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| = Troubleshooting Introduction = | | This is a collection of articles on troubleshooting TES IV problems -- gotchas, common mistakes, CS bugs, etc. The basic ideas and topics were originally discussed in [http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=628331 this ESF thread]. Continued reports and peer review has moved to a [http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=837706 new thread] now that the original is almost full. |
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| This is a collection of articles on troubleshooting TES IV problems -- gotchas, common mistakes, CS bugs, etc. The basic ideas and topics were originally discussed in [http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=628331 this ESF thread].
| | The original list started back in February 2007 has grown to the point that it needed to be split into separate articles. These articles list of some common mistakes and their effects on players and/or the CS. Please suggest more ideas if you can. |
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| These topics could be organized in a lot of different ways, but for now we can start with a simple list.
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| I've created it as a category so we can add more specific topic articles in the category.
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| What follows is essentially a long list of some common mistakes and their effects on players and/or the CS. Please suggest more ideas if you can.--[[User:Dev akm|Dev akm]] 17:56, 20 February 2007 (EST)
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| | | *[[Common Bugs]] - These are annoying problems with the CS and game engine. |
| | | *[[Common Mistakes]] - These are things that all mod-creators should know not to do. |
| | | *[[Crashes]] - Common problems that may cause game crashes (CTDs). See also [[Crash Prevention]]. |
| | | *[[CS Crashes]] - Common actions that make the CS crash. |
| | | *[[Debugging]] - When something just isn't working right, look here for possible causes and ways to track down the bug. |
| | | *[[Performance Problems]] - This section is intended as a place to list performance problems and tips, especially those related to scripting. |
| | | *[[Fixing the AddTopic Bug]] - Critical dialog bug fix. |
| | | *[[Obscure Bugs]] - These issues don't occur very often, and we don't even really know what causes them, but they hurt nonetheless. |
| = Performance Problems =
| | *[[Helpful Programs]] - These programs can help a lot when troubleshooting. |
| This section is intended as a place to list performance problems and tips, especially those related to scripting.
| | *[[Understanding Mod Conflict Reports]] - An explanation of different mod conflicts. |
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| == Gamemode Scripts ==
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| Avoid using gamemode scripts wherever possible. Use quest scripts if you can, or try to find ways to put as much of the script work into OnLoad, OnEquip, and ScriptEffectStart blocks as possible.
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| If you need to use a GameMode block, use an 'if' test or a flag so the code will only run when necessary. For instance, if you need to run an item script whenever the player hits a switch, place this on the switch:
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| <pre>scn YourSwitchScript
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| short Working
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| begin onActivate
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| set Working to 1
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| end</pre>
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| and this on the item:
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| <pre>scn YourItemScript
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| begin GameMode
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| if YourSwitchScript.Working
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| ...
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| endif
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| end</pre>
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| == CPU-Hungry Script Functions ==
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| Generally, scripts have little affect on FPS, especially compared to graphics. However, if run every frame there are a few functions that will cause a noticeable (>1) drop in FPS:
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| # [[GetSecondsPassed]]
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| # [[GetNumItems]] (OBSE)
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| # [[GetInventoryObject]] (OBSE)
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| # [[GetFPS]] (OBSE)
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| #* However, you can run this every few frames without a drop. This is most useful as an alternative to '''GetSecondsPassed''' as ((Number of frames passed) / GetFPS) approximates the amount of time passed.
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| # GetDistance
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| #* I have tested the others above, but not this one. However, I have seen it mentioned several times that GetDistance is a CPU heavy function, so I'm including it here.
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| #*--[[User:Haama|Haama]] 17:54, 10 September 2007 (EDT)
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| Note that for all of these, they are incredibly fast functions. Even the slowest, GetInventoryObject, can be run 1000 times and the next frame will come up in less than a second. They will only cause problems if run them constantly (every frame or so).
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| The main problem with CPU-hungry scripts comes from Oblivion's "brick-wall" for FPS and script processing. Scripts won't touch FPS until you hit a certain limit, and then even a few extra small scripts can start dropping FPS.
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| See [[Code Optimizing]] for more details (in planning/progress).
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| == AI Overload ==
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| If you use advanced AI on a lot of NPCs or creatures, the game may start to suffer from so-called "AI overload", causing NPCs and creatures to fail to process their AI as you approach them. This can do nasty things like giving roadside bandits a lobotomy -- they just stand around and do nothing as you approach.
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| Creatures that are swimming seem to put an extra large burden on the system, possibly because the pathfinding is trickier in the water?
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| == Low-Level Processing ==
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| Avoid low-level processing for as many creatures and NPCs as possible. Use the "No Low Level Processing" option to keep them from processing their AI unless the player is in the same cell.
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| = Obscure Problems =
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| These issues don't occur very often, and we don't even really know what causes them, but they hurt nonetheless. | |
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| == Pathgrid CTDs ==
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| Does anyone really know why the pathgrid CTDs happen? The last thread about it I remember didn't find a solution.
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| This is an older problem that plagued both UL and OOO for a while. Basically, [http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=495607 changing pathgrids is risky] and requires a lot of testing to avoid CTD issues. I didn't find any surefire solutions for this either. Does anyone know if this topic has been written about in any more detail than the introductory [[Path_Grid_Generation|Path Grid Generation]] article and [[A_beginner%27s_guide%2C_lesson_3_-_The_external_world#Path_Grids_.28simple.29 |Path Grids (simple)]]?
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| == Black Screen Bug ==
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| This is the [http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=517690 Infamous Nvidia + HDR Black Screen Bug].
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| This bug can usually be fixed by the mod-creator. It is usually caused by problems in a custom mesh. This can happen if the mesh creator forgot to assign a valid material to part of the mesh. It can also happen if you have an opaque texture assigned to a transparent portion of your mesh. It can even sometimes be caused by a standard shader like the GhostEffect.
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| It can also usually be solved by updating the tangent space of certain mesh nodes in a .nif file. NifSkope has a spell to do this.
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| Once you've narrowed down which .nif is causing the problem, simply open it in NifSkope, right-click each NiTriStrips/NiTriShape node and select ''Mesh -> Update Tangent Space''. This works most of the time.
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| = Related Articles =
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| = Helpful Programs =
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| [[TES4Edit]]<br> | |
| [[Wrye Bash]]<br>
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| [[TES4Gecko]]<br>
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