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This article provides a detailed usage guide the SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter script.

Table of Contents
1.Prerequisites
2.Installation
3.Preparation
4.Run the script with SSEEdit
5.Options
6.Output files and folder structure
7.Finishing


1. Prerequisites
To use this script, you need SkyPatcher and SSEEdit.

SkyPatcher
This script uses the copyVisualStyle and skin operations of SkyPatcher. If you have the latest version installed, these should work.
Editing the ini file output by the script requires some knowledge of SkyPatcher. You can learn more about it at the SkyPatcher article page.
The -Important- Read first - General Information, -Important-FormID-EditorID and NPC Patcher articles in particular are closely related to this script.

SSEEdit
At the time of writing, the version of SSEEdit is 4.1.5f, but this version has often been reported to have compatibility issues with the script.
The following steps should work without any problems, but if you encounter problems, try version 4.0.4.

2. Installation
Save the manual download to any folder, unzip the zip file, and move the generated SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter.pas to the Edit Scripts folder of SSEEdit.

3. Preparation

  • Make a backup
This script edits the esp record and copies or moves the Facegen files (Facegeom, Facetint) to the specified folder.
It is strongly recommended to make a backup of these three files.
The Facegen files are stored in the following path format:

Facegeom
meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\Skyrim.esm\00000123.nif
Facetint
textures\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceTint\Skyrim.esm\00000123.dds

The folder structure of Facegen files is also important, so it is best to back up the entire meshes and textures folder.
Also, in anticipation of editing the esp, it's a good idea to copy the esp file to the Overwrite folder beforehand.
This method also simplifies the finishing work.

  • Extract the BSA file beforehand
The xEdit script cannot manipulate files inside a BSA file.
If a Facegen file is stored inside a BSA file, this script will not work properly, so make sure to extract it beforehand.

  • Create a profile for the conversion process
The results of running the script may be inconsistent due to conflicting mods.
This script can only manipulate Facegen files that win conflicts, so you need to be careful about the order of mods.
Running the script in a profile that only has the replacer mod and its required mods enabled will solve this kind of problem.
If you find this troublesome, you can place the replacer mod at the bottom of the profile you normally use and run the script, but this can cause problems (especially if BSA files are involved).

4. Run the script with SSEEdit
Open SSEEdit, open the replacer mod from the plugins list, select all the NPC records, right-click, select Apply Script and run this script.
Note: This script is not designed to process multiple plugins at the same time. Be sure to run each plugin one at a time.

5. Options
This script has several options. When you run it, a checkbox menu pop up, so select the options you want.
　　Basically, uncheck is the safest choice. If you are not sure what the options mean, remain unchecked.
　　If you make a mistake, you can abort the script by pressing the Cancel button in the window where you enter the prefix.

  • Form ID or Editor ID  (Uncheck:Editor ID, Check:Form ID)
Decide whether to use Form ID or Editor ID to write the settings in the SkyPatcher ini file.
Editor ID is written in letters, so it is easy for humans to understand.
Form ID is written in numbers, so it is difficult to determine its contents at a glance, but it is suitable for mechanical work and debugging.
　　​Another important point is that Editor IDs can potentially conflict with those from other plugins, which may occasionally lead to unintended records being referenced. 
In contrast, specifying records using Form IDs includes the plugin name, ensuring that the intended records are accurately identified.
There are various other differences, but it is recommended that average users select Editor ID.

  • Enable or Disable (Uncheck:Enable, Check:Disable)
You can choose whether to disable configuration lines in the output SkyPatcher ini file by default.
This is mainly for people who want to enable replacement of only a few NPCs in a mod that replaces a large number of NPCs.
Disabled lines can be enabled by simply removing the semicolon(;) or hash(#) added at the beginning.

  • Keep or Remove original Facegen files (Uncheck:Keep, Check:Remove)
You can choose to keep or remove the Facegen files of the replacer mod.
If you choose to remove them, the file structure of the replacer mod will be changed, so simply disabling the effects of this script will not allow you to use the replacer mod as normal.

Basically, the effect of the script will not change even if you leave the original Facegen files, but this option is for those who are concerned about the presence of unnecessary files.
This may be more suitable for advanced users as it is prone to causing problems.

It is probably safer for normal users to choose to keep them.

  • If the Facegen files does not exist, convert or remove the record (Uncheck:Convert, Check:Remove)
This option is important when converting a replacer mod that does not have an ESP file to a format that uses SkyPatcher.
If you are converting a regular replacer mod, remain uncheck.
Please see the Conversion Tips article for more information.

  • Enter prefix for new Editor ID
To make the Editor IDs of new NPC records created by the script unique, a prefix is ​​added to the Editor ID of the new record.
You can use uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and underscores (_).
It is easy to understand if you name the prefix so that it is clear at a glance which replacer mod the record belongs to.
The string you entered with _ added will become the new Editor ID.
For example, if you enter Bijin as the prefix for a replacer mod for Aela (whose EditorID is AelaTheHuntress), the EditorID for the converted NPC data will be Bijin_AelaTheHuntress.
Specifically, it is recommended to use the name of the replacer mod series or author.

Although there is no specific character limit, it is generally recommended that editor IDs be no longer than 32 characters in length.
As far as I could check, there was a vanilla record with a 63 character Editor ID.(dunFellglow_LvlWarlockElementalAmbushCondescendingFHoldPosition)
The actual limit is likely to be 64 characters or more, but in any case, entering a prefix that is too long may cause problems.

From ver 1.0.0 I added code to verify whether the characters entered are valid, but we have confirmed a bug where if invalid characters are entered once, any subsequent input will be recognized as blank.
It's very unsightly, but we decided to implement it for the time being as it is safer than proceeding with the script accepting invalid characters.
If you enter invalid characters, press the Cancel button to stop the script from running, and then run it again.

6. Output files and folder structure
When the script has finished successfully, it will generate a SkyPatcher ini file at the end.
If you're happy with the default name, just save it as is.
The location of the ini file is important, so it is recommended that you do not change the save destination.
As a final check, make sure that no NPC records are overriding and that the prefix you entered has been added to the Editor ID.
Once you're all done, close SSEEdit and save the changes to the esp.

The Facegen file you copied or moved and the SkyPatcher ini file you just saved will be located in Overwrite\SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter\.
If it has finished successfully, there should be three folders: meshes, textures, and SKSE.
By navigating the hierarchy of each folder, you will reach the output file.

The path to the output files is as follows:
Facegeom
meshes\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceGeom\ReplacerMod.esp\00000123.nif
Facetint
textures\actors\character\FaceGenData\FaceTint\ReplacerMod.esp\00000123.dds
SkyPatcher ini file
SKSE\Plugins\SkyPatcher\npc\SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter\ReplacerMod.esp.ini

7. Finishing
Finally, move the esp file with the script executed to Overwrite\SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter\.
This is a very easy task if you copied the esp file to the Overwrite folder during preparation.
Once you've finished moving it, zip the SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter folder, drag it to the Downloads folder in the right pane of MO2, and install it like a normal mod. That's it!

If you do this correctly, it will only overwrite the esp of the original replacer mod. Place it as low as possible to ensure that the original esp is overwritten.
The original replacer mod is still required to reference various resources, so please do not turn it off or uninstall it.
Also, if you perform the process up to the point of zipping on multiple replacer mods, you will be able to manage all of the changes together as if they were a single mod.


Earlier I introduced the standard process of creating a zip file and installing it, but of course there are other ways to install it.

  • Create an empty mod and copy or move the files in the SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter.
This method is useful if the file size is large and compressing it would take too long, or if you simply don't need a zip file.

  • Move the files in the SkyPatcher NPC Replacer Converter to the converted replacer mod.
This is also a method you can use if you don't want to install it as a new mod, but want to complete it within the original mod's folder.
This may be preferable for people who don't need to manage or edit the SkyPatcher ini file.

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