Skyrim, CTD and savegames... a love story.

[peppefarina]

So the other day, out of frustration by random CTDs (every 5-10 minutes of gameplay)

i started a new game.

 

Same mods active, i changed nothing, deactivate anything, to see if it was any different.

 

Guess what? 15+ hours of gameplay, all the mods working 100%, no ctds....

 

It can be that the cause of the previous savegame crashes was ALL in the savegame alone?

 

I don't understand.

 

Just didn't want to post this on Skyrim Technical Support,

because its not so much of a specifical technical problem...

its just the way this game works that got me thinking....

 

 

Peppe

[Synthael]

Happened to me also, saving with mods missing in load order, was working at first, but as more and more of them were missing, game went bananas... But when I started a new save, was perfect again...

 

I guess the crashes are happening because game wants to read something in the save, but it doesn't have references (no mod) and CTD's because of that.

 

Also noticed, don't even try to use Xfire in-game with Skyim... Almost guaranteed crash

[lordofthedread]

Theres still people using Xfire? damn....

[Synthael]

Yeah, there is... xD

 

I use it to take in-game screenies and videos in some games, as Fraps and similar for some reason don't want to work normally -.-"

 

But not with Skyrim

[lordofthedread]

I personally use Bandicam, it is lightweight and user friendly, the free version allows to make 10 minutes videos with a watermark, the paid version is only 39$.

 

The screenshot function of Skyrim is not great as it saves the images as damn BMP but ENB allows you to make screens in jpg, Bandicam does that also.

[Mana Yakushima]

So the other day, out of frustration by random CTDs (every 5-10 minutes of gameplay)

i started a new game.

 

Same mods active, i changed nothing, deactivate anything, to see if it was any different.

 

Guess what? 15+ hours of gameplay, all the mods working 100%, no ctds....

 

It can be that the cause of the previous savegame crashes was ALL in the savegame alone?

 

I don't understand.

 

Just didn't want to post this on Skyrim Technical Support,

because its not so much of a specifical technical problem...

its just the way this game works that got me thinking....

 

 

Peppe

 

Have you tried the using the ClearInvalidRegistrations command with SKSE? I have multiple characters, level 50+, with 254 active mods and It's rare for me to get an outright crash.

 

I personally use Bandicam, it is lightweight and user friendly, the free version allows to make 10 minutes videos with a watermark, the paid version is only 39$.

 

The screenshot function of Skyrim is not great as it saves the images as damn BMP but ENB allows you to make screens in jpg, Bandicam does that also.

 

You might want to check out Overwolf? http://www.overwolf.com/

[peppefarina]

 

 

Have you tried the using the ClearInvalidRegistrations command with SKSE?

 

Yes I did, since like a week ago... it deflated the savegame, but the crashes still there, i'm trying to clean the savegame now,

 

I'm just surprised by the way it turned out,

a new game that runs perfect with the same mods of a bugged old one.

 

Is there a tool that let me know if there is informations left in the savefile from a mod that i uninstalled? 

 

Wrye Bash lists the current mods it uses... what about the ones that were uninstalled?

[Mana Yakushima]

You could try Savegame Scanner, but I don't think it's made for that, it just reads the save game and shows all that info. You probably can't make much of it unless you know how to read CK gibberish.

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/15054

[NoxTM]

SKYRIM!! >.<

 

I don't want to start a new game AGAIN! For the idk.. 20 time? -.-'

I never finished this game because ***** CTDs or Freezes.. graa... i'm so angry right now! 

Why is modding so awesome? Why does it break my savegame every f***ing time?!

 

Sorry i just need a place to get rid of this evil pressure inside me.. okay that sounded wrong. Whatever...

 

Okay.. my Game CTDs mostly everytime it's autosaving. I disabled ALL autosaves in the settings and deinstalled every Save Mod and it's still autosaving! -.- well and of course.. crashing..

 

What the hell! So annoying -.-

I tried this "create a new save and then "player.kill" command bla bla bla" fix, but it didn't work..

 

I'm really sick of these CTDs and Freezes (some strangly doesn't occur since i have CTDs).

 

[Vulon]

There's no true way to do a "clean save", but every time you add or remove a mod, you should load up your last save, save to a new file, quit to main menu, and load the new save. It helps.

[Captain Cobra]

The screenshot function of Skyrim is not great as it saves the images as damn BMP but ENB allows you to make screens in jpg, Bandicam does that also.

 

Does it let me set the quality of the jpg?  This is a deal breaker.

[Schmendrick]

If you really dont want a mod anymore in your game, it can help to stop its quests before uninstalling it. Some have uninstalling scripts that do so, if not you can get quests names and FID with Wrye Bash and do StopQuest yourself in console; then wait for some minutes, save and remove the mod. Of course you can't uninstall safely a heavely scripted mod like SkyRe, or Civil War Overhaul or such, it will shit your savegame.

 

How do you save screenshot in jpg using ENB?

[cornbreadtm]

I had installed the new Undeath mod recently which has E3Demo data still in it, so it has a 90% chance to mess up my game. I got 70hrs out of that save before I even realized that Undeath was the problem. So I remove it and started a new save. Got about 30 minutes in before a crash. Honestly I think that shit is random.

 

Some saves I change out every mod in my 254 load order, scripted or not and get 50+ hours out of it (papyrus is huge some times, some times not, so i can tell there is a problem but it doesn't crash me) and some I can just play without making any alterations and just crash constantly with the same load order that was working fine on a different save (with 0 papyrus errors I might add so I know its not script related).

[cornbreadtm]

If you really dont want a mod anymore in your game, it can help to stop its quests before uninstalling it. Some have uninstalling scripts that do so, if not you can get quests names and FID with Wrye Bash and do StopQuest yourself in console; then wait for some minutes, save and remove the mod. Of course you can't uninstall safely a heavely scripted mod like SkyRe, or Civil War Overhaul or such, it will shit your savegame.

 

How do you save screenshot in jpg using ENB?

 

Default is the keypad 0/ins key

[Dragonjoe69]

I mod my skyrim , it crashes, I drink a 6 pack restart the game, it crashes again, I drink 6 more beers install 3 more scripted mods (while laughing manically) play for 15 minutes and it crashes again , now totally pissed off I down a bottle of scotch and throw my tower out the window through my neighbors . I wake in the morning with a 4 star hangover , a pissed off neighbor, and a skyrim game that still crashes, the moral of this story still escapes me , I'll try to clarify after I drink this bottle of ......

[Spyder Arachnid]

Used to have crashes all the time when I first started modding. Now I get like none.

 

Just gotta learn what mods to sacrifice and not use. I usually stay away from script heavy mods, even if they do sound awesome. I make sure my stuff is always up to date, cause outdated mods can really ruin things for you. Using optimizers, tes5edit, ini tweaks, and proper load order will save you a heap of trouble as well. Clean those mods and sort them right! Take the time to read descriptions on mods as well. People can easily miss a small requirement. Reading the conflicts or recommended uses helps a lot as well. If a mod usually tells you to start a fresh save, it's best to probably do that. Another big thing, avoid the console! I don't care how tempting it is to boost your stats or give yourself items. The console is an instant way to break your game.

 

And probably the biggest thing of them all, don't push your system! Even if your game can run high or ultra settings, don't go download every single HD and High Quality mods you can. Your system can only handle so much. Even though I can run the game with great settings and a high quality ENB, I know my system's limits. I don't hook myself up with tons of HD mods, and when I do get some, I make sure to optimize those fools. I mean, do you really need to see a rock in HD quality?

 

Also, get that logging enabled. Check what mods you are running that have errors. Read up on some of the comments of mods to learn what issues other players are having with them. No matter how awesome a mod looks, the issues it cause will outweigh the good it does.

 

In the end, shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

[rk47]

Yeah, I never really needed to worry about conflicting mods when I started playing Skyrim early on.

First, a minor fletching mod. Faster horses. Horses don't kamikaze. Etc.

As it gets bigger. I decided one day to try Requiem Overhaul - make it work with adult mods.

The first time it was disastrous. Shit just don't work. Crashes when loading. I wasn't having fun at all after 1 hour.

 

So I wiped the whole data folder and said goodbye to all my saved games. Do a Steam file check to restore all the missing files. It wasn't worth going crazy about the saves - I want a smooth game. Then slowly, calmly install the mods - carefully one by one, seeing what crashes and what doesn't.

 

I remember escaping Helgen, activating Sanguine Debauchery and discovered the token of Sanguine occupied the armor slot - essentially forcing my character naked.

 

Eventually, everything I wanted works. I'm surprised.

Realized my data folder looks.. messy but who cares.

 

 

It works! All of it... well, untick ones don't but no crash!

[GodKingLaw]

Yep ... CTD's suck but they come with modding... and can be avoided through experience. Biggest cure is back up your data folder. I also keep back ups of every mod I download just in case.

 

READ ME means READ ME lol. But always start your game with no mods installed (except cosmetic files) then once in Helen keep (or in an interior cell in using alternate begining) after character creation is complete make your first save which is the only true CLEAN SAVE you can do. (Dont use any console comands anytime or take any screenshots before this save) Keep this save as back up and never delete it. Use it for mod testing and never overwrite it. if you want screenshot you can always reload the game before this point and take them.

 

And after installing a few staple (or must have) mods with mild or heavy scripting or textures and establishing in game stability (meaning you are not suffering regular crashing and have no intent of uninstalling these staple mods) do another save. Do this save before starting any dlc or downloaded quest mods and before joining any factions including civil war quests, main quest joining the Blades quests. This is your SMART SAVE. Never delete it. Best saved in an interior cell of a small place or house with no other NPC and very few non vanilla modifications.

 

Always test mods before saving it into your skyrim love life. No what you are installing. Open up that zip . Rar file and see whats in there, whats about to happen, and where its going.

 

I'm not an expert but me and CTD were lovers and I finally figured out how to tame her. I love mod authors, but I dont trust them. I love mods, but I dont trust them. I love mod managers, Dont trust them either. Mostly I love skyrim, but I dont trust her. So I keep it all backed up. I trust that my PC and that it has its own personality what works for them may not work for me. So use caution, and plenty of it.