Welcome to the unofficial portable BCML!
A very old dream finally has come true!
Here you will find two different versions of BCML to install, create, and manage mods for BOTW:
-
Unofficial BCML 3.8.0 Portable
This is the version I used to create, test, and develop all my mods published on GameBanana. It proved reliable and worked very well for me, so I wanted to preserve it for sentimental reasons. -
Unofficial BCML 3.10.4 Portable
This is the version recommended by the BCML team for anyone who still needs to use BCML. It is fast and offers compatibility with nearly all BOTW mods released before UKMM.
Why now? The main goal is game preservation and long-term compatibility with mods made for BCML instead of UKMM, the current mod manager for this game. These two releases are not official BCML releases and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the original BCML or UKMM authors. They are just my personal effort to bring the community a truly download-unzip-and-run version of BCML, which always required a very complex setup, and to help ensure it will still work in the future, when online dependencies, Python versions, libraries, and other pieces may become outdated, deprecated, or unavailable.
Plase note this is only for archival purposes and BCML shouldn’t be used for installing and playing with mods unless necessary!
I want to mention that BCML was created by NiceneNerd, with GingerAvalanche among other project contributors. I also want to note that UKMM, from the same team, is the modern successor to BCML and should be preferred for normal current use.
- Original BCML repository: https://github.com/NiceneNerd/BCML
- UKMM repository: https://github.com/NiceneNerd/UKMM
- Download one of the
.7zarchives above. - Extract it to a folder of your choice.
- Run
Launch_BCML_Portable.bat. - Configure your BOTW and, optionally, Cemu paths (please note Cemu and BOTW game files are not included).
Compared with the official releases, the changes here are intentionally narrow:
- embedded Python runtime included
- all required packages are included
- all data is stored inside the folder BCML is running from
- update option replaced with an informational
About this versiondialog - no hard links for the exported master mod, meaning all files are copied as expected instead of linking them back to the portable folder to save space
- window titles identify the builds as unofficial portable editions
More detail is available in:
PORTABLE_BUILD_SUMMARY.mddocs/PORTABLE_PATCH_NOTES_3.8.0.txtdocs/PORTABLE_PATCH_NOTES_3.10.4.txt
The original upstream source is available from the
BCML repository and PyPI wheels. The portability patches generated from these
portable builds are included under patches/.
See SOURCE_AND_PATCHES.md for details.
SHA256 checksums for the release archives are provided in SHA256SUMS.txt.
BCML is licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later. A copy is included as LICENSE.
This portable packaging is provided as-is, without warranty. Use at your own risk and back up your BCML data, mods, Cemu graphic packs, and game-related files before making changes.
For years, BCML was the only safe and reliable way to install mods for BOTW. This mod manager was capable of merging mods of every kind, resolving conflicts that once seemed insurmountable, standardising the way mods were created, and opening the door for amateur modders to learn and enter this fascinating world. There was only one problem: installing BCML was terribly complicated for most users. Command windows, Python installations, dependencies, libraries, commands, parameters... all of it ultimately resulted in the program being scattered across numerous folders and obscure locations throughout the computer.
And for years, BCML users dreamed of a version that could be installed easily, in just a few clicks and without complications. Unfortunately, that version never came. Then BCML reached the end of its development and was officially discontinued, giving way to its modern successor, UKMM, created by the same development team. However, compatibility is not complete, and many mods can still only be built from their original source files using BCML. As time goes by, installing BCML is also becoming increasingly difficult: libraries lose compatibility, dependencies become obsolete, and newer versions of Python no longer work with it. It is only a matter of time before installing BCML normally becomes practically impossible.
Until today.
Using Codex for a few hours we have accomplished something that, until recently, would have required an absurd and unreasonable number of tedious development hours: turning BCML into a fully self-contained standalone build. Every feature is included. Every dependency is bundled. The exact version of Python it requires, together with all its libraries contained within the package. Everything is encapsulated in a single folder and distributed as a simple compressed archive. Download it, extract it wherever you want, and run it.
BCML is now only three clicks away: Download it. Extract it. Run it.
In the palm of your hand, as never before. Just open it, install mods, work with mods, and forever forget about the setup process: there are no additional requirements beyond Windows (8.1 or later), the latest version of BOTW with its DLC, and optionally Cemu if you intend to play the game by emulating it.
But hey, listen! This portable version of BCML is not intended to replace UKMM in any way, nor does it seek to diminish the outstanding work of UKMM's creators (who are the same developers who created BCML). UKMM is the modern mod manager that BOTW deserves, and most mods originally created with BCML can be installed perfectly well with it, and every day that compatibility grows and cover more and more mods. This project is therefore not intended to compete with UKMM or undermine it. Its purpose is simply to preserve BCML, secure its future as a classic mod manager, and ensure that the mods originally developed with it can continue to be built from their source files and grant compatibility with older mods that are not yet supported by UKMM.
The ultimate motivation behind this project is the preservation of the game's mods, the tools and workflows used to create them, and the program that hundreds of modders relied upon for many years. The goal is just to keep BCML functional not only today, but for as far into the future as reasonably possible. And at a time when entire games are disappearing because of the greed of the companies that own them, I felt that I could not simply walk away without making my own small contribution to preservation (especially after achieving it almost unexpectedly: I was uninstalling my modding tools and preparing to move to Windows 11 because I am stepping away from the modding scene, it felt like a terrible waste to uninstall BCML without knowing whether I would ever be able to install it again if I needed it in the future, and then I realised that where I could not reasonably do the work myself as a software developer —because of the time it would require and my lack of familiarity with the languages and technologies used by BCML— I could instead direct, guide, and supervise Codex as it carried out the work; and the results are... well, you are seeing them for yourselves).