Fallout 4 Won't Run

[BearExperiment]

I've had never ending issues with the script extender and the ini files for this game. Never been able to enjoy the game for longer than a day or so before it breaks again.

 

Now it just freezes and crashes, with the same list of mods that I had the day before when I ran the game all day without problems. I also had a 24GB update for Fallout 4 on December 4, 2018 (total game file is 27GB) Does this have something to do with the issue? Anyone else get this update?

 

I had reinstalled my game a couple of times while trying to get SE to work, which I managed to get that part to work, I think.

 

I followed instructions to the letter on what to do with the ini files, always get a pop up from NMM saying its configured incorrectly. Tried installing Fallout 4 configurator, did not help, tried running beht.ini, and now the game won't even launch.

 

I am reinstalling the game now. Can some one please tell me the CURRENT way to configure the ini files, and any other secret to get this game to actually run. I do 100x as much troubleshooting as I do actual shooting in this game.

 

I will post my mod list when I get home from work, and have access to it.

[Jannifer]

One thing that I can tell you is that you don't need to reinstall the game over and over. Go to Steam and verify your game cache from there. That will make sure that the base game files are good, but won't touch your mods. The Script Extender alone is seldom an issue, as its feature simply sit and wait patiently until a mod calls on them. You've either got some major mod conflicts, or your save file is corrupt.

 

If the game recently updated for you, then make sure that you have the latest version of the Script Extender. The SE is updated every time the game is. Next, try starting a new game...brand new character and the whole nine yards. See if you still have issues. If you do, then the problems are caused by a mod.

 

If you don't, then the problem is a corrupted save. If you check the FO4 Utilities category, you can probably find a save game cleaner. Since I don't play FO4 specifically, I can't recommend any particular utility. Run that utility according to the directions. Load the fixed save the utility generates and see if you still have issues. If you don't, then hopefully all is well.

 

If you do, then the problem could very well be a mod conflict or two or three. You can try running your load order through FO4Edit. Open FO4Edit and leave everything checked, then hit Okay. If the utility finds a problem, it will stop and tell you what it is on the Messages tab. Fix that issue and run your load order again. Fix issues as they crop up. Go back to your brand new save (you know, the one I told you to make in the second paragraph) and load it. See how things go from there.

 

Now is the time to edit your .ini file(s). Unless there is some particular edit that a mod needs to work, leave that until last when you know things are reasonably stable. Verifying your game cache will create a new .ini file the first time you run the game, so that will be back to vanilla. Make your edits carefully, preferably one at a time so that you know immediately which edit caused a problem should one arise.

 

I hope this information helps. Good luck!

[BearExperiment]

Thanks, I'll try some of that when I get home. I've tried verifying the game cache already. Hopefully not a corrupted save because I'm in too deep to start over.

[BearExperiment]

Game is in an infinite cycle of updating the entire game. This is by the far the hardest game to play on Earth. Requires a PHD in computer sciences to play Fallout 4.

[Jannifer]

I'll give you one more piece of advice, then. Do NOT make changes to your .ini unless you know exactly what you're changing and why.

 

Many .ini changes are on the order of "This worked for me, so maybe you should try it." What works for one person may not work for another and may actually be harmful because of the almost endless possible combinations of hardware and software. I never make changes to an .ini unless A) a mod requires a certain change, as with an archery mod, or B) the change is one I understand completely, such as turning off the tutorial.

 

Leave your .ini alone, poor thing, and let it do its job. :P

[janlevkoff]

Playing FO4 with vanilla assets only, I get the same result as Bear. My belief is that it all started when the Creation Club was introduced. The game always ran beautifully before that (and never, since). Like he said, I can clean everything and the game runs fine all day, or until I turn if off. Next time I load it, it no longer works. Do you think God mode can cause that problem? I always play in God mode as I'm too old and slow to not do that, but that's all I change from vanilla. I've been playing Fallout 4 since just after release, so I like to think I know all the tricks to keep it working.

[JimmyRJump]

Playing FO4 with vanilla assets only, I get the same result as Bear. My belief is that it all started when the Creation Club was introduced. The game always ran beautifully before that (and never, since). Like he said, I can clean everything and the game runs fine all day, or until I turn if off. Next time I load it, it no longer works. Do you think God mode can cause that problem? I always play in God mode as I'm too old and slow to not do that, but that's all I change from vanilla. I've been playing Fallout 4 since just after release, so I like to think I know all the tricks to keep it working.

Nope. Godmode has nothing to do with it. If a save won't load, then something probably went wrong during the save. Next time you exit the game, try exiting in two steps, i.e. exit to the main menu first, and from there exit to desktop. Sometimes, when exiting directly to desktop, it for some reason doesn't give the game enough time to properly save the game...

[Guest deleted34304850]

I've had never ending issues with the script extender and the ini files for this game. Never been able to enjoy the game for longer than a day or so before it breaks again.

Now it just freezes and crashes, with the same list of mods that I had the day before when I ran the game all day without problems. I also had a 24GB update for Fallout 4 on December 4, 2018 (total game file is 27GB) Does this have something to do with the issue? Anyone else get this update?

I had reinstalled my game a couple of times while trying to get SE to work, which I managed to get that part to work, I think.

My question to you here is why would you do that? When you install F4SE, there are some very brief instructions on what to do, and nowhere does it say you need to uninstall/reinstall your game. You need to understand what you're doing here, it's very simple to install, but if you go off and do random stuff such as uninstall/reinstall the game, you're going to hit issues.

I followed instructions to the letter on what to do with the ini files, always get a pop up from NMM saying its configured incorrectly. Tried installing Fallout 4 configurator, did not help, tried running beht.ini, and now the game won't even launch.

Why would you run all those tools on your ini files? Do you know what they are doing to your game, and do you understand how they are going to alter your ini files? Most importantly of all do you know how to revert any changes they make?

I am reinstalling the game now. Can some one please tell me the CURRENT way to configure the ini files, and any other secret to get this game to actually run. I do 100x as much troubleshooting as I do actual shooting in this game.

If I were you, I would stop whatever it is you're doing right now, because it reads to me as if you're in a perpetual loop of self-inflicted problems.

Here is my advice. Its free so there's your caveat;

1. Get Steam to verify the integrity of your game files and let it do whatever it needs to do to get you to a vanilla install.

2. Start the game with no mods enabled whatsoever, including Creation Club and anything else. Just start the game as it was delivered. The idea here is to ensure that you have a game that works 'out of the box'.

3. Complete the initial quest up to the point where you are about to leave the vault. Save and quit at that point. This is going to be your 'hard save'.

4. Edit your ini file and make sure you have set it so that you can mod the game - see Gopher's video on this if you don't know how to do it - don't make any other INI edits. Save the ini file.

4. Use your mod manager to install the Unofficial Fallout 4 patch from the Nexus. Just this mod, nothing else. Start the game, make sure it all works, leave the vault, go to Codsworth and search Sanctuary. Make sure your game is working up to this point.

5. If all is well, save and quit the game at this point.

6. Add in any mods you want to add - do NOT mess with the INI file using any mods that change it. Just install your mods. Periodically, load your game, ensure the mods are loaded and play around with it. If the game appears stable repeat this step.

If you want to install F4SE, download the latest version, and follow the instructions - don't re-install your game, don't format your hard drive, and re-install windows - just download the zip file and extract the contents to your /data folder.

When you've done that, you MUST start the game from the F4SE loader. So make a shortcut to that and stick it on your desktop. Any time you want to play FO4 click that shortcut to load the game via F4SE. If you start the game via Steam, Steam will start the fallout 4 exe which means that F4SE doesn't get loaded, so be careful with that.

Don't mess with your INI files unless you know what you're changing and why you're changing it, and how to revert the change should your game start to suffer.

Oh and one other thing; if you install mods, then uninstall them mid-play through, you will wreck your game completely, and that wreckage will take the form of random CTD's. So if you are going to install mods, be sure of the following;

1. they are still supported. (check to see the last time the mod was updated).

2. they don't have a lot of posts complaining of issues with no apparent fix.

3. you are 100% certain that you will not remove the mod from your current play through.

If at any point you start to get issues - then you can revert back to the save you took, just before you exited the vault. It should have no mods enabled, so if you get any issues, disable your mods, go back to that save point and start over.

Take consistent 'hard saves' in your play through so that you can fall back to a prior point in your game and you don't lose days of progress.

Do that, and you should be good.

Don't mess with your INI files unless you know what you're changing and why you're changing it, and how to revert the change should your game start to suffer.

[Guest deleted34304850]

Playing FO4 with vanilla assets only, I get the same result as Bear. My belief is that it all started when the Creation Club was introduced. The game always ran beautifully before that (and never, since). Like he said, I can clean everything and the game runs fine all day, or until I turn if off. Next time I load it, it no longer works. Do you think God mode can cause that problem? I always play in God mode as I'm too old and slow to not do that, but that's all I change from vanilla. I've been playing Fallout 4 since just after release, so I like to think I know all the tricks to keep it working.

Creation Club has nothing to do with random CTD's. That's always been a feature of Bethesda games. :)

 

It's more than likely that a mod or mods have been added and then removed during a play through, which has caused the save game to become corrupted.

 

God mode can give you a problem if you collect everything you find because you go way past your carrying capacity and that can cause problems if you have hundreds of objects and are way past your carry limit as that will give the engine some issues that will give you a CTD. If you want to collect everything you find, make use of mods like Salvage Beacons which will enable you to gather everything you find, then store it in a container in the world and have it transferred to a settlement on your behalf.

 

Hope this helps.

[MarkusTay]

My game won't load from MM2 if I use the F4SE tab. I try to, I get an error message saying that the version of the game is too new for F4SE... WTF?!

 

I was having some problems last night, which I attributed to a new mod I was trying, but now I think it had to do with a game update I was unaware of.

 

I CAN launch the game (from MM2) if I just use the FO4 launch icon instead of the F4SE one, but then at least half my mods aren't working. What the hell did Bethesda do? Get mad that people were going back to FO4 in droves after trying FO76 and hating it, so they broke the game (with an update)? Almost sounds like what Microsoft does with Windows every few years.

 

I mean, WHY was there an update? They've made it clear that they are done with FO4, so the only reason why I can see them going back in and tinkering at this time is for nefarious reasons. What... the FULLY CANVAS dufflebag mod piss them off or something?