I would not say the lines are hard ones, each game and mod-list can be a bit different. That said, once that line is crossed things can go bad quickly.
As it relates to Fo4, Fallrim/Resaver is a
"Diagnostic tool" Not a repair tool. You can do minor things like cancel and remove active scripts or clean unattached instances.
I use it here as Triage:
The rule of thumb I use for
Active Scripts:
10 or less: At idle
20 or less: Max or Load
20 or more: Too many go idle / or deal with the instability
Active Scripts (AS): This gives a user an idea of how many scripted mods they are using - that are running the most scripts & script load on the game.
If there are too many (AS) it can start to cause problems, & you can either start over with fewer scripted mods, roll back and uninstall them, and/or perform "save file maintenance" (SFM). SFM is: find an internal cell away from settlements. Then find a wall where nothing will happen and do nothing and let the game idle until the active scripts go down. This can take from a few minutes to several "REAL - World" hours. Sleeping isn't how this works, real-world time is.
Unattached Instances: says that the game is looking for things that are no longer there. In Fo4 you can clean them, but it is akin to just hiding the evidence "the damage is already done." No matter what you do here is likely just prolonging the inevitable. Fo4 uses the save file to store game information and is not designed to handle the removal of mods that have been recorded "baked" into that save file. The only way to safely remove a mod is to practice "safe mod discipline" and only remove mod when you can roll back to a point before it was first installed.
Things like doing a clean-install during a live game is a lie, and is harmful.
There are rare exceptions that are "exceptions" as examples:
- Mod tester: can see Unattached Instances when testing unfinished mods
- Sometimes Fo4 can use Unattached Instances "very few" and removing them will be a problem.
- Mod Generated: I use one mod that generates (1) Unattached Instance that mod is "Shortcut to Curie." Out of the Thousands of mods I have used in over 6000hrs in game in F04 this is the only mod I know of or use that does this and it is (1) Instance.
Now in the case of this thread.
Active Scripts seem fine at 2> So maybe the save file isn't broken, Yet?
Unattached Instances 241/255, mods have been removed - it only takes one "the wrong one" to break a game.
Now. sometimes a user will get lucky and do something like remove a clothing item and maybe only get between 2-10 and they might see an NPC with an invisible body or a workbench problem. Maybe a weapon with LL and get 4-15 and have other issues. Thing is, those issues add up and often get worse. Then 30 hours later into the game they add a big mod or make a big update and everything goes to shit. So they blame these problems on that update or new mod. Where the real
problem under the surface is that little mod that was removed from that save file 30 hours ago. This is why I a say "
Triage."
I can help folks sometimes, but I can't even start to even make a suggestion to fix something like pathfinding when there are 241/255 Unattached Instances.
Mostly, folks would think something like:
- an overhaul or scrap mod issue
- backed-up active scripts "which isn't the case here."
Here it could be anything, but/and NPC AI packages can take forever to reset if "
ever."
So, 2 active scripts but 241/255 unattached instances is just a metaphor for: while skinny, you maybe "looking good - but are dying of cancer"
it is just a matter of time.
The cure: The only thing to be done here is to roll the save file back to a point where there is "0" Unattached Instances. Which may be as far back as restarting the entire game and then practicing "safer mod discipline" going forward.
That is it. Sorry for the long/full explanation.