Script-Intensive Mods: What is the limit?

[Deep Red]

So I'm reinstalling Skyrim (yet again) because I recently broke it with too many mods. Anywho, what is the number of script-heavy mods you can have running before you start running into problems like script delays, unexplained slow downs, or just general instability? I read somewhere the three was the limit, but I can't seem to find that same post again. If you're a modaholice, as I am, you'll know that there's too many great mods out there to pass up. I want to set a limit of these kinds of mods so I don't wind up breaking the game again in the future.

 

By script intensive, I mean mods such as Frostfall, Better Vampires, SexLab, SD, or Wet & Cold.

[Oversette]

It depends on your processor, but I'm sure the average is way above three. I have a pitiful Intel i3 and I run around five of said mods with no problems besides the very occasional five-seconds-long lag in Frostfall.

[ballsy]

Download Convenient Horses and run the script latency test. 

[Deep Red]

I ran the latency test and it spat out a steady 55 ms. I have about 8 of these mods running. Either the reading is inaccurate or something else might be the root of it. Should probably take it to the technical support section though.

[Veladarius]

I don't think there is a limit but depends more on the mod, how much it effects and how well the scripts are written. If they try to do too much and are inefficient it can cause slow downs or crashes. I have quite a few mods running, some fairly intensive, but I don't have many issues with slowing down or crashing. If I do slow down it is usually due to enb or textures.

[dboura]

Too many scripts can cause papyrus to freak out. Especially when they are heavy calling scripts like Better Vampires and Sexlab Defeated (on top of loads of other heavy scripted mods)... I found that adjusting the Papyrus calls in the Skyrim.ini in the my documents area helps majorly.

 

Here is my Papyrus edits to the Skyrim.ini

 

[Papyrus]
fUpdateBudgetMS=8.0
fExtraTaskletBudgetMS=8.0
fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=1000.0
iMinMemoryPageSize=256
iMaxMemoryPageSize=8192
iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=8038608
bEnableLogging=1
bEnableTrace=1
bLoadDebugInformation=1

 

 

[Rayblue]

It seems that the number of scripted and activated mods may well require adjustments to the Papyrus section, which means increasing the amount of allocated memory and processing time.

 

This is my current config (not sure if what I have done was correct enough, given that I run CH, Enhanced Blood Textures, MHYH, and about five or six more scripted mods):

[Papyrus]
;optimization
;
fUpdateBudgetMS=1.8
fExtraTaskletBudgetMS=1.8
fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0
;
bEnableLogging=1
bEnableTrace=1
bLoadDebugInformation=1
;
iMinMemoryPageSize=128
iMaxMemoryPageSize=4096
iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=1048576

Looks like I'll check my latency on CH, then try to fine-tune it.

 

EDIT: @dboura, I may have to try your setup, after I CTD'd while forging a sword in a script-driven Breezehome mod.

[hryh23k9823u]

I dont think the number of scripts is the main problem alone, I think most of cdt/instability issues have more to do with texture/vram problems. I run more than 200 mods and a lot of heavy scripted most without any problem, but of course, i'll never run hi-res mods that skyrim simply can't handle. In fact, i preferably use vanilla low res texture packs that looks exactly the same but allows the old skyrim engine to breathe a little. Of course, bad scripted mods can ruin your experience, but that has nothing to do with number, but with quality. A good example of mod i'll never put again is sexlab defeat, it'll just break your game, your computer, rape your mom and kill your familily (although its a good mod, sadly).

[Guest]

Hmm, scripted mods.....bastards. 

 

 I've never been convinced it was a system resource issue so much as Skyrim being a big fat assed behemoth of code that barely manages to avoid eating itself, and we feed new bits into it that only add to the chaos storm. I'm never surprised when Skyrim has a massive brain fart,only hopeful that I can minimise them without impoverishing myself - a game in itself. 

 

In the greater scheme I'd rather my game croaked because of something more tangibly fixable like a ton of textures I don't have the resources to run and can just cut back on,  than some little scrap of homicidal maniac code lurking in the dark, waiting to pounce on my game and saw it's balls off at precisely the moment a tiny bird flaps it's wings in a very particular way somewhere in the depths of the (laggy) forest. Meh.  

 

So I agree, it's not an issue with the number so much as an inherent risk when running any additional scripts - even the vanilla ones are mentalists let alone the bedroom coded ones. 

[D_ManXX2]

there are 4 scripts from vanilla game who is fixed that could cause papyrus to be spammed by it.

 

DunBluePalaceArenaScript.pex and 3 others.

[nooblet123]

You look pale....I detect a strong case of Scriptophobia...

[Rayblue]

I had my installation already run through Texture Optimizer, and had to find the right ENB to make sure it's stable at a good framerate, but scripts are a matter of concern now because they are easily "baked" into the gamesave, and mods that have no proper uninstallation procedures are bound to cause more problems. There are some modders who try to code scripts with little grounding on proper programming techniques, and thus you have some mods conflicting with another because they're using the same name variable such as "temp1" or "temp2"; we end-users are literally beta-testing.

 

Now, I don't know where this came from but it's said that you can only allocate up to 2mb (2457600) of stack memory, which is what is actually referred to the iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes.

 

[h38fh2mf]

I don't think there's a limit, the worst thing that could happen is that the scripts run 0.5-1 second later than they normally would due to heavy load. Of course if the script is written badly in the first place (CTD or other errors) then it's different. Also if you are using single core CPU then it's also bad to have many scripts but I don't think anyone these days is using such an ancient device. Script mods aren't something to avoid, there are some vanilla scripts that are so badly written that well, even a beginner modder would make a better script, and there are also some mods that are very badly written. Usually if it's a well known mod you'll be alright.

 

If you're going to use many mods I suggest this. It got 2.5k endorsements in 2 weeks, it's just that good. (Sorry if I'm not allowed to link nexus please let me know I'll remove )

[Rayblue]

^

No big deal, we link Nex mods in here, but not the other way around.

 

Been using Safetyload for a couple of weeks, but it's best used with optimized textures, low-poly meshes (I realized today that high-poly meshes are best if you're using a mid- or top-tier gaming rig), and a limited selection of mods (considered necessary).

[laz0r]

I don't think that it's so much reliant on how many mods you have with heavy scripting, I think it's more or less if the scripts from said mods conflict with one another or not. Even the slightest conflicts in scripting and Skyrim has an instant stroke, usually in the form of receiving a pleasant greeting from your desktop. 

[nooblet123]

Nothing stops you from optimizing someone's scripts if you think they're too heavy, unless that someone is a ****************** and didn't provide a .psc

 

[h38fh2mf]

That's a very long string of * I wonder what word is there and I agree including .psc is just a very nice thing to do, I often like mods but want to change few things in them to my liking especially on this website because the mod authors seem to want to include a lot of restrictions that aren't fun and take effort to make in the first place.

[josenightbreed]

I dont think the number of scripts is the main problem alone, I think most of cdt/instability issues have more to do with texture/vram problems. I run more than 200 mods and a lot of heavy scripted most without any problem, but of course, i'll never run hi-res mods that skyrim simply can't handle. In fact, i preferably use vanilla low res texture packs that looks exactly the same but allows the old skyrim engine to breathe a little. Of course, bad scripted mods can ruin your experience, but that has nothing to do with number, but with quality. A good example of mod i'll never put again is sexlab defeat, it'll just break your game, your computer, rape your mom and kill your familily (although its a good mod, sadly).

 

Lmao

[cornbreadtm]

I Personally haven't found a limit, I honestly believe there is no limit. Script lag comes from bad scripts. Some authors don't place checks and exceptions on some of their scripts and they run longer than they need to and also continue to run instead of resetting. The more scripts a mod has the higher chance that an author missed one of these, which causes the lag. I run with A LOT of scripted mods that run constantly and have no script lag or crashes. Latency for me stays at the 50s. But I also only use scripted mods that have the proper exceptions. Took a lot of testing to find out which ones make the cut though.

 

and FYI sexlab defeat works fine as long as you turn off the npc vs npc content. Skyrim can barely get npcs to interact correctly in vanilla...

[hryh23k9823u]

that was old, and the problem was mainly save bloating. since 4.2 of defeat I used it very well, and no save bloating even with npc v npc (what I think was the cause of the bloat in previous versions). So now I totally recommend sexlab defeat. However turning off npc v npc is certianly lot less papyrus stressing