Hope someone can help me with this.
I've got VC almost to work it seems. I am trying to merge an esp to a new esm master file, but nothing get applied to the esm file:
I go to VC, mark the file forms I own, click Check In, chose the "test.esm" I'm working with. A quick bar shows it doing something and bottom it says "Saving...Done!". But at VC everything looks the same, nothing from the esp has been moved to the esm.
If I mark the file forms I own in VC (the ones I created/placed) and click Check Out, it says "DEFAULT: TESBitArrayFile::OpenAndMapBitArrayFile could not fine file 'Update.fud'.", no matter what I chose it doesn't create the fid fud fvd files for Update.esm (do I even need them when its test.esm I want to work on?).

Another possible related issue:
If I right click on cells/objects in Cell View and chose Check Out, then nothing happens and I can't edit the objects etc..




Some info:
The shared folder should work right; it creates .fid fud fvd for the esm files (test.esm and skyrim.esm, but not update.esm)
I run CK as admin
My ini files etc:

Open the CK loading skyrim.esm plus your mod esm, nothing else. Make sure before you do this you clear out your data folder under merging. Back up beforehand though just in case.

Put a copy of your skyrim.esm and mod.esm into the merging/data folder.

Now load up the CK (make sure you make your mod.esm dependent on skyrim.esm beforehand)

In the CK, go to file, select Skyrim.esm and click "details" It says something like do you want to make a blank file to save memory. Click yes, this will open a menu screen. Click ctrl shift and B together. When ready close, go to your mod.esm and do the same. In the folder you now have the neccesary files. Put into this merging/data folder the skyrim.esm and your mod.esm

As for check out:

Version control is used so that multiple developers can work on the same file(s) simultaneously. "Checking out" means you synchronize your local copy with the current one on the version server. With your "version server" being the game's main directory and you being the only contributor, there is nothing you can check out, you are already up to date.

To undo changes (keep track of versions) you still need to keep backups (or install a proper version control tool)

The only reason for a single (non-team) modder to use version control is when he already released a mod as ESM, and works on an update as ESP(s) to be able to better keep track of the changes in the Update, but usually you can just as well clear the master flag and continue working on the ESP you started with.

When creating the first version of a mod, and not working in a team, it's generally a bad idea to work with an ESM, you just lose track of your changes. Get the mod done, and if you really need an ESM set the flag at the end.

@ Fidovoff

I suspect you changed forms in the Skyrim master prior to working with VC, but in a already custom-ESM dependent ESP. Such changes didn't work for me anymore after I enabled VC.
You cannot change forms from the Skyrim master with VC enabled!
If you plan a mod where you have to remove a rock for example, you will have to move the rock out of sight (better not delete it) and save an ESP with VC disabled, so you have to know exactly which things you have to change in Skyrim.esm before you start working on an ESM with VC. You can then convert to ESM and switch to VC - if you need it, and you will if you're not keen on all the bugs Bethesda presents us without VC. So this quote:


seems not to apply to Skyrim like it perhaps did to former Beth games...

Still applies. Version control is no magic cure for all the existing and imaginary issues people have with the CK. Some functions (LOD generation?) may or may not work properly in the CK, when using them on a master (has anyone ever tested it?) Some stuff (new walkmeshes) work in the game only when using an ESM. But for this you need master files, not a crippled version control with a few remaining merging capabilities. Making an ESM out of an ESP is a matter of seconds using TESVSnip. What other "bugs" are there currently? The limitation to worlds that only slightly larger than Skyrim itself won't be fixed by version control or master files. Heightmaps won't work in either case.

Frankly, there currently are two kinds of modders, one that is busy using the CK, and one that is busy lamenting how Bethesda and their crappy CK ruined their glorious mind-blowing mod before work on it even started. Since the later is more vocal, people might think they need version control and just make things more difficult for no real reason.

Well then try to work on a large worldspace like this, as the busy modder that you surely are. Have you ever tried to convert an already ESM dependent ESP to ESM after you edited the landscape in that ESP? Perhaps just to bring back all the disappearing objects? Well then you surely marveled at what happened to these changes like I did. This is only solved by using version control it seems. If you know it better, out with it - I'd be glad to hear it. How do you want to seriously work on something, creating new ESMs over and over again to get rid of these ridiculous bugs?
Oh no, this editor is different. This is quite obvious even for an unambitious hobby-modder like myself...

I'm using version control, I have a 16x16 quad world with full LOD, heightmap issues fixed by third party developers, and most other decent fixes the same. I think things have moved on a lot actually.

We are 5 people working on a mod, using tesvsnip is really inefficient to use for merging, especially when changing something and having to update the merged mod file.
I thought if we used Version Control we could easier merge the existing esp files and work more efficient afterwards, especially with quests and working in the same cell.
Ps. we also work in the Tamriel world space, adding, deleting, modifying existing objects/navmesh etc...

The MERP team are using version control as well. Seems like its being used a lot and working well (at least until Bethesda bring out a CK upgrade and muck it up somehow)

But does it work? The problem you described above sounded like the thing I had. And I'm absolutely not able to change any form in the Skyrim master with VC on. I can turn VC off to change something, but my ESM won't accept these Skyrim.esm changes using VC. So I have to apply all these changes before I even start working with VC. They have to be in my master from the start.

Wasn't so much of a problem for me since I only needed to move the Helgen gate in 6,-29 down and change the border region a bit for my little hobby mod...

Also did as thekarithian suggested in the beginning, but I still can't merge esp to the esm with VC as some claims is possible (also made a new cell to test with).

The MERP team I believe only works with a custom world space, and guess that works fine.

We are using esp files. So no, does not work with esm it seems.

Due to crazy amount of duplicate form ID created with several esp files and no organized esm/master to work on (or even a way to allocate form ID for each person), it seems almost impossible to work on a team project unless you are willing to fix a lot of form ID fixes with TesVsnip or take the risk with CK..
Also with several esp files, you cant work across them with quests/linked objects (link/ref form IDs) and such, then you need to merge 'em to 1 esp file, after that it will be hard for others to modify anything..
I cant see any efficient way for a team to work with CK :/

Stupid question, but how do you create an ESM from the CK.. i've only been able to use tessnip., and if i open it in the CK its never possible to set it as active file..

To ESM'ify w/ CK: Change extension to ESM, set as "Active" and load, save/close. Currently, an ESM flagged plugin cannot be edited or set as "Active".

How about those solutions that involve putting a few hundred 'spacer' forms in one version of the .esp, a few hundred more in another, etc. for the number of team members you have, then getting rid of the spacers and merging the .esps? The 'spacer's were to make room and shift the form ID's around and such. Are there any guides/discussions on that around? I still want to look into VC, it's only a two member team at the moment though so I'm not certain. We're in different time zones (basically opposite free times apparently) so just passing a master back and forth is so lame.

I experimented with it a bit with arrays of apples (10x10) in the Ctest cell. I then added some stuff, took the original (no spacer's) esp, and moved only the added stuff to it. Somehow the CK still said there were many duplicate form ID's. The things added should have had form ID's a thousand over anything in the original file. I only tried once, and sort of half heartedly, but I expected it to work. I thought the way I was doing it was reasonably intuitive.

The only thing I can think is that I moved/merged the wrong stuff or something... I'll probably try again at some point.