Game crashing before main menu after downgrade to 1.6.640

[RomanFox]

Hello, everyone! I hope I'm in the right place here. 

The STEP guide has spoiled me. I can't play Skyrim without it. I'm sure this is a familiar story, but my game updated to 1.6.1130 and of course broke many of the STEP mods. I followed several guides on downgrading back to 1.6.640, but I still can't get the game to load to the main menu. I launch from MO2, the screen goes black. After a bit of loading, the menu music plays for about half a second and then... CTD.

First line of crash log shows:

Quote

Unhandled exception "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION" at 0x7FF63E9F8090 SkyrimSE.exe+0198090 mov rax, [rcx+0x30]

When I first installed v2.2.0 of the guide (this past August), I kept all the archives I downloaded and have not updated any since before the update. So as far as I'm aware, I shouldn't have any mods that were updated after December 5 or so.

What I've tried:

• Updated GPU drivers
• Ensured Windows is up to date
• Deleted all files from the game folder and let Steam reinstall 1.6.1130 as well as all (official) creations in my library
• Overwrote game folder using files obtained from download_depot commands
  • Also tried overwriting files from the Skyrim root folder in a hard drive backup that was made prior to the update
• Completely wiped my MO2 profile and followed the guide again from scratch, including re-running BethINI

What I'm running:

• Skyrim v1.6.640
• SKSE v2.2.3
• ENBSeries v0.484 (have also tried 0.499, both versions worked pre-update)

I am able to successfully load to the main menu if I disable all mods from the 06-Models and Textures and 20-Patches groups. It's been difficult testing this by disabling one mod at a time because of the number of mods in 06, and also because 06 and 20 are so interdependent on each other (LOOT screams at me a lot when I start disabling things).

I'm willing to accept that I could be missing something incredibly basic and stupid. However, one thing I'm not good at is deciphering crash logs. Would anyone be so kind as to take a look and try to help me zero in on this issue?

Pastebin

Regards,

R

Edited December 13, 2023 by RomanFox
Added context

[ButchDiavolo]

Hey RomanFox,

From your crash log it looks like there is a problem initiating the player when starting the game. Can't say I have ever seen that before, but welcome to modding Skyrim I guess?

Double check that you really do have all the files installed from the download_depot. I am sure you do, but double checking is always advised, especially with the mess caused by the update.

Since the problem seems to be cause by the actual player, double check that you have the 1.1.640 versions of scripted mods that affect the player, especially RaceMenu. But since you don't get a version error, it is kinda unlikely this is the cause.

Models & Texture mods should not create this problem, unless there is a SKSE file attached to them, but I can't think of any that do.

Also check all the logs in your drive:\Users\[computer name]\Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition folder for errors. The main one to check should be the SKSE log. This checks if all dll are loading and communicating properly. And skee.log, which checks if RaceMenu is working properly.

Also check if all the fixes and patches mods are the correct version.

Lastly, you could try turning on papyrus logging in Skyrim.ini, by setting the enablelogging, enabletrace and loaddebug to 1, and starting Skyrim again. the logs will be in the same folder as above. Sometimes you have to start 2 times before the logs appear though. Remember to return the settings back to 0 after.

[RomanFox]

So, I've been playing with this some more throughout the day today. I wanted to rule out any possible registry shenanigans, so I completely uninstalled the game and reinstalled it through Steam. Let 1.6.1130 download all AE CC mods. Applied all files from the 3 documented download_depot commands for 1.6.640. Cleaned vanilla masters. Reinstalled freshly downloaded SKSE, ENB, and all STEP patches (being sure not to download any of these mods from Nexus dated after the 1.6.1130 update. Still the exact same treatment as before: Launch skse64_loader > black screen > intro music plays for about half a second > no Bethesda logo > CTD.

Looking through logs, I've seen a bunch of "Found unhandled type:    (PlayerCharacter*)" in CrashLogger.log. Actual crash logs look pretty much exactly like the one I posted previously. I did try to enable Papyrus logging as you suggested, but I'm not sure what file I should be looking for after enabling it.

Currently, I have the entire STEP 2.2.0 guide installed in MO2. Entire groups 6 and 20 are disabled. I tried enabling group 6 mods in groups of 10, and I could at least get to the main menu with any group of 10 except for Realistic Water Two and Security Overhaul SKSE - Gems Patch - The Cause Chests Secured (I did merge the Ayleid lock model file as instructed). If I enabled either of those mods by themselves or larger groups of mods, it's back to CTD before the Bethesda logo.

What a mess. Wish I'd never taken this update.

[ButchDiavolo]

5 hours ago, RomanFox said:

So, I've been playing with this some more throughout the day today. I wanted to rule out any possible registry shenanigans, so I completely uninstalled the game and reinstalled it through Steam. Let 1.6.1130 download all AE CC mods. Applied all files from the 3 documented download_depot commands for 1.6.640. Cleaned vanilla masters. Reinstalled freshly downloaded SKSE, ENB, and all STEP patches (being sure not to download any of these mods from Nexus dated after the 1.6.1130 update. Still the exact same treatment as before: Launch skse64_loader > black screen > intro music plays for about half a second > no Bethesda logo > CTD.

Looking through logs, I've seen a bunch of "Found unhandled type:    (PlayerCharacter*)" in CrashLogger.log. Actual crash logs look pretty much exactly like the one I posted previously. I did try to enable Papyrus logging as you suggested, but I'm not sure what file I should be looking for after enabling it.

Currently, I have the entire STEP 2.2.0 guide installed in MO2. Entire groups 6 and 20 are disabled. I tried enabling group 6 mods in groups of 10, and I could at least get to the main menu with any group of 10 except for Realistic Water Two and Security Overhaul SKSE - Gems Patch - The Cause Chests Secured (I did merge the Ayleid lock model file as instructed). If I enabled either of those mods by themselves or larger groups of mods, it's back to CTD before the Bethesda logo.

What a mess. Wish I'd never taken this update.

You should find the papyrus log in \Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Logs\Papyrus (or similar, I can't remember). As I said, sometimes it take a few tries/ starts of skyrim, for the logs to actually show up for some reason.

*lightbulb moment* Make sure you have deleted the update's "_ ResourcePack.esl". If you still have this, it will cause a CTD because it uses the new expanded FormID's. You can also delete the BSA called "_Marketplace.bsa" or similar. Those two files are only "useful" for new "commercial" modders and the updated Skyrim.

If that doesn't solve it, also check that the download depot files are correct. The easiest way is to check the date on the manifest files in \Steam\steamapps\common\Skyrim Special Edition\Creations. These files should be dated to when you last (originally) installed Skyrim AE, like in my case Jan 16, 2023. But since you reinstalled Skyrim a few times the last weeks, they maybe more recent. As long as they are not dated at or around Dec. 5th 2023 they should be fine.

[Mousetick]

Install Backported Extended ESL Support (SKSE plugin) if you have not already. You may need it or you may not, I don't know, as it's unclear which version of the Bethesda data files are installed. If you don't need it right now, keep it enabled anyway, it's harmless, and it may prove useful later.

[RomanFox]

@ButchDiavolo Great thought! But I had already deleted _ResourcePack.bsa and _ResourcePack.esl based on other posts I saw about these. I hadn't seen anything about MarketplaceTextures.bsa, but I deleted this as well per your suggestion and that hasn't fixed the problem.

I assume the Papyrus logs would show up in \Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Logs\Script. I do see a couple of these from yesterday when I was disabling/enabling mods for testing (there are a lot of "missing file?" and "cannot be initialized because the script no longer contains that property"), but even though I've enabled the logging flags again in Skyrim.ini, I haven't been able to get it to generate any new logs today after something like 9-10 launch attempts. There are logs showing in the SKSE folder under the My Documents path for SSE, but of the two that mention Papyrus in the filename, neither is reporting any obvious failures.

I don't see any .manifest files in my current Creations folder, but in the old version of my game folder that I was able to pull from my hard drive backup, there are 74 files that are dated 10/28. Not really sure what to do with these.

I'm kind of at a loss here. Might be better for my sanity just to put Skyrim on the shelf for a while until the team comes up with a new guide that supports the current version.

Edited December 15, 2023 by RomanFox
Added user tag

[RomanFox]

@Mousetick Holy cow, what a find! I can at least get to the main menu now. I'll try and play some later on today and see what happens. Thank you both for all your help!

R

[ButchDiavolo]

9 minutes ago, RomanFox said:

@ButchDiavolo Great thought! But I had already deleted _ResourcePack.bsa and _ResourcePack.esl based on other posts I saw about these. I hadn't seen anything about MarketplaceTextures.bsa, but I deleted this as well per your suggestion and that hasn't fixed the problem.

I assume the Papyrus logs would show up in \Documents\My Games\Skyrim Special Edition\Logs\Script. I do see a couple of these from yesterday when I was disabling/enabling mods for testing (there are a lot of "missing file?" and "cannot be initialized because the script no longer contains that property"), but even though I've enabled the logging flags again in Skyrim.ini, I haven't been able to get it to generate any new logs today after something like 9-10 launch attempts. There are logs showing in the SKSE folder under the My Documents path for SSE, but of the two that mention Papyrus in the filename, neither is reporting any obvious failures.

I don't see any .manifest files in my current Creations folder, but in the old version of my game folder that I was able to pull from my hard drive backup, there are 74 files that are dated 10/28. Not really sure what to do with these.

I'm kind of at a loss here. Might be better for my sanity just to put Skyrim on the shelf for a while until the team comes up with a new guide that supports the current version.

The .manifest files are, I think, the way skyrim knows which creations you downloaded. The fact that they are dated to 10/28 means they are before the update. I wonder what it means that you don't have those in your current Creations folder after you did the roll-back... Maybe putting the old ones in the current folder will make a difference? I just use those files to see if the roll-back was successful to be honest. In my case those files were dated to Dec. 6th when Steam decided to update Skyrim, despite having it set to NOT update. After the roll-back they are dated to Jan, 16th, which is when I last re-installed Skyrim. So yeah, kinda odd.

As far as the papyrus logs go, those error messages at the start of the log you get/ got are pretty usual for a new game start. Some mods/scripts look for other mods that may or may not be installed. The more informative errors, if any, are further down the log. Unless you crash before those mods/ scripts get called by the game, in which case the log is useless.

But, I am glad that Mousetick's suggestion is getting you to the main menu now. Hopefully that will have sorted it for you!

[RomanFox]

I was able to start a new game and play around in the Ratway for half an hour or so. No crashes so far -- keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks again to both of you for helping me to get everything up and running again! And I am most definitely looking forward to a new guide version. For now, though... I'm not touching anything else or taking any more Bethesda updates.

 

[ButchDiavolo]

38 minutes ago, RomanFox said:

For now, though... I'm not touching anything else or taking any more Bethesda updates.

Well... sometimes Steam just updates even when you have turned updates off. So to be extra sure, start Steam in offline. That is what I have been doing, since my "surprise" update the other day

[Ignus]

I just dug through EVERYTHING, I found the STEP guide for a brand new playthrough on a new PC, literally completely fresh. From what I can tell, the biggest problem is Arthmoor's mods. It seems he only keeps the most up-to-date file available ever? which means I literally cannot follow the STEP guide, as I MUST be on 1.6.1130, I cannot find the 1.6.640 versions of "Alternate Start - Live another Life" which is just absolutely required IMO. Either I find another alternate start mod, (not going to happen) or I update to the latest version and attempt to Frankenstein together a build on the latest version (what I'm doing now).  I did spend a good 10-20 hours debugging and traced it to the following mods/plugins/esps (from memory because I purged them with great prejudice from my load order until the game stopped CTDing.) I kept having the exact same CTD and error message as the OP, for the record.

Oakwood

Cutting Room Floor (this one tore my heart out, I love CRF)

Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul (also cut me deep)

Alternate Start - Live Another Life - SSE

oakwood-compatibility-patch-for-mod-I-forget.esp (Gemling Queen I think?)

 

rielle Secured ESP (the first one I found!)

Secured gem patch

(basically both parts of this instruction:)
 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Ignus

[RomanFox]

On 12/18/2023 at 11:33 PM, Ignus said:

I just dug through EVERYTHING, I found the STEP guide for a brand new playthrough on a new PC, literally completely fresh. From what I can tell, the biggest problem is Arthmoor's mods. It seems he only keeps the most up-to-date file available ever? which means I literally cannot follow the STEP guide, as I MUST be on 1.6.1130, I cannot find the 1.6.640 versions of "Alternate Start - Live another Life" which is just absolutely required IMO. Either I find another alternate start mod, (not going to happen) or I update to the latest version and attempt to Frankenstein together a build on the latest version (what I'm doing now).  I did spend a good 10-20 hours debugging and traced it to the following mods/plugins/esps (from memory because I purged them with great prejudice from my load order until the game stopped CTDing.) I kept having the exact same CTD and error message as the OP, for the record.

Oakwood

Cutting Room Floor (this one tore my heart out, I love CRF)

Complete Alchemy and Cooking Overhaul (also cut me deep)

Alternate Start - Live Another Life - SSE

oakwood-compatibility-patch-for-mod-I-forget.esp (Gemling Queen I think?)

 

rielle Secured ESP (the first one I found!)

Secured gem patch

(basically both parts of this instruction:)
 

I sent you a DM regarding unavailable older mods.