As I understood it, it was a no-no to redistribute DLC meshes in a mod - seems pretty cut-and-dry. However, after numerous browses through TESNexus, I'm confused now as to the fine print inherent in that - seeing as how there are numerous mods (some quite popular apparently) that include copies of the Divine Crusader armor or the horse armor or the spell tomes, etc etc.

So... when exactly can we and can we not include a copy of a DLC mesh in a mod? I know the topic has probably been beaten to death at this point, but I want to make absolutely sure I'm not breaking any rules before I spend hours on a mesh/retexture job.

as i understand it you can direct your mods esp to the DLC texture or meshes bsa........but you cant include it seperately in your mod. thats why lots of mods require you to actually have the mod installed since it wouldnt show up ingame otherwise.

i kind of wish bethesda would just take the approach that the stalker developers took.......go ahead and use it. the vast majority of textures and meshes are either heavily modified or remade from scratch from game to game. im sure fallout 3 used some textures from oblivion but they changed them enough to be radically different. and meshes are pretty much going to always be made from scratch.

It's technically illegal to distribute any of the game's content, or DLC content with your mod.

Having your mod access assets in the DLC BSAs directly is perfectly fine in every way. You are distributing nothing.

Making a retexture or modification of an item from the DLCs requires you to distribute copyrighted assets. It's technically illegal. However, gamesas has created a mutual respect policy in which they will not object to you modifying and distributing their assets, as long as you make your mod dependent on the DLC that the assets were derived from.

It's not a legal permission technically, it's a gentleperson's agreement that neither side will intentionally screw up the other side, but gamesas's legal position is still protected.

So, yes, you can modify DLC assets and distribute them as long as you make your mod dependent on the DLC in question, but be aware that it is a courtesy of gamesas's, not a legal right.

gamesas is a licensee of much of the content in the game, and their license is limited. They don't have the legal right to offer them free and clear for use. They also have a legal obligation to protect the rights of the IP owners. This is a big part of why certain discussions are not permitted in the forums under any circumstances.

oh i just assumed that bethesda made their own meshes and textures and the havok and speedtree etc were licensed.....if they are getting art third party then that makes sense. thanks for the clarification cause i always wondered about that.

Thanks Showler, that's about what I figured.

So even if you put a retextured copy of a DLC mesh in your mod, you still need to make the DLC a master file of it regardless of whether it's BSA content is still actually needed at that point. Going that route, is there a way to make the ESP not load if the DLC isn't present? Or will it do that automatically if a master file can't be found? (I'm still kinda newbish on master file relationships at this point)

Just making the DLC a master should be enough, but usually you throw in some kind of item that uses the DLC as well to ensure it's dependent.

You can also script it to crash if the DLC is missing if you want.

Ooh, I like that - know where I can find one of those?

I think that one's fairly easy. Just add a section to your main script somewhere that checks for a variable or item from the DLC, and if it doesn't return true call a "qqq" command.

Ask in the CS forum about a good check for the specific DLC you need. Someone may have a better option anyway.

You can also make use of OBSE and the IsModLoaded check if OBSE isn't a barrier for you.