F4SE (Fallout 4 Script Extender) - What exactly does it do?

[sfried]

I'm a bit confused between Bethesda's own Creation Kit and the much touted Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE): What exactly does F4SE do that can't be done in Creation Kit? Is CK only for importing assets with predefined properties? Why are so many mods built on top of this one in particular?

[Death Approaches]

It's in the name, Script Extender... think of it like an #include in your code to give you added functionality, either not possible, or requires much more lines of code to do it "Bethesda's way".

put another way, look at the mods that require it; standard ESM style mods, things you can pull off Creation Club; new missions, new weapons, new NPCs, etc. this was always what CK was intended for. But for mods that really change how the game operates, affect the underlying engine directly, they rely on Script Extender, for many things.

One of the coolest is provides a mechanism where you can write "real" code, C/C++, compile it as a plugin, and use it in the game, not just via what ordinary mods can do, and not have to run a bunch parallel executables each time you fire up the game, each having to hook into a running executable to inject...

If I misunderstood and you were looking more for more what/why of it, if you'd like an overview of the scripting funcs it adds, check any papyrus wiki:
https://falloutck.uesp.net/wiki/Category:F4SE

[sfried]

Originally posted by Death Approaches:

It's in the name, Script Extender... think of it like an #include in your code to give you added functionality, either not possible, or requires much more lines of code to do it "Bethesda's way".

put another way, look at the mods that require it; standard ESM style mods, things you can pull off Creation Club; new missions, new weapons, new NPCs, etc. this was always what CK was intended for. But for mods that really change how the game operates, affect the underlying engine directly, they rely on Script Extender, for many things.

One of the coolest is provides a mechanism where you can write "real" code, C/C++, compile it as a plugin, and use it in the game, not just via what ordinary mods can do, and not have to run a bunch parallel executables each time you fire up the game, each having to hook into a running executable to inject...

If I misunderstood and you were looking more for more what/why of it, if you'd like an overview of the scripting funcs it adds, check any papyrus wiki:
https://falloutck.uesp.net/wiki/Category:F4SE

Thanks, I'll check out that link. I didn't know it can do drastic engine overhauls without actually changing the engine. Now I understand why that Fallout London mod is such a big deal...