Fallout 3 has an unplayable frame rate unless I first load from a specific old save.

[eoai53]

This is a very odd error and I'm not sure how to fix it. Every time I start Fallout 3 I have to load a specific old save first and then load up my newest save in order to have a playable frame rate. If I first load my newest save or any other save game but that one specific one the game is unplayable and I have to restart it. Even starting a new game has this problem. Everything looks great and my mods function just as I want them to but only if I load that save file first. Has anyone experienced anything like this before?

 

My Computer Specs:

 

Intel i7-3630QM quad core @ 2.40GHz
Dual Nvidia 750m with SLI
4096mb total VRAM
16gb RAM
15gb free space on HD
Win 7 64-bit SP1

 

Game Info:

 

-Fallout 3 goty is installed in the default steam location.
-GOTY Version 1.7.0.3 with the Unofficial Patch applied.
-I'm using the newest version of FOMM (Fallout Mod Manager).
-I'm using LOOT, FOSE (Fallout Script Extender), FO3Edit, ENBSeries v0.278 with Chromatic Melancholy, and applied the 4gb patch.
-The game works using one save as described.
-I have not had steam verify local files.
-"Hide known file extensions" disabled

 

 

 

LOOT load order:

 

 

0 0 Fallout3.esm
1 1 Anchorage.esm
2 2 ThePitt.esm
3 3 StreetLights.esm
4 4 BrokenSteel.esm
5 5 PointLookout.esm
6 6 Zeta.esm
7 7 Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm
8 8 CALIBR.esm
9 9 CRAFT.esm
10 a FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
11 b Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
12 c Project Beauty.esm
13 d EVE.esm
14 e Flora Overhaul.esp
15 f Faster PipBoy Light.esp
16 10 FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
17 11 DarNifiedUIF3.esp
18 12 Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Anchorage.esp
19 13 Mart's Mutant Mod.esp
20 14 UPP - Pack 1.esp
21 15 UPP - Pack 2.esp
22 16 RandomEncounters.esp
23 17 GNR Enhanced.esp
24 18 Overhead3PCamera.esp
25 19 GlowingQuantum.esp
26 1a CASM.esp
27 1b Millenia_AKS74U.esp
28 1c Barkskin.esp
29 1d ShellRain.esp
30 1e Bornagain Outcast T-45d Texture Patch.esp
31 1f Bornagain Reillys Rangers Helmet Texture Patch.esp
32 20 FO3_WRP.esp
33 21 DC Moods.esp
34 22 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp
35 23 The Pitt Moods.esp
36 24 Blackened FWE + MMM + EVE + Project Beauty.esp
37 25 Project Beauty- Broken Steel.esp
38 26 Chems and Meds Re-Textures Pack.esp
39 27 WeaponModKits.esp
40 28 WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp
41 29 FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers.esp
42 2a Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Point Lookout.esp
43 2b Project Beauty- Point Lookout.esp
44 2c Mart's Mutant Mod - Master Menu Module.esp
45 2d Mart's Mutant Mod - Natural Selection.esp
46 2e Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Broken Steel.esp
47 2f Xepha's Darkened Interiors.esp
48 30 Revamped Leveling - Unaltered Bobbleheads.esp
49 31 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - BS.esp
50 32 Classic Fallout Weapons BETA.esp
51 33 PointLookout Moods.esp
52 34 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - PL.esp
53 35 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp
54 36 WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp
55 37 Mart's Mutant Mod - Tougher Traders.esp
56 38 Dree Perks.esp
57 39 teslaPA -retextured.esp
58 3a Omegared99-ENB Transparency Fix.esp
59 3b HZSmoothLight - FO3.esp
60 3c FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp
61 3d WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp
62 3e FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp
63 3f WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp
64 40 WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp
65 41 WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp
66 42 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp
67 43 FO3 Wanderers Edition - More Gore.esp
68 44 RadioTenpenny.esp
69 45 Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC Zeta.esp
70 46 Enclave Radio Enhanced.esp
71 47 Mart's Mutant Mod - DLC The Pitt.esp
72 48 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - OA.esp
73 49 Existence 2.0.esp
74 4a Conelrad 640-1240.esp
75 4b Bornagain Zeta Combat Armor Texture Patch.esp
76 4c MTCBigTownRobotFix.esp
77 4d Tankless Flamer.esp
78 4e PureWater-VeryCleanLittleRad-.esp
79 4f RealisticHDRLight.esp
80 50 IMPACT.esp
81 51 IMPACT FWE+WMK+All DLCs.esp
82 52 City-Killer-english.esp
83 53 lessviewdistance.esp
84 54 RubblePilesFix.esp
85 55 Merged Patch.esp

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by eoai53

[M48A5]

Please see "How to ask for help" http://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/How_to_ask_for_help

[eoai53]

Please see "How to ask for help" http://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/How_to_ask_for_help

Thank you, I have edited my post with the needed information.

Edited June 5, 2017 by eoai53

[M48A5]

There are quite a few things wrong here. Fallout 3 has a problem running with a quad core CPU. You need to restrict the CPU to two cores by going into your .ini file in Documents/My Games/Fallout 3 and edit bUseThreadedAI=1 and immediately below that, add iNumHWThreads=2.

 

Do not ever use LOOT to sort your load order. It does not now nor has it ever sorted Fallout 3 mods correctly. Use B.O.S.S. http://boss-developers.github.io/

 

Re-read the instructions for the proper use of the Blackened patch and the proper use of the Paradox Ignition merged MMM.

 

Before resorting your load order, disable and delete your merged patch. You will need a new one. Do not include the Blackened patch in the merged patch.

 

See also: https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/652876-fallout-3-modding-and-you/

[blove]

You might try moving all of your old saves out of your Saves folder (something like C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\Fallout 3\Saves) and starting a new game to see if the issue persists.

[eoai53]

There are quite a few things wrong here. Fallout 3 has a problem running with a quad core CPU. You need to restrict the CPU to two cores by going into your .ini file in Documents/My Games/Fallout 3 and edit bUseThreadedAI=1 and immediately below that, add iNumHWThreads=2.

 

Do not ever use LOOT to sort your load order. It does not now nor has it ever sorted Fallout 3 mods correctly. Use B.O.S.S. http://boss-developers.github.io/

 

Re-read the instructions for the proper use of the Blackened patch and the proper use of the Paradox Ignition merged MMM.

 

Before resorting your load order, disable and delete your merged patch. You will need a new one. Do not include the Blackened patch in the merged patch.

 

See also: https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/652876-fallout-3-modding-and-you/

 

 

You might try moving all of your old saves out of your Saves folder (something like C:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Games\Fallout 3\Saves) and starting a new game to see if the issue persists.

 

Thanks for the tips, I have gone ahead and made the changes M48A5 had suggested. I think I have narrowed the problem down to the fact that my computer is too slow to use at the same time the Chromatic ENB and detailed sky textures that I have installed through DC Moods (and other texture packs when DC Moods is disabled). For some reason by loading the specific old save file certain sky texture files (and possibly other textures) are bypassed, but the lighting/color, sun glare and sun texture from DC Moods remains. This bypass persists when other save files are loaded. I believe the sky textures are the default ones but I am not certain.

 

Here is a screenshot of my newest save file loaded directly after starting the game:

http://imgur.com/9lerJD5

 

And here is a screenshot from the same location using the newest save file loaded after starting the game and first loading the old save file:

http://imgur.com/fsavjPN

 

I'm not sure how to find out which textures have been disabled and which ones are used when the game runs smoothly. Ideally I would want to keep it running well for every game I play.

 

My Updated Load Order:

 

 

0 0 Fallout3.esm

1 1 Anchorage.esm

2 2 ThePitt.esm

3 3 StreetLights.esm

4 4 BrokenSteel.esm

5 5 PointLookout.esm

6 6 Zeta.esm

7 7 Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm

8 8 CRAFT.esm

9 9 CALIBR.esm

10 a Project Beauty.esm

11 b EVE.esm

12 c FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm

13 d Mart's Mutant Mod.esm

14 e DarNifiedUIF3.esp

15 f Project Beauty- Broken Steel.esp

16 10 Project Beauty- Point Lookout.esp

17 11 CASM.esp

18 12 Overhead3PCamera.esp

19 13 Enclave Radio Enhanced.esp

20 14 GNR Enhanced.esp

21 15 RadioTenpenny.esp

22 16 Conelrad 640-1240.esp

23 17 UPP - Pack 1.esp

24 18 UPP - Pack 2.esp

25 19 Dree Perks.esp

26 1a RandomEncounters.esp

27 1b Chems and Meds Re-Textures Pack.esp

28 1c Classic Fallout Weapons BETA.esp

29 1d FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp

30 1e FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp

31 1f FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp

32 20 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp

33 21 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp

34 22 FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp

35 23 FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers.esp

36 24 WeaponModKits.esp

37 25 WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp

38 26 WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp

39 27 WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp

40 28 WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp

41 29 WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp

42 2a WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp

43 2b MTCBigTownRobotFix.esp

44 2c ShellRain.esp

45 2d FO3 Wanderers Edition - More Gore.esp

46 2e Faster PipBoy Light.esp

47 2f Xepha's Darkened Interiors.esp

48 30 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - OA.esp

49 31 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - BS.esp

50 32 Xepha's Darkened Interiors - PL.esp

51 33 Flora Overhaul.esp

52 34 GlowingQuantum.esp

53 35 Millenia_AKS74U.esp

54 36 Barkskin.esp

55 37 Bornagain Outcast T-45d Texture Patch.esp

56 38 Bornagain Reillys Rangers Helmet Texture Patch.esp

57 39 Bornagain Zeta Combat Armor Texture Patch.esp

58 3a FO3_WRP.esp

59 3b Revamped Leveling - Unaltered Bobbleheads.esp

60 3c teslaPA -retextured.esp

61 3d HZSmoothLight - FO3.esp

62 3e Existence 2.0.esp

63 3f Tankless Flamer.esp

64 40 PureWater-VeryCleanLittleRad-.esp

65 41 DC Moods.esp

66 42 PointLookout Moods.esp

67 43 The Pitt Moods.esp

68 44 lessviewdistance.esp

69 45 IMPACT.esp

70 46 IMPACT FWE+WMK+All DLCs.esp

71 47 City-Killer-english.esp

72 48 RubblePilesFix.esp

73 49 Merged Patch.esp

74 4a Blackened FWE + MMM + EVE + Project Beauty.esp

 

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by eoai53

[M48A5]

It might be a good idea to make your game Large Address Aware so that you can use more than to default 2GB RAM. http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/6510/?

[eoai53]

It might be a good idea to make your game Large Address Aware so that you can use more than to default 2GB RAM. http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/6510/?

I believe I have already done that using NTCore's 4GB Patch.

 

Anyways I think I have figured out the problem, the save game file also saved and used the enbseries.ini data from a previous ENB mod I installed. Ambient occlusion, lens, and detailed shadows were all disabled in that mod and since I didn't use ENB before that save all of my other saves used the .ini file from the newest one I have installed. I didn't know that Fallout 3 save games could also save ENB file data as well.

 

Thanks for the help with modding though, I have learned some very useful things and my load order is nice and organized now.