Game crashes at ident screen

[daddybarbarossa]

So I recently made the move over to Mod Organizer 2 from FOMM because it seemed to handle heavier mods, mainly ones with their own installers like ADAM, better without freezing up or crashing. My main issue with MO2 though is how confusing its interface is to navigate, so I could install one mod and then have another drastically overwrite various elements of it without my say so like in FOMM. Attached are my load order list and my mod list I have installed on a new save. Before, my game would load but would have a ton of visual errors, like see-through mountains or big red exclamation point boxes everywhere. Then, my game would crash when it tried loading my save. And now, I can't even get to the main menu without the game crashing to desktop. Which of my mods could possibly be conflicting with each other or in what ways is my load order messed up that it keeps doing this? Apologies if I come across as ignorant or demanding, but I'm modding-illiterate and just want to get my game going.

[dubiousintent]

Please see the 'Towards Game Stability' and the 'Common Game Problems' sections of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article.

 

* Don't install every optional file for a mod. Read the install instructions carefully. Optional files need to be selected on a "case by case" basis. For example: with any mod you usually only need one ESP (and possibly one ESM) "base" file depending upon whether you have all the DLCs active or not. Only if you don't have them all active do you need to install any specific DLC versions if there is an "Ultimate Edition/All/Merged DLC" version.

Case in point: Choose only one. (Didn't check for other instances.)

* BM Dish Explosion tab.esp
* BM Dish Explosion No tab.esp

* "Compatibility patches" to make one mod work with another need to be placed after (as in "physically lower, higher numbered") in the "load order" than ALL of the plugins they are designed to make compatible. (This also applies to "fix" files.) ESMs should always be placed at the top (lowest numbered) positions in the "load order", followed by the related ESPs though they can be separated from their ESMs by other plugins. LOOT does a good job of determining those basic orders, but it is a "crutch". (The "Tale of Two Wastelands" site has A Guide for NOT using LOOT for those interested in learning how to manually manage their "load order" for themselves.) Getting the "load order" incorrect will cause "Missing Masters" errors as well. You can make minor adjustments to the order and tell LOOT how to remember them. It's in the on-line documentation under "Metadata".

FYI: The "pre-order packs" (aka "POPs": Caravan, Classic, Mercenary, and Tribal; available now in the "Courier's Stash" addon), are not considered "true DLC expansions" by most mods and are treated as "compatibility patches" to the base game because they just add certain unique items. So their absence should not deter you from using "All DLC Merged" plugins. Where they are included, they should come after "GunrunnersArsenal.ESM" which is a true DLC expansion. When in doubt, follow the process in the wiki "Missing Masters" article to confirm they are not "master files" for that plugin.

 

* Don't install compatibility patches for mods you do not have installed/active (e.g. get rid of any "TTW" patches if you aren't running TTW). The reverse also holds true: don't install mods that are not compatible with, or specific to TTW or FNC,etc., if you are playing with them.

* If you have more than one mod that makes any change to the same record or set of records in the vanilla game, then you really need to use a "Merge Patch File" with that collection of mods. Please see the 'Third Rule: The Rule of One' and 'Merge Patch File' sections of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article. When in doubt, create a "Merge Patch" file for your overall "load order" anyway. If you add, remove, or change the sequence of plugins in your "load order", don't forget to rebuild the "merge patch" file again.

If the problem persists, then work through either the 'Solutions to Starting the game problems' or the 'Solutions to "Crash To Desktop" (CTD) problems' sections in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide.

 

There are links to the documentation (both written and video) for MO2 under the 'Mod Managers' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article. No video or interface is a complete substitute for RTFM! As a "mod manager" is central to getting your game set up correctly, it pays dividends to understand how it works. With regard to your particular problem, pay particular attention to how MO2 uses the "overwrite" folder.

I recommend anyone read the entire "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article to understand the differences between this game and others you may have experience with; especially if this is your first attempt to play a modded FNV or it's been more than a year since you last set it up. It is designed for someone who has never played a modded PC game before, so it tries to avoid making any assumptions, is kept "up-to-date", and covers years of "lessons learned" by a retired Technical Support expert. It is NOT a list of various mods to install that happen to work on the author's machine; only "the essentials". It addresses fundamentals underlying how to get the basic game and mods to work together. At least 90% of everything I post in the "Technical Support" sub-forum is already in that article. Once you can play a test game to at least Primm, only then should you try adding other mods from some other "guide".

-Dubious-

Edited February 14, 2021 by dubiousintent