Help:Tools/UKMM: Difference between revisions - ZeldaMods (Breath of the Wild)

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==== Okay. WHY do I need to use a mod manager? ====

~~BotW contains about 17~~,~~000 archives in its standard form. When those archives~~ are ~~fully and completely decompressed and extracted~~, the game ~~contains roughly 200,000 files. Most of those 200,000 files contain dozens~~, ~~even hundreds, of parameters~~.

In other games, mods are generally not file replacements, they're a series of standalone instruction sets that tells the game (or a patching library, like BepInEx or Reloaded) how to change what to use.

~~If a mod edits just one of those parameters, in one of those~~ files, in ~~one of those archives, then, without a mod manager, that mod will override every other mod that~~ you ~~have that contains that archive. Given that an archive may contain an average of several thousand parameters~~, ~~you~~ can ~~see how often mods will conflict~~.

BotW doesn't have anything like that. It needs to have all the files and code merged and in order before you even boot your console/emulator, because the best we can do for those is replace archives.

~~This isn’t even taking into account a special file that~~ BotW ~~has, called the RSTB. The RSTB~~ contains ~~data on~~ almost ~~every one~~ of ~~those 200,000~~ files, and so almost every mod needs to edit the RSTB. Most mods rely on a mod manager to edit the RSTB, so even if you don’t want to install more than one mod, the odds are still good that the mod you’re installing is assuming you’ll use a mod manager to make it work.

Now, BotW contains almost all of its data in archives and registry files.

And to top it all off, even if ~~the one mod~~ you want to use ~~includes its own RSTB~~? ~~That RSTB was probably made automatically,~~ using ~~an outdated tool~~ that ~~generates bad edits for~~ the ~~RSTB~~. ~~And nobody has ever fixed that tool~~, ~~because UKMM contains~~ a ~~much more accurate tool for~~ it~~, that everyone is using anyway~~.

When those archives are fully and completely decompressed and extracted, each one contains anymore from about a dozen, to a few thousand files. Most of those files contain dozens, even hundreds, of parameters. If a mod edits just one of those parameters, it will override every other mod that contains one of the other 12-2000 files. Plus, a lot of mods edit the game's most important archives: the ones loaded at bootup and in the title screen's background. So if you take any random two mods, they'll ''probably'' conflict with each other.

The registry files are single files that contain a ton of data about other files. You know that meme about the different Spidermans (Spidermen?) all pointing at each other? The registry files are basically like that. If they're not all agreeing on everything (aka they don't all have the same data) then things can get real buggy.

And ''then'', as if it's not complicated enough already, there's a special file that BotW has, called the RSTB. The RSTB contains data on almost every one of the other files in the entire game, and so almost every mod needs to edit the RSTB. Most mods rely on a mod manager to edit the RSTB, so even if you don’t want to install more than one mod, the odds are still good that the mod you’re installing is assuming you’ll use a mod manager to make it work.

And to top it all off, even if you only want to use one mod? It may not edit everything it needs to. The mod author might have assumed you'd be using a mod manager that would automate some of the process, and not actually changed everything they needed to, meaning you might not get the entire mod, even if you use only one.

So... yeah. It's complicated. It's a mess. We do our best, but BotW modding is really just a gigantic ball of chaos held together with string and chewing gum. The mod managers help keep it all together.

=== UKMM vs. BCML Questions ===

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==== What are the exceptions, for when I should use BCML instead? ====

~~# You're using Dark Army Resurrection~~

# You're using the online multiplayer mod

This list is not exhaustive, but it ''almost'' is. There's very few other real reasons to use BCML, after 2024 when UKMM surpassed it.

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 ==== Okay. WHY do I need to use a mod manager? ====
-BotW contains about 17,000 archives in its standard form. When those archives are fully and completely decompressed and extracted, the game contains roughly 200,000 files. Most of those 200,000 files contain dozens, even hundreds, of parameters.
+In other games, mods are generally not file replacements, they're a series of standalone instruction sets that tells the game (or a patching library, like BepInEx or Reloaded) how to change what to use.
-If a mod edits just one of those parameters, in one of those files, in one of those archives, then, without a mod manager, that mod will override every other mod that you have that contains that archive. Given that an archive may contain an average of several thousand parameters, you can see how often mods will conflict.
+BotW doesn't have anything like that. It needs to have all the files and code merged and in order before you even boot your console/emulator, because the best we can do for those is replace archives.
-This isn’t even taking into account a special file that BotW has, called the RSTB. The RSTB contains data on almost every one of those 200,000 files, and so almost every mod needs to edit the RSTB. Most mods rely on a mod manager to edit the RSTB, so even if you don’t want to install more than one mod, the odds are still good that the mod you’re installing is assuming you’ll use a mod manager to make it work.
+Now, BotW contains almost all of its data in archives and registry files.
-And to top it all off, even if the one mod you want to use includes its own RSTB? That RSTB was probably made automatically, using an outdated tool that generates bad edits for the RSTB. And nobody has ever fixed that tool, because UKMM contains a much more accurate tool for it, that everyone is using anyway.
+When those archives are fully and completely decompressed and extracted, each one contains anymore from about a dozen, to a few thousand files. Most of those files contain dozens, even hundreds, of parameters. If a mod edits just one of those parameters, it will override every other mod that contains one of the other 12-2000 files. Plus, a lot of mods edit the game's most important archives: the ones loaded at bootup and in the title screen's background. So if you take any random two mods, they'll ''probably'' conflict with each other.
+The registry files are single files that contain a ton of data about other files. You know that meme about the different Spidermans (Spidermen?) all pointing at each other? The registry files are basically like that. If they're not all agreeing on everything (aka they don't all have the same data) then things can get real buggy.
+And ''then'', as if it's not complicated enough already, there's a special file that BotW has, called the RSTB. The RSTB contains data on almost every one of the other files in the entire game, and so almost every mod needs to edit the RSTB. Most mods rely on a mod manager to edit the RSTB, so even if you don’t want to install more than one mod, the odds are still good that the mod you’re installing is assuming you’ll use a mod manager to make it work.
+And to top it all off, even if you only want to use one mod? It may not edit everything it needs to. The mod author might have assumed you'd be using a mod manager that would automate some of the process, and not actually changed everything they needed to, meaning you might not get the entire mod, even if you use only one.
+So... yeah. It's complicated. It's a mess. We do our best, but BotW modding is really just a gigantic ball of chaos held together with string and chewing gum. The mod managers help keep it all together.
 === UKMM vs. BCML Questions ===
@@ Line 204: / Line 212: @@
 ==== What are the exceptions, for when I should use BCML instead? ====
-# You're using Dark Army Resurrection
 # You're using the online multiplayer mod
 This list is not exhaustive, but it ''almost'' is. There's very few other real reasons to use BCML, after 2024 when UKMM surpassed it.