Alternate Start breaking my game......

[Nagrom]

Hi All.

 

This is my first post here so be gentle.

 

I've been following the STEP guide to the letter as far as I know. As soon as I start the game and go to new game I get a CTD.

 

I've tracked down the culprit to Alternate Start as when I turn off the mod it works perfectly. This I find baffling as I've used AS for years.

 

I know this isn't a major issue as I can just play the vanilla start. However I am worried that there could be another underlying issue.

 

This test was done before any LOD's were generated, as the first test run.

 

My LOOT sorted load order is as follows.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Skyrim.esm

Update.esm

Dawnguard.esm

HearthFires.esm

Dragonborn.esm

Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch.esp

Skyrim Project Optimization - Full Version.esm

FISS.esp

UHDAP - MusicHQ.esp

UHDAP - en0.esp

UHDAP - en1.esp

UHDAP - en2.esp

UHDAP - en3.esp

UHDAP - en4.esp

MajesticMountains_Landscape.esm

Landscape and Water Fixes.esp

AHZmoreHUD.esl

AHZmoreHUDInventory.esl

BetterContainerControls.esl

Lanterns Of Skyrim II.esm

MajesticMountains_Moss.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Resources.esm

FarmhouseChimneys.esp

SkyUI_SE.esp

Butterflies.esp

SkyrimImprovedPuddles-DG-HF-DB.esp

Hearthfires Houses Building Fix.esp

UnlimitedBookshelves.esp

dD - Enhanced Blood Main LITE.esp

GQJ_DG_vampireamuletfix.esp

SMIM-SE-Merged-All.esp

Audio Overhaul Skyrim.esp

Gildergreen Regrown.esp

aMidianBorn_Book of Silence.esp

Better Dynamic Snow.esp

MajesticMountains.esp

Cathedral Landscapes.esp

Better Dynamic Ash.esp

Better Dynamic Snow - Snowy Farmhouses.esp

RelightingSkyrim_SSE.esp

Relationship Dialogue Overhaul.esp

SmoothShores.esp

Landscape Fixes For Grass Mods.esp

Cutting Room Floor.esp

Book Covers Skyrim.esp

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp

Frost Meshes Patch.esp

DustEffectsSSE.esp

Elemental_Staffs.esp

Enhanced Vanilla Trees SSE.esp

Footprints.esp

Savage Skyrim Std.esp

HD Stone Quarry and Clay Deposits SE.esp

SparklesSE.esp

SkygazerMoonsSize.esp

ORM-Arvak.esp

Fantasy Soundtrack Project - Combat.esp

Fantasy Soundtrack Project.esp

IHSS.esp

Beards.esp

Brows.esp

CommunityOverlays1_0T30.esp

CommunityOverlays2_31T50.esp

CommunityOverlays3.esp

Dalish_Vallaslin.esp

NB-Scars.esp

VWA_VanillaWarpaintsAbsolution.esp

CrittersAintSnitches.esp

Dragon Stalking Fix.esp

Landscape and Water Fixes - Patch - Relighting Skyrim.esp

ReasonableMovementSpeed.esp

Waterbreathing Breathless Emerge SSE.esp

GIST soul trap.esp

RUSTIC SOULGEMS - Sorted - GIST.esp

AI Overhaul.esp

Realistic Boat Bobbing.esp

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

Weapons Armor Clothing & Clutter Fixes.esp

LuxuriousPickaxes.esp

ClavicusArgonianMasque.esp

imp_helm_legend.esp

SPTConsistentOlderPeopleSE.esp

BetterQuestObjectives.esp

aMidianborn_Skyforge_Weapons.esp

Better Stealth AI for Followers.esp

Realistic AI Detection 2 SE - Medium Interior, Medium Exterior.esp

Simple AUA.esp

TavernAIFix.esp

Disease Descriptions.esp

GoOnAhead.esp

Point The Way.esp

Snotgurg Simple Drop Lit Torches.esp

Torches Ignite Oil - Shock Edition.esp

BetterQuestObjectives - BCS Patch.esp

Oakwood.esp

Thieves Guild Requirements.esp

TheChoiceIsYours.esp

Run For Your Lives.esp

EmbersHD.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-AMBSkyforgePatch.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-CRFPatch.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-DBForevertoMisc.esp

TimingIsEverything.esp

Oblivion Gates Remade.esp

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

Book Covers Skyrim - Lost Library.esp

Helarchen Creek.esp

Convenient Horses.esp

Landscape Fixes For Grass mods - Cutting Room Floor Locations.esp

Landscape For Grass Mods - Oakwood PATCH.esp

PilgrimsDelight.esp

NotSoFast-MainQuest.esp

The Paarthurnax Dilemma.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-PaarDilemmaPatch.esp

LoS II - Oakwood patch.esp

LoS II - Helarchen Creek patch.esp

NotSoFast-MageGuild.esp

LoS II - SMIM patch.esp

RBB - Oakwood Patch.esp

RBB - USSEP Patch.esp

Oblivion Gates Remade - Map Markers.esp

Chesko_LoreBasedLoadingScreens.esp

iHUD.esp

RaceMenu.esp

XPMSE.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

ViewableFactionRanks.esp

Cathedral Weathers.esp

getSnowy.esp

CathedralWeatherMCM.esp

FNIS.esp

Oblivion Gates Remade - Mountain Texture with MM Shader.esp

StormLightning.esp

WondersofWeather.esp

BDS - MM Patch.esp

Cutting Room Floor - Better Dynamic Snow Patch.esp

Cutting Room Floor - Relationship Dialogue Overhaul Patch.esp

Helarchen Creek - Better Dynamic Snow Patch.esp

ImprovedClosefacedHelmets_WACCF.esp

TCIY_CRF_Patch.esp

The Choice is Yours - WACCF Consistency Patch.esp

WACCF - CRF Consistency Patch.esp

LRR - Alternative - by LeonardoTrote.esp

DragonShoutVoice.esp

Lock_Overhaul.esp

Ordinator_WACCF_Patch.esp

GIST-RusticSoulGems-patch.esp

Trade & Barter.esp

Complete Crafting Overhaul_Remastered.esp

Smithing Perks Overhaul SE.esp

CCOR_Ordinator.esp

Complete Alchemy & Cooking Overhaul.esp

ButterfliesUnchained.esp

ButterfliesUnchained(ESL) - CACO Patch.esp

Complete Alchemy & Cooking Overhaul_CCOR_Patch.esp

CACO_USSEP_Patch.esp

CACO_Ordinator_Patch.esp

BetterQuestObjectives-AlternateStartPatch.esp

Landscape Fixes For Grass mods - Alternate start Locations.esp

Luminosity Lighting Overhaul.esp

RealisticWaterTwo.esp

Step Skyrim SE - CR Patch.esp

Realistic Water Two - Landscape For Grass Mods Patch.esp

STEP Skyrim SE - L&W Patch.esp

Modern Brawl Bug Fix.esp

 

Has anyone else encountered this issue? if so how did you fix it?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Andy.

Edited November 21, 2020 by Greg
Added spoiler tags

[Greg]

Have you tried the vanilla start with Alternate Start: Live Another Life? I doubt Alternate Start is the cause of the CTD. It's more likely missing meshes or something in one of the other mods and the selected start just happens to put you in the area that's causing the crash. You might start by verifying the LOD resources are installed correctly and the LOD generation at the end is good. If you're still experiencing issues, go back through the guide again to verify all mods are installed correctly.

[Nagrom]

Short answer is no. I've not tried the vanilla launch via Alternate Start as I can't get the game to run with AS turned on.

 

This is the first modded launch recommended at the end of stage 4 of the guide. This is BEFORE any LOD's are generated. As that's the next stage.

 

With AS switched on I: -

 

1. Run the game.

2. Select NEW

3. Get the black screen with the smoke and the level 1 progress bar in the top right of the screen. There is NO image of Aldiun on the Word Wall like there should be at the start of the game.

4. Then it crashes.......

 

With Alternate Start turned off EVERYTHING runs fine. The game starts and I get the Aldiun image as per normal. 

I've even turned off the two mod patches that require AS to see if there was an issue with them. These are better quest objectives and Landscape fixes for grass mods.

 

It seems clear that there's an issue with AS.

Though it isn't recommended, would Skyrim Unbound be a workable alternative?

 

Thanks again.

[Mercury71]

There seem to be some mods not from the guide in your load order, or am i wrong?

Savage Skyrim for example, some tatoo mod also. Have you checked them with xEdit for conflicts with the rest of the mods.

Alternate start works just fine if the guide is installed as is. Ther must a conflict with an added mod or maby some of the guide mod not installed as in the guide.

[Nagrom]

Yeah I forgot to remove them. I was experimenting with other mods. They've been disabled now and as far as I can tell everything in my mod list is identical to the guide. However I'm still getting a CTD at the same point. Very baffling.

If this is only an error when starting a new game it's something I can live with. I've tested Skyrim Unbound and this seems to work fine.

 

Thanks.