Mod limit?

[SpeedyB64]

daedricprime

 

My mod list is currently at A0 and I have no major problems. So I think your problem is different.

[Skotte]

There is a limit of 255 data files, including Fallout3.esm, making for a maximum of 254 mods. This is due to the way in which the game engine generates FormIDs. The first two digits of a FormID represent the position in your load order of the data file that the form originates from, and "ff" is reserved for forms saved in the save game.

 

Red diamonds with exclamation marks in them signify a missing mesh, which almost always means you have installed a mod incorrectly.

 

 

[ My deepest apologies for resurrecting this thread, but I found it via google. ]

 

 

I don't think this information is entirely correct. First, we know that non-base IDs can take the form of "FF", so the limit would be at least 254 - Fallout3.esm. However, I think the limit is much lower.

 

I have a TON of mods, that I'm installing on a new install of Fallout 3. (High-end box, 1900x1200 rez, all options on max except blur, HDR on) I'm installing them in small groups, testing, and then removing the conflicting ones. I'm experienced in installing mods, I have NEVER gotten the missing mesh/textures issues [ with one caveat, see below: ]

 

However, I stumbled upon an issue where when I enabled over "8F" ( 143 ) mods, I was mysteriously unable to rest ( T ) or even hit Escape. I could activate things. Also, I noticed a graphical glitch when the issue first occurs ( meshes/textures disappear in the landscape ). Also, some meshes either go invisible or become exclaimation marks ( first time I saw that. )

 

I spent literally hours trying to "find that one mod" (or few, etc ) eventually I discovered that ANY of my disabled mods, if I enabled ONE, the issue would return if that enabled mod caused the last one in the FOMM load order to roll to "90"

 

 

I have not tried combining mods, I'm guessing this will fix this particular issue ( though I'm wary to do this, incase some other "must-have" mod in the future ends up conflicting with one mod in a merged .esp )

 

 

Yes, yes, I know that I have a plethora of mods. It's an addiction, I promise I'll stop downloading and installing mods. I can stop anytime, ... really.... :whistling:

 

 

I think what you're hitting is a "memory limit" either your system is choking on on all the mods or the game engine can't access enough RAM even if it's available.

this would be separate from the "mod limit" that Cipscis mentioned & that it could be as unique as each modlist

[daedricprime]

There is a limit of 255 data files, including Fallout3.esm, making for a maximum of 254 mods.

 

 

[ My deepest apologies for resurrecting this thread, but I found it via google. ]

 

 

I don't think this information is entirely correct. First, we know that non-base IDs can take the form of "FF", so the limit would be at least 254 - Fallout3.esm. However, I think the limit is much lower.

 

 

 

I think what you're hitting is a "memory limit" either your system is choking on on all the mods or the game engine can't access enough RAM even if it's available.

this would be separate from the "mod limit" that Cipscis mentioned & that it could be as unique as each modlist

 

 

 

Perhaps, but I don't think so. I tried combining mods, same mods but lessor number of .esp files, and the problem went away. As far as I can tell, same amount of resources are being used, the only difference is that the load order number of the last file is lower. Ok, less physical files also, so not absolutely conclusive but I still believe it is more correct to say the "mod limit" as defined by "the maximum number of mods you can have" is significantly less than 255-1. Again, I know it has to be less since mod IDs of FF are not possible.

 

I guess the way to prove it would be to have hundreds of simple one-shot mods and test that on multiple machines, but then I'd have less time to play Fallout! ;P

 

Thanks for the comment!

[uglykidcid]

I am having the same problem as daedric prime. I am an experienced modder and this is weird. It does not matter which mods I load so please don't tell me it's a mod conflict. If I go over 85 (forget 8f) I start to get missing meshes and/or textures randomly. I can reload and a different set of meshes or textures will be missing. The missing meshes/textures are usually body, clothing or skin meshes and textures. I have tried messing with Archive Invalidation but to know avail. As far as computers I run 12 gigs of ram, an I7 quad 4, dual 260 graphics cards, and a solid state hard drive. So I can safely rule out not enough computer. I have been using the plugin combiner to combine mods togetherbut even at 85 I might get the mesh problem. I never had this problem on a lower end computer. I started when I upgraded and reinstalled fresh. However I upgraded all the mods and may have also increased how many I am running. If anyone figures this out please post.

[Agnot2006]

I have a Total active plugins: 144 which work fine on my old PC but I recently bought a new all singing PC Installed the game got to the first save and copied the data subdirectory from the old PC to the new along with the save files that included all the mods and immediately started to get the dreaded red triangles. Even walkways in megaton had parts missing. It maybe that a slow build-up of mods is what is required. I am going to try and add the mods a few at a time.

[uglykidcid]

I tried the slow build up several times with with no luck. But if you get a different result post it

[rickerhk]

My understanding is that the game engine can access only 2GB ram - it's a 32bit program. So if whatever mods you have installed require more than this to store persistent references/ingame data, I can see where things are going to start falling apart. Assets won't get loaded, etc.

[uglykidcid]

Why than does oblivion with a weaker game engine than fallout work fine? With oblivion I have merged over 1000 mods into 254 and run it just fine (well it slow as heck but it runs) I am not you're wrong rickerhk. In fact it is the best explanation. I just want to know why Oblivion works and Fallotu 3 does not. Also, why is it that some of us have this problem and others do not?

[Agnot2006]

I got it to work on my new PC! I did a bit of mod merging and cut it down from 144 to 133 active plugins and my save game size went from 20,567kb (which wouldn’t work on my new PC without a lot of exclamation marks) down to 19,870kb everything now seems to be working fine.

[lexb]

As was said, sry for resurrecting this topic, found in google search also...

 

So im currently running more than 200 mods, my saved games exceeds 22mbs. Merged a lot (a lot) of mods and im having a very odd problem not described elsewhere. When i hit a mod limit (which i dont know exactly how it can be defined), when i load a game, few seconds after all scripts run, i have a purple colored map in pipboy, with purple colored markers, all DUI interface elements that uses bitmaps turn to purple too and when i enter a cell i have the big red exclamation marks, textures are messed, sometimes in black, sometimes like an animated gif changing from black to an eye from eyes textures (and its animated), the ESC menu is disabled, save by using console is disabled, well a real mess...

 

When i ctrl+alt+del to shut FO3 down and turn fomm on, disabling some mods (sometimes one, other times 2 mods) can solve or not the problem but i noticed that turning off mods that installed (correctly) large amounts of bitmaps seen to solve the problem instead of turning of mods that not use them. But still not a definitive rule, i think its relative to the amount and structure of total mods installed (scripts, bitmaps, conflicts, etc)

 

For example using RTS can cause it very often with a large amount of mods installed, without RTS, the total mods installed can be increased and the problem seen to not appear even installing much more mods than with RTS installed, its something like the total amount of modified data change by all mods that makes difference not the the mods total only the definite factor.

 

And i noticed that a large amount of bitmaps in data folder, even not used, can affect that too, im cleaning my data folder to all not used bitmaps and junk to see if it works with new mods.

 

Since its kinda random due memory leaks and bugs of the original game and modified by the type and the amount of mods installed, due the use of data folder plus the computer configuration, i dont think we can solve or find a definitive solution for that. There are too many variables to count.

 

As soo i can i will put my load order and screens about that issues.

Edited July 9, 2011 by lexb