Guide:System Setup Guide: Difference between revisions

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== About this Guide ==
= About this Guide =
This Guide will walk users through setting up their system for a modded gaming experience for Bethesda games. All of our game modding guides will reference steps from this Guide. Though this Guide is specific to how Step Modification recommends setting up a system for our modding guides, all users should find this Guide helpful for setting up an organized structure and completing pre-modding steps.
This Guide will walk users through setting up their system for a modded gaming experience for Bethesda games. All of our game modding guides will reference steps from this Guide. Though this Guide is specific to how Step Modification recommends setting up a system for our modding guides, all users should find this Guide helpful for setting up an organized structure and completing pre-modding steps.



Revision as of 17:26, December 17, 2019

About this Guide[edit | edit source]

This Guide will walk users through setting up their system for a modded gaming experience for Bethesda games. All of our game modding guides will reference steps from this Guide. Though this Guide is specific to how Step Modification recommends setting up a system for our modding guides, all users should find this Guide helpful for setting up an organized structure and completing pre-modding steps.

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Installations[edit | edit source]

Modding Folder[edit | edit source]

First, users need to select, and set up, a folder to use for most of their modding. Due to issues with some modding programs and Windows User Account Control (UAC), STEP recommends using a location outside of "C:\Program Files\" or "C:\Program Files (x86)\". For all our Modding Guides we recommend users create the following folder: C:\Modding\

STEP recommend the "C:\Modding\" location due to using Mod Organizer 2 "Instances" for our Guides. Using Instances and installing tool the to C: drive will keep MO2's data and other third-party tools located on the same drive. Doing so seems to alleviate potential issues. However, users should consider the space requirements for modding a game. This includes all the mods installed. Keep in mind, when using MO2 Instances such mods will be kept on the C: drive. For a heavily modded game users should expect to have at least 50GBs of free space on the drive chosen for each game planned to be modded. For example, a Step Administrator's system is currently using ~80GBs for Skyrim LE and Skyrim SE, combined, just for the mods. That doesn't include the game installations, which is covered below.

Users who don't have enough space on their C: drive, can create the Modding folder anywhere of their choosing. They may also install MO2 as a portable application, if desired. We will provide notes for these users, where appropriate.

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Folder Structure[edit | edit source]

Next users need to create new folders within the Modding folder to set up the structure for future use. At this time, STEP recommends the following folder structure:

  • ..\Modding\Tools\

Steam Installation[edit | edit source]

Steam is a digital distribution platform from Valve used for purchasing and playing video games. Its program by the same name (Steam) is used to purchase, download, and install digital games from their online store.

Users should not install Steam a location controlled by UAC. When choosing a location, mind the space requirements for the games that will be installed. If space permits, we recommend the ..\Modding\ folder created above, however, many users opt to install their games to a separate drive reserved for game installations.

Steam can be installed one of two ways:

  1. Purchase the physical copy of the game from a retailer:
    1. Insert the game disk into your disk drive.
    2. If the installer doesn't run automatically, open the disk from Explorer and run "Setup.exe".
    3. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Steam (see video link below)
  2. Download Steam from their website and install it:
    1. Navigate to the Steam website,
    2. Download the Steam installer
    3. Navigate to your downloads location and launch "SteamSetup.exe" (see video link below).

After installation the Modding folder structure should reflect the following:

  • ..\Modding\Steam\ (optional; Steam and games may be installed elsewhere)
  • ..\Modding\Tools\

Moving Steam and Installed Games[edit | edit source]

Some users may already have the Steam application and their games installed to "C:\Program Files\", "C:\Program Files (x86)\", or another location. Not to worry, Steam makes it easy to move your installation locations. Follow their instructions here: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

Game Installation[edit | edit source]

Games are installed using the Steam application, and this can be done on one of two ways: