Creating a backup before modding question.

[Stealth2668]

I want to install a bunch of mods (parts) but also wanna keep a vanilla version as a backup. Do I just copy the vanilla ksp folder somewhere so I can replace the modded one later? I ask because if it gets out dated, will it just stop working and be useless, leaving me with only a modded game? (unless I pick through the modded version and remove mods). Alternatively, is it possible to create a "mod" folder in the parts folder for example, and put mods in there, or will ksp be unable to "read" that stuff since it's in a folder? I'd prefer just making sub folders if possible.

[Noticeably FAT]

I just create a copy of the parts folder to keep as a backup. That way if I need to bomb all the mods for some reason I can just get rid of the original parts folder that has all the mods, then rename the backup parts folder. Same with the plugins and plugindata folders.

[Stealth2668]

Ok. Also an unrelated noob question; What does EVA and IVA stand for?

[ZedNova]

EVA = Extra Vehicular Activity

IVA = Inter(Or intra) -vehicular Activity

[EndlessWaves]

Unless you're on steam then you can do what you like with the game file-wise. There are no registry entries or DRM to worry about so duplicate it fully or partially as you need.

KSP will only read from the existing folders at the moment, I think Mu might be planning on adding support for a mod folder but we'll have to wait and see.

As for updates, while the game is in development your best bet is a fresh, stock install each time to make sure everything is working properly and then adding the mods in as they update for the new version.

[Noticeably FAT]

I forgot to mention, I've been using the KSP Mod Manager, it seems to work fairly well. It'll create a -[Mods]- folder in your KSP folder where you will save the mod .zip files, then when you tell it to enable/disable mods if will copy/delete the mod files/folders in the correct locations (assuming the .zip file structure was set up correctly, all the mods I've been using seem to be fine). It's not doing anything you can't do manually, but it does streamline the process.

[tuguley]

I think steam has a built in backup creator which compresses the files really well. It works for Valve games, not sure about KSP, although I don't see why it shouldn't work.

[Nuprin Feelgood]

Whenever I download a mod, I then unpack it to a specific folder I have for all my mods, outside of the game folder.

This way I have clean copies of all the mods. Then I copy the mod pieces into the respective folders in my KSP folder.

I also store my backups of clean vanilla game folders here.

if you want to have a backup unmodded version, you should make backup copies of your parts, plugins, plugindata, resources and internals folders.

I also recommend a clean backup of your Settings file. In case you decide to make tweaks to the cfg for performance reasons.

Another advantage to having your mods stored in a separate folder, and just copying the pieces into your game when you want them, is that you have a reference of the mod pieces should you decide later to uninstall a mod. You can cross reference with the mod folder and see what files need to be removed from your game folder.

Fortunately most of the best mods have highly identifiable folders for their parts and recognizable names for their plugins, which makes finding and uninstalling fairly easy.

But having an organized system in place for your mods is always a good thing.

[Amaroq]

The specific folders you want to keep track of are:

• Parts
  
• PluginData
  
• Plugins
  

The "Vanilla" folders for Plugins and PluginData will be empty, no problem.

Note, also, that your save game is going to depend on the mods you have installed -- basically, if you delete a part, any flight in progress which utilized that part may become unusable.* (See footnote 1)

This can also be true if you are adding a mod which changes the vanilla parts -- for example, if the part.cfg now includes a reference to a module, but that module's state isn't specified in the save-game, the ship isn't going to load.

So, honestly, I've found it much more valuable to back up the "persistent.sfs" file from my save game folder on a regular basis than it was to back up the vanilla parts folder.

That said, if you're going to get into modding, you'll want to make sure you develop your mod against a pure-vanilla install.

Footnote 1 - in my experience, what you get when you load a flight that included a deleted piece is a partial craft consisting of a chunk of contiguous vanilla parts that were added after the deleted part .. as that means its probably missing any command Pod, its pretty useless and "End Flight" or restoring the piece is the 'right' choice. If the missing piece was non-structural, it is possible to massage it back into shape.

If, instead, you delete the .DLL from the Plugins folder, but leave the Part in place in the Parts folder, you'll typically get the flight to load, but

)

[Stealth2668]

I just copied the whole KSP folder and saved it to a new spot. That way I can just delete the whole modded KSP folder and copy the vanilla one back in my steam folder where it should be (should work right?). I should have kept the modded folders as mentioned above but I moved the files rather than copied them. Will keep them in the future.