DLC Problems

[SheepNinja]

Just got FO3 not too long ago started playing then I did a reformat and got Windows 7. Here is where the problems started. On Xp, once I stepped outside of Vault 101 all the signals for Anchorage, Zeta, Point Lookout, and Broken Steel popped up. Now, Broken Steel works the same as always but the others don't. I've read through as many guides as I can but none seems to address this error so here is the problem:

Anchorage -

No radio signal, can travel to location and activate the quest there, not a major problem.

 

The Pitt -

No radio signal, and after talking to the guy once the raiders are dead, he runs to his bed saying something along the lines of "we got to move" and stays at the corner and does nothing.

 

Point Lookout -

Once again no radio, and there seemed to be a box around the boat with a different water texture. Outside the box is standard FO3 water, inside is the semi-clear, black/cloudy water.

 

Zeta -

Never been to it, couldn't find the crashed landing spot without the radio + quest, so I have no idea.

 

Broken steel seems to be working fine. All of these DLC are playable from what I deduced but this is rather annoying. Followed a lot of guides, using AII, the BSA manager, ect... Also reinstalled and the such, as mentioend before with XP had no problems, everything worked perfectly. These are the same games, same mods, same everything with the addition of Windows 7.

 

Thanks in advanced.

[pkleiss]

Unfortunately, Windows 7 is not supported by Fallout 3. That said, many have got the game to run. I have XP and will not be upgrading anytime soon. There is a thread on the Bethesda forums that talks exclusively about Windows 7 problems.

[SheepNinja]

Well it works, I mean its not crashing or the such. Just the error of no radio signals. I checked with Bethesda, it seems many people have the same issue as I. However, no one has yet to resolve it. I did read of someone who had no problems, so I assume its something that can be fixed, just not known.

[Gishank]

Do not blame the matter on Windows 7 specifically, as I personally have Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit and the DLCs work fine for me. Make sure you game is patched to the latest version.

[pkleiss]

What happens in the game if you type in these console commands:

prid 05003F1F

enable

 

 

Does the Radio Beacon become active in your pip boy radio tab?

 

NOTE: the 05 from the above prid command comes from the fact that MZ is loaded as the 05 (hex) mod in my load order. Fallout3.esm is 00 and MZ is the fifth mod loadsed after that. If you load MZ in another position, you will have to change the 05 to whatever coresponds to the position of MZ in your load order.

[csb]

What mods do you have installed besides the DLCs? There are several that remove the start quests for the DLCs, the Refurbish series is one and there are others as well.

[SheepNinja]

I'm really thinking its Windows 7... 32 bit =D. I have a few friends on 64 who have Fallout 3 + DLC and no problems. The problems I've been reading about never mention 64 so I'm going to guess its 32, which is odd because generally its the 64 that has the bugs and 32 is fine. That is my theory so far, don't worry about the mods they are not the problem. I've been troubleshooting this for a while, 32 is my best bet.

 

Edit: Hmm, for my mods the only one I really think I'm using right now is just something to make the Gauss rifle do actual damage in VATS, other than that I just have simple retextures, sun glare, night sky, stuff like that. Nothing that ever hindered them before. As stated above, same mods as in XP, so the mods are my least suspected culprit. 32 bit 7 is still my main. Going to try what Pkleiss suggested tomarrow.

[pkleiss]

I spend most of my time on the Bethesda forums, and believe me when i say there are many people using Windows 7 64bit that can't even get to the launch screen. Here is another link to Windows 7 compatability mode that may or may not help. Sorry I can't be more certain, but I still run XP.

[csb]

A few things that might be a factor:

• Make sure you are patched to 1.7
  
• If you installed your DLCs via Games for Windows Live (GfWL), you might want to consider moving that content into your Fallout3/Data directory. I don't install via/use GfWL, but I've seen many posts recommend Games for Windows Live Disabler, not only for its disabling of xlive.dll, but also it has the option to move your content (for those who don't want to manually). Of course, you lose the Achievement Points for GfWL in doing so (big whoop IMO).
  
• If you installed to the default directory (Program Files/Bethesda...etc.), ensure that you've configured UAC accordingly. The Windows Vista/7's User Account Control security implementation is really stringent in the Program Files directory. So you either have to configure UAC for Fallout 3's .exe (and also any apps that might launch FO3 indirectly, such as Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM) or Fallout Script Extender (FOSE)) or install to a non-default directory (C:\Games\Fallout3 seems to be the popular choice).
  
• Make sure you have the right codecs. If you don't have a codec utility, get K-Lite. Even if you don't use the utility, its default install disables fddshow for Fallout3 (and Oblivion), plus will give you options for any sound-related codecs.
  
• Make sure you have the best drivers, particularly for video, and especially nVidia. The newest are not always the most Fallout 3-friendly. See the TweakGuides.com guide for Fallout3 for the recommended driver (as well as a thorough description and recommended settings for all the Fallout3.ini variables), that guide also has a link to other overall-tweaks for Vista OS (which would pertain in large part to Windows 7).
  

I hope this helps in your troubleshooting endeavors.

[pkleiss]

Just a little addition to csb's post. The "favored" drivers for NVidia for non XP OS is the 186.xx version. For XP, everything works.