Mod Organizer 2 instances

[Lunch-b0x]

Every modding guide I've seen says to use Mod Organizer 2 (I'm used to Vortex/NMM) and to create a portable instance.

However, if i create a portable instance, I can't create another one for a different game (Skyrim or Fallout 4). Is there a way around this, or should i just create regular instances for all games?

[Salamand3r-]

You can create as many portable instances as you want. Just run the MO2 installer again.

[_KC76_]

If you create Global instances, you do not need to run the installer multiple times, and have multiple MO2 installs .. Global Instances are your friend.

[Salamand3r-]

Originally posted by KingConrail:

If you create Global instances, you do not need to run the installer multiple times, and have multiple MO2 installs .. Global Instances are your friend.

Portable have advantages, especially if you're using large overhauls.

The also allow you to keep your left panel neater by not needed to show mods that are unused by the current profile, but are still installed.

There's a reason that every reputable guide for every game supported by MO2 recommends portable instances.

[_KC76_]

Originally posted by Salamand3r-:

Originally posted by KingConrail:

If you create Global instances, you do not need to run the installer multiple times, and have multiple MO2 installs .. Global Instances are your friend.

Portable have advantages, especially if you're using large overhauls.

The also allow you to keep your left panel neater by not needed to show mods that are unused by the current profile, but are still installed.

There's a reason that every reputable guide for every game supported by MO2 recommends portable instances.

I think you are confusing Profiles, with Instances ...

NO mods transfer from one Instance to another, be it Global or Portable .. however, Mods DO transfer from one Profile to another, within the same Instance.

Literally, the ONLY advantage to a Portable Instance, is that it is Portable. A Global Instance makes for a large file, that is less readily copied to a portable drive, for swapping between systems.

[Salamand3r-]

Originally posted by KingConrail:

Originally posted by Salamand3r-:

Portable have advantages, especially if you're using large overhauls.

The also allow you to keep your left panel neater by not needed to show mods that are unused by the current profile, but are still installed.

There's a reason that every reputable guide for every game supported by MO2 recommends portable instances.

I think you are confusing Profiles, with Instances ...

NO mods transfer from one Instance to another, be it Global or Portable .. however, Mods DO transfer from one Profile to another, within the same Instance.

Literally, the ONLY advantage to a Portable Instance, is that it is Portable. A Global Instance makes for a large file, that is less readily copied to a portable drive, for swapping between systems.

Global instances don't create unique virtualized versions of all game files.

There is always shared data, which is not ideal in all scenarios.

[_KC76_]

Originally posted by Salamand3r-:

Originally posted by KingConrail:

I think you are confusing Profiles, with Instances ...

NO mods transfer from one Instance to another, be it Global or Portable .. however, Mods DO transfer from one Profile to another, within the same Instance.

Literally, the ONLY advantage to a Portable Instance, is that it is Portable. A Global Instance makes for a large file, that is less readily copied to a portable drive, for swapping between systems.

Global instances don't create unique virtualized versions of all game files.

There is always shared data, which is not ideal in all scenarios.

lolz wut? You need to stop spreading misinformation.

The LITERAL only difference between Global and Portable Instances, is whether or not you have multiple duplicates of the core Mod Organizer program files.

I have ONE Mod Organizer 2 Installation, with multiple Global Instances of FO3, FONV, and FO4 ..I have FONV DUST and FO4 FROST (major overhauls) all as Global Instances within the same singular MO2 Installation ... All of them are individual virtualizations of the base FO3, FONV, or FO4 game, respectively, with their own individual mod-loadouts.

I guess Gamer Poets is not a "reputable" source of setup tutorial...

[Salamand3r-]

Originally posted by KingConrail:

I guess Gamer Poets is not a "reputable" source of setup tutorial...

Since their slow production schedule often results in them marking videos as "OBSOLETE" weeks, sometimes days after they release them...

Reputable, definitely. Reliable and current, no.

Anyhoo, MO2 devs themselves recommend "portable", as any additional plugins you may use for MO2 will generally be designed for it.

That alone is a solid reason.

[_KC76_]

Your OPINION is noted, and I guess if you have the storage space, you can install the same software multiple times if you like, but it's like installing 4 copies of your Anti-Virus software because you want to scan four different files ..

That said, NO, the MO2 Developers do not "recommend" installing "Portable", in fact, they do not "recommend" either method over the other, they simply EXPLAIN how a THIRD PARTY might develop their THIRD PARTY plug-in, because THEY (the third party) may prefer one method over the other.
This is the thing I think you are referencing, and it does not say what you claim it does:

"Portable vs Instanced Installation

Mod Organizer (MO) can be used in two different modes: portable or instanced. The main differences are as follows:
With portable installation, the user must install a copy of MO for each individual game they want to manage. Some users prefer this method over instances, since this is how MO has historically worked. There are no known issues with this installation method, and the only drawback is that the user must install multiple copies of MO in order to manage different games (and different mod lists within the same game ... read on).

With instanced installation, only one installation of MO is necessary to manage mods pertaining to multiple games and/or mod builds within the same game. Data for each instance is stored under %LocalAppData%/ModOrganizer. Think of instances as an extension to MO's profile system in that the instance acts as a completely independent 'profile' that applies to a specific game (and/or a specific mod list for the same game). While normal MO Profiles allow independent management of game configuration (INI) files, enabled mods, enabled plugins, mod prioritization, etc., they each pertain to the same game and each share the same mod list. This is a significant limitation when one attempts to manage two completely different mod builds for the same game. This essentially combines mods from each build into a single mod list, adding a lot of 'noise' in the form of mods that will never be enabled. Instances allow everything to be partitioned and independent, which mimics the 'portable' installation methodology without the multiple (and redundant) MO installations. Clicking on the MOInstanceManager.png button allows switching instances.

Unfortunately, due to there being these two different methods of installing MO, mod utility developers often design their utilities to only work with the method that they install MO. Since the portable approach has existed far longer than the newer instanced approach, it is generally more compatible OOtB with third-party software. Fortunately, all of the potential issues can be easily avoided by understanding the differences between portable and instanced install methods.

[Lunch-b0x]

Is there a TL;DR very simple answer?

I would very much like to easily like to be able to move everything and keep everything with each reinstall/clean install of Windows. How I do it however, is that I plug in a 3.5" 3TB HDD into my computer using a USB3.0 HDD dock, and move all of the files and games that I want to keep/"backup" before reinstalling windows on my SSD.

I'm not interested in installing MO2 multiple times. I don't use flash drives for "backing files up", etc. I simply use them for installing OS's and diagnostic utilities such as things like MEMTEST.

From what I gathered of all your very Steam forums stereotypical argumentative and contradictory replies is that global instances would be best for me, and I would just "backup" my MO2 folder or whatever folder all my mods and profiles would go into, and put it back in my new install of windows. Is this correct?

[_KC76_]

Originally posted by CLAYT0N:

Is there a TL;DR very simple answer?

I would very much like to easily like to be able to move everything and keep everything with each reinstall/clean install of Windows. How I do it however, is that I plug in a 3.5" 3TB HDD into my computer using a USB3.0 HDD dock, and move all of the files and games that I want to keep/"backup" before reinstalling windows on my SSD.

I'm not interested in installing MO2 multiple times. I don't use flash drives for "backing files up", etc. I simply use them for installing OS's and diagnostic utilities such as things like MEMTEST.

From what I gathered of all your very Steam forums stereotypical argumentative and contradictory replies is that global instances would be best for me, and I would just "backup" my MO2 folder or whatever folder all my mods and profiles would go into, and put it back in my new install of windows. Is this correct?

While I am curious about why you would be "re-installing Windows" multiple times, rather than maybe once to migrate from HDD to SSD, I don't want to get off topic, so will leave that for another time. Generally speaking, you should always make "backups" of important stuff to an external source, be it an HDD/SSD or a USB stick, or other device. That said, simple "Backups" may not be the complete file structure you need to "Migrate" an entire working system or application. What I mean is, with MO2, you will have at least (3) sets of files to copy, from 2 or 3 locations, depending on how you setup MO2. I will TL;DR how I would "Migrate" my complete MO2 from one PC to another:

-I have Steam installed on my C;/ drive (an SSD) at C:/_Steam (not in default C:/Program files/Steam).
-I have MO2 installed on my F:/ drive (a large HDD).
-For MO2, I use "paths" to install my Global Instances in my MO2/Paths folder on F;/ drive.
-I would copy my entire F:/MO2 folder to an external drive.
-Next I would copy C:\Users\"me"\AppData\Local\ModOrganizer folder to the External drive.
-And last, I would copy C:\Users\"me"\Documents\My Games to the external drive.
-To migrate, first install Steam Client to the same location as on the previous install if not "default", then install AND START each of your games in Steam, no need to play the game, just load it to initialize it on your system.
-Now you can copy from your external drive back to your PC, all of your MO2 files to their respective locations.