to such lengths to make Skyrim what is today!
THANK YOU to all modders, you guys and gals are amazing people!
ALSO, huuuuuge thanks to the entire Nexus Mods and Mod Manager team for everything they do. This community and game certainly wouldn't be what it is without you guys too!
I hope you are right! I did notice the huge rush of modding today and it is encouraging, but I also saw plenty of prick-ish comments on plenty of modders' pages which makes me both angry and concerned.
I hope the authentic community will outshine the scum and that SSE will revitalize it!
@EnDSchultz
100% agree!!!
I wonder what this community could achieve if they were doing this full-time. It simply boggles the mind. I haven't got SSE as yet, not until SKSE launches, but tip my hat to the guys and gals in this community. They're simply amazing.
Well let's hope anyway
I remember NMM was inconvenient to me.
Tannin has gone to work for Nexus and working on something new and getting paid:
If you want more info check out ... Dirty Weasel Media or Gopher on Youtube.
I've downloaded the new nexus, and I downloaded the USSEP (Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch) just fine, but whenever I try to download any other mod the same way, it doesn't work. it say's server unreachable.. What does that mean??