Root Builder isn't showing up in the tools menu or MO is throwing an error when launched.
The most likely cause is that it wasn't installed properly. The first folder in the zip (just a single folder called 'rootbuilder') needs to be directly extracted into the plugins folder. If you extract the contents of the folder into plugins ('rootbuilder','shared' and '__init__.py') then it'll break MO. To fix this you will need to take a fresh copy of __init__.py from a clean MO install and replace the one in the plugins folder and then install Root Builder again properly. Remove the __init__.py that was added, and the two folders and try installing again.
If this is not the issue, check that you have a newer version of MO. The minimum supported version is 2.4.*, if you have 2.3.* then Root Builder will not work.
Root mods aren't being copied to the game folder or launching SKSE throws an error that it cannot find SkyrimSE.exe
This is usually a result of having a 'Data' folder inside a 'Root' folder. You should place the contents of any 'Data' folder alongside the 'Root' folder in a mod and not inside the 'Root' folder itself. If a Root mod has a 'Data' folder inside the 'Root' folder, the mod will be skipped entirely by Root Builder.
Example: INCORRECT: \Root\SomeDll.dll \Root\SomeIni.ini \Root\Data\SomePlugin.esp \Root\Data\SKSE\SomeScript.py CORRECT: \Root\SomeDll.dll \Root\SomeIni.ini SomePlugin.esp \SKSE\SomeScript.py If this is not the problem, there is another issue on the MO side of things that occasionally causes problems. What happens is that when running some tools through MO, when they exit, MO doesn't pick up on them closing and doesn't tell Root Builder to clear up, which means a flag in Root Builder is never set and causes autobuild to stop working. The workaround for this is to manually use the Build/Clear in the tools menu or to restart MO. When MO is next launched, the issue will be resolved.
Building/Clearing is incredibly slow or causes MO to crash.
This is caused by having a large number of files or a very large file being managed by Root Builder. The first thing to make sure of is that MO is NOT installed inside the game folder, this is an unsupported setup. MO should always be installed outside the game folder or issues will occur. The next thing to check for is Root mods which have source code included. A lot of mods will come with an 'src' folder, which contains source code, this usually adds a large number of files that are simply not needed for the mod to work. Once you identify the files causing the issue, you can delete them or add them to the exclusions setting in Root Builder so that they are ignored.
Root Builder doesn't work with WINE or on OS X or Linux etc.
There's nothing I can do about this, it's a limitation of MO not being able to track when apps are running or when they close. You can disable autobuild in the Root Builder tools menu and use the manual Build/Clear tools and this may allow you to use Root Builder. You may also need to disable redirect in the settings as well if that is not working and add executables using the alternative method described in the documentation (run a build, add the exe from the game folder and then run a clear).
I am using USVFS or Link mode and something is not working.
These modes work for some setups and not for others. If you are having issues with them, switch back to copy mode and test with that. Copy mode is the only mode that is compatible with everything and there's a good chance that it's simply not possible for USVFS or Link mode to work with the given mod.
Root Builder isn't working with my non- TES/Fallout/Starfield(probably) game.
While Root Builder can work with other games, it is often quite slow. You will likely need to identify which folders inside the base game are folders you will not be modding and add them to Root Builder's exclusion setting. Link and USVFS modes will probably not work (although can be worth experimenting with). If the issue is just speed, and you cannot resolve it with the exclusions setting, the best answer I can give is to disable autobuild, run manual builds when you need to add new mods and then run a clear once when you're ready to close MO.
I still need help!
If you need help, or have suggestions and feature requests, the best place to check is the dedicated Discord server for my mods.
in principle this is a great plugin, but is there any way to prevent root builder from trying to be smarter than the user? i WANT to add something to the game folder without it being moved into overwrite or its own mod folder, but every time i start the game things are moved out again. root builder makes it impossible to use creation kit with fallout 4.
edit: got it to work. open root builder, delete the cache and backup. install or move creation kit files into your game folder and run the game. this way root builder will remember the game folder with CK in it.
edit 2: i have now switched auto build off and am much happier with root builder. no more writes to my drive everytime i start the game and i feel in control of the program, and the buttons finally make sense too.
https://www.nexusmods.com/oblivionremastered/mods/282?tab=description Looks like this will take some work to make it with the the new OBSE64 for Oblivion Remasterd per the read me [ Installation ] 1. Copy the dll and exe files in to your Oblivion Remastered folder. This is usually C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Oblivion Remastered\OblivionRemastered\Binaries\Win64. 2. Ignore the src folder. It is there for programmers only. 3. Make sure Steam is running, then launch the game by running obse64_loader.exe.
Is there a way I can make Root Builder output to a mod instead of the overwrite automatically? Before using Root Builder I would just tell SKSE to create files inside of a mod instead of the overwrite but that function seems to stop working with Root Builder installed.
This may be a super dumb question, but this has happened to me twice now. I installed Skyrim, MO, and Root Builder. Oops, I forgot to install the Creation Kit. That's okay, I'll just disable Root Builder and do that real quick... So I do, and launch the game and the Creation Kit once before re-enabling Root Builder. The next time I launch it detects all of the new Creation Kit files in the overwrite.
The question is, how do I do this properly without having the files dumped into the overwrite? I think I've tried all the options in Root Builder before installing the Creation Kit, disabling it, clearing what I think is the right Root Builder cache, but I think I am not qualified to use this. lmao
Also, thanks for the great plugin. Literally can't live without it.
sorry if this is late, but basically you want to have CK installed through MO with Rootbuilder layout/folder structure. you can then add the executable to the drop down panel as you would with any other .exe (ie bodyslide, Xedit, nemesis etc..) . and if you want to run CK with a clean mod-free base just create a separate profile in MO with all mods disabled aside from the CK folder.
I may be understanding things wrong but does this essentially install to and then delete from the game directory each time it performs actions? Essentially writing and deleting files from the drive a bunch.
By default, yes. You can configure it to map via usvfs or links instead though, and with custom rules for what is mapped in which way. Full copy is the most compatible though.
I just want to put this out. The constant rewriting of files is not necessarily a recommended thing to do to your storage drive because that can damage it in the long run. Granted how many rewrites you have before this happens can depend on the storage drive.
Has anyone managed to find a workaround for Root Builder and CKPE? I know the CKPE page lists them as incompatible, but I saw one person in the comments of CKPE mentioning that they could get it to work, so I thought I'd ask. Really crossing my fingers that there's a workaround I haven't been able to figure out.
So many thanks to Keyzma for this mod, I can't imagine managing files without it now.
I'm not sure why it would be incompatible? You'd have to explain why it doesn't work before there's any answer to how to make it work! If it needs files in the game folder, you can put them in a Root mod. If it needs them in the Data folder, you can remove Data from the exclusions in RB and make custom inclusion or exclusion settings to let it ignore the game files in Data. Only reason I can imagine it not working is if it just doesn't work when run through MO2? In which case a manual build would let you do it.
Hey! Thanks for the reply, and sorry for the missing information. Short of it: Like 99% of "bugs", it must have been user error. ^^;; Like you just said, Root Builder works with CKPE as a Root mod.
Long of it: With Root Builder installed, I was having issues with CKPE not being detected when I launched CK through MO2 and had done some troubleshooting. On the CKPE page the author notes Root Builder as incompatible, and they gave a brief explanation in the comments of CKPE as well that I didn't quite understand, so I thought that there was a known issue. But I noticed some people saying they had CKPE/RB up and running together, so I assumed they had a workaround I didn't know about. I came here to try to pinpoint how I was screwing up, or if there was a solution I didn't see. ^^;;
Your reply prompted me to clear everything out, check my installation of CK, redownload CKPE, and make a new Root mod for it. Whatever I had done to mess it up is resolved, and everything's working as it should. Not sure where I screwed up, and thanks for the nudge.
Thank you for your time - you must get inundated with questions - and sorry for creating any confusion.
Honestly, this was the first time I've ever seen CKPE mentioned, I can't fathom why they've listed it as incompatible and what on earth the 'ideological reasons' are. RB with default settings is no different to manually installing the files and if you use the manual build/clear tools and run stuff outside MO2 it quite literally is that!
I could understand if perhaps it didn't work when run through MO2, maybe it doesn't play nicely with the VFS from MO2, but the page seems to be very specific about RB and I'm somewhat baffled by it tbh!
> 'ideological reasons'. Kezyma I am not a MO2 user, so all MO2 users are on their own. I proceed from the information that this did not work for users, although I assumed there was a solution. And it is written this way, because the main purpose of RB is to preserve the original appearance of the root folder, which does to fit with the mods that "clog" it. I noted that this is not relevant and sticky the post.
> 'ideological reasons'. Kezyma I am not a MO2 user, so all MO2 users are on their own. I proceed from the information that this did not work for users, although I assumed there was a solution. And it is written this way, because the main purpose of RB is to preserve the original appearance of the root folder, which does to fit with the mods that "clog" it. I noted that this is not relevant and sticky the post.
Ahh, I understand! I can definitely see possible conflicts with MO2's VFS managing the data folder (although RB can account for that with some tweaking). The principle of RB is to work exactly the same as manually filling up the game folder, but with the ability to clear it back out again while preserving any changes! RB should support CKPE entirely since it's purely automating the normal install and uninstall process. I'd say that if anything, RB is ideologically aligned with what you're doing, but perhaps it's MO2 itself that isn't! Which is what caused the confusion on my part!
Just add those exclusions in your config file and install CKPE manually. It works perfectly fine like that.
There's no need to add exclusions and install manually, it works fine as it is! But of course, you can do that and it will also work, it purely depends on whether you want your files in MO2 or in the game folder when you're not using it, otherwise there is absolutely no difference!
Hi, new RB user here, i also had the same issue with CKPE and tried your method and it works! But how do i deal with things like Logs, ckep.log and CreationKitPlatformExtended.log, should i add them to exclusion? Or just dump them in the root folder of CKPE, Thx!
Is there a way to log where files are coming from?
I can not for the life of me figure out why (assuming it's root builder) I am getting a Root folder generated in my Overwrite folder that contains an enbseries.ini with a bunch of false flags for options, instead of the actual enbseries that only exists that has it all set to true? lol.
I searched all files in mo2, all mods, there exists only 1 enbseries.ini which is what I was using just fine... but now all the sudden every time I boot the game a rogue enbseries.ini is being places in overwrite/root folder with things set off.
EDIT: I guess 503 enb is not working properly with 640 skyrim, or my existing rudy enb enbseries.ini is not compatible with 503, downgrading fixed it.. but wonder why
For some reason when I do two seperate root mods: so I had enbseries - binaries and a enbseries.ini / enbseries
It would break (Not your fault obviously) but once I put the binaries + the enbseries + enbseries.ini in 1 single root folder mod, that fixed it, weird haha.
Sorry for bothering again. But I am still looking for a way to make xEdit and Dyndolod/TexGen work properly with this Tool. Without Root Builder, I only have to give the game installation folder of the game as arguments for the tools, and they read all the mods I have directly installed. But with Root Builder, if I point the tools to the default game installation, they will read only the vanilla game files ignoring all the mods installed. Even LOOT finds only the vanilla Data files. And I cannot find a real Data folder to point as argument for the tools. So how shoud I configure xEdit-based tools to work with Root Builder? Or how should I configure Root Builder so the mods managed by it can be read by xEdit?
You'll need to run the tools through MO2. If you need to provide arguments, you'll have to add them to MO2 from their location in the game folder after a build, as RB cannot redirect from a mod folder to the game folder without losing any custom arguments.
I can't say I ever had any issues with the tools listed, so they should work fine!
801 comments
- Root Builder isn't showing up in the tools menu or MO is throwing an error when launched.
The most likely cause is that it wasn't installed properly. The first folder in the zip (just a single folder called 'rootbuilder') needs to be directly extracted into the plugins folder. If you extract the contents of the folder into plugins ('rootbuilder','shared' and '__init__.py') then it'll break MO.To fix this you will need to take a fresh copy of __init__.py from a clean MO install and replace the one in the plugins folder and then install Root Builder again properly.Remove the __init__.py that was added, and the two folders and try installing again.If this is not the issue, check that you have a newer version of MO. The minimum supported version is 2.4.*, if you have 2.3.* then Root Builder will not work.
- Root mods aren't being copied to the game folder or launching SKSE throws an error that it cannot find SkyrimSE.exe
This is usually a result of having a 'Data' folder inside a 'Root' folder. You should place the contents of any 'Data' folder alongside the 'Root' folder in a mod and not inside the 'Root' folder itself. If a Root mod has a 'Data' folder inside the 'Root' folder, the mod will be skipped entirely by Root Builder.Example:
INCORRECT:
\Root\SomeDll.dll
CORRECT:\Root\SomeIni.ini
\Root\Data\SomePlugin.esp
\Root\Data\SKSE\SomeScript.py
\Root\SomeDll.dll\Root\SomeIni.ini
SomePlugin.esp
\SKSE\SomeScript.py
If this is not the problem, there is another issue on the MO side of things that occasionally causes problems. What happens is that when running some tools through MO, when they exit, MO doesn't pick up on them closing and doesn't tell Root Builder to clear up, which means a flag in Root Builder is never set and causes autobuild to stop working.The workaround for this is to manually use the Build/Clear in the tools menu or to restart MO. When MO is next launched, the issue will be resolved.
- Building/Clearing is incredibly slow or causes MO to crash.
This is caused by having a large number of files or a very large file being managed by Root Builder.The first thing to make sure of is that MO is NOT installed inside the game folder, this is an unsupported setup. MO should always be installed outside the game folder or issues will occur.
The next thing to check for is Root mods which have source code included. A lot of mods will come with an 'src' folder, which contains source code, this usually adds a large number of files that are simply not needed for the mod to work.
Once you identify the files causing the issue, you can delete them or add them to the exclusions setting in Root Builder so that they are ignored.
- Root Builder doesn't work with WINE or on OS X or Linux etc.
There's nothing I can do about this, it's a limitation of MO not being able to track when apps are running or when they close.You can disable autobuild in the Root Builder tools menu and use the manual Build/Clear tools and this may allow you to use Root Builder. You may also need to disable redirect in the settings as well if that is not working and add executables using the alternative method described in the documentation (run a build, add the exe from the game folder and then run a clear).
- I am using USVFS or Link mode and something is not working.
These modes work for some setups and not for others. If you are having issues with them, switch back to copy mode and test with that. Copy mode is the only mode that is compatible with everything and there's a good chance that it's simply not possible for USVFS or Link mode to work with the given mod.
- Root Builder isn't working with my non- TES/Fallout/Starfield(probably) game.
While Root Builder can work with other games, it is often quite slow. You will likely need to identify which folders inside the base game are folders you will not be modding and add them to Root Builder's exclusion setting. Link and USVFS modes will probably not work (although can be worth experimenting with).If the issue is just speed, and you cannot resolve it with the exclusions setting, the best answer I can give is to disable autobuild, run manual builds when you need to add new mods and then run a clear once when you're ready to close MO.
- I still need help!
If you need help, or have suggestions and feature requests, the best place to check is the dedicated Discord server for my mods.edit: got it to work. open root builder, delete the cache and backup. install or move creation kit files into your game folder and run the game. this way root builder will remember the game folder with CK in it.
edit 2: i have now switched auto build off and am much happier with root builder. no more writes to my drive everytime i start the game and i feel in control of the program, and the buttons finally make sense too.
Looks like this will take some work to make it with the the new OBSE64 for Oblivion Remasterd
per the read me
[ Installation ]
1. Copy the dll and exe files in to your Oblivion Remastered folder. This is usually C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Oblivion Remastered\OblivionRemastered\Binaries\Win64.
2. Ignore the src folder. It is there for programmers only.
3. Make sure Steam is running, then launch the game by running obse64_loader.exe.
Instead of just dumping the files in Root\ it will now be Root\Binaries\Win64, that's all
The question is, how do I do this properly without having the files dumped into the overwrite? I think I've tried all the options in Root Builder before installing the Creation Kit, disabling it, clearing what I think is the right Root Builder cache, but I think I am not qualified to use this. lmao
Also, thanks for the great plugin. Literally can't live without it.
thats the short version
So many thanks to Keyzma for this mod, I can't imagine managing files without it now.
If it needs files in the game folder, you can put them in a Root mod. If it needs them in the Data folder, you can remove Data from the exclusions in RB and make custom inclusion or exclusion settings to let it ignore the game files in Data.
Only reason I can imagine it not working is if it just doesn't work when run through MO2? In which case a manual build would let you do it.
Long of it: With Root Builder installed, I was having issues with CKPE not being detected when I launched CK through MO2 and had done some troubleshooting. On the CKPE page the author notes Root Builder as incompatible, and they gave a brief explanation in the comments of CKPE as well that I didn't quite understand, so I thought that there was a known issue. But I noticed some people saying they had CKPE/RB up and running together, so I assumed they had a workaround I didn't know about. I came here to try to pinpoint how I was screwing up, or if there was a solution I didn't see. ^^;;
Your reply prompted me to clear everything out, check my installation of CK, redownload CKPE, and make a new Root mod for it. Whatever I had done to mess it up is resolved, and everything's working as it should. Not sure where I screwed up, and thanks for the nudge.
Thank you for your time - you must get inundated with questions - and sorry for creating any confusion.
I could understand if perhaps it didn't work when run through MO2, maybe it doesn't play nicely with the VFS from MO2, but the page seems to be very specific about RB and I'm somewhat baffled by it tbh!
"lex",
"Papyrus Compiler",
"Tools",
"ckpe_loader.exe",
"CreationKit.exe",
"CreationKit.ini",
"flowchartx64.dll",
"p4com64.dll",
"SkyrimReservedAddOnIndexes.txt",
"vmm-x64.dll",
"vup-x86_64.dll",
"winhttp.dll",
"CreationKitPlatformExtended.ini",
"CreationKitPlatformExtended.log",
"CreationKitPlatformExtended_SSE_1_5_73.database",
"CreationKitPlatformExtended_SSE_Dialogs.pak",
"CreationKitPlatformExtendedMessagesBlacklist.txt",
"CreationKitPrefs.ini"
Kezyma I am not a MO2 user, so all MO2 users are on their own. I proceed from the information that this did not work for users, although I assumed there was a solution. And it is written this way, because the main purpose of RB is to preserve the original appearance of the root folder, which does to fit with the mods that "clog" it. I noted that this is not relevant and sticky the post.
Ahh, I understand! I can definitely see possible conflicts with MO2's VFS managing the data folder (although RB can account for that with some tweaking).
The principle of RB is to work exactly the same as manually filling up the game folder, but with the ability to clear it back out again while preserving any changes! RB should support CKPE entirely since it's purely automating the normal install and uninstall process. I'd say that if anything, RB is ideologically aligned with what you're doing, but perhaps it's MO2 itself that isn't! Which is what caused the confusion on my part!
There's no need to add exclusions and install manually, it works fine as it is! But of course, you can do that and it will also work, it purely depends on whether you want your files in MO2 or in the game folder when you're not using it, otherwise there is absolutely no difference!
if I don't add exclusions, root builder will move CK files to the overwrite folder.
I can not for the life of me figure out why (assuming it's root builder) I am getting a Root folder generated in my Overwrite folder that contains an enbseries.ini with a bunch of false flags for options, instead of the actual enbseries that only exists that has it all set to true? lol.
I searched all files in mo2, all mods, there exists only 1 enbseries.ini which is what I was using just fine... but now all the sudden every time I boot the game a rogue enbseries.ini is being places in overwrite/root folder with things set off.
EDIT: I guess 503 enb is not working properly with 640 skyrim, or my existing rudy enb enbseries.ini is not compatible with 503, downgrading fixed it.. but wonder why
Every file action will be logged in the MO2 interface log.
For some reason when I do two seperate root mods: so I had enbseries - binaries and a enbseries.ini / enbseries
It would break (Not your fault obviously) but once I put the binaries + the enbseries + enbseries.ini in 1 single root folder mod, that fixed it, weird haha.
Without Root Builder, I only have to give the game installation folder of the game as arguments for the tools, and they read all the mods I have directly installed.
But with Root Builder, if I point the tools to the default game installation, they will read only the vanilla game files ignoring all the mods installed. Even LOOT finds only the vanilla Data files. And I cannot find a real Data folder to point as argument for the tools.
So how shoud I configure xEdit-based tools to work with Root Builder? Or how should I configure Root Builder so the mods managed by it can be read by xEdit?
If you need to provide arguments, you'll have to add them to MO2 from their location in the game folder after a build, as RB cannot redirect from a mod folder to the game folder without losing any custom arguments.
I can't say I ever had any issues with the tools listed, so they should work fine!
- MO2 might not be pointing at the correct game folder.
- SKSE isn't an enabled mod.
- Redirect or autobuild are disabled.
- Python plugins are disabled in MO2 after a crash and so RB isn't loading in the first place.
Just a few of the most common reasons for this.