Wanted to try a new Resolution, now can't Load old Saves

[xgcsentielxs]

I've been trying to get my FPS up by trying different mods and changing different settings using Skyrim Configurator. Unfortunately, although I do make copies and saves

of my game, I hadn't backed up my saves in a while. [though I don't think it would really make a difference]

 

I couldn't get it consistently above 30-35 fps, so I decided I would try to change the resolution. I changed it down to 1600X945. My system gave me an error code upon

trying to load the game saying that that resolution wasn't available. I then tried 1600X900 and skse_loader.exe loaded up fine, but I had only the option to start a new game!!! o_O

 

I quickly exited, changed the settings back to 1920X1080, applied, and stated it up. Same thing. It just doesn't "see" or recognize the saves.

[ btw, running XP and the saves are still there in my C:\Documents and Settings\Charles Kane\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves where they've always been. ;) ]

 

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated !! :wallbash:

[Heqet]

I've been trying to get my FPS up by trying different mods and changing different settings using Skyrim Configurator. Unfortunately, although I do make copies and saves

of my game, I hadn't backed up my saves in a while. [though I don't think it would really make a difference]

 

I couldn't get it consistently above 30-35 fps, so I decided I would try to change the resolution. I changed it down to 1600X945. My system gave me an error code upon

trying to load the game saying that that resolution wasn't available. I then tried 1600X900 and skse_loader.exe loaded up fine, but I had only the option to start a new game!!! o_O

 

I quickly exited, changed the settings back to 1920X1080, applied, and stated it up. Same thing. It just doesn't "see" or recognize the saves.

[ btw, running XP and the saves are still there in my C:\Documents and Settings\Charles Kane\My Documents\My Games\Skyrim\Saves where they've always been. ;) ]

 

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated !! :wallbash:

 

Hi! I had a similar problem trying to lower the "Detail" value in the Skyrim launcher and ended up starting a new game. Koroush Ghazi (of Tweak Guides fame) hints at a possible cause in his Skyrim Tweak Guide at http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/Guides/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-tweak-guide#1 - although this is on the geforce web site, the tweaks aren't Nvidia-specific. In his .ini tweaks section he discusses the uGridsToLoad value and mentions that:

 

"...if you save a game after you have altered this value, the new value will be incorporated into your saved game. This is worth noting because the game only allows you to load a saved game which has an equal or lower uGridsToLoad value than your current value..."

 

The implication is that at least one skyrim.ini and/or skyrimprefs.ini value is also stored in your savegame and can cause a failure when not in synch. The launcher options and the in-game options will change values in these two .ini files, and since neither of my .ini files included uGridsToLoad, I'm convinced that it's not the only .ini file value that ends up in the savegame.

 

What I did was install an alternate start mod (bypassing the whole long Helgen prologue) and messed with various launcher options and .ini tweaks until I had a tolerable balance between FPS and graphics quality. At that point, I saved, quit, restarted and reloaded frequently for the first couple of game hours to be sure I wasn't going to have savegame load issues. I then backed up both skyrim.ini and skyrimprefs.ini and went off to kill some dragons.

 

If you use Steam, you might try one other thing before throwing in the towel and starting over: do a verification of your game cache. 1) launch Steam and go to your games list. 2) right click on Skyrim and select Properties. 3) on the Local Files tab, click the Verify Integrity of Game Cache... button. It can take a couple of minutes and will tell you if it fixed anything.

 

Best of luck!

[bben46]

Use the native resolution of your monitor for best results. Any other resolution requires the video card to do extra translations (mathematical computations that take up clock cycles). If you have a 1920 x 1080 resolution monitor - use that resolution for best results. It will put less strain on your video card than actually using a lower monitor resolution. Trying to use a higher or lower resolution will cause glitches and possibly slow the game down.

 

I got the biggest increase in performance by reducing the shadows.

 

My guess is that the video resolution is probably stored in the save also, but I really can't say for sure.

[xgcsentielxs]

Use the native resolution of your monitor for best results. Any other resolution requires the video card to do extra translations (mathematical computations that take up clock cycles). If you have a 1920 x 1080 resolution monitor - use that resolution for best results. It will put less strain on your video card than actually using a lower monitor resolution. Trying to use a higher or lower resolution will cause glitches and possibly slow the game down.

 

I got the biggest increase in performance by reducing the shadows.

 

My guess is that the video resolution is probably stored in the save also, but I really can't say for sure.

 

 

Thanks for the quick replies ! :)

 

I forgot to mention that I'm connecting via HDMI from the GPU to my 42" Sony BRAVIA TV. [been gaming on this via XBOX for past 2 years]

 

I'm not sure off hand what the "native resolution" of the TV is. I'll have to look through the documentation or check out google.

 

Question, is there anything I should know about the playing on a TV as opposed to a Monitor ??

[steve40]

it just doesn't "see" or recognize the saves.

 

Check the Compatibility settings of your TESV.exe and skse_loader.exe files.

Try checking or unchecking compatibility for XP. The compatibility options can cause the game to look for the saved games in a different virtual folder path, which is probably why it is not finding the saved games.

Edited January 25, 2013 by steve40

[xgcsentielxs]

sorry, still a bit of a newb ... how do i open up the .exe files for editing ??

[steve40]

Just right-click the exe, choose Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the Compatibility tab. Tick the "Run this program as Administrator" option. Try playing the game. If that doesn't fix it, go back to the Compatibility options and try also ticking the "Run this program in compatibility mode" option and choose "Windows XP".