FNV Hand Glitch - finally looking for a fix, though i do have a theory

[Praetai]

I am not the first person to have this glitch. I've looked it up before, and indeed, there are some other people online who have had it and asked for help. It's a shame, then, that nobody can seem to find a solution. It's troubled me for a while now, so it's about time I tried looking for some help on my own. Essentially, my issue is fingers. They have a tendency to scrunch up (as shown in the picture below,) elongate, and slightly shorten. From reading the posts I've found around the net, I've managed to create a theory, which I'll detail now.

 

The cause is most likely the Handheld Pip-Boy mod (https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/38844) since it's the only mod I've got that affects a character's hands, plus it started when I first downloaded it. To strengthen this theory even further, my searches online have turned up other people saying that their issue with this glitch started when they got this mod. I've turned it off, uninstalled it, started new playthroughs without it, and even reinstalled New Vegas (without reinstalling the mod) to no avail. Still though, the fact that it all started when I got this mod suggests to me that it is indeed the cause of this issue. I just need to figure out how to reverse the damage I've done by getting it.

 

Regardless, this theory could still be wrong, so hit me with any other suggestions if you have them. Otherwise, I just need to know how to reverse whatever I did by installing the Pip-Boy 2500. Thanks.

 

 

[dubiousintent]

For a mod induced problem to persist through a "re-install" suggests to me that you failed to completely uninstall the game first, but instead tried to "re-install" over the existing folder and files. The mod installed mesh/texture files which overwrite existing files often do not get removed when you "disable" or even "uninstall" the mod itself (depending upon your manager). That they persist is the only way the problem should be able to continue (assuming you have correctly identified the cause).

 

All that should be required is to remove any "loose files" from the "Data" folder path that the mod installed and toggle "ArchiveInvalidation". (All of the vanilla game files are located in the various "Fallout - <name>.BSA" files.) There are a couple of ways this can be done, but you need to use one you have not tried before (meaning "manually" instead of relying upon your mod manager). You can examine the mod archive file structure and see exactly which files it installs where, and delete just those files. Or you can delete the contents of all the folders it installed into, but both those approaches risk breaking other mods installed later which happen to have replaced some of those files. Once those files are deleted, run "verify local files" so the game detects and re-installs any files it checks are missing. Then toggle "ArchiveInvalidation" just to be sure. While this still risks breaking other mods, just re-installing them should be all that is needed to restore them.

 

But uninstalling the game and performing a "clean install" the correct way, though tedious, is the surest way to clean out a persistent mod.

 

For a "clean reinstall" you need to run the "Steam" (or GOG) uninstall program (to clear out registry entries), delete any remaining folders (other than your "Users\Documents" game folder where your "save game" files are located), and then re-install the entire game as if to a clean disk. (If you hadn't before, this would be a good time to ensure you install it somewhere other than under the "C:\Program Files" folder tree as recommended in the "Installing Games on Windows Vista+" article in my signature.) Please see the 'Restoring to "Vanilla"' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article as well (in case I forgot something).

 

Finally note that removing a mod mid-play through (or failing to install it after re-installing the game) is NOT recommended and risks corrupting your save game files. Reverting to a save prior to installing the mod causing the problem, or removing just mesh/texture files, is the most likely to succeed, but if you make other changes to your load order, starting a new game is highly recommended. However, a replacement Pipboy may include more than just mesh/texture files (such as scripts and XML files) so it is more problematic.

 

-Dubious-

Edited June 7, 2020 by dubiousintent

[Praetai]

I followed all of your instructions, turned on archive invalidation (and made sure it was on by checking the ini files,) and even decided to try something else by removing all of my saves from the FalloutNV folder. And, well, I fixed it. Not because of any of that, but seemingly because I disabled the New Vegas Stutter Remover. I tried to replace it with the much more recent and well-liked New Vegas Tick Fix, but the problem persisted there so I just got rid of both mods and it seems to be working now. Luckily I'm not noticing any stuttering or hitching without these mods, so removing them really isn't a loss for me. Will update if the problem persists, since I've only tested the game like this for a minute or so. Thanks.

 

If anyone else is having the issue, I'd recommend isolating your save files (Turn on profile saves or just remove all your saves from your folder, make sure it says "NO SAVES FOUND" on the load screen) as well as removing NVSR/NVTF just in case, as well as turning on archive invalidation and making sure any pip-boy replacers/removers are fully removed. Never hurts to try every fix.

 

EDIT: Nvm, it just seems to be the NVTF that causes this issue. Having just NVSR enabled doesn't cause any issues. If NVSR doesn't get rid of stuttering for you, get New Vegas Stability Enhancer and Stutter Remover for Windows 10. It's an INI edit for NVSR that works great in my experience.

 

EDIT 2: I decided to take a gamble and reinstall the Pip-Boy 2500 just to see if it would bring back the issue. It didn't. Very odd that after all of my suspicions and all of the incredibly obvious evidence, the issue ended up being the Tick Fix instead of the Pip-Boy.

 

EDIT 3: Last edit I swear. I checked the New Vegas Tick Fix INI and found a mention of a "Spider fingers bug." I did the fix described in the INI (Turning the maximum FPS tolerance down to 60, unfortunately disabling the above 60 fps fix in the process,) and it's over. I've fixed it completely. I set my FPS cap to 60 to counteract the issues caused by turning the tolerance down, and now my game runs smooth as butter. No issues found whatsoever, Pip-Boy mod or not.

Edited June 8, 2020 by Praetai

[dubiousintent]

Thanks for reporting back on your solution.

 

There is a lot of evidence that running this older game at higher than 60FPS can cause all sorts of strange problems. It just wasn't designed for it. Unfortunately that is not something we usually are presented with or even ask about, so I think I will add that bit to the wiki "How to ask for help" article.

 

-Dubious-