Mod cleaning using TESTool and TESFaith#

Posted 24 January 2010 - 04:04 PM

ShinRA88, on Jan 24 2010, 11:01 AM, said:
Huh!? Does that mean any cell record with that comment attached is NOT cleaned with TESTool? Then why is it listed on my TESTool.log?

logs are usually not for errors only, but to understand what happens and why...

Another question: Many mods that adds new landmass(Ald Vendrass, Whitewolf, Annastia, WI, TR, Silgrad) has some CELL records cleaned with TESTool(even with restricted cell cleaning options enabled)?Is it safe to remove such records?

Usually, it is 99% safe. If TESTool (with restricted cell cleaning on) removes the cell, it means it has not found any object reference/texture/landscape changes, a really "VOID" cell. The only thing I think could cause problem is with a mod using a new, completely "VOID" garbage interior cell to store killed things by script (this was used mainly before the setdelete command was added to the scripting engine), but this should be rare and easily solved putting inside that cell any static reference (I.E. any architecture piece, a single coin...) so TESTool will recognize the cell as "not void".

 

Posted 24 January 2010 - 09:00 PM


It is true that TESCS or the modder sometimes may introduce some unneeded/unwanted changes to some cells, this usually causes no problems in game.
As I, too, don't like unclean mods, this is what I usually try to do:
- backup mod for safety
- clean mod with TESTool, with both Restricted dialog AND Cell cleaning ON.
- copy from TESTool.log the list of empty cells changing landscape or empty interiors and paste in a text editor

empty exterior cells:
- load the mod in TESFaith#, put Morrowind.esm as background mod and compare displayed map with the cell list; this usually eases finding possible cell candidates for deletion
- load the mod in TESCS and take a look at what kind of landscape changes are in cell candidate to deletion
- if cell can be deleted, delete it using TESFaith# (faster) or TESCS Files\Data Files\Details
- load mod in TESCS, check deleted cell margins and eventually fix landscape seams or undo

empty interior cells:
- load the mod in MWEdit, look for text references to that cell inside scripts
- if cell is used by some position/positioncell command, and cell is empty, load MOD in TESCS and just put some static in the cell so it is empty no more; empty unused interior cell can be deleted.