Correct, anything that is trying to insert a dll(using SKSE64) into Skyrim will not work until it upgraded to 1.6.659. Unfortunately this includes mods like the Race Menu, Papyrus Scripts...etc...

Have to wait for SKSE update.

No need to wait. SKSE and Vortex was already ready with a new version when GOG released Skyrim, and it's working.

https://skse.silverlock.org:
Current GOG AE/SE build 2.2.2 (game version 1.6.659)

I'm pretty sure RaceMenu is not working with the GOG version, and many have stated that to be so.

So why isn't it?

And ditto for all the other many mods that also don't work with the GOG version. What is the technical reason for why they aren't working?

houseofdexter told you.
If a mod has it's own .dll (as RaceMenu does) then that dll has to be altered for each new version of the game.
The memory address they hook into are different.

But (correct me if I'm wrong), I believe the RaceMenu mod maker has recently updated RaceMenu and provided a link to that on his Patreon page, that link which makes RaceMenu work with the latest Steam version of Skyrim and the latest version of SKSE, yet it still does not work with the latest GOG version of Skyrim?

So, why doesn't it?

In other words, is this not an example of a mod that has been updated to the most recent version (I'm talking about the Patreon link, not the official link on Nexus which hasn't yet been updated), but yet still does not work anyway on the GOG version?

Similar supplementary question: are you saying that mod makers will have to make GOG-version-specific updates in order for their mods to work with the GOG version? (as opposed to making a mod that works with the latest Steam version, and which would then automatically work with the GOG version too, without requiring any extra GOG-specific programming from the mod maker)?

Yes, they have to make a GOG version and a Steam version.
Perhaps the maker of RaceMenu doesn't have the GOG version, so he can't make an update for it.


There is a mod that tries to help with the problem, and makes it easier for mod makers to keep compatibility.
Though I'm not sure how many use it.
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/32444
It has been updated to include the GOG version.

Nvm. Seems I read that wrong but in plain context to OP and not post 2, and just about SKSE and the GOG version.

But yes, unlike pure bsa/esp/mesh/test+ files, these injected dynamically linked libraries are hardcoded to use a specific version, so no, they will have to be changed.

Oh my!!!... then that is extremely horrible news, is it not?

Sounds like that will keep the GOG release of Skyrim DOA forever....how many mod makers are actually going to make a GOG-specific version for their mods? Maybe a few will, but chances are, the vast majority of mod makers never will, and if that is so, then the GOG version will always be very very very sub-par.

That has always been the case. Some mods during the LE era are still dead. That's just the way it is...

I'm inclined to think the big mods like RaceMenu, that are still being worked on will get GOG compatibility.
I certainly hope ECE gets it, or I'll be sticking with my current Steam LE version.
The problem is we are coming late to the party, and a lot of modders have moved on.
The percentage of mods that inject .dll's overall is small, so most mods that work with Steam version 1.6xxxxx will also work with GOG.
Having the Creation Kit not work with the GOG version, is also keeping it sub par.

AFAIK, that's only true for SKSE-plugins running on 1.6.6x (one of the last two Steam builds). Those should be compatible with the GoG version. And while the mod support for 1.6.353, which had been around for about nine months prior to the September updates, is pretty good by now, there are really a LOT of plugins that don't support >1.6.629 yet.

https://modding.wiki/en/skyrim/users/skse-plugins

The .DLL needs to be made with Address Library in mind.

RaceMenu doesn't use it, it never did.
The same can be said for "Fuz Ro D-oh", or "FileAccess Interface SE Scripts - FISSES".
So even if they were updated to Steam 1.6.640, they will never work on GOG 1.6.659 unless the author makes a new version for it.

Still, some .DLLs with Address Library don't work, like PapyrusUtil and SSE Engine Fixes.
Why they doesn't work? I have no idea.

I wonder what the 18 revisions between 640 and 659 are.

But yeah, I can confirm several DLLs pertaining to STEP Guide mods don't work. If you're curious what they are, it's Crash Logger (not that I know how I'm meant to read these crash logs and respond to them), Fuz Ro D'oh, Map marker Framework, No Lockpick Activate, Power of Three's patch hub, SAS which I'm fairly certain is a survival adjustment mod, skee64.dll (whatever that is), Unique Map Weather Framework, Yes I'm Sure, Achievement Mods Enabler Loader (I guess the USSEP really skews the bell curve, huh?), and Precision for hit stop goodness. A lot of these say they're only compatible with versions earlier than 629, others are just "incompatible with current version of the game" [sic], or the informative "couldn't load plugin".

For now I'm just gonna check for mod updates every other day or so in Mod Organizer 2. Not much we can do otherwise, right? Man, it would be heck trying to get everybody on the same page about all this--I'm sure there are plenty of players who struggle with modding even worse than myself.

Of course, what boggles my tiny mind is how when you disable the mods pertaining to the aforementioned DLLs, you still get DLL errors when attempting to start the game.