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[WIP] Vixens Guide to Stable Skyrim modding - v1.1.2 2013-11-13 (Latest addition: Skyrim RAM explained)


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Posted

in the iNi section, i suggest to expand what you wrote:

For iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes the following guide can be used:

if you have 4GB of ram set iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=2000000000
if you have MORE than 4GB of ram set iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=2147483647
if you have less than 4GB of ram you may not want to touch this at all but instead limit the amount of scripted mods.

The mentioned RAM should not be the installed system RAM, but the free RAM, before the game is started, as it will not help on a system with 4GB RAM, to assign 4GB if only 2 or less are available.

 

Most common missunderstanding, so it might be good to be more clear about this.

As for everything else: Nice tutorial. Very nice indeed.

Posted

in the iNi section, i suggest to expand what you wrote:

For iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes the following guide can be used:

if you have 4GB of ram set iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=2000000000

if you have MORE than 4GB of ram set iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=2147483647

if you have less than 4GB of ram you may not want to touch this at all but instead limit the amount of scripted mods.

The mentioned RAM should not be the installed system RAM, but the free RAM, before the game is started, as it will not help on a system with 4GB RAM, to assign 4GB if only 3 or less are available.

 

Most common missunderstanding, so it might be good to be more clear about this.

 

As for everything else: Nice tutorial. Very nice indeed.

 

Good point, I will include add a point clarifying that - thanks!

Posted

You may want to have a section on the infinite load screen problem.  Possible Causes.  

And once this has been vetted, you can maybe throw out this link

Skyrim Safety Load

 http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/46465/? as a solution.

 

EDIT: A debugging section should be slated aside for future implementation.   

such as loading mods in a few at a time to find conflicts.  This one is a large undertaking.  so maybe leave it for later.

Posted

Yeah, I was thinking about adding both as you said they could get long hehe. I did add in Safety Load in the latest edit though, along with some other nice tools!

Posted

I've been playing Skyrim since it was first released, and have always had stability issues with modded saves because I didn't know the first thing about optimizing the game, or where to go to learn how.  Now, two years later, I have had more trouble than ever with the latest incarnation of my Skyrim save, and constant CTDs were frustrating me to no end.  Your guide has been IMMENSELY helpful in allowing me to understand how Skyrim modding works at its core.  Stuff that is really simple, like the idea of running multiple script-intensive mods leading to an unstable save, totally eluded me until I found this.

 

For the last two years, I was under the delusion that modding Skyrim was (or should be) as easy as loading mods and clicking Play.  I now understand, in great detail, why that is not the case.  I sincerely thank you, DigitalVixen, for providing this resource for me and others to use.  I'm currently working on a load order that will play nice for the first time in ages, and I'm happy to have my hand held along the way as I brave the unknown. :)

 

The only thing that still confuses me is working with TES5Edit, and the wiki is a little too complicated for me to wrap my head around it.  I know it's a little outside of your purview, but should you find the time to write a section on how to use TES5Edit on a basic level, I would be very grateful.

 

Hey there - it makes me glad to hear that you have had use of this guide!

 

There is a TES5Edit tutorial in the works, but I haven't really found the energy and time lately to finish it. I`ll see if I can't get it done this weekend though.

Posted

 

I should note that the Papyrus settings are slightly wrong. You shouldn't need to set it that high as the iMaxAllocatedMemoryByte refers to the total amount a SINGLE script can have. Now, if you have dozens of scripts, then this will be very very problematic. Mods that constantly require UpdateOnSelf are very likely to cause crashes so usual culprits like Frostfall, any realistic needs mods, mods that simulate being wet/cold/covered in ash/have realistic blood textures/realistic hair etc and various overhaul mods WILL CAUSE CRASHING REGARDLESS of the fixes above.

 

That said, you can increase it but not by much though.

 

Both yes and no, actually. This is what it is intended to do but it seems that the setting have a bigger impact than so, or work slightly differently than documented. The RLO team has done extensive testing with this setting and found that increasing it to these values may make your game more stable. I think it can be attributed to "Skyrim magic" and your mileage may, of course, vary.

 

 

Err, a lot of modders disprove your theory on this regard. On Bethsoft, one of the actual game developers came out in regards to this 'tweak' for the Papyrus setting and notes that the stock settings should be used. And if the mods are well designed, then there is no need to increase the settings for the Papyrus setting.

 

Posted

Yes, this is true. However there is also a lot of modders who say the opposite. Personally I have noticed a big difference tweaking that specific setting and others have to. Which is why I write as I do. As with many other tweaks one should try what suits ones system best.

Posted

This is pretty basic information, if one doesn't know this stuff, they probably shouldn't be modding their game. Also, because I just read the post above mine, if you mess with the memory settings in the inis, skyUI stops working. ANd it really has no effect on performance at all, if you want to see a difference get enb boost and safety load.

Posted

Yes, this is true. However there is also a lot of modders who say the opposite. Personally I have noticed a big difference tweaking that specific setting and others have to. Which is why I write as I do. As with many other tweaks one should try what suits ones system best.

 

For your case, that might be. But for mine and a couple of other people, it doesn't do anything. If anything, it helps INCREASE the rate Skyrim crashes. I'm just wondering if this is because you've seen the difference...

Posted

This is pretty basic information, if one doesn't know this stuff, they probably shouldn't be modding their game. Also, because I just read the post above mine, if you mess with the memory settings in the inis, skyUI stops working. ANd it really has no effect on performance at all, if you want to see a difference get enb boost and safety load.

 

 

 

Yes, this is true. However there is also a lot of modders who say the opposite. Personally I have noticed a big difference tweaking that specific setting and others have to. Which is why I write as I do. As with many other tweaks one should try what suits ones system best.

 

For your case, that might be. But for mine and a couple of other people, it doesn't do anything. If anything, it helps INCREASE the rate Skyrim crashes. I'm just wondering if this is because you've seen the difference...

 

 

I don't know where you two read that this is some kind of fix-it-all post, or where it says it's not something that isn't basic. The guide is here to help people understand as much as possible from what I know based on both first-hand experience and on what other information I have gathered.

 

Yes, I am aware that fiddling with that setting may increase instability - but if you actually take the time to read what I wrote you will see that I have said that the difference for your system may vary. Some will find it helpful with stability, some will not.

 

And no, messing with these settings won't break SkyUI at all if you follow the instructions given. I have no idea from where you have that information. There are also in the guide links to things like SafetyLoad and explanations when and why you may see increases in stability and performance using ENBoost.

 

If you are going to take time to criticize the guide as a whole then I suggest you actually read what it is you are criticizing. If you have input that will help with improving the guide then I am more than open to criticism of that kind.

  • 1 month later...
Posted

I don't know if you mentioned this utility but here it is:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/40706/?

 

Onetweak

 

runs under skse, NVSE, FOSE or OBSE for respectively Skyrim, New Vegas, Fallout 3 and Oblivion

 

runs the game in full screen windowed mode without INI edits AND takes care of several things that can CTD

 

While I'll turn off Safetyload from time to time, I always run Onetweak

 

Mod Organizer, once you know how to use it, is not something you'd quit using.

 

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