How to download a clean (modless) game without unsubscribing anything from the workshop?

[Spheredala!]

i wanted to play some game that i used to play, but ive been subscribing way too much mods in the past, to a point where the game now doubles even triples in size.

the worst thing is steam doesnt even made that clear, because if you sort your games in the library by "size on disk" it would only tell the game's size, without the mods.

for example, based on the games that i have:
it says ATS has taken 19 GB of space, but in reality it's more like 45 GB
transport fever 2 takes 35 GB, but if i uninstall it, i get 90 GBs free space
automation takes 28 gigs but i bet it's more like 70 when i download it.

is there an option where, i could download a game but, minus the workshop contents? like a clean install

[Nx Machina]

Go to the workshop and favorite all the mods so you can keep track of them and resubscribe if you want to.

Next unsubscribe from all mods.

Next go to the install folder for the game and deleted everything remaining.

And finally when you have finished doing all the steps above download the game.

[Snivy]

You could try downloading it from the database using SteamCMD.

[Satoru]

This depends on the game. Most games should have a mod manager that manages which mods are actually enabled no matter what the subscriptions are.

[Spheredala!]

Originally posted by Satoru:

This depends on the game. Most games should have a mod manager that manages which mods are actually enabled no matter what the subscriptions are.

disabled ≠ deleted right?
it just means that the mod is usually inactive, but it's usually still installed

[Spheredala!]

Originally posted by Nx Machina:

Go to the workshop and favorite all the mods so you can keep track of them and resubscribe if you want to.

Next unsubscribe from all mods.

Next go to the install folder for the game and deleted everything remaining.

And finally when you have finished doing all the steps above download the game.

this is such a friggin hassle gosh darn
especially when you subsctibed to hundreds and hundreds of mods like me

[Spheredala!]

ok so this basically highlights 2 issues

1. you cant do a clean modless game install (at least not easily for average users like me)
2. steam is unable to determine the REAL game size, including its mods

my suggestions to these issues:

1a. add an option to do a modless install when a game gets installed initially (download without mods)
1b. or alternatively, steam could make a mod manager inside the library so we could manage them easily just like you would do with DLC

2. steam should somehow include the mods folder to calculate the game's real size

[Nx Machina]

1a. A clean install already exists. Mods are something you add to the game after it is installed.

2a. Steam tracks the game install and knows which files are installed and the game size. When you do a verify of the files Steam checks the game install versus the files on the server.

Mods are something you add to the game which Steam does not track with regard to the game install, therefore neither the mods nor additional space taken by the mods is known.

If you uninstall a game Steam leaves the files regarding mods on your drive because the uninstall process is based on the install of the game only.

[Satoru]

Originally posted by Spheredala!:

Originally posted by Satoru:

This depends on the game. Most games should have a mod manager that manages which mods are actually enabled no matter what the subscriptions are.

disabled ≠ deleted right?
it just means that the mod is usually inactive, but it's usually still installed

Again if you want a 'clean' run a disabled mod is identical to a deleted one

If you 'want to save disk space' then the only way to do that is to unsubscribe from them