1 reply to this topic

[stonesour767]

howdy all, i'm wanting to get back into playing Skyrim but am plagued by constant crashes, so I was wondering if you could potentially help me. I know having a mod list will help a hell of a lot, though im not sure how to get it out as a list from nexus mod manager, rather than a picture or, god forbid, writting it all out file by file. I know that the load order will be shody and that there will be so many conflicts littered about.

[Georgiegril]

So what you want to do is get BOSS and run it. That will help you load order greatly. It will generate a log. Read the log, and address all of the messages it gives you, all of them.

This means you will be needing to get TES5Edit and use it to clean the mods as BOSS instructs. It also means that you will need to determine the proper order for mods that BOSS does not recognize. Usually the mod author will have info on that, or you can try putting mods with similar type mods.

 

The below may be helpful to you:

Spoiler

Here are my recommendations for trouble-free modding.

1. Go to STEP and follow the directions to revert to vanilla skyrim.

2. Start a new game, do not attempt to apply an old save, it will not work and may reintroduce corruption back into your now clean game.

3. Do not make any changes at all until you exit Helgen (the other option is to start with an alternate start mod to avoid the Helgen sequence.)

4, Before making any changes, read everything available on the subject. If it is a mod, read every last word of the readme, description, discussion thread, everything. If it is an ini change, google it, visit a few reputable sources and determine if it is worth trying. Just because one guy puts up a list of his ini changes and swears buy it does not mean it will work for you, and it might even make things worse. When considering any change, mod, .ini file, setting, whatever, consider it in light of your own system hardware and software and the other mods/changes you intend to make. Investigate any possible conflicts before adding it.

5. When you are ready to make any changes (mods, ini settings, anything) attempt only 1 or two at a time. If it's a mod, run BOSS. BOSS is a regular program, not a mod. There is a useful vid for BOSS, here. Set it up to generate the log in .txt format, not html. Read the log and address any messages. In any case, play a bit to test for stability, performance, and compatibility. Make sure to properly place the unrecognized mods as instructed by the mod author, or use TES5Edit or WryeBAsh, or if all else fails, place it with similar mods that are recognized, though that is more trial and error. Also, a number of excellent mods require you use skse. You can find it here. When you extract the files from the zip, you will see a readme that has instructions how to properly install it. There is also another gopher vid to help you set it up, here.

6. If you notice any negative effect of your change (not just crashes, but performance loss, glitches, anything), Stop. Do not attempt to keep playing and definitely do not add any new variables into your system. Investigate the possible causes. If it is a mod and you want to try to remove it, then remove it, but be sure to follow the author's removal instructions exactly. To be safe,  go back to the save from just before you added it.  (This is easy of you are slowly adding mods, but extremely painful if you add everything at once, play a bunch and have no idea where the problem lies. ) This will also  help you avoid with script problems from removed mods that will continue and may get worse.

7. If you get stuck, post a detailed question before you get frustrated. Detailed means t include your BOSS log, noting how you placed unrecognized mods, other supporting programs you have used (like TES5Edit, skse, ANy texture optimizers, enbs, etc.) Also provide your computer specs, any changes to your driver profile and/or skyrim ini files. Finally, provide details about the crash--how long you've had it, what changed before you first noticed it, any patterns like time playing, specific areas or activities like opening a menu or such. Explain what you have already tried to fix the problem and what the results were.

8. Once you get your mods and other changes the way you want them, your game is stable and performing well, then stop. Every time you add or change any variable, you are inviting instability. If a new mod shows up and you think you just have to have it, ask yourself if it is worth having to start all over for--because, you may have to. If the answer is yes, then go ahead and try it and if your game crashes, well, you were willing to take the risk.

 

Recommendations for maintaining a trouble free game:

 

1. I personally suggest avoiding the Steam workshop for mods, because it will automatically update and sometimes even remove mods in your list, which can cause your game to die. Also, playing with Steam in offline mode will prevent unexpected updates from causing havoc.
 

2. Disable auto updates and avoid using quicksave, as these increase the chance of savegame corruption. Also, if your save does become corrupt, you will need to go back to your last working full save, which can be extremely painful if you rarely make them. You can do this by going into your Prefs.ini text file   and then making sure the following lines look like this:

[Main]

bSaveOnPause=0
bSaveOnTravel=0
bSaveOnWait=0
bSaveOnRest=0

 

[SaveGame]
fAutosaveEveryXMins=0.0000

 

For people who want the convenience of auto save with the functionality of a full save, tehre are a few mods you might check out, such as Ishara's Normal Numbered AutoSaves