Following meeting

Roundup from our Fallout UX Review

Focused on New Vegas as it's the clunkiest and requires 4-5 different steps to mod effectively. Fallout 3/4 share some of the same issues, so solving for NV gives us the same functionality across these games and other Bethesda titles.

Adding these tickets for next sprint:

• Quick wins: Should be able to clear 2 error notifications straight away
• Outreach needed: Need to talk to extension and mod authors to improve user journeys
• Script extender installation: Want to use the same code we use for SMAPI to install NVSE/F4SE. This would open the site on the correct page and catch the user download (automatic for Premium, assisted for Free). Currently users have to manually download, then know to go to Mods and drag/drop the file onto the drop zone.
• Notification improvements: Some notifications have to stay, but we'll rewrite them to be less passive-aggressive and more helpful for new users

Important considerations:
We need to be EXTREMELY careful not to break existing modding setups when updating these game extensions—more so than with most games. Hardcore modders don't want automatic changes affecting their current configurations. Their environments may be unusual, but they work. If we can't be 100% sure about changes, we need to ask permission with an easy opt-out option.

These extensions are old and janky, but they're well-known with huge support networks and plenty of community guides. We shouldn't avoid improvements just because the jank is familiar, but we also don't have resources to provide universal support. It's a balance.

New Vegas

• Create an allowedlist for fomods with c# scripts #18739 - Added C# script allow map - currently only contains MCM for FNV #18745

  • Use the branch of this PR to test - switch to it and run git submodule update --force

• Failed to parse plugins notification to not raise, re-order the startup hook? (should help all gamebryo games) - fixed did-deploy event starting plugin sorting incorrectly extension-plugin-management#59

  • To test: Start managing New Vegas - the failed to parse plugins notification should not appear

• Detect if not run the game yet (should help all gamebryo games) - added test to see if the game was run at least once extension-local-gamesettings#9

  • To test: Start managing a gamebryo game without starting it up first - a warning should appear stating that the game needs to be started

• move nvse to smapi-style download mod - xSE installer now uses free dialog for freemium script-extender-installer#2

  • To test: use a freemium account while managing a gamebryo game that does not have its script extender installed, then click fix on the missing script extender notification

• need a installer for the nvpatcher so it puts it in the root (adding 4GB patcher installer and test vortex-games#177)

  • on deploy, can we ask for permission to run the patcher? backup the exe, unmanage game we put the backup exe back?
    robust checks for this?
  • To test: you will need Senjay's extension installed while not having the 4GB patcher installed. Click fix on the notification for automatic fix

• make sanity check extension auto install or merge into current extension? (re-wrote tests to update user journey + support upcoming healthcheck sys Senjay-id/fnv-sanitycheck-extension#1)

  • we might need to make additions to this extension
  • can we ping winapi bindings or reg key for amd and base randomization?
  • need to get in touch with senjay
  • to test: install Senjay's extension - read the registerTest entries in indexNew.js to trigger them or alternatively set DEBUG to true

• loose files notifications - just apply fix automatically? loose files fix now applied automatically extension-archive-invalidation#6

  • to test: after managing the game, check the ini configuration files located inside documents/My Games/{gamename} and look for the `iniFile.data.Archive.bInvalidateOlderFiles = 1;
    iniFile.data.Archive.sResourceDataDirsFinal = ''; entries

Related to #18587 and #18588