Hacking Question What are the chances that PC mods (especially Skyrim) are compatible with the Switch version?

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Yeah it's much easier than you think.

To load a custom esp/esm (almost any will work) open the Skyrim.ini belonging to the Switch game and do this:
Code:
sTestFile1=Dawnguard.esm
sTestFile2=HearthFires.esm
sTestFile3=Dragonborn.esm
sTestFile4=Hyrule.esm
sTestFile5=mymod.esp
sTestFile6=anothermod.esm
sTestFile7=koolMod.esp
sTestFile8=
sTestFile9=
sTestFile10=
Now in those "sTestFile" you can add more esp/esm which then must be put in the "data" folder alongside any other mods. Almost every console release of Skyrim had a limit of only 10 sTestFile, but it could be different here. If not you can simply merge esp if you want more mods.

To load a .BSA TEXTURE REPLACEMENT add a .bsa (with packed textures WHICH are in the Switch texture format) to this line:
sResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Voices_en0.bsa, Skyrim - Voices_en1.bsa, Skyrim - Textures0.bsa, Skyrim - Textures1.bsa, Skyrim - Textures2.bsa, Skyrim - Textures3.bsa, Skyrim - Textures4.bsa, Skyrim - Textures5.bsa, Skyrim - Textures6.bsa, Skyrim - Textures7.bsa, Skyrim - Textures8.bsa, whateveryouwant.bsa, cooltexturereplacement.bsa
You put any texture replacement .bsa after the textures so they will load and replace the textures .dds files.

To load a .BSA (for a mod, or any other replacements) do this:
sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes0.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes1.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa, Skyrim - Hyrule.bsa, whateveryouwant.bsa, coolmodplacement.bsa

To pack a .bsa you must use archive.exe from the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit, once all the Switch formats are figured out you can pack the Switch formats into the .bsa to load.

Music / Sound Effects use .mcadpcm, an adpcm variant.

Switch supports both, normal DDS files and special Switch swizzled DDS textures (header "DFvN" and "HBvN").

Any Special Edition mod, that doesn't use textures or sound files should work 100% on the Switch version.

Any evidence to support that?
 
Yeah it's much easier than you think.

To load a custom esp/esm (almost any will work) open the Skyrim.ini belonging to the Switch game and do this:
Code:
sTestFile1=Dawnguard.esm
sTestFile2=HearthFires.esm
sTestFile3=Dragonborn.esm
sTestFile4=Hyrule.esm
sTestFile5=mymod.esp
sTestFile6=anothermod.esm
sTestFile7=koolMod.esp
sTestFile8=
sTestFile9=
sTestFile10=
Now in those "sTestFile" you can add more esp/esm which then must be put in the "data" folder alongside any other mods. Almost every console release of Skyrim had a limit of only 10 sTestFile, but it could be different here. If not you can simply merge esp if you want more mods.

To load a .BSA TEXTURE REPLACEMENT add a .bsa (with packed textures WHICH are in the Switch texture format) to this line:

You put any texture replacement .bsa after the textures so they will load and replace the textures .dds files.

To load a .BSA (for a mod, or any other replacements) do this:


To pack a .bsa you must use archive.exe from the Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit, once all the Switch formats are figured out you can pack the Switch formats into the .bsa to load.



Any evidence to support that?
It's not hard to extract an xci and get the files. I can vouch for the file headers. If you want screenshots I can upload some. Lol
 
well you put both parts in bold. lol

Yes I know, because I want evidence for both, mainly that it supports normal dds files. I know it uses some weird swizzled textures for it's dds right now. I could've been more specific with my question (or what I made bold), but I didn't want to make the question confusing or anything so I just asked it generally.
 
Last edited by Zero72463,
I was asking what his evidence was that Skyrim Switch supported dds -_-
All dds files in "Skyrim - Interface.bsa" are normal dds files, not these swizzled ones. However, i did not test this.
But even if it not works, it should be easy to write a texture converter.
 
Last edited by Falo,
All dds files in "Skyrim - Interface.bsa" are normal dds files, not these swizzled ones. However, i did not test this.
But even if it not works, it should be easy to write a texture converter.

Those are actually .png files named to .dds not actually .dds I think (I also thought they were dds until I gave them a closer look before all of this).
 
Oh man, I'll happily start converting mods should the tools release.

EDIT: I know most consoles forgot the developer console and it's commands, do we know if Switch has done the same, or if the console is just hidden?
 
Last edited by Deathscreton,
Oh man, I'll happily start converting mods should the tools release.

EDIT: I know most consoles forgot the developer console and it's commands, do we know if Switch has done the same, or if the console is just hidden?

Consoles are probably hidden, that's way easier for developers than ripping them out.

So yeah, there are chances to enable the console in some games.
 
Consoles are probably hidden, that's way easier for developers than ripping them out.

So yeah, there are chances to enable the console in some games.
This might be something we could look into. I'm suddenly interested in purchasing Skyrim now. Maybe not for 60 bucks, but if it ever goes on sale.
 

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