Help with Mod Installation and Load Order

[mightymuffin007]

Hey,

 

This may not be the right forums, but I have been trying to mod Skyrim correctly for the past 2 weeks. Each time I got something stable, I would have stuttering in dungeons and big world spaces, and I would end up with seemingly random CTDs during game play (usually near battle locations or when NPCs were being loaded in). I followed S.T.E.P. each time, and I had amazing FPS as compared to vanilla with just S.T.E.P. However, when I added other mods (of which I added several), I kept getting CTDs during game play. My most recent attempt at creating stability in the load order has caused a problem when the mods are loading after the load screen, and so I had to uninstall all the mods - again.

 

I know a problem might be with the added textures and big mods (ASIS, Warzones) hogging resources. I tried reducing the amount of textures, but the instability was still there. It may just be I need help with proper installation order after S.T.E.P., then help modifying the load order. Or I may just have to really axe a lot of these mods, even though it'll make Skyrim that much less entertaining. Plus, my system isn't a low-end PC - only a year old and with a good CPU (i5 2500K), a good GPU (560 Ti), good Memory (8 GB), and installed on an SSD that doesn't have the OS on it (it has its own SSD).

 

I also am debating between UFO and EFF, although right now leaning towards EFF. However, if someone knows that one is not as stable/has conflicts, then that will help cement the decision.

 

I have included the list of mods I currently have and want in the game. Some of these have been added since my first attempt, while some are missing from my first attempt (after discovering incompatibilities, redundancies, and overall unnecessary mods for my game). I also have Dawnguard, the High-Res Texture Pack, and Hearthfire. I also use BOSS to sort out load orders, as well as Wyre Bash to make the Bashed Patch. I think I'm going to try installing without any big texture mods from S.T.E.P for a change. However, if someone sees a conflict or problem with the mods, or suggestions on how to get them to play nice with each other in the load order, I would greatly appreciate the assistance!

 

 

S.T.E.P. Mods - using 2.2.0a, performance options when available. Also, for Texture Pack Combiner, I have tried normal and LITE versions, as well as tried with several optional files, with reduced optional files, and with only required files.

- All Core Mods in S.T.E.P.

- Realistic Hair

- Running With Bows

- That's Ice

- Eyes of Beauty

- Animated Weapon Enchants

- Enchantment Effect Replacer

- Finer Dust

- HD Baskets

- HQ Beards

- Improved Torches

- Improved Weapon Impact Effects

- Lockpick Inventory Remodel

- New Thinner Torch

- No Spinning Death Animation

- Pilgrims Delight

- Real Effect Candle

- Realistic Paper

- Vibrant Auroras

- Warmer Magic Lights

- Alter Descriptions

- Colored Map Markers

- Skill Interface Re-Texture

- Smaller Cursor

- Spinning Skyrim Emblem

- KenMod Time on Loading Screen

- Ambient Seagulls

- Better Bards

- Immersive Skyrim Thunder (since I can't have CoT)

- Roosters at Dawn

- Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge

- Auto UnEquip Ammo

- Bring Out Your Dead

- Dark Brotherhood to Misc

- More Salt Please

- Move It Dammit

- No NPC Greetings

 

My Mods:

Automatic Variants (and all available AV packs)

A Quality World Map

ACE

ACE - Dawnguard Z Arrows

Aetherium Armor and Swords Compilation

aMidianBorn Book of Silence (also had the stand-alones before the release of this)

Appropriately Attired Jarls

Arvak Reborn

ASIS

Atvir Dres

Bandolier

Bandloier Dawnguard

Better Fast Travel

Better Females - I am open to suggestions of other mods like this.

Better Sorting

Birds of Skyrim

Brawl Bugs Patch

Brown Mountains and Rocks

Build Your Own Home

Buyable Paintings and Pictures

Castle Grey (incompatible with UFO, which I had originally, but now am trying out EFF)

Categorized Favorites Menu

Categorized Favorites Menu Oni Edition

Cerwiden Follwer

Clanking Armor

Classic Classes and Birthsigns

Cloaks of Skyrim

Crossbows Basic Collection

Dagi-Raht Khajiit Race

Dagi-Raht Khajiit Replacer

Dawnguard Paladin Armor

Dawnstar Expanded

Deadly Dragons

Deadly Spell Impacts

Dovahkriid - The Dragon Lords

Dragon Real Shout

Dragon Souls to Attributes

Duel - Combat Realism

Dwemer Autoblade

Dwemer Exploding Traps Bombs and Arrows

Dwemer Spectres

Economics of Skyrim

Ethereal Elven Overhaul

Every City Have Various Guard Outfits

Expanded Winterhold Destruction Ruins

Extensible Follower Framework (this or UFO?)

Feminine Running and New Dash Animation

First-Person Messages

Footprints

Forgotten Mastery

Frost Giants in the Cold

Frostfall

Glowing Ore Veins 300

Guard Dialogue Overhaul

Harvest Overhaul

HiRes Legible Road Signs

Hoth Follower

Immediate Dragons

Immersive Armors (plus UNP Support)

Immersive Patrols

Improved Dragon Shouts

Improved NPC Clothing

Ishs Souls to Perks

Lost Paladins of the Divines Wrath Armor

Magic Duel

Makeup Tweaks

Mercy

Mining More AND Faster

Monster Wars (there was a recent update with this, and I'm currently not sure how to install if I don't want the Blue-Stripes and Hardcore stuff)

Moonpath to Elsweyr

More Hotkeys Please

Much Ado about SNow Elves

My Home is Your Home

Nchuzzrezar - a dwemer mansion (Wyre Bash says that this file may be corrupted or just simply unrecognized).

New Animations for Elegant Archers

No Boring Sleep-Wait Menu

Nord Needs (Compatability Patches for Real Wildlife Skyrim and Skyrim Monster Mod)

Old Blue ElderScrolls Healing

Player Headtracking

Populated Cities

Race Talent

Racial Traits Improved

Real Wildlife

Realistic Crime Radius

Realistic Lighting with Customization (again, without CoT, no darker dungeons and nights)

Recruit More Blades

Run For Your Lives

School of Knowledge and Youth

School of Knowledge in Solitude and Markarth

Seductive Lips

Sexy Maids of Skyrim

SKSE_Community Uncapper

SkyBirds

Skyrim Monster Mod

Skyrim Monster Mod Lore-friendly Replacer and Dragons removed

SkyTEST - Realistic Animals and Predators

SkyUI

Solitude Docks District

Supreme and Volumetric Fog

Syynxs Perky Perk Overhaul

Tamriel Compendium

The Dance of Death

TK HitStop

Tundra Defense (a bit iffy about if I really want this. I haven't included it in Load Orders for the past few runs, so I know it isn't part of the problem. However, I don't want to include it if it will end up becoming a problem later on.)

UFO (this or EFF?)

Unique High Definition Textures (Weapons, Shields, and Dawnguard Update)

Unique Region Names

Unofficial Dawnguard and Skyrim Patches

UNP Replacer Configuration Package

UNP Dawnguard Armors

UNP Female Armors

WARZONES

Wearable Lanterns

Whiterun Environment Upgrade

 

[Georgiegril]

Can you post your BOSS log instead? It's hard to help with load order unless it is shown.

[mightymuffin007]

I think I got this right - never posted BOSS logs before. This is my most recent attempt, forgoing big texture mods from S.T.E.P. The first spoiler is the list of plugins BOSS recognizes. The second one is the list of plugins it does not recognize. I do make the following changes after BOSS:

 

1.) Perky.esp goes before ACE modules, as it is a rehaul of all perks.

2.) I move Duel - Combat Realism to below ACE.

3.) Personal Lockpicking is my mod to adjust Lockpicking difficulty, so I leave that at the bottom (only gameplay setting changes).

4.) Nord Needs says to put the main file, as well as the compatability files, after their respective files. Since I'm using both, I'll put them after the one highest on the load order (closer to bottom of list, if I said that wrong).

5.) I move Batched Patch, Automatic Variants, ASIS-Dependency, and ASIS to the bottom of the list.

 

Everything else I leave alone (I think, done this so many times). I then do the SkyProc Patching for Automatic Variants first, then ASIS (a few adjustments on Automatic Variants, and the default settings on ASIS). I then activate both of them and run the "Rebuild Patch..." in Wyre Bash. I then activate that patch and restart NMM (if it was on), then run SKSE from there.

 

Only reason I didn't post it at first was because I had just uninstalled everything to try again. Hopefully this helps, and I didn't mess up or copy the wrong thing.

 

NOTE: ASIS, Automatic Variants, and Batched Patch are supposed to be Inactive.

 

These plugins are recognised by BOSS and have been sorted according to its masterlist. Please read any attached messages and act on any that require action.

 

Skyrim.esm Active

Update.esm Active

Dawnguard.esm Active

HearthFires.esm Active

LB_MuchAdoSnowElves.esm Active

SkyMoMod.esm Active

SPIKE.esm Active

WARZONES - Civil Unrest.esm Active

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Main.esm Active

MagicDuel.esm Active

moonpath.esm Active

Nchuzzrezar.esm Active

Solitude A City Of Trade.esm Active

WinterholdDestruction.esm Active

XFLMain.esm Active

Note: For safe mod uninstall see special uninstallation instructions on mod page.

RaceCompatibility.esm Active

HighResTexturePack01.esp Active

HighResTexturePack02.esp Active

Brawl Bugs CE.esp Active

invinciblehawkfix.esp

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp Active

Chesko_Frostfall.esp Active

Supreme Fog.esp Active

Improved Combat Sounds v2.1.esp Active

Rooster At Dawn v1.0.esp Active

Realistic Lighting.esp Active

Economics of Skyrim.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

Ars Metallica.esp Active

Ars Metallica - Dawnguard.esp Active

Birdsofskyrim.esp Active

BLESSINGS - Altar Descriptions.esp Active

Carriage1.esp Active

Chesko_WearableLantern.esp Active

Dwemer Spectres.esp Active

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp Active

Ish's Souls to Perks.esp Active

Lanterns Of Skyrim - All In One - Default.esp Active

PilgrimsDelight.esp Active

Radiant and Unique Potions Poisons and Booze.esp Active

Real Wildlife Skyrim 0.1.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds.esp Active

Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp Active

Convenient Horses.esp Active

Auto Unequip Ammo.esp Active

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp Active

AetheriumSwordsnArmor.esp Active

Cloaks - Player Only.esp

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

Note: Use only one cloaks*esp

Cloaks.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

Note: Use only one cloaks*esp

Cloaks - No Imperial.esp

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

Note: Use only one cloaks*esp

Crossbow_Basic_Collection_LListed_EN.esp Active

DwemerAutoBlade.esp Active

Elemental Staves.esp Active

hothtrooper44_ArmorCompilation.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Relev}}

Dr_Bandolier.esp Active

Dr_BandolierDG.esp Active

HarvestOverhaul.esp Active

DeadlyDragons.esp Active

Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}

buildablehouse.esp Active

CastleGrey.esp Active

RIC_Dawnstar.esp Active

ExpandedWinterholdRuins.esp Active

LB_MuchAdoSnowElves_Quest.esp Active

moonpath_questdata.esp Active

My Home Is Your Home.esp Active

Nchuzzrezar.esp Active

Run For Your Lives.esp Active

SkyHavenTempleEnhanced.esp Active

SKY.esp Active

SolitudeSKY.esp Active

SkyrimChimneysRW.esp Active

The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp Active

Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge.esp Active

Better Dynamic Snow.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Spells.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Miscellaneous.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ingredients.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Ammo.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Potions (Normal Weight).esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Books.esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Food (Normal Weight).esp Active

Headbomb's Better Sorting - Soul Gems (Ranked).esp Active

Headtracking.esp Active

ImmediateDragons.esp Active

Mercy.esp Active

More Salt Please.esp Active

dD-No Spinning Death Animation.esp Active

dD-No Twitching Dragon Death Animation.esp Active

ReadIt.esp Active

SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp Active

dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp Active

Requires: Skyrim Monster Mod_Compatibility Patch \ Dawnguard and Monster Mod.

dD-SkyrimMonsterMod EBT Patch.esp Active

VariousGuardReplacer.esp Active

CampingKitNorthernRanger.esp Active

Note: Use only one CampingKitNorthernRanger

Unique Region Names.esp Active

Populated Cities 2.esp Active

dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Reduced.esp Active

Note: Ragdolls will conflict with other mods that change the skeleton.nif. Check Custom Skeleton Replacers for compatibly with other skeleton.nif.

ForgottenMastery.esp Active

HitStop.esp Active

DragonRealShout.esp Active

Improved Dragon Shouts.esp Active

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp Active

DeadlySpellImpacts - Two Fire.esp Active

More Visible Soul Trap Effect.esp Active

Realistic crime report radius.esp Active

Duel - Combat Realism.esp Active

ACE BYOG.esp Active

ACE Speech.esp Active

ACE Archery.esp Active

ACE Armor.esp Active

ACE Enchanting.esp Active

ACE Magic.esp Active

ACE Melee.esp Active

ACE Smithing.esp Active

ACE Synergy.esp Active

Racial Traits Improved.esp Active

ethereal_elven_overhaul.esp Active

TheEyesOfBeauty.esp Active

dagi_raht_race.esp Active

XFLDialogue.esp Active

XFLPlugins.esp Active

Slightly Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp Active

Atvir.esp Active

HothFollower.esp Active

SMSkyrim.esp Active

Follower Trap Safety.esp Active

CerwidenCompanion.esp Active

moveitLWT.esp Active

ClassicClasses.esp Active

First Person Messages.esp Active

Animated Weapon Enchants.esp Active

WATER.esp Active

WATER - Get Wet.esp Active

Blacksmithforge water fix.esp Active

Cartographers Map Markers.esp Active

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

Automatic Variants.esp Active

ASIS-Dependency.esp Active

ASIS.esp

 

 

 

The following plugins were not found in the masterlist, and must be positioned manually, using your favourite mod manager or by using BOSS's user rules functionality. You can submit unrecognised plugins for addition to the masterlist directly from this log by clicking on a plugin and supplying a link and/or description of its contents in the panel that is displayed.

 

Perky.esp Active

Personal Lockpicking Adjustments.esp Active

Broyu Smithing Package.esp Active

Convenient Horses - Unique Frost.esp Active

BarbasLessAnnoying.esp Active

Clanking Armor.esp Active

khajiit_replacer.esp Active

DawnguardPaladinArmor.esp Active

Dragon Souls To Attributes.esp Active

Frost Giants in the Cold.esp Active

HarvestOverhaulDawnguard.esp Active

HarvestOverhaulCreaturesDawnguard.esp Active

LpotDHorse.esp Active

LPotD Armor.esp Active

NordNeeds.esp Active

NordNeed_RW-Skyrim_patch_001.esp Active

NordNeeds_SkyMoMod_patch_100ex.esp Active

RaceTalentSetting.esp Active

Envirnment.esp Active

 

[Georgiegril]

Ok, well .... I don't have your solution but I can try to help.

 

As I'm sure you know, you have a huge number of mods, and some really big ones.

Your system is nice (much better than mine!) but the 8 GB is not actually available to Skyrim. As a 32-bit game, it can only use about 4GB of that. Usually that would be more than enough, but with so many mods...have you ever checked to see how much Skyrim is actually using? A program like CPU-Z could help you determine if your problem is simply that your game is exceeding the memory limitations present in a 32-bit app.

 

Truly random crashes, or crashes that seem to occur after a certain amount of time (rather than location) are most likely to be caused by hardware issues.

This could be that your graphics settings are too high, your CPU and/or GPU exceeds safe temperatures, or your memory is exceeded.

If it is a memory issue, it would more likely be preceded by lagging or freezing, not just a sudden crash, although if the problem is related to another application (like an autoupdate) suddenly taking up all your RAM a sudden crash could be the result.

 

The solution in any of those cases would be to reduce your graphics settings, reduce your applications....

 

If the problem were related to a single mod (like a script error) or mod conflict, you would probably be seeing fairly predictable crashes, either related to location or activity. If this is more what you are seeing, you could try looking at your papyrus log for any errors that occur at the time of the crash.

 

Honestly, my own gut feeling is that the bottom line is that you are running too many mods, especially large mods and texture/lighting mods.SkyMo by itself has become a giant mod as far as memory requirements. You could go through the troubleshooting process, and you might find it, or you might be working on it for a very long time without luck. Especially with Dawnguard, some mods are compatible, some not.Especially if you have been uninstalling/reinstalling mods to try to figure it out so far, the problem could be a leftover script from an incompletely removed mod....

 

What I would do in your case, although it would be painful, is I would start with a complete uninstall and clean reinstall of vanilla skyrim. Then I would decide on what I think is the most important mod (or Mod process) to me (maybe STEP, maybe SkyMo, whatever it's totally personal.) Run BOSS, run the game, make sure it is working. Then decide on what is the next mod dearest to my heart. etc. Continue until you notice there is a problem. At that point, do not keep adding mods, but uninstall the mod exactly as the mod author instructs, go back to your game and make sure it is working properly.Then you can try a different mod....or, at some point, stop.

 

There are a ton of awesome mods out there, and I know there are people who play with tons of mods. However, every time you add a mod, it increases your risk of having conflicts and other problems. The mods you don't use this play-through be there to make your next game a new experience.

 

If you are really attached to your current game and can rule out hardware issues, then Bben's mod troubleshooting guide can walk you through the process of identifying the mods that are problems for you. It is a painstaking process, but it is your best chance of isolating the conflict.

 

Good luck!

[mightymuffin007]

Thank you for the help. Kudos Given!

 

I had read about the 32-bit part, and Skyrim only being able to use 4GB. However, when I successfully completed S.T.E.P. with no drop in FPS anywhere I went, I went on a bit of an ego trip and started downloading everything in sight. I thought if my system hadn't slowed down to S.T.E.P., then it shouldn't slow down to any other mods. Of course, I was dead wrong.

 

So far, the latest things I've done have reduced instant CTDs, and what happens more often is I'll freeze up in the Warzones for WARZONES. Music keeps playing, but I can't move and must Ctrl+Alt+Delete to get out. So I have a feeling that Warzones is too resource intensive for my dream Skyrim world. However, found a replacement (Occupy Skyrim) for it that fits more of what I want, and may alleviate some of the stress (fingers crossed).

 

I'll take your advice, but I may wait and see how this next try does. If there are still problems, I'll follow your advice and just restart everything.

 

Again, thanks for the help and advice!