How to manually move Load Order with Vortex

[Otter]

I wanted to get back into playing Fallout 4 and I got some mods. The main mod I wanted to play with is Horizon because it greatly changes the game. The mod page has very specific instructions on how to sort the Load Order, but Vortex is very frustrating to use. Horizon comes with many plugins and horizon.esp has to be at the end after all other mods (weapon, armor, settler, etc) are loaded. Then the compatibility patches come. Vortex's auto sort function keeps sorting mods after horizon.esp which will not work. I looked up tutorials on how to use Vortex, and I tried moving and making dependency rules, but that didn't fix anything. When I try telling Vortex "take mod A and make sure it comes before horizon.esp" Vortex says "Plugins not sorted because of cyclic rules." Why can I not just move from 67th in my load order to a lower position? Why do I have to tell it to load after and before mods which still doesn't put it where I want it in the Load Order?

[MaximumEffort]

Just use LOOT.

[Otter]

Originally posted by sjrekis:

Just use LOOT.

I did, Vortex uses the Loot sorting system. It still puts mods in the wrong positions.

[=EGC= kansasterry]

Actually loot is built into vortex just click on pluggins and select sort.

If that does not work then watch the tutorials on how to create the rules for what loads first etc. it is as simple as dragging that one icon to same on another mod and selecting before or after etc.

Edit

Also I should note that if installing a new mod use the install option then the enable when it comes up if you just hit enable on a never installed mod it will sometimes disable the esp of an already installed one.

[Otter]

I've tried selecting and dragging mods and setting rules, but I doesn't work. For example, I have a pistol mod and a patch for that pistol mod for Horizon. I set the rule saying horizon.esp must come after pistol.esp and pistolpatch.esp must come after horizon.esp. I then click sort and it I get an error saying it couldn't sort it because of the rules I set.

I've also watched Gophers tutorial on sorting. I still don't get it.

[=EGC= kansasterry]

Originally posted by Otter:

I've tried selecting and dragging mods and setting rules, but I doesn't work. For example, I have a pistol mod and a patch for that pistol mod for Horizon. I set the rule saying horizon.esp must come after pistol.esp and pistolpatch.esp must come after horizon.esp. I then click sort and it I get an error saying it couldn't sort it because of the rules I set.

There is an indicator near the right side after the mods name looks like three little boxes connected with lines you have to drag that to the same thing on the other mod it will then pop up a means to select either load before , load after, or never load together.

The video tutorial linked on the dashboard shows this in a much clearer way showing them actually performing the action. Just remember the last mod to load overrides any mod before it if they change the same item.

[Otter]

I've watched that video, and I've done that. But when I do that (Click on the boxed and drag them to other boxes and set rules) Vortex says "Plugins not sorted because of cyclic rules."

[=EGC= kansasterry]

Originally posted by Otter:

I've watched that video, and I've done that. But when I do that (Click on the boxed and drag them to other boxes and set rules) Vortex says "Plugins not sorted because of cyclic rules."

Ok that means it is trying to load a mod both before and after another mod you need to click on the the more button in that message and remove one or select mods then manage rules and see what one is causing the issue and remove or change one of the rules.

This usually happens when we tell it to load a mod after another but have told the other to load before the one we just told to load after it.

[Otter]

Is there a way for me to add a screenshot to this thread? I want to show the error message it is giving me. I only have one rule set up which says z_horizon.esp must load after wattzlazergun.esp. I have not given any other rule to any other mod. I then clicked add. Then I clicked sort and the error popped up. I clicked the more section and it says Z_Horizon.esp@Horizon-->WattzLazerGun.esp@Default-->Z_Horizon.esp@Horizon

[Otter]

This sounds like it is telling Horizon to come before and after the gun mod. But I never set the rule telling it to come before. I only told it to come after.

[=EGC= kansasterry]

Then simply select mods then manage rules to remove or change the rule you did not set.

[Tech Damage]

Vortex is nice but if it is still confusing to you I would suggest using Mod Organizer 2.

[Ozymandias]

I have a single rule for the main horizon esp, I load it after the last mod that I know will end up at the bottom. I think it's StartMeUp in my case. In your case, why do you want to load Wattz after Horizon? It looks like you've treated Wattz both as a mod that should be loaded first, and as a patch that should come after Horizon. Some patches for Horizon are just replacing the original esp, in that case you can just treat it as a patch and load if after Horizon.

But in any case, there's no need to add a bunch of rules to load Horizon after everything. One rule should be enough, and if you see after sorting there's still a mod that ends up below horizon when it shouldn't, just replace the one rule you have to load Horizon after that one.

edit: isn't Wattz replacing the original esp for compatibility with Horizon? In that case it's likely to have Horizon as a master, and it's not only impossible to it first, you don't need to add a rule to load it after horizon.

[Ozymandias]

Thinking about it, what might happen is you first install a mod X, and add a rule for horizon to load after X. But then you install a compatibility patch that actually replaces X. However X now has Horizon as a master, and trouble is, the rule to load Horizon after X is still there! Then you would end up with a cyclic set of rules...

[Otter]

I've looked at this thing from every angle, and I don't see anything. I want Wattz to load up before Horizon and the Patch after. I can't find any mods that manage rules for Horizon or Wattz or and weapon/armor mod I use. Also I've never established any rules prior to getting mods. I first downloaded the mods then I set up rules. Regardless I have removed every rule from Vortex. Also startmeup is also at the bottom of my LO, but I can't move horizon.esp below it.

[Otter]

I did let Vortex do it's thing and about 2 hours into my playthrough all of my save files were corrupted and caused a CTD.