A Starting Point Troubelshooting Guide for PC Version of SSE

[Deleted119721User]

SSE is actually very robust and doesn't really suffer from random CTDs or Infinite Loading Screens..... Every issue I have had has a direct cause and manifests consistently.

This guide assumes you use Mod Organizer

Soooooooo.

1) If you are getting random CTDs or issues it is probably your hardware, or SSE file corruption, or a improperly installed mod

The first step here is to boot with a system disk that loads a diagnostic that tests how your CPU and memory work together and whether there are issues ..... These tests bomb your system with load and test every memory address ..... they need to run overnight and even one error means you will have issues. I use MemTest and Prime95.

If your system passes use the Validate Game Cache in Steam to check for corrupt vanilla files.

The next step is to use Mod Organizer to deactive/unload ALL your mods using the LEFT side of the panel. This doesn't uninstall them only refreshes them. Then reactivate and restore install and plugin order.. With Mod Organizer this takes only a few minutes.

Given all of the above ..... and you have the Skyrim Unofficial Patch Installed, your SSE install should never CTD or ILS. Never. Given the above, even a heavy load order should never CTD or ILS.

2) The magic of Xedit/SSEedit. This utility is pretty much a necessity for SSE. Check every single mod you load up with this utility and there should be NO ERRORS WHATSOEVER unless it is a mod that is from an elite modder. Only elite modders know SSE better than SSEedit. Any SSEdit error can cause CTDs or issues but they do not necessarily.

It is very important to check your own mods and patches every time you change anything in your load order including updates. Updates of mod X can mess up your merged patch or compatibility patch.

SSEedit now also makes ESLs much safer because it will tell you if you are violating the FormID rules.

SSEedit cannot detect the following ESL issues:

a) Any mod with NPCs with facegen data can't be made into an ESL without using the CK
b) Any mod with that comes with a SEQ file ..... Note it may be hidden in the BSA ... again requires the CK to make an ESL

Note when making an ESL with SSEedit every mod related to it should also be loaded and SSEdit will update FormID changes for all of them.

When making a mod an ESL and then opening it with the CK and changing it .... this can have issues that result in errors in SSEedit. Usually removing the ESL flag in SSEedit saving opening and recompacting fixes this.


3) Scipt/Papyrus Lag

There is a tool called Elephants Script Latency Tester:

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/24124

 

that will measure your Papyrus Script Latency. For an unstressed Papyrus Engine, a good average value is 80ms indoors and out. Managing NPCs and creatures are the primary stress of Papyrus, so do one test in a isolated area and then one with NPCs (like Riften or Riverwood). With many NPCs script latency can rise to 100 to 110ms without obvious consequences except if you have timing sensitive mods like TK Dodge. Reducing NPC Fade seems to help with this but nobody knows for sure. Once your script latency hits about 150ms you will start to notice issues and above 200 you may even get CTDs as the Papyrus Engine falls apart under load.

 

Note that if your have a modded Skyrim BOTH latency tests and FPS measurement tools will give invalid results if your COC directly to the test location. To test you must coc to an interior near the desired location or coc directly and find an interior and enter/exit. Many mods scripts get out of whack when using coc or cow. You might be able to use pcb but I haven't tested.

When they are working properly, popular mods that run scripts often have little effect on latency unless there are many NPCs close. I find they will bump latency up to about 100ms with NPCs. For me these mods are Frostfall, DYNDOlod, Skybirds, iNeed. Previously I found these mods with Wet and Cold pushes latency too high (but WandC has been updated recently). Personally I use Immersive Citizens and its not a good idea to have other scripted mods changing NPC behavior like Arthmoor's "Run For Your Lives" as that can have unpredictable results.

If you have a corrupt save or Frostfall/Skybirds/Ineed has invalid data due to improper modding practices ... these mods will bomb your latency to over 300ms and your save is toast. Nothing can fix this so reload before the mayhem started.

3) "I see holes in the Sea of Ghosts and other areas"..... Its the data culling glitch on Ultra. Easy to fix but requires knowhow. There is a mod called the Data Culling Glitch Fix that address this completely but removes occulsion everywhere...... Eventually Sheson will fix this with Dyndolod. My solution is to hack the Data Culling Glitch Fix mod to only have what is needed and patch/overrride that into Realistic Water mod or DynDOlod

4) Blackfaced NPCs

Almost every time it is a mod with NPCs with Facegen data/Facegen NIF that is being "file overwritten" by another mod that loads earlier in the load order ...... or a improperly made ESL.

 

Extracting all NPC BSAs and using the Windows tool Winmerge can really help with this if using Mod Organizer.

5) SkyUI

SkyUI is a miracle but the Equipment Sets function that relies on favorites can get messed up by load order changes and dropping/enhanting/smithing/selling items that are still Favorited. After this loading equipment sets with a hotkey becomes a lottery and some items simply won't equip. The only way to fix is to use a savegame cleaner:

 

https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/8384503-how-to-fix-the-skyui-equipment-slot-bug/

 

I un-favorite everything before changing anything in my load order and before removing/modifying

6) Lighting Issues

Skyrim has serious lighting limitations that are easy to address with SSEedit by initially disabling lights, but with a heavy load this gets tiresome. The best rule is to allow only one lighting mod to set the lighting in a given cell ..... easier said than done ...... What happens is that mod adds a lightsource and all is well, but then another mod adds another one and this exceeds the limits of the Engine, and flashing light sources and black walls happen.

When this happens use Jaronx Positioner to make every liightsource selectable as a Charus Egg in the console. Pick the light sources you like least and record the refids and INITAILLY DISABLE them in SSEedit

7) Navmesh Issues.

This is perhaps the worst issue in SSE as any given cell has a Navmesh set by the last mod loaded. As modding a cell can change the navmeshes of all the cells nearby this is a compatibility nightmare. Any deleted vanilla navmeshes can cause CTDs also. Use SSEdit to fix any deleted navmeshes.

When making mods and creating Navmeshes remember, for terrain the vertexes are important and should be close to the ground but not below. For navmeshes over NIFs triangles are important and none should intersect with the NIF or NPC hitching will happen

6 ) AI Issues

If bandits, vampires, dragons attack an area where NPC packages are loading or running these NPCs may get stuck in the current package and just stand there...... To fix you need to startscene XXXXX", where the Xs are the package in question ...... ouch

 

7) Windows 7 and 10 Differences

 

As far as I know there is only 1 ...... Win7 will crash on loading textures encoded 656.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Guest

[JimmyRJump]

SSE, just like Oldrim, is buggy as hell. It's the Creative engine that is robust, even after all these years. That SSE or Oldrim run like they do is mostly because of the unofficial patches and the Bethesda stitchwork that came much, much later. I bought Oldrim on the tenth of November 2011, a day before release because the 11th is a Holliday in Belgium because of the WWI armistice and I couldn't even play the game to start because I was running two Sapphire HD6970ies in CrossfireX and AMD's drivers didn't support two GPUs for Skyrim. Bought an NVidia MSI GTX460 HAWK for another rig and played Skyrim on that one. 'Played' is a big word because the game was a crash-fest and had texture glitches everywhere. Sure, the game has come a long way and is way more stable than right after release, but it's been nine years now, so, you'd expect a game that's this popular to be patched like crazy to iron out the wrinkles.

 

What saved the game in the end was the avalanche of mods that added replay value as well as fixing stuff Bethesda didn't care to fix at first.

 

And never assume people use Mod Organizer. NMM is still the most popular. Also with yours truly. Starting to sound like a fanboy -and maybe I am- but I tend to stick to what works. Not a bad word about MO2, mind. I wouldn't dare because I've never used it. Got nothing to say about Vortex. Used it, saw it wasn't worth the hassle in my case and went back to NMM.

[speedynl]

sse/fo4 is stable even without the artmoor crap

the solution is simple, know wat you instal(and or how), and don't use to much(speciaal mods that use alot of scrips)

as for mod installers the only 1 i ever used was for new vegas, oldrim/sse/fo4 always manual, but my load order is always pretty simple maybe 10 mods as highest count

and most of them are made by myself

its the same story as for fo4, peeps f*#@ up there own game, install install damn not working anymore

then they come to the forums crying