Ovewrite/patching Options

[Andyr]

Are the changes made in this mod file direct copy overwrites, or are they done by patching?

[CamDawg]

In that case, you say that even an important part of a mod's main concept should be sacrificed just to make it compatible with other mods?

That's not what I'm saying at all. Overwriting and patching are different methodologies--modifying files for your mod--that are applied to accomplish the concept of your mod. The end result is the same.

Advice (to all modders): compatibility is important (only) as long as your mod's real purpose stays completed. If the price of compatibility (patching) is the risk that the mod's main point might be harmed in certain cases, stay with traditional overwriting.

This is never true. If two mods wish to alter, say, Haer'Dalis' fire resistance they'll never be compatible. That's a trivial and obvious argument. However, if they change other aspects of Haer'Dalis (one changes his fire resistance, another his spells) they'll be compatible if they patch rather than overwrite. Overwriting introduces incompatbilities where none need exist.

If your mod is a good mod, players will prefer it to certain other mods if it collides with some other mods.

Absolutely true. However, given the ease and benefits of patching there's really no reason to overwrite files any more. This reduces incompatibilities to real ones instead of incompatbilities due to modder laziness. We have modern tools and no longer need to distribute dialog.tlk with mods nowadays.

To sum up, don't let your main concept modified just for compatibility reasons.

Again, the methodology of whether you patch or overwrite has no bearing on this. There are no modifications made by overwriting that can not be made on the fly with patching.

This post has been edited by CamDawg: Dec 23 2005, 11:43 AM