Infinite loading screen when fast travelling from Solstheim to Skyrim

[DaBozz]

Hi,

 

after installing all of the STEP mods and travelling to Solstheim I can't get back to Skyrim. The loading screen just loops and loops (I stopped after 15 minutes) and nothing happens.

 

Do you know if there is any known issue which could cause my problem?

 

Thanks very, very much!!!

Intel i5-3450 @ 3,1 GHz
HIS Radeon HD 7850 IceQ X Turbo 2GB @ 1000 - 1200 MHz
1920x1080
HDD used
Skyrim Launcher set on Ultra, advanced settings set to the values recommended in the STEP guide
Additional mods: Project Parallax, ENB, Darker Dungeons for ENB, ENB particle patch, Skyrim Project Optimization
Texture Resolution: 1k for big mods like 2k textures and Serious HD, highest available for smaller mods
Installation method: Mod Organizer, sorted via BOSS

[MontyMM]

Just a note that may be relevant - I know that Altimor believes that ILS is linked to poor threading during cell loading, and particularly when loading very large amounts of data.

[Ubeogesh]

  Ubeogesh said:

I also plan to review my mods and find the issue.

My plan:

Remove all mods, enable 3DNPC

Separate all my other mods into two groups, try to enable each of them. Which group will conflict (if both - I pick any) - I spit it in half and test again. Then I am going to repeat this until I have found the incompatible pair.

Hopefully Mod Organizer's profiles will help me with this.

Well this didn't work :(

3DNPC works (no ILS) with 1st half of my mod list OR with 2nd half of my mod list, but not both of them (then I get ILS) ~.~ (though I had to enable some mods from 1st half when tested with 2nd half and vice versa for game just to load and not crash - because I was testing on a copy of my actual save game - but that's more mods, not less)

---

  MontyMM said:

Just a note that may be relevant - I know that Altimor believes that ILS is linked to poor threading during cell loading and particularly when loading very large amounts of data.

Yes, this makes sense regarding what I just found out. But how can this be fixed other than uninstalling mods? I am sure there is no such better hardware that will resolve this (I have FX-8350 8-core 4 GHz, 16 gigs of ram and HD7950 3GB OC'd, Corsair Neutron GTX SSD - more powerful are only Intel i7's or geforce GTX 7xx's which definitely will give better FPS, but won't help resolving this)

[Aiyen]

It is not hardware related... since too many various setups has the issue.

 

If it still fails after moving the load marker into an interior then I dunno what to do other then reduce the mod list and/or texture quality further to reduce the load.

[Ubeogesh]

  Quote

If it still fails after moving the load marker into an interior

 

How do I do that? COC command?

I have tried COC WhiterunDragonsreach - that works, but I can't leave dragonsreach after that (even if I save there, restart the game and load the save)

[GrandBulwark]

Alright. I am back with little to nothing to show for my time. Here is the long and short of it. I tested twenty mods individually with all the DLCs, SkyUI and X mod being enabled (X of course being the mod in question at the time. Prior to this, I was able to replicate the ILS twice with my entire load order. The test was similar to my first I would load up on a save dependent only on the DLCs and SkyUI, with X being loaded for the first time each test, on the boat in Solstheim. I would then repeat the same steps in the old test, run and save captain Valeth and then return to the boat to fast travel. I could provide the list of mods I tested but it's largely irrelevant considering my results, if anyone wants the list feel free to ask.

 

Twenty separate times I repeated this process and the results were all exactly the same, mind you there are more than 20 .esps I just lumped mods that go together in the same test. EG. Immersive Patrols all plugins together, all the unofficial patches together etc. In any case, I was able to complete each loading screen successfully with NO ILSs. Now here is where the results get a bit, weird... I enabled all the mods for this cross referenced list I created and patched ASIS to the modlist and I ran the text once more without issue. Sorry I was wrong, here's the weird part AFTER that I enabled everything in my mod list, patched ASIS and then ran the test again. To my amazement I completed it by arriving at the windhelm docks. So I ran it again, same results... That could support Monty's point made above about poor threading during cell load. Though I cannot be certain of that.

 

Another alternative is that when I repatched ASIS to reflect my original test load order last night, it misfired somehow. I'm not sure if that is probable but I'm sure it's possible.

 

Other Relevant Info: Wet and Cold brings my mods list to 94, no cloaking scripts are present in my load order other than Wet and Cold and possibly DVA (Dynamic Vampire Appearance) Though I believe that is only if you are a vampire. There may be another that escapes me but I'm not an advocate of scripts attached to the player reference in general. TES5EDIT reports that Wet and Cold overwrites info from ONLY the Skyrim.ESM, and the Ashes plugin overwrites parts of Wet and Cold, Solstheim Climate overhaul and Climates of Tamriel. Nothing to be concerned with as far as basic compatibility with other mods. Of course I cannot examine the scripts; I'm not a scripter. Also, papyrus logging shows no errors for wet and cold at the time of the preliminary test in which I had an ILS; nor do any errors show up in any of the subsequent testing.

 

Conclusion: There is none; only more questions... To summarize it is either related to an infrequent script that causes the errors or, as Monty mentioned a threading issue on load. In either case the problem seems to be largely inconsistent. Which is of course enough for me to remove the mod; although NOT enough for me to suggest removal to anyone who isn't experiencing issues. It will remain on my "Blacklist" and off my mod list; though I regret that deeply. I would love to see the mod stabilized to a greater extent.

 

On that note, I may have a light at the end of that particular tunnel. I was on the Nexus chat last night and I spoke with Tytanis briefly. He claims to be working on a mod that he calls "Papyrus+" and while he didn't go into great detail he did state that it is focused on thread each script. Mind you that is paraphrased, but he claims that it it will fix at least some of the Papyrus downfalls will be fixed. Maybe a pipe dream; though I suppose if anyone could do it, it would be Tytanis. Keep an eye out for that, no ETA unfortunately!

 

Sorry my results did not yield anything more conclusive. I will now add my ENB and see if the problem resurfaces. If so I'll report it and if not you won't hear another word about it. ;)

[MontyMM]

Altimor is also still working on his SKSE dll injection method to address the thread loading problems - it's a similar approach to what Boris uses to change the engine behaviour.

[GrandBulwark]

  Quote

Altimor is also still working on his SKSE dll injection method to address the thread loading problems - it's a similar approach to what Boris uses to change the engine behaviour.

That's great, you can verify that Stable Ugrids is NOT a placebo effect then?  The reason I ask is because I read some time ago a post by Arthmoor in which he suggested the end result would be.

[Aiyen]

Altimor... arthmoor... oh that is going to provide issues down the road :P

 

That aside.

 

There are test shots over on the ENB forums with ugrids 24... They are highly unstable.. but at least it shows that something is working. Also with ENBoost and minimal mod lists, then even ugrids 11 can be nicely behaved.... at least so people claim. I could only ever get 7 working.. and that at a way too massive performance impact.

  Quote

How do I do that? COC command?

I have tried COC WhiterunDragonsreach - that works, but I can't leave dragonsreach after that (even if I save there, restart the game and load the save)

I am trying to make a mod that does it... since I find it highly odd that I can coc to riverwood, or windhelmexterior01 etc. but not windhelmdocksexterior01 from Raven rock. 

Since many other people report issues with windhelm, and the area around it, then I am hoping its just a case of too much going on in that general area... so ultimately then by just moving the load maker somewhere else then it will work. 

Trying to focus on the general area in and around windhelm for now... for immersion purposes. 

[MontyMM]

No, not at all at this stage, and there's no guarantee that he'll be successful.  Arthmoor is very knowledgeable about TES modding, but I don't think he's a great expert in programming, and he just hates ugrids. :P  But what Altimor is trying to do makes sense, and he knows what he's talking about.  Now, it's entirely possible that Arthmoor is correct, and there are just so many issues that will arise from messing with ugrids that he'll never get a stable result.  But what interests me more is that by examining ugrids crashes, he seems to be learning about fundamental issues in the threading and loading behaviour of the engine, particularly ILS, which may be significant to all of us. 

 

So, to call it a placebo (as in, it does nothing, but claims it does) is wrong.  To say that his approach won't be successful in stabilizing ugrids - quite possibly.  But there is a chance, that I think is worth crossing fingers for, that he might be able to address some glaring problems with the engine behaviour along the way, as Boris has done with ENBboost.  Again, we don't have enough data yet to know if ENBboost introduces problems along with the fixes, but its ability to change the engine's memory use is beyond doubt.

[GrandBulwark]

  Quote

No, not at all at this stage, and there's no guarantee that he'll be successful.  Arthmoor is very knowledgeable about TES modding, but I don't think he's a great expert in programming, and he just hates ugrids. :P  But what Altimor is trying to do makes sense, and he knows what he's talking about.  Now, it's entirely possible that Arthmoor is correct, and there are just so many issues that will arise from messing with ugrids that he'll never get a stable result.  But what interests me more is that by examining ugrids crashes, he seems to be learning about fundamental issues in the threading and loading behaviour of the engine, particularly ILS, which may be significant to all of us. 

 

So, to call it a placebo (as in, it does nothing, but claims it does) is wrong.  To say that his approach won't be successful in stabilizing ugrids - quite possibly.  But there is a chance, that I think is worth crossing fingers for, that he might be able to address some glaring problems with the engine behaviour along the way, as Boris has done with ENBboost.  Again, we don't have enough data yet to know if ENBboost introduces problems along with the fixes, but its ability to change the engine's memory use is beyond doubt.

Hmmm.  That is very interesting.  Definitely worth tracking and I hope he is successful.  Thank you for the clarification Monty!

[DoYouEvenModBro]

Sorry for the stupid question...but how do I export my mod list to show you guys?

 

Also, I 'fixed' the Solstheim to Skyrim ILS problem by quitting to the menu and re-loading my game before traveling back in order to dump everything. Not too bad of a workaround. At least until we figure out exactly what's causing it. 

[Aiyen]

The file named plugins.txt under your MO profile.

[DoYouEvenModBro]

  Quote

The file named plugins.txt under your MO profile.

I don't have MO. I use WB.

[phazer11]

Testers on your mark. Get set... Ok no momentum so... let's take a poll.  That way we can help narrow down some of the variables.

1. Who is having the problem and which of you use Mod Organizer and which of you use Wyre Bash as your main mod manager?

2. Which guide are you primarily following S.T.E.P. or Skyrim Revisited, or something else.

3. Which mods do all users with the problems have in common (post your mods list in spoilers)

4. Are you using ENB?

5. Are you using CoT?

6. Are you using a lighting mod? If so which one RLO, Relighting Skyrim or ELFX(or even that Immersive Interiors one)?

7. Post your .ini's in spoilers.

The following is how to post a spoiler
[spoiler]text[/spoiler]

[jellomania]

1. I'm having no problems and am using Wrye Bash.

2. My own pickings.

3.

  Reveal hidden contents

Update.esm

Dawnguard.esm

HearthFires.esm

Dragonborn.esm

SPIKE.esm

XFLMain.esm

Unofficial Skyrim Patch.esp

Unofficial Dawnguard Patch.esp

Unofficial Hearthfire Patch.esp

Unofficial Dragonborn Patch.esp

Weapons & Armor Fixes_Remade.esp

Chesko_Frostfall.esp

Better Dynamic Snow.esp

Rainbows.esp

SplashofRain.esp

IceBreaker's Improved Reverb-v0.02-Cleaned.esp

StaticMeshImprovementMod.esp

StaticMeshImprovementMod-DragonbornTernFix.esp

Ars Metallica.esp

Ars Metallica - Dawnguard.esp

Ars Metallica - Hearthfire.esp

Ars Metallica - Dragonborn.esp

Bring Out Your Dead.esp

Dead Body Collision.esp

Immersive Battles.esp

Immersive Brigands.esp

Immersive Dawnguard.esp

Immersive Dragonborn.esp

Immersive Factions.esp

Immersive Mercenaries.esp

Immersive Patrols.esp

Immersive Travelers.esp

Immersive Werewolves.esp

Book Covers Skyrim.esp

Book Covers Dawnguard.esp

Book Covers Hearthfire.esp

Book Covers Dragonborn.esp

Passive Beast.esp

Point The Way.esp

ShootingStars.esp

skyBirds - Airborne Perching Birds.esp

Skyrim Immersive Creatures.esp

Skyrim Immersive Creatures - DLC2.esp

SPTDiverseGuardsSkyrim.esp

SPTDiverseGuardsSkyrimDGPatch.esp

Traps Make Noise.esp

Convenient Horses.esp

Footprints.esp

Footprints - Ash.esp

RaceMenu.esp

RaceMenuPlugin.esp

WetandCold.esp

WetandCold - Ashes.esp

SkyUI.esp

iHUD.esp

AshlandAmulets.esp

Cloaks.esp

Cloaks - Dawnguard.esp

1nivWICCloaksCRAFT.esp

DynamicLoot.esp

Lock Overhaul.esp

DeadlyDragons.esp

SkyRe_Main.esp

SkyRe_Main_Fix.esp

SkyRe_Combat.esp

SkyRe_EnemyAI.esp

SkyRe_EnemyScaling.esp

SkyRe_EnemyScaling_Fix.esp

SkyRe_StandingStones.esp

SkyRe_StandingStones_Fix.esp

SkyRe_Survivalism.esp

Gildergreen Regrown.esp

tos_granitehall.esp

Inconsequential NPCs.esp

SkyrimChimneysRW.esp

Appropriately Attired Jarls Redux.esp

DiversePriests.esp

DiversePriests_BringOutYourDeadPatch.esp

Guard Dialogue Overhaul.esp

LaFemmeLycana.esp

OpenFaceGuardHelmets.esp

tos_amber_guard.esp

tos_laintardale_hf.esp

tos_oakwood_hf.esp

Oblivion Gates v3 without Markers - Skyrim + Dawnguard DLC.esp

Oblivion Gates v3 - Skyrim + Dawnguard DLC.esp

SoS - The Dungeons.esp

SoS - The Wilds.esp

SoS - Civilization.esp

EnhancedLightsandFX.esp

ELFX - Exteriors.esp

ELFX - Dawnguard.esp

ELFXEnhancer.esp

Random Vampire Attacks in Towns Disabled.esp

DeadlySpellImpacts.esp

Better Stealth AI for Followers.esp

hornsareforever.esp

XFLDialogue.esp

XFLPlugins.esp

Reduced Distance NPC Greetings.esp

Follower Trap Safety.esp

Alternate Start - Live Another Life.esp

dD - Realistic Ragdoll Force - Realistic.esp

SkyRe_Races.esp

SkyRe_Races_Fix.esp

RealisticWaterTwo.esp

RealisticWaterTwo - Legendary.esp

PrvtIRings.esp

StaticMeshImprovementMod-FurnitureChestSnowFix.esp

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

ReProccer.esp

 

4. No.

5. No.

6. ELFX

7.

Skyrim.ini

  Reveal hidden contents

[General]

sLanguage=ENGLISH

sIntroSequence=

iLargeIntRefCount=999999

fFlickeringLightDistance=8192

 

[Display]

fShadowLODMaxStartFade=1000.0

fSpecularLODMaxStartFade=2000.0

fLightLODMaxStartFade=3500.0

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048

bAllowScreenshot=1

iPresentInterval=0

fSunUpdateThreshold=0.100

fSunShadowUpdateTime=0.000

fDecalLifetime=750.0000

fDefaultWorldFOV=90.0

fDefault1stPersonFOV=90.0

 

[Audio]

fMusicDuckingSeconds=6.0

fMusicUnDuckingSeconds=8.0

fMenuModeFadeOutTime=3.0

fMenuModeFadeInTime=1.0

iMaxImpactSoundCount=64

 

[Grass]

bAllowCreateGrass=1

bAllowLoadGrass=0

bGrassPointLighting=1

iMaxGrassTypesPerTexure=8

iMinGrassSize=20

 

[GeneralWarnings]

SGeneralMasterMismatchWarning=One or more plugins could not find the correct versions of the master files they depend on. Errors may occur during load or game play. Check the "Warnings.txt" file for more information.

 

[Archive]

sResourceArchiveList=Skyrim - Misc.bsa, Skyrim - Shaders.bsa, Skyrim - Textures.bsa, Skyrim - Interface.bsa, Skyrim - Animations.bsa, Skyrim - Meshes.bsa, Skyrim - Sounds.bsa

sResourceArchiveList2=Skyrim - Voices.bsa, Skyrim - VoicesExtra.bsa

 

[Combat]

fMagnetismStrafeHeadingMult=0.0

fMagnetismLookingMult=0.0

f1PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7

f3PArrowTiltUpAngle=0.7

f1PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7

f3PBoltTiltUpAngle=0.7

 

[Camera]

fOverShoulderHorseAddY=-72.0

fOverShoulderHorsePosZ=50.0

fOverShoulderHorsePosX=35.0

fActorFadeOutLimit=-100

fOverShoulderHorseAddY=-72.0

fOverShoulderHorsePosZ=50.0

fOverShoulderHorsePosX=35.0

fActorFadeOutLimit=-100

fMouseWheelZoomSpeed=60.0

f1st3rdSwitchDelay=0.95

iHorseTransitionMillis=001

 

[Papyrus]

fPostLoadUpdateTimeMS=500.0

bEnableLogging=1

bEnableTrace=1

bLoadDebugInformation=1

iMinMemoryPageSize=128

iMaxMemoryPageSize=512

iMaxAllocatedMemoryBytes=76800

 

[Water]

bReflectLODObjects=1

bReflectLODLand=1

bReflectSky=1

bReflectLODTrees=1

 

[MapMenu]

sMapCloudNIF=

bWorldMapNoSkyDepthBlur=1

fWorldMapNearDepthBlurScale=0

fWorldMapDepthBlurScale=0

fWorldMapMaximumDepthBlur=0

fMapWorldMaxPitch=90.0000

fMapWorldInitialPitch=90.0000

fMapWorldMaxHeight=180000.0000

fMapWorldMinHeight=25000.0000

 

[Actor]

fVisibleNavmeshMoveDist=12288.0000

 

SkyrimPrefs.ini

  Reveal hidden contents

[General]

fBrightLightColorB=1.0000

fBrightLightColorG=1.0000

fBrightLightColorR=1.0000

iStoryManagerLoggingEvent=-1

bEnableStoryManagerLogging=0

 

[imagespace]

bDoDepthOfField=1

iRadialBlurLevel=2

 

[Display]

iBlurDeferredShadowMask=2

fInteriorShadowDistance=3000.0000

fShadowDistance=4000.0000

iShadowMapResolutionSecondary=1024

iShadowMapResolutionPrimary=2048

iShadowSplitCount=2

iMaxAnisotropy=0

fLeafAnimDampenDistEnd=4600.0000

fLeafAnimDampenDistStart=3600.0000

fTreesMidLODSwitchDist=20000.0000

fGamma=1.0000

iShadowFilter=4

fDecalLOD2=1000.0000

fDecalLOD1=500.0000

fSpecularLODStartFade=2000.0000

fShadowLODStartFade=200.0000

fLightLODStartFade=3500.0000

iTexMipMapMinimum=4

iTexMipMapSkip=0

bTransparencyMultisampling=0

iWaterMultiSamples=0

iMultiSample=2

iShadowMode=3

bTreesReceiveShadows=1

bDrawLandShadows=1

bDrawShadows=1

bFull Screen=1

iSize H=1080

iSize W=1920

fMeshLODFadePercentDefault=1.2000

fMeshLODFadeBoundDefault=256.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeTreeDistance=24000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeTreeDistance=28000.0000

fMeshLODLevel2FadeDist=10000000.0000

fMeshLODLevel1FadeDist=10000000.0000

iScreenShotIndex=1915

bShadowMaskZPrepass=0

bMainZPrepass=0

iMaxSkinDecalsPerFrame=25

iMaxDecalsPerFrame=350

sD3DDevice="AMD Radeon HD 6900 Series"

bFXAAEnabled=0

iShadowMapResolution=4096

fShadowBiasScale=0.1500

iShadowMaskQuarter=4

iAdapter=0

bFloatPointRenderTarget=1

iActorShadowCountInt=6

iActorShadowCountExt=6

uiMaxSkinnedTreesToRender=24

bShadowsOnGrass=1

bDeferredShadows=1

 

[Grass]

b30GrassVS=1

fGrassStartFadeDistance=7000.0000

fGrassMaxStartFadeDistance=7000.0000

fGrassMinStartFadeDistance=0.0000

bDrawShaderGrass=1

iMinGrassSize=20

 

[Water]

iWaterReflectHeight=1024

iWaterReflectWidth=1024

bUseWaterDisplacements=1

bUseWaterRefractions=1

bUseWaterReflections=1

bUseWaterDepth=1

 

[MAIN]

bGamepadEnable=1

bCrosshairEnabled=1

fHUDOpacity=1.0000

bSaveOnPause=0

bSaveOnTravel=0

bSaveOnWait=0

bSaveOnRest=0

fSkyCellRefFadeDistance=150000.0000

 

[GamePlay]

bShowFloatingQuestMarkers=0

bShowQuestMarkers=1

iDifficulty=3

 

[interface]

bDialogueSubtitles=1

bGeneralSubtitles=0

bShowCompass=1

fMouseCursorSpeed=1.0000

 

[Controls]

fGamepadHeadingSensitivity=1.0000

fMouseHeadingSensitivity=0.0125

bAlwaysRunByDefault=1

bInvertYValues=0

bGamePadRumble=1

bMouseAcceleration=0

bUseKinect=0

 

[Particles]

iMaxDesired=750

 

[saveGame]

fAutosaveEveryXMins=60.0000

 

[AudioMenu]

fAudioMasterVolume=1.0000

fVal7=1.0000

uID7=0

fVal6=1.0000

uID6=0

fVal5=1.0000

uID5=0

fVal4=1.0000

uID4=0

fVal3=1.0000

uID3=94881

fVal2=0.4000

uID2=466532

fVal1=1.0000

uID1=554685

fVal0=0.8000

uID0=1007612

 

[Clouds]

fCloudLevel2Distance=262144.0000

fCloudLevel1Distance=32768.0000

fCloudLevel0Distance=16384.0000

fCloudNearFadeDistance=9000.0000

 

[TerrainManager]

fTreeLoadDistance=75000.0000

fBlockMaximumDistance=250000.0000

fBlockLevel1Distance=70000.0000

fBlockLevel0Distance=35000.0000

fSplitDistanceMult=1.5000

bShowLODInEditor=0

 

[NavMesh]

fObstacleAlpha=0.5000

fCoverSideHighAlpha=0.8000

fCoverSideLowAlpha=0.6500

fEdgeFullAlpha=1.0000

fEdgeHighAlpha=0.7500

fEdgeLowAlpha=0.5000

fTriangleFullAlpha=0.7000

fTriangleHighAlpha=0.3500

fTriangleLowAlpha=0.2000

fLedgeBoxHalfHeight=25.0000

fEdgeDistFromVert=10.0000

fEdgeThickness=10.0000

fPointSize=2.5000

 

[Trees]

bRenderSkinnedTrees=1

uiMaxSkinnedTreesToRender=20

[Decals]

uMaxDecals=1000

bDecals=1

bSkinnedDecals=1

uMaxSkinDecals=100

uMaxSkinDecalsPerActor=60

 

[LOD]

fLODFadeOutMultObjects=15.0000

fLODFadeOutMultItems=15.0000

fLODFadeOutMultActors=15.0000

fLODFadeOutMultSkyCell=1.0000

 

[Launcher]

bEnableFileSelection=1

bShowAllResolutions=1

uLastAspectRatio=3

 

[blurShaderHDR]

bDoHighDynamicRange=1

 

[blurShader]

bUseBlurShader=0