Mods not working anymore

[Odessa086]

I'm really new to modding. Really new. I just got F3 for PC specifically in order to be able to use mods.

I have about 10 of them, activated most of them first time around and upon starting a new game, found they all work perfectly. However a day later, upon making sure they are all still active and then loading a game from previous day, I noticed that mods (or at least a mod) aren't appearing in game, in particular, the personal terminal mod. (I say in particular, because that's the only one of the ones I have that is obvious on loading by going to my Pipboy).

 

What gives?

Any help would be very much appreciated, but you'd have to be very plain about instructions. Like I said - very new to modding.

 

Thanks!

[proconsu1]

I'd advise you get and install FOMM. First thing you do with it is enable "Archive Invalidation" unders the Tools menu. Then give it a quick run through and see if anything gets better. If not, and it very likely won't, then go back into FOMM and use the option export your load order. That will create a text file; copy and paste the contents of that file here so we can see exactly what is installed and in what order.

[Javalin]

Here are the links that were refered to in the above post:

 

Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM): http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=640

Archive Invalidation Invalidated: http://fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=944

 

 

Lovely little programs these. They are very straight forward to install, you don't need any kind of modding experience to make them work, they are pretty much self-explanatory. Here is what my FOMM looks like - I don't use that many mods, simply cos most do not interest me.

 

A quick explanation on what these programs do -

 

Fallout Mod Manager - If you're familiar with Oblivion Mod Manager (OBMM) - It's the EXACT same software, but for Fallout: New Vegas and Fallout 3. Refer to screenshot - the list in the screenshot show the Master Files (.ESM/Bold text) and the plugin files, or mods (.ESPs) - Also, this program controls the load order of the .ESM and .ESP - ESMs should ALWAYS be first.

 

If you make a change to the same cell - (I.E. Megaton House) in two different mods, the mod that is lower down the load order will override the one above.

 

 

Archive Invalidation: Invalidated - This little program basically lets the game know that there has been changes to the files. Also, it's probably required for the majority, if not all of the mods you are running anyway. Which'll probably explain why you're having problems with mods running.

 

Screenshot Below!

 

 

http://img101.imageshack.us/i/fomm.jpg/

[Odessa086]

Wow, thank you both for these tips! I'm already running FOMM, but didn't know that there has to be a specific load order. I'll get to testing right away and report what I find.

 

***

 

Okay, the load order is

 

[X] BrokenSteel.esm

[X] PointLookout.esm

[X] Zeta.esm

[X] Anchorage.esm

[X] ThePitt.esm

[X] Fallout3.esm

[X] F3Eyelashes.esp

[X] CONELRAD 640-1240.esp

[X] LingsFinerThings.esm

[X] LingsFinerThings.esp

[X] Lings.esm

[X] LingsDLC.esm

[X] PersonalTerminal.esp

 

I think...

 

This is what FOMM displays:

 

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/1430/clipboard02rb.th.jpg

 

As for Archive Invalidation Invalidated - upon launching it, it reports that Fallout 3 has been installed in Program Files and that this may cause the game to behave strangely. Aside from that, I tried both activating and deactivating AII but this hasn't really done anything as far as I can tell...

 

I feel I'm not doing this right somehow which annoys me, but then again...this is my first experience with mods of any kind.

Edited March 4, 2011 by Odessa086

[proconsu1]

OK, that load order is all frelled up. First off, I should have warned you to arrange your load order display based on the field "mod index" so that they list there in the order they are actually loading in. You will note that your listing there goes 1-2-3-4-5-9-6-a-7-b-8-c when it should go 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-a-b-c. But at least the info is all there, good on ya for posting that pic! :thumbsup:

 

Second, Fallout3.esm should always, ALWAYS be the very first thing in your load order. It is the master on which all other esms and esps depend, so it must load in before everything. As for the rest of the load order, those mods are ones I am not familiar with, so I cannot say about them specifically. But what I can say is that you should get and run BOSS and let it have a shifty at it. BOSS will not only sort your load order (which FOMM could also do) but will generate a listing of your mods with notations of potential conflicts and incompatibilities.

 

Now, the other big bomb - the Program Files directory tree. If you are running XP, then you are fine there and can ignore this particular warning. In this case stop reading this post right here, cuz everything below this point does not affect you.

 

If, however, you are running Vista or Win7, you are in trouble. Those OS's have a Big Brother program called the UAC which looks over your shoulder at all times deciding what you can and cannot have access to on your own computer. Much of the time it will intervene and force you to confirm that you want to do things before allowing you to proceed. But sometimes it just flat out refuses to allow a particular operation and doesn't even bother to alert you to the fact that it just sabotaged another program. When it comes to the "Program Files" directory tree, that latter approach seems to be its default - anything which tries to make changes within that directory or any of its sub-directories is often just blocked without any notification to the user that anything untoward has happened - other than their program crashing and burning, that is. What this means to you is that since Fallout is in this directory tree, so too must its mods make their modding changes there - and be told to frell off by the UAC. You could of course turn off the UAC, but this unfortunately takes away certain other necessary security safeguards with it. The best solution is to just uninstall Fallout, delete the folder it had been installed in, then run a registry cleaning utility like the freeware version of Advanced System Care by IOBit. That last step is necessary cuz Windows is crappy about cleaning up outdated registry entries, so if you uninstall then reinstall a program, Windows expects the new installation to be in the same place the old one was - stupid, but that's Windows for you. Anyway, once the old install is completely gone and the registry tidied up, then reinstall Fallout3 and force it to put itself in a folder like c:\fallout3 - something at or near the root level of the hard drive with the most free space would be best.

[Odessa086]

Finally!

Thanks so much! Can't believe it didn't occur to me that Fallout should be the first in load order, d'uh. What an oversight.

I ran Load order report and it suggested some changes which I made, but then Fallout started freezing on loading my save. Fortunately, I managed to find out that a couple of mods were dependant on a couple of add-ons which were loading too late. Fixed that and it works like a charm now! For some reason it showed only one save present after this and loaded it, but it wasn't too far from where I was.

I run Windows 7, but UAC is disabled, thanks to TuneUp Utilities. And my Fallout is Steam GOTY so I don't think I can change the install directory as easily as reinstalling the game.

No matter, the important thing is that it works now.

 

Thanks! :)

[proconsu1]

Sweetness! :thumbsup: