Launching Fallout4

[dizietemblesssma]

I have a steam controller, I like to have the big picture overlay while I play Fallout4 as I use action sets in my controller config.

I have come back to Fallout4 after some time away. I have found that in order to have both the big picture overlay and also F4SE I need to launch using Fallout4.exe, but not using the primary button in Vortex. If I launch by double clicking Fallout4.exe in explorer, then I get F4SE and the big picture mode. If I launch by using the Vortex button I do not get either, even though the details for the Vortex button are:

Target C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout 4\Fallout4.exe

 

I do not understand this, though I also don't understand why double clicking in explorer gives me F4SE! In the past I made Fallout4Launcher.exe a copy of f4se_loader.exe to get F4SE.

 

What does Vortex do that alters how Fallout4 launches?

 

 

diziet

 

edit: if I remove the environment variable for the steamappid from the Vortex button then it works! I get F4SE and big picture overlay! What purpose does this environment variable have?

[HadToRegister]

Make F4SE PRIMARY in the dashboard of Vortex, then you can start Fallout 4 with Steam and F4SE will start
It will then have a small white banner (Shown with SKSE64 in the examples below)

 

 

 

[dizietemblesssma]

Yes I've already done that:)

 

 

but that doesn't give me the big picture overlay for my steam controller, but as my edit says, deleting the steamappid from the original primary does launch fallout4.exe which also gives F4SE (don't know why though - does fallout4.exe then launch falout4launcher.exe, which I have as a copy of the f4se loader?) and the big picture overlay.

So I guess my question becomes, of what utility is the steamappid environment variable?

 

diziet

[Pickysaurus]

Looking at the edit to your first post, you figured it out.

 

I'm not sure F4SE should ever start when you use Fallout4.exe - you should always use F4SE_loader.exe

 

Did you remove the variables from F4SE or from the game itself? They are usually required for Steam's DRM

[dizietemblesssma]

I don't know why Fallout4.exe launches F4SE, unless it then calls Fallout4Launcher.exe, which in my case is actually f4se_loader.exe. Using Fallout4.exe seems to be necessary for me to have the big picture overlay in steam, but for some reason if the Vortex primary launcher has the steamappid environment variable that doesn't happen. Of course double clicking on Fallout4.exe doesn't, as far as I know, set such an environment variable, yet obviously is going to launch the game. So although I have what I want, I'm stil interested in what is gained by the Vortex launcher having that environment variable:)

 

diziet