Add LODsettings to BSA

Post by **Yossarian** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:37 am

Hi,

anyone has an idea how to add LODsettings to an BSA archive? I know it can be done, because multiple mods have it, but if I add my LODsettings files to the BSA, the LOD isn't loaded anymore. What I'm doing wrong?

Regards

Yoss

Post by **RoyBatty** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:15 am

Yes, use archive.exe from Skyrim CKIT and set the MISC flag. You can't use BSAopt or FOMM's as they offer no way to set the archive flags.

We'll have a command line tool released with the new installer that can do all that.

Post by **Yossarian** » Thu Jan 18, 2018 10:42 am

Ok that's great. I will try the Skyrim archive.exe for now. Thanks!

Post by **Yossarian** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 6:33 am

I've got another question about this. Do you know why Bethesda always separate sound files from the main archive? Has that something to do with compression? (maybe sound files aren't allowed to compress?).

Post by **GrantSP** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:09 am

I don't think that has anything to do with compression, more a case of file management.

Post by **RoyBatty** » Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:40 am

Actually yes, audio files cannot be compressed. In fact, there is no point in compressing the files in a BSA at all anymore as throughput on modern systems is faster than ZLIB can decompress.

Post by **GrantSP** » Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:51 pm

Clearly some audio files can be compressed into BSAs though because the games are full of BSAs for sounds. Perhaps it is more accurate to say specific types of audio for specific situations cannot be loaded into BSAs. Whatever the reasons though it is true what you say that with modern systems the need to compress files is dwindling.

Post by **jlf65** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:08 am

Any audio that is NOT overriding a stock audio effect/voice can be placed into a bsa. As with meshes and textures, anything that exists in the stock bsa must either be a loose file or in a bsa that is added before the game bsas in the ini file. If it's not part of a stock bsa, anything will go just fine in a bsa, IF you set the flags right. Sound effects only need the sound flag, but voices need BOTH the sound flag and the voice flags set to work correctly from a bsa. If you have both effects and voices, you set both flags as well. Use AR.EXE from the CreationKit - it lets you set those flags. Don't use compression when making the archive. The sounds themselves can be compressed with mp3, or ogg if you have the ogg libraries.

Post by **GrantSP** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 2:43 am

The term "compression" may be a little misleading in this context. Since BSA literally means "Bethesda Softworks Archive", compression is implied in that it is an archive. I also understand that it is also used in the sense of a packaging format, sans compression. Stupid software that is poorly named! I blame you Bethesda.

Post by **Yossarian** » Mon Jan 22, 2018 8:15 am

Ok, I'll try to put everything in a uncompressed main BSA then using the Skyrim archive.exe and will see how this works out.