Initial installation advice?

[src1425]

It's a poorly kept secret that my son will be giving me Skyrim (PC) for Christmas (love that boy!), and I've been regularly patrolling the forums for info, build ideas, and to keep an eye on technical issues. My PC's spec are:

 

i5 2500K

8GB RAM

HD 4850 1GB x 2 (Crossfire)

RealSSD C300 128 GB

 

I'm tempted to use the 4GB mod from the outset, in which case I should install the game, leave it unpatched, and then just launch from the 4GB .exe? If I use the 4GB mod, does that precluded the use of other mods?

 

Any other suggestions for configuring a (hopefully) crash-free setup? Hoping to learn from all the early adopters!

 

Thanks in advance!

[maboru]

Sorry to say you'll have no option to leave it unpatched. The installation requires setting up a Steam account and entering your product key there at which time Steam will automatically download all applicable patches. No way around it. Hopefully (if you wait until Christmas, for your boy's sake!) Beth will have sorted out some of the current patch problems.

 

However, I will offer this advice (assuming you'll be receiving a DVD instead of a Steam download (pretty hard to wrap a Steam download and get the ribbon right!);

 

1.) Log onto your Steam account (creating one if necessary) and leave it up before you start to install the game.

2.) On your computer go to your DVD drive and click "Setup" (That way it will install from the disk instead of Steam downloading the entire game through your internet connection)

3.) After Steam downloads the patches and the install procedure is complete, hit "Play Game" on your Steam page in order to initialize your hardware settings and creation of your ini files.

4.) Go to gameplay options on the loading screen and un-check the 360 game controller box (unless you're using one of course.)

5.) First chance you get to save your game (after the intro and wagon ride) do it. You'll know when when you actually have control of your character, just before the character creation starts.)

6.) Exit the game and on your Steam Library page right click on the game title, click 'properties' click 'Local Files' click 'Verify integrity of cache' and let it do it's thing. (Just to be sure all your game files are intact.)

7.) In the upper left hand corner of the Steam page click Steam and on the drop down menu click 'play in offline mode'. (That way Steam can't auto-update your game until you decide to go back online for an update, the 'don't auto-update' button seems to be a placebo.)

8.) Close Steam

9.) Go to your Skyrim directory and make a desktop shortcut for the TESV.exe or the game launcher exe.

10.) Launch the game from whichever shortcut you chose, when the little Steam window pops up click 'continue to play in offline mode', click 'load game' rather than 'Continue' from the load screen and play the game until you get to the first town or as long as you like really just to make sure the game is running good on vanilla.

11.) Exit the game and head to the mod pages to download the 4gb enabler mod and whatever else looks good to you (or not, just make sure you get the 4gb or your game will be limited to only 2gb.)

 

If you decide to mod your game further then go ahead and download Nexus Mod Manager and install whatever other mods you want. Install them one at a time and play the game some more before you install the next one just to be sure none of them are impacting your game play experience in a negative manner. Until the Construction Kit and TESVEdit are released next month there are bound to be some conflicts so I'd go easy on the the esp/esm mods until then.

 

Here's hoping you're one of the many who experience little to no problems!

[src1425]

Thanks very much, maboru, that was very, very helpful! I know the boards draw a lot of negative comments, and no doubt some of them are warranted, but I have to hope there's many more satisfied folks in the silent majority. At least that's what I keep telling myself!

[maboru]

Happy to help and yes there are far more people playing the game with little problem (aside from some quest bugs) than it would appear from these forums. (Naturally, since people having few problems have no real need for tech support and are just happily playing the game.)

 

[i myself have had few problems but I hang here a lot because, after three weeks of continuous playing, I'm getting just a little burned out and taking more breaks from the game.]

[tazmo]

quick question, is the 4gb exe for 64 bit only?