Core Concepts
What PCA does
PCA is a front end for the Papyrus compiler that comes with the Creation Kit. It does not compile anything itself — it works out how to call PapyrusCompiler.exe correctly, and calls it once per script, several at a time.
Five games are supported: Skyrim SE, Skyrim LE, Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 and Starfield. One executable covers all of them, the game is a setting.
The vocabulary
Everything PCA does turns around five things. Set the first two and the rest follows.
| Concept | What it is |
|---|---|
| Game | Which game you compile for. It decides the compiler, the flag file, where the sources live and where the .pex goes. |
| Game folder | Where that game is installed. PCA reads it to find the compiler and the source scripts. |
| Compiler | PapyrusCompiler.exe, installed by the Creation Kit. PCA finds it from the game folder. |
| Imports | The folders the compiler searches when a script refers to another one. PCA builds the list: the folder of your script first, then the game's source roots. |
| Output | Where the compiled .pex is written. The game's Data\Scripts unless you say otherwise. |
How a compilation goes
- You fill the list — drag and drop, the search button, a group or the recent files.
- PCA checks your setup. The Creation Kit report blocks the run on an error, and warns on what is merely suspicious.
- Scripts compile in parallel,
15at a time by default. - Each line reports back, with a button to open the folder its
.pexlanded in. - The run lands in the compilation logs, with the compiler output of every script.
Features
- Drag and Drop — the fastest way in
- Setup wizard and Creation Kit report — knows what is missing, and fixes most of it
- Groups — a named list of scripts, added in one click
- Recent files — what you compiled last time
- Compilation logs — what the compiler said, script by script
- Papyrus namespaces — Fallout 4 and Starfield
- Anonymization — no personal path in the
.pexyou ship - Application parameters — one shortcut per game, or per MO2 instance