Can Something be done about Mod Related Crashes? : V

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:04 pm

Hi there!

I've been playing around 200h of Skyrim and I've noticed, that when I try to use a 20+ number of mods with my game that individually change only portions of gameplay and graphics, and are not incompatible with each other, I get CTDs more and more frequently. It effectively kills my enjoyment, and roleplaying effort.

I'm desperately looking for some way to make the game more stable. Please tell me anything that can help!

I have Win 7 32bit, 4GB RAM, Latest ATI/AMD drivers, anti-virus running. I'll post my mod load order, and dxdiag if needed.

Thanks in advance!

» Fri Jun 15, 2012 3:37 am

It's hard to provide any helpful feedback without knowing your mod load order.

One thing to keep in mind when troubleshooting mod-related CTDs is that mods containing scripts can continue to affect your savegame even after you disable or delete the mod from your Data folder. As a result, a good way to test for conflicts is to make a clean savegame (you can skip Helgen by using COC command from start menu to force the default Nord).

» Fri Jun 15, 2012 1:05 am

Thanks for the hint about scripts retaining their effects, I'll keep that in mind.
Here's my load order:

Spoiler

00 Skyrim.esm
? 01 Update.esm
? 02 Realistic Wildlife Loot.esm
? 03 Imp's More Complex Needs.esm [Version 0.24]
? 04 Omegared99-Compilation.esm
? 05 SoS - The Dungeons.esp [Version 1.11]
? 06 SoS - The Wilds.esp [Version 1.0.2]
? 07 BreezehomeLightingFix.esp
? 08 Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp [Version 1.0]
? 09 Chesko_Frostfall.esp
? 0A Bardsoundsmalukah.esp
? 0B immersive thunder.esp
? 0C Improved Combat Sounds v2.0.esp
? 0D Further Dark Dungeons for ENB.esp
? 0E enhanced soundtrack 02.esp
? 0F enhanced soundtrack 01.esp
? 10 BabettesFeastBalanced.esp
? 11 Birds.esp
? 13 Chesko_WearableLantern.esp
? 14 CookingExpanded.esp
? 15 CookingExpanded - IMCN.esp
? 17 Cowardly essential horses.esp
? 19 Cowardly essential Frost.esp
? 1B Cowardly essential Shadowmere.esp
? 1C Crimson Tide - Blood.esp
? 1D dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp
? 1E Dogsofskyrim.esp
? 1F Dr_Bandolier.esp
? 20 ktxcompleteskyforge.esp
? 21 BuildableHouse.esp
? 22 Lanterns Of Skyrim - Around Cities_bright.esp
? 23 Lanterns Of Skyrim - Bridges x2 - OnOff_bright.esp
? 24 lush trees.esp
? 25 morerain.esp
? 26 MoreVillageAnimals.esp
? 27 People Have Torches.esp
? 28 better hunting.esp
? 29 Realistic Wildlife Loot V1.3 MEDIUM Drops.esp
? 2A Realistic Wildlife Loot - IMCN.esp
? 2B IMAGINATOR - Visual Control for Skyrim.esp
? 2C Cloaks.esp
? 2D 1nivWICCloaks.esp [Version 2.0]
? 2E 1nivWICCloaksCRAFT.esp [Version 2.0]
? 2F 1nivWICSkyCloaksPatch.esp [Version 0.9]
? 30 isilNarsil.esp
? 31 Omegared99-WeaponSets.esp
? 32 Omegared99-Compilation-NPC Plugin.esp
? 33 RealFireArrows.esp
? 34 DeadlyDragons.esp
? 35 DeadlyDragonsSpells.esp
? 36 DeadlyDragonsArmory.esp
? 37 CampingKitNorthernRanger.esp
? 38 Radiance.esp
? 39 Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp
? 3A alternate sunglare.esp
? 3B bome-divorce.esp
? 3C AmazingFollowerTweaks.esp
? 3D DynamicMerchants.esp
? 3E longercandlelight.esp
? 3F ShakeIt.esp
? 40 lush grass and trees.esp
? 41 Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp
? 42 SkyRe_Main.esp
? 43 SkyRe_Races.esp
? 44 SkyRe_Combat.esp
? 45 SkyRe_Enemies.esp
? 46 SkyRe_StandingStones.esp
? 47 Spells Cast Light.esp
? 48 thatsice.esp
? 49 torches for realistic lighting.esp
? 4A dd - realistic ragdoll force - realistic.esp
? 4B IMCN - Overrides.esp
? 4C Apocalypse - The Spell Package.esp
? 4E SpellSneak.esp
? 4F The Dance of Death.esp
? 50 marriagemod - alpha v3.esp
? 52 XCE.esp
? 53 GreenWaterFix_Compatible.esp
? 54 Bashed Patch, 0.esp

Also, I run the game with the latest SKSE. I have several texture changes too that don't add esp or esm files.

There's also a weird phenomenon of my character standing on the horse whenever I try to unsheathe my weapon on it...

I blamed it on cowardly horses mod, but I'm not sure about that either... I'll try to remove it next time and see.

Thanks for your help!

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 2:11 pm

Post your mod load order (found in plugins.txt) in a spoiler tag.
Also, you need to use BOSS, and probably Wrye Bash.
Also, seeing as you mentioned it, I generally put my antivirus on a silent mode to reduce its impact, but some people suggest you should shut it down (I wouldn't do that without disconnecting the internet personally!)
With only 20 mods, you should be able to make the game run smoothly, if not necessarily fast (depends on the computer).

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:29 pm

Some suggestions:

Imp's More Complex Needs.esm -> old version ... take 0.25b

Cell changing mod:
SoS - The Dungeons.esp [Version 1.11]
SoS - The Wilds.esp [Version 1.0.2]
- are often reported for ctds

Script issues:
IMAGINATOR - Visual Control for Skyrim.esp -> has some sort of script problem ... I think some script doesn't end as intended

Use only one of these:
Crimson Tide - Blood.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

1nivWICCloaks.esp [Version 2.0]
1nivWICCloaksCRAFT.esp [Version 2.0] -> since you are using the patches for "Cloaks of Skyrim" deactivate this one.

Advice:
If deactivating mods, please deinstall them completely. So no unwanted modremains clutter your savegames. Additional to that, avoid during current game-throughs heavy mod-changing.

Install http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/1840 ... create a "Bashed Patch". This will minimize compatible problems with level-list overlaps. http://oblivion.nexusmods.com/mods/35230

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:46 am

Use only one of these:
Crimson Tide - Blood.esp
dD - Enhanced Blood Main.esp

If I had to guess, I'd say there's the problem.

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:14 pm

Many thanks to you guys

You are very helpful! I'll try these suggestions tonight.

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 3:29 pm

Quick question though:
When people are referring to a 'clean save' do they mean starting a completely new game?
I can't even keep count with how many times I've done Bleak Falls Barrow after changing my mod list...

Oh.. PS.: Would it matter if I had steam AND nexus mods side by side in this matter?

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:10 pm

Quick question though:
When people are referring to a 'clean save' do they mean starting a completely new game?
I can't even keep count with how many times I've done Bleak Falls Barrow after changing my mod list...

Yes, if you want to test make a new savegame in order to test your mods, you can use a COC command from the start menu to skip Helgen and force the game to start with the default Nord.

Oh.. PS.: Would it matter if I had steam AND nexus mods side by side in this matter?

I don't quite follow - do you mean the list above did not include all your mods?

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 1:04 pm

I don't quite follow - do you mean the list above did not include all your mods?

It did, I'm just saying that some of those are from nexus, some from steam. Does that change anything?

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:40 pm

It did, I'm just saying that some of those are from nexus, some from steam. Does that change anything?

It's not a big deal if you get them from multiple sources.

I'd also like to note that the responsibility for CTDs sometimes lies squarely with the mod author, and can result from anything from a mesh with bad nodes, or a papyrus script gone awry. Sometimes you can't fix all of the issues you're experiencing. If you do happen to narrow the problem down to one mod by process of elimination, let the author know what you found (and how you found it) so they they might be able to take a look at it.

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 8:35 pm

Not specifically stating this is a cause but something to be aware of is that your system is 32 bit and crashes could be a result of overloading your resources. The 4 gigs of ram that is shared via the OS, and the game will leave very little wiggle room to manipulate data specifically if your adding more and more content that the game has to render and keep track of.

» Thu Jun 14, 2012 5:28 pm

Not specifically stating this is a cause but something to be aware of is that your system is 32 bit and crashes could be a result of overloading your resources. The 4 gigs of ram that is shared via the OS, and the game will leave very little wiggle room to manipulate data specifically if your adding more and more content that the game has to render and keep track of.

I certainly hope that's not the case though it seems likely too. Hmm.. can Wine run Skyrim from Ubuntu? Anyone with a success story? :biggrin:

By the way I really don't get it.. I've run some very resource intensive software on my computer and they didn't encounter CTDs.. why is the case different with Skyrim though? Sorry if I'm asking dumb questions...