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Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting
- 1 Overview
- 2 Checklist
- 3 ArchiveInvalidation by Manager
- 4 Mod Conflict Isolation
- 5 Towards Game Stability
- 6 Solutions to Starting the game problems
- 6.1 Issue - After moving game from the default install location FNV4GB fails to launch
- 6.2 Issue - Application load Windows errors
- 6.3 Issue - Black Screen on startup
- 6.4 Issue - GOG DRM-free non-Steam version of FNV compatibility
- 6.5 Issue - GOG version will not start from FOMM
- 6.6 Issue - How to disable the Steam Overlay
- 6.7 Issue - Incomplete save game load
- 6.8 Issue - Modded game CTDs on startup
- 6.9 Issue - NVSE - fails to load after update KB4058043 to Win10 FCU v1709
- 6.10 Issue - Problems point to Steam as the source
- 6.11 Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game displaying English dialogue
- 6.12 Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game with different language audio
- 6.13 Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game will not load NVSE
- 6.14 Issue - Vanilla game bugs
- 6.15 Issue - Vanilla game CTDs on startup
- 6.16 Issue - Vanilla game Hangs on startup
- 7 Solutions to Performance problems
- 7.1 Guide - Performance Tutorial Videos
- 7.2 Issue - FPS drops over time
- 7.3 Issue - Full screen mode exhibits CTDs and stutters or micro-stutters
- 7.4 Issue - Game in slow motion
- 7.5 Issue - Graphics in vanilla game glitchy immediately after exiting Doc Mitchells
- 7.6 Issue - Lag or microstutters even with New Vegas Stutter Remover installed or not
- 7.7 Issue - NPCs and Creatures are moving at hyper-speed
- 7.8 Issue - SOUND - Ambient music skips-jitters-hiccups-pops-stutters
- 7.9 Issue - SOUND - Combat causes infinite loop sound
- 7.10 Issue - SOUND - No music or sound
- 7.11 Issue - SOUND - Radio station music does not play
- 7.12 Issue - System Network configuration
- 7.13 Issue - TTW Performance Guide abstract
- 7.14 Issue - Vsync aka V-Sync ON or OFF
- 7.15 Issue - What INI edits seem to be most beneficial to performance
- 8 Solutions to Crash To Desktop aka CTD problems
- 8.1 Issue - CTD after 10-20 minutes of play post-Win10 2017 FCU
- 8.2 Issue - CTD on interior or exterior or fast travel cell change
- 8.3 Issue - CTD without warning or Out of Memory error or stops responding after the Main Menu
- 8.4 Issue - CTD upon completion of DLC
- 8.5 Issue - CTD upon quitting a modded game
- 8.6 Issue - Hi-Rez Texture mod causes CTD
- 8.7 Issue - Removing a Project Nevada Implant freezes the game or CTDs
- 8.8 Issue - Swap aka Page file size and CTDs
- 8.9 Issue - WIN10 Freezes or Hangs and you can not use Task Manager to kill the process
- 9 Solutions to Control problems
- 9.1 Issue - Console - How to access the in-game console command line
- 9.2 Issue - Console - in-game console default key does not work
- 9.3 Issue - Console - Can not open the in-game console command line under Windows 10
- 9.4 Issue - Console - troubleshooting
- 9.5 Issue - Gazing in certain directions causes a freeze
- 9.6 Issue - Grenade throw always falls at my feet
- 9.7 Issue - Have to remap some essential default key assignments
- 9.8 Issue - How to determine what keystrokes are being passed
- 9.9 Issue - How to remove a game controller default button bindings
- 9.10 Issue - How to switch weapons using the mouse middle-button or wheel
- 9.11 Issue - HUD-UI-Menu messed up or unreadable or missing
- 9.12 Issue - Mods do not seem to have controller support
- 9.13 Issue - Mouse and-or keyboard does not work with a game controller installed
- 9.14 Issue - Mouse controls
- 9.15 Issue - Mouse notably Logitech does not highlight or select menu choices
- 9.16 Issue - Mouse sensitivity or weapon aiming is off or similar issues
- 9.17 Issue - Remapping the ammo swap hotkey from key -2-
- 9.18 Issue - Unable to add either of two weapon mods to a weapon
- 9.19 Issue - Unable to draw weapons or fire or crouch
- 9.20 Issue: WMM The Weapon Mod Menu will not let me add a weapon mod in game
- 9.21 Issue - WMX loses my existing weapon mods to the Weathered 10mm pistol
- 10 Solutions to Garden of Eden Construction Kit aka GECK problems
- 10.1 Issue - Where to obtain the GECK
- 10.2 Issue - GeckCustom INI file
- 10.3 Issue - GECKPrefs INI file
- 10.4 Issue - How to get GECK to load with NVSE
- 10.5 Issue - GECK Power-Up or NVSE cannot find GECK
- 10.6 Issue - Where to start in creating mods
- 10.7 Issue - Where are the Warnings and EditorWarnings text files
- 10.8 Issue - GECK crashes upon editing a weapon
- 10.9 Issue - GECK crashes upon starting
- 10.10 Issue - GECK does not automatically select FalloutNV or some DLC ESM file
- 10.11 Issue - GECK does not show Landscape
- 10.12 Issue - GECK hates me in general or how to get started working with it
- 10.13 Issue - GECK will not tell me what is wrong with my script
- 10.14 Issue - GECK is missing text in some fields
- 10.15 Issue - GECK Render Window shows a large gray square in new world space
- 10.16 Issue - How do I configure the GECK to do something
- 11 Solutions to Graphics problems
- 11.1 Issue - Aiming - 1st Person View aka FPV Iron Sights
- 11.2 Issue - Aiming - 1st Person View aka FPV is off center
- 11.3 Issue - Aiming - 3rd Person View aka TPV is off center
- 11.4 Issue - Aiming - Disable Auto Aim or not
- 11.5 Issue - Aiming - Full-Auto Iron Sights animation jump
- 11.6 Issue - Aiming - Weapon stays centered after releasing RMB
- 11.7 Issue - Blood Decal Duration
- 11.8 Issue - Blood-Gore-Limb Explosions and Dismemberment
- 11.9 Issue - Body Replacer - Big Head or Hair bug
- 11.10 Issue - Body Replacer - Custom Body Types
- 11.11 Issue - Body Replacer - Custom Hair-Eyes-Heads and-or Races
- 11.12 Issue - Body Replacer - Custom Race skin mismatch
- 11.13 Issue - Body Replacer - Default aka Vanilla
- 11.14 Issue - Body Replacer - Fallout Character Overhaul aka FCO not working or conflicting
- 11.15 Issue - Body Replacer - FCO or FNV Redesigned3 Characters have pink faces or clean bodies with dirty faces
- 11.16 Issue - Body Replacer - FCO or FNV Redesigned3 Eyes rolled to the side
- 11.17 Issue - Body Replacer - FNV Redesigned 3 aka FNVR3 and Qwinns Refined FNV Redesigned 3 aka QRNVR3
- 11.18 Issue - Body Replacer - In-game does not look quite like the authors images
- 11.19 Issue - Body Replacer - Installing Beware of Girl aka BoG FOMOD with Mod Organizer aka MO
- 11.20 Issue - Body Replacer - Type 6M
- 11.21 Issue - Character is suddenly invisible in both 1st and 3rd person views
- 11.22 Issue - Disable Map Markers
- 11.23 Issue - Distant terrain or LOD flickers rapidly
- 11.24 Issue - Entering an Interior spawns the player in a huge ball of items and NPCs aka junkado
- 11.25 Issue - Flickering Shadows on grass
- 11.26 Issue - Floating objects
- 11.27 Issue - Fog effect around the Vegas Strip
- 11.28 Issue - Head clipping through hair
- 11.29 Issue - Interior cell portions not visible
- 11.30 Issue - Invisible Companion
- 11.31 Issue - Missing textures or walls
- 11.32 Issue - Mod makes the Sun too bright off surfaces
- 11.33 Issue: Naked NPCs aka missing armor or inventory
- 11.34 Issue - NPCs making annoying SHHHH sound and hand gesture
- 11.35 Issue - Pink teeth or tongue or mouth
- 11.36 Issue - Player hands are either stubs or too large or the fingers are missing
- 11.37 Issue - Pip-boy and Terminal screens are all white or blank
- 11.38 Issue - Playing at greater than 1920x1080 resolution
- 11.39 Issue - Scope zoom distortion problems
- 11.40 Issue - Screen brightness gets darker as the game progresses
- 11.41 Issue - Somehow without changing anything my character is glitched oddly
- 11.42 Issue - Textures randomly change only on particular items
- 11.43 Issue - Weapons or Fists are displayed off-center in 1st Person
- 11.44 Issue - Win10 Blurry or small text or icons
- 11.45 Issue - Win10 Screen tearing in Borderless Windowed Mode
- 11.46 Issue - Wounds do not appear on Actors
- 12 Solutions to Mesh -Red Kite- icon or Texture -solid or off color- problems
- 12.1 Issue - What are these -Red Kite- icons in the game
- 12.2 Issue - What is with these Solid Green billboard signs in the distance aka LOD
- 12.3 Issue - Find the source mod-index of an object in-game
- 12.4 Issue - Fix a missing or solid color texture problem
- 12.5 Issue - Pink Screen or textures aka VRAM limitation
- 12.6 Issue - ShowRaceMenu or Changing Character or Uninstalling a custom race problems
- 12.7 Issue - Skin tone mismatch between head and body
- 13 Solutions to Miscellaneous problems
- 13.1 Issue - DLCs - Can companions travel to DLC worlspaces
- 13.2 Issue - DLC Honest Hearts - Can't leave Zion
- 13.3 Issue - DLC Honest Hearts - Cannot return to Zion
- 13.4 Issue - DLC Honest Hearts - Quest Crush the While Legs bug
- 13.5 Issue - DLC Honest Hearts - Year bug on entry or exit of Zion
- 13.6 Issue - DLC Old World Blues - Quest Get your brain back bug
- 13.7 Issue - DLC Lonesome Road or other - DLC hangs after cutscene
- 13.8 Issue - MOD ATTT - and WRP and WMIM combatibility
- 13.9 Issue - MOD IMPACT - FPS drop or stutter on semi-auto hits
- 13.10 Issue - MOD NVInteriors - Drunken Gnomes Quest cannot be completed
- 13.11 Issue - Adjust or eliminate limb dismemberment and body explosions chance
- 13.12 Issue - Background Noise bug
- 13.13 Issue - Can Timescale adjustments break certain quests
- 13.14 Issue - Children cannot use that
- 13.15 Issue - Console player additem command fails
- 13.16 Issue - Corpse in -T- crucifix pose
- 13.17 Issue - Corpses disappear too quickly
- 13.18 Issue - CTD after a fairly constant amount of time such as 20 minutes
- 13.19 Issue - CTD traveling from Cottonwood Cove to Fortification Hill aka Render Unto Caesar quest
- 13.20 Issue - Difficulty setting causes Player and NPC damage to be unbalanced
- 13.21 Issue - Disable the death scene splash of blood across the screen
- 13.22 Issue - FACTION - Still attacks even after reputation is Idolized
- 13.23 Issue - FACTION - Strip Securitrons unexpectedly become hostile
- 13.24 Issue - Flash Bang aka Combat skills reduced to zero Bug
- 13.25 Issue - FOMM can not install mods anymore
- 13.26 Issue - FOMM crash trying to login to Nexus using Package Manager
- 13.27 Issue - FOMM or FOMOD Invalid Field error
- 13.28 Issue - Foul Smell debuff to Charisma
- 13.29 Issue - GLOB variable GameDaysPassed does not advance or suddenly jumps
- 13.30 Issue - How to eliminate the bullet sponge effect
- 13.31 Issue - Is my game the latest version
- 13.32 Issue - Missing Pipboy after uninstalling the Readius mod
- 13.33 Issue - My Steam Achievements have stopped working
- 13.34 Issue - No karma or XP for lowest tier level enemies
- 13.35 Issue - Project Nevada Sprint suddenly not working
- 13.36 Issue - QUEST is hung and will not advance
- 13.37 Issue - Recommended Project Nevada master file load order
- 13.38 Issue - Regional - non-English version has different FormIDs
- 13.39 Issue - Remove active effects
- 13.40 Issue - Restore vanilla animations
- 13.41 Issue - Stuck effects or stats
- 13.42 Issue - Weapon quick key binding fails unexpectedly
- 14 Solutions to Post-Processor ENB or SweetFX et al problems
- 14.1 Issue - ENB and NVR-NVGE conflict
- 14.2 Issue - ENB Blur
- 14.3 Issue - ENB is not working
- 14.4 Issue - ENB Nights are too dark even with nightvision
- 14.5 Issue - ENB Performance aka FPS drops
- 14.6 Issue - ENB Support for Windows versions later than Win7
- 14.7 Issue - ENB Texture disappears or turns shiny or black
- 14.8 Issue - ENB Transparency or Translucency problem
- 14.9 Issue - ENB Weather effects near water are off color
- 14.10 Issue - Get ENB to work while in GECK
- 14.11 Issue - Image Modifications aka IMODS aka fade to black etc do not work
- 14.12 Issue - Is ENBoost for everyone
- 14.13 Issue - Managing Post-Processor as in ENB or SweetFX or FXAA configurations
- 14.14 Issue - Problems using ENB or SweetFX - Long loading screen waits
- 14.15 Issue - Problems using ENB or SweetFX - alongside FNV4GB
- 14.16 Issue - Problems using ENB or SweetFX - on Windows 10
- 14.17 Issue - Render Error using ENB or SweetFX
- 14.18 Issue - SweetFX is not working
- 15 References
- 15.1 Refs: Overview
- 15.2 Refs: Checklist
- 15.3 Refs: ArchiveInvalidation (by Manager)
- 15.4 Refs: Mod Conflict Isolation
- 15.5 Refs: Towards Game Stability
- 15.6 Refs: Solutions to Starting the game problems
- 15.7 Refs: Solutions to Performance problems
- 15.8 Refs: Solutions to "Crash To Desktop" (CTD) problems
- 15.9 Refs: Solutions to Control problems
- 15.10 Refs: Solutions to "Garden of Eden Construction Kit" (G.E.C.K.) problems
- 15.11 Refs: Solutions to Graphics problems
- 15.12 Refs: Solutions to Mesh (Red "!" icon) or Texture (solid color) problems
- 15.13 Refs: Solutions to Miscellaneous problems
- 15.14 Refs: Solutions to Post-Processor (ENB/SweetFX et. al.) problems
This a collection of specific common problems and solutions, along with a general checklist of things known to contribute to problems, collected from around the web. The "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" thread in the "Fallout New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum is for questions, suggestions, and discussion of this article's contents.
The article is organized around various generic topics, with specific mod conflicts or issues that don't fit into the other categories under "Solutions to Miscellaneous problems".
If you haven't already, it is suggested to read the wiki article FNV General Mod Use Advice first to understand basic terminology as used here and differences in FNV from other games you may be used to modding.
Troubleshooting is a logical process of elimination. If all logic fails, you have to revert back to a vanilla game and slowly re-install mods, testing each one thoroughly before adding the next. It is a trade-off of "time" versus "effort". Where that tipping point lies is up to you. This is why you are always advised to follow a slow "install and test each mod one at a time" procedure when first setting up your game. Then you know specifically which mod is causing your problem, which saves time.
The How to ask for help wiki article applies to any game. Read it before posting your next problem in the forums to speed up getting to the correct solution. The time you are wasting otherwise is not just your own.
Standard list of things to ask yourself about your current FNV problem:
00. Did you install Steam under the default location of the "C:\Program Files" tree? This causes many "strange" problems not otherwise explainable. As painful as it may sound, read the wiki article Installing Games on Windows Vista+ and move at least FNV. That article has a link to the official Steam Procedure (a good indication that they now recognize the need to correct this). This should be the first solution you try. Otherwise you will spend a lot of time and effort trying other solutions, and still have to move the game files in the end anyway.
- Note that the GOG DRM-free version of FNV default install location is "C:\GOG Games\Fallout New Vegas". It does not have this issue, in addition to already being 4GB memory enabled. DO NOT run the 4GB Patcher against the GOG version. This situation has been known to prevent the ability to save any game files. Other unpredictable problems may occur.
01. Are you getting an error message? What is that pointing to as the source of the problem: the game, Steam, or Windows?
02. What most recently changed (as far as what you have deliberately done to your game is concerned: New, updated, or removed mods or plugins)?
02b. Did any of the following which interact with the game get updated or changed recently. They are prime suspects if nothing in the game itself changed:
- a. Video driver. (The latest is not always tested against an older game.)
- b. Sound driver.
- c. Mouse driver. ("Advanced features" are not always compatible with the game.)
- d. Power Outage? Run a chkdsk on the drive to fix any errors that might have occurred.
- e. Windows system update (consider rolling back to the previous restore point).
03. If you have recently "verified local files" or "re-installed" the game, try renaming both the INI files in the "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder, and let the game rebuild them. (There might have been some unexpected changes.) Rename to anything you choose. I usually just add to the extension: from "<filename>.ini" to "<filename>.ini.old". The purpose is to be able to examine the old files for things you want to be able to replicate in the new versions of the same file.
- Before you make any changes to the game INI files, please make backups and put them in a safe place. See the Game INI files section of the "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article for details.You have been warned!
- If you make any changes to any of the game INI files, remember to change it in all three files (after you have backups of the originals): the "Fallout_default.ini" in the game root folder (which only gets used to recreate the other two when they are not found), and the two in "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder ("FALLOUT.ini" and "FalloutPrefs.ini"). Otherwise you tend to lose track of which you actually changed if you have to "verify files".
- Note that if you are currently or have used "Mod Organizer", MO uses its own copies of "Fallout.ini" and "FalloutPrefs.ini" (from when the MO profile was created), located in the "<Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas\Mod Organizer\profiles\<Your Profile Name>" folder. These files need to be changed as well.
04. Does the most recent mod change use New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) or supplemental plugins like JIP NVSE Plugin or "Lutana NVSE Plugin"? Check that log (in the game's root folder: i.e. "<Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas").
- According to this post in the JIP NVSE thread, mods are supposed to use and expect the following results when checking which version has been loaded, either in scripts or the game console ("<~>"); even from the Main Menu (without loading a "save game" file).
- * GetNVSEVersion: returns integer (e.g. "5")
- * GetJIPLNVersion / GetLNVersion: returns loaded JIP LN main version as float (xx.xxxx)
- * GetPluginVersion "<string>": (quotes are required)
- "JIP NVSE Plugin": returns loaded JIP LN main version as float (xx.xxxx)
- "lutana_nvse": returns loaded JIP LN main version as float (xx.xxxx)
- IsPluginInstalled:
- "lutana_nvse" returns 1
- If you previously had the "lutana nvse" plugin installed, make sure you have removed all "lutana*.*" files from both the game root and "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folders. Otherwise this can cause the "GetJIPLNVersion" command to fail with the error "command not found".
- NVSE and related plugins must be manually installed because most mod managers assume everything in them needs to go into the "Data" folder instead of their respective specific locations. Check their documentation carefully.
- When installing New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE), the nvse_loader.exe file should be in the game root folder: i.e. "<Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"), so it's along with the FalloutNV.exe file. However, just unpacking the NVSE archive package to the "Fallout New Vegas" folder may not create a "Data\NVSE" folder or the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" sub-folder upon installation unless you tell it to include sub-folders when doing so. If not, you will have to do so manually. It definitely does not create a configuration file or automatically enable it's log files (which will be found in the game's root folder). You need to do so yourself, using any plaintext editor such as Windows NotePad. Supplemental NVSE Plugins such as JIP, Lutana, MCM, NVAC, or NVSR should go into the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folder.
- If not present, manually create folder "NVSE" under the game "Data" folder (at the same level as the "Meshes" and "Textures" folders), and then "Plugins" under the "NVSE" folder.
- Make sure "hide known file types" is disabled in Windows/File Explorer's "Folder Options" menu, or your new INI file in the next step will have a hidden ".txt" extension which you don't want. (The DigitalCitizen.life article 8 ways to open the Folder Options window, in Windows (all versions) will show you how to access that.)
- In the folder "Data\NVSE" create a new text file and name it "nvse_config.ini".
- Copy and paste the following into "nvse_config.ini":
- When installing New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE), the nvse_loader.exe file should be in the game root folder: i.e. "<Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"), so it's along with the FalloutNV.exe file. However, just unpacking the NVSE archive package to the "Fallout New Vegas" folder may not create a "Data\NVSE" folder or the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" sub-folder upon installation unless you tell it to include sub-folders when doing so. If not, you will have to do so manually. It definitely does not create a configuration file or automatically enable it's log files (which will be found in the game's root folder). You need to do so yourself, using any plaintext editor such as Windows NotePad. Supplemental NVSE Plugins such as JIP, Lutana, MCM, NVAC, or NVSR should go into the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folder.
- This will enable the game's error log the next time you run it, which will then be found in your FNV root folder (where you put the NVSE executable files). There will be at least three files: "falloutnv_error.log", "falloutnv_havok.log", and "nvse.log". The first one is very useful for finding broken stuff in mods or the cause of crashes. Not everything in it is an error so keep that in mind; some are just warnings. The "nvse.log" is helpful to identify problems with NVSE itself, and plugins that rely upon it.
- The warnings are supposed to be written by the game engine in "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV\warnings.txt", but this may be dependent upon the "log level" in the "nvse_config.ini". The default is level "1" and there is no "warnings.txt" file created; but it goes up to level "5" (debugging) with increasing verbosity. However, it appears this "warnings" file feature was never actually implemented for FNV, but have been restored by the GECK Extender Plugin for NVSE.
- To activate the "Sheson patch", Add the following before the "[Logging]" section of the "nvse_config.ini" file:
- Using a size of "240" or "256" is suggested if you are not using FNV4GB or some other means to utilize the maximum ~4GB of game memory. Too small or too large a heap size causes problems. Keep it under "500" (i.e. "496"), and in multiples of 16. Skyrim SKSE users may be aware of a "scrapheapsizeMB=" setting. This is carried over to NVSE, but is not used in the FNV game engine. Remember, nothing is "free memory". Everything you assign to a "heap" is no longer available to the game itself.
- See also entirety of the Issue: CTD without warning, "Out of Memory error", or stops responding after the Main Menu" in this guide.
- For help interpreting an error log, please see the How to read most Bethesda game error logs wiki article.
05. Did the mod need to be added to Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) / One HUD (oHUD) / User Interface Organizer (UIO)? (Those mods need to see it when they are installed. See the wiki article HUD-UI-Menu issues and re-install them.)
06. Is your version of Windows 32 or 64-bit? (32-bit may require BOOT.INI changes to use more than 2GB of memory. See this 2-4GB game memory limits and solutions article.) FNV is a 32-bit game, so you need the 32-bit versions of any downloadable tools or libraries, like "C++ Runtimes" or "DirectX drivers" installed on your 64-bit system. 32-bit libraries are not interchangeable with 64-bit versions. They install to different locations. There is a reason MS makes both versions available.
07. Are you using a FNV4GB Loader such as 4GB Fallout New Vegas Updated or an LAA flag Patcher like FNV 4GB Patcher? (Increases available memory. But see the previous question about 32/64-bit Windows. It's related.) Did you turn off any "anti-virus" checking software before patching? (They see any attempts to alter programs as "malware".)
08. Are you using an ENB preset? (Alters the graphics environment, including INI changes.) If you aren't sure, then probably not. This is a "third party tool" you would have to manually add. You should wait until you have a stable game before adding a "post-processor" like it to the mix.
09. Are you using Reshade/SweetFX? (Alters the graphics environment, including INI changes.) You should wait until you have a stable game before adding a "post-processor" like it to the mix.
10. Check the game graphic & ENB/SweetFX options do not conflict with video driver settings. (Anti-aliasing, ambient occlusion, anisotropic sample size, v-sync, anything else that is mentioned.) If you didn't install either of these then the question does do not apply.
11. Are you using LOOT to sort your mod "load order" (LO)? (Reduces mod conflicts.) If you don't like LOOT's results, or wish total control over your LO, see the wiki article Load order and you for an approach to organizing the LO and creating a "merge patch" file to manually resolve conflicts.
- It's always useful to post your "Load Order" (LO) with your problem description. (Use the "Special BBCode" button in the Forum "Reply" menu bar to put the LO in "Spoiler" tags. See the article How to markup images (etc) in forum posts and comments.) Screenshots are not the best way to convey your LO, because they usually can't include everything in one image and (depending upon where you took the shot) may not show the actual "load order". LOOT can copy your LO into a list suitable for posting on forums. (It's under the ":" with three dots to the extreme right in it's menu bar. Current Tome of xEdit online documentation here.) Most "mod managers" have a similar "LO List" capability. But the total number of mods you have installed in the DATA folder is also important, because even inactive plugins are counted against the so-called "140 cap". LOOT provides both numbers: active and total installed.
12. Do you have more than 130 active plugins in your LO, or more than 140 plugins installed (active or not) in the game DATA folder? The game can have problems with anywhere from roughly 130-140 active, or too many installed, depending upon your system. This may manifest in any number of strange ways to include apparent missing meshes and textures that were there before, along with CTDs.
13. If you are having a "red icon" problem, see the ArchiveInvalidation (by Manager) sub-topic.
- When in doubt, it will never harm things to try toggling "ArchiveInvalidation" off and then on again.
14. Are you missing any of the "game fixer" mods? See the Issue: Vanilla game bugs sub-topic for a list of specific recommendations.
... _gamemode=FalloutNV _worldspace=WastelandNV _worldspaceid=894758 _worldspaceidhex=000DA726 ...
16. If the LO has changed, re-run FNVLODGen after LOOT. (Rebuilds LOD quadrants (quads), which are "load order" dependent.)
17. Use FNVEdit (loading the entire LO) to check for Masters that are missing or loading after Dependencies. See the wiki tutorial Missing Masters. There is full documentation of FNVEdit (for both FO3 and FNV) in the online docs Tome of xEdit and the downloadable PDF FNVEdit Training Manual.
18. Are you using a Wrye Flash Bashed Patch or a manually created "merge patch" file? (Resolves record level conflicts.) See S.T.E.P. Merging Plugins Guide which covers both approaches, or the video Making a Merge Patch by Roy Batty for the "merge up" approach. (Use of "Mod Organizer" is not required.) Use the Wrye Bash Pictorial Guide to quickly get functional with "Wrye Flash", which I think is the easier approach for a novice modder.
19. If you are using "Wrye Flash" to create a "Bashed Patch", have you gotten all "green" checkboxes for all your mods? See the first post in the pinned thread Fallout New Vegas Beginners guide to modding by gromulos.
20. Was there an update to a mod that has been included in a "merged plugins" or "merge patch" file? Rebuild the "merge" file.
21. Did any system or driver updates occur? (Third party processes might be the cause if nothing else changed.)
22. Does your hardware meet the game's minimum requirements?
23. Have you tried running the game in "windowed mode"? This has been known to unexpectedly fix CTDs and "out of memory" errors on some older hardware. If you prefer the "borderless" version of "windowed mode", install New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) and use the One Tweak for FNV mod.
- Alternatively, there are free third-party tools that run games (not just FNV) in "borderless windowed mode", such as Borderless Gaming.
24. Try turning off any unnecessary background processes, such as "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" programs (unneeded if you are running your game in "offline" mode), multiplayer "overlays" like "OverWolf" (this is single-player after all), the Steam overlay, etc., at least on a temporary basis to see if they are interfering.
25. Finally, the problem might be an overheating hardware component. This usually shows up after a period of time which is typically fairly consistent but unpredictable as to when it manifests. Try installing and keeping an eye on a temperature monitor, such as Speedfan (freeware). Your motherboard manufacturer probably has one available as well. And it never hurts to clean out any dust collecting in the computer case. Be sure to block any fans from rotating when you blow it out, so they don't send any unfiltered power surges through the system.
ArchiveInvalidation by Manager
"ArchiveInvalidation" (AI) is a method by which the game is told to look for "loose files" in preference to those in the vanilla BSA files. This is the reliable method to get a mod's own texture and mesh files utilized, assuming you have properly installed those "assets". This post on manual invalidation explains the problem and history quite well.
Check you have "ArchiveInvalidation" (AI) enabled. You may need to "toggle" it off and then on again.
(For links to tutorials and documentation for the individual mod managers, please see the 'Mod Managers' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article.)
- Open your mod manager.
- Mod Organizer (MO): Select your "Profile". Turn on "Automatic Archive Invalidation" in the "Configure Profiles" dialog. Close the mod manager.
- Some have found "AI" more difficult to get working in MO. In these cases the following steps are suggested:
- 1. In MO Settings 'Workarounds': uncheck 'Force-enable game files'.
- 2. Get a copy of "Fallout - AI!.bsa" (From FOMM or NMM) and copy it to your "Data" directory. (Basically this is an empty BSA file.)
- 3. Go to the 'Archives' tab in the right MO window. Make sure MO is managing BSA files. Move the "Fallout - AI!.bsa" to the top of the list.
- 4. Try "Automatic Archive Invalidation" in the Profile both OFF and ON.
- Fallout Mod Manager (FOMM): Depending on the version you have, find "Archive Invalidation" either under the tools tab or find the button "Toggle Archive Invalidation".
- Nexus Mod Manager (NMM) or the newer Fallout Mod Manager - Forked (FOMM-Forked): if there is a "check mark" shown next to "Archive Invalidation", remove it and close the mod manager. Open the mod manager, open the "Tools" and place a "check mark" next to "Archive Invalidation".
- If there is not a "check mark" next to "Archive Invalidation", place one there and close the mod manager.
- Vortex: the new "official" Nexus mod manager handles "Archive Invalidation" with an extension called "Gambryo Archive Invalidation". It's enabled when Vortex is installed, and it works automatically for certain Bethesda games.
- It now has a dedicated button on the Vortex dashboard.
- Per the author Tannin here:
- Note that Vortex is now in "Beta" state, meaning it is "feature complete" but bugs may still be found and dealt with. Please report problems to the Vortex Forum in order for it to move to "production release" status.
- Wrye Flash (WF): click on the "Installers" tab, then right-click on the "Package" column header (gray bar) and click to place a "check mark" on the "BSA Redirection" context menu entry. Then right-click on the "Package" column header again and select "Anneal All".
- If you don't use a "mod manager", you should. But there are mods out there that provide the same "BSA Redirection" functionality (the currently more effective form of "ArchiveInvalidation") as an addon.
- If a mod manager's AI doesn't seem to be working, check the INI files under "[Archive]" for the "bInvalidateOlderFiles=" setting. Try switching the value between "=0" and "=1". (Some seem to need it one way, and others the opposite.) See also the wiki article Archive invalidation for details on where the "fake bsa" file needs to go in the "sArchiveList=" line.
- Note that various mod managers can implement "BSA Redirection" in the same way, but be using different BSA filenames. This filename gets inserted in the INI files (under the "[Archive]" section in the "sArchiveList=" setting string of files) using variation names such as "Fallout - AI!.bsa", "Fallout - ArchiveInvalidation.bsa", etc. If you switch mod managers, make sure your INI files are using the correct filename as that manager is expecting. In general this file is placed first or second in the "sArchiveList=" list.
- If you are using the JIP LN NVSE Plugin optional "FalloutCustom.ini" file to override the standard INI file settings, make sure it has been changed as well.
- For other texture problems, see the TESTG Troubleshooting section.
Mod Conflict Isolation
If you have to isolate a mod conflict, try first "disabling" half your mods, and testing. If the problem disappears, then you know the mod conflict lies in the "disabled" half of the mods. Re-enable half of the "disabled" half of the mods (i.e. now down to 1/4 of the total) while disabling the entirety of the other (previously enabled) half, and test. Keep repeating this "halving the remainder" process until you have narrowed it down to the mod that causes the problem only when it is active. This is the quickest way to isolate a problem mod.
Whenever you "disable/deactivate/uninstall" a mod, make a "clean save" file before testing the result. For FNV a "clean save" from an existing game save seems to be just a "full save" file (not a "quick save") that has been loaded, displayed the "missing content" message for the disabled plugin(s), and you continued on into the game; and then waiting about 10 seconds for scripts to initialize before saving again. This is a minimal clean save procedure. (If you appear to still have "residue" remaining after trying this procedure, try the more complete process laid out in the Tes4Mod:Clean_Save procedure for Oblivion.) However, it is usually preferable to test using a "new" game "full save" file from just after you create a "new" character with a different name. This avoids the possible issue of any corruption or problems "burned into" the save file.
- Please see also the 'Fourth Rule: Reloading "save game" files' section of the wiki FNV General Mod Use Advice article.
If disabling mods does not pin down the culprit, then you have to uninstall them to completely remove their influence, because they overwrote something which is causing the problem. You can use the same "halving" technique but often it will be quicker to just uninstall everything and start over from a "vanilla" game that you have tested has no problems.
If you uninstalled and re-installed the game but even without mods it crashes on startup, likely you forgot to clear out your "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder. The game places your specific versions of the Fallout and FalloutPrefs INI files there, along with your "save games". Try renaming the "Users" folder INI files first. I usually just add to the extension: from "<filename>.ini" to "<filename>.ini.old", but it can be anything. The purpose is to be able to examine the old files for things you want to be able to replicate in the new versions of the same file. Then if that fails: move the "saves" elsewhere, delete that FalloutNV folder's content, and re-install again. If you have to re-install again anyway, be sure to install to a folder that is not under the default "C:\Program Files" folder tree. See Installing Games on Windows Vista+ for the rationale and guidance. (Actually, you should move your game from the default location regardless, but I realize this is unwelcome advice to most people. It is still the single best "fix" you can do for yourself. Read that article.)
When the above is not sufficient to resolve your problem, please report what steps you have tried so we don't waste time suggesting you repeat something. In such cases, report the actual steps: not just "I followed the guide". We need to know you didn't miss or misinterpret something.
It's always useful to post your Load Order (in "Spoiler" tags. Use the "Special BBCode" button in the Forum "Reply" menu bar, just to the left of the "Fonts" pick-list). Screenshots are not the best way to convey your LO, because they usually can't include everything in one image and make it difficult to determine if you have too many plugins. LOOT can copy your LO into a list suitable for posting on forums. (It's under the ":" with three dots to the extreme right in it's menu bar.) Most "mod managers" have a similar "LO List" capability. But the total number of mods you have installed in the DATA folder is also important, because even inactive plugins are counted against the so-called "140 cap".
Towards Game Stability
- The videographer GamePoets has recently (30 Oct 2018) released a definitive 12:11 minute Performance & Stability Guide YouTube video for "Tale of Two Wastelands (TTW)" covering many of the suggestions in this article. However, while it does not conflict with any advice here and works just as well for FNV, it also does not cover quite as many options. It does make an excellent and recommended starting point for initially dealing with such issues.
- If you want a stable game, don't make any changes to your setup once you start playing and making "save game" files. Even updates to current mods run the risk of making things unstable after the point they are added. If you do update, ensure you know which save to revert to prior to that update if it goes wrong, and test it thoroughly immediately.
- Removing a mod that has stored some elements in a "save file" will leave residue (even with a "clean save") that can cause problems down the road. In particular you have to watch out for mods that use scripts to permanently change form and leveled lists (such as, purely as an example, the popular Millenia's Weapon mods). This is not, in and of itself, a bad thing as there are compatibility advantages to using this "script" technique. Such mods usually point this out in their description. But it is something to pay attention to when experimenting. It's better to find out what causes problems before you start to play in earnest. The general rule is: NEVER remove a mod from your load order once you have it in a "save game" file unless you are prepared to start over at some (possibly considerably) later point.
- Do not use the game's "auto-save" feature. See the sub-topic Issue: CTD on interior/exterior/"fast travel" cell change for the explanation and alternatives.
Solutions to Starting the game problems
Issue - After moving game from the default install location FNV4GB fails to launch
The FNV4GB.log looks similar to the following when trying to launch it:
- The "Executable name" (3rd line) points to the correct location. The registry key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Valve\Steam" value "InstallPath" (9th line; value content shown in 11th line) does not.
- Cause: The registry has not been properly updated.
- Solution: Running the vanilla EXE launcher (from the Steam Client or 'FalloutNVLauncher.exe') first after moving (at least once) updates the registry addresses. After that FNV4GB will work correctly.
Issue - Application load Windows errors
- Cause-1: Specifically error codes: "P:0000065432" or "5:0000065434" indicatea problem with the Steam Client.
- The "P:" prefix seems to show up when the Steam Client is not running.
- The "5:" prefix appears to occur when starting the game from it's EXE (such as the Launcher or the "FalloutNV.EXE"), but then it fails to locate the Steam Client executable on local disk even though it is already running and loaded into memory. Which seems to be confirmed as it disappears when the SteamClient.exe (and only that one file) is placed in the game root folder.
- Both instances produce the same "error code" message with only the prefix different.
- Solution-1a: The Steam Client may be in "Offline" mode and minimized to the system tray, but must remain running while launching the game, even with "nvse_launcher" or "fnv4gb".
- Note that the Steam Client is what displays the "Library", "Store", etc. It is a separate piece of software from "the game" and performs the authentication that your copy of the game is legitimate.
- Solution-1b: Sometimes all that is needed is to open the "Task Manager" (<Ctrl+Alt+Del> or right-click on the "Task Bar" | "Start Task Manager"), switch to the "Processes" tab, and right-click the "image name" Steam.exe task and select "End Process Tree". Then restart the game again.
- Solution-1c: When this occurs with the "FalloutNVLauncher.exe" file (whether or not after installing NVSE), some people have found that COPYing the Steam.EXE file (usually located in the "<install path>\Steam\" folder), into the game root folder (i.e. along with the game and NVSE EXE files in "<install path>\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"), resolves the problem. This copy of Steam.EXE may need to be updated as well after the Steam Client has updated.
- Cause-2: For some people, the game will not run without "Multi-threaded AI" enabled.
- Solution-2: In all three INI files, under the "[General]" section set the following values:
- and add the line:
and set that to however many cores your processor has. Note this added line is not a "performance" tweak (the game does multi-threading by default and the "iNumHWThreads=" setting may restrict it) and is not recommended for everyone in general. Some people have experienced adverse effects. Use with caution and test the result. When in doubt, start with "2".
- Cause-3: Error message "Application was unable to start correctly", and Windows "Event Viewer" Application Error: "Exception code: 0xc0000005".
- Generally this error code means the program is trying to access protected memory or outside of the space allocated to it. It's one of the most common OS errors seen. In this case the game is failing to start as a result.
- Solution-3a: The Nov 2016 Win10 updates should fix any WDDK based issues with video drivers or previous updates. Try applying system updates first.
- Solution-3b: See the article Exception Error Code 0xc0000005 Fixed on Windows 7 & 10.
- Solution-3c: See the article How to fix error code 0xc0000005 under "application was unable to start correctly" for other things to do to fix it.
- Cause-4: Error message "The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b)" has several possible causes. The TomsHardWare site has a good list of these. But when the problem only occurs with FNV on a Windows 10 or later system, the most likely reason is due to the age of the game. At the time it was released, the game was designed to look for DirectX9 files with specific versions in the file names. Later versions of DirectX might be "backwards compatible", but the file names are not the same and the game does not recognize them as being equivalent.
- Solution-4a: Please see "Cause-1" in the Issue: Vanilla game Hangs on startup section.
- Cause-5: Generally this only applies if you are unable to get the game to start at all, ever. If it had been running but suddenly starts failing for no apparent reason, most likely it is due to something on the OS side that recently changed: a Windows Update, or a new video/ mouse/ sound/ keyboard driver. See also: Issue: CTD after 10-20 minutes of play (post-Win10 2017 FCU).
- It is common advice to update video drivers, but manufacturers often stop testing for older game compatibility. Experience suggests you only update drivers when necessary to resolve a specific problem, and be prepared to "rollback" to an older driver version. Keep at least one version that is known to work "in reserve".
- Solution-5a: If running the game in online mode through Steam, Set/Change Steam Compatibliity:
- Run the Steam Client and login online.
- Right-click on the Steam Icon, choose Properties, and if it is on, turn Compatibility off.
- Close out Steam Client entirely.
- Open Steam again it and attempt to load the game.
- Solution-5b: If running the game in offline mode by launching from your computer desktop, or if setting "Steam Compatibliity" is not sufficient, Set/Change Windows Compatibility:
- Note that the Windows 10 "Fall Creator's Update" (FCU, v1709; aka "RedStone 3") reportedly no longer requires this compatibility setting.
- Right-click on the Fallout: New Vegas launcher application (FalloutNVLauncher.exe) in the game root folder. (This is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas (by default), but that location is not recommended. Please see the wiki Installing Games on Windows Vista+ article for why not and help on moving it.)
- Select Troubleshoot Compatibility.
- Choose the Troubleshoot Compatibility option.
- Check the box that says The Program requires additional permissions.
- Select Yes for the next window and then Test the Program.
- Choose Save these settings.
- Try to launch the game from your desktop again.
Issue - Black Screen on startup
- Cause-1: Usually if the game "freezes" but doesn't CTD during the loading screens, it's due to a missing or incorrectly referenced "master file". Usually this is a file with an ESM extension, but less commonly might be one with an ESP extension. (It is a "flag" internally in the file header that makes a file a "master"; not the extension.)
- A "missing master" problem can result just from a plugin being in the wrong sequence in the "load order".
- Solution-1: Use FNVEdit (loading the entire LO) to check for Masters that are missing or loading after Dependencies. See the wiki article Missing Masters for more detailed instructions.
- In general, make sure all your ESM files are loaded first with the game ESM (FalloutNV.ESM) as the very first file and those of the DLC next in the order they were released:
- FalloutNV.ESM
- DeadMoney
- HonestHearts
- OldWorldBlues
- LonesomeRoad
- GunRunnersArsenal
- and then the "pre-order packs":
- ClassicPack
- MercenaryPack
- TribalPack
- CaravanPack
- In general, make sure all your ESM files are loaded first with the game ESM (FalloutNV.ESM) as the very first file and those of the DLC next in the order they were released:
- Mod EMS files should follow.
- Use LOOT to get a basic sorted mod order. Note that some mods have ESMs that use the ESP extension, so if LOOT sorts them into the ESM group, leave them as it is determining that from the file headers and they really are flagged as ESMs.
- Cause-2: A Black screen but you can hear sounds and the game seems to be running usually means you have too many plugins active. You can start to have problems anywhere with between 130-140 active plugins depending upon your system. Here "plugins" refers to both ESM and ESP files that are active in your "load order", or present in the game "Data" folder even if not active.
- Solution-2: Try temporarily disabling enough plugins to get under the cap and see if that gets your screen back. If so, then you need to look into permanently reducing the active plugin count by means of a "bashed" or "merged" patch file, and "merged plugin" files. See the wiki article Merged Plugin Guidelines for Personal Use where the subject is discussed.
- Cause-3: A Black screen but you can hear sounds and the game seems to be running could mean you have corrupted a HUD-UI-Menu XML file, or have installed a mod that overwrites one. This can usually be confirmed by loading the game without any active mods or "save game" (i.e start a new game). If the screen remains black, you have an XML file issue.
- Solution-3: See the wiki article HUD-UI-Menu issues.
- Cause-4: A Black screen with CTD during the loading screens is usually an indication of a mod conflict or a dependent plugin (i.e. an ESP) loaded before a master plugin (i.e. ESM for the same mod). See the wiki article Missing Masters for more detailed instructions to check for these problems.
- Solution-4a: Check the date/timestamp on the files in question. Even LOOT can occasionally set the times too close to each other when sorting. They need to have at least a full minute difference to not be considered "the same time" by the game. The ESP must have a later time than it's related ESM. You can use a "file properties" tool like Attribute Changer (freeware) to manually adjust any or all three timestamps (created, modified, accessed) on the files, or try manually moving files around in your mod manager. Note that no two files should have the same "modified" date/timestamp in your "load order" or other problems will arise.
- Solution-4b: To isolate a mod conflict, see the Mod Conflict Isolation sub-topic.
- Cause-5: A Black screen during the game loading screen with the rotating roulette wheel, and no sound might be a problem with the audio driver.
- Solution-5: Locate the sound card or integrated audio device driver for your version of Windows on the vendor site and re-install. (These are often different from those available from "Microsoft Updates".)
Issue - GOG DRM-free non-Steam version of FNV compatibility
On 01 Jun 2017, GOG.COM, the on-line game store that licenses DRM-free versions of games released their versions of "Oblivion", "Fallout 3", and "Fallout New Vegas". As "DRM-free", they do not communicate with Steam. They have been modified to work with the GOG Galaxy client, which is similar to Steam's Client for an online community.
Thanks to vulchor and pixelhate on the Nexus "New Vegas Technical Support" forum for quickly assisting with the following information:
- By default, GOG installs the game to "C:\GOG Games\Fallout New Vegas". This avoids the problems with Steam's default location under the "C:\Program Files" tree.
- GOG provides a customized set of INI files. Be sure to backup the "Fallout_default.ini" file before making any changes as a precaution.
- Includes new line "STestFile2=FalloutNV_lang.esp". This file's function has not been determined, but removing the file itself does not prevent the game from running. It's removal may be related to the warning about content no longer being present, listed below.
- 4GB patching attempts don't work, but this is because that feature is already incorporated into the GOG versions of the games (and GECK). Patching is not required. They already will use up to 4GB of memory for the game.
- "NVSE" v5.0b3 (Stable) installs and works without modification. Problems reported are most likely due to attempting to install by way of mod managers. See Checklist item #4.
- "LOOT" v0.11.0 works without modification.
- "xEdit/FNVEdit" should work, but might have trouble locating the GOG game folder until updated if not installed there.
- Warning message "Unable to start steam automatically. Your game may not launch correctly" is given when starting the game through FOMM (which has recognized it automatically). This warning can be ignored.
- Trying to start a save after installing NVSE v5.0b3 will prompt "This save relies on content that is no longer present. Some object may no longer be available" even for the first save after the Doc Mitchell "chargen" sequence, with no mod installed at the time. This warning can be ignored.
- The "G.E.C.K." is pre-installed, but has the original GECK.INI file. This needs to be modified to enable loading multiple masters. See Issue: GeckCustom.INI file.
- The "GOG Galaxy" support, however, requires Windows 7 so this has "broken" XP and Vista support by default. A post on the GOG forum says their tech support responded:
- There's a workaround for getting functional on systems older than Windows 7 that is reported to be effective involving taking a "steam_api.dll" from any Steam game, renaming it "GalaxyWrp.dll" and replacing the one in the GOG FNV folder with the renamed Steam file. Or you can simply delete (suggest rename by adding something to the extension) if you don't need the additional languages that file provides. Doing this will break "GOG Galaxy" integration, but since Galaxy doesn't run on older Windows versions any longer anyway, supposedly that doesn't matter to you. However, if you care about achievements, "local file verification", and cloud saving, those are "GOG Galaxy" only features as well. Suggest burning your downloaded files to a CD/DVD/Blu-ray in case you need to reinstall again and have a slow internet connection or are worried about losing access to the GOG servers. Check the game release thread on the GOG forums for more info.
- The "workaround" has been confirmed to work on Windows XP.
Issue - GOG version will not start from FOMM
You get the error message: "Unable to start steam automatically. Your game may not launch correctly."
- Cause: Unknown.
- Solution: The very first time, use the "FalloutNVLauncher.exe" so it will setup your specific hardware settings. The "load order" you established in FOMM will not change and NVSE should also work. Thereafter you can simply use the NVSE launcher "nvse_loader.exe", which FOMM can be configured to launch.
- Note that the GOG version does not need or work with any version of the 4GB patcher. It is already modified to use 4GB of RAM. See Issue: GOG DRM-free, non-steam version of FNV compatibility.
Issue - How to disable the Steam Overlay
Sometimes it is necessary to turn off the Steam Overlay in the Steam Client in order to resolve a conflict.
- Cause: The Steam Overlay uses a technique that can conflict with other applications or tools using a similar technique. This solution assumes disabling the Steam Overlay is the preferred method of resolving this conflict.
- Solution:
- Open the Steam Client.
- Select "Steam | Settings" from the top menu bar. This will open a "Settings" window.
- Select the "In-Game" option.
- Disable (uncheck) the "Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game" option.
- Click on the "OK" button to close the "Settings" window.
- (Optionally) Select "Go off-line". Without the Overlay, there is no real reason for the processing overhead of being "on-line" to the Steam Server. This will require restarting the Steam Client, but will thereafter remain in effect until you choose to change it again.
- Minimize the Steam Client. (Even in "off-line" mode, it is necessary to start the Steam Client for the DRM licensing engine to enable play.)
- Launch your game from a shortcut on the desktop.
Issue - Incomplete save game load
After loading a savegame (almost always in an exterior cell) most of the in-game sounds won't play, a lot of references won't render, some of the landscapes might be incomplete, and entering menus/console has a long delay; even though you are not using the built-in "auto savegame" feature.
- Cause: This seems to be related to the NVSR "post FCU" problem, even when using the redmaxblower configuration. (See 'Issue: CTD after 10-20 minutes of play (post-Win10 2017 FCU)').
- Solution: User VariableEagle discovered that disabling three Win10 background "local services" seems to resolve this. He happened to disable all three at the same time, and is not certain all three are required to resolve the problem.
- Logon using a local "Administrator" account.
- Open the Windows "Task Manager" (either by "< Right-click >" on the Taskbar and selecting it from the "context menu" that appears, or one of the other methods in the article How to use Windows 10 Task Manager to kill processes that drain resources).
- Select "Services" tab and then "< Right-click >" on "Open Services".
- Find the service: GraphicsPerfSvc, "< Right-click >" on it and select "Stop".
- Then go to the "Properties" of that service and change the "startup type" to "Disabled".
- According to GraphicsPerfSvc Service Defaults in Windows 10: "GraphicsPerfSvc is a Win32 service. In Windows 10 it is starting only if the user, an application or another service starts it." Apparently it was added in build 1709 ("FCU" aka "Redstone 3"), but existed as far back as Win7. There a number of reports in the past of this service consuming 100% of CPU resources continuously. It is also a suspect in game stuttering problems (especially in "full screen" mode). It's default "startup type" is supposed to be "manual".
- Repeat the last two steps for the service: GameRecorderSVC.
- This appears to be the service required by the "screen capture button" (at least on Lenova laptops; it is not listed on the site ServiceDefaults or other sites listing similar service defaults).
- Use the "registry editor" regedit to disable the Xbox Game Monitor service by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\xbgm and change Start REG_DWORD from "3" to "4". Restart Windows after making those changes.
- This service is used by the Win10 "Game Bar" DVR. - Source: How to disable the Game Bar and DVR in Windows 10.
Issue - Modded game CTDs on startup
- Cause-1: If the CTD occurs before you get to the Main/Pause Menu, likely it is a "missing master file" required by a mod plugin.
- Solution-1: Load your entire "load order" into FNVEdit and see if it reports any "missing master" errors for any plugins. See the wiki article Missing Masters for a tutorial on how to determine the missing file and fix this problem.
- Re-check the mod download page for any required files you may have missed or removed.
- Cause-2: If the CTD occurs during an initial loading screen after you get past the Main/Pause Menu, likely it is a plugin that is sorted in the wrong order.
- Solution-2:
- Re-check the mod download page for any required files you may have missed or removed.
- Try sorting your "load order" with LOOT. You may need to make some manual adjustments to meet mod requirements to the "load order".
- Remove any unused plugins (ESM or ESP extensions) from the "Data" folder. They count against the "plugin cap" and the game loads all that it sees in that folder before determining if they are part of the "load order". As a result, even "Inactive" plugins can cause a "Missing Master" error.
Issue - NVSE - fails to load after update KB4058043 to Win10 FCU v1709
This can also manifest as a general slowdown and loss of some sounds.
- Once it has been installed previously functioning NVSE logs report the following when the game is launched:
old winmain = 01E1F720 couldn't write memory (update winmain) couldn't init hook Couldn't inject DLL. terminating process
- Many thanks to Derialund of the "Fallout New Vegas Technical Support" forum for initial reporting and investigation of mitigation regarding this issue.
- Cause: Windows Update KB4058043, December 15, 2017 to Win10 FCU (v1709), also known as the "Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerability" patch. There are other KB numbers for the same patch applied to various build numbers. See the articles referenced below.
- According to Microsoft Support:
- This update makes reliability improvements to Microsoft Store and fixes an issue that could cause app update failures and cause Microsoft Store to generate unnecessary network requests. (Presumably (based upon timing and effect) this is part of the mitigation effort against the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities in processors' "speculative execution" architecture existing since 1995. For a "layman's explanation" of this vulnerability. please see the What are Meltdown and Spectre article.)
- Microsoft is continuing to roll out a series of patches to fix this vulnerability. This article on Techarp dated 23 Feb 2018 has the rollout schedule and Knowledge Base article numbers for various builds. The official Microsoft word on this vulnerability is here.
- The problem occurs with FNV even when it is installed on a different drive from the default install location (i.e. NOT "C:\Program Files(x86)") and the executables have been added to the "Data Execution Prevention" (DEP) exception list.
- FCU now includes Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG). This is the successor to "Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit" (EMET), and "to prevent possible compatibility, performance, and stability issues, Windows will automatically block or remove EMET on Windows 10 systems starting with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update." (Details in the linked article.) A 1:04:51 minute video focused on WDEG and how it fits into Microsoft's "End to End Protection" strategy is available as well. Configuration instructions are found in Configure Windows Defender Exploit Guard (WDEG) in Windows 10. WDEG works with DEP but apparently it's settings override those set in DEP.
- Solution: Unknown. The problem has been reported to the NVSE team.
- Mitigation (For Windows 10): As for the FNV and NVSE problem in particular, inside WDEG, there are two main configuration profiles: "System settings" and "Program/Application settings". To solve this problem it is necessary to add an entry for both FalloutNV.exe and NVSE_loader.exe to WDEG under "Program/Application settings". There, every security option must be override and/or superimposed on deactivate.
- Practically, you have to:
- Open the Windows Defender Security Center.
- Go to "App & Browser control".
- Scroll down the page and go to "Exploit Protection" section. Then click on "Exploit Protection Settings".
- Inside the result page, click on "Program Settings" tab.
- Click on "Add program to customize".
- Click on "Choose exact file path" and search for the game root folder (with the main game executables, where FalloutNV.exe and NVSE_loader.exe should be).
- In the "Program Settings" page should appear the entry with the full path (e.g. "D:\Fallout\FalloutNV.exe").
- Mouse over such an entry and click on it, and then on the button "Edit".
- Inside the resulting settings page, there are various entries like:
- Arbitrary Code Guard (ACG)
- Block low-integrity images
- etc.
- Then under each entry there's a check box with the description: "Override system settings". Under it there's an On/Off "switch" or "slide-box".
- That checkbox must be checked for every entry; and then every "slide-box" must be turned to OFF.
- Overall, 21 System overrides should be indicated under the "Fallout Executable" entry list, indicating that everything is turned "off".
- Mitigation (for older versions of Windows: untested): Those without access to WDEG can see if Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) 5.52 will suffice in the same manner instead. This free tool is approaching "end of life" on 31 July 2018 (at the moment). After that, only Windows 10 will be supported and security patched. Note that the "EMET User Guide" is a separate download.
Issue - Problems point to Steam as the source
Errors such as a "Preparing to Launch" message loop, or nothing apparently happening when you click to start any Steam game, or system error messages ask to troubleshoot Steam.
- Cause: A corrupted "ClientRegistry.blob" file.
- Diagnostic: First, confirm this is a Steam problem with the following steps.
- Use the "verify local files" option in the Steam Library.
- Ensure the launchers (FalloutNV.exe, FNV4GB.exe, nvse_loader.exe, nvse_steam_loader.dll, etc. as appropriate) are up to date.
- If you have the game installed in the default Steam location (under "C:\Program Files"), ensure the initial launcher or the shortcut used is set to "run as administrator". (All other files will be launched using this launcher's environment and credentials.) If you are having problems with the game installed elsewhere, try setting the launcher to "run as administrator" as a test.
- If all this fails, and if this problem is happening with all of your Steam games, then you have a "Steam Issue". The fix is simple.
- Solution:
- Ensure you have completely closed down (as in "log out" and wait for it to close) the Steam Client.
- Locate your "Steam" (not the game) folder (i.e. "C:\Program Files\Steam") and delete the "ClientRegistry.blob" file. (Though you could try just renaming it.) This How to FIX Steam Preparing to Launch Loop other Steam Problems 3.5 minute video shows you how to do exactly that if you are better with visual explanations.
- Now when you try launching your game the issue should be solved (or at least you should get a different error).
Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game displaying English dialogue
Why are my DLCs in English instead of my Regional language?
- Cause: The menu and interface (text) files language is determined by the language you select when download/updating the game through Steam/GOG. You should have "<DLC>_lang.esp" files for your Regional language installed, but they are not "active". There should be corresponding "<DLC>_lang.nam" files, but aren't. Even when present the "*_lang.esp" files cannot normally be "made active", as the default "*.nam" files force the game to load the "INT (English)" versions of the DLCs instead.
- Solution-1a: Remove the incorrect language code "*.nam" files.
- If these "*.nam" files are not present, try to "activate" the "*_lang.esp" files. Then engage in conversation with a DLC NPC to verify you are now getting the dialogue in your Regional language.
- Solution-1b: The mod Voice Actor BSA files lets you swap the language Voice Actor BSA file (Fallout - Voices1.bsa) to a different one of your choice. This enables you to have the text in one language and the voices in another.
- Solution-1c: See also Issue: Regional Non-English language version of the game with different language audio? solution as that is a similar (though reversed) situation.
- Otherwise, contact your Regional Steam provider about the problem.
Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game with different language audio
How do I get the audio in one language (e.g. "English") along with my Regional language (e.g. "Italian") for subtitles?
(With thanks to PipBoyUser of the Nexus Fallout "New Vegas Discussion" forum for investigating and reporting the following.)
- Cause: The language used for the Audio (voices) and subtitles installed for the game depend upon which Regional language version of the game you install. (The general process of making a game compatible with different Regional languages is described for Steam developers in this localization article.)
- Solution-1: In order to "mix" different voice and subtitle languages, you need to install both language versions (in the correct order) and copy files from one install into the other language version. You want to install the game for the language you want the Audio to be voiced in (to preserve the Audio filenames and paths used), and then replace the "*.ESM" and "*.NAM" files with those from the Regional language version. (Examination has shown the "*.ESM" files contain at least some "in-game" text in the Regional language. The "*.NAM" files tell the game engine to load certain "master" (i.e. the DLC ESM) files automatically even if they are not selected as part of the "load order", and come in language specific versions.)
- This is a multi-step process, taken in the following order:
- Install the game in your Regional language version (the one you want the subtitles to be using).
- Open the "Fallout_default.INI" file: "[General]" section, "sLanguage=" entry, and note for later use the exact language name used (e.g. "ITALIAN").
- Copy all the vanilla and DLC game "*.ESM" and "*.NAM" files somewhere else safe for later use.
- Now re-install the game, this time choosing the language version which you wish to hear spoken (e.g. "ENGLISH").
- Replace the the current install's "*.ESM" and "*.NAM" files with those you backed up from the Regional language version earlier.
- Edit the three INI files (see the Game INI files section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article), find the "[General]" section entry "sLanguage=" and change the value of that (e.g. "ENGLISH") to that of your desired subtitle language noted earlier. (Case and spelling are significant.)
- You should now hear the voices in the installed language and see the subtitles in your designated regional language. Remember that if you "verify local files", the "*.ESM" and "*.NAM" files will probably get restored to those of the Audio language, so you will probably have to replace them with your copies from the Regional language backup.
- Solution-2: See also Issue: Regional Non-English language version of the game displaying English dialogue solutions as that is a similar (though reversed) situation.
Issue - Regional Non-English language version of the game will not load NVSE
Example: Various methods to start the "enplczru" version of the game (Eastern Europe: Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia; aka "PL/CZ/RU" version) with NVSE gets Steam error: "P:0000065432" or "5:0000065434". Normally this error indicates the Steam Client app is not running, but in this instance it is merely the closest guess by the game as to the cause of the problem.
- Cause: NVSE does not accept "language" parameters on the command line.
- Solution-1: NVSE should be launched indirectly from 4GB Fallout New Vegas Updated or FNV 4GB Patcher modified game executables, which will accept a language (i.e. "SteamAppID") parameter, and then launch NVSE. Each regional version of the game has a unique SteamAppID. Here is how to identify what this AppID is and apply it:
- Right click your FalloutNV.exe file in the Steam game folder, and create a shortcut to the desktop.
- Right click the newly created desktop shortcut and open "properties".
- It should say something like "steam://rungameid/22490". Copy that last number (the game's SteamAppID).
- Right click the 4GB launcher shortcut, and open "properties".
- In the "Target" text box, change the number in the " -SteamAppId 22380" parameter to your actual SteamAppID number (i.e. "22490").
- Note that because the path to the game contains embedded spaces, the entire path needs to be placed within quotation marks (i.e. "<path>") everywhere it is used in the shortcut. The AppID parameter goes outside of the quotes, on the "target" property line ... as in ("E:\Games\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas enplczru\fnv4gb.exe" -SteamAppID 22490) without the "(parentheses)".
- Solution-2: Some people reported early success by renaming their regional version named game folder (i.e. "Fallout New Vegas enplczru" to "Fallout New Vegas": the English version name). It is not reported if this causes issues later on with language specific patches, which is why it is the secondary solution.
- Solution-3: : User sanassar in the "New Vegas Mod Troubleshooting" forum thread provided the following solution. It has been [edited] and reformatted for clarification.
Issue - Vanilla game bugs
Most that have been officially patched or are XBox or PS console only are available on the Wikia Fallout Portal: Bugs page.
- Solution: Community "game fixer" mods. The following are specifically recommended, though their effectiveness varies by system. Install and test individually in the following order:
- New Vegas AntiCrash (NVAC) (Essential: solves most common CTDs).
- New Vegas Stutter Remover (NVSR) (requires NVSE. The 5.0 beta versions are stable. Check version requirements of other mods when choosing which version of NVSE to use.)
- There are several reports in the download page "comments" that NVSR causes CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play once the Win10 "Fall Creator's Update" (FCU) of Nov 2017 has been installed where previously everything had been stable. Those experiencing this problem are recommended to see Issue: Recent (post-Win10 FCU) CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play.
- Core processors prior to I5 or I7 are suggested to use NVSR_4-1-32 (simpler options) with the nvsr_older_processors file of INI edits from the first post on the linked TTW page.
- Those with later processors are advised to use NVSR_4-1-36 or later with the nvsr_newer_processors file of INI edits from the first post on the linked TTW page.
- (The only differences for 4.1.36 should be removing the overrides for previous versions as they aren't needed.)
- These INI edits are advised as performance settings suitable for FO3, FNV, and TTW.
- New Vegas Script Extender "Sheson memory patch". (Increases "heap size". Use either the "heap replacement" feature of NVSR or this. Both together do not conflict (different "heaps"), but seem to be "overkill" at the cost of almost 1GB of game memory.) See the Issue: CTD without warning, "out of memory error", or stops responding sub-topic for simple but detailed instructions for enabling this feature.
- Yukichigai Unofficial Patch (YUP) (and the various optional patches for it and other mods. Highly recommended. There are other YUP patch files than on that page you may have to search out for other mods).
- Mission Mojave Ultimate Edition - FNV Community Patch (MMUE) (and it's various optional mod compatibility patches). Use either YUP or MMUE, but not both as they overlap considerably and cause unresolved conflicts. YUP is more actively updated.
- New Vegas Enhanced Content (NVEC) (optional: Notice it has separate "bugfix" modules if you don't want the "complete version" with enhancement mod inclusions).
- Better Game Performance (optional: some reports of minor slowdowns. It removes "unessential" things that some mods or quests might rely upon).
Issue - Vanilla game CTDs on startup
Uninstalled and re-installed the game but even without mods it crashes on startup.
- Cause-1: Likely you forgot to clear out your "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder when you had Steam "verify local files". The game places your specific versions of the "Fallout" and "FalloutPrefs" INI files there, along with your save games. These are not replaced when you verify/re-install the game if they are found to already exist there.
- Solution-1a: Try renaming the "Users" folder INI files first. Recall that the "Prefs" INI file gets created only when you run the original "FalloutNVLauncher.exe" and identify your hardware under "Options" on the first menu. Subsequently if that fails move the "saves" elsewhere, delete that "Users" FalloutNV folder's content, and re-install again. If you have to re-install again anyway, be sure to install to a folder that is not under the default "C:\Program Files" folder tree. See Installing Games on Windows Vista+ for the rationale and guidance.
- Solution-1b: Consider if the problem happens with other Steam games. If so, check out the Issue: Problems point to Steam as the source entry.
- Cause-2: A third-party program running in the background is interfering with the game.
- Solution-2: Try turning off any unnecessary background processes, such as "anti-virus" or "anti-malware" programs (unneeded if you are running your game in "offline" mode), multiplayer "overlays" like "OverWolf" (this is single-player after all), the Steam overlay, etc.; at least on a temporary basis to see if they are interfering.
- Cause-3: In mid 2016, nVidia and AMD driver updates and some Windows 10 WDDM updates started to cause CTDs upon startup to previously trouble-free games. This was determined to be caused by changes to the "Windows Device Driver Kit" (WDDK) at that time.
- Solution-3a: Win10 November 2016 updates have fixed these issues. Make sure you have applied your system updates.
- Solution-3b: The "New Vegas Anti-Crash" (NVAC) mod as of v188.8.131.52 (released 25 Oct 2016) has been reported to fix the conflict with the broken video drivers from nVidia and AMD.
- Solution-3c: Rolling back to nVidia drivers 368.81 or 368.69; or AMD driver 16.8.3 have been reported to successfully resolve the problem with Win10. In general, avoid upgrading your video card drivers unless the latest fixes a particular problem you are encountering. (Support and testing for older games can get dropped in newer versions.) To prevent Win10 automatically doing such upgrades to any drivers in future updates, see this article on Taking back control of Windows 10 driver updates.
- Solution-3d: Depending upon the nature of the Windows update (all updates provide a link to a MS Knowledge Base article explaining the update in detail), reverting to the "system restore point" prior to the update may be a reasonable temporary solution if this occurs in the future. However, in the long term this might prove to be a security risk, so be sure to report the problem and track the status of the update for possible fix and re-release.
Issue - Vanilla game Hangs on startup
When you open the launcher, it functions as it should with the music in the background. Also have audio by the time the main menu loads. Whenever you load a game, the loading screen with the roulette wheel has no audio and this screen will freeze for one to two seconds (as evidenced by the ball in the roulette wheel stopping). Screen will then go black for a few seconds, and the game will load, but have no audio at this point and there is severe lag.
- Cause-1: Win10 has DirectX12 drivers, but the DX9 driver the game is expecting is not being found.
- While Win10 comes with DirectX12 installed and is backwards compatible with older DX versions, older games do not know that and are looking for specific versions of DX library files (i.e. d3d9_32.dll) and not finding them. So you need to install the appropriate "DirectX End-User Runtimes" as well: ones which are compatible with Win 8.1+.Note that you need the 32-bit version for 32-bit games. (I make it a practice to always download both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions of any libraries I manually install, so I am covered either way. There is a reason they published a version for both 32-bit and 64-bit. They are not "interchangeable", and are separate installs going into different locations.)
- (Games that used DX7 and 8 are murky territory. Many will run on OS's newer than XP, but may require fixes/tweaks. Always use the latest available "runtime" versions of those DX libraries.)
- Some games try to install an older DX version they come bundled with. Those versions may not be compatible with the later versions of Windows, which is why you should manually install the version you know is compatible. Then those games will see that DX version is already installed and not try to install their bundled version causing incompatibility problems.
- Solution-1: For DX9, manually install the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) which is Win 8.1+ compatible. Download the full runtime package. DO NOT use the "Web Installer" version.
- When the DX installer asks where to install the files to, you choose any folder you like, but generally have it unpack the files to a folder on the desktop or one dedicated to that purpose anywhere, because this folder can be deleted or emptied after the final install is done. (DirectX does not actually get installed at this point. The files are only 'unpacked' from an archive)
- Once the files are unpacked to this folder you open the folder and locate DXSETUP.exe (the actual installer).
- Run this installer (as an Administrator) to finalize the DirectX re-installation.
- When the installer is finished delete this folder.
- Each game uses a specific DX file, or files, (e.g. d3dx9_32).
- A newer game may use two DX files (e.g. d3dx9_42 and d3dx10_42).
- See the MS article How to make Win10 run DirectX 9.0 for more details.
- Cause-2: The game is not finding all the asset and resource files it requires. Especially under Windows 10, some files upon installation can get "black listed", which means they get deleted immediately without the installer realizing it.
- Solution-2a: If you haven't already, move the game out of the default "C:\Program Files" folder. See the wiki article Installing games on Windows Vista+ for instructions.
- Solution-2b: If your graphics card is an "Intel" brand or on-board graphics chip, you need to install the mod Intel HD graphics Bypass package (from the FO3 section of the Nexus mod site but it works for FNV as well). This "by-passes" an issue with those chips by placing an expected DLL file in the game root folder.
- Solution-2c: Some have reported that playing in "windowed mode" (see Issue: Playing at greater than 1920x1080 resolution, Solution-2) has made the game playable when other solutions didn't.
- Solution-2d: If you are still having problems, then you need to determine which assets are missing. Install the 32-bit version of the Dependency Walker tool. Then run "Dependency.exe", pointing to the game EXE to examine. You are looking for red entries which signal "missing assets", which means it is not finding files the game requires. Some of these will be Windows system files (typically 32-bit versions if you are running a 64-bit system; which is expected). Initially you are looking for missing game files. If there are none, then either the game files are corrupted or the "load order" needs to be fixed.
- If you have more than a few "missing assets" (i.e. files from Steam for Windows compatibility), then fire up the game with the Steam Client in "online mode" and launch it from the Steam Library (so it will install those assets it considers "temporary" while in game that it installs upon launch. If you can get to the main menu in "windowed mode", use <Alt+Tab> to switch out of the game and then run "Dependency.exe" again against the game EXE file (while it is loaded into memory). You should now find all or most of those "red" entries are now "black".
- If you still have "missing assets" from the game the files may be corrupted (in which case you can try to re-install or "verify local files"), or they are getting "black listed", in which case you may need to install them while in "Safe Boot" mode.
- Otherwise, make note of which are missing and seek assistance on the New Vegas Technical Support forum. Be sure to include your version of Windows, hardware specs, where you have the game installed, and what steps you have already taken.
Solutions to Performance problems
Guide - Performance Tutorial Videos
As many people prefer to view a video over reading instructions, the following "performance setup" tutorials are recommended:
- Fallout New Vegas | FPS & Stability (definitive guide) 12:11 minutes, 2018 video by GamerPoets.
- See also Issue: TTW Performance Guide abstract.
- Modding Fallout NV 'Ultimate Edition' part 7 : Performance 19:05 minutes, 2012 Video by Gopher.
- Please bear in mind that there are later alternatives to many of the specific mods he mentions in this video if any of them don't work for you.
Videos usually do not cover any particular part of their subject in depth. They are useful for getting started, but as they are seldom updated written guides are intended to provide more supplementary information when you encounter difficulties.
Issue - FPS drops over time
- Cause-1: This problem has been associated with FNV Project Reality MkI by JJC71 settings. (E.g. Initial FPS around 60, but over time it drops to roughly 30 FPS.) The mod was last updated in 2011.
- Solution-1: Go into "Mod Configuration Manager" (MCM) and enable all the options in Project Reality, then exit out of MCM and wait a few seconds. Now go back in and disable all the options under Project Reality in MCM again. Instantly your FPS should be restored to what it was initially. See the comments tab on the download page regarding other issues.
- Cause-2: There is some fairly compelling evidence that the game's texture cache system "leaks memory" over time. This generally means it allocates memory but fails to release it all properly when no longer needed; eventually leading to lowering FPS and CTDs. There is evidence that larger image sizes (aka "higher resolution images") speed up the problem to occurring after roughly 20-60 minutes of play.
- Solution-2: While not really a "fix", try using "low graphics quality" settings to see if this increases the amount of time you can play before seeing the same symptoms. If so, this is an indicator such leakage is your problem. If you have "texture replacements", try switching to low to moderate resolution images (1024x1024 or 2048x2048 pixels; the game default size is 512x512). Choose what you replace with care. "Post-processors" such as ENB and SweetFX, as well as mods that "improve" images and textures (e.g. "Fallout Character Overhaul" (FCO), "New Vegas Redesigned" (NVR), and "Freeside Open") can also contribute to the problem due to their increased demand upon the video stream. Use such in moderation and with careful examination of their impact on performance over time. Remember that the game engine has not been updated since 2010.
Issue - Full screen mode exhibits CTDs and stutters or micro-stutters
- Cause: Newer or "high powered" systems seem more prone to exhibit these symptoms. Recall the game was designed for Windows Vista+ and Xbox systems with no more than two CPUs and single monitors at 60 FPS.
- Solution: Try running the game in "windowed mode". This is a built-in game setting (under "Options" when you use the "FalloutNVLauncher.exe" to start) that has been reported to completely eliminate both stutter/micro-stutter and CTDs on some "high powered" systems.
- If you don't like the appearance in "windowed mode", try installing and using the (2015) mod "OneTweak for NVSE" by virusek instead of the older (2011) "Fake fullscreen" mod suggested in Gopher's video, or the slightly newer, more full featured (2013) version called "Game Companion - Fake FullScreen". All of these make "windowed mode" look as if "full screen".
- There is also an "open source" app called "Borderless Gaming" which works with virtually any game (including those from Steam). It's free, but confusingly talks about "buying it on Steam"; by which it means if you do choose to buy it ($3.99 USD) the proceeds support it's development.
Issue - Game in slow motion
The foundation of game performance is to first optimize your system for gaming. The wrong settings can actually hurt performance, and the defaults are very conservative.
- New Vegas Anti-Crash (NVAC)
- New Vegas Stutter Remover (NVSR) (Win 10 users: See also Issue: CTD after 10-20 minutes of play (post-Win10 2017 FCU).
- Complete System customization and optimization for Windows.
- Tweakguide's ATI Catalyst Guide (driver optimizations for all games.)
- Tweakguide's nVidia GeForce Guide (driver optimizations for all games.)
- Tweakguide's General Fallout game guide (specifically for FO3 and FNV.)
- Tweakguide's nVidia specific FNV Guide.
Queued, the author of the NVAC mod, reports in the NVAC support thread:
'I looked through New Vegas code as I was making that list to determine if they read the setting and then if they actually used the variable set after reading the setting, so I'm fairly confident in the "Does nothing" notes in particular. Aside from INI settings, there is also a crazy amount of Game Settings (set via esp / esm / script / console) that also are never used by the game.'
- The "list" he mentions was from the tool New Vegas Configator, which outside of that program must be translated to settings in the INI files as described in "Tweakguide's General Fallout game guide". It follows with Queued's comments on the values (which are not recommendations) used by someone having CTDs, given in "("parentheses")" for reference only:
- Fullscreen (OFF) - No problem.
- Anisotropic Filtering (8) - No problem.
- Antialiasing (8x) - No problem, though 8x is ridiculously taxing; traditional MSAA is crazy inefficient and slow.
- Shadows (ON) - No problem.
- Shadow Quality (2) - No problem.
- Shadow Filtering (2) - No problem.
- Max Shadows in Interiors (12) - No problem.
- Full Scene Reflections (ON) - Probably fine; I'm not sure which setting this maps to as the Configator made up descriptive names.
- Water Reflections Width (2048) - No problem, though is Height also set to match?
- Object fade distance (15) - No problem.
- Item fade distance (15) - No problem.
- Actor fade distance (15) - No problem.
- Tree LOD fade (80000) - Technically no problem, but as far as I'm aware, vanilla New Vegas doesn't use the Tree LOD system and Tree LOD models are part of Object LOD instead.
- Object LOD fade (100000) - No problem.
- Land Quality (1.5) - No problem.
- Threaded Morpher (ON) - Does nothing; the game reads the value but never uses it.
- Threaded Blood (ON) - Does nothing; the game never even reads this value.
- Threaded Particles (ON) - Does nothing; the game reads the value but never uses it.
- Threaded AI (ON) - Possible cause of crashes; use at your own risk.
- Models Cloned in Background (ON) - Does nothing; the game never even reads this value.
- Load Files in Background (ON) - Likely safe; however, use at your own risk.
- Load lip files in background (ON) - Unknown impact; use at your own risk.
- Havok Threads (7) - Does nothing; the game never even reads this value.
- Grids loaded (12) - LEAVE THIS AT 5. This needs to be an odd value (5, 7, 9, etc.) and the game has code that only works properly when this is at the default of 5. Turning this up drastically increases memory and processor use. Also, this is probably why you're crashing outdoors. [Larger values may cause scripts to prematurely trigger upon cell loading.]
Added: Note that 'uGridsToLoad=' is directly linked with 'uInterior Cell Buffer=' and 'uExterior Cell Buffer=' values. Best to leave all three alone.
- Pre-Emptively Unload Cells (ON) - Possible cause of crashes; use at your own risk.
- Unload cells on fast travel (ON) - Possible cause of crashes; use at your own risk.
- Use hard drive cache (ON) - Unknown impact; use at your own risk.
- Preload Size Limit (223) - Dumb setting; this is the data buffer for Bink video.
- Others who have looked at the code do not disagree with Queued.
- As system components vary, only experimentation will tell which values will improve your performance.
- Cause-1: Fallout INI files are configured with wrong (too high) an "iFPS=" setting.
- Solution-1: Set the "FPS" setting to a maximum of "=60".
- Note that too high an FPS over 60 can cause a "havok physics" problem with objects falling from clipping through geometry.
- Make backups of the INI files before changing them.
- The Fallout INI files have an "iFPSClamp=" setting under the "[General]" section. Do not set this to other than "=0" if you have NVSR "bManageFPS = 1".
- New Vegas Stutter Remover (NVSR) "Data\nvse\plugins\NV_Stutter_Remover.ini" has to have "bManageFPS = 1" under the "Master = {" section before the setting "MaximumFPS = 60" under the "FPS_Management = {" section will take effect. Check that the "MinimumFPS" setting is not higher than the maximum; something like "= 20" is noticeable while still playable. If NVSR is managing FPS, do not leave the three Fallout INI files with a setting other than "iFPSClamp=0".
- Cause-2: For some people, the problem is New Vegas Stutter Remover (NVSR) "Data\nvse\plugins\NV_Stutter_Remover.ini" has "bManageFPS =" set to something other than 0.
- Solution-2: Edit the "NV_Stutter_Remover.ini" setting to "bManageFPS=0" and have the three Fallout INI files use "iFPSClamp=60" or less.
- Make backups of the INIs before changing them.
- Cause-3: Many mod scripts running, especially during mod initialization. If specifically in Goodsprings, be aware that the "Weapons.of.the.New.Millenia" "cache cabinet"/"cheat chest" is known to cause this, but only in Goodsprings.
- Solution-3: Review your mods and reduce the number that initialize only in that specific area.
- Cause-4: This seems to be a general problem with the FO3/FNV Gamebryo engine over time. The exact cause has not been pinned down.
- Solution-4: Reboot your computer. This seems to restore things to normal frame rates, at least for a time.
- Cause-5: You are running Windows 10. Win10 is not the best platform for running older, 32-bit games. It flat out says it is incompatible with FO3 for instance. It is easy to demonstrate that even in various "compatibility modes" it is not performing the same as under previous versions. (Though try either "Win7" or "VistaSP2" compatibility mode. Some have reported improvement after the Win10 FCU {aka "Redstone 3"} update by disabling any compatibility mode.) One report went from 10-15 FPS (or less) with Win10 on a high-end desktop box to 30-40 FPS with Win7 on an older laptop.
- Solution-5a: If possible, use a dedicated computer with an older OS such as Win7 for your 32-bit games.
- Solution-5b: For advanced users: If you have a Windows 10 Education, Professional, or Enterprise edition you can use the included Win10 Hyper-V system and try running the game in a Win7 "virtual machine". A "virtual machine" can get around some OS incompatibilities even though it is running on the same hardware due to the different drivers in use. See HyperV on Windows compatibility for the hardware requirements and a walk-through of the installation process. Note this requires you to have or obtain an ".iso" file of the desired OS install media. (If none of this option makes sense, you probably don't want to mess with it. Otherwise, educate yourself as it is beyond the scope of this wiki.)
- Cause-6: Your hardware can't cope.
- Solution-6: either reduce game settings for texture quality and/or screen resolution to less demanding levels, or invest in better hardware.
- Ensure you are using any Graphics card with it's own VRAM instead of your motherboard CPU to display and render your game. This means, if you have both an "addon" graphics card and a "builtin to the motherboard" graphics chip, use the addon card. An "onboard" graphics chip (typically without VRAM in a laptop) has to use "system ram", which is both slower than dedicated video VRAM, but also takes that memory away from what the game can use. This would just be a video driver (or possibly a BIOS selection) configuration change.
- Specific component upgrades recommended are (in order of effectiveness for the price):
- System RAM,
- More Video RAM in a faster graphics card,
- Faster CPU processor (number of cores is much less important for 32-bit games like FNV; but this option will often require a motherboard and/or power supply upgrade as well, typical making it more expensive than any other options overall),
- Faster disk drive. (This is the slowest solution; even an SSD, though that is the best choice for this option, is not really suited to games. It's most effective holding the OS.)
Issue - Graphics in vanilla game glitchy immediately after exiting Doc Mitchells
Unless the camera is pointed at the sky or your feet, the ground and all other textures disappear. Messages would become "black boxes", the entire screen becomes black and occasionally flash different colors. Just "glitchy". Eventually after a short period of time the game will CTD.
- Cause: You have some incompatible video settings.
- Solution: Re-run the game launcher (FalloutNVLauncher.exe) to re-detect your hardware. Try changing between "HDR" and "Bloom" in the game "Graphics Settings" under the game launcher menu. Note you want your video card adapter settings to be compatible with your game settings. Other common settings that may have been or need to be adjusted can be found the Issue: ENB is not working entry. See also the Solutions to Graphics problems section for other possible conflicts.
Issue - Lag or microstutters even with New Vegas Stutter Remover installed or not
All visual stuttering problems are caused by the video stream having to wait for the "art assets" required to render the display. Mostly these are due to the disk drive being orders of magnitude slower than VRAM, with System RAM (e.g. "ENBoost") being in between.
"Microstuttering" is caused by the game engine updating at an unusual refresh rate that does not sync with your monitor's refresh rate. You can try getting NVSE and NVSR to alleviate "microstutter" at the cost of overall frame rate.
Keep in mind that this game was designed for older PC and XBox console systems, and it is now possible for your new "latest and greatest" gaming machine to be faster than it can handle. There are internal design choices that cannot be overcome. The following are "mitigations" that have been found to help some people.
- Cause-1: Companions impose heavy script processing penalties. More than two companions, while possible, will definitely cause lag according to the game developers. The game is unable to tell if a vanilla companion is "actually with you" or merely "befriended" but sitting elsewhere in another cell (such as in the Lucky 38 suite).
- Solution-1: Release ("part ways" from) unused companions to return to where they were recruited. If you are not informed you have lost the Perk granted by that companion, you have not actually "released" them. There are "companion dismissal terminals" found in the game to help with this for companions, even those not currently with you. One is found in the Lucky 38 Casino by the Casino floor elevator and another in front of the Gun Runners HQ shack outside Freeside's East gate.
- Cause-2: Use of NVSR setting "bHookLightCriticalSections=1".
- Solution-2: Disable NVSR hooking Critical Sections ("bHookLightCriticalSections=0)" if you are experiencing heavy stutter or see Issue: Recent (post-Win10 FCU) CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play.
- Cause-3: The stutters can come from the game looking for control inputs from the attached game controller device first, then the keyboard/mouse though both are enabled.
- Solution-3: Disconnect the controller if you are not using it. Regardless, in the "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV\FalloutPrefs.INI" file look for "bGamePadRumble=" and ensure it is set to "0".
- Cause-4: Video card settings are not optimized for the game.
- Solution-4a: nVidia - There is a third-party tool called nVidia Inspector. (The author's blog page is in German, but does not appear to have been recently updated.) There is a Increase nVidia GTX performance with nVidia Inspector video covering the basics of how to use the non-intuitive interface. If you are launching the game from any renamed executable other than the vanilla name (i.e. "FalloutNV.exe", which MO renames to "FalloutMO.exe"), you need to add it to the nVidia profile so it will recognize that name as "the game" and adjust it's performance settings accordingly.
- The driver profile for FNV/FO3 "Ambient Occlusion" (AO) is reported to be buggy ever since nVidia updated it to HBAO instead of SSAO years ago. You can use nVidia Inspector to change the AO profile though. The Wolfenstien profile is reported to work pretty well.
- Solution-4b: There is a later spin-off of nVidia Inspector called NVIDIA Profile Inspector, which is a tool created for pulling up and editing Application Profile settings within the Nvidia drivers.
- Solution-4c: AMD/ATI - AMD Catalyst Control Center has game settings for CCC as well. While not as full featured as "nVidia Inspector", there is also Radeon Pro which still works well even though development stopped in 2013 when it's author was hired to work with AMD Gaming Evolved's Raptr.
- Cause-5: Some older video systems may have to pull from the hard drive more often or need more processing room with "high definition" textures.
- Solution-5a: Disk Defrag (free) your hard drive. All hard drives that are not "solid state devices" (SSDs) require "defragmentation" periodically. This reduces the lag from the physical magnetic "head" movement to locate sections of file scattered the disk platter and increases efficiency.
- Solution-5b: See the 'Issue: Is ENBoost for everyone? ' entry which enables the dynamic use of more system memory (if available) to assist video processing. Some people have found this to help with stutters and lag.
- Cause-6: Some people have reported an improvement upon adjusting some INI settings.
- Solution-6a: In all three INI files, under the "[General]" section set the following values:
- and add the line:
and set that to however many cores your processor has. Note this added line is not considered a general "performance" tweak (the game does multi-threading by default and the "iNumHWThreads=" setting may restrict it) and is not recommended for everyone as a matter of course. Some people have experienced adverse effects. Use with caution and test the result. When in doubt, start with "2".
- Solution-6b: Some "sounds", such as large explosions, can cause video stuttering as well. (The video, mouse, and audio systems are all interconnected in that they compete for priority of resources at the same high level.) Some have found that adding more vanilla BSA files to the "sEssentialFileCacheList=" list under "[General]" in the INI files makes a difference. For example:
- and increasing the size of the "Audio cache" under the "[Audio]" section as follows:
- This basically allows the game to cache much more into memory then it otherwise would, as it seems textures and meshes are excluded from memory, as well as large sound effects, resulting in a momentary freeze whenever they are loaded. May not stop a slight lag on the first explosion, but should greatly reduce any lag on explosions shortly after that. Just bear in mind that memory given to "cache" is not available for other uses by the game engine. There is always a "trade-off".
- Cause-7: Some people has reported stuttering while standing in place and turning the camera.
- Solution-7: Try disabling Windows Superfetch and File search indexing features (available since Win7) to see if it improves the situation. (See Superfetch: How it Works & Myths for more detail.) Note that Windows system updates may restore these settings without notice as something MS thinks should be enabled.
- Cause-8: Writing files to disk is the slowest thing the game does. Whether these are "save game files" or "logs", you want to minimize the number of times these get written.
- Solution-8a: Disable game logging unless you have an immediate need for it.
- Solution-8b: If you are using CASM or some similar "auto-save" mod to manage your save game files (recommended), try increasing the "time between saves" set in the "save frequency"; and reducing the number of occasions it saves to the minimum (e.g. disable most "Autosave Events" in CASM) and see how that impacts the game seeming to freeze temporarily.
- Solution-8c: The one modern thing the game does benefit from is being put on an SSD. Load times aren't improved that much; but stutter is greatly reduced, and the pause when the game autosaves with CASM is gone.
- Cause-9: See also Issue - MOD IMPACT - FPS drop or stutter on semi-auto hits.
Issue - NPCs and Creatures are moving at hyper-speed
See video FNV hypersped NPCs for an example. The NPCs in the background are following their AI routines at a greatly accellerated speed or twitching while standing idle.
- Cause: There is an actor value called "speedmult" that does pretty much as the name implies; it's a multiplier for player and NPC movement speed. The default value is 100. In fact, its rare to see any humanoid with a speedmult greater than 100. So ranges from 700-27000 are ridiculous, but a buggy script can have this result. Once such a bugged script gets into a "save game" it (or it's results) may be impossible to remove, so always know which save you can revert to before adding a new mod to your "load order". Just one of the reasons why any mod (even updates) needs to be tested prior to adding to your saved game.
- Solution: Isolate the mod causing the problem and report it to the author with detailed information as to how to replicate it so they can fix it.
- You can test by selecting any NPC exhibiting this behavior in the console (< ~ > key and click on the NPC) and entering "getav speedmult" to see the current value and "setav speedmult 100", which should set the speed back to normal. (The "getavinfo" version of the command gets the current value of a skill/stat like "speedmult" as well as any modifiers (but not their source) that are being applied at the moment.)
- However, you need to get the NPC to "reload" before this reset value will take effect. One way is to use the console "kill" command after selecting the target NPC, and then "resurrect" them. They should then behave at normal speed for them. (Note the console "kill" command will blame your character for their death.) Do not target "leveled list" generic NPCs such as those in a "faction" like "Raiders", "NCR", "Legion", etc.. The "resurrect" command respawns a random one from the "leveled list". You can use "resurrect 1" to get the same one you targeted to "stand up" as they are at the moment (i.e. naked if you stripped them of gear) as if they had been unconscious. "Named" NPCs are the safest targets for such tests.
- Known mods with the problem:
- The "JIP LN" version (contributed by someone else) of Awesome Crippling Effects mod by PsychorGames. The main "non NVSE/JIP LN" file version is confirmed to not have the problem. It seems the problem can persist in save games even after reverting to the "vanilla" (non NVSE) version until the above "setav speedmult 100" solution is applied.
- This mod has unresolved reported bugs which (as of v1.7) affect:
- Yes Man Quest: Change in Management - Because of the crippling effects, Yes Man dies when installing himself to the Mr. House terminal, breaking the quest, meaning that the quest doesn't progress and the Mr. House terminal cannot be interacted with.
- Securitrons in The Strip and/or Lucky38 suddenly become hostile for unknown reasons.
- Companions with crippled limbs stop following, or can't get up and the challenge "Knocked up" would get completed over and over again.
- There are reports that removal of the mod resolved these additional bugs.
- Version 1.8 of this mod has now been released to address these issues. Confirmation is needed. Check the "Comments" and "Bugs" tabs on the mod download page.
Issue - SOUND - Ambient music skips-jitters-hiccups-pops-stutters
The ambient music is choppy in both vanilla and modded games. This doesn't happen to the radio music during normal gameplay, but does during loading screens or transitioning between tracks (i.e. going from ambient "explore" music to "combat", or entering new locations with different music).
- Cause: Old advice for FO3 was to uninstall "ffdshow", a codec mainly used for decoding of video in the MPEG-4 ASP (e.g. encoded with DivX or Xvid) and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC video formats, but it supports numerous other video and audio formats as well. (The user configures ffdshow's audio and video settings by launching the "ffdshow video decoder configuration program" independently of any media player.) Alternatively one could try to add FO3 to it's "exception" list.
- Solution-1: FNV appears to require at least some of the codec features provided by "ffdshow". If needed it can be re-installed as part of the CCCP codec pack or directly from the ffdshow tryouts website. (Alternative codecs may also provide the needed features.) Be sure to install the 32-bit version, as that is what the game needs. Some have reported that only the "CCCP codec" (without "ffdshow") is needed. Install the same as any other Windows program.
- Remove falloutnv.exe and falloutnv4gb.exe programs from the list of "ffdshow" exceptions.
- Solution-2: Edit the "Users" INI files under the "[Audio]" section, and change the following settings as indicated:
- Solution-3: De-fragment your disk drive and reduce background programs to the essential minimum.
- Solution-4: The OGG Vorbis Libraries have an update mod which has solved a stutter occurring every 15 seconds for some users. (These libraries are used by the vanilla game.) The Vorbis OGG Library is a set of DLL files which you have to manually install/copy into the game root folder (where the "FalloutNV.exe" file is found). Mod managers don't recognize or place them properly. They will need to overwrite the existing files. GamerPoets has a "Performance & Stability Guide" YouTube video which covers this library at the 3:07 minute mark. (Note the different section timemarks are displayed at the top of the screen.) The mod FNV BSA Decompressor transcodes all sound fx in ".*OGG" format to ".WAV" so they function in the game. It's installation is described at the 10:12 minute mark of GamerPoets previously linked "Performance & Stability" video.
- Solution-5: You may need to use a Windows tool such as Process Explorer to track down which app or service is grabbing cycles.
Issue - SOUND - Combat causes infinite loop sound
A "weird" AmbientFX (special effect) noise appears during combat (freqently by firing a Laser weapon) and won't terminate unless you either quit the game or reload a save game.
(Thanks to users harlandgg for discovering the cause, and HadToRegister for reporting it to the FNV Forum so it could be included here.)
- Cause: Following instructions for installing the mod Vanilla Restored Audio Patch causes the folder "\Data\Sound\fx\amb\steampuddle" to be installed/restored. The files in this folder do not appear to have set "loop end" points, causing them to play infinitely. This problem is common to EVE, YUP and UPP (Unofficial Patch Plus) users as they will flag ash/goo piles and impact sounds with AMBSteamPuddleLP.
- Solution: Delete the entire "\Data\Sound\fx\amb\steampuddle" folder. (The rest of the mod works fine.)
Issue - SOUND - No music or sound
(See also Issue: SOUND - Radio station music doesn't play for that specific problem.)
- Cause-1: If this problem occurs when you first start the game, then it's likely there may be an audio "codec" conflict between what you have installed under Windows and what the game in question requires, or a necessary "codec" is missing. (A "codec" is a "DirectShow filter", and there is a chain of them in the registry establishing which order to try them in to determine which to use. "DirectShow" is a component of the DirectX (DX#) API system used by games running under Windows.)
- Solution-1a: Win10 has DirectX12 drivers, but the DX9 driver the game is expecting is not being found. See "Cause-1" under Issue: Vanilla game Hangs on startup.
- Solution-1b: Some have found that installing a third-party "DirectX: DirectShow codec" resolves the problem. There are a number available on the internet. The K-Lite Codec Pack is often mentioned especially for older versions of Windows. Be sure to get the 32-bit version, as FNV is using 32-bit libraries.
- Cause-2: If you are suddenly having a "slowdown" or lag; or a lack of sound; or problems getting NVSE to load, or really anything new unexpectedly, please see the 'Issue: NVSE - fails to load after update KB4058043 to Win10 FCU (v1709)' entry in the wiki "Fallout NV Mod Conflict Troubleshooting" guide. This may be due to a Windows Update for the "Meltdown and Spectre Vulnerabilities".
- See also the related Issue: Incomplete save game load.
- Solution-2a: Not all "codecs" are created equal, and sometimes Windows versions and specific games are very particular. Codec uninstall routines often fail to completely remove all signs from the registry, and the residue can create problems. The mod DirectShow Filter _Codec_ Reset by Blade FireLight is designed to "reset" the chain of "codecs" to the defaults used by Windows 7. However, it may not work with later versions of Windows. HEED THE WARNING ABOUT CREATING A 'SYSTEM RESTORE POINT' FIRST! Anything affecting the registry has the potential to turn your computer into "a brick", unable to do anything but sit there. A power outage can happen to anyone at any time.
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT follow the advice you can find on the internet about installing AC3 encoder and configuring it… two of us in the forum lost *all* sounds because of that.
- Solution-2b: You might be able to resolve the problem with another tool designed to "reset" your codecs back to Windows defaults. There are a number of free tools avaialbe to deal with this listed on this web page
- Cause-3: If your problem occurs after you attempted to uninstall something and no solution you've tried has worked, you may need more drastic measures.
- Solution-3: Either return to a Windows system restore point prior to your installation of the problematic software, or use MS's own Use Reset to restore your Windows 10 PC.
Issue - SOUND - Radio station music does not play
Everything (ambient sound, footsteps, dialogue, radio announcer) is working fine except the radio music is missing.
(See instead Issue: SOUND - No music or sound for the more general problem.)
- Cause-1: There is an audio "codec" conflict between what you have installed under Windows and what the music in question requires, or a necessary "codec" is missing. (A "codec" is a "DirectShow filter", and there is a chain of them in the registry establishing which order to try them in to determine which to use. "DirectShow" is a component of the DirectX (DX#) API system used by games running under Windows.)
- Solution-1a: Win10 has DirectX12 drivers, but the DX9 driver the game is expecting is not being found. See "Cause-1" under Issue: Vanilla game Hangs on startup.
- Solution-1b: Some have found that installing a third-party "DirectX: DirectShow" "codec" resolves the problem. There are a number available on the internet. The K-Lite Codec Pack is often mentioned especially for older versions of Windows. Be sure to get the 32-bit version, as FNV is using 32-bit libraries.
- Solution-1c: Not all "codecs" are created equal, and sometimes Windows versions and specific games are very particular. Codec uninstall routines often fail to completely remove all signs from the registry, and the residue can create problems. The mod DirectShow Filter _Codec_ Reset by Blade FireLight is designed to "reset" the chain of "codecs" to the defaults used by Windows 7. HEED THE WARNING ABOUT CREATING A 'SYSTEM RESTORE POINT' FIRST! Anything affecting the registry has the potential to turn your computer into "a brick", unable to do anything but sit there. A power outage can happen to anyone at any time.
- Do not, I repeat, DO NOT follow the advice you can find on the internet about installing AC3 encoder and configuring it… two of us in the forum lost *all* sounds because of that.
- Solution-1d: Sometimes the music is there, but the volume (even with the settings to max) is so low you can barely tell it's there. This is likely a "codec" problem. See the earlier possible "codec" solutions.
- Alternatively, Tutorial - Fallout New Vegas Radio Fix video by KitsuneJimmy explains that in the game "Data\Sound\songs\radionv" folder, the MP3 files are recorded at 72 decibels, while normally commercial music is recorded at 89 decibels. The tool MP3Gain analyzes and adjusts MP3 files so that they have the same target volume (89 decibels). It can process the entire folder at once; but it's always a good idea to back it up first in case of problems. The first time you load the game after doing so, it may take longer than usual to get to the main menu.
- Solution-1e: The game doesn't like USB speakers/headsets and non-stereo setups. It is always worth a try to set your audio setup to 2.0 stereo in the Windows Control Panel.
- Solution-1f: Sometimes there is a technical difference between the jacks on the front and back panels of the computer chassis. Be sure to test using both sets.
- Solution-1g: Possibly your issue is speaker related. For example with 7.1 sound speakers: after testing them in control panel, found 2 of them werent working so set it to 5.1. Then they worked.
- Solution-1h: A known problem with the audio in this game is if you have that Razer driver installed that lets you hear surround sound on the headphones. Since it is an incompatibility issue, you cannot use both: either remove the Razer drivers entirely and use the headphone as stereo 2.0, or get another speaker/headphone that plugs into the standard audio-out jack.
- Solution-1i: Windows Control Panel "Realtek HD Audio Manager" control was set for 5.1 sound properly, except that there was a "speaker fill" setting that was unchecked and this little setting apparently turns the stereo-only signal into a 5.1 surround signal.
- Solution-1j: The last resort is trying to reinstall the drivers of your sound card. Either the latest one or the one that it came with on cd or from the manufacturer's site. This will put the default codec up top in the Windows preferred codecs list.
- Locate the sound card or integrated audio device driver for your version of Windows on the vendor site and re-install. (These are often different from those available from "Microsoft Updates".) Create a Windows System Restore Point first!
- Cause-2: By default the game only plays radio music while the Mojave Wasteland is enabled/loaded. When you load a DLC worldspace, the Mojave worldspace (and thus the music) is disabled. Sometimes it is not re-enabled upon returning to the Wasteland. This is usually confined to the save game made at that time, but it might be an unknown vanilla game bug or a mod conflict in your particular "load order", and can be carried forward thereafter. People have performed a "speed-run" through the same DLC from a save game made prior to entering it the first time and not had the problem occur upon exit. Others have had it happen only on subsequent runs through the DLC. It's a fairly rare problem.
- Solution-2a: You can use nearly any script command in the console. The difference is mainly that you'll need to use the numerical Reference-ID (next to the text Editor-ID or Base-ID in wiki tables). On that note, you can use these commands in-game on any reference if you have the correct ID it is expecting.
- (Here's a good comprehensive reference for console commands: Gamebryo and Creation console commands (all). Even though a command is listed, that doesn't guarantee full functionality. Best thing to do is to test it.)
- Fortunately, for every actor or object in the vanilla game, including the DLCs, these numbers are available on all the Fallout wiki sites, like Wikia's Nukapedia or Gamepedia's The Vault for example. But, unfortunately, NOT for the Radio Stations, which use Talking Activators (form type "TACT"). You will need to know their "common name", which you can look up by their "Editor-ID" in FNVEdit under "Name" field. Then in the game console, enter the command:
- This will create a text "dump file" <SomeFileName>.fos.txt in your "My Games\FalloutNV\Saves" folder. This file is a list of various information (including Ref-IDs) currently in your loaded save game. (It's not documented what other parameters than "1" will produce.) Now search that file for the "common name" of the radio station you want. (Check the type of entry. You don't want quest or script references.) The first column entry is the "Ref-ID" of that station. Make a note of it.
- The Common Name "Mojave Music Radio" has Editor-ID "vCountryRadio" and a Base-ID of 0016B46F, but does not have a location marker as it is enabled by script automatically when you leave Doc Mitchell's house at the beginning of the game. At least in my "dumpfile" it did not appear as a Ref-ID.
- There's the command GetBroadcastState to make sure that it's not broadcasting. And then there's GetDisabled to confirm it's not a disabled reference. Then you can try SetBroadcastState from the console; as well as disabling and then enabling the radios' Talking Activator references. You can try Player.MoveTo <stationRef> to have a look at the "station" as well but many are buried inside terrain features such as mountains.
- Examples:
- Note that range considerations still apply. You won't pick up Black Mountain Radio if you aren't near it.
- The above are probably all you will need. But for completeness sake, here is the information on the JIP LN NVSE Plugin music functions: (parameter in brackets is [optional]).
- Note the "ambient or atmospheric music" is dependent upon the current cell and is separate and distinct from the radio "songs". They are controlled independently. These are JIP NVSE addon functions. As such they require JIP LN NVSE to be installed, and are intended to be used in scripts. Their use as console commands has not been verified.
- "(musicState:int) IsMusicPlaying [musicType:form]". Returns the playback state of the game's current background (ambience) music:
- 0 Not playing
- 1 Paused
- 2 Playing
- The musicType argument may be either a Music Type form, a Media Location Controller form, or it may be entirely omitted. Omitted paraemter returns currently playing music (if any).
- Examples:
- "(musicState:int) IsMusicPlaying [musicType:form]". Returns the playback state of the game's current background (ambience) music:
- "SetMusicState musicState:int{0, 1, 2}". Sets the playback state of the game's current background music:
- 0 Stop Playback
- 1 Pause Playback
- 2 Resume Playback
- Note: The Stop Playback state will stop music played by PlayMusic, otherwise it will replay the current music from the beginning.
- "SetMusicState musicState:int{0, 1, 2}". Sets the playback state of the game's current background music:
- Example:
- "SetMusicState 2" ; (resume Playback.)
- Example:
- Solution-2b: Failing the use of Ref-IDs and console commands, there is a mod Radio New Vegas Everywhere uploaded on the Nexus that keeps Radio New Vegas enabled always (as long as the Player is enabled), so you can try downloading that. The mod Music Pack for Radio NV - ver 1.3 by the same author adds 250 tracks (nearly every song in the game) to RNV.
- Solution-2c: FadeSFX disabled all the sounds except the music. This is useful when showing Bink Video files. FadeSFX is reversable, it appears, by simply playing a Bink video file. As soon as the video ends, sound is restored. As far as can be told, it is still irreversible without playing a video.
- The Bink video has to be on disk and not in a BSA. The only one on disk by default is "Data\Video\FNVIntro.bik". So try the console command: 'playbink "FNVIntro.bik" 1 1 1 1'. (The double-quotes around the ".bik" filename are required.) You can use the <ESC> key to interrupt the video, which should restore your music if "FadeSFX" was what disabled it.
Issue - System Network configuration
Unless you are running a LAN, there are some default configuration settings you can change to improve your Internet download performance and reduce system memory use. It may also reduce incidents of CTDs.
- Cause: Anything that searches for system updates, or all the computers in a home or business network; or tries to determine the Internet Bandwidth while online: all use RAM to run as "services" in the background. When you are running your game in "Offline" mode, you don't need any of those functions running at all. Most of the time you only need them when the computer boots up and not again until something changes.
- Solution: Read the following carefully. Not all will apply to your situation. Be prepared to revert to a known good configuration. YOU have to know what that configuration is. The system does not maintain "save files" for device configurations.
- Open the "Network and Sharing Center/Internet" Control Panel applet.
- "< Left-Click >" on the "Change adapter settings" option in the left hand edge.
- "< Right-click >" on the "Ethernet" adapter icon, and select "Properties". (This will require you to enter an "Administrator" password to proceed.)
- You should see a "Networking" tab which lists various "protocols" in the large white box under the identification of your network adapter model. Those with a "Check" in the box are "enabled". Any that are listed are "installed".
- "Client for Microsoft Networks". This protocol is intended for a "home" or "small business" Local Area Network (LAN) that cannot be seen across the Internet. It is actually the Workstation service. If you remove this service, the Netlogon and RPC Locator services are also removed. Unless you have such a setup, it is not of use to you, so disable it by unchecking the box.
- "Virtual PC Network Filter Driver" is only of use if you run a "Virtual PC with networking". The "Virtual PC" is not available at all on the "Home Edition" of any Windows verson. Unless you have a need, disable it.
- "QoS Packet Scheduler" is installed by default for Local Area Networks (LAN). It's purpose is to prioritize particular types of application traffic (e.g. "Voice over Internet Protocol" (VoIP)) where having a certain amount of bandwidth is crucial. If you do not need to prioritize network traffic and its works fine without QoS packet scheduler you may choose to keep it disabled. Testing to see it's effects is recommended.
- "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" works in conjunction with the "Client for Microsoft Networks" protocol. Again it is of use only with a "home" or "business" LAN and it does require the "Client for Microsoft Networks" protocol to be installed and active. Even then, it can be disabled if you don't need to directly access files and printers between different devices in the network. Microsoft advises unbinding it from the TCP/IP protocols if possible and binding it only to a LAN protocol such as "Client for Microsoft Networks" for security reasons. See the linked article.
- "Link-Layer Topology Discovery" has two protocols:
- "Mapper I/O Driver"
- "Responder".
- "Link-Layer Topology Discovery" is used by Microsoft's "Network Map" feature to display a graphical representation of the local area network (LAN) or wireless LAN (WLAN), to which the computer is connected. It operates strictly on a given local network segment. It cannot discover devices across routers, an operation which would require Internet Protocol level routing. Unless your LAN needs it, disable both protocols.
Issue - TTW Performance Guide abstract
From the TTW Performance guide thread, and updated from GamerPoets' latest revised Fallout New Vegas | FPS & Stability (definitive guide) YouTube video.
Note: Tale of Two Wastelands (TTW) rewrite/update from v2.9.4b to v3.2 has been released as of 10 Nov 2018. It is only available on the TTW site.
For those not familiar with TTW, it is a conversion of FO3 (purchased separately) to run on the FNV game engine. You can effectively and seamlessly play the FO3 (East Coast campaign) storyline through into the FNV (Mojave Desert campaign) with the same character. Fallout New California (FNC) conceptually is a separate campaign (located in California) that occurs before both of FO3 and FNV, with a different character generation and requires a "new game" start, but is intended to eventually (currently in Beta test) allow you to continue as the "Courier" (or not) into the Mojave. TTW is not officially supported by FNC, but some have reported that they do work together. (Check the FNC Recommended Mods List AND the FNC Incompatibilities List for the latest information.)
As a result, the "Performance Guide" for TTW is applicable for FNV (and probably FNC) players as well.
- New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) v5.1b4+.
- New Vegas Anti Crash (NVAC).
- FNV 4GB Patcher The newest 4GB patcher by RoyBatty and LuthienAnarion.
- Nvidia Profile Inspector highly recommended for Nvidia users, but aging.
- S.T.E.P. AMD Catalyst Control Center Guide For ATI users: you need to create a new profile in CCC.
- NVSR INI for Newer Processors Last updated 15 Dec 2017. Login to the TTW site is required for access.
- NVSR INI for Older Processors Last updated 15 Dec 2017. Login to the TTW site is required for access.
1.) Video Driver Profiles. Note this step has been moved in the GamerPoets' video to be part of the ENBoost section, but no longer mentions "Nvidia Profile Inspector" or AMD's "Radeon Control Panel". It only refers to the "Nvidia Control Panel" (and by implication the "AMD Catalyst Control Center") which are part of the respective driver installation. "Inspector" instructions are included here from the thread for completeness for those looking into the original recommendations, but the recommendation applies regardless of the tool used.
- Search for "Fallout New Vegas" within the "Nvidia Profile Inspector". You have to add the game EXEs to the profile, then hit <apply> and exit "Inspector", and you never have to do it again until you update your drivers.
- Set "Multi-display/mixed-GPU acceleration" to "Single display performance mode".
- Finally set "Power Management Mode" to "Prefer maximum performance".
- Here's a visual example.
2.) Fallout "User" INI files. Search through Fallout.ini and FalloutPrefs.ini within your "Users\Documents" game folder.
- Under "[General]":
- "bUseThreadedAI=0" to "1".
- insert "iNumHWThreads=2" below "bUseThreadedAI=1".
3.) Fallout_Default INI file. Search through Fallout_default.ini within your "Steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas" folder. (This so if your "Users" folder INI files get reuilt for any reason they will include these tweaks.)
- Under "[General]":
- "bUseThreadedAI=0" to "1".
- insert "iNumHWThreads=2" below "bUseThreadedAI=1".
- Make a backup of this file, as it will be replaced if you ever use Steam's "verify local files" option.
- Note: "FalloutCustom.INI" is used by "JIP LN NVSE" plugin to override settings in default game INI files only.
- Here's a visual example.
4.) Cellpurging. If using Zan's AutoPurge Crash Protector mod, uninstall it and use the following superior INI setting changes in all three of the INI files from above:
- Under "[General]":
- "bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=0" to "1".
- Under "[BackgroundLoad]":
- "bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=0" to "1".
5.) Audio. These may help with "audio stuttering" problems. However, some people have found these adjustments to cause some Win10 NVSR configurations to CTD. Test.
- Under "[Audio]"
- "iAudioCacheSize=2048" to "8192".
- "iMaxSizeForCachedSound=256" to "1024".
6.) NVSE. Open the game "Data" folder, and search for the "NVSE" sub-folder. (This assumes you have installed NVSE.)
- Once there, create a text file and name it "nvse_config.ini." Make sure to create it inside the "NVSE" folder, not the nested "plugins" sub-folder.
- Add the following lines:
- Here's a visual example.
7.) NVSR. Stop by the New Vegas Stutter Remover Nexus page, and download file "NVSR_4-1-32" (under "Old Files") if you're processor predates i5 or i7. For newer processors, download "NVSR_4-1-36" or later.
- Edit the "Data\NVSE\plugins\sr_New_Vegas_Stutter_Removers.ini" file as follows:
- Under the "Master = {" section, set all settingsto "= 0" except:
- "bReplaceGetTickCount = 1"
- "bFastExit = 1"
- This is as far as the GamerPoets' Fallout New Vegas | FPS & Stability (definitive guide) YouTube video takes things. Various security updates have complicated the NVSR configuration situation immensely. Things are still being discovered. The following were previous recommendations which still tend to work for versions of Windows prior to Win10.
- Setting "bHookCriticalSections = 1" is generally recommended, but can be problematic for many Win10 users depending upon the level of updates installed. See the Issue: CTD after 10-20 minutes of play (post-Win10 2017 FCU) entry and the Nexus NVSR download comments page for various options. Expect to need "trial and error" testing.
- Note: If you do not use any texture mods you may enable bReplaceHeap = 1. In that event, Set the "Heap = {" section" settings "iHeapSize = 384" and use "iHeapAlgorithm = 6".
- When allowing NVSR to manage your FPS: "bManageFPS = 1" and settings under the "FPS_Management = {" section; "Vsync" provided by the game's engine or other sources must be shut off to avoid conflict between them.
8.) V3.0 Shaders.
WARNING: If you intend to use ENB's graphics post processing, it only works with v2.0 Shaders. DO NOT perform this step, nor enable the Fallout INI's "[Display]" setting "bAllow30Shaders=1". Leave it at "=0".
- Edit both the "Users" folder Fallout INI's "[Display]" setting "bAllow30Shaders=0" to "1". This will ALLOW (not force) the use of v3.0 Shaders.
- Open the "Renderinfo.txt" within your documents; "Documents\My Games\FalloutNV". There will be a line for the "Shader Package : ##" (where "##" is "13" in the following example). This is the number suffix of the filename of the shader package expected to have a v3.0 Shader supported by your video card. If not present, your card was not detected by DirectX as able to support v3.0 Shaders.
- Now, go to the Shaders folder within your game "Data" folder, and rename shaderpackage013.sdp to shaderpackage013.sdp_backup. Once done, make a copy of shaderpackage019.sdp (which is always the provided v3.0 Shader package), and rename it to shaderpackage013.sdp so it will get utilized. Ignore the periods ending my sentences of course.
- Do note, 13 is solely an example; the shader package "19" should be renamed to depends on the number your "Renderinfo.txt" displays.
9.) VORBIS Libraries. Download Ogg Vorbis Libraries to improve audio performance. The mod FNV BSA Decompressor will automatically install these libraries if their archives are found in the game root folder. TTW will include the Decompressor as part of it's installer.
10.) ENBoost. At this time the latest version is v0.322, which has been updated without changing the version number ... so be sure to download again. You should be able to use the "WrapperVersion". See this post about ENBoost from MajinCry Configuring ENB Fallout New Vegas. The basic points (and quotations) are:
- Play the game in "Windowed" mode if you don't want to crash upon "alt-tabbing" with EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=true (below). "That setting is a game changer, as it greatly reduces stuttering if not completely eliminating it, when models and textures are being loaded (e.g, traveling across cells, transitioning from interior <-> exterior). So have New Vegas in windowed mode, and everyone's happy. Also, when a game is in windowed mode (Windows 7 and newer), the game gets triple buffering. This means you can have VSync enabled without the framerate juddering between 15 <-> 30 <-> 60fps."
- Disable the Steam Overlay (actually any game overlays; this is not multi-player). "It causes issues when the interface pops up (e.g, recieving a message from another player) where many objects become fully transparent, and has caused issues for some users when ExpandSystemMemoryX64=true."
- in the video card driver configuration, set:
- Anisotropic Filtering = "Use Application Settings"
- Anti-Aliasing Mode = "Use Application Settings"
- in the enblocal.ini file, set:
- UseENBoostWithoutGraphics=true
- UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=true (set "false" if using ENB Graphics as well)
- If you want to use ENB's graphics modifications alongside the ENBoost part, set:
- UseENBoostWithoutGraphics=false
- UsePatchSpeedhackWithoutGraphics=false
- ExpandSystemMemoryX64=true
- ReduceSystemMemoryUsage=false
- DisableDriverMemoryManager=false
- DisablePreloadToVRAM=false
- EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=true (loads all images into VRAM, reducing "hitches" while loading cells)
- ReservedMemorySizeMb=512 (test by lowering in increments of 128)
- VideoMemorySizeMb=<value from ENB's "VRAMsizetest" tool> for a single GPU. (Win 8 users are limited to 4096 due to a bug in the DirectX driver.)
- Notes:
- ReduceSystemMemoryUsage=true (for those hitting an out of memory issue (not necessarily GPU VRAM, but application virtual ram); noticable FPS increase; fires off multiple copies of enbhost.exe as needed, reducing "virtual game memoryy").
- MajinCry found: "When EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=true, ENB will automatically disable ReduceSystemMemoryUsage." So, we might set ReduceSystemMemoryUsage to "true" and not worry about it whenever we change EnableUnsafeMemoryHacks=false.
- ForceAnisotropicFiltering=false (uses the game settings instead)
- Example enblocal.ini files for:
- best performance (no texture replacers, 2GB VRAM).
- game with texture mods & small GPU VRAM (size of all loaded resources > GPU VRAM size).
Issue - Vsync aka V-Sync ON or OFF
"Short for Vertical Sync, Vsync is a display option found in some 3-D computer games that allow the gamer to synchronize the frame rate of the game with the monitor refresh rate for better stability. If the Vsync is turned off, gamers might obtain a higher frame rate but this action may introduce artifacts in the game." - Webopedia. Vsync can also have an effect on "lag". The purpose of Vsync is to eliminate "tearing", a disjointed image. For an in-depth explanation of how VSync (aka "V-Sync") affects "tearing", see the How VSync works, and why people loathe it article on the "HardForum.com" site.
- Cause: The short answer is: if you have "triple-buffering" on your video card, then use VSync, because "3buff" is designed to solve the problems with Vsync. If you don't have triple-buffering, then you have to make a choice based upon the effect on your game and FPS rate. Read the article!
- Solution-1a: Some games (including FNV) have a setting for disabling VSync. Most modern video cards have an option for it in their driver control programs. Some "post-processors" (such as ENB) have an option as well. You need to check them all.
- Solution-1b: FNV's hardware configuation option doesn't seem to actually have any effect. You can try manually setting this "off" in all three of the "Fallout.INI" files by changing the "iPresentInterval=1" variable to "iPresentInterval=0". Be sure you have a backup of the original INI files before making any changes. (See the Game INI files section of the "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article for details if you don't know about the locations of the INI files.)
Issue - What INI edits seem to be most beneficial to performance
- Cause: There are many INI settings you can adjust across many utilities, but it can be difficult to tell which are most helpful to improving performance in general.
- Solution: The information provided in the Tale of Two Wastelands (TTW) Performance Guide covers specific INI settings for a number of different utilities such as the three game INI files, NVSE, the correct version of NVSR to use depending upon your processor, and some nVidia card specific tweaks. These setting seem to be equally helpful for both FNV and FO3 as well as TTW. See also the Issue: TTW Performance Guide abstract entry.
Solutions to Crash To Desktop aka CTD problems
Issue - CTD after 10-20 minutes of play post-Win10 2017 FCU
(Formerly: Issue: Recent (post-Win10 FCU) CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play)
Update: the Win10 April 2018 "Spring Creators Update" (2018 SCU) "1803" (aka "Redstone 4") seems to have enabled many users to utilize NVSR again. See "Solution-2".
The author of NVSR (SkyRanger-1) has (as of 30 Nov 2018) released a replacement Stabilised NVSR ini File for Windows 10. Try this first after installing the 2018 SCU.
- There are several reports in the download page "comments" that NVSR causes CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play once the Win10 "Fall Creator's Update" (FCU) of Nov 2017 has been installed where previously everything had been stable.
- Please read ALL the proposed solutions before implementing any. Expect to need to engage in some "trial-and-error" testing.
- Solution-1: Those experiencing this problem are recommended to try setting the NVSR INI file "Master" section to bHookCriticalSections= 0, which will disable the use of "CriticalSections" features and the heap related algorithm and size settings in NVSR. (The bFastExit fix still reportedly works.) Some have found it necessary to discontinue use of NVSR completely. Others have found that they could implement partial solutions (detailed below as "other" solutions). "Your mileage may vary." Note that this may re-introduce some stuttering and depressed FPS if using large texture replacement images (e.g. greater than 2048x2048).
- Solution-2: If "Solution-1" eliminates the CTD problem, or once you have installed the Win10 April 2018 SCU "1803/Redstone 4" system update, you may be interested in trying the configuration posted by user redmaxblower here in the NVSR thread which restores much of NVSR's stutter reduction functionality. It includes ENBLocal.ini settings for ENB Series users as well.
- Solution-3: It has been found that you can set bHookCriticalSections= 1, and then iDefaultMode = 1 in the "CriticalSections" subsection of "sr_New_Vegas_Stutter_Remover.ini". The "1" value just means NVSR uses the vanilla mechanism anyway. Setting "iDefaultMode =" to anything other than "1" seems to cause the problem. (It defaults to "3".)
- Solution-4: User Brad852 (and others) has achieved a stable and stutter free game with the following tweaks to the v4-1-36 configuration:
- Make sure the settings under "Master = {" are:
- bManageFPS = 1
- bHookCriticalSections = 1
- bHookLightCriticalSections = 0
- bHookHashtables = 1
- bReplaceHeap = 1
- bReplaceGetTickCount = 1
- bLogToConsole = 0
- bFastExit = 1
- bFlushLog = 1
- iSchedulingResolution = 1
- bReplaceRandom = 1
- bExperimentalStuff = 0
- iMainHookPoint = 1
- Under "CriticalSections = {, set:
- "iDefaultMode=3"
- "bUseOverrides=1"
- Under "OverrideList = {", third "Critical Section = {" ("CallerAddress = 0xA044FE") section:
- delete "Spin = 6000"
- This Brad852 configuration seems to CTD for some users if the iAudioCacheSize or iMaxSizeForCachedSound values are altered in accordance with GamerPoets' latest revised Fallout New Vegas | FPS & Stability (definitive guide) YouTube video (i.e. "[Audio]", "iAudioCacheSize=2048" to "8192"; "iMaxSizeForCachedSound=256" to "1024").
- Solution-5: User AnonymousPlum has posted a promising Stabilised NVSR ini File for Windows 10 after a number of experiments which can be used as a starting point. However, take the time to read the comments page as there are various reports of success, failure, and alternative settings from commenters (including user redmaxblower, author of Solution-2). There is now a version of the file which disables the NVSR "heap replacement" in favor of the NVSE replacement technique (which was the most severe criticism).
- Solution-6: Team Moki has posted a "mod" Ultimate Fallout New Vegas Stutter Removal for WIndows 10 and 7 consisting of a fully tweaked NVSR "\NVSE\Plugins\sr_New_Vegas_Stutter_Remover.ini" file.
- Solution-7: See also the related Issue: Incomplete save game load which covers some background services that may need to be disabled.
Issue - CTD on interior or exterior or fast travel cell change
- Cause-1: Most crashes on cell-change are caused by the autosave feature choking because it's trying to write data into a save it corrupted the last time you changed cells. Note this may mean your last several saves are corrupt. "Auto-saves" are dangerous because they are seldom able to tell when the game is in the middle of doing something else critical.
- Solution-1: Most importantly, completely disable all manner of autosaves in the game options. The CASM and CASM with MCM mods attempt to provide more control over such situations. Simple Saves provides timed interval "full saves" without all the features of CASM, but only keeps 5 versions before it starts overwriting older files after the 5th save. They are all better than the built-in mechanism, but don't rely upon any auto-save exclusively. Manual "full saves" after waiting about five seconds with nothing happening are still safest. Also, you can use Clean Quick Saves to create a new "quick save" file every time, which is safer than overwriting an existing file. You will need to periodically clean old ones out (they count against the total number of save files you are allowed), but the purpose of a quick save is as a "temp" for safety's sake rather than a place to resume the game session from. They do not save as much data as a "full save". QSaves are best reloaded when you are still in the same cell (preferably in the same position) as when you saved.
- Please see also the 'Fourth Rule: Reloading "save game" files' section of the wiki FNV General Mod Use Advice article.
- Cause-2: Crashes on cell transition will happen more often the more mods you have that affect NPC's & levelled lists.
- Solution-2: You can't run different mods like that, reliably, without a "bashed" or "merged" patch. See S.T.E.P. Merging Plugins Guide for a description of both approaches.
- Cause-3: The default game "heap size" is too small for some modded games.
- Solution-3: See Issue: CTD without warning, "out of memory error", or stops responding sub-topic.
Issue - CTD without warning or Out of Memory error or stops responding after the Main Menu
Happens without error messages, as if the game runs out of memory, or the OoM error message.
- Cause-1: By default 32-bit games can only use 2GB of RAM not matter how much is installed, even if you are running a 64-bit version of the Operating System (OS).
- Solution-1a: If you are on a 32-bit OS system with at least 3GB of RAM, see this 2-4GB game memory limits and solutions article on configuring to use the maximum memory you can before implementing the next solution. 64-bit OS systems usually do not need to alter their configuration, but that article covers them as well.
- Solution-1b: You need to be using a FNV4GB Loader such as 4GB Fallout New Vegas Updated or an LAA flag Patcher like the more recent FNV 4GB Patcher. This will give the game access of up to 3.8 GB of memory. (The remainder is used by the system.)
- Cause-2: The vanilla game's default "heap size" is very conservative and can easily be exhausted by a modded game. There are a couple of distinct types of "heap" and it is not clear which is running out of memory. One is used in programming to implement a data structure such as a priority queue, and another in memory management as an area for dynamic memory allocation and swapping code around. Both types are commonly used.
- Solution-2: Increase the heap allocation size. Initially it's recommended to enable the "New Vegas Script Extender" (NVSE) "Sheson memory patch". If that does not resolve the issue, you can try configuring "heap replacement" in "New Vegas Stutter Remover" (NVSR). The current NVSR (v4.1.36) "heap replacement" can also run into "out of memory" errors regardless of the algorithm chosen in some situations. It's effectiveness varies among users and systems. Both can work together, as they are not attempting to change the same heap allocation, but their combined effect with the suggested sizes is to use up almost 1GB of game memory (out of 2-3.8GB) for this purpose. NVSR's current "heap replacement/allocation" routines have problems and should be used with caution. See Issue: CTD after 10-20 minutes of play (post-Win10 2017 FCU).
- Solution-2a: Activate the "Sheson memory patch" (unknown type of heap) in NVSE.
- When installing New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE), the nvse_loader.exe file should be in the game root folder: i.e. "<Steam install path>\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas"), so it's along with the FalloutNV.exe file. However, just unpacking the NVSE archive package to the "Fallout New Vegas" folder may not create a "Data\NVSE" folder or the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" sub-folder upon installation unless you tell it to include sub-folders when doing so. If not, you will have to do so manually. It definitely does not create a configuration file or automatically enable it's log files (which will be found in the game's root folder). You need to do so yourself, using any plaintext editor such as Windows NotePad. Supplemental NVSE Plugins such as JIP, Lutana, MCM, NVAC, or NVSR should go into the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folder.
- If not present, manually create folder "NVSE" under the game "Data" folder (at the same level as the "Meshes" and "Textures" folders), and then "Plugins" under the "NVSE" folder.
- Make sure "hide known file types" is disabled in Windows/File Explorer's "Folder Options" menu, or your new INI file in the next step will have a hidden ".txt" extension which you don't want. (The DigitalCitizen.life article 8 ways to open the Folder Options window, in Windows (all versions) will show you how to access that.)
- In the folder "Data\NVSE" create a new text file and name it "nvse_config.ini".
- Copy and paste the following into "nvse_config.ini":
- This will enable the game's error log the next time you run it, which will then be found in your FNV root folder (where you put the NVSE executable files). There will be at least three files: "falloutnv_error.log", "falloutnv_havok.log", and "nvse.log". The first one is very useful for finding broken stuff in mods or the cause of crashes. Not everything in it is an error so keep that in mind; some are just warnings. The "nvse.log" is helpful to identify problems with NVSE itself, and plugins that rely upon it.
- The warnings are supposed to be written by the game engine in "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV\warnings.txt", but this may be dependent upon the "log level" in the "nvse_config.ini". The default is level "1" and there is no "warnings.txt" file created; but it goes up to level "5" (debugging) with increasing verbosity. However, it appears this "warnings" file feature was never actually implemented for FNV, but have been restored by the GECK Extender Plugin for NVSE.
- To activate the "Sheson patch", Add the following before the "[Logging]" section of the "nvse_config.ini" file:
- Using a size of "240" or "256" is suggested if you are not using FNV4GB or some other means to utilize the maximum ~4GB of game memory. Too small or too large a heap size causes problems. Keep it under "500" (i.e. "496"), and in multiples of 16. Skyrim SKSE users may be aware of a "scrapheapsizeMB=" setting. This is carried over to NVSE, but is not used in the FNV game engine. Remember, nothing is "free memory". Everything you assign to a "heap" is no longer available to the game itself.
- Solution-2b: Optionally, the mod New Vegas Stutter Remover (requires NVSE) contains both an adjustable heap size and alternative heap algorithms (unknown type of heap). These are disabled by default for maximum stability, so it is necessary to read the provided NVSR documentation and edit the "sr_New_Vegas_Stutter_Remover.ini" file, which is under the "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folder.
- That NVSR "heap" section is only used if you have "bReplaceHeap=1" in the "[Master]" section of that INI. You should want to implement it because you are still getting crashes after implementing "Sheson". It's effectiveness has varied results for different users.
- A larger heap size of 450(MB of RAM) is suggested, but Intel processors work more efficiently when they align with multiples of 16 bytes, so I suggest using a heap of 448, 464, or 496. Keep it under 500, which seems to be the limit for NVSE.
- There are several "heap algorithms" and only three algorithms that use the "heap size" setting (3,5, or 6), so some experimentation on your part will tell you which works best (if at all) for your system. This is documented in the INI file as well as the download page.
- The current NVSR (v4.1.36) "heap replacement" and algorithms can be reliably demonstrated to increase the number of CTDs and "out of memory" errors under certain circumstances, so only testing will tell if it is a solution for you. However, many have success with it in typical modded games.
- Other features of NVSR are still of practical use. Some people have found that disabling NVSR's heap ("Heap Replacement=0") solves their "out of memory" CTDs.
- Cause-3: Too many cells loaded consuming memory.
- Solution-3: Enable two "purge cells" options in the three "INI" files:
- [General]
- bPreemptivelyUnloadCells=1
- and
- [BackgroundLoad]
- bSelectivePurgeUnusedOnFastTravel=1
- Cause-4: Exhausting video memory.
- Solution-4: See the sub-topic Issue: Is ENBoost for everyone? in this article about an option to increase available memory for rendering video related objects.
- Cause-5: Some have found it either necessary or desireable to configure their system to disable the "onboard" video adapter and use only the "addon" video card GPUs. Depending upon the hardware architecture of the system, this may not be optimal.
- Solution-5: As a general "rule of thumb": the more processors, the better. The video card may have a "device driver" or "control application" which will allow configuration of the use of the GPUs for specific purposes. Unless you have specific knowledge and reasons, it is best to let the system choose how to handle ALL the GPUs. A bad configuration may cause CTDs.
Solutions 1-4 can safely be combined, but those with less than 4GB of system RAM need to exercise caution and only implement one at a time, as they will come at the expense of memory otherwise needed by the game and OS.
Issue - CTD upon completion of DLC
For example: 'Fallout New Vegas keeps crashing to desktop, every time I complete the "Old World Blues (OWB)" DLC. In the "Think tank" after having the last conversation with Dr. Klein, and then exiting the think tank... It crashes to desktop. I can tell it's the end of Old World Blues, because of the fact that sometimes it will play music for a second, (like it does at the end of the other DLCs, along with your video ending). But it just crashes to desktop.'
- Cause-1: According to Bethesda Softworks Tech Support - This only happens when playing in "Hard Core" mode and your character is the least bit hungry.
- Solution-1a: Simply feed your PC until they are full before the final exit from the DLC.
- Solution-1b: There is the mod Skippable DLC Cutscenes, which skips the slideshow but cautions it is not a fix for CTDs.
- Cause-2: If not playing in "hard core mode", more than likely you are running out of "heap space" when the slideshows are started.
- Solution-2: Please search this guide for the term "heap size" (several entries are primarily in the 'Solutions to Performance problems' and 'Solutions to "Crash To Desktop" (CTD) problems' sections.
Issue - CTD upon quitting a modded game
Upon using the game menu to "Exit to desktop", it simply hangs and Windows reports FNV has stopped responding. It becomes necessary to use the Windows "Task Manager" ("<Ctrl+Alt+Del>") to terminate the current instance of the program before it can be restarted. As this can leave system memory in an unknown state, best practice is to reboot the system first. Naturally this is very annoying.
- Cause: This is a common problem with the game engine when enough mods have been added.
- Solution: New Vegas Stutter Remover (NVSR) has a "fast exit" option in it's INI file that fixes this problem (among others). DO NOT install with a Mod Manager unless it recognizes that NVSE based plugins like NVSR need to go into the "Data\NVSE\plugins" folder. Follow the "manual install" instructions instead. Then edit the "sr_New_Vegas_Stutter_Remover.ini" file in the same location from "bfastexit 0" to "bfastexit 1". Note: This setting still works for most people having the problems addressed in Issue: Recent (post-Win10 FCU) CTDs after 10-20 minutes of play.
- Related: The NVSE plugin New Vegas Anti Crash (NVAC) implements structured exception handling and sanity checking to reduce frequency of game crashes. While this may not be directly related, it is a recommended stability improvement anyway.
Issue - Hi-Rez Texture mod causes CTD
Specific known example of this is the 26.3MB Training Dummy Retexture file from the mod of the same name. It is implied (by the alternate 3.1MB "Sane Edition" file) that this image is 6000x6000 pixels.
- Cause: Image files have to be sized as a power of 2 from the base of 512x512 pixels. (512: *2= 1024; *(2^2)= 2048; *(2^3)= 4096; *(2^4)= 8192.) Normally the GPU will attempt to re-scale images that do not fit, but a very large size may be sufficient to push GPU processing and VRAM limits enough to cause a CTD. The various images sizes of the textures rendered in a given scene are cumulative.
- Solution: Either use a more normal sized image, or resize it using a tool such as Optimizer Textures that can correct the scale. Please see also the wiki Display resolution versus Image Size article before you decide to simply grab the largest possible size images.
Issue - Removing a Project Nevada Implant freezes the game or CTDs
This is particularly evident when removing a "skill-based" one (i.e. raises the Sneak skill).
- Cause: It appears that, by design with this mod, not only are there distinctions between individual doctors (all are not equally skilled; some need the "cybernetic surgery" book before they can install implants), but it also tracks which installed a particular implant. More investigation is needed into the untrapped error that is causing the freeze or CTD itself.
- Solution: It seems the only safe way to remove a PN implant is to use the same doctor who installed it, especially with "book trained" doctors like Doc Mitchell.
Issue - Swap aka Page file size and CTDs
- Cause: The size set for your "page file" can make a difference as well in terms of something called the "commit limit". This is the sum of physical memory and the sizes of the paging files. The default system page file configuration does not follow this advice, so it's something to look into if you are still having CTDs.
- Solution: To properly size the paging file requires determining the maximum total commit charge for the programs you like to have running at the same time. See "Page File Size and The Commit Limit" section in the wiki 2-4GB Game memory limits and solutions article for details.
Issue - WIN10 Freezes or Hangs and you can not use Task Manager to kill the process
In Windows10 (Home or Pro versions at least) if the game freezes, even if you press "< Ctrl+Alt+Del >" and open the "Task Manager", you are unable to "< Alt+Tab >" from the game to the "Task Manager" in order to kill the process. However, you can press the "Windows Logo" key (assuming your keyboard has one). (Those without a "< Windows Logo >" key should read the thread Windows logo key equivalent in non-windows keyboards if they feel the lack.)
- Cause: The game "freeze/hang" is preventing normal keyboard "< Alt+Tab >" function.
- Solution: The "mod" Kill Fallout 3 by raz3rITA is really a simple BAT file that can be edited to kill the "Task Manager" process of Fallout3.exe, FalloutNV.exe, or Fallout4.exe, and so on, as a single command from the "start menu" accessed by the "< Windows Logo >". This will enable you to regain keyboard control. Customization and use instructions are in the mod description.
Solutions to Control problems
Issue - Console - How to access the in-game console command line
Source: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Support page:
To access the console in the game, press the <~> (tilde) key on the keyboard. For a complete list of the console commands, type help in the console.
NOTE: The Tilde key should be to the left of the 1 key on the top row. If you are in the UK, and have your keyboard configured for the UK, the key is not going to be the same. To get to the console, press the <`> (grave accent) key top left of keyboard, instead of the <~> (tilde) key. (That's where the tilde is on a US keyboard).
Issue - Console - in-game console default key does not work
Source: The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Support page:
If you have a system with the Microsoft eHome (remote sensor, aka "infrared") or MS Media Center devices, these will conflict with the program being able to read the scan code for the tilde key from the keyboard. Those Microsoft eHome devices or drivers need to be disabled in order to allow the game to 'see' the tilde key being pressed. The MIRC (Microsoft Infrared Remote Control, aka "Inf Transcvr") seems to disable the tilde <~> key in both Oblivion and Morrowind. Simply disconnecting the MIRC from the USB port will fix this issue.
Issue - Console - Can not open the in-game console command line under Windows 10
- Cause: The "key binding" to open the console is hard-coded in the game and apparently this binding is broken under Windows 10. There is no game provided mechanism to change this.
- Solution: There are a couple of mods that use NVSE as a workaround that may help in this situation.
- Console Fix Glasses by Random Unit
- Console Key Rebinder by Random Unit
Issue - Console - troubleshooting
Source: Gamebryo and Creation console commands
- To enable the "console" for use in-game, in the INI files you must first locate "bAllowConsole" under the "[Interface]" section and set it to "=1" and save, before starting the game.
- Furthermore, the console can be altered in these INI files to modify the text displayed on-screen.
- Assuming a minimum of 768 pixels of vertical display resolution (for 720p monitor), you can change the following values under the "[Menu]" heading to:
- Replace "XX" with a number of 25 or greater (depending on your screen resolution) to set the maximum number of text lines shown on screen at any one time in the console.
- Troubleshooting the console
- The left side of the console might not be visible if you are not using a widescreen display. In this case, type several <tab>s to move the cursor to the right before entering your commands to make typed commands visible. Commands either typed off-screen or tabbed into view will still work equally.
- Alternatively, The position of console text can be set in the INI files.
- Set "iConsoleTextXPos" to 200 or so. Higher figures move console text to the right. This is the main problem.
- "IConsoleTextYPos" should be approximately 100 or 200 less than your Y resolution. A lower figure moves it up (0 is the top of the screen).
- An example for a 1280x1024 (X x Y) 5:4 ratio display:
- Console improvements for "ease of use" are now available:
- Console Paste Support enables copy-and-paste from other documents.
- Console Background Adds a background to the console to enhance readability in bright surroundings.
- Auto SCOF - Console Logging Automatically creates a file in your FalloutNV folder titled "ConsoleOutputFile - mm_dd_yyyy" and starts the log with the time of creation to capture console output.
- Console key rebinder in the event your default key <~> doesn't work.
Issue - Gazing in certain directions causes a freeze
In certain locations the game appears to freeze when looking in certain directions. Attempting to use the mouse to turn in place takes 10-30 seconds to respond in changing the direction of view.
Known problem locations:
- Looking South of Matthews Animal Husbandry Farm.
- Looking West from the Searchlight Airport's Western fence.
- Looking North of Guardian Peak.
- Looking South from The Devil's Throat.
- Cause: Mod conflict.
- Solution: The "Fallout Character Overhaul" (FCO) mod's included "Glowing Ghouls" optional file "FCO - GlowingOne.esp" has been identified as at least one source of this problem. No reports of any patches to this file correcting the situation.
Issue - Grenade throw always falls at my feet
- Cause: The "grenade throw" (thrown explosive) weapon has been separated in FO3 and FNV from other "throwing" weapons and is now based upon "explosives skill". The "grenade throw" key is not clearly documented in the list of PC Controls for Mouse and Keyboard.
- Solution-1: Once a "grenade type"/"thrown explosive" is selected, just press and hold the "attack/fire" key/button for a couple of seconds. The longer you hold it, the further the distance thrown (depending in part upon your aim and trajectory).
- NOTE: thrown explosives doesn't work as well as expected in VATS mode as explained in that section of the link.
- Solution-2: Project Nevada has an option to have the distance thrown based on your Strength (STR) instead of the default of "explosives" skill, in addition to using a "hotkey" to combine the selection and throw.
- Solution-3: There are also two other "grenade key" mods that are intended to make "grenade" (explosive) throwing easier:
- Grenade Hotkey by vivanto
- Grenade Key by svartberg
Issue - Have to remap some essential default key assignments
- Cause: Various.
- Solution: For a hardware key failure, most laptops will let you use an external keyboard plugged into the PS2 or USB port. But if that is not an option, you can "re-map" most crucial key assignments.
- First of all you are going to need to find a copy of the DirectX "scan codes" that gives you the hex code values, such as this GECK document.
- Then open the "FalloutPrefs.INI" file in your "Users" folder and locate the "[Controls]" section. That lists various "functions" with the "hex scan code" for each. Change the ones you need (preserving leading zeros so each code is exactly 8 characters long) and save.
- (Suggest you only change what you have to there to get you into the game main menu where you can use the "Settings | Keyboard" menu interface to make most changes.)
- See 'Issue: How to determine what keystrokes are being passed' if you have problems.
Issue - How to determine what keystrokes are being passed
Sometimes "strange things happen" when you press a key and you wonder just what keystrokes were being sent.
- Cause: Either a mechanical fault in the keyboard or a remapped key function in the software. Unfortunately there is no universal way to tell just which software has remapped conflicting keys. These are usually "context specific", meaning they are part of the application and depend upon what it is expecting at that particular moment. In the case of mods, the last to assign the key mapping "wins".
- Solution: Software has been developed for showing even unprintable keystrokes (i.e. mouse-clicks) in real-time for streaming screencasts. This can be used for troubleshooting as well. The following are representative examples of available free programs:
- PxKeystrokesForScreencasts by Phaiax.
- QiPress by aalapshah. Lite version is free; Pro version requires a license.
- Cause: The game lacks a "User Interface" or "Menu" option to change the default keys assigned to console-game type controller buttons.
- Solution-1: If you are using "Lutana's NVSE plugin", you can call it's GECK: DisableButton function from the console (default toggle key "~"), which will ignore the input from the specified controller button but still permit scripts to function. You can put a series of console commands into a "batch file" and call that to execute them all at once. See the "Batch Examples" section of Gamebryo Console Commands.
- Solution-2: Edit the "FalloutPrefs.ini" file in your "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder as follows.
- Find the [Controls] section
- For the last 4 characters of each control that you want to unbind, put "FFFF".
- (ex: "Use=00FF0011" becomes "Use=00FFFFFF".)
- Save FalloutPrefs.ini
- Now you should be able to use a controller-keyboard mapper program like Xpadder to assign new keys to the buttons.
- Cause: This feature from "First Person Shooters" (FPS) is not implemented in FNV.
- Solution: The mod FPS Weapon Wheel by vivanto provides this functionality to both assignable hotkey and mouse wheel. MCM menu configuration.
Issue - HUD-UI-Menu messed up or unreadable or missing
- Cause-1: You are using an HUD-UI-Menu mod such as DarNified UI (DarnUI) which requires fonts other than the vanilla provided ones to display properly.
- Solution-1: DarNified UI comes with a set of "DarN" fonts which must be added to the INI files, but there are other fonts available such as:
- DarnUI instructions to edit the "Fallout_default.ini" file come from the DarnUI support thread, but it is recommended to edit all three INI files to be sure ("Fallout_default" in the game root folder and the two in the "Users" folder). The mod DarnifiedUI Configuration is a script to automatically make the edits to the default INI file.
- Manual edit instructions are to replace the existing [Fonts] section with the following:
[Fonts] ; sFontFile_1=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_Large.fnt sFontFile_1=Textures\Fonts\DarN_FranKleinBold_14.fnt ; sFontFile_2=Textures\Fonts\Monofonto_Large.fnt sFontFile_2=Textures\Fonts\DarN_FranKleinBold_16.fnt sFontFile_3=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_Medium.fnt ; sFontFile_4=Textures\Fonts\Monofonto_VeryLarge02_Dialogs2.fnt sFontFile_4=Textures\Fonts\DarN_Sui_Generis_Otl_10.fnt sFontFile_5=Textures\Fonts\Fixedsys_Comp_uniform_width.fnt ; sFontFile_6=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Monofonto_VL_dialogs.fnt sFontFile_6=Textures\Fonts\DarN_Sui_Generis_Otl_13.fnt ; sFontFile_7=Textures\Fonts\Baked-in_Monofonto_Large.fnt sFontFile_7=Textures\Fonts\DarN_Libel_Suit_Otl_24.fnt sFontFile_8=Textures\Fonts\Glow_Futura_Caps_Large.fnt sFontFile_9=Textures\Fonts\NVFont_Test.fnt
- Note a semi-colon (";") at the beginning of a line "comments out" that line so it is not read but remains for reference. Other alternative fonts can be used in place of the "DarN_<style>_<size>.fnt" entries, but in that instance it is recommended to add them and comment out the DarN fonts as well. The "<size>" portion of the name is the number of "points tall" for that font. A large number equals a larger character size, so "6" is very small (short) and "24" is quite large (tall). Either "10" or "12" is normal for most text.
- Cause-2: An XML file is missing an expected element. Usually this is caused by a mod installation overwriting the XML file in question.
- Solution-2: It can get complicated. Read this HUD-UI-Menu issues wiki article.
Issue - Mods do not seem to have controller support
Some mods don't seem to work with a game controller, even though the game works fine in general.
- Cause: Select mods do have controller support, others require an addon such as the "Lutana NVSE plugin", and still others (like Project Nevada) don't have explicit support but can be used with Lutana's "DInput emulation" which maps controller buttons to keys on your keyboard. What they all have in common is that they require NVSE, another third-party tool. There just isn't any provision for modders to add controller support to their mods, or even custom keyboard hotkeys, without these community toolsets.
- Solution-1a: Install the New Vegas Script Extender (NVSE) plugin. Note that this has to be installed at the game root folder, so your mod manager may not be able to deal with it properly. Best to install manually.
- See Checklist item #4 for how to followup installation and determine the plugin is loading properly.
- Solution-1b:
- See also Issue: Keyboard and/or mouse don't work with a game controller installed. This plugin must be installed to the game "Data\NVSE\Plugins" folder. Your mod manager may not recognize that location, and manual installation may be required.
Issue - Mouse and-or keyboard does not work with a game controller installed
- Cause: The game checks for it before the keyboard, and if detected ... disables the use of the keyboard. Merely being connected can cause the game to ignore the keyboard and mouse. Game controllers usually do not have the ability to be programmed to send key strokes and mouse buttons to the game interface. FNV requires a controller (such as the XBox 360) which is "Xinput" compatible. Some mods will require DirectInput/"DInput" emulation to work with a controller. (See this DirectInput Wikipedia article for an overview and comparison of the two Device Input APIs.)
- Solution-1: Third-party controller adapter software. There are others, but the most commonly referenced is:
- Xpadder ($9.99) - maps keyboard keys and mouse button actions to your game controller buttons.
- Xpadder also allows you to map the mouse pointer to your game controller sticks.
- Xpadder can also handle combinations, sequences, toggles, triggers, shift sets, multiple controllers and more.
- Xpadder v5.3 (last freeware version: 13 Apr 2008)
- Note that you will lose rumble/vibration on your controller since you will have to choose the "keyboard" input device in the game options menu. Xpadder essentially treats the controller like a secondary mouse & keyboard.
- Solution-2: The "Lutana NVSE plugin" provides DirectInput (aka "DInput") emulation modes (as opposed to the newer, more current DirectX Input (aka "Xinput") mode) which enable controller input with mods that normally require the keyboard, such as Project Nevada. See the mod download page for instructions. As this plugin also provides many other additional functions, it is often required by other mods.
- Solution-3: A "Keyboard/Video/Mouse" (KVM) switch that mechanically let's you switch those devices between one computer and another MAY be a possible solution if your game controller will connect to it and you can disconnect the controller from the computer by means of the switch instead of unplugging it.
- Solution-4: Disconnect your controller and use only the keyboard.
- Disconnect the game controller from your computer.
- In the game's Main Menu, select "Settings" and then "Key Mappings".
- In the bottom right corner click on "Device" and change it from "controller" to "keyboard/mouse".
- Then exit the game and restart it from the vanilla launcher. (This is necessary so it will update the hardware settings in your INI files.)
- See also the Issue: Mods don't seem to have controller support entry.
Issue - Mouse controls
Your mouse doesn't behave "in-game" as it does on the desktop.
- Cause-1: Game INI "[Controls]" settings.
- Solution-1: The default "fForeground=" and "iPresent=" values can conflict with the system mouse acceleration, but changes to them can make menu speeds crazy high, so you need the "bBackground=0" changed to "=1" to fix (slow) the menu speeds. Some users find that "bBackground Mouse=1" makes the mouse in menus too slow, so some experimentation may be needed.
- Backup first (see the Game INI files section for details), and then edit all three Fallout INI files so they use the following settings:
- Add: under [Controls] to disable mouse acceleration:
- and Change: (from 1 to 0)
- Cause-2: Using a "more than one monitor" setup, and the mouse does not stay confined to the game screen/window, but unexpectedly moves onto the other monitor(s) causing unwanted events when configured to "extend/span" across the monitors.
- Video cards designed to drive multiple monitors have their own "video control panels" for configuring the monitor setup to either "span" (display a video screen across all the monitors at one as if one large monitor), or "duplicate" the same screen on each monitor.
- Solution-2: Use the vendor provided control panel to configure the display to "span" the monitors. Then configure the game to run in "windowed" mode by changing the three INI files setting to "bFullScreen=0". (Full screen would span across all the monitors at once otherwise.) If you do not have a vendor "control panel" with multi-monitor setup for your monitors, try this tool:
- Dual Monitor Tools (open source generic multi-monitor control).
- It has a setting to lock the mouse to a certain screen with a hotkey if necessary.
- Finally use one of the following tools to "confine" the cursor to the game window by running it in a "fake fullscreen borderless window":
- OneTweak by virusek. Requires NVSE. (There is a Skyrim version as well.)
- FullScreenWindowedMode by TimThompson89. Also requires a "Script Extender", but works with OBSE, SKSE, FOSE, and NVSE.
- Cause-3: There are points in the game where scripts "DisablePlayerControls" deliberately. Usually this is to prevent the Player from interrupting messages or "cut-away scenes", but sometimes control is not returned to the Player, with the result that the Pipboy menu and other functions like attacking, blocking, and crouching (either with the mouse or the keyboard) fail to work.
- Solution-3: Use the console command (<~> key) "EnablePlayerControls" (without the quotes). If this solution is only temporary, see the earlier "Causes" and the Issue: Mouse and/or keyboard don't work with a game controller installed entry.
This issue occurs with the vanilla game and no mods installed. It may have worked fine with older versions of Windows, but now fails with the latest.
- Cause: Logitech drivers have a long history of problems working with Windows games if any of their "advanced" driver features are used.
- Solution-1: Obtain the latest version of the Logitech "SetPoint" driver, and disable any advanced features like "snap to default button", etc. If there are "game compatibility" options, select those.
- Solution-2: Uninstall all Logitech drivers and add-on software like "SetPoint". Reboot, and install the bare bones "Microsoft Mouse compatible" driver and any updates instead. If the Logitech mouse won't work with a bare bones MS certified driver, use a different more compatible mouse.
Issue - Mouse sensitivity or weapon aiming is off or similar issues
Monitor is set to a higher than 1920x1080 resolution.
- Cause: FNV was designed for monitor resolutions common prior to 2010. "In 2010, 27-inch LCD monitors with the 2560 × 1440-pixel resolution were released by multiple manufacturers including Apple." - Wikipedia on "Display resolution". "High Definition" (1920x1080, 16:9 aspect ratio) "FHD standard" was generally considered "high end" for gaming. Newer monitors may have a higher default resolution.
- Solution: Use a lower, more standard (in 2010) display resolution. (Note the LED/Plasma monitors have a default resolution according to the screen size and "aspect ratio". Lower resolutions may not fill the screen, resulting in "black borders" (e.g. "letterbox style"). "Windowed mode" may be a way around this visual problem.) See the Wikipedia article quoted above for more on the subject, including a table of "resolution standards".
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Issue - Remapping the ammo swap hotkey from key -2-
The issue revolves around the fact the game control configuration permits you to remap the "ammo swap" key from the default < 2 > hotkey to something else.
- Cause: Contrary to expectations, this ability to remap "ammo swap" to a different key does not enable you then use the < 2 > key like the other number hotkeys. You cannot get the use of the < 2 > key as an 8th hotkey. Once you unassign the < 2 > key, it won't ever seem to function again. The game control configuration menu simply ignores any attempts to remap < 2 > to any command; not even back to "ammo swap" again.
- Solution: Edit the "FalloutPrefs.INI" file (located in the "Users" folder).
- Locate the "[Controls]" section.
- Find the "Hotkey2" entry; which is called "AmmoSwap" instead.
- To restore "AmmoSwap" back to using the < 2 > key, change the value to "0003FFFF".
- There is an optional ability to consolidate the 7 hotkeys to the number key sequence "1-7", and move the "swap ammo" function to the number "8", as follows. (Everything after a semi-colon is a comment which should not be entered.) This one won't re-order the icons in the inventory, but it'll still work. In the inventory, if you press the < 2 > key, it'll basically light up slot 8, is all.
Issue - Unable to add either of two weapon mods to a weapon
- Cause: The mod The Weapon Mod Menu (WMM) only checks the first of 3 possible mod slots. If this is blank, it assumes there are no mods available.
- Solution: Edit the "Items | Weapon" entry with GECK so the first and second "Mod Info" tab slots under "Game Effects" are not empty. Typically this will mean moving the second and third slot entries up by one. Be sure to make the plugin containing the Weapon in question the "active" one, as that is the plugin that will get saved. Note this edit will only work if there are already weapon mods available for that weapon. Adding weapon mods that do not already exist is a more involved "customization" process.
Issue - Unable to draw weapons or fire or crouch
Also related: Sunny Smile's initial greeting dialog is actually that from a later stage:
- Initial greeting: "Cheyenne, stay. Don't worry, she won't bite, unless I tell her to."
- Later greeting: "Yeah alright. Let's just get done with this first and we'll talk later. Preferably somewhere I can get a stiff drink and Cheyenne can cool down".
- Cause: Removal of all "tumbleweeds" from the game. The first "tumbleweed" seen upon exiting Doc Mitchell's house after creating a character is scripted. It's absence (i.e. a mod to remove all tumbleweeds also removes that script event) breaks the game.
- Solution:
- Temporary: Move to somewhere you know you should be able to use all those functions, open the in-game console (<~> key), and enter "EnablePlayerControls" (without the quotes) and hit <Enter>.
- Permanent: Uninstall any mods that remove all tumbleweeds before creating a new character. Often this functionality is incorporated into "performance" mods, so if it isn't mentioned in the description some testing may be required. However, once the character has stepped outside of Doc Mitchell's so the scripted "tumbleweed" event occurs, they may be installed.
Issue: WMM The Weapon Mod Menu will not let me add a weapon mod in game
- Cause: There are a number of unspoken assumptions by The Weapon Mod Menu (WMM) that, when verified/resolved, are the usual solutions.
- Solution-1: You are trying to "modify" the currently equipped weapon when you hit the "x" key.
- Solution-2: You have a "weapon mod" that is appropriate for that specific weapon. Most "weapon mods" only apply to very specific weapons. There are (to the best of the collective knowledge) none that apply to ALL weapons. So you have to check the name of the mod very carefully as the differences in the names are subtle. The easiest way to determine the correct mod for a weapon in game is at the "green vending machines" provided by the additional mod Weapon Mods Expanded (WMX), which are generally found at all the "Gun Runners Arsenal" (GRA) storefronts.
- (There are a very few instances where WMM will refuse to add weapon mods. See Issue: Unable to add either of two "weapon mods" to a weapon entry, but it will require you to look at the mod plugin internals in either FNVEdit or GECK to verify.)
- Solution-3: You have installed both Mod Configuration Menu (MCM) and WMM in the correct order. (See the wiki article HUD-UI-Menu issues.)
- Solution-4: You do NOT have a game controller attached. If you do, see the Solutions to Control Problems section.
- Solution-5: If none of the above are the problem, see if you can find anything in the "fallout_nv_error.log" file. (See Checklist item #4.)
Issue - WMX loses my existing weapon mods to the Weathered 10mm pistol
- Cause: This weapon has an unfortunate (seemingly hard-coded) bug that means that any weapon mods applied to it will not be visible on the weapon.
- Solution: Weapon Mods Expanded (WMX) detects that you have equipped the 'Weathered 10mm Pistol'. The WMX menu (in the Pip-boy "Inventory" screen for the selected weapon) allows you to swap the defective original Weathered 10mm Pistol for a fully-functional duplicate of it. Doing so will effectively erase any weapon mods already applied to the weapon, so it is recommended to remove them first using The Weapon Mod Menu (WMM). When you are ready to proceed, select the 'Swap Weapon' button. Select 'Cancel' if you are not ready to proceed (this menu will appear again when you next equip the bugged Weathered 10mm Pistol).
Solutions to Garden of Eden Construction Kit aka GECK problems
Issue - Where to obtain the GECK
- Cause: The Construction Kit is a separate download and not automatically installed by Steam. (It is with the GOG DRM-free version.)
- Solution-1a: You can download the "GECK. - New Vegas Edition" through Steam. It's under the "Library | Tools" tab in the Steam launcher.
- Solution-1b: Download from the following links:
- Official GECK Wiki by Bethesda Softworks.
- GECKWiki Community maintained (more up to date) version of GECK Wiki.
- FNV 4GB Patcher by Roy Batty - LuthienAnarion. Sets LAA flag specifically to work with Steam versions of FNV and GECK.
- Recommended: The community developed optional NVSE plugins supplement the GECK, and are considered essential due to the error fixes and additional diagnostic messages (especially for scripts that won't compile) it displays. They require you to launch GECK with NVSE in order to function.
- GECK 1.4 Power-Up (Forked) by hlp. NVSE Plugin.
- Script compiler warnings will now be displayed. Scripts will no longer silently fail to compile.
- Many other warnings were restored: in cell loader, in NavMesh checker, and so on, more than in 1000 places. [back for testing in 0.1.7.1 beta 1]
- Adds a special Marker hack which makes RoomMarkers and PortalMarkers visible and transparent in the render window [since 0.1.3].
- Unfortunately, cannot make them completely invisible as they should be, but it's better than having to move them all away just to see the cell.
- You can now save scripts without compiling them (useful if you want to save your script and finish it later).
- The spell checker can now be enabled and disabled at runtime.
- Fixed the bug which caused the GECK to crash when user double-clicks on empty space in Form List Editor.
- The "Edit" menu item in Form List editor will now work.
- All MessageBox'es will now be in English, regardless of your system's language. This also means that "Cancel" will be replaced by "Yes to all" where intended by GECK developers. [since 0.1.2]
- ESM are now active and editable directly.
- ESP used as masters will remain in the masters list.
- ONAM records in ESM will be preserved. No guarantee new required ONAM will be added. When in doubts, use FNVEdit to update the ONAM records.
- GECK Extender by Roy Batty - LuthienAnarion. NVSE Plugin.
- Enables level 2 LOD generation for large worldspaces
- Fixes bUseMultibounds = 0 crashes in cells with multibounds
- Extends GDI handle limit: This cleans up opened windows better when closing them so you can edit for long periods without fear that you won't be able to save your plugin because the GECK can't open any new dialog windows.
- Help links point to new community maintained wiki: GECKWiki.
Issue - GeckCustom INI file
The "GeckCustom.ini" may not get created in the "C:\Users\<YourAccountName>\Documents\My Games\FalloutNV" folder until you save your first modified file; not merely close GECK as some have reported. NOTE that as you have to run GECK as an "Administrator", the "C:\Users\..." folder with the INI file will be for the "Administrator" account. This can cause confusion as to where to look.
See also the wiki GECK: Tips and Tricks article.
TIP - GECKCustom INI may be missing