bsa archives that modify the same game resources, you can have only 1 loose file of the same name and path due to the way how file system works. Traditionally, loose files always have the highest priority.

bsa archive alongside that contains all required assets. esm/.esp plugin and a collection of associated loose files, orīy a plugin file with a. That might not be the case if you have mods that modify identical assets simultaneously.īasically, mods can be represented either:īy ‘loose’ file(s) only that go in /Data/ folder,īy a. When you install the mod, you simply copy some files in the game’s folder, and because those files have a higher priority over game’s archives (.bsa files), game uses those instead (they load later according to load order). Thus, you don’t have to actually replace game assets. However, due to the complexity of the system that Skyrim is, developers provide a framework and the tools for making modding easier and more structured. Regarding mod installation, you have to bear this concept in mind: when you modify some game assets, you replace old assets (meshes, textures, animations, scripts, audio, etc - basically everything the game consists of) with those you want to see in game.

Overwriting is the process of replacing something old with something new.