Uncouple the currently manipulated collection from the default collection.

Penumbra/Configuration.cs

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ namespace Penumbra
         public string ModDirectory { get; set; } = @"D:/ffxiv/fs_mods/";
 
         public string CurrentCollection { get; set; } = "Default";
+        public string DefaultCollection { get; set; } = "Default";
         public string ForcedCollection { get; set; } = "";
         public Dictionary< string, string > CharacterCollections { get; set; } = new();
         public Dictionary< string, string > ModSortOrder { get; set; } = new();

Penumbra/Interop/ActorRefresher.cs

@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.Interop
 
         private void RestoreSettings()
         {
-            _mods.Collections.ActiveCollection = _mods.Collections.CurrentCollection;
+            _mods.Collections.ActiveCollection = _mods.Collections.DefaultCollection;
             _changedSettings                   = false;
         }
 

Penumbra/MigrateConfiguration.cs

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ namespace Penumbra
 
             config.ModDirectory      = config.CurrentCollection;
             config.CurrentCollection = "Default";
+            config.DefaultCollection = "Default";
             config.Version           = 1;
             ResettleCollectionJson( config );
         }

Penumbra/Mods/CollectionManager.cs

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
         public Dictionary< string, ModCollection > Collections { get; } = new();
 
         public ModCollection CurrentCollection { get; private set; } = null!;
+        public ModCollection DefaultCollection { get; private set; } = null!;
         public ModCollection ForcedCollection { get; private set; } = ModCollection.Empty;
         public Dictionary< string, ModCollection > CharacterCollection { get; } = new();
 
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
 
             ReadCollections();
             LoadConfigCollections( _plugin.Configuration );
-            ActiveCollection = CurrentCollection;
+            ActiveCollection = DefaultCollection;
         }
 
         public void RecreateCaches()
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
 
             if( recomputeMeta )
             {
-                Service<GameResourceManagement>.Get().ReloadPlayerResources();
+                Service< GameResourceManagement >.Get().ReloadPlayerResources();
             }
         }
 
@@ -117,6 +118,11 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
                     SetForcedCollection( ModCollection.Empty );
                 }
 
+                if( DefaultCollection == collection )
+                {
+                    SetDefaultCollection( ModCollection.Empty );
+                }
+
                 foreach( var kvp in CharacterCollection.ToArray() )
                 {
                     if( kvp.Value == collection )
@@ -170,10 +176,10 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
         public void SetCurrentCollection( ModCollection newCollection )
             => SetCollection( newCollection, CurrentCollection, c =>
             {
-                if( ActiveCollection == CurrentCollection )
+                if( ActiveCollection == DefaultCollection )
                 {
                     ActiveCollection = c;
-                    var resourceManager = Service<GameResourceManagement>.Get();
+                    var resourceManager = Service< GameResourceManagement >.Get();
                     resourceManager.ReloadPlayerResources();
                 }
 
@@ -183,6 +189,9 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
         public void SetForcedCollection( ModCollection newCollection )
             => SetCollection( newCollection, ForcedCollection, c => ForcedCollection = c, s => _plugin.Configuration.ForcedCollection = s );
 
+        public void SetDefaultCollection( ModCollection newCollection )
+            => SetCollection( newCollection, DefaultCollection, c => DefaultCollection = c, s => _plugin.Configuration.DefaultCollection = s );
+
         public void SetCharacterCollection( string characterName, ModCollection newCollection )
             => SetCollection( newCollection,
                 CharacterCollection.TryGetValue( characterName, out var oldCollection ) ? oldCollection : ModCollection.Empty,
@@ -253,6 +262,27 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
             return true;
         }
 
+        private bool LoadDefaultCollection( Configuration config )
+        {
+            if( config.DefaultCollection == string.Empty )
+            {
+                DefaultCollection = ModCollection.Empty;
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            if( Collections.TryGetValue( config.DefaultCollection, out var defaultCollection ) )
+            {
+                DefaultCollection = defaultCollection;
+                AddCache( DefaultCollection );
+                return false;
+            }
+
+            PluginLog.Error( $"Last choice of DefaultCollection {config.DefaultCollection} is not available, reset to None." );
+            DefaultCollection        = ModCollection.Empty;
+            config.DefaultCollection = string.Empty;
+            return true;
+        }
+
         private bool LoadCharacterCollections( Configuration config )
         {
             var configChanged = false;
@@ -283,6 +313,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.Mods
         private void LoadConfigCollections( Configuration config )
         {
             var configChanged = LoadCurrentCollection( config );
+            configChanged |= LoadDefaultCollection( config );
             configChanged |= LoadForcedCollection( config );
             configChanged |= LoadCharacterCollections( config );
 

Penumbra/UI/MenuTabs/TabCollections.cs

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
             private          ModCollection[]           _collections             = null!;
             private          int                       _currentCollectionIndex  = 0;
             private          int                       _currentForcedIndex      = 0;
+            private          int                       _currentDefaultIndex     = 0;
             private readonly Dictionary< string, int > _currentCharacterIndices = new();
             private          string                    _newCollectionName       = string.Empty;
             private          string                    _newCharacterName        = string.Empty;
@@ -54,6 +55,9 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
             private void UpdateForcedIndex()
                 => _currentForcedIndex = GetIndex( _manager.Collections.ForcedCollection );
 
+            private void UpdateDefaultIndex()
+                => _currentDefaultIndex = GetIndex( _manager.Collections.DefaultCollection );
+
             private void UpdateCharacterIndices()
             {
                 _currentCharacterIndices.Clear();
@@ -66,6 +70,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
             private void UpdateIndices()
             {
                 UpdateIndex();
+                UpdateDefaultIndex();
                 UpdateForcedIndex();
                 UpdateCharacterIndices();
             }
@@ -130,12 +135,14 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
             private void DrawCurrentCollectionSelector()
             {
                 var index = _currentCollectionIndex;
-                if( !ImGui.Combo( "Current Collection", ref index, _collectionNames ) )
+                var combo = ImGui.Combo( "Current Collection", ref index, _collectionNames );
+                if( ImGui.IsItemHovered() )
                 {
-                    return;
+                    ImGui.SetTooltip(
+                        "This collection will be modified when using the Installed Mods tab and making changes. It does not apply to anything by itself." );
                 }
 
-                if( index != _currentCollectionIndex )
+                if( combo && index != _currentCollectionIndex )
                 {
                     _manager.Collections.SetCurrentCollection( _collections[ index + 1 ] );
                     _currentCollectionIndex = index;
@@ -143,6 +150,28 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
                 }
             }
 
+            private void DrawDefaultCollectionSelector()
+            {
+                var index = _currentDefaultIndex;
+                if( ImGui.Combo( "##Default Collection", ref index, _collectionNamesWithNone ) && index != _currentDefaultIndex )
+                {
+                    _manager.Collections.SetDefaultCollection( _collections[ index ] );
+                    _currentDefaultIndex = index;
+                }
+
+                if( ImGui.IsItemHovered() )
+                {
+                    ImGui.SetTooltip(
+                        "Mods in the default collection are loaded for any character that is not explicitly named in the character collections below.\n"
+                      + "They also take precedence before the forced collection." );
+                }
+
+                ImGui.SameLine();
+                ImGui.Dummy( new Vector2( 24, 0 ) );
+                ImGui.SameLine();
+                ImGui.Text( "Default Collection" );
+            }
+
             private void DrawForcedCollectionSelector()
             {
                 var index = _currentForcedIndex;
@@ -181,6 +210,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
                 {
                     _manager.Collections.CreateCharacterCollection( _newCharacterName );
                     _currentCharacterIndices[ _newCharacterName ] = 0;
+                    _newCharacterName                             = string.Empty;
                 }
 
                 if( changedStyle )
@@ -197,6 +227,7 @@ namespace Penumbra.UI
                     return;
                 }
 
+                DrawDefaultCollectionSelector();
                 DrawForcedCollectionSelector();
 
                 foreach( var name in _manager.Collections.CharacterCollection.Keys.ToArray() )