Occasional CTDs - when to be concerned, and when it's just Skyrim

[aaltair]

So, yeah, 6 months or so of modding Skyrim and I have yet to play a full game because at the first sign of a CTD I freak out and go through my entire setup, starting all over. Some of the posts I'm reading suggest that no matter what you do, a modded Skyrim is probably going to CTD sometimes. Is there a point where you decide your setup is "good enough" and just proceed playing and don't worry about the occasional random CTD?

[Nebulous112]

Depends on the setup. If it's tested tried and true, like a standard STEP extended install, you shouldn't CTD ever.

 

However if you're adding a ton of extra mods with potential conflicts, editing conflicts in TES5Edit, etc. I wouldn't be surprised to see the occasional CTD.

 

I am fairly new to modding, but of what I played for STEP Extended 2.2.9.1, I never had a single CTD.

 

This time around, I'm adding 10 or so mods to the lineup, but none with major conflicts, so I am hoping for the same. But, as it is not a tried and true setup (as a straight STEP install is), I don't expect the same level of stability.

 

But if I get a CTD more than once every few playing sessions, I will find a way to make them stop, if I have to drop all of the extra mods, lol.

[Greg]

Three words sums it up very well... Shiny. New. Mods. Who can resist staying away from the shiny new mods on Nexus?

[Nebulous112]

LMAO, truer words are rarely spoken.

 

Personally, I am still waiting for the v3 update to the Druid's Den player house, which should drop tonight or tomorrow.

 

It will be the third time for me trying to start up a new game for 2.2.9.2. Each time I get to the point of running dynDOLOD, but before I start the new game I find something else shiny I need to add to this playthrough.

 

I am forcing myself to stop after this and actually press the "New Game" button. :-P

Edited December 16, 2015 by Nebulous112

[Ondrea]

I used to think occasional CTD's were just part of modded Skyrim.  Then I started with just basic mods recommended here and a few past favorites and was completely CTD-free for the month or so I played that character (new mods I want to try always have me starting over ugh).  The next character I added a few more mods in and started CTD'ing again.  A few more times of this back and forth I realized which mods were causing me issues.  Many are popular mods with no reported issues (Farm Animals, True Storms) but for whatever reason don't agree with my setup.

 

So now I'm like you.  I let one CTD slide, but if there's another not that long after, I'm done with that character and get rid of anything new I added, and start over.  What I thought was just normal issues I had to deal with to play Skyrim really were avoidable after all.