Is Dawnguard for PC Pretty Much Unusable?

[hector530]

More than an hour later I am back on track. Here is the solution to my particular problem: use the 30 mods I was using when I first saw the problem. Use BSAOpt to unpack the entire .bsa and install it as loose files. Leave the overridden .bsa in position. (You would think the .bsa could be removed at this point, but my game is working now and I don't want to touch anything and break it.)

 

I ran clear through my mods going from vanilla Skyrim all the way up to my full list of 30 mods and the missing sounds and meshes and textures never came back until I unpacked the .bsa with BSAOpt. (I fear that many casual gamers who are not mod-builders wouldn't think to do that or know how to carry out the procedure.)

 

 

actually verifying the game cashe though steam will do that and download any missing files.

[Blu02]

I think it's because Dawnguard is messing more with the original game/world than usual for a DLC. Adding quite a few new locations and random attacks in Skyrim and in cities, re-using original caves, altering guards dialogs, adding new quests to original NPC's, adding to skills and perks, new races, etc. This is kind of a golden recipe for massive conflict issues in a community that have been building thousands of mods upon the original Skyrim already.

With Shivering Isles for Oblivion all they did to the original world was to add a tiny island with a teleport in the middle of a lake, while the rest of the expansion took place in a completely different world with practically zero conflicts. You also started it all by an instant diary entry upon launching the game with the DLC activated, instead of adding rumors to existing NPC's.

 

I think the implementation was a very bold move by Bethesda, especially considering how much Skyrim changes during the civil war with new Jarls, guards and damaged cities. I'm sure a lot can go wrong with Dawnguard depending on what you have done, what you haven't done, and what you're in the middle of doing, in the original game. Skyrim is definitely a lot more sensitive to changes compared to Oblivion.

[Stemin]

I ran clear through my mods going from vanilla Skyrim all the way up to my full list of 30 mods and the missing sounds and meshes and textures never came back until I unpacked the .bsa with BSAOpt. (I fear that many casual gamers who are not mod-builders wouldn't think to do that or know how to carry out the procedure.)

 

Casual gamers who use mods? o_O

[David Brasher]

@ hector530

Verifying disc cache would not do that. It would see that the integrity of my .bsa was just fine and no files were missing or corrupted. It would tell me everything is cool and nothing would get downloaded. All the files seem to be there, because the game started working when I unpacked the files I already had into the loose files format. It sounds pretty stupid I know. But the game was not working, and now it is.

[Kheldor]

I've had a couple of issues mostly related to cosmetics (my 'beauty' mods don't play well with Dawnguard, made my hot babes into something close to draugr, but I've since fixed it) but the one persistent bug I have is that I now have a Haafingar bounty of 1000, and the only things the guards will say is "hey, I know you..." and then they walk away. No way to pay off the bounty, and no way to get an update from them about trying to find the Moth priest :/ Oh, and Serana won't equip a sword from a mod(at least none of mine) and ......she's not marriageable.

 

So far, and that's crossing all appendages and digits, that's the extent of my problems.

[AbleGnome]

I have a top end machine with 8 gigs of RAM. I run everything.....except Dawnguard. Crashes every 10 minutes...all my mods are disabled, I'm running vanilla. I am ripping mad.

[Rhutobello]

Just a thought...

If something CDT after almost regular intervals, can it maybe be something else then the program itself that do it? can it maybe be a backgrounds program? Do you have something like ""Whitesmoke"" running...or a program that index thing....try to close them down if you have.

 

....and when you say Vanilla game....I assume it is then from a fresh start....not from a savegame that still contain old information.

[beeblebub]

I don't play mods that are this bad. I stop playing and send in an error report to the modder. But this here is a DLC made by professionals and I paid money for it. What is up with that?

 

mate, you do realize that it's not really beth's fault you have modded the game to the point of it f***ing up dlc, like dawnguard.

uninstall your mods, now try it out. moaning aint gonna do s***.

[Pentigan]

So I did find one problem that seems to make everything harder, carriages don't work. And neither does taking a ferry out to the Keep. And most likely also makes the banish from Lord Hakon not work.

[Talon111]

I use about 130 mods and DG played just fine, darn good DLC IMHO. The only mod that had an issue w the crossbow was dual wield parrying. I agree that Bethesda can't be blamed for mod conflicts, there's no way they can account for the tens of thousands of mods out there. I like that they incorporated DG into the original game so that it feels like an organic part of the overall lore rather that something tacked on. I have generally avoided mods that "overhauled" too much of the game, that's inviting trouble, even lthough I do have a large number of combat mods. Besides, I do want to experience as much as possible the way the game was meant to be played.