Harm in disabling and enabling plugins?

[Jeremy66]

Hello everybody. I've discovered a problem, and I'd like to know my available courses of action.

 

I have an alternate start mod (Random Alternate Start to be specific) that delays the main quest line, as well as a ton of other mods. The game is normally relatively stable, with a few infrequent CTDs here and there. I've reached the point where my character is all pimped out and I want to start the main quest line. The problem occurs when talking to Jarl Balgruff for the first time. The moment he tells the housecarl (can't recall her name just this second) to dispatch guards to Riverwood, the game crashes immediately. It happens every time I get to that point in the dialogue.

 

Rudimentary troubleshooting showed that by disabling all active plugins through NMM, I could get past that problem and start the main quest line proper. My question becomes this: Will I be doing my save any harm by disabling all the plugins, getting past that point and saving and then reenabling all plugins? Any script bloating (Not entirely sure if this is applicable here, but I know it's a problem) or what have you? Are there any other courses I should look into? I'm not keen on going through every mod in my list to find the culprit; I know it's not the Alternate start mod itself because I tried running through the conversation with it disabled and it still crashed. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

[ripple]

 

Rudimentary troubleshooting showed that by disabling all active plugins through NMM, I could get past that problem and start the main quest line proper. My question becomes this: Will I be doing my save any harm by disabling all the plugins, getting past that point and saving and then reenabling all plugins? Any script bloating (Not entirely sure if this is applicable here, but I know it's a problem) or what have you?

It really depends on what sort of mods you have running, but in general, yes, for the long term health of save games, it's bad idea to disable/enable mods and save in beween. If you have mods that utilize continually running scripts, simply disable/enabling such mods is equivalent to uninstalling the mod without first halting the running scripts. If you encounter a reproducible CTD, the best method is still to try and disable your mods in groups then test in game (without saving) until you can narrow down on the mod that is causing the issue. Start by disabling the first half of your load order to see if you can get past the scene without a CTD. If not, then the second half. Then half of the second half, and so on, until you find the mod that is the culprit.

Edited September 15, 2013 by ripple

[vlaka]

Seeing as the mod hasn't been updated since October 2012 i'd say it's a little out of date.

 

Run BOSS and see if it suggests cleaning it otherwise maybe look at using something more up to date...Live another life etc.

[Jeremy66]

I'll give that a try Ripple. The things we do for the love of the game eh? I'll post back with results.

 

EDIT the 1st: Disabling the first half of my load order crashed the game when entering Dragon's Reach. I've decided to work from the bottom up, and I know now it's something in the bottom half. Working to narrow it down now.

 

EDIT the 2nd: It was literally the last mod I installed (I should say subscribed to as it came from the Steam workshop). It's the Pit Fighter Traveling expansion pack. Think it's safe enough to just disable, run through and then reenable?

Edited September 15, 2013 by Jeremy66

[ripple]

 

 

EDIT the 2nd: It was literally the last mod I installed (I should say subscribed to as it came from the Steam workshop). It's the Pit Fighter Traveling expansion pack. Think it's safe enough to just disable, run through and then reenable?

I am not familiar with the mod, so you are going to have to check the mod instructions and description to see if the author provided uninstallation instructions. You can also look in the mod archive yourself (download a BSA browser if the mod resource are packed into a BSA). If there are no scripts, it's usually safe to uninstall mid-game. Generally in such instances, the mod won't leave anything behind that can't be 'cleaned' via a cell reset. If your character is affected by 'magical' or enchantment effects from a mod you are planning to uninstall, make sure you wait for those effects to wear off first. If there are custom items from the mod, dump them into a respawning container just to be safe (absolutely do not drop them on the ground). If there are script files, you would need to check the scripts to see what they do and if they are the continually updating sort. You can also contact the author directly and make inquiries.

 

Oh, additionally, I advise that users avoid the Steam Workshop. The SW automatically updates mods without user consent and generally treat users like morons. If you can't find a mirror for the mod on the Nexus or another Skyrim mod hosting site, you should use the 'alternative' method of installing Steam mods where you repackaged the mod, unsubscribe it (so it won't automatically update or download), and install the repackaged mod via a real mod manager like the NMM or MO.

Edited September 15, 2013 by ripple