Fallout 4 Optimization and Performance Systems Explained

[mystera99]

Another "issue" with the previs system is that it doesn't seem like trees at all (full trees with leaves, like the pre-war/institute ones). If you generate previs with these type of trees placed (be it with scrap recipe or static) the leaves will have this "tremor" look, as if there were multiple versions of that tree in the same place. That effect is also visible for the default (leaves-less) elm trees (the gray ones). It's not visible from all angles, but when it is, it looks ugly.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/MLXrPlK.png

 

http://i.imgur.com/yqLv8rz.png

 

 

 

I'm guessing it's not the previs itself, but the effect the weather system has on it/them.

[SMB92]

Could be that there are actually multiple instances if the tree on different layers. I found some in Sanctuary along with some duplicate rocks etc.

 

The other problem with previs and trees, particularly the fluffy leaved ones is the leaves are fake, they are really just a square mesh with mapped texture. This causes much occlusion bugs therefore making it infeasible to regenerate for flora at all. And of course real physical leaves and branches would absolutely destroy performance anyway

[mystera99]

They are not mesh replacers, they are custom placed references, so no duplicates.

 

And like I said, it also happens with the post-war elm trees (there are three of them). They do have moving branches, and most of them are part of static collections. But I was wondering how did bethesda made it work? Is it that the CK is just too dumbed down?, like the spline conductivity removal?

[zilav]

CK creates precombined files (and most likely previs too) in a completely different format than what is shipped with the game. Yes, they are using their own version of CK.

[MissingMeshTV]

OK, here's a stumper I've been trying to figure out for over two hours and am just spinning my wheels. I've made some minor edits to Coastal Cottage that adds an elevator/teleport to an interior cell. I've added a small room at the end of the "hole in the ground" where the two Mirelurks spawn. Rebuild all the precombines and previs, create archives, everything is happy. Everything works great in-game.

 

But when I open the .esp back up in the CK I get a message warning about "Combined key ref errors for cells." There is a whole string of messages that seem to indicate some of the precombines are "owned" by DLC .ESMs, and some are "owned" by my mod. Here a sample from the middle of the warnings:

** Cell Wilderness (0000D8C8) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoastSlab (00159376)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF51) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref BillboardBldgSm01 (0604BF65)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8EB) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockPileL01_NF_Roots01 (0304F4D9)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF5A) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref DirtCliffLarge02 (0600B046)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DFBB) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff03_NF (0600AADF)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D891) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoast_Low01 (03032CCE)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF16) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref TreeCluster06 (0021AEC0)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8AC) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeCluster08 (03021E10)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000E45B) combined data is owned by file DLCRobot.esm due to ref RaiderCampPole02 (01008351)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF9A) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff04 (0600AADB)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D886) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeCluster02 (03021D7A)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D88D) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref ExtRubble_Plain_Lg_Mid01 (03021C45)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF37) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref TreeCluster07 (0021AED1)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D967) combined data is owned by file RRTV_HomesAndBunkers_Coastal.esp due to ref BldConcSmWallPillarWall01 (0702488E)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8CA) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoastSlab (0304F4F0)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell POIMCamp02 (0000D986) combined data is owned by file RRTV_HomesAndBunkers_Coastal.esp due to ref DirtSlope01_NF_Dirt01Grass (07028DB5)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF7B) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff01_NF (0600B047)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000E400) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeClusterDead01 (03032CCA)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF58) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff01 (0600AAC9)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000F6B7) combined data is owned by file DLCRobot.esm due to ref TrashEdge01 (00142F3C)

 

There are a bunch of other warnings mentioned cells I don't even touch: University Point, The Mechanist Lair...Fort Hagen? WTF. Any ideas if these are benign or soemthign to be concerned with? If it's a major issue to resolve, I'll just finish the mod without the precombines at this point. There is so little in that area to be much of a performance hit that it might not be worth trying to fix, and I figure most players probably use scrapping mods that break the precombines there anyway, because so much is unscrappable.

 

Just wanted to to get some insight before I throw in the towel.

[VIitS]

OK, here's a stumper I've been trying to figure out for over two hours and am just spinning my wheels. I've made some minor edits to Coastal Cottage that adds an elevator/teleport to an interior cell. I've added a small room at the end of the "hole in the ground" where the two Mirelurks spawn. Rebuild all the precombines and previs, create archives, everything is happy. Everything works great in-game.

 

But when I open the .esp back up in the CK I get a message warning about "Combined key ref errors for cells." There is a whole string of messages that seem to indicate some of the precombines are "owned" by DLC .ESMs, and some are "owned" by my mod. Here a sample from the middle of the warnings:

** Cell Wilderness (0000D8C8) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoastSlab (00159376)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF51) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref BillboardBldgSm01 (0604BF65)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8EB) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockPileL01_NF_Roots01 (0304F4D9)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF5A) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref DirtCliffLarge02 (0600B046)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DFBB) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff03_NF (0600AADF)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D891) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoast_Low01 (03032CCE)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF16) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref TreeCluster06 (0021AEC0)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8AC) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeCluster08 (03021E10)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000E45B) combined data is owned by file DLCRobot.esm due to ref RaiderCampPole02 (01008351)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF9A) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff04 (0600AADB)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D886) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeCluster02 (03021D7A)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D88D) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref ExtRubble_Plain_Lg_Mid01 (03021C45)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF37) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref TreeCluster07 (0021AED1)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D967) combined data is owned by file RRTV_HomesAndBunkers_Coastal.esp due to ref BldConcSmWallPillarWall01 (0702488E)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000D8CA) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref RockCliffCoastSlab (0304F4F0)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell POIMCamp02 (0000D986) combined data is owned by file RRTV_HomesAndBunkers_Coastal.esp due to ref DirtSlope01_NF_Dirt01Grass (07028DB5)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF7B) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff01_NF (0600B047)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000E400) combined data is owned by file DLCCoast.esm due to ref TreeClusterDead01 (03032CCA)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000DF58) combined data is owned by file DLCNukaWorld.esm due to ref RockCliff01 (0600AAC9)

MASTERFILE: *** Cell Wilderness (0000F6B7) combined data is owned by file DLCRobot.esm due to ref TrashEdge01 (00142F3C)

 

There are a bunch of other warnings mentioned cells I don't even touch: University Point, The Mechanist Lair...Fort Hagen? WTF. Any ideas if these are benign or soemthign to be concerned with? If it's a major issue to resolve, I'll just finish the mod without the precombines at this point. There is so little in that area to be much of a performance hit that it might not be worth trying to fix, and I figure most players probably use scrapping mods that break the precombines there anyway, because so much is unscrappable.

 

Just wanted to to get some insight before I throw in the towel.

You're getting warnings in those cells because they show if you just load up the official DLC plugins. I'd guess it's essentially saying telling you that it is using/has to use precombined data associated with that plugin because of _____ reference. Honestly, with the hundreds/thousands of warnings that show when you just load Fallout4.esm or the DLC, I never pay attention to the warnings in the CK (to the point I set the Warnings window to appear below my screen using the preferences ini).

 

You didn't break anything, the CK is just incredibly stupid.

[MissingMeshTV]

 

You're getting warnings in those cells because they show if you just load up the official DLC plugins. I'd guess it's essentially saying telling you that it is using/has to use precombined data associated with that plugin because of _____ reference. Honestly, with the hundreds/thousands of warnings that show when you just load Fallout4.esm or the DLC, I never pay attention to the warnings in the CK (to the point I set the Warnings window to appear below my screen using the preferences ini).

 

You didn't break anything, the CK is just incredibly stupid.

 

 

Thanks, VIitS. That's what I was hoping to hear. I normally do ignore the barrage of CK warnings, but this throws up an actual warning box that I have to click out of to finish loading the .esp. I never get those with my mods (with the exception of anything I've done in Nuka World, as that DLC is just flooded with CK errors) so it was rather alarming. And the fact that it didn't start until after generating previs/precombines was also cause for concern.

 

On a semi-related note, FO4Edit shows a previs timestamp conflict with the Far Harbor .esm for any of surrounding the cells that DLC touches, with my mod as the winner. That's also something I've never encountered, but then again I think this is the first mod I've done with a DLC touching the Commonwealth worldspace. I've looked at other mods that alter Coastal Cottage and they all get the same previs timestamp conflict as mine is showing, which I suppose is what you would expect. Would rather not have any red showing on my mod in FO4edit, but am not sure if it's something to be worried about. Have only done very precursory testing at this point, but everything seems to work fine thus far.

[SMB92]

Also just for reference, if you see an error saying something like previs/precoms are invalid and its reverting back to Fallout4.esm or removing your custom changes/generations, you can safely ignore them. They do nothing/change nothing in your custom esp/esm. I've done a few regens of the same file to test it, as well as open CK and simply save after the error and done a compare in xEdit, no difference.

[MissingMeshTV]

Thanks for that info. Will keep that in mind should that specific error ever occur.

 

In regards to the previs timestamp conflict FO4Edit is showing, should that be a concern?

 

The Far Harbor .esm seems to claim ownership to most of the cells in the Coastal Cottage area, presumably due to the Nakano residence, but most of those cells aren't really anywhere near it. Seems that area has conflicts with the main game .esm as well...maybe Bethesda did it all on a Monday or a Friday.

[VIitS]

As long as yours loads last, yours wins, same as all other records in Fallout/TES games. If you built your mod's previs/precombineds without DLCCoast.esm loaded in the CK, it probably just means you won't have the things added by that DLC being included in previs calculations (theoretically reducing performance, but it would be negligible on any computer). The only time it would really matter if you generated precombineds/previs with the DLC loaded is if the DLC moved/removed something big.

 

If you generate your previs/precombineds with the relevant DLC loaded as well (which I imagine you are, otherwise it shouldn't give any messages about that DLC plugin "owning" anything), you're fine. It's probably throwing up the additional warning pop-up because it detects two overwrites, and is warning you that one won't apply.