Unofficial Hearthfire Patch: Readme
Version: 2.1.3
By the Unofficial Patch Project Team
1. What the Unofficial Hearthfire Patch Does
2. Known Issues, Incompatibilities and Notes
3. Installation (Manual Version)
4. Uninstalling (Manual Version)
5. Disclaimer
6. Permissions
7. Thanks
8. Frequently Asked Questions - BUGS
9. Frequently Asked Questions - About the Project
10. UHFP Version History
11. List of known conflicts and fixes for Hearthfire. Good info for when you're having problems and need to locate a potentially conflicting mod. May be outdated though as the OP no longer seems to be posting.
1. What the Unofficial Hearthfire Patch (UHFP) Does
This mod is a joint effort to fix the vast amount of bugs currently existing in Hearthfire, the second Skyrim DLC. If you're experiencing a bug with Hearthfire and it isn't fixed by the UHFP yet please report the bug on the USKP tracker in as much detail as possible. Please search first to ensure you aren't posting something already there; with hundreds of active entries currently it's very likely it already is! Tag Hearthfire bugs using "Hearthfire DLC" so that they will be easily located by the patch team. Thank you for any contributions! For details on what qualifies as a bug, and what you can do to report it, see our Bug FAQ.
Warning: Only use the Unofficial Hearthfire Patch with the latest release version of Skyrim patched through Steam! Using it on an older version may cause bugs or things not to be fixed that were advertised as such! It will of course be updated to match each official update, including having fixes removed that are included in official updates.
2. Known Issues, Incompatibilities and Notes
- A Mod Manager is recommended: If you're reading this (which means you've opened the archive directly) and you're new to using mods, it's recommended to use a mod manager such as Wrye Bash or Nexus Mod Manager to install and manage your mods. This will prevent problems of conflicts, leftover files after uninstallation and other issues. This is especially important now in Skyrim with script files, since they are separate from the ESP they can overwrite other script files and thus override even if the mod is earlier-loaded, and remain behind still active if it's uninstalled. If you use many mods, it's also recommended to use LOOT to prevent load order problems. Note that the unofficial patches are no longer available on Steam Workshop due to the necessary changes in the file structures.
- CTDs entering Breezehome: If you are getting CTDs when entering Breezehome, make sure you've got the updated Unoficial Skyrim Patch installed (version 1.2.2.b or later). Keep in mind that this is NOT the only cause, but will eliminate the unofficial patches as one. Other mods that have altered Breezehome have likely edited the same navmesh that Hearthfire deleted. Those mods will need to be corrected by their authors. There is nothing the unofficial patches can do to fix this. There are too many Breezehome mods to list specifically, so you'll need to be aware of what you've installed that modifies it in order to report it to the appropriate authors. Do not report Breezehome crashes in the unofficial patch threads - we've already handled our part in this.
3. Manual Installation
1.) Extract the contents of Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.7z, into your Skyrim\Data folder. The default location is C:\Program files\Steam\Steamapps\common\skyrim\data. There should be an ESP file, BSA file, and BSL file. The BSL file is not necessary unless you have need to use the official archive.exe tool to examine the BSA contents.
2.) Check Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp in the Skyrim launcher if it isn't (it should already be after installation.)
3.) Using the arrow buttons, move Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp so that it's directly beneath Hearthfires.esm. This is so that it loads early and thus doesn't undo other mods' changes. This is very important if you use other mods. It is strongly recommended to use LOOT to manage the load order as the correct positioning is already applied.
4.) Click Play and enjoy your much-improved Hearthfire DLC.
You will likely need to upgrade your mod managers to their newest versions as some of them do not support the new false ESM flagging in older copies. Wrye Bash as of version 304.2 will support this, Nexus Mod Manager should have no trouble with versions 0.45 and higher.
Upgrading
Simply replace the files with the updated versions. Then load the game. Any necessary retroactive fixes will take place at that time and your Papyrus log will confirm when this has happened. NEVER uninstall the patch from your game when doing this!
4. Uninstalling (Manual Version)
Due to the nature of Skyrim mods, especially those adding scripts, it is strongly discouraged to attempt uninstalling a mod from your active game. Any mod that is more than pure mesh or texture replacements has the possibility to leave behind permanent changes to your save that you may not want. This is not something modders can correct for. It is how the game was designed by Bethesda. No support will be provided for anyone who uninstalls this mod from an active game and continues on with that save.
If you insist on removing it for whatever reason, simply delete the ESP and BSA and then load your game without them. You will get a missing content warning. Say yes, and continue playing.
5. Disclaimer
The Unofficial Hearthfire Patch is provided free and "as is" for use at your own risk; the creators cannot be held responsible/liable for anything that happens while using it. It is recommended to only use the Unofficial Hearthfire Patch with the version of Skyrim it was created for. This product is not created by, nor associated with, Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, Zenimax Media, nor any of their affiliates.
6. Permissions
The following terms of use must be adhered to with regard to the unofficial patches:
- You may upload unmodified versions of the patch to any website of your choosing so long as the documentation is retained as-is. All credits must be properly maintained.
- Translation of the unofficial patches into other languages is permitted so long as the English documentation is also included and all credits are properly maintained.
- Assets such as mesh files (.nif), textures, scripts, audio files, and other things found in the BSA may be freely used as the basis for your own work in order to help prevent fixes from being lost due to work starting from broken vanilla assets instead.
- You are permitted to use the unofficial patches as master files in your own work for the purpose of ensuring that fixes are not lost. Please try to be sure any changes to things which have been fixed do not cause further problems as we will not be able to provide support under those conditions.
- Altering fixes is specifically prohibited as this tends to lead to serious problems. If you think you've found an issue with a fix, please report it to us. Do not simply upload something that amounts to "this is the right way to do it" because more often than not, this turns out to be false and people mistakenly believe we are at fault when we are not aware of what's been done.
7. Thanks
AndalayBay - For having provided hosting for the project at Dark Creations, including use of the Bugzilla tracker, prior to acquiring our own on AFK Mods.
Arthmoor - For stepping in to take over the unofficial patch projects and coordinating the various community reports and submissions into the final products.
Hanaisse - For help with plenty of mesh errors.
BlackPete - Numerous text file fixes, as well as dogged pursuit of bugs and for providing the save files which got many of them fixed.
And finally a big thanks to everyone else who reported bugs, sent in save games, or helped provide plugins, meshes, and textures for various fixes.