Fallout 4 Optimization and Performance Systems Explained

[MissingMeshTV]

Sounds logical, particularly your comment on it detecting the overwrites. I went back through the warnings log this morning and saw a line more or less saying a change to a DLC asset was detected and it was reverting to the DLC data. Pretty sure it was in the Nakano house cell, which my mod doesn't touch but the new previs might have.

 

Initial testing doesn't show anything out of place, performance is perfect. So I'll just write it off to CK/DLC wonkiness. Thanks for the input. It's very much appreciated!

[Trosski]

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.

Actually, what happens is you get object culling just like if you hadn't created Preivs at all. Take Sunshine Tidings for instance. I had cleaned trash, debris, shrubs, and the destroyed cabin from that settlement, and as soon as I installed the Nuka DLC, it glitched out, and started causing problems in the two cells with the center building in them. You have to make precalc data with DLCs loaded as dependents if the DLC changes something in the same area as your plugin.

[Trosski]

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.

These are benign... mostly. These errors are Beth's fault, and is, I think, one of the reasons the Mechanist's lair had so many issues when the DLC first released. I don't think they generated new Precalc data correctly. Crazy I know, seeing as how it's their tools they are screwing up with, but I was able to correct that problem when it happened in my own game by simply regenerating precalc.

[MissingMeshTV]

 

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.

Actually, what happens is you get object culling just like if you hadn't created Preivs at all. Take Sunshine Tidings for instance. I had cleaned trash, debris, shrubs, and the destroyed cabin from that settlement, and as soon as I installed the Nuka DLC, it glitched out, and started causing problems in the two cells with the center building in them. You have to make precalc data with DLCs loaded as dependents if the DLC changes something in the same area as your plugin.

 

That's annoying to say the least. In my case the interior cell uses DLC assets, so they have to be loaded (and are) when editing the mod and making the precalc. But good info nonetheless, and will certainly keep that in mind.

[MissingMeshTV]

 

These are benign... mostly. These errors are Beth's fault, and is, I think, one of the reasons the Mechanist's lair had so many issues when the DLC first released. I don't think they generated new Precalc data correctly. Crazy I know, seeing as how it's their tools they are screwing up with, but I was able to correct that problem when it happened in my own game by simply regenerating precalc.

 

 

Thanks. I suspected they weren't anything related something I had done, but never having run into this before am happy to get some "professional advice" on it. Nuke World is flooded with errors and warning when you load it. The one mod I have released in Nuka Wold always gives me an error that it can't open the location where my exterior cell is. That sorta freaked me out the first time, until I realized it gives "can't open location" warnings for just about every location in the DLC even if you just load the .esm.

 

Will be doing more extensive testing over the weekend, but I think if there were any problems they would have surfaced by now. Thanks again for all the input!

[Trosski]

 

"professional advice"

LOL!!! You think WAY too highly of me, and my opinion.

[MissingMeshTV]

 

 

"professional advice"

LOL!!! You think WAY too highly of me, and my opinion.

I did use quotes... :laugh:

[Trosski]

I noticed.

[MissingMeshTV]

I noticed.

Quotation marks aside, I do value the info and input all of you give. All of this discussion has been a huge help in sorting this stuff out.

[Trosski]

Agreed. This has been a very worthwhile discussion. I wish Bethesda had done a better job explaining this system at the time of the CK's release. It is a fundamental game mechanic that deserves an official tutorial to help modders with exterior worldspace edits. Maybe I was just spoiled by the CK tutorial videos for Skyrim.