FO3 Black Screen Freeze - Music Still Playing

[TheWickedGamer]

I have modded before, a little bit, I started with Oblivion and did a lot with Skyrim, but I finally decided to take on the task of following S.T.E.P. Let me say this, you weren't lying when you said it will take 4-6 days to completely go through the guide. I am on day 4 now, maybe 5. I took my time, did it right, I installed probably 90-95% of the mods listed, I did all the prep work at the beginning. I installed programs I have no idea how to properly use - without following a guide. OMG this guide is thorough, but I am glad I took the time to do it, as I learned a lot, but realize I know absolutely nothing.

 

I searched a lot on google and finally found one post from 5 years ago that had a similar issue on the Steam forums. The OP posted a screenshot of basically what I see. I responded to that post, but afterwards realized I should go to the source, to those who really know. On the S.T.E.P. guide I am at the part where we create the Bashed Patch, I am fairly certain I did everything correctly (except for a couple places). I intend on writing a few other comments not related to this issue at a later time - maybe to add input on a couple sections of the guide that could be a little clearer, to help someone like me who uses it in the future - but for now I will stick with the issue at hand.

 

I will post the link to the Steam Forum Post, then my response which will show what my issue is (instead of rewriting it all). My post is the last post on that steam page, but view the screenshot the OP provided.

 

https://steamcommunity.com/app/22370/discussions/0/684839199608365298/

 

I realize this is 5 years later, but I am certain this is an issue with a mod (or combination of mods). I am having kind of the same issue, but instead of happening when I start a new game, it happens when I start the game.

Same as in the screenshot from the OP - except without the green bars on the left and right (I get the middle red bar with a black screen). The game doesn't crash, I still hear music playing, but it is frozen. The game actually starts loading normally, then when it tries to go to the next section to load the title menu is when it happens.

The OP alse mentioned running MMM and FWE which I have both - I actually thought it was MMM, but after disabling it (and associated mods) I still had this issue. I installed MMM through the fomod (using Mod Organizer 2) and opted for the in-game options.

I have a ton of mods (following the S.T.E.P. guide found below):

https://wiki.step-project.com/User:Kelmych/Fallout3

I have been working on this guide for days and days trying to install everything exactly right - and I have done everything except a couple things I couldn't quite figure out - I am learning a ton though.

I was testing the game often after every couple of sections, but yesterday I powered through to the end of all the mods (downloading and installing to the end of the guide) and afterwards is when I had this issue.

I have all the mods organized by sections according to the S.T.E.P. guide and tested all the different sections individually and the game loaded as normal. So my issue is with a combination of mods or patches. I am troubleshooting now and will deactivate all the mods by section until I figure out which one is causing this issue.

I just wanted to add to this post being that I found it on google so many years later just in case someone else was having this same issue. I don't think I need help, as I have a ton of things I can try (too many) - although if someone knows what is going on or has any ideas, you could try to help me.

 

EDIT:

 

I guess I should add, I have a brand new computer, running:

 

GTX 1070 Ti

i7

32 GB RAM

Tons and tons of memory

 

So this issue is not with my computer, but with mods. I was wondering, though, do I need to run Archive Invalidation Invalidated? I didn't see that on the guide at all. Do I need to run FO3 in compatibility mode? I have other questions, but have to run right now, but will check back later. When configuring Vram usage, the guide recommends around 4000 max, but I have over 20k if I remember correctly after running that program with ENB. 

Edited June 20, 2018 by TheWickedGamer

[TheWickedGamer]

I believe my issue may be due to RH Ironsights and/or the compatibility patches (FO3RA Bridge, WMK Bridge, and FWE MWK compatible) I may not have installed these correctly. Yet, I uninstalled everything from the bottom of the mods list up to Weapon Enhancements and I was able to load in.

 

I have gotten a few CTD's and have this issue with a blue box when I go to my inventory screen in Pipboy. Also, sometimes I can't go to my pause menu (start on controller, esc on keyboard).

 

I am seriously considering just running this game with only a few essential mods, with what I have done so far, I have all the fixes/patches done so it should run good if I take away all the mods. I am just ready to play this game.

 

Of course I know I need to make sure I don't have patches running for mods I'm not using, and I will do the Bashed Patch, and I haven't cleaned any of the mods yet, which I will do before I play.

 

I want to use MMM and FWE, body mods and some clothing, better graphics for the world and some guns at least, radio stations and sound effects, new weapons, and a few more. I just wished I could run everything, but I am starting to think this is unlikely. I have spent a lot of time following this guide and I don't know what I"m doing wrong, so many possibilities - really I just want a stable game with upgrades from vanilla.

Edited June 21, 2018 by TheWickedGamer

[TheWickedGamer]

I realize I'm just talking to myself here, but if anyone is interested, I went through every mod again, individually, and installed every core mod, and some of them that I wanted. I avoided many that I want, but opted for fewer in hopes that I will have a stable game. Also, I just finished cleaning every mod that I have installed that needed to be.

 

In addition to the few questions I asked above, I am curious to which mods add the least stress to a game - I would love to use more updated graphics mods, but hardly used any. I want to use a couple mods that add more weapons, but don't think I used any. The only core mod I didn't use was the RH Ironsights because I think this was the one that caused the issue earlier... There are others I want to use also, but opted for fewer.

 

My final load order is listed below:

 

 

  0  0     Fallout3.esm

  1  1     Anchorage.esm

  2  2     ThePitt.esm

  3  3     BrokenSteel.esm

  4  4     PointLookout.esm

  5  5     Zeta.esm

  6  6     Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm

  7  7     CALIBR.esm

  8  8     Advanced Recon Tech.esm

  9  9     aHUD.esm

 10  a     iHUD.esm

 11  b     Mart's Mutant Mod.esm

 12  c     AWorldOfPainFO3.esm

 13  d     ArefuExpandedByAzar.esm

 14  e     Mothership Crew.esm

 15  f     Vault 101 Revisited.esm

 16 10     RHKBrisaAlmodovar.esm

 17 11     CRAFT.esm

 18 12     FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm

 19 13     Detect Traps.esm

 20 14     DCInteriors_ComboEdition.esm

 21 15     GeorgetownExpansion.esm

 22 16     FO3 Wanderers Edition - Alternate Travel.esp

 23 17     TSC Air Support.esm

 24 18     tubrrCompound.esm

 25 19     Project Beauty.esm

 26 1a     xCALIBR.esm

 27 1b     DarNifiedUIF3.esp

 28 1c     FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp

 29 1d     FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers (automatics only).esp

 30 1e     Advanced Recon Tech - Detect Traps.esp

 31 1f     Detect Traps - DLC.esp

 32 20     Detect Traps - Perk.esp

 33 21     FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp

 34 22     FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp

 35 23     FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp

 36 24     FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp

 37 25     UUF3P - FWE Patch.esp

 38 26     Advanced Recon Tech FWE.esp

 39 27     Advanced Recon Tech.esp

 40 28     Flashlight-LOS.esp

 41 29     DynamicCrosshair.esp

 42 2a     Stimpak Counter.esp

 43 2b     JIP Selective-Fire.esp

 44 2c     JIP Companions Command & Control.esp

 45 2d     CASM.esp

 46 2e     Overhead3PCamera.esp

 47 2f     YearlingBooksBrisaAlmodovar.esp

 48 30     The Mantis Imperative - Nasty Zeta No Scaling.esp

 49 31     Flora Overhaul.esp

 50 32     GlowingGhouls-MMM.esp

 51 33     RagdollOverhaulFo3.esp

 52 34     Trooper_outfits.esp

 53 35     GNR Enhanced.esp

 54 36     CRAFT - Activation Perk.esp

 55 37     Blackened FWE + MMM + Project Beauty.esp

 56 38     tubRRCompound.esp

 57 39     DCStreet - BS.esp

 58 3a     Realistic Interior Lighting.esp

 59 3b     Rivet City Realignment.esp

 60 3c     The Mantis Imperative - Jello.esp

 61 3d     TSC Air Support.esp

 62 3e     TiesThatBind.esp

 63 3f     RHKBrisaAlmodovar - DLC.esp

           (TWPC) RIL-UUF3P-DM Patch.esp

 64 40     WeaponModKits.esp

 65 41     WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp

 66 42     WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp

 67 43     WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp

 68 44     WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp

 69 45     WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp

 70 46     DIFF WMK.esp

 71 47     DIFF.esp

 72 48     FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp

 73 49     FO3 Wanderers Edition - More Gore.esp

 74 4a     Advanced Recon Gear.esp

 75 4b     Detect Traps - The Traponator 4000.esp

 76 4c     WeaponModKits - FWE Talon Loot Crash Fix.esp

 77 4d     MoreMapMarkers.esp

 78 4e     BBBackpacks-v1-1.esp

 79 4f     Radio Ownership Fix Fixed.esp

 80 50     Dree Perks.esp

 81 51     AutoGates.esp

 82 52     DriveableMotorCycle.esp

 83 53     Radio_Neutron.esp

 84 54     Existence 2.0.esp

 85 55     CouncilSeatFix.esp

 86 56     ArefuExpandedByAzar-Radio.esp

 87 57     Scout Outfits.esp

 88 58     Safe - Safe Regulator HQ.esp

 89 59     MTCBigTownRobotFix.esp

 90 5a     Purity Crash Fix.esp

 91 5b     blackrock_shooter.esp

 92 5c     Refugee Clothing.esp

 93 5d     DIM TYPE3clothesRETAIL.esp

 94 5e     FO3NeckChains.esp

 95 5f     T3_MadLax_Outfit.esp

 96 60     Double barreled shotgun fix.esp

 97 61     Radio Active.esp

 98 62     Conelrad 640-1240.esp

 99 63     Armor Repair Kits - FO3.esp

100 64     Armor Repair Kits PL - FO3.esp

101 65     CALIBRv14 Ammunition Schematics for FWE-WMK-CRAFT-V1_3-18639.esp

102 66     Stealthboy Recon Armor - CRAFT.esp

103 67     (TWPC) BBB-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

104 68     (TWPC) GE-UUF3P Patch.esp

105 69     (TWPC) MMM-EBTMGFWE-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

106 6a     (TWPC) RRE-PB-FWE Patch.esp

107 6b     (TWPC) TMI-FWE Patch.esp

108 6c     (TWPC) DIFF3-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

109 6d     (TWPC) WMK-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

 

 

I have many more mods downloaded and installed besides these, the mods I didn't download are below, so you can use process of elimination to determine what I have that I don't have installed. Many of the mods listed below, I want to use, but again I tried opting for fewer.

 

 

 

Powered Power Armor

Fallout 3 My Way - Resources

Personal Achievements Log

Fallout 3 - Enhanced Camera

No player marker or cursor on maps

Fallout 3 My Way - Resources (part 2)

no more dots

Parkerized Pip-Boy

PiPBoy Light Mod

High Quality Pip-Boy Icons

Hectrol Lockinterface Deluxe HighRes Retex

NPC-Confessor Cromwell has a Break

EMODs_Nightsky_Version2

Size Variable HD Moon Cycle Textures

krzymar Moon Size Tweak

Another Interior Mod

Arlington House Restoration

Better Rivet City Church

Big Town Overhaul

Canterbury Commons Interiors

DCworld21 - Monticello Park

Museum Halls of Today

Megaton Clinic Reorganised

Museum of History Expanded

Rockopolis Rebuilt

Riverside Cafe - The Silver Swan

Temple of The Union Overhaul

Washington Monument BoS Outpost

C93 - Distant LOD Rock Fix for NMCs Texture Pack

Ultimate resolution landscape LODs and generator tes4ll

Fallout Character Overhaul - Races

Fallout Character Overhaul - NPC Edits GOTY

Hi-Res Harold

Vandr HD Creatures

FAWKES Re-texture HiRes

Feral Ghouls - Biohazard - Fallout 3 Edition

Animated Fan

Dust Mote and Fluid Drip Effects HD

HD Mist

Holster animations and models

HD Smoky Fire and Explosions for FO3

Impact

EVE - Energy Visual Enhancements

Zealotlees ACR - Adaptive Combat Rifle

Millenias FO3 Weapons Fixed Iron Sights

Laser Rifle Hi-Res Retexture

Hi-Res Laser Pistol Retexture

Hi-Res Plasma Rifle Retexture

Gauss Rifle Hi-Res Retexture

Weapon Enhancement Pack

WEP Uniques FWE

Visitant's Protectron Overhaul

Delay DLC

Metro Map Replacer

PPA and FWE Armor Balancer

 

 

This may seem like a lot, but overall, I downloaded and installed a ton of mods.

 

I have a computer that could run everything (pending compatibility), so I know I can use a lot more mods that what I am, but I really want to be able to fully enjoy this entire game in as stable of an environment as possible. If anyone has any answers for my questions (which I will go ahead and repeat below) or advice, I would appreciate it.

 

1. Do I need Archive Invalidation Invalidated?

2. Do I need (or should I) run FO3 in compatibility mode?

3. Concerning Vram usage, the guide recommends around 4k, but I have a lot more available, should I allot more?

 

I have other questions also, but these are the main ones for now.

 

 

Please use spoiler tags:

 

[spoiler]
... paste text here...
[/spoiler]

Edited June 22, 2018 by Greg
Added spoiler tags

[Kelmych]

Mod Organizer includes Archive Invalidation Invalidated; you don't need to add it. FO3 stability when using recent Windows versions seems to vary across users, and I'm not sure what causes this. The FO3 mod packages aren't as well organized as those for more recent games, and this increases the time it takes to setup the game. ENB is showing RAM, not VRAM. The GTX 1070 Ti has 8Gb VRAM; more than enough for Fallout 3 even with lots of mods.

 

I haven't seen the problem you describe myself, so it's hard for me to suggest possible fixes. What I usually do is have multiple Mod Organizer profiles, each one at a different level of mods installed. I start with seeing what happens when I load a save game with just the vanilla game, then I try it with profiles that have more mods. Your problem seems to be UI related, and you might want to try using profiles with different sets of UI mods loaded.

[TheWickedGamer]

Mod Organizer includes Archive Invalidation Invalidated; you don't need to add it. FO3 stability when using recent Windows versions seems to vary across users, and I'm not sure what causes this. The FO3 mod packages aren't as well organized as those for more recent games, and this increases the time it takes to setup the game. ENB is showing RAM, not VRAM. The GTX 1070 Ti has 8Gb VRAM; more than enough for Fallout 3 even with lots of mods.

 

I haven't seen the problem you describe myself, so it's hard for me to suggest possible fixes. What I usually do is have multiple Mod Organizer profiles, each one at a different level of mods installed. I start with seeing what happens when I load a save game with just the vanilla game, then I try it with profiles that have more mods. Your problem seems to be UI related, and you might want to try using profiles with different sets of UI mods loaded.

Ok, thanks Dragon King, I think I'm going to finally just play for a while, using the mods I listed above, and see how it goes, I may add more mods slowly as I play.