Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

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Kahalo
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Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by Kahalo » Sun, 18. Apr 21, 09:15

In X3 ist was possible to install many modded Versions of the Game (in the X3 FAQ is ist explain over copy the folder)
Now I am asking if this is also possible in X4.

I want 3 Versions

-One normal Version - Vanilla (i like the old Multiplayer to See the Logos and ship Color and now i am looking fortwarf to the new MUltiplayer Features, i Don t want to loose my Fleet and Stations)
-One Version with the possibility to capture Xenon Ships( I like them very much, like ist was possible in 3.0, now i Need a mod)
-One Version For Star Wars Mod and to Test additional mods

Now I am asking of this is possible (Sorry for my english)
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X2-Illuminatus
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by X2-Illuminatus » Sun, 18. Apr 21, 09:41

Kahalo wrote:
Sun, 18. Apr 21, 09:15
(in the X3 FAQ is ist explain over copy the folder)
The same FAQ article as well as a NoSteam exe file also exist for X4: How do I use the NoSteam executable? (X4: Foundations)
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Midnitewolf
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by Midnitewolf » Sun, 18. Apr 21, 21:53

Kahalo wrote:
Sun, 18. Apr 21, 09:15
In X3 ist was possible to install many modded Versions of the Game (in the X3 FAQ is ist explain over copy the folder)
Now I am asking if this is also possible in X4.

I want 3 Versions

-One normal Version - Vanilla (i like the old Multiplayer to See the Logos and ship Color and now i am looking fortwarf to the new MUltiplayer Features, i Don t want to loose my Fleet and Stations)
-One Version with the possibility to capture Xenon Ships( I like them very much, like ist was possible in 3.0, now i Need a mod)
-One Version For Star Wars Mod and to Test additional mods

Now I am asking of this is possible (Sorry for my english)

I ran across this very same issue. I have a Vanilla game, a heavily moded Vanilla game, a VRO heavily modded game and want to also do Star Wars Interworlds.

Unfortunately I found no good answer however, unlike another game I play that requires very similar mod management, Egosoft makes it very easy to just turn on and off mods so I just make a check list and turn on the ones that need to be one and turn off the ones that don't depending on the save.

Also, what I have found it that for my modded games, the mod list tends to be about 95% static meaning I will use those mods regardless of what I am trying to do. These mods are generally quality of life mods like Mules, subsystem targeting, info center, etc. For example, my modded VRO game vs my non VRO only requires me to change maybe 5 mods total.

Anyway, what I do is just clearly mark what Save goes with what and they swap the mods in and out as needed. I little bit of a pain but doable.

What would be nice is if Egosoft included a "mod manager" that allowed you to set up saved presets that you could just name and the click to activate/deactivate what mods you want before loading a save or better yet, tie the mod list directly to the save automatically. But I will put that on my wish in one hand, do something in another and see what fills up first list.

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DeadlyDa
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by DeadlyDa » Mon, 19. Apr 21, 10:33

My apologies for being a bit "wordy", and that the following "mini-guide" is probably over-detailed (but hopefully not too confusing). Regardless, if you are NOT comfortable with what you read below, please take a minute to make a backup of your save games before you go overwriting anything. I have save games that go back for many hours, and I'd hate to lose them...and I'm sure you would as well.

============ Running multiple versions of X4 on one installation (Steam, in my case) ==========================================================

Here is something that works for me...

For what it's worth, I currently have 14 active games of X4 that I switch between, running on a single installation of X4 Foundations. There is no need to install multiple copies of the game. The only things that actually change the game you play are your save games and the extensions (if any) you have installed. Every official Egosoft expansion (currently Split and Terran) are packaged as an "extension". Any mods you chose to employ are also packaged as "extensions".

You can easily keep copies of your save games and mod extensions somewhere on your computer, and as long as you keep the saves and extensions in sync, you can simply restore them and load up your last save...and you're good to go!

Always be sure to make fresh copies of your current save games and mod extensions before overwriting them!

So...

With a standard install of X4 Foundations, the save games from your "active" game are stored in your Documents folder. For me, that is "...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save".

There are two folders for extensions, but only one is used. The "dummy" folder is also magically created in your Documents folder when you install the game. Unless Egosoft changes things in the future...ignore it. The one actually used by the game can be found in the X4 root folder. Since I use Steam, mine looks like ...\Steam\steamapps\common\X4Foundations\extensions. In an unmodified game, the only things in the extensions folder will be any Egosoft DLC you have installed (currently ego_dlc_split and ego_dlc_terran). Of course, for modified games this is also where the mod folders go.

Here are the steps to create a "game saves folder" to hold your various X4 versions:
  • Create a new folder which will contain copies of the key files you need to run different versions of the game. I put mine in the ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4 folder that gets created when you install the game. Due to a lack of imagination, I just called it "Game Save Folders"...so for me the path looks like ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders
  • In the folder you just created, add sub-folders for each of the versions you want to run. For example one of my stock un-modded games is in a sub-folder called ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Clean 4.0 HF3 (Terran Start), while one of my current modded games is in a folder named ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded). {Using descriptive names for the folders will save you a lot of pain and agony if you run more than a couple of different versions.)
  • Now within each of these "version" sub-folders, create two (2) additional sub-folders, one called extensions and the other save. (Note: For un-modded games, you don't really need an extensions folder, since the Egosoft DLC will remain in the X4 game directory...no need to make copies.)
  • Now copy the save games from your current game into the appropriate Game Save folder. For the modded example above I copied the contents of ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\save.
  • If you are running mods, then you also need to copy the active extensions folder to the appropriate Game Save folder. For the modded example above I copied the contents of ...\Steam\steamapps\common\X4Foundations\extensions to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\extensions. Since you don't want (or need) to copy the Egosoft DLC content, exclude any file that starts with ego-dlc-xxxx from the copy operation.
Examples

If I am running the un-modded game I used in the above example, and I wanted to switch to the modded game used in the example, I would simply:
  • Save my current save games: Copy the current save games from ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Clean 4.0 HF3 (Terran Start)\save.
  • Restore my modded save game files: Copy ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\save to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save.
  • Restore my mod files: Copy ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\extensions to ...\Steam\steamapps\common\X4Foundations\extensions.
If I am running the modded game from the above example, and I wanted to switch back to the un-modded game used in the example, I would:
  • Save my current "modded" save games by copying the current save games from...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\save.
  • Restore my un-modded save game files: Copy ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Clean 4.0 HF3 (Terran Start)\save to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\nnnnn\save.
  • Save my current mods: Open the folder ...\Steam\steamapps\common\X4Foundations\extensions and move all files that don't start with "ego_dlc_xxx" to ...\Documents\Egosoft\X4\Game Save Folders\Modded Buzzard Young Gun (loaded)\extensions. The only things left in the extensions folder will be any ego-dlc-xxxx for the expansions you have purchased.
Just to be clear, leave all Egosoft DLC folders in the extensions folder of your X4 root directory alone!. They should be present in any X4 game you run, regardless of whether or not it has mods installed. Any Egosoft patches and/or updates will be to the X4 root directory.

JasonX2000
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by JasonX2000 » Mon, 19. Apr 21, 13:04

Try this :

Its for X:Rebirth but still works with X4 too.
I use it the whole time.
And you dont need to have multiple copies of your extensions.
My extensions are all in the game folder.
This tutorial works with hardlinks and should not use that much space on your harddrive.

https://www.egosoft.com:8444/confluence ... ups+for+XR

I don't know if its written there, but you need to run the batchfiles as admin.
I run the batchfile and then start x4 with steam. You could do the gamestart in the batchfile too, but i did not like that.

tomchk
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by tomchk » Mon, 19. Apr 21, 18:58

All you need are folders with 8-digit numbers under your documents/X4 folder, put the config and content files and any saves you want for each in those folders, and make a shortcut for each with a launch argument to run with that profile id. I forget the launch argument but someone posted it below (thanks!). You can use x4.exe -personalfolderid 12345678 as an example. It seems way easier than the solutions above, no? It's not very well known.

viewtopic.php?t=436520
Last edited by tomchk on Mon, 19. Apr 21, 21:19, edited 1 time in total.
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Mycu
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Re: Is ist possible to parallel install more Versions of X4 – Vanilla and Modded

Post by Mycu » Mon, 19. Apr 21, 20:00

tomchk wrote:
Mon, 19. Apr 21, 18:58
I forget the launch argument--possibly -profileid 12345678 as an example
It's a "personalfolderid 12345678" to be strict.
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