GUIDE General Feedback

[Kelmych]

Here are the plugins in the main profile I currently use for FO3:

 

 

 

# This file was automatically generated by Mod Organizer.

Fallout3.esm

Anchorage.esm

ThePitt.esm

StreetLights.esm

BrokenSteel.esm

PointLookout.esm

Zeta.esm

Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm

CALIBR.esm

20th Century Weapons.esm

Advanced Recon Tech.esm

Mart's Mutant Mod.esm

ArefuExpandedByAzar.esm

DCInteriors_ComboEdition.esm

Project Beauty.esm

EVE.esm

Mothership Crew.esm

AWorldOfPainFO3.esm

Enhanced Weather - Rain and Snow.esm

iHUD.esm

Inventory Access.esm

Vault 101 Revisited.esm

WastelandGuards01.esm

CRAFT.esm

FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm

Detect Traps.esm

aHUD.esm

GeorgetownExpansion.esm

RH_IRONSIGHTS.esm

xCALIBR.esm

Xepha's Dynamic Weather.esm

Crowded Cities Redux.esm

PlasmaRifleAwesomefied.esp

Project Beauty- Vault 101 Revisited.esp

The Mantis Imperative - Mantis.esp

EVE Grenade Explosion.esp

FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp

FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp

WeaponModKits.esp

WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp

20th Century Weapons -Plus- Reborn FWE-WMK-Calibr14_V1_70RC_18668.esp

Advanced Recon Range Finder.esp

Advanced Recon Tech FWE.esp

Advanced Recon Tech.esp

MetroCars.esp

Big Town Overhaul [GangStore].esp

FortIndependenceRedesigned.esp

ArlingtonRestoration.esp

FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp

FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp

FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp

UUF3P - FWE Patch.esp

Realistic Interior Lighting.esp

IMPACT.esp

Blackened FWE + MMM + EVE + Project Beauty.esp

WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp

Rivet City Realignment.esp

Temple of the Union Overhaul.esp

20th Century Weapons -Plus- Reborn Cut Weapons.esp

WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp

WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp

overhead.esp

WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp

RH_WMK_Bridge.esp

WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp

Blackened RH + FWE + EVE.esp

UniqueWeaponsRetextured.esp

PlasmaRifleAwesomefiedWMK.esp

Fo3HirezdFlamer.esp

Fo3HirezdMinigun.esp

RH_FWE_Bridge.esp

The Mantis Imperative - Jello.esp

HeirApparent.esp

Laurens_Bathroom_poetry_V1.esp

tubRRCompound.esp

Assaultrifle_replacers_WMK+RH+FWE.esp

BornAgain Outcast v3.esp

lexx_brahmin-variant-Fo3.esp

Confessor Cromwell has a Break_EV.esp

DarNifiedUIF3.esp

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

DelayAnchorage.esp

PLweightadjust.esp

NotSoFast.esp

Flora Overhaul.esp

MoreMapMarkers.esp

BaileysCrossingMetro.esp

BBBackpacks-v1-1.esp

UF3P - Exotic Caravans.esp

BauPetSupplies.esp

DecoShampooAndSoap.esp

K9BreedsMoreDogs.esp

Dragonskin Tactical Outfit.esp

Advanced Recon Gear.esp

Powered Power Armor.esp

ZL-ACR.esp

Better RC Church.esp

DelaySteel.esp

Detect Traps - The Traponator 4000.esp

WeaponModKits - FWE Talon Loot Crash Fix.esp

Exeter-Type3-armor.esp

DragonskinBonusPack.esp

DynamicCrosshair.esp

Enhanced Weather - Weather Sounds in Interiors.esp

Museum.esp

Kentbury Way.esp

Dree Perks.esp

PotomacSteamworks.esp

CanterburyCommonsInteriors.esp

Brahmin Dairy Products.esp

FeralGhoulTest.esp

Flashlight-LOS.esp

GlowingGhouls-MMM.esp

GNR Enhanced.esp

JIP Companions Command & Control.esp

JIP Realistic Weapon Overheating.esp

JIP Selective-Fire.esp

K9Breeds.esp

megalight.esp

Millenia_AKS74U.esp

ZL-MP5 Pack.esp

PPA - Broken Steel.esp

PPA - FWE.esp

PPA - Mothership Zeta.esp

PPA - Operation Anchorage.esp

PPA - The Pitt.esp

RagdollOverhaulFo3.esp

AutoGates.esp

IntoTheDeepWoods.esp

Existence 2.0.esp

ArefuExpandedByAzar-Radio.esp

Conelrad 640-1240.esp

ZL-SVD-CALIBR.esp

delayzeta.esp

delaypl.esp

RubblePilesFix.esp

Stimpak Counter.esp

Tribal_DX.esp

UrgeWashingtonBoS.esp

Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Dynamic Sneak Bonus.esp

bzBodySuits.esp

Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Rain.esp

Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Sandstorms.esp

YearlingBooks.esp

PLFewerItems.esp

IntoTheDeepWoods-Forested Overhaul Patch.esp

FWEAlienWorkBenchFix.esp

Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Weather Machine (Vendor Added).esp

WinterizedT51bDX.esp

schematics2.esp

UniqueWeaponsRetexturedPITT.esp

NoTheftComments.esp

GilbertToys.esp

Enhanced Weather - Rain and Snow in Fallout.esp

Bashed Patch, 0.esp

(TWPC) DIFF3-RI-EVE-MMM-WMK-PRA-F3HMG-F3HF-20CWRE-IMPACT-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) 20CWRECW-WMK-RIFWC-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) BBB-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) BFO-MMM-EVE-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) BRCC-PB Patch.esp

(TWPC) BVR-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) CMRP-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) GE-UUF3P Patch.esp

(TWPC) K9B-MMM-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) RIL-UUF3P-DM Patch.esp

(TWPC) RRE-PB-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) TMI-FWE Patch.esp

(TWPC) WD-DIFF3-UUF3P-FWE Patch.esp

[Dennai]

Really?  I followed the guide to set it up.  The only extras I added were a couple things I happen to like...GNR Building Redux and the Intro bus and Dupont Alignment, along with a couple of the user suggestions FCM, Grave Digger and Proper Drinking.  And I did the bashed patch at the end which merged quite a few mods.

 

I may have to create another copy and go through the guide again just to see where I messed up then.  I've set up FO3 with older versions of the guide multiple times and this is the first I ever had any issues.  I had never felt the need to use the older Merge Plugins scripts or the newer Merge Plugins until this round.  Obviously my move to the Steam version from the CD version wouldn't have done anything (I literally wore the CD out, there are chips out of the disc around the center hole and cracks radiating from it...used it too much over the years  ) and I've been modding FO3 for years so it's not my first kick at the can or anything.  I must have done something somewhere then.  Interesting.  Thanks for pointing that out.  It's kind of fun messing with this stuff so I'll go back and see where I went wrong.

I have exactly the same problem, but in my case fires up around 150 plugins and has nothing to do with using mods out of this list. I know because after the first time this happened to me, I started from scratch and put all the mods not in the list (quests) in an early stage, and the game was working smoothly all the way until I reached the 150-odd plugins mark.

  It's driving me crazy. I wasted 3 weeks following this guide just to crash and burn 2 feet away from the goal line, twice!I used to play FO3 with +200 mods with no problem in this same computer, but that was with a)an older graphic card, b) in Windows 7 and c)with a retail copy. I'm starting to think those details are significative, particularly b and c.

[Kelmych]

I haven't seen any previous comments on FO3 having problems with 200+ plugins when Windows 7 or 8 is used. I currently have Windows 10 installed, but I don't currently use 200+ plugins. It's hard for me to see how there would be a difference between the retail CD version and the Steam version. Using Mod Organizer for FO3, Steam is not active when using FO3 unless you add "FalloutLauncher Replacer for Steam", even if you install the Steam version of FO3. It's possible that Windows 10 introduced some new limitations to the FO3 game engine, but I haven't tested this.

 

Have you tried reducing the plugin count by merging some of the plugins with the "Merge Plugins" utility? It's in the guide but not discussed much since there haven't been any comments on plugin count related problems. If it looks like it is a problem when running Windows 10 some recommendations could be added to the guide on potential plugin merges. Plugins that don't have any Navmesh records or add new FormIDs are the easiest to merge. For example, the TWPC patches can be merged, a lot of the Additional Fix mods can be merged, and some of the other patch plugins can likely be merged. There is already a mod in the guide that merges a lot of the clothing plugins for Exeter clothing.

[drav666]

Just my 2 cents, I've been through the mod count headache as well (pulled my hair out for a while trying to work out the cause of my issues) but now have a fairly stable build with 202 active plugins. This seems to be my sweet spot (looks like it may be a bit of a luck dip and vary quite dramatically for some) as any more seem to cause constant crashes and the odd graphical glitch. I have 99% of the guide in my list as well as a number of additional mods such as Point Lookout Reborn, I also did as Kelmych suggests above and merged several mods, primarily the TWCP patches which saved a ton of slots.

 

Oh, I'm running Windows 10 Pro (1607), Nvidia GTX 780, 16 GB Ram. Also, I'm using the Nvidia driver v368.81 as later driver versions seem to have a problem with Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout NV (not sure if this has been resolved yet but I don't think so).

 

I've never run a modded Fallout 3 on Windows 7 or 8 so can't confirm plugin count differences with that OS.

 

My modlist:

 

Active Mod Files:

 

00  Fallout3.esm
01  Anchorage.esm
02  ThePitt.esm
03  StreetLights.esm
04  BrokenSteel.esm
05  PointLookout.esm
06  Zeta.esm
07  Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch.esm  [Version 2.2]
08  CALIBR.esm  [Version 1.4]
09  Advanced Recon Tech.esm
0A  Inventory Access.esm
0B  aHUD.esm
0C  iHUD.esm
0D  Point Lookout Reborn.esm
0E  RivetCityReborn.esm
0F  Mart's Mutant Mod.esm
10  GNRBuilding_BoS.esm
11  ArefuExpandedByAzar.esm
12  DCInteriors_ComboEdition.esm
13  Project Beauty.esm
14  EVE.esm  [Version 0.99]
15  Canterbury Estates.esm
16  AWorldOfPainFO3.esm
17  GeorgetownExpansion.esm
18  RH_IRONSIGHTS.esm
19  Vault 101 Revisited.esm
1A  Xepha's Dynamic Weather.esm
1B  DocLeskosResearch.esm
1C  Enhanced Weather - Rain and Snow.esm
1D  RiversideCafe.esm
1E  Crowded Cities Redux.esm
1F  CanterburyCommonsInteriors.esp
20  WastelandGuards01.esm
21  Companion Core.esm
22  RobCo Certified v2.esm
23  CRAFT.esm
24  FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esm
25  FO3 Wanderers Edition - Alternate Travel.esp
26  Detect Traps.esm
27  tubrrCompound.esm
28  xCALIBR.esm
29  20th Century Weapons.esm
2A  UF3P - Exotic Caravans (Project Beauty).esm
2B  WYB.esm
2C  PortableCampStuff.esm
2D  DarNifiedUIF3.esp
2E  FortIndependenceRedesigned.esp
2F  ArlingtonRestoration.esp
30  GNRBuilding_Studio.esp
31  DCStreet - BS.esp
32  DCInt_ARoomWithAView.esp
33  The Mantis Imperative - Mantis.esp
34  FO3 Wanderers Edition - Main File.esp
35  midlifecrisis.esp
36  RobCo Certified v2 Omnipatch.esp
37  FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Broken Steel.esp
38  WeaponModKits.esp
39  Advanced Recon Tech FWE.esp
3A  Advanced Recon Tech.esp
3B  Advanced Recon Range Finder.esp
3C  Flashlight-LOS.esp
3D  DynamicCrosshair.esp
3E  PPA - The Pitt.esp
3F  JIP Realistic Weapon Overheating.esp
40  JIP Selective-Fire.esp
41  Flora Overhaul.esp
42  CASM.esp
43  Overhead3PCamera.esp
44  YearlingBooks.esp
45  FWEAlienWorkBenchFix.esp
46  Confessor Cromwell has a Break_EV.esp
++  Fo3HirezdLincolnRepeater.esp
47  RubblePilesFix.esp
++  The Mantis Imperative - Nasty Zeta No Scaling.esp  [Version 1.1]
48  Enhanced Weather - Weather Sounds in Interiors.esp
49  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Dynamic Sneak Bonus.esp
4A  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Rain.esp
4B  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Sandstorms + Armor Damage (FOSE).esp
4C  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Weather Machine (Start Game Added).esp
4D  krzymar-MoonSize_120%.esp  [Version 0.2.0]
++  Mart's Mutant Mod - DC Interiors.esp
4E  UrgeWashingtonBoS.esp
4F  RagdollOverhaulFo3.esp
++  Zeta Turret Drone Karma Fix - MMM Merged.esp
50  bzFatigues.esp
++  K9BreedsPatchDLCPitt.esp
51  GlowingGhouls-MMM.esp
52  7_HolsterForHandGunsV1_1.esp
++  Bornagain Zeta Combat Armor Texture Patch.esp
++  Paradise Lost - Unique Texture and Icon.esp
**  schematics2.esp
53  GNR Enhanced.esp
++  Quieter Nuka-Cola Sign.esp
++  PPA - FWE Tougher NPC Power Armour.esp
54  WeaponModKits - FWE Master Release.esp
55  20th Century Weapons -Plus- Reborn FWE-WMK-Calibr14_V1_70RC_18668.esp
56  MetroCars.esp
57  FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Anchorage.esp
58  FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Mothership Zeta.esp
59  FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC The Pitt.esp
5A  Tribal_DX.esp
++  20th Century Weapons Non-Changing Weapon Conditions.esp
5B  DelayAnchorage.esp
++  20th Century Weapons -Plus- Reborn xCALIBRized + RHIron.esp
5C  UUF3P - FWE Patch.esp
5D  IMPACT.esp
++  FO3 Wanderers Edition - Optional Restore Tracers (automatics only).esp
5E  JIP Companions Command & Control.esp
5F  Blackened FWE + MMM + EVE + Project Beauty.esp  [Version 3.3]
60  Regulators.esp
61  RegulatorHQRedesignedUpdate.esp
62  Nuka Cola Enhanced.esp
63  Realistic Interior Lighting.esp
64  Temple of the Union Overhaul.esp
65  The Mantis Imperative - Jello.esp
66  HeirApparent.esp
67  WeaponModKits - BrokenSteel.esp
68  WeaponModKits - OperationAnchorage.esp
69  WeaponModKits - ThePitt.esp
6A  WeaponModKits - Zeta.esp
++  WMK Uniques for FWE_EVE Addon.esp
6B  RH_WMK_Bridge.esp
6C  WeaponModKits - PointLookout.esp
++  DIFF WMK.esp
++  DIFF.esp
6D  Blackened RH + FWE + EVE.esp  [Version 1.0]
6E  K9Breeds.esp
++  EwwGhoulyBody.esp
6F  BornAgain Outcast v3.esp
++  xCALIBR_20CW_v5.12.esp
++  majormodder's Junk Food to Barbeque Crisps.esp
70  20th Century Weapons -Plus- Reborn Cut Weapons.esp
71  1nivDogmeatOverhaul.esp  [Version 0.5]
72  tubRRCompound.esp
73  Laurens_Bathroom_poetry_V1.esp
++  FO3 Wanderers Edition - DLC Point Lookout.esp
74  bzArmour.esp
75  UniqueWeaponsRetextured.esp
++  UniqueWeaponsRetextured_FWE.esp  [Version 1.4]
76  FO3 Wanderers Edition - More Gore.esp
77  New Toys Merged.esp
78  WeaponModKits - FWE Talon Loot Crash Fix.esp
79  Fo3HirezdFlamer.esp
7A  Fo3HirezdMinigun.esp
++  K9BreedsPatchMMM.esp
7B  WinterizedT51bDX.esp
7C  RH_FWE_Bridge.esp
7D  PlasmaRifleAwesomefiedWMK.esp
7E  Assaultrifle_replacers_WMK+RH+FWE.esp
7F  UniqueWeaponsRetexturedPITT.esp
++  UniqueWeaponsRetexturedPITT_FWE.esp  [Version 1.1]
++  MentatsMod.esp
++  delaypl.esp
80  Ursus.esp
++  UrsusFWE.esp
++  UrsusMMM.esp
++  Nuka Cola Enhanced - FWE.esp
81  Glow Sticks.esp
82  Feng Shui.esp  [Version 0.9.2]
++  Feng Shui - Keymap Template.esp
83  PortableCampStuff.esp
++  FO3LODGen.esp
84  Droppable Bottlecaps - Weighted.esp
85  Grave Digger.esp
86  01AtM - Firefly Ranch.esp
87  lexx_brahmin-variant-Fo3.esp
88  PLweightadjust.esp  [Version 1.08]
89  NotSoFast.esp
8A  Vault87Redesigned.esp
8B  Billboard Camps.esp
8C  diner_home.esp
8D  Water Towers Merged.esp
8E  CALIBRv14 Ammunition Schematics for FWE-WMK-CRAFT-V1_3-18639.esp
8F  ParadiseLost.esp
90  MoreMapMarkers.esp
91  BaileysCrossingMetro.esp
92  JeffersonMemorialREDUX.esp
93  BauPetSupplies.esp
94  BBBackpacks-v1-1.esp
95  K9BreedsMoreDogs.esp
96  YevicsUrbanTownhome.esp
97  Dragonskin Tactical Outfit.esp
98  Powered Power Armor.esp
99  Advanced Recon Gear.esp
9A  Detect Traps Merge.esp
9B  PPA - Broken Steel.esp
9C  PPA - FWE.esp
9D  PPA - Operation Anchorage.esp
9E  PPA - Mothership Zeta.esp
9F  Museum.esp
A0  Kentbury Way.esp
A1  TranquilityEnhanced.esp
A2  KillableChildren.esp
A3  Dree Perks.esp
A4  PotomacSteamworks.esp
A5  CantaburyCommonsGuards.esp
A6  Vault 101 Revisited James Room.esp
A7  AutoGates.esp
A8  Exeter-Type3-armor.esp
A9  Brahmin Dairy Products.esp
AA  DelaySteel.esp
AB  megalight.esp
AC  ZL-MP5 Pack.esp
++  PPA - FWE 2.esp
++  MP5ForFWE.esp
AD  ZL-ACR.esp
++  ACRForFWE.esp
AE  Placable Lights v2.2.esp
AF  HKG3.esp
B0  DragonskinBonusPack.esp
++  Dragonskin_for_FWE_2014.esp
B1  Boulevard of Broken Dreams.esp
B2  GNR Chevy Chase South Station.esp
B3  IntoTheDeepWoods.esp
B4  IntoTheDeepWoods-Forested Overhaul Patch.esp
B5  Existence 2.0.esp
B6  ArefuExpandedByAzar-Radio.esp
B7  DelayThePitt.esp
B8  ZL-SVD-CALIBR.esp
B9  RockopolisRebuilt.esp
BA  delayzeta.esp
BB  PAL - MERGED.esp
BC  MTCBigTownRobotFix.esp
BD  Companion Core DLC Addon.esp
BE  DIM TYPE3clothesRETAIL.esp
BF  Distributed Necklaces and Chains - Males and Females.esp  [Version 1.7]
C0  GilbertToys.esp
C1  Conelrad 640-1240.esp
++  SVDForFWE.esp
C2  Mansion Fix v2.esp
C3  PLFewerItems.esp
C4  midlifeAnchorage.esp
++  Atom50.esp
C5  Stimpak Counter.esp
C6  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Main + DLC Merged.esp
++  Xepha's Dynamic Weather - Green Tint Remover.esp
C7  ManualPatch.esp
C8  Bashed Patch, 0.esp
C9  (TWCP) Full Patch Merge.esp

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

drav666

Edited October 1, 2016 by drav666

[Kelmych]

There are some mods in the list that are good candidates for inclusion in the guide such as "Intro Street Bus and Dupont Alignment" as well as some location mods that aren't primarily player homes. The guide doesn't include many mods that just add player homes since there isn't often significant agreement on which ones to include, and it's hard to manage more than a few.

 

How did you get "Point Lookout Reborn" and "In the Shadow of the Swamp" to be compatible, by the way?

[drav666]

Hi Kelmych,

 

The Wasteland Patch Collection has a patch for "Point Lookout Reborn", "In the Shadow of the Swamp" and "Updated Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch" with the following notes:

 

 

 

Name: (TWPC) PLR-UUF3P-ISS Patch
Mods Patched: Point Lookout Reborn, UPDATED Unofficial Fallout 3 Patch and In the Shadow of the Swamp.
Version: 1.1
Release Date: 14/10/2015
Author: Deadmano
--
Description:
~Succeeds (TWPC) PLR-ISS Patch. UUF3P tag added.
*Carried over UUF3P records.
*Fixed empty records that were caused due to a saving error in FO3EDIT.

 

This supersedes a previous patch for "Point Lookout Reborn" and "In the Shadow of the Swamp" that had the following notes:

 

 

 

Name: (TWPC) PLR-ISS Patch
Mods Patched: Point Lookout Reborn and In the Shadow of the Swamp.
Version: 1.0
Release Date: 01/09/2015
Author: Deadmano
--
Description:
*Initial release.
*Edits 2 Activator records for the Punga Fruit Plant respawn script using PLR's over ISS' one. Carried over 29 Cell and Worldspace record edits between both mods and merged in favour of PLR when needed.

 

Now full disclosure,  I've had many testing jaunts but haven't had a serious play-through yet (having a break from Fallout and a fiddle with the old classic Morrowind for a month or two before I start a serious game of Fallout 3), but given the other patches in TWPC seem solid I'm sure the (TWPC) PLR-UUF3P-ISS Patch should be as well. Whether it address all the issues I'm not sure yet, it might be a while before I get to that stage to test properly (I hope it works, might have a little cry if it doesn't :) )

 

With the rest that are over and above your brilliant guide,  I tried to be a little selective with not going too far overboard - I'm bit of a mod junkie (the usual more time modding than actually playing) and this is the first time I've actually made myself finalize a build :)

 

Cheers,

 

drav666

[lordhaw]

Personally, I'm not entirely sure the whole problem, insofar as stability, has too much to to with Windows 10.  I don't find FO3 in Windows 10 any more or less unstable than it was in Windows 7 with a heavily modded setup.  Now I know I said earlier that things were pretty good after cutting my plugin count down to 195 with Merge Plugins but now that is not the case.  Things were great but now suddenly it crashes all the time, particularly when approaching Megaton and texture issues pop up in areas that were fine before.  I can leave Megaton and re-enter and have everyone there now have the red exclamation or have pink skin, when they were perfectly fine before.  I can then leave/re-enter and it's fine.  Here I can't say as to what the problem is exactly, but I am going through the guide again in a separate MO install with the mod list cleared and am reinstalling just guide mods, starting with just core and am documenting what happens along the way to try and track this down.  Everything went to pot for me after having to reinstall Windows 10 and then redoing things from scratch with MO.  My install using the guide prior to this was perfect, same version of MO too.  Only difference here is that I am using the Steam version of FO3 (GOTY) rather than my previous CD based install (also GOTY), because as I said in an earlier post my CD has chips out of it around the center hole and cracks starting and I'm afraid of it flying apart or cracking one of these times...I've seen it happen.  The computer I'm running this all on is not a powerhouse, an i3 with 6GB RAM and a 1GB Radeon R7 250 but FO3 has worked great with this setup, including many hires textures with no slowdowns unless ENB is used, then it's a pig.  Anyway, I'm partway through that now and will let you know how it goes.

Edited October 3, 2016 by lordhaw

[Dennai]

Personally, I'm not entirely sure the whole problem, insofar as stability, has too much to to with Windows 10.  I don't find FO3 in Windows 10 any more or less unstable than it was in Windows 7 with a heavily modded setup.  Now I know I said earlier that things were pretty good after cutting my plugin count down to 195 with Merge Plugins but now that is not the case.  Things were great but now suddenly it crashes all the time, particularly when approaching Megaton and texture issues pop up in areas that were fine before.  I can leave Megaton and re-enter and have everyone there now have the red exclamation or have pink skin, when they were perfectly fine before.  I can then leave/re-enter and it's fine.  Here I can't say as to what the problem is exactly, but I am going through the guide again in a separate MO install with the mod list cleared and am reinstalling just guide mods, starting with just core and am documenting what happens along the way to try and track this down.  Everything went to pot for me after having to reinstall Windows 10 and then redoing things from scratch with MO.  My install using the guide prior to this was perfect, same version of MO too.  Only difference here is that I am using the Steam version of FO3 (GOTY) rather than my previous CD based install (also GOTY), because as I said in an earlier post my CD has chips out of it around the center hole and cracks starting and I'm afraid of it flying apart or cracking one of these times...I've seen it happen.  The computer I'm running this all on is not a powerhouse, an i3 with 6GB RAM and a 1GB Radeon R7 250 but FO3 has worked great with this setup, including many hires textures with no slowdowns unless ENB is used, then it's a pig.  Anyway, I'm partway through that now and will let you know how it goes.

I am very interested in what conclussions your investigation will come to. As I mentioned, a couple of years ago, I played a heavily modded Fallout 3 for weeks without problems (barring the odd CTD now and then that you come to expect with any Bethesda game, particularly when the are modded to the brim). That was with a different NVIDIA card, with a retail cd copy and under Windows 7. And I didn't use Mod Organizer that time either. Now the red marks invasion hits me around 140-150 active plugins. Mod Organizer is discarded as possible part of the problem because after the first time this happened to me, I re-install the game and modded from scratch without it, and the issue arose again. That left, Windows 10, Steam version and new graphic card as thing to look in. I lean towards a Windows 10/Steam version combo since I haven't found anything in Internet about games having problem with my card (GTX 980), but I found report everywhere with conflicts with old games and Windows 10, and also occasional reports of Steam having problems with games made for older systems.

[Dennai]

 

Have you tried reducing the plugin count by merging some of the plugins with the "Merge Plugins" utility? It's in the guide but not discussed much since there haven't been any comments on plugin count related problems. If it looks like it is a problem when running Windows 10 some recommendations could be added to the guide on potential plugin merges. Plugins that don't have any Navmesh records or add new FormIDs are the easiest to merge. For example, the TWPC patches can be merged, a lot of the Additional Fix mods can be merged, and some of the other patch plugins can likely be merged. There is already a mod in the guide that merges a lot of the clothing plugins for Exeter clothing.

Yes, I tried to do that, but I couldn't merge many plugins because most of them had dependency of the Bashed Patch. Now, I'm gonna start from scratch again (4th time in 3 weeks, yipee!), and do my merges before doing the bashed patch.

 

   Anybody knows if adding bash tags required for individual plugins to the merged one does work?

[Kelmych]

Redoing the bashed patch shouldn't take very long. If you create a merged patch and it is loading before the bashed patch, it's a good idea to add the bash tags for the individual plugins. The only problem comes when the patches you are combining are intended to load lower in the load order, but if you are just merging patches (vs. mods) this isn't usually a problem.

[lordhaw]

Well so far I have run a vanilla test using a clean save with of course no issues.  I ran through the vault and then through Springvale and through Megaton.  Exited and entered Megaton multiple times with no issues.  I just finished a test with just the Core guide mods, LOOT run, mods cleaned, FO3LODGen run and the changes added as a mod, a bashed patch created.  Ran the exact same test with the exact same save.  Absolutely no issues.  50 mods with the Core guide used, 49 after bashed patch.  Next test is to set up with all guide mods and a regen of the bashed patch to see both the mod count and what happens.  Just not sure if the problem will hit after a certain mod count or not this time around.  A previous experiment did but not sure this time around.  This same run in my previous non-test MO setup generated texture errors and other problems depending on the mod count until I lowered below 200 and the texture issues still show up occasionally.  But so far so good in the test setup.

 

I forgot just how horrid vanilla FO3 looks.  I haven't played vanilla for years and it was an eye opener.  Gives you a perspective on just how much a few changes, especially the NMC and UHQ textures along with Vurts make to the game.  

 

Not quite sure how I am going to test this with all mods.  I'd like to split it up so I try at different mod counts to see if there is a point where it starts to go south.  How many mods should an all mods setup with the guide and a bashed patch have?

[ShadowFyre]

Hey could someone tell me what Constraint settings I need to be using in DDSopt? I've looked it up and from what I'm understanding some of the textures need different settings so I'm at a loss here. Gonna go do some Calculus 2 and hope someone has an answer in like an hour or two.

 

edit: Because in the DDSopt guide itself it has 3 pictures with 3 different kinds of settings for the Constraints tab. Would love to know which on to use during which steps.

Edited October 4, 2016 by ShadowFyre

[Kelmych]

The pictures are related to using DDSopt with different texture types for the vanilla textures, as described in the step by step instructions. What types of textures are you optimizing and how much (if any) resolution reduction do you need?

[ShadowFyre]

The pictures are related to using DDSopt with different texture types for the vanilla textures, as described in the step by step instructions. What types of textures are you optimizing and how much (if any) resolution reduction do you need?

Well I just did the Vanillas with the first first Constraint settings, and I'm optomizing the mods right now with the same constraints and 2kx2k. The guide says to limit it to 2k so I did, but I was wondering if I have to considering I have a pretty good rig.

[Kelmych]

If you have a good GPU with 3-4 Gb VRAM you don't need to use any size reduction. The value of using DDSopt is when there is a need for size reduction or when DDSopt can provid some improvements in texture quality.