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Prepping Thanksgiving dinner means a short answer: With newer systems and with Windows 7, three factors jump out immediately: 1. Multi-core processors; 2. Video drivers (nVidia in particular that install with Windows 7); and 3. Installing to the default directory. a. To solve the first, go to TweakGuides.com and check the Fallout3 Guide. Adjust your settings per the guide. If setting the value for cores to 2 doesn't work, try setting it to 1. b. The guide also tells you the best driver to use for Fallout3 (and Oblivion), if necessary, retrograde to the older, more game-friendly driver listed. c. Both Vista and Windows 7 have security issues with Fallout3/Oblivion being in the default install directory (C:\Program Files\etc.). To avoid UAC security issues (and some others), install to a different directory than the default (C:\Games\Fallout3 seems to be a popular choice). Well, back to getting the turkey on the table (and, no, I don't mean Fallout3 :biggrin: ).

Are you using a hi-res retex of the Pipboy? That might contribute. This also can apply to other hi-res texture packs. It is something I intermittently notice, usually in places where hi-res textures are in place (and yes, I have a hi-res retex of Pipboy that probably contributes).

For heavyweight .esp merging, the best by far is ElminsterAU's FO3Edit. The Plug-in utility is far more limited in its power and scope and also lacks the documentation you'll find in Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized. Both my mod releases (Weighty Matters and Just Say No) were entirely created using FO3Edit.

If you have edited an object, you'd want the edited object's ID. The ID you want is the FormID/EditorID.

There have been several, as well as Besteppo's slender shoulder version of the Type 3 body (great work by him on that!) that was a signature of his BABE version. Remember too, we are getting to holiday time. Student modders are prepping for exams, others are spending time with families, etc. Lulls are quite common in the modding community - it was with Oblivion and is equally true with Fallout3.

By default Fallout3 doesn't permit playable races. But with a very simple flag change, the vanilla game/DLC Raiders, Pitt Raiders, ghouls, etc. become playable. This is also true of customized races, as was the case in Oblivion. There aren't many such in Fallout3, but there are some.

Most of the same issues that plague Vista plague Windows 7. A few things to check out, both covered in the excellent Fallout3 guide on TweakGuides.com ... first, Windows 7 and multicore/multithreading. I think it is on page 8 of the guide, but don't quote me. :biggrin: The guide shows the settings to use, as well as many others for overall optimization. Check your video card driver. nVidia drivers (even the new 191.07) can be problematic. Use the one recommended in the Tweak guide (187.16 or 186.17 ... whatever).

Yep, there's absolutely no reason to unpack the default game archive files ... doing so will definitely slow down your load times (not to mention bloating your Data directory). If archive invalidation is truly enabled, Fallout3 will find the resources in the BSAs and in the Data directory sub-folders. BSA archives by modders are generally done right. If the missing resources can be traced to a specific mod, it might justify unpacking it to see if it solves a mod-specific issue. In many cases, it's because a mod author forgot to pack a resource in their BSA. Make sure to check the Comment pages for those mods to see if the author is aware of the issue and, if not, reporting it so the mod author can correct it. You can check if archive invalidation is enabled in Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager ... click the "Toggle invalidation" button. Or you can do it manually in your Fallout3.ini file by setting by changing bInvalidateOlderFiles=0 to read bInvalidateOlderFiles=1. Fallout3.ini is in your My Games/Fallout3 folder. In addition to playing with load orders in FOMM, you'll want ElminsterAU's FO3Edit to find and resolve mod conflicts -- load order alone does not get rid of conflicts. You'll want Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized to help you learn to use this must-have utility to its best.

Using Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM ... and if you don't have it, get it!). Click the "Toggle invalidation" button. What happened is that when you installed the mod, it added things to your Data/meshes and Data/textures folders. Without toggling invalidation, Fallout3 doesn't know to go looking in the sub folders of Data. (It can be done manually in Fallout3.ini, which is in your My Games/Fallout3 folder by changing the entry bInvalidateOlderFiles=0 to read bInvalidateOlderFiles=1. (Which is what FOMM is doing behind the scenes.) Now Fallout3 will know to look in the sub-folders of Data for the textures and meshes for Tailor Maid.

Not all is lost, however. If you are totally sure no Pitt content is in your file, you can start Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM) and using the built-in TESSnip utility, remove the reference to Pitt's .esm in the Header. You can do the same in FO3Edit.

What he said ... except change that to never in the same slot.

Also, in Fallout3 Nexus, do a Search on "Tutorial" and "Guide" ... you'll find a bunch related to modding. Miax has a great Nifscope, Blender, Geck tutorial, for instance.

If you downloaded the DLCs (Games for Windows Live), they aren't in the Fallout3 install folder (which is why FOMM can't find them). You'll have to move them from their GfWL folder into your Fallout3/Data folder. You can do it manually (don't forget to move the associated .bsa files too!), or there's a utility on Fallout3 Nexus that can automate the process for you. Once you make the move, start FOMM and click the "Tweaks" button ... check the box for disabling xlive.dll. Hope this helps.

I make multiple saves, especially before getting close to areas where I know there might be some issues (the one you cite, Rivet City). I disable Autosave for Rest, Wait and Fast Travel by default ... but if you don't, I'd recommend it before getting to such areas. I usually go into the console and type "pcb" (Purge Cell Buffers) as well. I'm not 100% sure it helps, but it can't hurt. If the save is corrupted, then yes, you're pretty much hosed. :confused: Sorry to say.

The crashing near Rivet City seems to be fairly common. It's funny, for me Rivet City is fine, but I CTD a lot in Springvale at the intersection ... guess it all depends :D But finding and fixing mod conflicts helps minimize this. But not always lol ... look at me and Springvale, for instance. You can try to avoid it by following other posts' advice specific to Rivet City. But also try going into the console and typing "pcb" (no quotes). This purges the cell buffers. It might help, it certainly won't hurt. Disable saving while fast traveling, resting and waiting. This helps prevent save file corruptions (due to bloat and other things) in problematic areas. Of course, you'll have to manually save -- you should be saving to a new slot each time.

Oh yay! Let's play the Guess-o-rama Load Order game! There are suggested load orders that get you close, but to be conflict-free takes a bit more work than playing the load-order shuffle. Also, you mention freezes as well as CTDs. So, I'll touch on both. I'm assuming you are using Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM) ... if you aren't, get it -- it is a must-have Fallout3 utility. Next, you'll need ElminsterAU's FO3Edit and Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized to learn how to use FO3Edit to find and resolve mod conflicts. Follow the guide's Conflict Resolution chapter. If you use the automated Create Merge Patch function, be sure to follow up with going through manually to find what the merge function misses (it will get about 90% of the issues). Follow the guide's instructions on manually patching by using Copy as Override into (select the merge patch) or by drag 'n' drop into the merge. The sequence goes like this: Use FOMM to set your load order. Close FOMM (to save the load order) and start FO3Edit. Run the conflict filter settings. Look at the conflicts, asking, "Can any of these be resolved by changing load order?" If yes, close FO3Edit and go into FOMM to adjust the order. Go to step 1, repeat this step until the answer to the question is "No." Once it is obvious that load order won't solve anything further, launch FO3Edit, run the conflict detection filter again. Following the guide, create your patch plug-in, either manually (my preference, though it takes longer) or using the Create Merge Patch function. The automated patch method isn't foolproof ... it will get you about 90% of the way there, however. Follow up by stepping through the load order, top to bottom, by stepping through and expanding the tree view, correcting anything the automated method missed. Once you've resolved all the conflicts (and, of course, saved your merge patch), close FO3Edit. Run FO3Edit in Master Update mode (as covered in the guide). Play Fallout3. With a long load list and a first-time run-through, it will take a bit of time (but not horribly long, given the less-crash prone result) to get through the process. However, it is well worth it, as your game will be much more stable afterward. Now, regarding freezes. A few things to look into: Often this is tied to fddshow. If you have a codec utility installed, use it to disable fddshow in Fallout3 (and Oblivion too, while you're at it). If you don't have a codec utility, try K-Lite (even if you never use the utility, the latest version disables fddshow in Fallout3 and Oblivion during setup). You'll also want to go to TweakGuides.com and read through the Fallout3 guide. It will help you optimize your Fallout3.ini file specific to your system. Along with the .ini-specific tweaks, note the recommended video driver. Reading the companion tweak guide for maximizing graphics cards for gaming is helpful as well. The latest driver isn't always the one best suited for Fallout3 (or Oblivion). Hope this helps.

I'd echo the above, but without the Unofficial Fallout Patch. I don't use it and run just fine. Also, go to TweakGuides.com and look at the Fallout3 Tweak Guide, in particular, you'll want to look at the multi-core/multi-threaded settings. There has been a rash of x64-related posts lately. The 191.07 nVidia driver ("certified" by nVidia) isn't the "best" one for Fallout3 (or Oblivion), as of this past week, it is still 186.17 (or 187.16? Regardless, the Tweak Guide lists it). Definitely install to a directory other than default ... you'll eliminate a host of Windows UAC-related security issues. UAC is pretty harsh about permissions in the Program Files directory. Hope this helps.

That's like telling your doctor, "I don't feel good." It states your frustration and state, but isn't very useful for people trying to help. You have to be a bit more explicit with the nature of the problem. What steps have you taken, what are the issues? Installation? Crash on start-up? ... What are your system statistics: RAM, processor, OS? Do you have DLCs? Were they installed using Games for Windows Live? Did you install to the default location? Etc., etc.

Fire up FO3Edit. Run the conflict detection filter (get Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized if you don't already have it). Here's the thing with using the automated Create Merge Patch function: it only gets you about 90% of the way there. In the left panel tree view, start stepping through from the top, expanding each .esm and then .esp to find any lingering issues. Since you seem to have narrowed it to FOIP, pay particular attention here - two things can cause some particularly nasty crash-prone issues: Script conflicts and objects that get marked Deleted that are then subsequently used by another mod. There are others, but those two are particularly nasty. You might also want to expand and look at the navmesh records ... though this isn't usually fatal (note the usually). And yes, that is what FOIP is supposed to be for. But that doesn't mean it will 100%, or that another mod comes along and undoes what FOIP is trying to fix.

The culprit seems to be a save-game corruption. As far as your mods go, you'll want to get ElministerAU's FO3Edit to find and resolve any issues that the listed mods might be contributing to your save game state. You'll also want Miax's great FO3Edit Guide (get the latest version from my Web-enized page). Try your new game for a bit and see if the corruption issue pops up at roughly the same point. If further saves corrupt at roughly the same location/quest stage/etc., then it helps to pinpoint some possible culprits.

I know the latest 191.07 drivers are listed by nVidia as being "certified" ... but often, they aren't. It depends on which nVidia card you have installed. My GTS250 seems to do alright with it, but my old 9000-series card didn't. But that wouldn't be an immediate CTD issue. Check TweakGuides.com's Fallout3 Tweak Guide, look for the multi-core .ini settings. Might as well check that off as a possible cause.

In addition to gs's response, you'll want to get ElminsterAU's FO3Edit (to go along with Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM)) and Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized to learn how to use that must-have utility to find and resolve mod conflicts. Often it isn't the number of mods, it's their scope and the ways they can conflict that matter. Mod-related CTDs can happen for a few reasons, but chief among them would be script conflicts (mods A and B customize the same in-game script, causing one or the other, or both, to fail -- often catastrophically). Second most-common fatal error is where one mod sets the Delete flag for an object that another mod then tries to manipulate or use in some way. There are others, but those two are by far the most culpable as far as CTD issues caused by mods. Hope this helps.

Wow ... good question! Just off the top of my head, I don't think so. In a script that loops through, yes, but that's not suited to the console. Putting all of them in a text file (removePerks.txt, for example), one perk removal per line and then in the console typing bat removePerks might work. If I remember right. :biggrin: That gets more problematic with each year. The file has to be in your Data folder.

In addition, you need to have the bInvalidateOlderFiles in your Fallout.ini file set to 1 (it is 0 by default). This causes Fallout to look read the sub-directories of Data (textures, meshes, sounds, etc.) for overriding content. You can do it manually or, if you have Timeslip's Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM ... and you really should! It's a must-have utility), click the "Toggle invalidation" button to have FOMM set this for you.

The issue is very likely a mod-conflict issue. Get ElministerAU's must-have FO3Edit utility and Miax's great FO3Edit Guide - Web-enized to learn how to use the utility to find and resolve mod conflicts. That happened to me before I learned to use FO3Edit, Enhanced Weather runs like a charm now.