Active Mods Load Order

[iOutlaw]

Does anybody know the most effective way to organize mod categories in the active mods hierarchical list (assuming loading by categories is the most effective way to load)?

I had loaded the following, but I'm beginning to question if I am correct.

1st: 'Maps'
2nd: 'Mods which require high priority' (like sounds or weather)
3rd: 'Traffic Density'
4th: 'Foreground Mods' (real logos, hidden barriers, real gas stations - things that affect everything else)
5th: 'AI Related Stuff' (real head lighting, improved vehicle lights - things that affect AI traffic)
6th: 'My Truck Stuff' (oversize sign, beacons, engine mod - anything affecting my truck)
7th: 'Cargo/Load Stuff'
8th: 'Pack Truck/Trailers'
9th: 'Standalone Trailers'
10th: 'Misc'

[abasstreppas]

I would move "map" to the bottom if I where you as it could overwrite some of the other mods, like the hidden barriers, AI stuff etc.

Always think like this => "base" mods like trailers, trucks and maps should have low priority (bottom of your list), beacuse all other stuff you have there is something that changes stuff in these "base" mods.

[IonutL]

From the ETS2 side of the forum:

I placed the files as follows (in MM):
1. Game Units mod (economy, police, game_data and so on)
2. Sound mods
3. Engine&transmission mod
4. AI Traffic
5. Trailer&Cargo
6. Weather/Graphics
7. Fixes and stuff for maps
8. Map files

[iOutlaw]

Thanks for the response/answers guys. I guess the discussion of base mods was really, and still is, most on my mind. My logic told me that Maps should load first, because they are the foundation for all else to follow. You are saying that Maps should load last, because everything else is built 'on top' of them.

See the possibility of confusion? Either build from the top down or build from the bottom up. I would like to hear the official answer from SCS.

Thanks again for your input. I suspect you both are right, but I hope SCS comments here too.

[iOutlaw]

Hey all... I consider this subject of mod loading order to be my most serious problem in the game right now. I have mods which don't show up in the game.

Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Do mods load from the bottom of the list upward, or do they load from the top of the list downward?

[Hyatt Regency]

iOutlaw, they load from bottom upwards, so 'higher up the list' mods have priority, or, are more prominent.
i.e. A truck mod above a truck accessories mod = truck cancelling out accessories for upgrade etc.
Hope it helps.
Regards,
Hyatt Regency.

[iOutlaw]

Hyatt Regency, please bear with me. My 69 year old brain is a little slow to catch on to complex (lol) issues like this.

You said,

they load from bottom upwards, so 'higher up the list' mods have priority, or, are more prominent.

That's a little confusing to me. I assume that Maps should be the most prominent, i.e. the first to load, given that they impact everything else in the game. So given what you said, I would think that Maps should be on the bottom of the list so that they load first. HOWEVER, you also said that items 'higher up the list' have priority, which would seem to be the opposite, meaning that Maps (or any mods which affect everything else in the game) should be at the top of the load list.

Could you please explain and help me understand this question a little better?

[Axel Slingerland]

To avoid any further confusion, don't look at it as "Loading from top to bottom", all that changed when the Mod Manager was introduced. Now you need to look at it as "What mods have the highest and lowest priority". Thinking along these lines, read what abasstreppas wrote...

Always think like this => "base" mods like trailers, trucks and maps should have low priority (bottom of your list), beacuse all other stuff you have there is something that changes stuff in these "base" mods.

That about sums it up... In other words, let's say you have a map mod, which you might say is a base type of mod, and a weather mod, which you might say is a modifier type of mod. When it rains, the weather mod has code in it to make the road get wet, thus it needs a higher priority because it modifies something defined in the map mod.

If the map mod doesn't have code to make the road get wet, and it has a higher priority, then the weather code in the map mod overrides the code in the weather mod (because the mod with the highest priority gets used) thus the road does not get wet when it rains.

Therefore the weather mod should have a higher priority so it can make the road get wet when it rains. Basically stated, the modifier should be on top of the base...

Does that make more sense? I know how it is, my 61 and a half year old brain agrees with yours. Sometimes this stuff is very confusing! Perhaps this will help you too...

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Good luck!

[zrex01]

Thank you very much for this info.......I'm no longer confused....my game should run smoother now...

[iOutlaw]

Thanks very much to all of you. I think I'm beginning to understand the concept of base and modifiers. One other question then... where would cargo and trailer PACKS go. From what you've said it seems they would go toward the top of the list because they are constantly changing?