Helpful Links, References, and News

[smr1957]

Good day, all! I took a quick read through the xEdit release notes (https://github.com/TES5Edit/TES5Edit/blob/dev-4.1.5/whatsnew.md) the other day and it was interesting, to say the least. As such, I think it important for people to realize some things as regards modding the game at the current point in time.

If indeed, as stated in the xEdit release notes, the game will not support .esp files, and will support only .esm and .esl files, I really don't see a problem with that - in fact, it is more than likely a smart design move, as there will no longer be any issues between console modding and PC modding, nor will there be the issues of different types of plugins (.esp vs .esl). And, this would perhaps also align with the decision made to have all mods in the Document location - the main location will remain unchanged (for all practical purposes) except for official updates and patches, while the mod files will be in a separate location, and thus there will no longer be an issue with the official files somehow being replaced or removed due to modding.

Well, at this point it is a lot of conjecture, and we will not find out for sure until the release of the CK - as was correctly pointed out in the preliminary release notes. Until then, it is still, at heart, a lot of speculation - even if some of it, by some of the more knowledgeable people (based upon experience in working with Beth games and tools), is more informed than others.

Most importantly, all this goes to the point that except for the simplest of mods - textures replacers, UI interfaces (.swf files), etc., people should probably not be using mods which contain anything that might be needed to be placed in the the game's main root folder - and this includes SFSE and any mods that may require it - nor should they be using any mods that contains a plugin - not even if they are able to make one using the present release of xEdit. Until the release of the new CK, there is no safe way to create any plugins - so, only once the new CK is released will it be possible to make "safe' mods - and only then will it be possible to determine if xEdit has been assembled properly.

[smr1957]

Just an information note. I've come across many people in other forums who are stating that they do not have a save to go back to (whether it is due to saves being overwritten or some other reason). This points out the importance of not relying upon auto or quick saves, which are limited in number - 3 auto saves and one quick save - and which constantly overwrite the previous auto or quick saves. For this reason, people should make it a practice to use manual saves - and save frequently. Save before going through load screens, save before purchasing or selling anything, save before any possible combat situation or dialogue interaction - save, save, save. In this way, regardless of the situation, you will always have a save that you can roll back to should the need arise.

Good luck!

[HeyYou]

 

Just an information note. I've come across many people in other forums who are stating that they do not have a save to go back to (whether it is due to saves being overwritten or some other reason). This points out the importance of not relying upon auto or quick saves, which are limited in number - 3 auto saves and one quick save - and which constantly overwrite the previous auto or quick saves. For this reason, people should make it a practice to use manual saves - and save frequently. Save before going through load screens, save before purchasing or selling anything, save before any possible combat situation or dialogue interaction - save, save, save. In this way, regardless of the situation, you will always have a save that you can roll back to should the need arise.

Good luck!

 

This has been the case since Morrowind. :D I don't use quick saves at all, and rarely will I load an auto-save.... (only if I get killed at some inconvenient time....) In previous games, quick/auto saves were notorious for introducing file corruption, that wouldn't necessarily become apparent until hours later, at which point..... finding where it went wrong was almost impossible. I got in the habit of making hard saves on a regular basis, and so far, that has done me good. :D

[smr1957]

ADDED:

 

ADVANCED TROUBLESHOOTING - CRASHING/FREEZING ON PC - STARFIELD

to Section 5 - General Troubleshooting

[smr1957]

ADDED to Section 4 - Modding the Game, directly under The Golden Rule of Modding:

Addendum to the above:

"Until the release of the Starfield Creation Kit, though tempting, modding is not recommended and not supported, as there is too much unknown as to how the game works under the hood, and there may be unforeseen consequences. Remember, it is better to play a game unmodded, then to curse at a modded game that does not work."

Thanks goes to Vlad 254 for the suggestion.

[HeyYou]

 

ADDED to Section 4 - Modding the Game, directly under The Golden Rule of Modding:

Addendum to the above:

"Until the release of the Starfield Creation Kit, though tempting, modding is not recommended and not supported, as there is too much unknown as to how the game works under the hood, and there may be unforeseen consequences. Remember, it is better to play a game unmodded, then to curse at a modded game that does not work."

Thanks goes to Vlad 254 for the suggestion.

 

Yeah, fighting with it can be a real downer... However, and you knew that was coming..... a fair few mods are just GMST tweaks, or texture replacers, simple enough, and very low-hazard mods. ESP/ESM files, on the other hand..... we just don't know a lot about them yet, so, using them can be dangerous. You can try it, and if it works (or, seems to...) run with it. If it doesn't though, uninstall the last mod or three you just put in, see if the game works.... Worst case for these is, you have to reinstall the game. Not a trivial undertaking on a mediocre or slow internet connection though. :D

 

All of this, of course, depends on YOUR comfort level of using mods. If you haven't modded a beth game before, don't understand the file structures, then best to wait until we have proper tools before you start modding the game. If you are familiar with modding beth games, then you already understand (or, should...) the perils of modding. Especially on a new release. :D

[smr1957]

I would just like to take this opportunity to post a bit of an explanation as to my position on things regarding modding in Starfield and other aspects of modding, such as patches for the game, tools, as well as mods in general. I will not be linking any released patches other than those which are directly from Bethesda, nor tools, regardless of who may be creating them, until the CK has been released. This has nothing to do with personal bias, and everything to do with the fact that my Helpful Links topics on Steam, at AFK Mods, and the pinned version on Nexus, are meant to be places which only contain information and things that I have been able to absolutely and without reservation ascertain as being totally safe and completely and factually accurate, at least insofar as is humanly possible. This applies to any patches, tools, or mods that may be released - regardless of by whom (unless they are from Bethesda), and until the release of the CK when the actual information and facts of how the game works and is constructed has been made available to all.

As a repository of information which people rely upon, I cannot in good conscience link or post anything therein that I either know, or strongly feel, based upon my experience, to be potentially harmful to people's games.

And this is all in line with my oft stated and referenced Golden Rule of Modding, to which I added an addendum, which succinctly explains my philosophy regarding modding activities:

"THE GOLDEN RULE OF MODDING

"No matter how good a mod may look or sound, no matter how much you may really want a mod, if the mod does not work as it should, causes issues in your game, or even seems to have the potential to cause issues, dump the mod. A game that does not work is no game at all."

Addendum to the above:

"Until the release of the Starfield Creation Kit, though tempting, modding is not recommended and not supported, as there is too much unknown as to how the game works under the hood, and there may be unforeseen consequences. Remember, it is better to play a game unmodded, then to curse at a modded game that does not work."

(from Section 4 - Modding the Game)

So while others may create, post, link, or otherwise use assets that have been released, unless I am positive that they are safe to use, I have a personal responsibility to the community to not endorse or seemingly recommend them - which, by my providing a link in any of my topics, might tend to infer or be possibly perceived by some to be an endorsement and thereby an indication of those items being safe to use.

[smr1957]

Regarding Saves and the Different Types of Saves

This is a reference post for Helpful Links, References, and News. It is linked in Section 1 - General Information

The key to keeping your blood pressure down, and your playthrough on track, is to always have a backup you can trust. Save files are not all equally useful, and the time to learn that fact is not several hundred hours into a playthrough.

Quick Save… The perfect tool for use in combat, especially when that pesky Spacer, Ecliptic, or Crimson Fleet character (or some creep-crawly alien) can suddenly appear and one shot/one hit you. But it is also the buggiest and most unreliable of all the saves. There is only one quick save file, and it is over written each time you use it. Useful in a tight spot, but rely on it at your own peril.

Automatic Saves… By default, the system cycles through three of them, overwriting the oldest file every time you rest, wait, travel, or pause the game (configurable “in game” under settings). You do not have control of the save, or when it will be over written. They have also been much maligned over the years as being a cause of crashes. While this is not exactly true, the fact that the game is trying to save at the same time that it’s trying to load can be very stressful on your system. Think of the occasional CTD or lag while exiting a building or landing on a planet as “A canary in a coal mine” - it’s time to re-check things amd reboot (couldn’t hurt ;-). In an extended playthrough (and even in a not so extended one), it might happen from time to time, even if you’ve been having no problems at all beforehand. If it starts happening more often, you have other issues to resolve. The backup is not the cause. The best policy is to turn autosaves off completely.

Manual Saves… The gold standard. You control the save, and it's permanent until you delete it. By far the most stable, and the only save you should rely on. Make a manual save before going through load doors, initiating dialogue, selling items to vendors, or doing anything that may have an impact upon the game or your character. Save, save, save - and save some more. It is better to make a save and not need it, than not make one and have nothing to roll back to when things go sideways.

Good luck!

(Paraphrased and taken from a thread originally posted on Steam by Avrie for Skyrim, but which applies to any game.)

[HeyYou]

Save corruption has been an issue with Beth games since Morrowind. Qucksaves/autosaves were notorious for being easily corrupted. Best practice was to simply turn them off, and get in the habit of making hard saves REGULARLY. :D And now beth has added exit saves... a feature you CAN'T turn off..... Not sure how reliable those are. Jury is still out.

 

The problem with save corruption is, it won't necessarily manifest itself immediately after it happens... it could be hours, or even days of playtime before you notice things aren't quite right.......

[smr1957]

From Bethesda Game Studios:

https://twitter.com/BethesdaStudios/status/1719782889414357000

"We've been hard at work on

@StarfieldGame

updates and will be putting our next one into Steam Beta next week.

This update will feature Nvidia DLSS support with frame generation, display and HDR controls for supported systems, and other optimizations and improvements. You'll be able to opt-in to try it via the Steam Beta options. We’d love your feedback before it goes live for all PC and Xbox players after that.

Stay tuned for the specifics soon, and thanks for playing!"