Crashing on Save

[Iceblade423]

Okay, I am getting crashes anytime I save the game. I'm using Steam GOTY edition on 64 Vista with FOMM and FOSE (I play using "Launch FOSE" from within FOMM). This issue is unrelated to graphics (settings or video card).

 

BOSS didn't report anything except for

BrokenSteel.esm

 

* Bashed Patch tag suggestion: {{BASH: Actors.AIPackages}}

 

I tried loading to an earlier save. At which point I am able to save the game, but soon afterward the game goes back to crashing upon saving.

 

I've tried reducing my inventory (back to near or within the 300 weight limit), but that doesn't fix the crash.

 

The crashing started shortly after installing the mods listed below (note mods installed all at once) and exploring the radio station for R.F.A.S.-Radio for all Seasons.esp:

 

SteelWPatrolV_1.esp

ranger den.esp

BoS Diversification.esp

BoS Diversification - Broken Steel.esp

BoSArmoury.esp

GNROutpost-Op.Anch.esp

BuffedLibrary.esp

 

I have attached the load order list exported from the FOMM.

 

From the list do you see anything that would cause a conflict.

 

----

 

Strange, I unchecked the other GNR radio XXX mods and the tried again. The game gave me a message talking about missing content, and so far no crashes on save (though I did fast travel away from the area where I was starting to the crashes). At least this let me reduce my inventory and save afterwards.

 

So do you notice anything that could prove a problem?

Edited February 27, 2011 by Iceblade423

[proconsu1]

No merge patch - that is the only thing that jumps out at me. Recommend you get and install FO3edit and use it to create a merge patch. Will be happy to give you the procedure in simple steps if you are unfamiliar with it. Edited February 27, 2011 by proconsu1

[GrindedStone]

Crash at save game is fixed with FNV edit master update.

Personally I haven't found that I need a Merge patch yet.

There just isn't enough mods that overlap yet.

And I wouldn't be using those types of large mods anyway.

I still check each time, but haven't needed one.

[proconsu1]

Crash at save game is fixed with FNV edit master update.

Personally I haven't found that I need a Merge patch yet.

There just isn't enough mods that overlap yet.

And I wouldn't be using those types of large mods anyway.

I still check each time, but haven't needed one.

 

First off, you should have read his load order. If so you would have seen he is not running FNV; he is running FO3, and the known crash at save bug is a FNV bug. Second, when BOSS is throwing Bash tag suggestions at you, that means you really should be using a merged patch. That is, after all, what those Bash tags are for.

[Iceblade423]

Sorry for the confusion over which game I was referring to. I thought it wasn't necessary since this forum for FO3 mods only.

 

Thanks for tip. Hopefully the crash on save issue I was having won't occur again and maybe the increase in random crashes will be reduced.

 

Oh and will the program advise me on which mods to merge?

 

Edit: Okay, I have no idea what to do after after selecting all of the mods I'm using. I get a lot of trees that give me information about what each mod adds, details about those additions, and possible errors or conflicts with the additions (otherwise I see green text/highlights). There is way too much to look through and I have no idea how to do a merged patch.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Iceblade423

[proconsu1]

You should merge all the ones that are currently activated. Just fire up FO3edit and when it shows you the list of your mods just click "OK". Then wait while it loads those mods in, and when it says it is finished loading just right click in the left hand panel, select "Create Merged Patch", give it a simple name you will recognize and let it go. When it has finished creating your merged patch just close down FO3edit, fire up FOMM and make sure the merge patch is activated and is the very last thing in your load order (no matter what mod said it needs to be last). While there check that FOMM has "Archive Invalidation" checked under the Tools drop down menu. Then let 'er rip.

[GrindedStone]

We learned that master update would fix crash at save game in FNV from it fixing crash at save game on FO3.

 

Merge Patch deals with issues, not crashes. The problem that it fixes is primarly list type data that has overriden parts of the list. Actors.AIPackages in a list of mods always conflict. Mostly the order of them from top to bottom because that's how the NPC scans them. The only way to fix that is if you knew what each package does. It's not a crash issue though.

[Iceblade423]

I had this issue occur again, but this time I was more aware of what might have caused it.

 

Since my auto save is off, I've been using quicksave more often (so I noticed the issue much sooner). Well, this time I quicksaved and the game crashed during the saving process (ie it didn't crash instantaneously upon saving like before, but took a second or so before the crash - I saw the message about the quicksave start to pop up). There were no issues loading from the quicksave, but it would crash whenever I attempted to save the game from that point on (this time instantaneously and not creating a savegame). So it is highly likely that the issue is a corrupted savegame due to my usual graphics crash. It is probable that the game failed to close the savegame due to the crash, and this causes the game to have a crash whenever it attempts to save due to some irresponsible information loaded into memory from the corrupted savegame (perhaps there is a saving process section in the savegame that is incomplete.

 

So basically I just need to make sure I hard-save more often to reduce progress loss. What is strange, though, is I didn't have this savegame crash issue until now (while I have had graphics crashes all along), and I've been playing FO3 (starting from the original, then transferring my current state over to GOTY, and then adding some mods) heavily since January. Maybe, my Video Card just can't handle the increase in AI information being saved due to the BOS and BC mods.

 

Thanks for the help anyway.

[proconsu1]

This was explained to me once as sometimes being due to certain mods trying to execute scripts that refer to objects that are not where they are expected, possibly due to interference from a different mod. This causes them to screw up things like cell contents which in turn gets stored in the save file, thus perpetuating the error. (I prolly mangled that explanation, but I think I got the basic idea across.) Merged patches can help prevent some of this, but sometimes it is just an inherent incompatibility between mods, faulty install or bugged mod component. In your case the merged patch is just meant to eliminate one of the known potential causes, so it is still highly recommended.

[Iceblade423]

Crap, now I've got two sequential saves that are crashing on further saves. Makes no sense and I'm using the merged patch.

 

Is there a way for me to find the possible conflicting issue in a mod? (I have a strong hunch it is that Brotherhood Intensity Mod).

Edited March 1, 2011 by Iceblade423