Installing Two Copies of the Same Game

[Adseria]

As I said in the title, I want to install 2 copies of the same game (specifically, Skyrim). I want to have 2 copies with different mods installed, and that would be a lot easier with workshop support.

I had a look through other discussions on the subject, and there seem to be 2 potential solutions, but neither of them will work for me;

Option 1: Copy and paste the game folder to another location, then add it as a non-steam app; this won't work for me as, like I said, I want workshop support. Also, I've managed to get the version I currently have installed working with a lot of mods, and it would be a real pain to have to work out how to delete them in the new copy. And I don't want to delete them all, copy the game and then reinstall, because there are so many and it was a real struggle getting them working in the first place.

Option 2: Download a pirated copy. First, this would obviously also prevent me from getting workshop support. Second, and more importantly, I'm not comfortable with illegally downloading games, even though I already paid for it (twice; I have it on PS3 too; that's my unmodded version XD).

So, is it possible to install 2 copies of a game through Steam, or will I have to reinstall all my mods and hope for the best?

[Cathulhu]

Talking about software piracy is a fast way to get permanently banned.
Owning a game on console does not mean you own it elsewhere. That's just a lame excuse for pirating something.

[Adseria]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Cathulhu:

Talking about software piracy is a fast way to get permanently banned.
Owning a game on console does not mean you own it elsewhere. That's just a lame excuse for pirating something.

If you'd actually read my post, you would have noticed that I said I'm not comfortable with pirating games. You also would have noticed that I didn't say anything about owning a game on console meaning I own it elsewhere, only that I do own it on console.

Now, unless you actually have something useful to say, please leave.

[The End]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Cathulhu:

Talking about software piracy is a fast way to get permanently banned.
Owning a game on console does not mean you own it elsewhere. That's just a lame excuse for pirating something.

If you'd actually read my post, you would have noticed that I said I'm not comfortable with pirating games. You also would have noticed that I didn't say anything about owning a game on console meaning I own it elsewhere, only that I do own it on console.

If you had taken the time to look at the rules you would have seen this.

Content Rules
Do not post any content on Steam containing the following:

Porn, inappropriate or offensive content, warez or leaked content or anything else not safe for work
Discussion of piracy including, but not limited to:
Cracks
Key generators
Console emulators
Cheating, hacking, game exploits
Threats of violence or harassment, even as a joke
Posted copyright material such as magazine scans
Soliciting, begging, auctioning, raffling, selling, advertising, referrals
Racism, discrimination
Abusive language, including swearing
Drugs and alcohol
Religious, political, and other “prone to huge arguments” threads

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=4045-USHJ-3810

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Now, unless you actually have something useful to say, please leave.

Everyone who is not violating the rules is invited to post, not something you have any say about.
You were given a good advice, you should take it.

[Eldin]

Create a copy of the game folder and rename it to Skyrim1
So you'll have Skyrim and Skyrim2 in steamapps folder.
When you want to play another version rename Skyrim to Skyrim2 and rename Skyrim1 to Skyrim.
And when you want to play the first version rename Skyrim to Skyrim1 and Skyrim2 to Skyrim.

[Adseria]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Eldin:

Create a copy of the game folder and rename it to Skyrim1
So you'll have Skyrim and Skyrim2 in steamapps folder.
When you want to play another version rename Skyrim to Skyrim2 and rename Skyrim1 to Skyrim.
And when you want to play the first version rename Skyrim to Skyrim1 and Skyrim2 to Skyrim.

Good idea. I'll probably try that at some point.

[Eldin]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Eldin:

Create a copy of the game folder and rename it to Skyrim1
So you'll have Skyrim and Skyrim2 in steamapps folder.
When you want to play another version rename Skyrim to Skyrim2 and rename Skyrim1 to Skyrim.
And when you want to play the first version rename Skyrim to Skyrim1 and Skyrim2 to Skyrim.

Good idea. I'll probably try that at some point.

You can also write simple .bat script that can automatically switch between versions.
For example
If you have unmodded game in Skyrim folder and modded game in Skyrim2 folder:

You could paste this code in notepad and save it as Modded.bat
Opening Modded.bat would launch modded version

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim1
ren Skyrim2 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

And you could save this as Unmodded.bat and it would launch unmodded version.

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim2
ren Skyrim1 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

[stray cat]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Eldin:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Good idea. I'll probably try that at some point.

You can also write simple .bat script that can automatically switch between versions.
For example
If you have unmodded game in Skyrim folder and modded game in Skyrim2 folder:

You could paste this code in notepad and save it as Modded.bat
Opening Modded.bat would launch modded version

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim1
ren Skyrim2 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

And you could save this as Unmodded.bat and it would launch unmodded version.

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim2
ren Skyrim1 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

Useful,I hate people who doesn't read and just mock OP for "muh pirating! 1!1!1!1!1"

[Eldin]

Actually, it would be better to launch game through Steam instead of launching Game's .exe file directly.

So it would be

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim1
ren Skyrim2 Skyrim
start steam://rungameid/72850

and

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim2
ren Skyrim1 Skyrim
start steam://rungameid/72850

[Adseria]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Eldin:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Good idea. I'll probably try that at some point.

You can also write simple .bat script that can automatically switch between versions.
For example
If you have unmodded game in Skyrim folder and modded game in Skyrim2 folder:

You could paste this code in notepad and save it as Modded.bat
Opening Modded.bat would launch modded version

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim1
ren Skyrim2 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

And you could save this as Unmodded.bat and it would launch unmodded version.

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
ren Skyrim Skyrim2
ren Skyrim1 Skyrim
cd Skyrim
start SkyrimLauncher.exe

Another good suggestion. Would it be possible to swap out SkyrimLauncher.exe and replace it with skselauncher.exe? Most of the mods I use require SKSE, and it doesn't work if you run through the normal launcher.

[Eldin]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Another good suggestion. Would it be possible to swap out SkyrimLauncher.exe and replace it with skselauncher.exe? Most of the mods I use require SKSE, and it doesn't work if you run through the normal launcher.

Yes, you can replace it with whatever you want.
You can also replace Skyrim1 and Skyrim2 with whatever names you want.

[Adseria]

Opprinnelig skrevet av Eldin:

Opprinnelig skrevet av Adseria:

Another good suggestion. Would it be possible to swap out SkyrimLauncher.exe and replace it with skselauncher.exe? Most of the mods I use require SKSE, and it doesn't work if you run through the normal launcher.

Yes, you can replace it with whatever you want.
You can also replace Skyrim1 and Skyrim2 with whatever names you want.

Great, thanks.

[MrPeters]

Opprinnelig skrevet av yui:

Useful,I hate people who doesn't read and just mock OP for "muh pirating! 1!1!1!1!1"

He wasn't really mocking OP, he was simply warning him/her that any topics related to piracy can lead to a ban. The 'having it on console is not a reason to pirate a game' was however unwarranted as OP stated that he/she had purchased it for both console and on Steam.

On-Topic:
You could also have profiles on, for example, Nexus Mod Manager (Vortex is their new version) where one profile is unmodded and one is modded. This allows you to have many different setups of mods with different load orders and such things without the need to have multiple installations. Whilst the Steam Workshop and regular data file list is decent in small amounts, I would advice you to look towards a third party tool for proper mod management. Nexus Mod Manager is compatible with (as far as I know) all mods on Steam Workshop as they, almost, always utilize the .esm and .esp file formats. When they don't you seldom need them in the load order anyway.

This would also allow you to utilize NexusMods webpage for more mods.
NexusMods: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/
Vortex: https://www.nexusmods.com/about/vortex/
Skyrim Mod Organiser: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6194
Load Order Optimisation Tool: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1918

[Adseria]

Opprinnelig skrevet av MrPeters:

You could also have profiles on, for example, Nexus Mod Manager (Vortex is their new version) where one profile is unmodded and one is modded. This allows you to have many different setups of mods with different load orders and such things without the need to have multiple installations. Whilst the Steam Workshop and regular data file list is decent in small amounts, I would advice you to look towards a third party tool for proper mod management. Nexus Mod Manager is compatible with (as far as I know) all mods on Steam Workshop as they, almost, always utilize the .esm and .esp file formats. When they don't you seldom need them in the load order anyway.

This would also allow you to utilize NexusMods webpage for more mods.
NexusMods: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/
Vortex: https://www.nexusmods.com/about/vortex/
Skyrim Mod Organiser: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/6194
Load Order Optimisation Tool: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1918

Yes, I've tried NMM, but I had trouble getting it to work; I find it easier to just download and install mods manually (or via the workshop).

Having said that, I may try again at some point; I haven't tried it for years, and I have a lot more experience modding games now.

[Adseria]

Right, I've managed to get it working. Here's how, for anyone who's interested:

I have 2 hard drives (C: and E:). The original copy of the game was on the C: drive. I copy-pasted the entire thing to the E: drive, then renamed it as "Skyrim1." Then I came into Steam and uninstalled the game, before manually deleting everything left over in the C:/SteamLibrary/steamapps/common folder (mostly leftover mod files). Then, I reinstalled the game in Steam (in the E: drive). Then, it was a simple matter of installing mods.

I now have 2 Skyrim folders; common/Skyrim, which is the new copy I just installed, and common/Skyrim1, which is the original copy I had installed. When I want to switch, I simply rename "Skyrim" to "Skyrim2", then rename Skyrim1" to "Skyrim." The only problem is that it resets the modlist every time, so I have to go in and deactivate the mods I don't want to use, but I can live with that.

Thanks for all the great advice. And Valve? There really should be a way to install multiple copies of a game.