Multiple Issues Upon Starting New STEP Extended Game

[hazelwolf]

Hi everyone.

 

Apologies if this turns out to be yet another modding noob's dance of ignorance but I've been encountering some issues that I just cannot find solutions to in the forums (That I've been able to gather)

 

I've done a clean install of STEP extended, optimised my graphics settings accordingly. 

 

First issue I encounter is some obtrusive page turning and horse noises upon the transition from the first loading screen to the Skyrim opening credits. After double checking this wasn't a vanilla feature (It's been a while) I've determined that this is probably part and parcel of the excessively long load time this fresh install of mods and DLC is having at a very script heavy part of the game.

 

The problem only gets worse thereafter with a lot of stutter and, at times, skipped dialogue. On certain reruns the game will CTD and others certain events won't play out (Most noticeably the Headsman, Priest and Imperial Captain won't appear and the carts just carry on to their termination and stop, only with the sound effects and animation as if they were still in motion. None of the NPC's will move.) 

 

I encountered similar issues in the STEP Core installation (a test run to make sure my rig could handle it before continuing) but some graphics tweaks managed to see me to the character creation screen eventually.

 

Upon installing Extended, though, the issue has become more pronounced to the point I'm at now. The worst lag and stuttering seems to coincide with the installations of the official DLC and some sort of weapon and armor tagging. All this info scrolls along in the top left corner as a running commentary to this glitch-fest.

 

I am running no other mods beside those listed in STEP extended.

 

If at all possible I would really like to see this predicament solved without resorting to installing STEP after I've got out of Helgen (I'm not quite sick of the opening scene yet and I'd kinda like to design my character using the Racemod and see how the dragon attack plays out in STEP-o-vision).

 

Thanks for any possible help.

Edited September 16, 2014 by hazelwolf

[hazelwolf]

Welcome, yes, but why do you think you won't see the game at its best? The STEP mods will make it stable and aesthetically pleasing, it sounds like that + Helgen is stressing your machine a bit so AS-LAL can give the game a time out before you continue the intro uninterrupted. Try it out, I think you'll like making your character first and then continuing through the original intro without having to stop part way for that interface.

 

 

Later on, if you want a new spin on things you can try an alternate start and begin as a Companion, Shipwreck survivor, researcher deep in Blackreach (caution, hard!), or a homeowner.

In view of the fact that this mod has proven to be a nice (and actually very well thought our) workaround for my problem, I'm going to call this problem solved. It's a wonder, though, that this mod hasn't found its way into the official STEP: Extended build as a result.

[redirishlord]

I find Alternate Start Live Another Life particularly useful for this sort of thing with my STEP + "the kitchen sink" set up. AS-LAL will start you in a prison cell and give scripted mods a chance to initialize without the intro fighting for resources. Once your MCM and scripts sort themselves you can proceed through the RaceMenu piece, in peace, and then select an alternate start when ready. The Helgen intro is available by selecting "I got caught crossing the border illegally". With your character creation and such completed, hopefully the intro can play out properly (without excessive lag and other chaos).

[hazelwolf]

I find Alternate Start Live Another Life particularly useful for this sort of thing with my STEP + "the kitchen sink" set up. AS-LAL will start you in a prison cell and give scripted mods a chance to initialize without the intro fighting for resources. Once your MCM and scripts sort themselves you can proceed through the RaceMenu piece, in peace, and then select an alternate start when ready. The Helgen intro is available by selecting "I got caught crossing the border illegally". With your character creation and such completed, hopefully the intro can play out properly (without excessive lag and other chaos).

A scenario I considered but am treating as a last resort for now unless there is no possible way of allowing the scene to play out as Bethesda intended (Barring green-haired Nords, of course  ) 

 

Are there any issues/ conflicts I should be aware of with Alternate Start upon installation?

[redirishlord]

I'm not aware of any conflicts. AS-LAL will allow the Helgen intro to play as intended, you just move the character creation piece to complete first and proceed up to & past Hadvar without hesitation to the chopping block without stopping to do it then.

[phazer11]

One way I've found that works for Extended (haven't tested for SR:LE) is to press tilde (~) as soon as the Bethesda Games Studios Presents: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" or whatever it says and then walk away for a few minutes to let all the mods finish firing off (such as Unknown Enchants).

[hazelwolf]

One way I've found that works for Extended (haven't tested for SR:LE) is to press tilde (~) as soon as the Bethesda Games Studios Presents: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" or whatever it says and then walk away for a few minutes to let all the mods finish firing off (such as Unknown Enchants).

I tried accessing the console commands (On UK keyboards it's the [`] key) and unfortunately it isn't working like that for me.

 

By tapping it as each mod appears in the top left corner it can whiffle through them handily without causing too many problems with the scenes (though regularly pausing really isn't ideal) however the same issue occurs whenever the weapons and armor tagging turns up, bringing the scene to a crawl and iinvariably resulting in some sort of bug.

 

If this is connected to the Book of Silence addon then it could be that I just need to try installing that again, otherwise I am still stumped as to why this is happening.

Edited September 17, 2014 by hazelwolf

[redirishlord]

The intro sequence has always been very demanding resource wise, and its usually suggested to wait until after it is completed to add mods, which is why I like AS-LAL. You are able to start the game without the intro running while your mods install, then you can create your character in RaceMenu which is also a potential resource hog (think hair mods, etc), then begin the Helgen intro without it having to fight for system resources (also be sure to shutdown unneeded background programs, close browsers, etc before launching Skyrim).

 

Best of luck, trouble at start can be quite frustrating when you just want to play.

[hazelwolf]

The intro sequence has always been very demanding resource wise, and its usually suggested to wait until after it is completed to add mods, which is why I like AS-LAL. You are able to start the game without the intro running while your mods install, then you can create your character in RaceMenu which is also a potential resource hog (think hair mods, etc), then begin the Helgen intro without it having to fight for system resources (also be sure to shutdown unneeded background programs, close browsers, etc before launching Skyrim).

 

Best of luck, trouble at start can be quite frustrating when you just want to play.

Thanks. It's a shame as, in theory, I was hoping I'd be able to experience the whole game at its best from start to finish.

 

Welcome to modding, huh?

[redirishlord]

Thanks. It's a shame as, in theory, I was hoping I'd be able to experience the whole game at its best from start to finish.

 

Welcome to modding, huh?

Welcome, yes, but why do you think you won't see the game at its best? The STEP mods will make it stable and aesthetically pleasing, it sounds like that + Helgen is stressing your machine a bit so AS-LAL can give the game a time out before you continue the intro uninterrupted. Try it out, I think you'll like making your character first and then continuing through the original intro without having to stop part way for that interface.

 

 

Later on, if you want a new spin on things you can try an alternate start and begin as a Companion, Shipwreck survivor, researcher deep in Blackreach (caution, hard!), or a homeowner.

Edited September 17, 2014 by redirishlord

[redirishlord]

I learned about it from Teabag here on the STEP fourms, I think the alternate starts differ too much from vanilla for inclusion. I won't play without it now, and you might be on to something, AS-LAL using the "crossing the border" Helgen intro option would be more of a "fix" for those of us with trouble at start and possibly a STEP mod with those instructions.

 

Glad things are working better for you, have fun.

[phazer11]

Well, another reason it hasn't been added is it requires more editing to make patches since the start locations and such conflict with other mods so they would have to be fixed in the patch. It hasn't been talked about in a while though so I could be wrong. Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited: Legendary Edition guide has a conflict resolution section that should help get you started (he lists Conflicts for the mods in his guide; not all of which are included in STEP)

[DoubleYou]

I personally am not a fan of Alternate Start. Maybe it's always because I tend to have a faster CPU than GPU always, but I've never had issues with the Helgen sequence.

[redirishlord]

Well, another reason it hasn't been added is it requires more editing to make patches since the start locations and such conflict with other mods so they would have to be fixed in the patch. It hasn't been talked about in a while though so I could be wrong. Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited: Legendary Edition guide has a conflict resolution section that should help get you started (he lists Conflicts for the mods in his guide; not all of which are included in STEP)

I use SR:LE & REGS and don't encounter any conflicts. The start locations are made with compatibility in mind by Arthmoor who is part of the Unofficial Patch team, so I'd expect it to be safe with the exception of mods mentioned in its readme (for instance don't install Helgen Reborn until after completing the Helgen intro obviously). I recently started as the owner of Shoal's Rest farm outside Rorikstead and its compatible with ETaC's changes. Starting as a Companion simply puts you in Jorrvaskr with a suit of heavy armor, Adrienne Avenicci has the same smithing tutorial as Alvor, and the first rumor you hear at an Inn directs you to Helgen so you can pick up the main quest from there (post Dragon attack / Keep destruction).

phazer11, on 18 Sept 2014 - 1:22 PM, said:

  Well, another reason it hasn't been added is it requires more editing to make patches since the start locations and such conflict with other mods so they would have to be fixed in the patch. It hasn't been talked about in a while though so I could be wrong. Neovalen's Skyrim Revisited: Legendary Edition guide has a conflict resolution section that should help get you started (he lists Conflicts for the mods in his guide; not all of which are included in STEP)

I use SR:LE & REGS and don't encounter any conflicts. The start locations are made with compatibility in mind by Arthmoor who is part of the Unofficial Patch team, so I'd expect it to be safe with the exception of mods mentioned in its readme (for instance don't install Helgen Reborn until after completing the Helgen intro obviously). I recently started as the owner of Shoal's Rest farm outside Rorikstead and its compatible with ETaC's changes. Starting as a Companion simply puts you in Jorrvaskr with a suit of heavy armor, Adrienne Avenicci has the same smithing tutorial as Alvor, and the first rumor you hear at an Inn directs you to Helgen so you can pick up the main quest from there (post Dragon attack / Keep destruction).

I personally am not a fan of Alternate Start. Maybe it's always because I tend to have a faster CPU than GPU always, but I've never had issues with the Helgen sequence.

It's a "fix" and a lot more, but only if you want, otherwise vanilla on tap.

[hazelwolf]

I'm actually considering going for SR:LE + REGS. It is, barring a few other choice mods, my ideal build. 

 

However, even with Another Start I'm still struggling to get through the Helgen sequence.

It may simply be the case that my hardware isn't up to scratch as much as I'd hoped. I have just over 1gb of Vram at my disposal.

 

May have to add improved graphics card to this year's birthday list :P 

[Nozzer66]

Have you tried doing the old frame rate limit to 60 fps? That often helps with the carts jumping etc stuff in the start sequence.