Title pretty much says it all,
but below are the errors reported when attempting to load dawnguard.esm with creation kit.

MASTERFILE: ===========================================================
Assert
File: C:\_Skyrim\Code\TESV\TES Shared\misc\BGSLocalizedString.cpp
Line: 1566
LOCALIZATION: Error opening or reading strings file.
MASTERFILE: LOCALIZATION: Zero entries or empty block size read from strings file STRINGS/Dawnguard_ENGLISH.STRINGS. Strings will be missing.
Assert
File: c:\_skyrim\code\tesv\bssystem\BSTSmartPointer.h
Line: 167
Null pointer

Using STEAM the folder "CODE" has never existed.
So needless to say CK reports the above errors and crashes.

Complete listing of folders found under "SKYRIM" if using STEAM
(Just for clarity Skyrims root folder if using STEAM can be found here (default install);
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\skyrim)
Backup
Data
DirectX10
DotNetFX
lex
Logs
Papyrus Compiler
reslists
Skyrim
VCRedist

Take note that the folder Skyrim listed above has only ever contained one file which is the SkyrimPrefs.ini file.

Long story short: STEAM + Dawnguard + Creation Kit = Broken

You need to extract the String files from the Dawnguard BSA (with e.g. http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/247/) before you can load DG in the CK.

No, he should just add Dawnguard.esm to the archive resource list in SkyrimEditor.ini, like this:

SResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Textures.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Voices.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa, Skyrim - Voicesixtra.bsa, Dawnguard.bsa


That will take care of both the Strings files and all other resources the ESM uses.

I tried the adding Dawnguard.bsa to the list it still would crash, so extracting the three dawnguard_english string files is what I had to do to fix the crashing CK

I believe it's actually sResourceArchiveList2. I'm the one who originally recommended extracting the strings because editing the INI didn't work for me either, but I didn't try adding it to sResourceArchiveList2. Everyone else says that works.

Worked for me.

I was wondering how do i access the dawngard dlc in the creation kit because everytime i try to open it it gives me an error & then force closes the creation kit help plz & thank you

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1401226-steam-dawnguard-creation-kit-isnt-working/page__view__findpost__p__21333204

(Search, could be your friend; if only you'd agree to get in touch with "it" a bit more often )

Someone recommended also adding a line "bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1" under [General] (in SkyrimEditor.ini). Is this necessary as well, or do we only need to add Dawnguard.esm to SResourceArchiveList2 ?

Update.ESM and Dawnguard.ESM will load as a secondary master w/o adding/editing that line. Loading our own ESMs as secondary/tertiary masters, however, *will prompt ye olden 'load operation aborted' error unless bAllowMultipleMasters=1.

*Edit per below: Unless each plugin is dependent upon every other plugin loading before it

Really? At the moment I'm working in a team so in order for us to be able to work separately we have a our own esm file and individually make esp files that get merged in each week. Our esm has skyrim.esm and update.esm as parents, but I can load it fine in the CK without any ini edits

- Hypno

bAllowMultipleMasterLoads=1 is only necessary when any ESM's are not linked together. As long as they have each other as parents/children you can have as many ESM's as you like without using that line.

Aha! You guys are right. If, for instance, Update.ESM did not have Skyrim.ESM as a master, Dawnguard.ESM would not load w/o the INI edit as it has both Skyrim.ESM and Update.ESM as masters. It appears the function of bAllowMultipleMasterLoads now only pertains to non ...daisy-chained plugins. Interesting. At that, I'll just keep the line in there as it's still enabling.

I was under the impresion, by other comments that Dawnguard only includded an esm and a BSA files, but by some of the previous post on this thread, it seems it also includes a update.esm. Is that the case? I hope is not the case, as it could conflict with future updates.

Question; will extracting the .bsa allow me to edit the code? I'd like to use one of the new scripts in my mod. Or do I have to wait for Bethesda to give us the .psc files?

No, it's the Update.esm of the vanilla game we are talking about. Dawnguard doesn't have an update master (yet).


You should probably wait for the PSC files, they are not in the BSA. I have heard about a converter that decompiles Papyrus scripts but I also heard it's rather messy and practically impossible to truly reconstruct them.

Yeah, it dumps assembly code. Have fun.

So we just add Dawnguard.bsa and not Dawnguard.esm, correct?

Yeah.

Sorry for being a newbie here, but I'm new to modding and all of this stuff, so if somebody could explain how to fix this in layman's terms, I would love you forever. Okay maybe just for five minutes but it's all the same.

Z man 457: Simply add Dawnguard.bsa to Skyrim\SkyrimEditor.ini's [Archive] sResourceArchiveList2 and Dawnguard.ESM will load in the CK.

Thanks very much.

& how do I add it? lol This is my 1st time doing any of this so IDK what you mean or how ta do any of this stuff you're talking about lol Srry

R-Click > Edit, then Ctrl+F for sResource. The one you want to add Dawnguard.bsa to is sResourceArchiveList2 after a comma following Update.bsa which should already be in there.

Ok... & where am I supposed ta do all that at exactly? You kinda forgot ta say where I go to do all of that at lol