Mods crashing, game not loading, what am I doing wrong?

[PlasmaR]

Ok, I'm fairly new to using Skyrim mods, at first I downloaded a few simple graphics enhancement mods and the like and everything seemed to be fine. But then I installed the Convenient Horses mod and I started having Crashes, and I know it was caused by the new horses in that mod for some reason, so I deactivated and uninstalled it and that was ok (no more crashing). I'm using Nexus Mod Manager to install the mods and I've since used BOSS to get (I hope) the right load order as the mod list has grown. I even followed all the advice and used the TES5Edit program to "clean" the files that BOSS said needed cleaning (and I'm sure I did it correctly). But then yesterday I installed several animal and creature mods and now my game is randomly crashing again.

I got the following mods yesterday: More Village Animals, skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds, Birds of Skyrim, Pets of Skyrim and Monster Mod Reborn (new version). It loaded up ok at first but then after I left my save location (Whiterun) and went out to start fighting Dragons and Monsters, etc, the game just randomly started crashing every few minutes, I tried it several times, but it's still the same result.

So then I decided maybe I should be using Wrye Bash, because that's what a lot of modding guides recommend, so I installed that (not really knowing how to use it). Though I don't think I really did anything with it other then look through the interface, it did create a little file called Bashpatch0 in my load order, I have no idea what that is. Anyway, so a few minutes ago I decided that maybe the whole problem was just with the new Monster mod, because it was only released a few days ago, maybe it's buggy (I've read another forum post saying it caused crashes), so I uninstalled the Monster Mod and then deleted that little Bashpatch0 file and tried to play the game, hoping that would solve the problem.

But now my game is not loading up at all! I'm starting the game through SKSE, which has worked fine up until this, but now when I start it, it goes to the menu screen for about half a second and then the whole game just crashes to the desktop. I don't know what I've done wrong to make the whole game fail like that, but I clearly need a solution. Because I've changed several different things at around the same time I'm not sure which change has caused the game to now not load up. So please any help you guys could give me would be much appreciated.

BTW, I have a new PC, so I'm sure the problem isn't with performance, my basic specs are: i7 Ivy-bridge CPU, 16 GB of RAM, Nvidia GTX 680 GPU, Windows 7, and playing the game through Steam.

 

Edit: Here's two screenshots of what my NMM load order and BOSS messages look like...

 

(Link to full sized image)
http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/2764/skyrimmodsscreenshot.png

It looked exactly the same before, except the Monster Mod was still there. Is there anything wrong with this list?

Edited May 12, 2013 by PlasmaR

[ripple]

Can you post your BOSS log (with the messages)? Include the list of plugins not recognized by BOSS if one is generated. Enclose them all in spoiler tags so they don't clutter the screen.

 

There seems to be several different issues that has compounded the various CTDs you have experienced. Best thing is to eliminate them one at a time. First, if you are experiencing CTD at the logo screen, it's most likely a mod dependency issue. Load all of your plugins in TES5Edit, and if TES5Edit stops loading and bounces an error message, the plugin that cause the error is the one missing a master. To fix it, you would need to either uninstall that mod or download and install the master.

[PlasmaR]

Thanks for the quick repay. I'm not sure which page of BOSS you want me to post. Is it not the one I already have the screenshot of? Here's the other two pages that appear to have info...

 

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/310/bossscreenshot.png

 

Is this what you're talking about?

 

 

Anyway, I tried TESVEdit like you suggested and it did indeed give an error message, and it's about the new Monster Mod: (http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/35631)

 

[00:09] Background Loader: [ASIS.esp] Adding master "SkyMoMod.esm"
[00:09] Background Loader: [skyMoMod.esm] Loading file
[00:09] Background Loader: Fatal: <EOSError: System Error. Code: 2.
The system cannot find the file specified>

 

Ok, now that I've looked at that I realise this is something to do with the ASIS plug-in (I probably should have mentioned I had that as well, but I didn't think about it, I don't really understand what that program does, I just got it because it seemed to offer some good AI features). The ASIS program was looking for the SkyMoMod.esm file, which I had already removed, so I loaded up the ASIS application file again and pressed the patch button and now it seems to have reset itself and realised that that mod is no longer there. After I did that TESVEdit no longer showed an error and I am now able to load up the game again.

 

So at least I now know what was causing the game to crash immediately, now to sort out why it's crashing in-game (I'm guessing it's just the Monster Mod, but can't be sure). I'll do some play tests to see how stable it all is now (without the Monster Mod).

Edited May 13, 2013 by PlasmaR

[PlasmaR]

Yeah, I've played for about 15 minutes there (just running around Whiterun) and the game crashed twice (not crashing to the desktop mind you, but just freezing completely so that I have to press Alt+Ctl+Del and end the process, though that's the same kind of crash I got before), so it's clearly not stable in its current state.

So maybe it wasn't the Monster mod that was responsible. I'm not sure if that "Birds of Skyrim" mod is working properly, all the birds just sit there on the ground and don't react at all (they seem to have no AI and no animations), or is that all they're meant to do? The little Perching Birds from the other mod do fly all around the place though.

Clearly there's something in my setup that's just wrong and causing these freezes, maybe it's the way I've got them installed or maybe it's incompatibility of some mods. Or maybe my ini and preference files are not setup right for these mods. I really don't know if I'm dealing with the complexity of this correctly. Like there must be a reason I couldn't get Convenient Horses to work without crashing (I believe that mod is stable for other people, so it must be something I'm doing wrong).

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Edited May 13, 2013 by PlasmaR

[ripple]

Yes, that's your BOSS log, but don't post a screenshot of it, just ctrl-a to select everything in that log then copy/paste the contents into a spoiler tag so it won't clutter the screen.

 

Depending on which options have enabled, ASIS might be contributing to your load order instability, so unless you consider it an 'essential' mod, I recommend you uninstall it (at least for now) while we troubleshoot the load order. After I see the BOSS log, I may have some more suggestions.

Edited May 13, 2013 by ripple

[PlasmaR]

Ok I assume this is the one you mean then:

 

• Skyrim.esm Active
• Update.esm Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}
• Dawnguard.esm Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}
• HearthFires.esm Active
• SPIKE.esm Active
• Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}
• Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}
• Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp Active
• Unofficial High Resolution Patch.esp Active
• Rainbows.esp Active
• StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp Active
• Birdsofskyrim.esp Active
• Catsofskyrim.esp Active
• Dogsofskyrim.esp Active
• MVABasic.esp Active
• MVAIvarstead.esp Active
• MVARorikstead.esp Active
• ShootingStars.esp Active
• skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds.esp Active
• Skyrim Flora Overhaul.esp Active
• SPTDiverseGuardsSkyrim.esp Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev}}
• Footprints.esp Active
• WetandCold.esp Active
• SkyUI.esp Active
• DeadlyDragons.esp Active
  • Bash Tag suggestion(s): {{BASH: Delev, Relev}}
• DeadlyMonsters.esp Active
• Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp Active
• OpenFaceGuardHelmets.esp Active
• SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp Active
• dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp Active
• dD-Dawnguard-EBT Patch.esp Active
• aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp Active
• DeadlySpellImpacts.esp Active
• DeadlySpellImpacts - Two Fire.esp Active
• WATER.esp Active
• WATER Plants.esp Active
• ASIS-Dependency.esp Active
• ASIS.esp Active

 

About ASIS, yeah I re-read the description page for the skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds and it says it's incompatible with ASIS (and causes crashes) unless you add an exception to that program. I did that and played the game and it indeed solved that issue with birds just sitting there with no AI, now they all fly around and there aren't that many of them (I assume ASIS was just trying to spawn too many of them or something). I was able to play for about 30 minutes this time and it seemed more stable, but then I just go another random freeze-crash (somewhere outside Whiterun again).

 

I guess I could get rid of ASIS, though I seem to remember the reason I downloaded it in the first place was that it was needed for some other mod to work properly (can't really remember which one though). Other then that I suppose it doesn't add anything other then having more spawned enemies, which is nice, but not essential.

[ripple]

Ok, but stick the log into a spoiler tag next time so it won't clutter the screen.

I am not aware of any mods that require ASIS except ASIS. It's a SkyProc-based mod intended to dynamically generate a patch that will transmit it's features to accommodate specific load orders, but one of the reasons that it can cause instability in a load order is that it adds increased spawns. There's actually a reason why the default game world is so depopulated, it's because the Creation Engine was intended to run the game on consoles, not custom built gaming PCs where mod users attempt to stretch the limitations of the engine through mods. If you've ever experienced stuttering or FPS drop in areas of the game where the engine has to manage multiple AI's (like the Whiterun Market and Riften Market), then you know what I mean. Now, you could try disabling this and some of the 'engine taxing' features of ASIS and see if the game is more stable without them enabled.

The other mods you might consider uninstalling:

StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp <-- I've never used it but have heard reports of users experiencing instability. Not sure if it's a result of improper user installation of the mod, or the mod itself.

SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp <--if most of your random CTDs are 'outdoors' rather than in interior cells, try uninstalling this mod and see if the situation improves.

 

Also, have you made any edits to the game ini files?

Edited May 13, 2013 by ripple

[PlasmaR]

Ok, but stick the log into a spoiler tag next time so it won't clutter the screen.

 

I don't know how to do that, this forum software is different from others I'm used to, where is the button for it?

 

I am not aware of any mods that require ASIS except ASIS. It's a SkyProc-based mod intended to dynamically generate a patch that will transmit it's features to accommodate specific load orders, but one of the reasons that it can cause instability in a load order is that it adds increased spawns. There's actually a reason why the default game world is so depopulated, it's because the Creation Engine was intended to run the game on consoles, not custom built gaming PCs where mod users attempt to stretch the limitations of the engine through mods. If you've ever experienced stuttering or FPS drop in areas of the game where the engine has to manage multiple AI's (like the Whiterun Market and Riften Market), then you know what I mean. Now, you could try disabling this and some of the 'engine taxing' features of ASIS and see if the game is more stable without them enabled.

 

I've removed ASIS now, but I'm still getting crashes (it warned me that my save my have elements that rely on ASIS though, so I'm not sure if that's good). It definetly crashes in outdoor areas and I think most of the crashes have actually been when I was fighting Dragons, so maybe the Deadly Dragons mod is somehow responsible (There is a "Forest Dragon" outside Whiterun that seems to cause a crash whenever I engage it in combat).

 

The other mods you might consider uninstalling:

 

StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp <-- I've never used it but have heard reports of users experiencing instability. Not sure if it's a result of improper user installation of the mod, or the mod itself.

 

Hmm, how would that be causing issues, doesn't it mostly just add better textures for buildings and things? That was one of the first mods I installed and I don't think I had any crashing issues back then, so I doubt this would be causing it.

 

SkyTEST-RealisticAnimals&Predators.esp <--if most of your random CTDs are 'outdoors' rather than in interior cells, try uninstalling this mod and see if the situation improves.

 

It's possible that could be responsible. Though again I've been running it for about two weeks now and had very few issues, I don't have a recent save game where that wasn't installed. Since I installed all those additional animals into the game I have noticed a certain slow down of about half a second when I enter a populated area like Whiterun, so maybe there's just too many NPC characters there at once and the game has difficulty giving them all the proper AI or something.

 

Also, have you made any edits to the game ini files?

 

Yes, I followed some guides on this site about how to improve graphics so I set them all to the highest recommended settings. I did what it said in this Nvidia article: Five Fast Skyrim Tweaks Guaranteed To Make Your Game Look Better, and I think I changed a few other settings based on what people recommended in mod descriptions and some forum posts.

 

Here's my current Skyrim.ini and SkyrimPrefs.ini files if you need them:

 

Skyrim.ini

[General]

fMasterFilePreLoadMB=128.0000

iPreloadSizeLimit=536870912

sLanguage=ENGLISH

uInterior Cell Buffer=32

uExterior Cell Buffer=64

uGridsToLoad=7

[Display]

fShadowLODMaxStartFade=1000.0

fSpecularLODMaxStartFade=2000.0

fLightLODMaxStartFade=3500.0

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048

bAllowScreenshot=1

[Audio]

fMusicDuckingSeconds=6.0

fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=8.0

fMenuModeFadeOutTime=3.0

fMenuModeFadeInTime=1.0

[Grass]

iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=6

bAllowCreateGrass=1

bAllowLoadGrass=0

[GeneralWarnings]

SGeneralMasterMismatchWarning=One or more plugins could not find the correct versions of the master files they depend on. Errors may occur during load or game play. Check the "Warnings.txt" file for more information.

[Archive]

sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Textures.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa

sResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Voices.bsa, Skyrim - VoicesExtra.bsa

[Combat]

fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0

fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0

[Papyrus]

fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0

bEnableLogging=0

bEnableTrace=0

bLoadDebugInformation=0

[Water]

bReflectLODObjects=1

bReflectLODLand=1

bReflectSky=1

bReflectLODTrees=1

iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=3000000000

[MapMenu]

fMapWorldMaxHeight=150000.0000

fMapWorldMinHeight=5000.0000

bWorldMapNoSkyDepthBlur=1

fWorldMapDepthBlurScale=0

fMapWorldZoomSpeed=2.0000

fMapWorldMaxPitch=400.0000

fMapWorldYawRange=400.0000

 

SkyrimPrefs.ini

[General]

fBrightLightColorB=1.0000

fBrightLightColorG=1.0000

fBrightLightColorR=1.0000

iStoryManagerLoggingEvent=-1

bEnableStoryManagerLogging=0

[imagespace]

bDoDepthOfField=1

iRadialBlurLevel=2

[Display]

iBlurDeferredShadowMask=4

fInteriorShadowDistance=4000.0000

fShadowDistance=8000.0000

iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=1024

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048

iShadowSplitCount=2

iMaxAnisotropy=16

fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd=4600.0000

fLeafAnimDampenDistStart=3600.0000

fTreesMidLODSwitchDist=32000.0000

fGamma=0.9600

fDecalLOD2=1500.0000

fDecalLOD1=1000.0000

fSpecularLODStartFade=2000.0000

fShadowLODStartFade=200.0000

fLightLODStartFade=3500.0000

iTexMipMapMinimum=0

iTexMipMapSkip=0

iWaterMultiSamples=0

iMultiSample=16

iShadowMode=3

bTreesReceiveShadows=1

bDrawLandShadows=1

bFull Screen=1

iSize H=1440

iSize W=2560

fMeshLODFadePercentDefault=1.2000

fMeshLODFadeBoundDefault=256.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeTreeDistance=24000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeTreeDistance=28000.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeDist=16000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeDist=24000.0000

iScreenShotIndex=13

bShadowMaskZPrepass=0

bMainZPrepass=0

iMaxSkinDecalsPerFrame=25

iMaxDecalsPerFrame=100

bFloatPointRenderTarget=0

sD3DDevice="NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680"

bFXAAEnabled=0

iShadowMapResolution=4096

fShadowBiasScale=0.1500

iShadowMaskQuarter=4

iAdapter=0

iPresentInterval=1

iShadowFilter=3

bShadowsOnGrass=1

bTransparencyMultisampling=0

bDeferredShadows=1

bDrawShadows=1

[Grass]

b30GrassVS=1

fGrassStartFadeDistance=28000.0000

fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=28000.0000

fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=0.0000

bDrawShaderGrass=1

[MAIN]

bGamepadEnable=1

bCrosshairEnabled=1

fHUDOpacity=1.0000

bSaveOnPause=1

bSaveOnTravel=1

bSaveOnWait=1

bSaveOnRest=1

fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=150000.0000

[GamePlay]

bShowFloatingQuestMarkers=1

bShowQuestMarkers=1

iDifficulty=4

[interface]

bDialogueSubtitles=0

bGeneralSubtitles=0

fMouseCursorSpeed=1.0000

bShowCompass=1

[Controls]

fGamepadHeadingSensitivity=1.0000

fMouseHeadingSensitivity=0.0180

bAlwaysRunByDefault=1

bInvertYValues=0

bGamePadRumble=1

bMouseAcceleration=1

bUseKinect=0

[Particles]

iMaxDesired=750

[saveGame]

fAutosaveEveryXMins=15.0000

[AudioMenu]

fAudioMasterVolume=1.0000

fVal7=1.0000

uID7=0

fVal6=1.0000

uID6=0

fVal5=1.0000

uID5=0

fVal4=1.0000

uID4=0

fVal3=1.0000

uID3=94881

fVal2=0.4000

uID2=466532

fVal1=1.0000

uID1=554685

fVal0=0.8000

uID0=1007612

[Clouds]

fCloudLevel2Distance=262144.0000

fCloudLevel1Distance=32768.0000

fCloudLevel0Distance=16384.0000

fCloudNearFadeDistance=9000.0000

[TerrainManager]

fTreeLoadDistance=75000.0000

fBlockMaximumDistance=250000.0000

fBlockLevel1Distance=140000.0000

fBlockLevel0Distance=70000.0000

fSplitDistanceMult=1.5000

bShowLODInEditor=0

[NavMesh]

fObstacleAlpha=0.5000

fCoverSideHighAlpha=0.8000

fCoverSideLowAlpha=0.6500

fEdgeFullAlpha=1.0000

fEdgeHighAlpha=0.7500

fEdgeLowAlpha=0.5000

fTriangleFullAlpha=0.7000

fTriangleHighAlpha=0.3500

fTriangleLowAlpha=0.2000

fLedgeBoxHalfHeight=25.0000

fEdgeDistFromVert=10.0000

fEdgeThickness=10.0000

fPointSize=2.5000

[Trees]

bRenderSkinnedTrees=1

uiMaxSkinnedTreesToRender=24

[Decals]

uMaxDecals=1000

bDecals=1

bSkinnedDecals=1

uMaxSkinDecals=100

uMaxSkinDecalsPerActor=60

[LOD]

fLODFadeOutMultObjects=16.0000

fLODFadeOutMultItems=16.0000

fLODFadeOutMultActors=16.0000

fLODFadeOutMultSkyCell=1.0000

[Launcher]

bEnableFileSelection=1

bShowAllResolutions=1

uLastAspectRatio=3

[blurShaderHDR]

bDoHighDynamicRange=1

[blurShader]

bUseBlurShader=0

[Water]

iWaterReflectHeight=512

iWaterReflectWidth=512

bUseWaterDisplacements=1

bUseWaterRefractions=1

bUseWaterReflections=1

bUseWaterDepth=1

 

I don't really know much about editing these files, I've literally just blindly followed the advice I've had available, I know other people add lots more lines to these files to deal with all sorts of modding improvements, but I haven't got round to any of that yet. I know that some people say you should never set the number of cells/grids above 5, but other people seem to think it's fine to set it to 7 (but not above that), so I set mine to 7 (because I figured my PC could handle it). Clearly some people are able to play with all these settings and mods installed at once, so I don't really understand why I can't seem to get them to work without crashing. I asked for a general guide to how to setup your ini files before on another thread, but got no response, so I really need some advice on that aspect.

 

Should I be using Wrye Bash as BOSS seems to recommend for several of the mods?

Edited May 13, 2013 by PlasmaR

[ripple]

1) to put stuff in spoiler tags, type the following without the spaces"

[ s p o i l e r ]
copy/paste logs here
[ / s p o i l e r ]

2) You might need to start a new game after uninstalling ASIS. Or you can try the 'ClearInvalidRegistration' function from SKSE and see if it helps. Have to see your papyrus log to determine if there are any orphan script data is in the form of leftover update calls that are not handled (which is what the SKSE function specifically addresses).

3) I've never used 'static mesh replacement' and so I've never bothered to 'look under the hood' for that mod. But I gather there were some issues with some meshes. Not sure if it was improper installation of the mod by the users or faulty meshes. But yes, faulty meshes can cause CTDs.

4) The problem with SkyTest is the same issue I raised earlier about 'too many things for the engine to manage' (which is why the author recommends it not be used in a large load order). I used one of the older versions of SkyTest a long time ago, checked out the plugin thoroughly and aside from a minor error in one of the little spider's AI package, I did not see anything particularly troubling. But it was responsible for 95% of the CTDs I experienced in the worldspace, and uninstalling it then starting a new game solved the problem.

5) The default ini settings are optimized for 'stability.' Other than none performance related ini tweaks like increasing the count of autosaves or camera positioning, I generally advise against making 'performance-related' ini tweaks except in cases where the user's system specs fall below minimum requirements and such tweaks are necessary just to sustain playable framerates. The majority of the tweaks are intended to boost minor performance gains (especially those recommend by various 'tweak guides' floating around on the interwebs) or to address trivial graphic glitches like 'distant LOD pop-ins', and making the game look more visually appealing, but they can jeopardize the stability of the engine. I have only read a couple of users who stated that they had little to no stability issues with setting 'ugridstoload' above the default value (5), generally to '7.' Since you are -already- having stability issues, I recommend that you revert back to vanilla settings. You might find some 'cautious tweaks' posted in these forums useful, for example, some of mshoap's recommendations for people who experience issues with handling multiple mods with continually running scripts, but generally leave most of the settings alone if your rig isn't below minimum specs. Since the value of 'ugridstoload' is baked into the savegames, you'll have to use the 'refreshini' method via the console or just start a new game after you generate new ini files (otherwise, you will CTD when you attempt to load those savegames). You can always try raising the value back to '7' -after- you have stabilized your game and made sure you can safely 'test' to see if your rig can handle '7' so that not all of your CTD issues get compounded.

Here's the snippet from the 'Skyrim modding myths' article that l2edshift (author of 'Deadly Dragons') wrote about 'ugridstoload':

Quote
Tampering with Skyrim's uGrids (draw distance) settings has been advertised on a number of high-profile sites. This was early in Skyrim's life cycle and the long-term ramifications of it were not yet known. Increasing this value past the defualt (5) can lead to game instability and eventual save-game corruption. Understand that you are basically playing Russian Roulette with your game here. Even if you have a +$7,000 PC tower that can run a small city. The reality is that Skyrim's engine simply cannot handle the increase load and remain stable for long-term and reliable play.

I'm talking Intel i7 3960X 5.0Ghz, multiple Nvidia GTX Titan's, a SSD Raid-0 array, and all on liquid cooling. Yes, I'm talking about the most powerful hardware you can buy at this very second and overclocked to the very limit. It's not the hardware, it's engine limitations.

Edited May 13, 2013 by ripple

[PlasmaR]

 

2) You might need to start a new game after uninstalling ASIS. Or you can try the 'ClearInvalidRegistration' function from SKSE and see if it helps. Have to see your papyrus log to determine if there are any orphan script data is in the form of leftover update calls that are not handled (which is what the SKSE function specifically addresses).

 

I've no intention of starting a new game unless my saves are like totally corrupted and unplayable or something (and that's not the case yet). I don't know what the Papyrus log is, where would I check that and what would I be looking for?

 

 

5) The default ini settings are optimized for 'stability.' Other than none performance related ini tweaks like increasing the count of autosaves or camera positioning, I generally advise against making 'performance-related' ini tweaks except in cases where the user's system specs fall below minimum requirements and such tweaks are necessary just to sustain playable framerates. The majority of the tweaks are intended to boost minor performance gains (especially those recommend by various 'tweak guides' floating around on the interwebs) or to address trivial graphic glitches like 'distant LOD pop-ins', and making the game look more visually appealing, but they can jeopardize the stability of the engine. I have only read a couple of users who stated that they had little to no stability issues with setting 'ugridstoload' above the default value (5), generally to '7.' Since you are -already- having stability issues, I recommend that you revert back to vanilla settings. You might find some 'cautious tweaks' posted in these forums useful, for example, some of mshoap's recommendations for people who experience issues with handling multiple mods with continually running scripts, but generally leave most of the settings alone if your rig isn't below minimum specs. Since the value of 'ugridstoload' is baked into the savegames, you'll have to use the 'refreshini' method via the console or just start a new game after you generate new ini files (otherwise, you will CTD when you attempt to load those savegames). You can always try raising the value back to '7' -after- you have stabilized your game and made sure you can safely 'test' to see if your rig can handle '7' so that not all of your CTD issues get compounded.

 

Hmm, yeah I can see that the 7 UGrids might well be responsible for the crashing (the SkyTest animals mods does recommend against it). But from reading the comments of people who've tried to revert back to 5 UGrids, it seems like it's not easy and it can cause just as many problems. If you check out the recent comments from the Nvidia tweaking article, some people insist there is no problem at all with 7 grids, others say you should never use it.

 

Several people there note that the instructions they give for reverting back to 5 UGrids are no longer working with the latest version of the game, one guy suggests an alternative method, but I'm not sure if I should risk that. One other commenter says that if you have changed to 7, you simply can't go back to 5 (with the same save game) and that if you try to revert it you'll just cause more crashing problems.

 

So I really don't know what I'm supposed to do here. Should I try to revert back to 5 grids (and if so, how do I do it?), or am I just stuck with 7 now?

 

 

Here's the snippet from the 'Skyrim modding myths' article that l2edshift (author of 'Deadly Dragons') wrote about 'ugridstoload':

 

Can you post a link to that article? I'd be interested in reading it, but I couldn't find it when I Googled for it.