Interesting. I'm still using an older version of UFO4P, didn't think it would be worth upgrading it due to VR incompatibilities. But I'm curious, why your Fomod offers an ESL version if Fallout 4 VR is not even capable of loading ESL plugins and ignores ESL flags on ESL flagged ESPs?
Which version of UFO4P are you using? I wasn't aware some versions were more compatible than others.
The ESL version was a sort-of mistake. I uploaded a bunch of mods today and realised they could be ESL-ified. I did that blindly with all four mods, but realised afterwards that that doesn't make sense. Haven't had time to undo that, but will probably do that tomorrow.
Currently still using v2.1.3, it was included with a WabaJack install from GingasVR. I started playing Fallout 4 VR coming from Skyrim VR with her WJ FO4VR Essentials and it was a little too hardcore for me. So, I just used her load order and severely modified it to more my liking.
Curious... and very confused. I'm familiar with the low formid issue. I usually run the version check patcher mod and I do a lot of manual patching and reformids of mods I want to work with VR above 800. I've gotten a lot of mods to work this way. But I've never gotten VR to load an ESL plugin. I've always had to rename them to ESP/ESM, and mods that are tagged still count against the 254-plugin limit, at least in my experience. Is there some way of FO4VR of loading an ESL plugin to not count against the 254-plugin limit?
I did some experimenting. I created four simple plugins to examine all possible combinations of two variables: the ESL flag and the ESL extension. Each plugin adds a new record, which is actually just a copy of the 10mm pistol, but changes the name to reflect the variable's value. For example, the esl-flagged .esp file names that record "10mm-esl.esp".
I loaded all four files, started the game, and in the console I did "help 10mm- 4" to search through the records. I only got back two results: "10mm-esp.esp" and "10mm-esl.esp". Both items had a form ID that indicated ESP space instead of the FF prefix seen with ESLs. This shows that files with the .esl extension are not loaded at all, and the ESL flag is ignored.
In a second test I made each plugin change the value of the original 10mm pistol record. I loaded each plugin individually, restarting the game each time, and only the plugins with .esp extension seemed to affect the value, again showing that files with the .esl extension are ignored by the game.
My conclusion is that an ESL-flagged .esp is the best solution, since this will work normally (as an ESP) in FO4VR, and load as an ESL in non-VR FO4.
Let me know if you think there's something wrong with my method or conclusion.
Wow lol, didn't expect such a thorough scientific analysis! Well, I certainly don't think anybody can disagree with method of testing or your conclusion.
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The ESL version was a sort-of mistake. I uploaded a bunch of mods today and realised they could be ESL-ified. I did that blindly with all four mods, but realised afterwards that that doesn't make sense. Haven't had time to undo that, but will probably do that tomorrow.
I loaded all four files, started the game, and in the console I did "help 10mm- 4" to search through the records. I only got back two results: "10mm-esp.esp" and "10mm-esl.esp". Both items had a form ID that indicated ESP space instead of the FF prefix seen with ESLs. This shows that files with the .esl extension are not loaded at all, and the ESL flag is ignored.
In a second test I made each plugin change the value of the original 10mm pistol record. I loaded each plugin individually, restarting the game each time, and only the plugins with .esp extension seemed to affect the value, again showing that files with the .esl extension are ignored by the game.
My conclusion is that an ESL-flagged .esp is the best solution, since this will work normally (as an ESP) in FO4VR, and load as an ESL in non-VR FO4.
Let me know if you think there's something wrong with my method or conclusion.