FOMS

FOMS 2 (Fallout 3 Mod Sorter)
By: broken85
Version 2.0.0.0a1

== IMPORTANT ==
Please post and any all bugs you find in the Alpha at:
http://code.google.com/p/foms/issues/list

Please do not duplicate issues; if one already exists that is similar, simply comment on it.

You can also use this issue tracker to see the status of current known issues with FOMS 2.

== Links ==
Homepage: http://falloutmodsorter.com
Documentation (under construction): http://falloutmodsorter.com/documentation
Development site: http://code.google.com/p/foms/
Mercurial repository: http://foms.googlecode.com/hg

== NEW ALPHA 1 RELEASE OF FOMS 2 ==
It's finally here--the first preview release of FOMS 2! It is far from perfect, or even complete, but it is a huge step up from what was previously available none-the-less.

Some of the major improvements and features:
- Fully recreated from the ground up
- Stunning new skinnable user interface
- A Template Manager for creating/modifying/duplicating templates without needing to write or look at a single line of XML
- Live conflict/dependency/message tracking right in the Mod view via color coding (Red means there are conflicts, blue means there are missing dependencies, gold means there are messages)
- A Mod View for viewing details of any mod by double-clicking it in the main window. See all Conflicts, Dependencies, and Messages easily!
- Blazing fast sorting and template loading/reloading/saving
- A highly-improved backup strategy

Things not yet included in this Alpha release:
- An updated template (Sorry! I'm working on it...)
- A Readme file (Sorry again...)
- The Backup Manager
- The enhanced Template Studio to replace the Template Manager
- Drag-and-drop sorting in the main window (but it works in the Template Manager already!)
- An options panel to modify settings
- Conflict/dependency recommendations and automatic resolutions where appropriate (activating a dependency when you activate a mod which depends on it, for instance)
- Much, much more!

Other things to note:
- Since this is the first release, and I don't know what will change yet, there will likely be no way to upgrade your FOMS 2 Alpha when a new version comes out. You will need to uninstall and reinstall. This will not affect any custom templates or backups you have created, nor will it erase your preferences.
- Some things are disabled, and others just plain don't work yet. I apologize, but this is the first alpha release, and it's only a preview

== But Why? ==
With so many mods coming out for Fallout, when it's only been a couple of months, mod order is becoming more and more important.

Ever had your Fallout.esm file end up lower in your load order?
Ever have the need to manually rearrange mods when you activate them?
Getting CTDs from conflicting mods in your load list?
Losing changes you'd like in one mod because they're overwritten by an overhaul, or another mod?

FOMS can help.

== Requirements ==
- Fallout 3 (any version)
- .NET Framework 3.5 or greater

Fallout 3 needs to be installed correctly for FOMS to detect the Data directory. If you've moved it, or FOMS can't find the directory for any reason, you can always specify it manually in the INI file. You need to actually have Fallout3.esm and any other mods available there, however, or FOMS will not run.

== Instructions==
1. Unzup the FomsInstaller.zip file if you downloaded the zipped version. This will extract FomsInstaller.msi
2. Run FomsInstaller.msi and follow the on-screen instructions to install FOMS 2.
3. You'll find FOMS 2 and the Template Manager in the Start Menu.

== Additional Info ==

This is inspired by BOSS (Better Oblivion Sorting Software) by random007. You can find that MOD for Oblivion here:
http://modsreloaded.com/better-oblivion-sorting-software

I started this mod from scratch, and it works quite a bit differently than BOSS, but is just based on the same concept.

FOMS up to version 0.6 was written in AutoHotKey. FOMS 2 is written in C#.