SSGB21 Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I recently bought Fallout 3 GOTY edition through Steam and when I tried playing it, the game froze in an unrecoverable way necessitating me to use Task Manager to close it. After re-opening the game several times and quicksaving literally every 10 seconds to avoid losing any progress, I have so far managed to play through part of the game up to Megaton. Obviously, crashing so regularly (it rarely lasts five minutes before freezing) does not create an enjoyable gaming experience and so I looked up ways to improve stability. I tried limiting the game to only use two cores or even one core with FALLOUT.ini, I disabled the audio using FALLOUT.ini, running Fallout 3 in windowed mode, running it in compatibility mode, running it from the FOSE launcher and not from the FOSE launcher, running it as an admin, almost everything I have found so far. I am not using any mods at the current time and have not even installed any yet (not counting FOSE which I have tried with it installed and with it not installed). My computer specs are as follows:Intel Core i3 CPU M350 @ 2.27 GHz,4GB RAM (3.86GB usable),Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) as my OS,NVIDIA GeForce 310M as my Graphics Card.(I think that's all that would be necessary to know. If any more information is needed, tell me and I will try to find it out.) I run the game on medium graphical settings with a smooth FPS (I don't know what I actually get FPS wise, but it is much smoother than New Vegas) with V-sync off (forced off by my graphics card) without HDR or Bloom. The ONLY real problem I get is with stability, not CTDs, but freezes with the audio continuing but everything else stops. I usually play with nothing running in the background if I can control it. Also, the game freezes seemingly at random; when I'm inside, when I'm outside, when in combat, when not in combat, it is not affected by using the Pipboy or not, etc. Any help would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCat Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 Your problem sounds (Pun?) identical to my problem, which I eventually solved ... HERE ... The only difference being you have the Steam version where I had the Retail version. Unfortunately it looks like you already tried FALLOUT.ini-->[Audio]-->bEnableAudio=0 ... but did you try installing the K-Lite Codecs anyway? [and don't forget to re-enable the sound ... bEnableAudio=1] Also being that your laptop is not optimal spec/power wise (but stll obviously works) I'd make sure Windows "Aero" and themes are disabled through your Fallout3.exe and FalloutLauncher.exe in your game installation folder .. R click the .exe(s) click properties, then open the "Compatability" tab and under settings check the "Disable visual themes" and "Disable destop composition" boxes. Otherwise all I can think of, which i also did, was re-install the game in it's own folder, not the default "Program Files (x86)" and I manually ran the 1.7 patch anyway even though my install said 1.7.0.3 after I installed all the DLC. Make sure ALL Auto Save features are turned off and personally I only manually save games, no quick saves just to be sure. Just to note I have well over 50hrs logged with absolutely no "Freezes" and only 2 CTD's which were easily cured with a restart, so good luck don't give up like I almost did several times :O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSGB21 Posted June 30, 2012 Author Share Posted June 30, 2012 I tried disabling the visual themes and it actually worked! I managed to play for about an hour with no crashes ;D . Thanks for you help!Also, I use a desktop for my games. A desktop which is identical to my laptop in specs apart from my laptop using Intel HD for the graphics card and having 250GB more Hard Disk. I only use the desktop because I need to move the laptop around for Real Life reasons and don't have a good desk or mouse for it. But I digress. Again, thanks for the help.Now... To MODDING :nuke: ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCat Posted June 30, 2012 Share Posted June 30, 2012 I tried disabling the visual themes and it actually worked! I managed to play for about an hour with no crashes ;D . Thanks for you help!Also, I use a desktop for my games. A desktop which is identical to my laptop in specs apart from my laptop using Intel HD for the graphics card and having 250GB more Hard Disk. I only use the desktop because I need to move the laptop around for Real Life reasons and don't have a good desk or mouse for it. But I digress. Again, thanks for the help.Now... To MODDING :nuke: ! FANTASIC! It is easy to overlook some of the simple fixes if you got as frustrated as i did initially. This game really is worth the trouble ... ESPECIALLY the MODs! Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts