Use TESVSnip to convert the .esm to .esp

1. Load the .esp in TesVSnip
2. Save the .esp as .esm with TesVSnip
3. Load the converted .esm as an active file in CreationKit
4. Open actor window for one of the actors and click Okay (no need to make changes)
5. Save. It is now a master file.

And yea the point of this workaround is to convert the esp to ESM MASTER FILE.

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And for those who are playing with custom companions using the .esm technique,

When I exit the game and load my save the companions that were following me are back at their default location and I have to re-invite them to my party,
Anyone with this issue?

Hmm I've created custom companions... but they work without any problems.

i did the same as every one say then test the game
the ESP still Color mismatch (Face/Body) but the ESM fixed the face color thanks god then i click on follow me and every thing is cool but when i exit the game and get back to it the follower disappear !!!
Note : please know one tell me to get back to their default location or go to my house and wait because i already do all that

So frustration really and wait for a decent fix

When I create custom companions (using the Ashen Race mod) and follow these exact instructions I can't get them to show up correctly in game. Even when I make an .ESM the facegen data saves to an original file.

Further, when I load the .ESM and not the .ESP the head of the character is missing in game. I have to load the ESP alongside the ESM to get it to show, and in that case I just get the darkened/off color heads.

EDIT: Nevermind. The issue is that switching to an .ESM causes me to have to re-do my character via showracemenu.

Bumping this because it's a massive issue.

I thought I was on a roll getting one of my player characters into a new game as a custom hireling only to find that their face is the wrong damn color.

I can't imagine how many quest mods this is holding back.

I'm also experiencing this problem.

Also to the people having to re-invite companions, are you customizing existing NPCs?

Your new plugin might be resetting their faction status so they aren't in the follower faction with you anymore.

I've managed to get totally new NPC followers to keep following after exiting and reloading using the .esm method.

Really that would be awesome and how you make them keep following after reloading

Can't believe this was not fixed yet...This is a pretty anoying bug...

I think it might have to do with me putting the relationship info in the .esm with my new NPC.

I'm no expert on the details though.

Reloaded a bunch of times now after restarting the game in different places and I haven't had to re-invite yet.

You mean a relationship between the esp and esm because i already did relationship between the player and the npc esm nothing happen

I think he means the follower faction. I'm going to try this right now.

The only NPC information I have in my ESM are pretty much the facegen... I added the rest in the .esp for easy editing.

That could definatly be the source of the problem.

EDIT: Nope I actually setted my faction/relationship in the ESM :/

EDIT2: Alright I got it to work now. You cannot place your follower in a celll within the ESM, do it in your ESP and your save should work!

Please walk me through what I'm missing here.

I followed the instructions detailed in the topic here and was able to get matching skin tones by doing so. That said, my followers were in a cell within the .ESM and the .ESP was disabled. As such, I was getting matching skin tones but my followers kept leaving everytime I re-loaded the game.

Now I have removed my followers from the cells in the .ESM. This has caused me to need to load the .ESP together with the. ESM in order to get my followers visible in game, however. But now I'm back to having the mis matched skin tones...

Please advise.

My best guess at this point is that there is something that the people getting this to work are doing to link/merge the .ESP and .ESM together that was simply intuitive for them and not for those having the issue. It can't just be that I'm missing the steps here though as I'm following them to the letter.

EDIT: That is what it is.

xb7bk, if you still have problems:

I think you are making some of the same mistakes as I am. Do this exactly (every single step in the process listed below):

1. Open your .ESP followers file as active and remove the new followers from the cell window.
2. Save.
3. Do the .ESM steps outline by AtomicBomber, those being:
a. Load the .esp in TesVSnip
b. Save the .esp as .esm with TesVSnip
4. Load esm as active file in the CK
5. Open actor window for one of the actors and click Okay (no need to make changes)
6. Save. It is now a master file.
7. Select the actors you want to export facegendata for
8. Ctrl+F4 and click Okay
9. Open your. ESP followers file in the CK as the active file.
10. Add the followers to the cell window.
11. Save
12. Open TESVNIP
13. Open the .ESP you just saved.
14. Right click it and select "Add Master"
15. Find your .ESM file and select it
16. Click okay, then save the new .ESP and overwrite your old one.
17. In your mod loader select both the .ESM and .ESP
18. Play. ^_______________^

You know...

I wish that the developers had just fixed this to begin with, but I have learned a lot about the CK and how to mod as a result of this so all is well that ends well.

I can't believe it actually works i really can't thank you enough all my mods will off to go now thanks to you

This works mate thanks

Question though. If you upload the mod to steam, does it include the facegen folder needed to make the face colour in the esm work?

I've just updated my Lydia the Orc mod with the skin colour fixed, and it's so much arsing round with facegendata folders and stuff that I'm just going to wait for the CK patch before I do any more character mods (that alter skin or hair).

Such a nut ache lol.

Thanks for the information, Rory. Following your steps I was able to make a NPC.esm file and it works wonders.

I can now even change the characters appearance in the .esp file, Hit CTRL + F4, and they show up correctly in the game. I'm not sure if I need to keep doing that after every appearance change. But I have been. And I haven't run into any issues yet.

Thanks again!!!


P.S. I haven't tried to make one of my NPC's a companion yet. So I haven't dealt with those issues. (They usually get in the way. Then I have to ask them to listen to my command, then ask them to move etc.... I hate that. I wish you could just push through them. That would make them user friendly.)

So basically.. create an standalone ESM with all the NPCs with an linked ESP that has all the info; location, face etc. just like if it was already an existing NPC for the base ESM. So, to add new NPCs, you have to add it to a new ESM. Gonna try it out )

Still not fixed? That's really un-cool...Come on Bethesda fix this issue, this is pretty unoying...

^{HAHA I love my grey faced companion I made.... O except for the grey face}

Finally it all works!
With the latest patch!
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/714/screenshot2li.jpg/

I wasn't aware of this being fixed yet. Can anyone else confirm? When did it get patched?

Here is a quote on this topic from Joel the other day:
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1354218-an-open-letter-to-bethesda-regarding-ck/page__view__findpost__p__20414984

Can you give me the fix link please