Bethesda has just updated the Skyrim Creation Kit, a tool which allows modders to do just about anything they want with the game.
The new update allows for Hot Plugin Loading, which brings the Toolkit up to the standard of what the developers themselves used to build Skyrim. What this experimental new feature does is allow modders to save their plugin from the Creation Kit and immediately view those results in-game.
"No need to restart the game to see your changes! This has had a huge impact on iteration time around Bethesda Game Studios, and we hope modders will find it just as beneficial," reads the blog post announcing the update.
Due to the feature's experimental nature, it may not be entirely stable—so keep that in mind when you're using it.
Skyrim programmer Jay Woodward has put together a guide on how to use Hot Plugin Loading.
- — Load the Creation Kit as normal. Load your plugin (or create a new one)
- — In this example, we’ll pretend our active plugin is “nifty.esp”
- — Launch Skyrim as normal.
- — Make some changes in the Creation Kit, such as moving or adding a static.
- — In-game, open the console (~) and enter the command: “FCF”
- This step only applies if you loaded nifty.esp in the Data files section of the launcher
- This only has to be done once per boot of the game.
- FCF is shorthand for “force close files”, and allows the Creation Kit to save a loaded plugin
- — Return to the creation kit and save nifty.esp
- — Return to the game. If possible, position yourself where you’ll notice your changes.
- Open the console and enter: “HLP nifty” (or the name of your .esp file)
- HLP is shorthand for “Hotload plugin”
- — The scene will re-load. Your changes show now be visible in-game!
