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So recently I became the proud owner of Fallout 3 game of the year, but I ran into a problem. it crashes every time I try and run a new game! D= I really wanted to play this game, but i'm unable too at all. is there any nexus mods that can help? I followed some steps I googled but they do not work.

I'm assuming this is on PC.

I know one of my friends said that the game doesn't like to work well if you have multiple processors.

I know that my PS3 version was buggy as the nine hells.

Just search this forum for threads on either of the newer Fallouts or Skyrim, I've posted in about a dozen threads with similar issues and CBA reposting all the links.

But aye, what OS are you running? There's 64 Bit unlocker and multi core patches out there for one. You're saying you can't run the game at all, as in as soon as you launch the app it crashes, or that when you select a new game it crashes? You have zero mods installed? You have verified the game cache on Steam to make sure all the files are there? All the .BSA files are there?

I can give the Nexus a swatch for patches, though like I've said I've posted them elsewhere and its a bit late here. Look for a file that bumps you up to run the game at 64 bit with multi cores. Have the Fallout Script Extender installed (though that won't help you much if the base game isn't running at all). Have the unofficial patches. Type in "performance" into the Nexus and look at those files too.

Again though if the base game isn't running at all then its a problem with what you're running, not the game itself. Which is to say your rig's incompatible with the game, and you'll need to check out patches to run the game on modern machines. However I had the game installed on a Windows 7 Toshiba Laptop (plus emulated on an Ubuntu one too), so I'd also make a point of checking that you have all the right files there to begin with first.

That and screw Fallout 3 and just go install New Vegas. If you want to play 3 then you're grand, there's a mod for New Vegas that lets you run both games at the same time (as in with the same character travel from the Mojave to the Capital Wasteland). Requiem for the Capital Wasteland was what it was called IIRC.

Edit: And yes, I'm literally paint up some Vault Security Guards as I post this. =P

Yea, the game starts up and I can select new game, but in the loading screen it crashes every time.

The fixes I tried is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iuTE8-4lNU and this mod


http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout3/mods/20371/?

I have new vegas but i played it to literal death, and I never played fallout 3 before, so I would like to play it. I will look under the performance tabs, so thanks for the hints, but I would love some concrete " this will help" mods. thank you very much for the help

Mods won't really solve crashing issues. You should check if you bought a 32 bit or 64 bit OS and if it's compatible with your copy of the game.

If that's not it, check if you have a GPU capable of running it, which I assume you do, seeing as you can run NV. I'm assuming it runs NV with no lag, for the sake of this post.

Try checking the installation. It could be a file didn't install. That happens with Fallout games on occasion. Try uninstalling and reinstalling.

Or. I don't know why this happens, but sometimes, the DLC gets temperamental and doesn't like to work. Try uninstalling it.

Some mods don't exactly 'solve' crashes so much as ensure that they happen as less often as possible, using all sorts of technical voodoo to optimise parts of the game, and apply software-based duct tape. I know there's at least one NV mod that has reduced my crashes by a large amount, especially the ones that occur between loading screens.

The main issue with F3 is that it cannot run out of the box (or installer, in Steam's case) on Windows 7 and 8(.1). It wasn't optimised for those operating systems, and there are steps you need to take in order to make it work as well as humanly possible. It looks as though you tried the steps in the video you linked (did you check the updated video he gave in the description, too?), but the mod you linked is to fix issues with graphics card compatibility, and from some of the responses it's gotten, doesn't look to be needed any more.

The main guide I'd use it this one: https://steamcommunity.com/app/22370/discussions/0/828937546147175081/

You may have already seen it if you've searched the problem before, as it's commonly the first or second-ish result from Google, but I'm not sure what else to suggest at this point.

 Avatar 720 wrote:
Some mods don't exactly 'solve' crashes so much as ensure that they happen as less often as possible, using all sorts of technical voodoo to optimise parts of the game, and apply software-based duct tape. I know there's at least one NV mod that has reduced my crashes by a large amount, especially the ones that occur between loading screens.

The main issue with F3 is that it cannot run out of the box (or installer, in Steam's case) on Windows 7 and 8(.1). It wasn't optimised for those operating systems, and there are steps you need to take in order to make it work as well as humanly possible. It looks as though you tried the steps in the video you linked (did you check the updated video he gave in the description, too?), but the mod you linked is to fix issues with graphics card compatibility, and from some of the responses it's gotten, doesn't look to be needed any more.

The main guide I'd use it this one: https://steamcommunity.com/app/22370/discussions/0/828937546147175081/

You may have already seen it if you've searched the problem before, as it's commonly the first or second-ish result from Google, but I'm not sure what else to suggest at this point.

It really depends on the cause of the crashes. If it's an installation fault, no amount of modding will stop them. It's always better to pinpoint the cause first.

 Avatar 720 wrote:

The main issue with F3 is that it cannot run out of the box (or installer, in Steam's case) on Windows 7 and 8(.1).

The what now? Of course it does.

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
Yea, the game starts up and I can select new game, but in the loading screen it crashes every time.

If it crashes at the end of loading, when it should start displaying the game, it's probably the graphics card.

If it crashes sooner, you might have bad RAM. Or it could just be a bad installation.

Here's what you need to do for starters:

Uninstall the game.

Update to latest graphics drivers.

Reinstall the game.

I had this exact problem. I can't remember the exact threads I used, but this thread had a post with a fix that worked for me. I also downloaded the unofficial Fallout 3 patch.

Also, Wyrmalla tells me that Quick Saving contributes to instability. Apparently theres a Mod that creates a new save file when you hit the Quick Save hotkey, instead of overwriting the Quick Save file. I haven't tried that out yet, I'm just resorting to compulsive quicksaving. Its a vicious circle - I'm terrifying of it crashing and losing my progress, so I Quick Save every 2 or 3 minutes. But quick saving causes it to crash sooner. Though its rarely more than once an hour.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/22370/discussions/0/882959799604505616/

I had the same problem. I found a solution on a forum. It worked perfectly for me. Try this:


To fix it, pay careful attention to the path here:

Step 1)
Open up the fallout.ini file in: My Documents\My Games\Fallout3
Find the line:
bUseThreadedAI=0
change it to:
bUseThreadedAI=1
Add another line after it and insert:
iNumHWThreads=2
This will limit the game to 2 cores and prevent the engine bug from causing the game to freeze.

Step 2)
Download and install the latest klite codec pack from here:
http://download.cnet.com/K-Lite-Me [...] 94603.html

I got the solution from this site:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/109821-13-fallout-game-year-freezes

hope this helps

I have the Game of the Year version with all DLC on Steam btw.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Wyrmalla wrote:
That and screw Fallout 3 and just go install New Vegas. If you want to play 3 then you're grand, there's a mod for New Vegas that lets you run both games at the same time (as in with the same character travel from the Mojave to the Capital Wasteland). Requiem for the Capital Wasteland was what it was called IIRC.

Holy gak thats awesome.

 lord_blackfang wrote:

 Avatar 720 wrote:

The main issue with F3 is that it cannot run out of the box (or installer, in Steam's case) on Windows 7 and 8(.1).

The what now? Of course it does.

Which is why there has to be a pinned post on the steam forum for F3 about how to get it working on W7 or better machines, right? I don't personally know anyone for whom it worked on W7+ machines without some sort of tinkering to have been required, and there are so many guides and fixes out there for it for the simple fact that it doesn't work fresh after installing. This isn't a fault with the install, it's a fault with the complete non-existence of optimisation for anything newer than Vista.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:
I had this exact problem. I can't remember the exact threads I used, but this thread had a post with a fix that worked for me. I also downloaded the unofficial Fallout 3 patch.

Also, Wyrmalla tells me that Quick Saving contributes to instability. Apparently theres a Mod that creates a new save file when you hit the Quick Save hotkey, instead of overwriting the Quick Save file. I haven't tried that out yet, I'm just resorting to compulsive quicksaving. Its a vicious circle - I'm terrifying of it crashing and losing my progress, so I Quick Save every 2 or 3 minutes. But quick saving causes it to crash sooner. Though its rarely more than once an hour.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/22370/discussions/0/882959799604505616/

I had the same problem. I found a solution on a forum. It worked perfectly for me. Try this:


To fix it, pay careful attention to the path here:

Step 1)
Open up the fallout.ini file in: My Documents\My Games\Fallout3
Find the line:
bUseThreadedAI=0
change it to:
bUseThreadedAI=1
Add another line after it and insert:
iNumHWThreads=2
This will limit the game to 2 cores and prevent the engine bug from causing the game to freeze.

Step 2)
Download and install the latest klite codec pack from here:
http://download.cnet.com/K-Lite-Me [...] 94603.html

I got the solution from this site:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/109821-13-fallout-game-year-freezes

hope this helps

I have the Game of the Year version with all DLC on Steam btw.

.

I recall having to do something like this with my GOTY edition as well.

Move/copy (ctrl drag drop) the bethesda softworks folder out of the program files x 86 folder. So into the drive letter usually. Try running the new version and if it works just trash the old one by dragging it to the garbage can.

 Shadow Captain Edithae wrote:

 Wyrmalla wrote:
That and screw Fallout 3 and just go install New Vegas. If you want to play 3 then you're grand, there's a mod for New Vegas that lets you run both games at the same time (as in with the same character travel from the Mojave to the Capital Wasteland). Requiem for the Capital Wasteland was what it was called IIRC.

Holy gak thats awesome.

It appears they've changed the title to A Tale of Two Wastelands and moved it off the Nexus since I played it (probably for the same reason why Morroblivion had to go on its own site).

Aye, buy seriously if you have New Vegas working then just use that mod to play Fallout 3. You have all of the mods for both games with the updated mechanics (Companion Wheel, Bullet crafting, etc). Either try and fix a game that you can't get to run right now or go and re-install one that you can. Both games use the exact same file format and structure, so you can install them essentially like massive pieces of DLC on top of each other. =P

* Gross oversimplication obviously, but you get the jist. If it were that simple then you wouldn't need a whole team working to sort everything out (i.e. if you just whack the two game files on top of each other you'll find that you have duplicates of items, i.e. the two versions of 10mm Ammo. The New Vegas one and the Fallout 3 one. So you can reload New Vegas guns with New Vegas ammo, but not the Fallout 3 stuff. Obviously that mod fixes that.

Aye, but I must be an odd case then. I've managed to run both games on multiple systems without any bother. I mean out of the box before I then piled a hundred mods on top and couldn't play for more than an hour without crashing. Hmn, really should bother with bashed patches one of these days.

Thank you guys, i'll try tinkering around with it more soon. kinda wiped out at the moment will try again soon.

also requiem for the capitol wasteland is not available =(

Bethesda's drm does not get along with the x86 folder do to glitch. Bethesda drm also doesn't like it when the game is installed anywhere else. So install as normal and the game will run and then crash. This tells the drm gods that the game is installed even though you can't play it because of the glitch. Then ctrl copy/move the bethesda folder out of the x86 folder (drag and drop holding ctrl, having two windows open) and into the drive folder. Now launch the new version. It should start and then get past the initial crash. Just drag the old version to the trash can. Just don't uninstall because that screws it all up.

That's what I do for the old boxed version. It should work for the steam version.

Second post for a bit more detail about why it works this way.

Fallout 3 has a fea bugs in it, new Vegas too but less.

Reinstalling might be a basic but simple solutions, it might just be a bad install and that's that, sazve the patch's and duck tape for after

 Tiger9gamer wrote:
Thank you guys, i'll try tinkering around with it more soon. kinda wiped out at the moment will try again soon.

also requiem for the capitol wasteland is not available =(

Right at the bottom of the downloads page on that site I liked.

I re-installed my copy and lo behold, it really doesn't work anymore. I originally played it on this same machine, on Windows 7, with no tinkering whatsoever, and it didn't come with any Windows Live bullgak back then, either. They must've broke it in an update.

Iirc, Games for Windows Live, or rather the removal of it, cause the problems people run into. Steam sadly has a very bad track record of never fixing compatibility problems.

 lord_blackfang wrote:
I re-installed my copy and lo behold, it really doesn't work anymore. I originally played it on this same machine, on Windows 7, with no tinkering whatsoever, and it didn't come with any Windows Live bullgak back then, either. They must've broke it in an update.

If you bought the game legit, prior to it being on Steam, then it most definitely had the Windows Live/Games for Windows DRM with it, since that was its distribution platform.

No, I bought it on Steam for Xmas 2 or 3 years ago. It most definitely did not have Live. My only game that came with Live was Bioshock 2, and I decided I'd rather take a loss on the 5 euro I paid for it than bother installing that gak.

Yeah, the Steam version of FO3 changed the distro and support platform from Windows Live/Games for Windows to Steam, but it took a year, maybe 2, before it made the transition from GfW to Steam.

 lord_blackfang wrote:

The what now? Of course it does.

It doesn't. My Steam version doesn't work at all, I believe the problem is something to do with GFWL and as Bethesda seems unwilling to cut away that dead weight I can't play FO3. New Vegas works though and that's a better game.

Yea, I don't know if I'm willing to tinker with the files systems as I am just the worst at that kind of stuff... I might give it a try but I am never one for windows. i'm a mac man!

anyways, going to try to install the requim mod to try it out, as it sounds awesome.

Yeah, unfortunately Bethesda's know for great but buggy as hell games. Sidenote: I actually liked NV more than 3. I love the Cowboy themes and weaponry

@OP:

Try the instructions included here:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2825612