too many mods installed?

[walrossmaus2]

Hello, 

I've been playing FO4 with mods since the beginning and I keep getting to the point where I'm struggling with crashes and potentially problematic load order. This is still the case now. 

I've manually installed more than 300 mods and I'm struggling with crashes (e.g., on the direct route to DC near the CIT, on the bridge towards DC, or even around the actual stadium). 

Given the sheer number, I can't seem to solve the problems myself anymore. 

After analyzing the mods with Vortex Mod Manager (I don't usually use it), it tells me the following: "Active 183 Light 119." Considering FO4's mod limit, are these too many mods I've installed?

Could this be causing the crashes for me? 

Attached is a crash log from yesterday (Buffout4), my plugin list and a list of the mod categories by which I sort the mods. 

Maybe the sorting / loading order is wrong? Idk

I would be extremely grateful if some experts could take a look! 

A thousand thanks and best regards!

 

crash-2025-05-03-23-00-13.log mod categories.txt plugins.txt

Edited May 4 by walrossmaus2

[subaverage]

With an exceeded mod limit the game won't start any more. Finding the culprit might not be easy, but there are some things come into my mind.

It seems that you use Baka Scrap Heap and Buffout together and that these files can conflict with each other. So it's recommended to disable the memory management of Buffout. In this reddit post a user has written:

If you use both Baka ScrapHeap and Buffout 4, they both affect the game's memory. Prevent them from fighting each other by opening Vortex and searching for Buffout 4 in your mods

Click the orange arrow, open in file manager

In this folder, go into F4SE\Plugins\Buffout4

Open the file called config.toml (using Notepad or whatever)

Under [Patches], change "MemoryManager = true" to "MemoryManager = false"

Other than that I see you use the Ultra High Res dlc and mods like SS2. Maybe some times the resulting payload is too high for the game engine.

Your crashes are located around the CIT and DC and you have several mods that make changes to these areas. Here is potential for mod conflicts.

[walrossmaus2]

Hello subaverage,

thank you very much for your fast reply!

Well, I used Buffout 4 only for demonstration purpose (to get the crash log) and Baka ScrapHeap only for a one-time test. I've uninstalled both mods in the meantime and the crashes still go on. Maybe I should only use Baka ScrapHeap?

I'm still hoping of having just way too many plugins, because installing FO4 from scratch on is going to be a nightmare, I think.

You wrote "Your crashes are located around the CIT and DC and you have several mods that make changes to these areas. Here is potential for mod conflicts."

That's right and I am aware of this. But I'm unsure how to proceed: Should I follow a specific mod load order (structure) or should I sort the mods just as my gut feelings tells me. It is not for nothing that there are different recommendations for charging structures...

Ok, thanks for reading. I will keep this thread up to date and maybe someone else can give me some valuable advice, too.

Thanks and have a nice sunday!

walrossmaus2

[subaverage]

You can try the latest LOOT with the actual master list. If you want to try I would recommend to make a copy of your plugins.txt so you can revert. And you could try to use xEdit or FO4Edit to search for conflicts.

Only for a test you could try to disable all mods that interfere with these areas. In this case I would make a copy of the latest savegame before. Maybe this can help to find the reason, but when it is one or more heavily scripted mods you cannot simply uninstall midgame without risking your savegames and would probably need a new playthrough.

Edited May 4 by subaverage

[walrossmaus2]

Unfortunately I'm not able to install LOOT on my PC, idk why. So I tried the Vortex mod manager - LOOT is included here.

The suggestion of sorting from Vortex/Loot seemed to be a total mess - 100% different from the load order I am using. So I will not try this again.

I really would like to try to disable PRP for a new playthrough (playthrough no. 2.847? haha, joking only), but I'm not able to do this:

Disabling PRP and it's master file in my mod manager (YAFOMM) is leading to game crashes even before reaching the game's main menu every time after starting the FO4SE. Not understandable, isn't it? Have you ever heard/read of such a thing before?

 

What do you think about installing the "Boston FPX Fix - PRP edition" additionally? Loading very early and before PRP.

https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/59021

Update:

I've tried to install only the mod Baka ScrapHeap - no effect on the locations in the game, which tend to crash. What else?

 

Edited May 4 by walrossmaus2

[fraquar]

If you are running with a companion, dismiss them.    Fast travel away from the area then come back and see if it crashes again.

Your error log is a Pathing Cell/Pathing Server Manager issue - which is usually related to NPC's (or sometimes companions).

Beyond that there is nothing I can offer seeing how many different mods you have that mess with NPC's and Companions.

 

[walrossmaus2]

Hello fraquar,

thank you very much for taking a look at my crash log!

The crashes happen even when I'm on my first way to DC just after leaving the vault without any companion around me.

But the hint "Pathing Cell/Pathing Server Manager issue" might be useful (for user users, if they are so kind reading this thread). I will try your suggestion regarding the fast travel.

And yes, I'm using several mods dealing with companions in many different ways... but apparently there aren't too many mods overall (see my question in the subject).

Thanks again and best regards!!

[subaverage]

10 hours ago, walrossmaus2 said:

The crashes happen even when I'm on my first way to DC just after leaving the vault without any companion around me.

Did you have all your mods enabled when you left the vault? If the crashes repeatidly happen around DC I would assume that mods interfering with DC don't work well together or confict with each other. Looking into your modlist I find at least these ones:

*Diamond City Supplements.esm
*DiamondCityAmbience.esl
*DCGuard_Overhaul.esp
*DCGuard_Overhaul_VoicedProtagonist.esp
*Mega Surgery Center Doctor.esp
*AA HotC - Standalone.esp
*Immersive Diamond City Overhaul.esp
*Diamon City Razorgrain Field.esp
*DiamondNewVendors.esp
*DiamondCityGateMapMarker.esp
*Flashy_CrimeAndPunishment.esp
*Flashy_CrimeAndPunishment_GunForHire_Addon.esp
*PRP - DCGuard_Overhaul.esp
*AWARHERO The Great Green Jewel.esp
*VALENTINE.esp
*DCScienceCenterONLY.esp
*DCGuard_Overhaul-SettlementWorkshop.esp
*DCGuard_Overhaul-StoryWealth.esp***
*DCGuard_Overhaul-SS2.esp
*DCGuard_Overhaul-3DNPC-FO4Settler.esp
*DCGuardsOverhaul face fix.esp
*Dimond City Fixes.esp
*SS2 X Dimond City Expansion Patch - Keep Brahmin.esp
 

What if you make a backup of your latest savegame and disable all these mods? And if you do disable these ones, too. 

*Flashy_CrimeAndPunishment_OAR_Depravity_Patch.esp
*GunForHire-eXoPatch.esp

Afterwards load the game, confirm the message listing the missing mods and go to DC. In case this works reenable the mods again. One by one.

If you decide to go this way do not create new savegames when all these mods are disabled. They will most likely be corrupted, because of baked in, but missing scripts. Only use your latest savegame. And when you find out that a mod is your culprit it might still be senseful to begin a new playthrough without this mod when it is a heavily scripted one.

*** I don't use Story Wealth so I don't know, but do you need this?

 

Regarding LOOT. It seems that the install of LOOT might be blocked by the data execution prevention of Windows. In this case you would have to explicit allow the install or install as admin. I don't know whether Vortex offers the latest version and the latest master list.

 

Edited May 8 by subaverage

[fraquar]

I'd suggest looking at the Buffout 4 Dictionary.    It describes in more detail than I can what that Crash entails.

How to Install Buffout 4 and resolve most common crashes

Go down to the section How To Read Crash Logs - and look for the very last hyperlink (Located Here).

That dictionary breaks down a lot of the possible causes for certain errors.

Added:  Your crash in particular is one of those that might very well force you to use the Binary Method to figure out the source of the crash.

 

Edited May 7 by fraquar

[fraquar]

Thought I'd mention that there really isn't a magic wand you can wave to figure out the source of a crash.

You have to figure out what is causing it (no easy feat) then figure out what mods are contributing to it.

Ex.   Long time ago I was crashing in Concord.   Location was random in Concord, I had no mods editing Concord.   

Eventually I figured out that I had a mod that was editing Raider animations - and of course Concord is full of Raiders - so when they'd use a weapon - boom.   Seeing as how they begin firing long before you can see them - it's the kind of thing that was a head scratcher for about a week.    Binary Method was the only way I figured out what was causing it.

Edited May 7 by fraquar