Skyrim Healthy Modding Tips?

[SilentAegis]

Hello. I apologize if this is in the wrong place.

 

I've been playing Skyrim for about 3 years now and have started 3 new games. The first one was 3 years old and I started a new game because it was just so old that problems kept popping up and it eventually wasn't worth it anymore.

 

The second new game was started a few months ago. All was well until issues like freezes outside, crashes outside, CTD on loading saves, and the like just started to appear. I'm now on my third new game and I'd like tips on ensuring a healthy game. I started the second game to get away from so many issues. If there's any patches, any programs, things to avoid doing, things you should do, things to use, things to read, etc I can try, please, could someone tell me?

 

Troubleshooting a game that eventually goes nowhere is a waste of time. I'd just like ways to ensure a stable game.

[DoctorKaizeld]

install tip. write down the order and steps you take when installing. install in blocks of 5 mods att a time and play for a few minutes to see if things still work in game.

example:

Mod 1

Mod 2

Mod 3

Mod 4

Mod 5

Run LOOT (download link in signature below)

Run Game via SKSE

 

repeat until all mods are installed. this will essentially become your own personal mod list and will make your future a lot easier, if you want to restart and use new mods just change which mods are in each block. for example want to change from CBBE to UNP? just remove the CBBE mods and replace them with the UNP equivalents.

 

 

modding tips:

1) do not constantly change the mods. so adding and removing mods all the time tends to lead to crashing and other issues. no mod type is exempt but some are less likely to cause issues... im kinda a hypocrite for saying this as i ignore this rule but i also do the list thing above and dont care if my game breaks i can just reinstall with no problem.

 

2) read all the things! dont make me link Shia Lebuff dang it! read the descriptions of mods dang it! read the readmes dang it! read the "Do you want to over right this..." things dang it!

 

3) dont just overwrite everything. when modding some mods dont need to overwrite anything.

 

4) read tip 2

 

5) come to the forums for help. seriously if you dont know what's wrong and you dont know how to fix it and you already did the simple stuff dont do anything that will screw it over worse. get some help. nothing wrong with that. lots of people like me are very helpful... in many cases some are better at other things then each other.

 

6) if it's a specific mod that you know is causing the issue ask the mod author for help or use the mods comment section.

 

7) read tip 4

 

8) get Alternate Start. the beginning of the game has a butt ton of scripts and tends to break when using mods. so just skip it. the whole thing is a tedious waste of time anyways. in fact Alt Start and SKSE should be the first things you have installed on your modding list.

 

9) read tip 7 carefully

 

10) turn off Steam overlay for Skyrim... yeah this helps a lot more then people realize.

[SilentAegis]

Thank you, you were very helpful. I did not realize that overwriting and steam overlay can cause issues.

[DoctorKaizeld]

Yeah. Actually the overlay is a part of issues in many games

[snowelf12]

Follow STEPS guild its really good makes moding easy for noobs http://wiki.step-project.com/STEP:Guide

[PeterMartyr]

Briefly. For a Health Game the first you need is a Healthy PC, no virus, power setting on performance not economy, stop all unnecessary background & start up apps, etc etc. Then worry about Steam & Administrative Right Issues & to make them go away for ever (Hint: "UAC Setting & Run As Administrator" ain't it) Wow now we have the PC with privileges & correct directories, mmm, time to start thinking about Mods. So I say don't put the cart before the horse, for some weird reason it doesn't work right. :tongue:

 

Question. When was the last time you formatted your PC & how regularly should your service your Car(Er sorry PC) :wink:

[KurganSPK]

And use a program like Mod Organizer if you are not already - save your load order when you know you have a stable build. Then add a few more mods and if things go hairy you simply uncheck them and restore your saved LO. And don't go nuts with follower mods - they cause a lot of issues and can tax your game. Make sure you have ENB Boost installed - and use SKSE. And read up on the tips for setting the enb ini files for your system's specs.

[DoctorKaizeld]

And use a program like Mod Organizer if you are not already - save your load order when you know you have a stable build. Then add a few more mods and if things go hairy you simply uncheck them and restore your saved LO. And don't go nuts with follower mnods - they cause a lot of issues and can tax your game. Make sure you have ENB Boost installed - and use SKSE. And read up on the tips for setting the enb ini files for your system's specs.

good point. i recommend checking MO and NMM out to decide which you want to use and stick with it.

[l0new0lf331]

A habit I picked up on from my Oblivion days is to create a Games Folder on your C:\ Drive (or D:\) and install your game there. I personally install Steam, Origin and UPlay and their subsequent Game/App folders into my D:\Games folder to avoid any issues from UAC with Program Files and Program Files (x86) when modding. i also Take Ownership of the Games folder as well. Though that step may not be needed.

Edited October 7, 2016 by l0new0lf331