What game version backup tool or method has been proven to be effective since the R* Launcher has been added?

Can someone explain how they’re going about backing up their game and mods in preparation for this update? Apparently I’ve been doing it wrong for a while...

@ArmaniAdnr Thanks mate, just checked it out - I am definitely able to start the game using this mod.

However, the Launcher still pops up and says "Connecting to R* Game Services," I get the notification that I'm signed into Social Club, etc.

I don't know if that is normal with this mod. Does the fact that the game still seems to be connecting to R* mean that it is still able to receive the update?

Is there a proven way of bypassing the next GTA update with the new Launcher? I have installed NoGTALauncher, and I'm able to get the game running using it. However, it still connects to Social Club at startup.

I am unsure of how that particular mod works, so I have no way of knowing whether or not it will be effective in bypassing the December update.

How are you guys preparing for this update? I'm deep into a machinima project and I'm legit losing sleep over the thought of mods being broken and having to reinstall from scratch.

With the new script hook update, does the version of the Unlimited DLC gameconfig need to be updated as well? I have the version of script hook which was released today (12/18) installed as well as the gameconfig file that was released for version 1.0.1604 -- I can launch the game and get to the start menu. When story mode is launched, the game crashes while loading. This has happened to me when there has been an issue with the gameconfig file. Just wanted to see if the Script Hook update has changed anything or if anyone has similar problems before I rebuild the game.

I've seen many people post about issues running Script Hook V over the past 48 hours, including myself. Best I can tell is that there was a game update that broke it and Script Hook V needs an update. I'm relatively new to modding so I'm not sure how long it takes for the devs to update the files. If I'm wrong about a fix, please let me know. Any info would be helpful.

//edit ReN : edited topic title to use this thread as leading