I thought all mods came with just .esp's (though sometimes with added .txt and .bsa files) but why does Kvatch Rebuilt have an .esm?? isn't Oblivion.esm meant to be the only .esm file??

No. Many mods have ESMs. ESMs are normally resource files, whereas the ESPs are used to actually modify game content (as you notice the changes in-game.) That's the usual, high-level summary anyway. ESMs are master files. If you searched TESCS Wiki or UESP Wiki for the term, more than a few results should turn up.


Edit: wording

esm files just mean they are master files, they have to be loaded, generally they are very important, they can do some things that esp cant and it has a lot less errors with it

ok im cunfused, why would Kvatch Rebuilt even need a esm master file as OBLIVION is the only master file that is needed, right? i need this explaining i dont get it.

i still dont get why oblivion.esm doesnt cover everything. i thought .esps were adding extra's to the .esm. why would a mod like Kvatch Rebuilt need an .esm? why wont .esps do like most other mods??

Oblivion is a master file, yes, but ESM is only a file type. Of course, there can be more than one. You'll notice that most ESMs (if not all?) depend on Oblivion.esm as well. It is the ultimate master file. Oblivion.esm is the only ESM required for the game to run, but mods' plugins may have multiple master files. ESMs can depend on other ESMs (in addition to Oblivion.esm) and ESPs can depend on both ESMs and other ESPs. Oblivion cannot run without its main masterfile, and mods cannot load properly without it or any other of their own master files. Missing master files cause CTDs on load (as you've already witnessed.) A missing Oblivion.esm will cause for Oblivion's process to launch errors at you, and the also cause the game to fail to load (albeit a much more dire situation.)

Load Ordering - http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/?page=load_order

TESCS Wki:De-Isolation Tutorial - http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/De-Isolation_Tutorial

TESCS Wiki:Master file - http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Master_file

TESCS Wiki:ESM vs ESP - http://cs.elderscrolls.com/constwiki/index.php/Esp_vs._Esm


Edit: wording

ok good info but still, i thought an esm was a master file and u only need one. i guess i'm wrong with this line of thinking?

Yes...

An ESM provided by a mod typically contains resources not offered by Oblivion.esm. In Kvatch Rebuilt's case, those resources are the extra worldspaces for the rebuilt city, in each stage. Scripts, AI packs, NPCs, etc that are unique to these spaces can also be found there.

The advantage to an ESM such as this is that it's easier for others to load into the CS to use as a master for their own changes. It also makes it possible for folks like myself to have common resources shared among modules that make up a mod package. Something that is more of a hassle with standard ESP files, though still possible.

In short, ESMs are used to give certain large scale mods (Better Cities, OOO, Kvatch Rebuilt) a resource bank for their respective ESPs to reference as needed. In the modding community, ESMs are used to insert data into the game, and then ESPs are used to activate that data. One of the reasons this is done is because there are limits to just how much data Oblivion can handle being added with an ESP file, but that same limit is not present in ESM files, which is why an ESM is the ideal file type to add a lot of new resources to the game.

The only things you need to keep in mind with ESMs if you never intend to make your own mods are these pointers:

1. Never load anything before Oblivion.ESM. This is the master of all masters, and must always be loaded first. If it confuses you, think of Oblivion.ESM as the Grandmaster file, as the game will not function without it, or if it is not the very first data file to be loaded.

2. Do not load ESMs after ESPs. Oblivion was not designed to handle this, and will generally crash if you try.

In conclusion, a basic load order with multiple master files should look like this:

Oblivion.ESM
>All other ESMs>
>ESPs<

thanx for the extra details

ok.. now, how do u make sure Kvatch.esm doesn't load before Oblivion.esm??

does the game do this automatically? and is there a way to alter load order using the construction set? i heard that if u save an esp it becomes the last one loaded (or first) i cant remember (does this apply to .esms too?). plz help.

Never use the construction set for that.

This will let you change around your load order:

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2097

ok thanx so does this sound right to u?

Oblivion.esm (at the top of the list)
KvatchRebuilt.esm (i think that's the name of the .esm file for kvatch rebuilt)
various esps

is this right??

i'm basing this off one of the screenshots in the link u gave. i need to know if this is the right load order.

Yes, that sounds about right for starters. Good luck to you.

If you are using a lot of mods then "various esps" isn't gonna cut it. Some mods require very specific load order (most patches and mods dependent on other mods). If you are only using a couple mods then you probably won't have any problems, just pay attention to the readme's for any specific instructions. You can post your whole load order with OBMM (which I hope you have downloaded by now), I'm sure somebody here will be able to point out any glaring problems, or better yet, look into using http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20516. It is a program that automatically sets the best load order for a vast number of mods

I posted this earlier, and it covers much of what has been said with respect to load order and much more...

Load Ordering - http://tesivpositive.animolious.com/?page=load_order

This post is relevant as well - http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/222889-im-new-and-need-help/page__view__findpost__p__1961090


Happy gaming!
- Tomlong75210

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=20516