Having some problems getting my modded FONV running right

[DangusMcFinghin]

Hello! I have been putting the last few weeks into selecting mods and getting them ready to use so I could start a whole new game modded from the get-go. I am having some weird issues now though, and while I've resolved one of the worst its still not working right.

First off, I was trying to use Dynamo's ENB preset and discovered that SweetFX has some issues with DirectX and Windows 10. After trying many complicated fixes I actually discovered the most simple fix for this is to just delete d3d11.dll from the game directory. Doing this instantly stopped all DLL errors on launch.

Just to be safe I removed Dynamo's ENB and put Seven Sins ENB preset on instead. No SweetFX and it looks good. I got the patch for Nevada Skies and it seemed to start up ok. Then the performance hit... my god the performance hit..... Even though my video card was saying I was getting a solid 40+ fps, the game effectively runs like its getting 9-10fps tops. Its so laggy and lots of things do not look right. Everything is a lot darker than its supposed to be at times(especially during mild storms). The biggest problem though, hands down, is the fact that objects are showing through cliffs like I have terminator vision or something. When I went to clear the wells with Sunny, I could see the wells through the rocks that were supposed to be obscuring them.

I have turned off antialiasing and multisampling and things are not improving. I have a big list of mods but I'm not sure of an easy way to print them out for this. I think maybe the full list is in plugins.txt so I'll just paste that in here and hope that provides sufficient info.

Oh and my PC is a Xeon X5670 with 12gb DDR and a GeForce 960 with 4gb. Hardly top of the line but it should be running this a lot better.

Here are my mods(not the launch order. I let LOOT handle that)
5 Level SPECIALs.esp
ADAM Complete.esp
Advanced Recon Gear.esp
Advanced Recon Tech.esm
Advanced Recon Tech.esp
ArmourRepairKits.esp
Asurah_reanimation.esp
Bash_Spread.esp
boa ncrpahelmet.esp
Boacombat2glove.esp
Book of Steel.esp
CAGE 1.9.3.2.esp
CaravanPack.esm
CRL9K_ThisMachineSound.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main NV.esp
DeadMoney.esm
DeselectQuests.esp
Destructibles.esp
ELECTRO-CITY - CompletedWorkorders.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - Highways and Byways.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - Imaginator.esp
Equipable Rex.esp
EVE FNV - ALL DLC.esp
FalloutNV.esm
FCO - NPC Changes.esp
FCO - OHSB NPC Edits.esp
FCO - Race Addon.esp
FCO - Sweat.esp
FCOMaster.esm
FNVLODGen.esp
GunRunnersArsenal.esm
Honest Hearts Workbench Crate Luck.esp
HonestHearts.esm
ImmersiveRecoil.esp
IMPACT.esp
Improved ammo.esp
ImprovedWorkbench.esp
JIP Selective-Fire.esm
LimestoneLOD.esp
LonesomeRoad.esm
Lucky38 Climate Fixed.esp
meow_burny.esp
MuchNeededLOD.esp
NevadaSkies - Ultimate DLC Edition.esp
New Vegas Landscape Overhaul.esp
No More Exploding Collars.esp
NoCazadorPoison.esp
NVInteriors_ComboEdition.esm
NVInteriors_Core.esm
NVInteriors_Rewritten.esp
NVStripOpen.esm
OldWorldBlues.esm
PerkEveryLevel.esp
Poison Sound Remover.esp
RememberAmmo.esp
StripOpenMain.esp
The Mod Configuration Menu.esp
tmzLODadditions.esp
tmzLODadditions-NVInterriors.esp
TribalPack.esm
Unofficial Patch NVSE.esp
Unofficial Patch Plus - Addendum.esp
Vault_34_better_reactor.esp
Vurt's WFO.esp
Wasteland Defense.esp
Water Consumed Stat Fix.esp
Weapon Retexture Project.esp
WeaponModsExpanded.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.esm
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Honest.Hearts.Grunt.Patch.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Leveled.Lists.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Store.esp
WMX-ArenovalisTextures.esp
WMX-DLCMerged.esp
WMX-EVE-AllDLCMerged.esp
WMX-POPMerged.esp
XFO - 9a - Enemies - AI revamp.esp
XFO - 9da - Enemies - NPC Healing - low.esp
YUP - Base Game + All DLC.esm
YUP - NPC Fixes (Base Game + All DLC).esp

Any advice on how to get it to stop this would be really appreciated!!!

Here is a screenshot of this:

[DangusMcFinghin]

If you look close in the above picture you can see the well equipment showing through the rocks.

Here's another picture that shows some of the same issues. Look close and you'll see that bushes and a couple fence parts are visible through this building.....

[M48A5]

An actual load order is necessary to begin any troubleshooting.

 

Please see "How to ask for help" and provide all the information noted there: https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/How_to_ask_for_help

 

Regardless of the amount of RAM you have, the game engine will only utilize 2GB unless it has been patched with the 4GB patch.

Edited March 11, 2019 by M48A5

[DangusMcFinghin]

I think I have figured out how to post the load order:

FalloutNV.esm
DeadMoney.esm
HonestHearts.esm
OldWorldBlues.esm
LonesomeRoad.esm
GunRunnersArsenal.esm
ClassicPack.esm
MercenaryPack.esm
TribalPack.esm
CaravanPack.esm
YUP - Base Game + All DLC.esm
NVInteriors_Core.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - CompletedWorkorders.esm
NVInteriors_ComboEdition.esm
NevadaSkies.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - Highways and Byways.esm
JIP Selective-Fire.esm
FCOMaster.esm
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.esm
Advanced Recon Tech.esm
NVStripOpen.esm
YUP - NPC Fixes (Base Game + All DLC).esp
WMIMNV.esp
Improved ammo.esp
ArmourRepairKits.esp
NoCazadorPoison.esp
ELECTRO-CITY - Imaginator.esp
Poison Sound Remover.esp
DeselectQuests.esp
ImprovedWorkbench.esp
RememberAmmo.esp
RetrievableThrowables.esp
MuchNeededLOD.esp
No More Exploding Collars.esp
NVInteriors_Rewritten.esp
5 Level SPECIALs.esp
FCO - NPC Changes.esp
Vurt's WFO.esp
New Vegas Landscape Overhaul.esp
EVE FNV - ALL DLC.esp
WeaponModsExpanded.esp
Choose Lockpick Or Use Key.esp
WMX-DLCMerged.esp
Unofficial Patch Plus.esp
Weapon Retexture Project.esp
WMX-EVE-AllDLCMerged.esp
Asurah_reanimation.esp
Bash_Spread.esp
StripOpenMain.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Store.esp
Wasteland Defense.esp
LimestoneLOD.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Store.LITE.esp
CAGE 1.9.3.2.esp
tmzLODadditions-NVInterriors.esp
Equipable Rex.esp
Unofficial Patch NVSE.esp
Vault_34_better_reactor.esp
Water Consumed Stat Fix.esp
XFO - 9a - Enemies - AI revamp.esp
XFO - 9da - Enemies - NPC Healing - low.esp
XFO - 9db - Enemies - NPC Healing - med.esp
XFO - 9dc - Enemies - NPC Healing - high.esp
CASM with MCM.esp
Deathclaw Pro Hunter Challenge Fix.esp
Honest Hearts Workbench Crate Luck.esp
ImmersiveRecoil.esp
meow_burny.esp
Unofficial Patch Plus - Addendum.esp
Restoring Hope Quest Morale Fix.esp
The Mod Configuration Menu.esp
Reworked Health Effects.esp
FCO - GlowingOne.esp
FCO - OHSB NPC Edits.esp
FCO - Sweat.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Honest.Hearts.Grunt.Patch.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Leveled.Lists.esp
Book of Steel.esp
boa ncrpahelmet.esp
Boacombat2glove.esp
CRL9K_SequoiaSoundChange.esp
CRL9K_ThisMachineSound.esp
FCO - Race Addon.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main NV.esp
IMPACT.esp
Lucky38 Climate Fixed.esp
Advanced Recon Gear.esp
Advanced Recon Tech.esp
Destructibles.esp
WMX-ArenovalisTextures.esp
WMX-POPMerged.esp
PerkEveryLevel.esp
ADAM Complete.esp
FNVLODGen.esp
tmzLODadditions.esp
NevadaSkies - TTW Edition.esp
NevadaSkies - Ultimate DLC Edition.esp
NevadaSkies - Basic Edition.esp

[dubiousintent]

Please see the 'Common Game Problems' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article. You have conflicting and unnecessary "optional files" from mods such as "Nevada Skies" installed.

 

Regarding your DirectX problem, see the 'Solutions to Starting the game problems' or the 'Solutions to "Crash To Desktop" (CTD) problems' sections in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide.

 

The following entries in the wiki 'Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting' guide specifically address known Win10 problems:
* 'Issue: NVSE - fails to load after update KB4058043 to Win10 FCU (v1709)'
* 'Issue: Incomplete save game load' (NVSR related)
* 'Issue: Vanilla game Hangs on startup'; specifically "Cause-1" regarding DirectX9 drivers.
* 'Issue: "Full screen mode" exhibits CTDs and stutters or micro-stutters'
* 'Issue: Recent (post-Win10 FCU) CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play' (NVSR related)
* 'Issue: Lag or "micro stutters" even with "New Vegas Stutter Remover" installed (or not)'. In particular "Cause-4" regarding video card settings. The latest video drivers may not be the best suited to an older game like FNV. All vendors drop testing of old games at some point. Backwards compatibility is never guaranteed, much less "optimization".
Also, "Cause-7" regarding "Superfetch" and "File search indexing". Windows updates will often reset these back on.
* 'Issue: Win10 Screen tearing in "Borderless Windowed Mode"'
* 'Issue: ENB Support for Windows versions later than Win7'
* 'Issue: Problems using ENB/SweetFx on Windows 10'

 

"Post processors" such as ENB and SweetFX complicate getting a stable game setup. Implement them last. Without a stable game they do you no good anyway. Everything they handle is after the game engine has processed the image for display. When you have that stable game, see the 'Solutions to Post-Processor (ENB/SweetFX et. al.) problems' section of the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" article.

I recommend anyone read the entire "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article to understand the differences between this game and others you may have experience with; especially if this is your first attempt to play a modded FNV or it's been more than a year since you last did so.

-Dubious-

[DangusMcFinghin]

Thanks, I will go over your post, but I should clarify something first here. LOOT output the list above(which I found as per the instructions I was given in the previous links), but it does not say which are activated. I definitely do not have conflicting optional files enabled. I only have one NV Skies enabled. Sorry for any confusion. I will manually edit the list and try this again..... sorry

Also, to be clear, I fixed all the startup problems. Just deleting d3d11.dll totally resolved all start up DLL issues. I found hundreds of posts on this problem over the years and I have not seen any solutions involving just deleting that file. So I included that info in the first post to make it clear that there's a much easier fix for that problem than those you find on search engines. The only problems I am currently having are terrible performance and the aforementioned issue of seeing certain objects through terrain and buildings.

I have the 4gb patch, NVAC, "tick fix"(newer version of NVSR) and I have ENB set to handle as much as it can externally. I don't get any crashes(although I cannot alt-tab out and come back again for whatever reason).

Since I can't seem to output any lists of what is actually enabled, I have manually edited this. Any with an X in front of them are not active:

FalloutNV.esm
DeadMoney.esm
HonestHearts.esm
OldWorldBlues.esm
LonesomeRoad.esm
GunRunnersArsenal.esm
ClassicPack.esm
MercenaryPack.esm
TribalPack.esm
CaravanPack.esm
YUP - Base Game + All DLC.esm
NVInteriors_Core.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - CompletedWorkorders.esm
NVInteriors_ComboEdition.esm
NevadaSkies.esm
ELECTRO-CITY - Highways and Byways.esm
JIP Selective-Fire.esm
FCOMaster.esm
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.esm
Advanced Recon Tech.esm
NVStripOpen.esm
YUP - NPC Fixes (Base Game + All DLC).esp
WMIMNV.esp
Improved ammo.esp
ArmourRepairKits.esp
NoCazadorPoison.esp
ELECTRO-CITY - Imaginator.esp
Poison Sound Remover.esp
DeselectQuests.esp
ImprovedWorkbench.esp
RememberAmmo.esp
RetrievableThrowables.esp
MuchNeededLOD.esp
No More Exploding Collars.esp
NVInteriors_Rewritten.esp
5 Level SPECIALs.esp
FCO - NPC Changes.esp
Vurt's WFO.esp
New Vegas Landscape Overhaul.esp
EVE FNV - ALL DLC.esp
WeaponModsExpanded.esp
Choose Lockpick Or Use Key.esp
WMX-DLCMerged.esp
Unofficial Patch Plus.esp
Weapon Retexture Project.esp
WMX-EVE-AllDLCMerged.esp
Asurah_reanimation.esp
Bash_Spread.esp
StripOpenMain.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Store.esp
x - Wasteland Defense.esp
LimestoneLOD.esp
x - Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Store.LITE.esp
CAGE 1.9.3.2.esp
tmzLODadditions-NVInterriors.esp
Equipable Rex.esp
Unofficial Patch NVSE.esp
Vault_34_better_reactor.esp
Water Consumed Stat Fix.esp
XFO - 9a - Enemies - AI revamp.esp
XFO - 9da - Enemies - NPC Healing - low.esp
x - XFO - 9db - Enemies - NPC Healing - med.esp
x - XFO - 9dc - Enemies - NPC Healing - high.esp
CASM with MCM.esp
x - Deathclaw Pro Hunter Challenge Fix.esp
Honest Hearts Workbench Crate Luck.esp
ImmersiveRecoil.esp
meow_burny.esp
Unofficial Patch Plus - Addendum.esp
Restoring Hope Quest Morale Fix.esp
The Mod Configuration Menu.esp
Reworked Health Effects.esp
FCO - GlowingOne.esp
FCO - OHSB NPC Edits.esp
FCO - Sweat.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Honest.Hearts.Grunt.Patch.esp
Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia.Leveled.Lists.esp
Book of Steel.esp
boa ncrpahelmet.esp
Boacombat2glove.esp
CRL9K_SequoiaSoundChange.esp
CRL9K_ThisMachineSound.esp
FCO - Race Addon.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main NV.esp
IMPACT.esp
Lucky38 Climate Fixed.esp
Advanced Recon Gear.esp
Advanced Recon Tech.esp
Destructibles.esp
WMX-ArenovalisTextures.esp
WMX-POPMerged.esp
PerkEveryLevel.esp
ADAM Complete.esp
FNVLODGen.esp
tmzLODadditions.esp
x - NevadaSkies - TTW Edition.esp
NevadaSkies - Ultimate DLC Edition.esp
x - NevadaSkies - Basic Edition.esp

[dubiousintent]

If LOOT included a plugin in it's list, that plugin file is present in the "Data" folder. Doesn't matter if it is "inactive". You don't mention what mod manager you are using (if any). That can make a difference in what files are present in "Data".

 

Our current understanding is that if you have a plugin (active or not) installed in the "Data" folder, the game engine loads it up into memory when it starts. This can cause problems such as conflicts, even though the plugin is not "actively" used by the game; and it does count against the "plugin cap". However, the plugin cap is mostly a guideline as to "more than this the game starts to have memory issues" and it really depends upon the mix of plugins and textures involved and how much memory they collectively consume as to when that occurs. You have a limited amount (4GB when patched; 2GB by default) of memory available to the game and every plugin of any nature consumes some of that memory. Add to this that the game can be shown to have "memory leaks" which eventually cause it to CTD.

Additionally, any time you remove a plugin from your current play-through you risk corrupting your save game files. This is because they typically store information there as to the state of their variables and quests. If you picked up a unique (non-vanilla) item added by a mod, that item (like any item you pick up) is stored in the save game, but also requires the plugin it came from to be available as that item's "source records". Hence the general advice to never remove a plugin from your current game.

So, convenient or not, uninstall those inactive plugins. Once you do play them (as "active"), leave them in your game or start a "new" one. At the very least, if you think they are "completed" and you have not kept any of their "unique" items, make sure you know which was the last save game prior to removing the mod and are prepared to have to revert back to it when things go wrong later on (no matter how many hours later that may be).

Regarding the "d3d11.dll" file. It is not (or at least should not be) present in the game folder. It is located under the Windows system files, and should not be deleted. It will be needed by other (later published) games. Which is why you did not find other recommendations to delete it. Just because something "worked" does not mean it is recommended. The entry I referenced explains why you need to install a "d3d9.dll" file. That fixes the problem in a correct, non-disruptive manner.

 

All of the problems you mention are solved by the wiki articles I referenced. They have evolved from extensive research and dealing with those issues on a daily basis for the last four years, and are constantly updated as new information is discovered.

 

-Dubious-

[DangusMcFinghin]

Thank you for the advice about inactive plugins. I have renamed all the extensions on files I don't use.

So the "d3d11.dll" file that I deleted was in my New Vegas directory, not my system directory. Deleting it just forces my hardware to look in the system directory for the correct file.

Dynamo ENB just flat out won't work. I've been reading posts from people with many different games that are having major issues with something in SweetFX. My understanding is that Microsoft changed some sort of reference data and isn't backward compatible with SweetFX(but I'm no expert on this particular issue).

Seven Sins ENB worked only after deleting that weird copy of d3d11.dll, but looked terrible, was dark, and made my frame rate horrible.

Using the Enhanced Shaders ENB preset and the Towdogg saturated edit, I was able to get my game running and mostly performing ok(around 50fps average, but serious stutter at times). I had to turn up the default brightness a lot using the ENB menu, but otherwise its been nice.

The stutter gets pretty old at times. I don't have NVSR installed, but I do have "tick fix" which claims to be the same thing but with better Win10 support. Other than the bad drops in FPS at times(seemingly random), the biggest problem I think I still have is the green LOD textures for the billboards in the game. I have Wasteland Floral Overhaul and the LODGen fix for this issue isn't compatible with it. I would fix it manually if I had the slightest clue how to.

Edited March 16, 2019 by DangusMcFinghin

[dubiousintent]

Just to be clear: SweetFX, while similar in purpose, is not the same as ENB. Do not confuse solutions for one as applicable to the other. Most definitely do not expect "presets" for one to work with the other.

 

Re: Stuttering or "micro-stutters". All visual stuttering problems are caused by the video stream having to wait for the "art assets" required to render the display OR the game writing something to disk (such as a save game file or logging). Mostly these are due to the hard disk drive being orders of magnitude slower than VRAM, with System RAM (e.g. "ENBoost") and "solid state drives" (SSDs) being in between. Keep in mind that this game was designed for older PC and XBox console systems, and it is now possible for your new "latest and greatest" gaming machine to be faster than it can handle. There are internal design choices that cannot be overcome. The "video pipeline" has always been prone to problems. The following are "mitigations" that have been found to help some people.

Please see the following entries under the 'Solutions to Performance problems' section in the wiki Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide if you haven't already.
* 'Issue: "Full screen mode" exhibits CTDs and stutters or micro-stutters'
* 'Issue: Lag or "micro stutters" even with "New Vegas Stutter Remover" installed'
* 'Issue: Win10 Screen tearing in "Borderless Windowed Mode"'
* 'Issue: CTD without warning, "Out of Memory error", or stops responding after the Main Menu' for other settings that can indirectly affect micro-stutter.
* There are also some NVSR configuration suggestions under the 'Issue: Game in slow motion' and entries. (These will not help with "Tick Fix", but the author of NVSR now has a suggested configuration for Win10 linked there.)
* The 'Issue: What's with these Solid Green billboard signs in the distance (LOD)?' entry under the 'Solutions to Mesh (Red "!" icon) or Texture (solid color) problems' section can also help if your problems started after you installed VWD/LOD texture packages.
* If you are using CASM or some similar "auto-save" mod to manage your save game files (recommended), try increasing the "time between saves" set in the "save frequency"; and reducing the number of occasions it saves to the minimum (e.g. disable most "Autosave Events" in CASM) and see how that impacts the game seeming to freeze temporarily.
* If you have "NVSE logging" enabled (see the 'Checklist Item #4' entry in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide), disable it until actually needed.

Reading from or writing to disk for any reason is the slowest thing the game does.

The size of your image files also has an impact. Larger/higher resolution is not always "better". Please see the wiki "Display resolution versus Image Size" article.

The 'Issue: What INI edits seem to be most beneficial to performance' entry of the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide) may also be some help. However, the above mitigations are more likely to have a fundamental beneficial effect with or without any INI adjustments, so consider them as the last resort.

As you can see, there are a number of things that can underlie your problem. If one of these doesn't fix it, I would be interested to hear about any eventual solution that does.

-Dubious-

[DangusMcFinghin]

Is it possible for SweetFX and ENB to be both in a preset because Dynamo preset seems to contain assets of both, and has the dll issues people are complaining about. I fully admit I don't understand the distinctions between them yet(but I will read up on it after my surgery).

I think I get what you mean about the latest computers being too fast for the older games. I remember Ultima 7 1&2 in their original DOS form basically aren't even usable on modern computers but you run it through Exult and it works beautifully. I know that's a pretty old school example, but I'm pretty old school...

Anyway I think I'm squashing the bugs a bit at a time here. I thought I had the LOD issues fixed but that's going to require more work apparently! I'll have this game sorted out soon. At least it hardly ever crashes now!