» Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:19 pm Save Corruption and Crashing Issues
- CASM mod (also for New Vegas!) is an excellent way to help stave off save corruption by saving at various intervals.
- The biggest problem is with quicksaving and quickloading, which can still lead to corruption issues. You're better off with an automated tool called "MySQLA" (My Save Quickload Assistant), found here: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=14094 (look on NewVegas Nexus for the New Vegas one). This will work with all binaries, including Steam, except it can't be run through Steam. It will also disable Windows LIVE support for Fallout 3, but IS compatible with FOSE.
Sound Issues
- If you're crashing with lots of sounds playing or just at random, try installing the (free, open source) ffdshow audio codec (http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow/). Under its settings configuration for audio, go to "DirectShow Control". Make sure "Don't use ffdshow in: " is CHECKED. For best use, make sure "Use ffdshow only in: " is also CHECKED. Rumors say that Fallout 3 and New Vegas both come with a rather buggy audio codec. This fix is known to have helped a great deal of people.
- Additionally there's a known issue with XONAR and Realtek HD chipsets where they try to emulate EAX / 3D Sound and FO3/NV doesn't like it. You may have to uninstall the "3D Sound Back" program and/or set Fallout 3 to Stereo.
Nvidia Graphics Crashes
- If possible, get the latest 266.58 driver from nvidia.com (latest as of writing this). Along with fixes in the past, this latest driver has additional fixes for AA (Anti-Aliasing) and AF (Anisotropic Filtering) for Fallout 3 and New Vegas.
- Even with the above fix, turning on both Anti-Aliasing and HDR is not a good idea (currently crashes quite quickly). If you need to enable Anti-Aliasing you'll get more stability by doing it through Application Profiles in the Nvidia Control panel.
- The mod BURNIFICATION is known to be incompatible with some Nvidia Graphics Cards running some driver revisions. Unknown if there is a fix for this.
Performance Issues (Especially on medium to low-end machines)
-- Try using the FOSE plugin "Fallout Stutter Remover" (formerly Oblivion Stutter Remover), found here: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=8886. The default settings are fine for most people. Note that using FOSE disables Windows LIVE on Fallout 3.
-- Install the PERFORMANCE pack of NMC's Textures. This can give increased performance without sacrificing much in image quality.
Ultra Settings and 2560x1600 resolution Crashing Issue
- Unfortunately Fallout 3 and New Vegas don't exactly have the power to handle their own engine, which can eat up RAM like a hog. For some reason the engine was never made properly LBA-aware for systems that have more than 2GB to spare to a 32-bit application (the typical amount allowed by a 32-bit app). Unfortunately the only way to address this is to patch the main Fallout.exe application. Make sure you have the latest patch, then download and use http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6510 (Large Address Aware Enabler for FO3, look on the NV page for the NV one). This problem usually only occurs with Ultra settings + 2560x1600 resolution and/or lots of mods, or the NMC Texture Pack (especially with Maxbumpmaps). This will disable Windows LIVE for Fallout 3, but IS compatible with FOSE AND running it through Steam as a non-Steam program.
- See the AA + HDR issue above.
- Overall you may have to give up the coveted Ultra Settings and use High, Medium, or even Low to control your crashing. Some people have had success by just turning off both AA (Anti-Aliasing) and AF (Anisotropic Filtering).
Multi-Core Issue for Tri-Core or higher
- This is a simple Fallout.ini tweak. The Fallout.ini file is found in Documents\My Games\Fallout 3. Change this line:
bUseThreadedAI=0
to read...
bUseThreadedAI=1
Additionally, add a line below it:
iNumHWThreads=2
If none of the other fixes here work, you can try changing this value to 1 (but your performance will suffer).
Modding
Mods are optional, but let's face it, Fallout 3 and New Vegas are a heck of a lot more fun with them (and sometimes more stable in the case of CASM). However if you want to use lots of mods, there are some utilities you should try using to increase your stability.
-- Many advanced mods require FOSE. Don't forget to install it!
-- BOSS-F, or Better Oblivion Sorting Software for Fallout 3 / New Vegas is excellent, easy load order sorting for when you have a lot of mods and are crashing or otherwise having problems.
-- FOMM, or FallOut Mod Manager (also New Vegas compatible), is the perfect way to install mods as FOMOD packages. By taking the files and putting them into a FOMOD, which can be easily done through their menus, the mod can then be uninstalled and reinstalled without having to ever touch the files yourself. Some mods come pre-packaged to use FOMM and it's highly recommended for those that do. Installing mods in this manner makes backup copies of whatever it needs to overwrite, and remembers what it needs to uninstall so you don't have to.
Advance Modding - Tons 'o Mods
-- Wyre Flash also has an installer, although it's used a lot less. The best use of Wyre Flash is to copy "Bashed Patch, 0.esp" into your Data folder, right-click on it, and select "Rebuild Bashed Patch". After checking your load order for errors, it'll give you the option of merging a lot of information into the Patch, which can save you a lot of modding headaches trying to get certain mods to work together. It's necessary if you want to run two Overhaul mods together, like Fallout Wanderer's Edition (FWE) and FOOK2. Make sure to put the Bashed Patch at the END of your load order, but BEFORE the Merged Patch.
-- FO3Edit is best known for its ability to copy the FO3Edit.exe file and rename it to FO3MasterUpdate.exe. Just running this after you install new mods or change their load order can help. FO3Edit itself can help by creating a "Merged Patch", which you can create by running FO3Edit, waiting for everything to load (just hit OK to the first pop-up), then right-click on any mod in the left column of mods and selecting "Create Merged Patch". You can name it whatever you want, then exit the program to get prompted to save it. Afterwards, use a utility like FOMM, Wyre Flash, or just the Fallout Launcher to make sure the Merged Patch is ENABLED and the LAST mod in your load order (should be by default), then run FO3MasterUpdate.exe to update.
This is all the information I have at this time. I hope you've found this post helpful!
