i was looking through some mods today to see how they formatted their mod readme files since i will obviously be needing to write one for each mod i release as well. i had some questions about proper format and things to include etc.

1. if i am using parts of someone else's mod to integrate them into my own (the original author of that mod gives permissions in their readme file) then would i put their name in the author space alongside mine or only in the credits space?

2. if i create the mod using other peoples mod parts in my own mod and i save it as one esp (not a master and esp since permissions to use the other mod were already given in their readme file) then would i need to list in the required space of the readme file that the downloader needs to have the oblivion patch as well as the mod i borrowed from installed? or is it not necessary for them to install the mods i borrowed from as well as mine? or would it still be better to make the other mod i borrow from the master to my plugin? and how would i go about doing that?

3. how do i actually package the finished mod for upload to the site people can download it from? as i will be needing to know that as well in order to actually upload the mod for download and to be able to include install instructions. i would like to make manual install as simple as possible as most other mods ive seen have been fairly straightforward and simple with install instructions of put the mesh in the mesh folder and texture in the texture folder etc but i dont know if there is a special way involved with setting that up for them to be able to do that since all the mods i downloaded so far have also been compressed and i had to open and extract them.

thanks everyone

1. Depends on how much of your mod that someone's mod makes up. If it makes up 50%+ of your mod, I would put them in the author space (and the credit list to note what they are credited for). If it makes up less than that, just put them in the credits with a note of what they are credited for (i.e link to their mod).

2. If you have integrated parts of another mod (with permission), and your file includes all files necessary (eventual textures, meshes, etc.), there is no need for the user to download the other mod. The latest official patch should always be listed as a requirement if it is required. The mods used should rather be listed behind the name of the author in the credits list.

3. Just pack all the textures, meshes, sounds, esp/esm, etc. directly into an archive. This makes it straightforward to install both manually (drop all files into Data folder) and through BAIN/NMM.

awesome thankyou!

just to be a little more clear tho... if i use the CS or CSE to load oblivion esm and then the mod i will be drawing parts from and set my own mod as the active save file, then when i save in my mods active save file the CS or CSE will automatically save the items i borrowed and used from the other mod into my own mods save file? or do i need to duplicate them and change their editor id for that to happen?

also, along with using bits from other mods in my own mods i do plan on making some small changes to already existing mods eventually in the furure. in those instances then their name would go first in the author slot with a notice that i simply changed a few things? i would still want to save the file to a new mod file as to not corrupt the original mod files i downloaded...