Is it actually worth modding Skyrim?

[Sxio]

Because if I could get it to work, that'd be great. This is probably the 3rd time in 2 years I've installed Skyrim, used the STEP guide and had the result of a game that is so unstable, that in my mind, isn't worth playing.

 

RPGs by their nature require great time investment and a sense of caring about your character. Who can chance that when they have random CTDs and often can't even reload a saved game?

 

My problem is now, that I can only reload a game that was saved indoors. An outdoor save gives me an infinite loading screen.

 

I've performed step many times now, never had a good result and I'm sure that this is my best install yet. And it's the same problem!

 

So I was just wondering, how many of you with highly modified games, actually end up with a stable game at the end? Because in the last 3 weeks, I'm pretty sure I've wasted at least 20 hrs installing and modding skyrm. That's not a good use of my time.

[gvman3670]

I don't know what mods you're using, but I don't have any issues like that and I don't follow the STEP thing at all.

 

Maybe a list of mods and load order would get you a real answer?

 

If you're getting ILS then maybe the "Safety Load" mod would help.

 

I wouldn't bother playing it if I couldn't mod it. I've played several characters to level 81+ on XBox 360 and a couple to high levels on PC. If I had to play vanilla Skyrim I wouldn't waste my time. But modding can make it fresh and new again.

[GrizzlyUK]

As with any mods, using STEP is a personal choice. You don't mention which mods you're installing, what your load order is nor what your system specs are but it sounds as if you may be installing too many resource intensive mods that your system simply cannot handle. For example, too many HD texture replacers on a low to mid system is not a good thing.

 

Only you know what sort of mods you like, so just install the mods that you want, keeping in mind your system specs. The only mods I would consider as essential are the Unofficial patches, beyond that it's just personal choice.

[Sucrilhus]

I would suggest watching Gopher's Tutorial (Honestly... how awesome is this guy? He has one of my favorite lets plays series, one of my favorite mods (Immersive hud) and make awesome tutorials... talking about a pearl in the community)

 

 

 

Here's the link to his playlist.

 

He talks about many things, including how to use the proper tools to take care of your mods and get diagnosis if any problems happen.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxQ1JN_X-_Y&list=PLE7DlYarj-DdhDG41roBVJfNCqvO5MmKP

 

 

Enjoy :]

[bben46]

You may be trying to do too much at one time - Pick ONE simple mod, NOT a massive game changing overhaul or some list of recommended mods to start with, but something simple that adds in a single object such as a new weapon. Be sure it includes an .esp part and is not just a texture change. Install that one and get it to work in your game - if you cannot get it to work, maybe there is some other problem that needs to be addressed before you can get mods to work on your system.

 

A texture changing mod is one that changes the appearance of an object without adding something new to the game. It changes the appearance of an existing object and doesn't add an actual new object. - it may not have an esp and will not show up in the esp/esm mods lists.

 

Do not add 2 mods that change the same thing such as 2 mods that change the body of either male or female ( only one male and one female body type allowed in the game) When they both try to make their changes - they get in each others way and cause crashes or other problems.

 

Be sure to check the documentation of all of the mods you want to install to see if they need something else before they will work - such as SKSE or some other mod. After you have a dozen or so mods you WILL need BOSS. Get it and learn to use it.

[spookycandy]

I don't follow STEP, though I recommend it for beginners. One thing STEP asks people to do that I like is benchmark after each "phase." I take it a step further and turn on papyrus logs and stress test using speed commands. I play with and interact with everything I can that has to do with the mods I just installed. If you skip this step (or do this step but never read through your logs to spot serious errors) you might be in for a shocker when mod 200 comes around and you are having random CTDs but don't know why.

 

BOSS is necessary and Gopher is the best, ever, seriously.

 

The question to me is not "Is modding Skyrim worth it?"

 

It's "Is Skyrim worth it without modding?"

 

:thumbsup:

[Twitche21]

It's definitely a pain in the a** but I couldn't imagine playing without mods.

[Sxio]

Thanks guys. That's really helpful. I think I might do that. Just install the mods that I want.

 

Yeah I've watched Gopher's videos. I've spent hours on my load order. Boss says no issues. TES5 cleaned the stuff that needed to be cleaned. The only thing I didn't do was wrye bash.

 

I just didn't want to post a load order post as I've seen a lot of them and it's gotta be boring for everyone to look at right?

 

I've got an okay rig. 8 cores, 16GB memory. Yada yada. Doesn't really help if Skyrim's memory limit is 4gb. I mean wtf? I did only install the medium texture packs for that reason. But yeah, that was my first impression. But with this many mods, it's easy to get a bit bewildered on what to deactivate.

[Lord Garon]

I have 72 S.T.E.P. mods, 6 other mods, ENB RealVision, and SKSE. I just had my first CTD the other day after about 150 hours on a new machine. My old machine (below minmal Skyrim specs, btw) crashed Skyrim exactly twice after about the 1.5 patch (months of playing).

 

Edit - I have all the DLC as well as the HiRes texture packs (and Skyrim HD) and all the UOP's. My new computer is a low budget game machine meant to run Skyrim and Oblivion well; Win 7, Dual core G2030, 8GB, HD-7770 2GB. It runs right at 3GB working set for TESV and the video card is constantly at max VRAM use. Around 50FPS most places, 25-30 in the autumn leaf forests.

 

Yes, you can have a very stable Skyrim. Here's my recommendations:

 

1. Put your machine back to stock settings if you overclock. (Sorry, all my OC'ing friends can't believe how "unstable" Skyrim is. The NOOB gamers I build game machines for have no issues with stock hardware. Take it, or leave it.)

 

2. As STEP recommends, install MO or Wrye Bash, BOSS, and TES5EDIT. Learn to use them. Sorry, again. Mods are patching complicated computer software and you HAVE to do it correctly.

 

3. Exempt Skyrim/TESV from your anti-virus program. Stop all video/GPU/CPU/FPS monitoring software from running while setting up and testing Skyrim. In fact, stop everything you can from running while testing Skyrim.

 

4. Unsubscribe all Skyrim mods from Steam workshop; it will automatically update mods which can break your installation. Re-install Skyrim. Sorry, once more. If you have a zillion mods D/L'd, move the installation archives (7zip files) somewhere safe if you have concerns.

 

5. Put Steam in Offline mode. Start following the S.T.E.P. install procedures. Don't cheat. Do not do or install anything else, even if its your favorite can't play without it mod or ini tweak. The STEP people have a VERY GOOD process for verifying compatible mods. You can skip the Performance Benchmarking, but follow the rest of their process. Just install one mod at a time. It is, literally, impossible to troubleshoot problems if multiple variables are changed all at once.

 

6. D/L the mod, follow the STEP recommendations (if any) when installing it with MO or WB, stop. Run BOSS and make sure the mod is listed as clean. If not, clean with TES5EDIT. If clean, activate mod and test in-game. Goto step 6.

 

This will take awhile. But, you will get good at it and good at using your mod manager, TES5EDIT, and BOSS. Once you get all the STEP mods and ini tweaks you want, then go to other mods. Make SURE you read mod instructions (for patches, required DLC, etc), run BOSS after EVERY mod, and that you clean and test each mod installed BEFORE adding another one. Most mods can be ADDED to a savegame, unless they affect, or are affected by, the very beginning quests. As you test your mods, don't worry about gameplay, just make sure the game starts, you can move around and fast travel without crashing, and that the mod does what is says. Because, I'm going to tell you to start a NEW GAME once you get all your mods installed. I got all my stuff in and tested in two sessions over two days. The result is that I can play an Ultra Settings (except shadows High), ENB based, STEP modded, Immersion modded Skyrim ALL DAY LONG with no problems. Use V-sync; the game engine was designed for it and HAVOK doesn't seem to like more than 60FPS anyways. (Do things randomly fly around when you enter an interior cell?) I only care about FPS if it bothers me in-game; I couldn't care less what FRAPS tells me. Don't chase numbers; there's no point to it. Don't change ini values unless you know exactly what they do to the game engine; a sure path to an unstable game. Many ini settings INTERACT and shouldn't be changed unless you understand what they are doing.

 

EDIT: Full disclosure. My game IS very stable, but I actually do have two "problems". I have what seems to be Z-fighting flicker on some distant mountain views. The old "some things on a table/shelf go invisible but I still get action prompts" has recently returned. No idea why, working on it.

Edited November 13, 2013 by Lord Garon

[Sxio]

Hi Guys. Tried again with about 95% of the step mods and success! Stable game. No crashes in over 2 hrs of play. I think the culprit might have been my .ini files. Does anyone have a link to a good ini editing guide?

 

Also, on my last unsuccessful build, I tried realistic lighting but I found it too dark. Is enhanced lighting worth a try?

Edited November 14, 2013 by Sxio