DynDOLOD destabilized my game

[xenofactor07]

After using the fantastic video from GamerPoets to run DynDOLOD for Skyrim SE, my game has become very unstable. I cannot load an open world space using "coc riverwood" in the console.. I get a CTD after a 1 second loading screen. However, I am able to load a new game (using Alternative Start mod, which is an interior space), but the problem there is that there is no floor and my character continuously falls through the floor and then respawns in a loop.

 

Following the video step by step, I utilized the Lanterns of Skyrim patch from the DynDOLOD Patches file first (this may be my first mistake since this is an oldrim patch). I then generated my LODs using TexGen and received a successful message from DynDOLOD after processing all worlds. I placed DynDOLOD.esm at the bottom of my masters and DynDOLOD.esp at the bottom of my entire load order, with DynDOLOD Textures/Output in the left pane at the end as well.

 

I did this last night and went to bed with it broken so I wasn't able to do any thorough troubleshooting. One thing I'm curious about and have received mixed information about is which mods/plugins need to be ticked on in MO when about to run DynDOLOD. There was nothing in the GP video regarding this, so I left my entire load order checked on as I would during a bashed patch creation.

 

Please help steer me in the right direction to get my game functional again... I would be very grateful.

[Shadriss]

Following the video step by step, I utilized the Lanterns of Skyrim patch from the DynDOLOD Patches file first (this may be my first mistake since this is an oldrim patch). I then generated my LODs using TexGen and received a successful message from DynDOLOD after processing all worlds. I placed DynDOLOD.esm at the bottom of my masters and DynDOLOD.esp at the bottom of my entire load order, with DynDOLOD Textures/Output in the left pane at the end as well.

I think you got a few things confused there. I'll throw these at you, see if you just mis-worded it or if you genuinely need to do this over.

 

1) LOD isn't done using TexGen. Textures are generated for the LOD through TexGen. LODGen does the actual LOD generation, so you may have skipped a step or two there.

 

2) You have the two files backwards - the .ESM file should be at the top of your load order, with all the other .ESM files, and the DynDOLOD.esp should be the last thing in the load order, way down at the bottom. LOOT sorting should have taken care of this automatically, so if those files are where you say they are, I have to assume you put them there manually. Let LOOT sort'em out - that's what it's there for.

 

Your notion of leaving all files checked prior to LODGen is not killing you here - that's generally what I do as well (unless there is a specific file that you DON'T want LODGen done for), so that's likely not the source of your problem. I think there are three possibilities: A) You are correct, and the LoS patch is throwing something off because it wasn't written for SSE. You can test this by running the LODGen w/o LoS enabled or using the patch, see if it loads up. B) You ran the LOD incorrectly, but given you ended up with two DynDOLOD files, I think that you likely got it right, with the exception of the LoS Patch just mentioned. C) Your load order is the culprit, because it's hard for a file to get data from it's master (.esm) when that master doesn't get loaded until much later on.

 

Again, just some things to look at.

[xenofactor07]

1) LOD isn't done using TexGen. Textures are generated for the LOD through TexGen. LODGen does the actual LOD generation, so you may have skipped a step or two there.

Thank you for replying. This may be a dumb question and I apologize because I'm new to this mod... 

 

Is LODGen something external from the DynDOLOD executable? I'm wondering just like you how I was able to get a successful DynDOLOD message after processing if I possibly missed a whole step.

 

2) You have the two files backwards - the .ESM file should be at the top of your load order, with all the other .ESM files, and the DynDOLOD.esp should be the last thing in the load order, way down at the bottom. LOOT sorting should have taken care of this automatically, so if those files are where you say they are, I have to assume you put them there manually. Let LOOT sort'em out - that's what it's there for.

 

I'm sorry I was not 100% clear regarding the .esm. I placed it as the last .esm in my list of .esm's (below RSChildren.esm). It is very high in my load order, even above the USLEEP. As for LOOT, it returned no messages/errors regarding my load order when I ran it.

 

Any ideas as to why the floor is gone in the interior space? It's likely the outdoor space won't load because of the LoS patch from oldrim.. So that's at least one problem potentially solved until I get off work and can do more testing.

[Shadriss]

The general order of operations is:

 

TexGen - this generates textures for the LOD, using the textures you have in your load order. Skipping this wouldn't kill the LOD run... but once in game, distant area textures may look significantly off from the close-in textures, depending on how different from the vanilla files your texture mods are. So skipping this should not kill the LODGen.

 

LODGen - AKA the DynDOLOD executable. Same thing. There IS another program out there (xLODGen) that generates completely new worldspace LOD, and it is used in some guides as a step before the TexGen, so I guess I should have been clearer there myself. Apologies.

 

I am getting more confused though - you mention USLEEP, which is for Oldrim. Did you mean USSEP, the equivalent for SSE? At this point, I'm unsure of which game you are trying to mod. I thought it was SSE, but now I think I need to make sure.

 

Assuming you are, the other thing I'm make sure of is that you are running the correct DynDOLOD executable - the 64-bit version. I don't know for certain, but I'm pretty sure it makes a difference - 32-bit for Oldrim, 64-bit for SSE because, well, it just makes sense.

 

The last thing I'd say is to take a look at the main STEP Guide (2.10.0) and it's directions for running DynDOLOD. It's for Oldrim, but the base instructions are essentially the same for running it with SSE - just make sure you run the 64-bit versions of the programs instead, and any instructions that are specific to that guide can either be ignored or incorporated, as needed for your specific mod lineup.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Shadriss

[xenofactor07]

Sorry about that... still having morning coffee. To clear things up: I am attempting to run this for Skyrim SE. I did mean USSEP... not USLEEP. And lastly, I am running the 64-bit versions of TexGen and DynDOLOD from the v2.39 latest beta.

 

Looking at your order of operations it looks like I'm on the right track... I ran TexGen first at 256 according to the GP video. Archived and added to MO as "DynDOLOD Textures", put it at the bottom of my load order. Next, I ran DynDOLOD using the recommendations from the GP video. Archived and added to MO as "DynDOLOD Output", which I put below DynDOLOD Textures. Placed the DynDOLOD.esm as the last .esm to load in the order before all of the .esp's. Checked with LOOT, no issues. Booted the game, and I get a CTD when attempting "coc riverwood" in the console. Tried new game... it loads (to the Alternative Start room), but I fall through the floor on a loop.

 

Should I have executed DynDOLOD with my bashed patch deactivated in MO? Could this have caused some kind of corruption since it was activated?

 

Also, to try to return stability to the game, I deactivated all DynDOLOD-related files in my MO load order and I was still getting a CTD. How could that be possible when before attempting the DynDOLOD process I was having no issues?

[sheson]

Read the FAQ about CTD (skip over memory parts meant for 32 bit Skyrim) and then the readme to check for invalid NIFs causing problems.

 

DynDOLOD does not causes problems in interior cells.

 

However, if there are problems with DynDOLOD disabled then the cause is entirely something else. It is impossible for plugins or LOD files that do not exist in the load order to have any effect on a new game.

Edited June 28, 2018 by sheson

[Shadriss]

Bashed patch activation won't have any affect here. I run with mine turned on all the time, and never had an issue like this. So, reading through, I have two more things for you.

 

A)...Placed the DynDOLOD.esm as the last .esm to load in the order before all of the .esp's. Checked with LOOT, no issues.

 

B)...Also, to try to return stability to the game, I deactivated all DynDOLOD-related files in my MO load order and I was still getting a CTD. How could that be possible when before attempting the DynDOLOD process I was having no issues?

A) You've used that set of terms twice now, so again, I want to be sure. You said that it 'checked out' in LOOT... which I take it means no errors. Great. Have you actually RUN the sorting for LOOT at all?

 

B) This is odd indeed... and sounds like a Missing Master CTD. With DynDOLOD turned off, do any of the plugins in the right pan show a red triangle? That would indicate a missing master... hovering over it will tell you what file is missing. It would almost have to be DynDOLOD, which is very odd, since NOTHING should be using it as a master that isn't DynDOLOD. Disregard - just read what you posted again, and I was on the wrong track. If it's still doing a CTD on the CoC Riverwood, then it's not DynDOLOD that's causing that issue... there has to be a mod interaction or something similar elsewhere that's causing it, as Sheson just said.

 

As to the falling through the floor stuffs - that's completely new to me... never even heard of anything like it.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Shadriss

[xenofactor07]

Read the FAQ about CTD (skip over memory parts meant for 32 bit Skyrim) and then the readme to check for invalid NIFs causing problems.

 

Sheson, the memory portion of your statement could 100% be my issue. When I get home I will test. I just remembered though that before I ran DynDOLOD, I created an skse.ini and added the line for your memory patch "InitialHeapAllocMB=256" (something like that, not exact). I did this because the GP video said it was a prerequisite. I was unaware until now that this only applies to 32-bit Skyrim though so this could very likely be the issue. I will also follow the steps outlined in the FAQ as you suggested.

Shadriss, it could also be why the floor is disappearing when I create a new game.

 

A) You've used that set of terms twice now, so again, I want to be sure. You said that it 'checked out' in LOOT... which I take it means no errors. Great. Have you actually RUN the sorting for LOOT at all?

Regarding LOOT, I'm hesitant to allow LOOT to sort my plugins and lose the stable order I've had thus far. I used the Skyrim S.E.P.T.I.M. guide from zackalope to get this far. As an alternative, I've simply executed LOOT, and then addressed any messages/errors that it throws at me manually. So far this method has worked fine.

[sheson]

Any memory settings in the SKSE.ini will be ignored with SKSE64 / Skyrim SE and should have no effect at all.

 

If you manually want to sort the load order, move the DynDOLOD.esm after the unofficial patch and the last *.esm master file. The DynDOLOD.esp should be more or less the last plugin.

[xenofactor07]

Ok.. some new developments now that I've made it home and am at my machine. I've established that this is no longer DynDOLOD related, but SKSE it appears. I removed the memory patch line from skse.ini just to be safe .. and also ExpandSystemMemoryX64=false from enblocal.ini (because I use ENB). Now, here's what's happening.

Test 1: If I load my full list of mods, I load to the Main Menu splash screen but there is no Skyrim logo on the left side of the screen, and all of my save thumbnails are missing strangely. If I use "coc riverwood" then I immediately CTD.

So this caused me to verify game files with Steam ... after that, I still CTD'd with a full load order. OK.

 

Test 2: I cleared all mods and loaded a vanilla load order through MO using the Skyrim SE launcher ... SUCCESSFUL LOAD! Sweet!

 

Test 3: I activated just SKSE Scripts, Papyrus Util, and SKSE Plugins ... Same result as Test 1. Hmmm ...

 

After Test 3, I proceeded to completely re-install SKSE .. and proceeded to do ...

 

Test 4: Just load SKSE Scripts and launch through SKSE launcher in MO ... Same result as Test 1.

 

Sheson, I read the FAQ and readme included within DynDOLOD 2.39. I did a CTRL+F search for keywords like .nif, NiNode, root block, and missing .. What I came across within the DynDOLOD_[GAMEMODE]_log.txt log file looked benign.

Reading on, I attempted this step from your readme:

 

Step 1) Open skse\plugins\StorageUtilData\DynDOLOD_Worlds.json with notepad and change the line from 

"debug":"false"

to

"debug":"true"

 

But I discovered I don't have this .json to check within this file structure. I checked the SKSE folders in the data folder of my installation, the one in My Documents, and any SKSE related mods through MO by using the "Open in Explorer" option.

 

I'm at a loss. Considering uninstalling completely at this point. Any ideas?

[Shadriss]

How are you installing SKSE? IE, step by step, and how does it compare to the installation instructions from STEP? Even better question - what VERSION of SKSE are you installing? If you haven't installed the 2.0.7 version (IE, if it's a version starting with a 1...) then you are installing the wrong version. 2.* is the 64 bit version for SSE, 1.* is the 32 bit Oldrim. MAKE SURE you are using the right one, and that it's installed properly.

[xenofactor07]

How are you installing SKSE? IE, step by step, and how does it compare to the installation instructions from STEP? Even better question - what VERSION of SKSE are you installing? If you haven't installed the 2.0.7 version (IE, if it's a version starting with a 1...) then you are installing the wrong version. 2.* is the 64 bit version for SSE, 1.* is the 32 bit Oldrim. MAKE SURE you are using the right one, and that it's installed properly.

Shadriss, just so there's no doubt... I went to skse.silverlock.org and downloaded the archive Current SE build 2.0.7 (runtime 1.5.39). I followed the STEP guide verbatim. I brought in the .exe and the 2 .dll's. I then used Add from Archive option in MO and added the SKSE Scripts within the data folder.. verifying it said "looks good" in MO. After doing this, I just attempted loading the game with SKSE and PapyrusUtil activated.. but I'm still getting the same issue with regards to the menu and the CTD. See my attached screenshot.

[Zanderat]

Does MO play nice with .dll mods? I thought that they needed to be direct installed into the data folder, not virtual?

[xenofactor07]

Well, you can close the topic! Turned out my MO profile was corrupted with some bad ini tweaks. Once I moved my load order to a brand new MO profile, the menu breaking issue went away and I was able to load into the game. I can confirm DynDOLOD appeared in the MCM as it should. I apologize for blaming DynDOLOD on my issue as it clearly wasn't even related, just happened to be running it when my MO profile corrupted. I'm still doing testing to see if Lanterns of Skyrim patch from oldrim is usable.. so far I've been experiencing CTD's around Whiterun and I think it's the cause. I'm re-running TexGen and DynDOLOD with a corrected load order now.

[Shadriss]

... so far I've been experiencing CTD's around Whiterun and I think it's the cause.

In the grand old days of Oldrim, a child coughing in Riften would cause a CTD at Whiterun.

 

Glad to hear you have the problem resolved. Happy Skyrimming!