Corrupt (?) Savegame upon entering specific map region

[Metazolid]

Hope you guys can help me resolve this issue; Whenever I cross the marked line on the bridge between the Daltons Farm and National Park Visitor's Center, the game CTDs when I (quick)save or (quick)load.
When I enter and leave the bridge, back to where I have had no issues, it also CTDs when (quick)saving or (quick)loading. Images are down below.

 

Things I've tried out that also helped out other to fix similar problems:

• Disabled all mods
• Deployed mod list with Vortex
• Applied mod loadorder via LOOT
• Loaded & saved savefiles via console
• Fixed LOOT warnings with FO4Edit 4.0.3
• Deleted all .ini files in /mygames/Fallout4
• Savegames are not exceeding 20mb each
• Cleaned up savefile after disabeling all mods with ReSaver
• Reduced the amount of savegames in the Saves folder to only a few
• Killed myself via console, as well as natural cause (radiation in this case)
• Started a new game with all mods enabled and saved in the area without issues
• Checked that F4SE & all mods are up to date and compatible with my FO4 Version 1.10.163

Please let me know what else I can do to fix this, I've been googling around a lot and tried out several things as you can see, I will continue to do so in the meantime.

Thanks a lot :laugh:

 

System Specs

 

OS: WIndows 7 Home Premium
CPU: i7-3770K
GPU: GTX 770 JetStream
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD5H
FO4 Drive: SSD SanDisk Extreme 240GB
RAM: G.Skill RipJawsX 4x4GB, DDR3-2133

 

 

Plugin Order

 

# Automatically generated by Vortex
Fallout4.esm
DLCRobot.esm
DLCworkshop01.esm
DLCCoast.esm
DLCworkshop02.esm
DLCworkshop03.esm
DLCNukaWorld.esm
FAR.esl
Homemaker.esm
SettlementKeywords.esm
TrueStormsFO4.esm
ArmorKeywords.esm
Brawl Bug Fix.esp
dD-Enhanced Blood Basic.esp
dD - Limited Blood Decals.esp
dD - Screen Blood Duration Medium.esp
3dscopes-replacer.esp
NewSanctuary.esp
WorkshopRearranged.esp
Vivid Weathers - FO4.esp
TrueStormsFO4-FarHarbor.esp
TrueStormsFO4-NukaWorld-FH-Compat.esp
DarkerNights.esp
DarkerNightsDetection.esp
dD - MoreBloodandBits.esp
dD-Realistic Ragdoll Force.esp
Detector.esp
Dynamic Music Overhaul.esp
EnclaveX02.esp
EquilibriumWeapons.esp
FixPipboy.esp
FO4Hotkeys.esp
GWS-HandmadeRiflePaints.esp
More Smarter Companions Mod.esp
ImmersiveTP.esp
Ish's Respec Mod.esp
Lots More Female Hairstyles.esp
More Power Armour Mods.esp
More Power Armour Mods - Automatron.esp
More Power Armour Mods - X-02.esp
OCDecorator.esp
OutfitSwitcher.esp
PlayerLockpicking.esp
PoweredDoorsHomemaker.esp
SanctuaryParts.esp
SarcasticDragon's Snarky Loading Screens Fallout 4 Edition.esp
ScrapButton.esp
Simple Salvageable Power Armor Frames.esp
SurvivalOptions.esp
TrueStormsFO4-FarHarborExtraRads.esp
TrueStormsFO4-GlowingSeaExtraRads.esp
Vivid Weathers - FO4 - Far Harbor.esp
Vivid Weathers - Nuka World.esp
Wetness Shader Fix.esp
Conquest.esp
Shaun.esp
ZebrinasWorkshopDevices.esp
SSEX.esp
Live Dismemberment - Brutal.esp
Scrap Everything - Core.esp

 

 

Images

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Stupid solution;

Just a small update for anyone who might run into the same issue and reads this;

I've not modified or tried to fix the bug in any other way than I've already described above, though made sure to have a backup of my most recent dozen saves or so, just in case there is corruption that carries over to the others for some odd reason.

I kept on playing as usual, avoiding the area, I came back to it some dozen hours later and it seems to be working fine, though I must say I've played on a new PC in the meantime as well where I checked in on it.

 

tl;dr.:

 

Solution 1:

• If you notice this happening, backup your recent savegames located in Users\(YourUsername)\Documents\My Games\Fallout4\Saves just in case.
• Avoid running into the general area for the forseeable time, I know it could suck if its a settlement or a place you frequently visit, but that's what it is.
• Check back if the game has (I guess overwritten) fixed what ever caused the issue on its own after a dozen hours of playtime.

 

Solution 2: (Not sure if that works and I doubt this will be an applicable fix for anybody but whatever)

• Build a new PC

Edited July 20, 2020 by Metazolid

[HeyYou]

I have never liked quicksaves, since Morrowind.... they were notorious for causing issues. Overwriting saves had similar issues. Do you have any mods that affect the area in question?

 

Might try going someplace else for 5 weeks...... and then return. (allows the area to reset) See if the problem persists.

[StormWolf01]

Heya Meta- This is a really odd problem that you've got. Especially since you're saying that it only happens in this particular area.

Have you tried replicating this on an older save, or are you just using your current ones? IF the latter, please try it on an older save.

A common problem that causes save crashing, is when there's a script that isn't working right, and cannot be written correctly to the save. That crash usually incorrectly writes the savegame as well, meaning that it can't load, and should be deleted.

I don't see anything that throws up any flags in your load order, is there by chance a mod that you've removed, that was affected, or affects that particular area?

[Metazolid]

Do you have any mods that affect the area in question?

Might try going someplace else for 5 weeks...... and then return.

I don't think so, most of my mods are additions or fixes of/to pre-existing functions like weapons, settlements and UI. The only thing I can think of is that maybe one of the few mods for settlements act up when I try to leave the area around the Daltons Farm.

I've previously disabled all mods and tried to nail it down to a specific one like usual, to no avail. Just forgot to list it among the other attempts. Will try it again nonetheless, maybe clean up the savegame from all mods and see is that changes anything.

Does it help to use the concole command set timescale and change the value from 20 to like 500 to skip 5 weeks or would that not have an affect on area resets?

 

 

Have you tried replicating this on an older save, or are you just using your current ones?

A common problem that causes save crashing, is when there's a script that isn't working right, and cannot be written correctly to the save. That crash usually incorrectly writes the savegame as well, meaning that it can't load, and should be deleted.

I don't see anything that throws up any flags in your load order, is there by chance a mod that you've removed, that was affected, or affects that particular area?

I only tested out fairly recent ones. I just put some hours into a settlement previous to that issue, I'll try one from that time and hope I won't have to start over, I'd really want to know what caused the issue to avoid it in the future. I'll install REEL and see if that spits out something useful.

As said above, there shouldn't have been a mod interfering with that area. The save has 6 Days clocked in, so it's neither old, nor riddled with dozens of dead mod files. :laugh: But I'll double check if a mod is the cause for all of this.

[StormWolf01]

Yeah, definitely try some of the older saves, and see if that is part of the problem. Perhaps even do a test of before you did the settlement changes, if that's possible.

I would however, recommend making backup saves before trying it. Just in case. In some cases, you can have savegame bleedover.

Understandable! Yeah, knowing what caused this to avoid it again, is definitely what we need to find out.

 

Interesting! I had not seen REEL before. It looks interesting. However, it's based on the papyrus logs, so that can only point us into a direction of scripts that are failing. It won't tell us if there's something in the game itself that might be causing the crashes.

 

IF that fails, and the previous saves from before the settlement stuff are viable..... you might try this. https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/22633 fallrim tools will let you try to scrub your savegames. However, make backups first, as it's not perfected for fallout. Read the description well ;)

[Metazolid]

I've pinned the issue down to two saves between 2nd Dec. and 3rd Dec. 2019. My mods have slightly changed since then, but both are affected by the same way and show the same warning in the main menu, so I don't think it's related. (https://imgur.com/a/ksY7pB4 Live Dismemberment installs all .esp files by default for some reason, but never caused noticeable problems. Reinstalled it with only one .esp yesterday, no change ofc.)

REEL reported the VM (?) as freezing & frozen (https://imgur.com/a/RkO1EtA), brushed over it with some googling but Papyrus really doesn't seem to be helpful for this situation, someone please correct me if I'm wrong :laugh:

I think I've used ReSaver at one point, but neither cleaning it with version 4.3.2. nor 4.5.0 would change anything, I even removed pretty much everything that was optionally availble after some testing. To my surprise the game still ran, but still crashed at saving like described previously.

 

 

 

I will now go back to my most recent save and let the area reset itself like HeyYou suggested it, I have backups from all by saves stored in a separate folder, so I can always go back and mess with copies lateron.
II've uploaded upload both savefiles for you and others to try out, the latest one that worked before the bug came up, and the first one after the bug.

You don't need the same mod-loadout like I do, both games have been saved after all mods have been disabled. I have not cleaned them afterwards, but from what I've experienced, it wouldn't make a difference.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ecnn1Vh0o8Sb0QGGJW-QhIMAQSo-Y3Gr?usp=sharing

Edited January 6, 2020 by Metazolid

[StormWolf01]

Ok, so I went and downloaded your broken version of the save that you uploaded. Ran across the bridge, tried to make a save. Crashed.

Loaded again, tried to fast travel. Crashed.

I'm thinking that it's corrupted saves. :(

Sadly, short of trying to clean them, I really don't know of much of anything that can be done to save them. :( Doesn't mean that there isn't ways to, I just am not knowledgeable enough to know how.

 

VM usually stands for Virtual Machine. Dunno if Papyrus uses that abbreviation or not. VM might be the compiler? We'll have to wait to see what somebody more in the know about that, chimes in. Hopefully somebody knows that is. But it's freezing on a vanilla script.

 

As for live dismemberment, yeah...I've seen that happen a lot. Not sure if that is an installer problem, or the way the mod was set up for that installer. But the one that you want is the only one that you need. The one listed at the lowest position is the only one that is working, when there's all the different ones there.

 

Lot of empty references that got cleaned out. But, again, that tool doesn't work perfectly for fo4. So it may be they're truly orphaned, it might not.....

[Metazolid]

Thats some good news, that means it's defintely some sort of savefile issue that can be replicated on other computers.

I hope that someone who has more experience with this sorts of things than us can help me out, thanks for the suggestions you've given me so far ^^

[StormWolf01]

Ok, so I'm doing a bit of checking. Particularly about this "VM" business.

From what I am reading, the VM freezes, then thaws, when we go into the game menu. https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/4122870-skyrim-ctd-vm-frozen/&do=findComment&comment=37809195

(I've checked some other sources, but this is the one that is in the most plain english.)

(A lot of these answers are for skyrim, but it's pretty much the same thing, since most of the game engine is the same, at it's core level.)

From what I'm reading, the "Freezing" and "thawing" is pretty much the game "pause" that happens when we open the menu for save, quicksave, load, exit, etc.

soooooo... it's not a whole lot of info. Particularly since I'm reading that the papyrus logs crash at literally the exact same time as the game does. So it doesn't record the event that causes it.

 

I got a lot of hits, in my yahoo search about it happening, but not a lot of solid answers in response :dry: LOL one answer was "it's a virus" :rolleyes: (In reference to VM I mean)

 

From your earlier post that I missed. You don't mess with the copies. Those are there for you to use, when all else fails. If anything, like I say in my sig, have backups of the backups. Those you can mess with. But don't mess up the "return from fail" options, lol :wink:

 

Right. At least now we do know that it's the saves themselves.

Sadly tho, with this particular game, there are sooooooooooo many things that can bork up a savegame. And it doesn't even have to be mods that are doing. This game has had issues with savegame corruption since it was first released. :sad:

Edited January 6, 2020 by StormWolf01

[HeyYou]

I don't think I have ever had a problem with a corrupt save..... Of course, I don't use quicksaves, I try and avoid autosaves like the plague, (they are insurance only) and I never overwrite hard saves. I am not even a fan of using exit saves..... I am curious why they are a few meg larger than the 'standard' save I made immediately before exiting the game..... I would love to know what additional information they are storing there......

 

Used to be, save files had the exact same layout as mod files. You could change the ESS extension to ESP, and load your save in the construction kit. I don't recall if that was still an option in Oblivion, but, sure worked great for Morrowind.... Wish beth would have stayed with that format, but, oh well.