Creation Kit - CTD Troubleshooting
CTD or Crash-To-Desktop is an error event in games like Skyrim where you get no information about what causes the error as the Papyrus log does not have the chance to log anything, or more likely, the error is caused by a lower level system than anything that can be recorded in the debug log. The following is a manual on a general approach to troubleshooting Skyrim CTDs. It's important to note that CTDs are most associated with engine operations, such as the execution of NIF Gamebryo behavior.
- Extract the objects in the cell in which the problem is occurring and place them in a temporary cell
- Teleport to that cell using coc in console. If a CTD occurs, an NIF file itself is corrupted and must be repaired or replaced.
- Evaluate their collision by approaching them. If a CTD occurs, the collision is erroneous and must be repaired
- Cycle through the animations of any animating objects. Obviously a CTD here means the animations are erroneous
- If a script has a PlaceAtMe call that may cause collision or placement issues, evaluate the script
- In rare cases, the names of the NiNodes in a Gamebryo NIF file are duplicated or have invalid characters that will cause a crash. These files need to be sanitized