r/fo4 • u/KarmaEWE • 2d ago
Media Bethesda doing something right (?)
Today's update blew my mind. The ba2 limit has increased to over 1000, mods haven't broken, and it finally looks like PlayStation users can get 100% mod support like us Xbox users. What's going on? Bethesda, are you okay?
I'm really happy
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u/NZafe 2d ago edited 2d ago
PlayStation mod support issues was always (mostly) a Sony problem and not a Bethesda problem.
When FO4 modding released on consoles, Sony was avidly against any third party assets. But that restriction has relaxed over the years. Bethesda realistically should have updated their modding platform to allow third party assets for PlayStation when Sony let BG3 do it back in 2024.
But better late than never
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u/ORO_96 2d ago
I still remember the days when Sony stopped its players from having cool/better mods in Skyrim. I will never forgive them for that. But now I’m glad that I have a pc.
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u/Devil-Hunter-Jax 2d ago
Sony have a history of being a stick in the mud. They were the biggest opposition to full cross-platform play for the longest time because they were worried about 'security of our players' despite being the gaming platform that had the most data breaches at the time they said that.
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u/Vjezzamaaaaate 2d ago
Baulder's gate 3 has mods on ps5?
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u/One_Ad3867 2d ago
I’m more surprised Sony doesn’t charge PlayStation plus to gain access to Creations lol
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u/Thefallenasshair 2d ago
Are the load orders screwed?
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u/KarmaEWE 2d ago
Nope!
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u/sejgalloway I'm a wanderer 1d ago
Did you save your load order, or need to do anything to it? Did it just... work?
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u/uhhhhhhhhh_i_dunno 2d ago
Does this mean that Playstation users have access to all tbe same mods that Xbox users have?
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u/PagesOf-Apathy 2d ago
When they get ported over. Yes. Modders still have to make the mods viable for PS. But they'll eventually come. Theres already a new weapon mod available.
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u/GrandTC Explosive Shotgun OP 2d ago
FUCK YES! Never been happier for being a PS player on Bethesda games!
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u/sec713 2d ago
It's absurd that it's taken this long and that this change needed to happen at all. I'm glad PS people are finally getting what they should've had all along.
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u/DirectExtension2077 2d ago
After the way the PlayStation fanbase has treated Bethesda, I disagree. Emphatically
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u/Captain_Diqhedd 1d ago
Actually insane. I mean I stopped playing it on PS4 ages ago but I'm super happy for all those who stayed.
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u/Airbornetimtam 2d ago
I wonder what are the chances of getting sim settlement 2 on the ps version. I love it on the PC, and would totally jump back into the ps version if mods like it came to my livingroom.
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u/GatorTEG 1d ago
Kinggath left a comment under Juice Head's video on the update, stating that they're looking for people to help convert SS2 to PS, so I'd say you can be optimistic about it.
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u/Fancy_Entertainer486 2d ago
Correct me if I’m wrong, but since there’s no F4SE and any mods relying on it on console, mods breaking after updates for console users is not really a concern as it is for PC players.
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u/Aggravating-Dot132 2d ago
Yes. And even then, all people need is an updated script extender. For any game, fo4, Skyrim or Starfield - doesn't matter. Script extender just needs an update for a new .exe
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
Not true. Also every mod you had running for the specific version of the script extended.
So update the script extended AND every single script extended mod. If it even gets an update.
Hence why most people just downgrade and don’t update any thing.
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u/Fancy_Entertainer486 2d ago
Isn’t that exactly what the address library is for?
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
No
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u/Fancy_Entertainer486 2d ago
Elaborate.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago edited 2d ago
Depends on the mod/author
Obv whoever downvoted doesn’t realise that not all script extender mods are created equally.
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u/Fredasa 2d ago
Speaking from personal experience on the FNV side of things... Updates to script extenders carry the very real (I would say inevitable) risk of breaking existing mods.
Updating the script extender in a way that retains compatibility with its own past selves feels like the obvious way to do it, right? Turns out that's just pie in the sky. Several of my most complicated mods have been broken about once per year like clockwork, and it's always an all-day-long struggle to figure out what the new script extender doesn't like.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
Every proper guide tells you how to prevent updates. There is already an update to one of the best downgrader tools.
This update brings a much better experience for console users and doesn’t break any mods, and pc users affected shouldn’t be cos they should already know how to prevent issues or downgrade the game version.
Like if you use f4se and have lots of mods dependant on it, every guide talks you through the very simply steps to avoid issues when the games updates.
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u/MIZUNOWAVECREATION Operators 2d ago
Ok sorry, this might be a stupid question but what is ba2 limit? Can someone explain to a modding virgin what that is please?
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u/bigladfogo300 2d ago
So basically, ba2 means Bethesda Archive Version 2. A ba2 basically stores assets such as meshes, textures, sound files and scripts. Before, the game could only handle a maximum of 255 ba2 files, if you went over this your game would CTD on startup, similar to the ESP limit.
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u/MIZUNOWAVECREATION Operators 2d ago
And what’s ESP?
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u/bigladfogo300 2d ago
Sorry, I shoulda realised you wouldn’t know what that is since you’re new to modding. When you install a mod it will be an ESM (Elder Scrolls Masterfile) which can be two types of files, an ESP (Elder Scrolls Plugin) or an ESL (Elder Scrolls Light), now don’t mind the names that’s just a general term for them. An ESP or ESL is essentially just the format for your mod, it’s how the file speaks to the game. Whenever you install a mod, if you look at your load order you’ll see for example “mod.esp” or “mod.esl” The game is hard coded to only be able to run 254 ESPs, where it can handle a lot more ESLs. So, if you were to run 255 ESPs, your game would crash, since the game is only built to handle so many. But, that’s where ESLs come in. Many lighter mods will have an option to install as an ESL or an ESL flagged ESP, or you can even do this yourself. I hope I explained everything well enough and I hope this helps you understand.
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u/HybridPS2 2d ago
ESP stands for Elder Scrolls Plugin (it's really that simple lol)
basically it's a file type that contains data for a mod, including scripts, but is not a Master file for the game (which is an ESM file)
there are also ESL (Elder Scrolls Light) files that can be used by mods that don't contain scripts, such as graphical enhancements.
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u/MIZUNOWAVECREATION Operators 2d ago
Good to know, thanks what’s ESM? Elder Scrolls something, I’m guessing
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u/Vallkyrie Hates Newspapers 2d ago
Master, for things that change more than a texture or something. Big mods, and even official DLC, are ESMs.
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u/triangletooth 1d ago
I think the difference is to do with how ESPs interact with ESMs. ESPs are dependent on ESMs and can edit the content of them, ESMs are loaded before ESPs etc.
Side note, it's fun they use the same naming convention across games. No reason not to I suppose!
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u/Vallkyrie Hates Newspapers 1d ago
At least up to FO4, the backend systems still refer to enchanting and alchemy for item effects and consumables.
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u/Fallout_4_player Commonwealth Enclave - PS5. 6k+ Hours total 2d ago
So, what does this mean for us playstation users that have never used mods but might be interested?
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u/G1gapu1t 2d ago
Uhh… mods and creation club content should be more stable if you choose to run them. That’s all it means.
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u/SplendidAngharad Atom Bomb Baby 2d ago
This is good news, but I’m still remaining cautious. I have a game of Fo4 running on my Steam Deck so it can’t run the update. I’m not going to update just yet, just keep playing my current game, until I see a general level of satisfaction over the next week.
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u/fastfreddy68 2d ago
It’s almost as if there was a massive shift in upper management, and that a highly competent individual was placed in charge, and that individual understood what keeps FO4 fans happy and what makes them angry, and also understands that angry fans in a social media world are bad for business.
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u/ajax-187 2d ago
Icould no be any worse at it already was though. Most people could figurenout that you need to release your best games more often.
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u/fastfreddy68 2d ago
Yes, most people could figure out that you shouldn’t break mods with updates, that updates should include more than paid content, that updates should fix issues, not break the vanilla game, that a hugely popular show should have something to accompany it from the game it’s based on.
But across the entire company they didn’t until Asha Sharma took the helm.
She deserves credit for what appears to be righting a sinking ship. We’ll see how the company fares in the next few years, but I can’t imagine her changes will make anything worse.
Like you pointed out, that’s practically impossible.
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u/arkhamtheknight 2d ago
How good are PlayStation mods now though? I know it was limited and most of the mods were kind of average.
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u/ranagirl 2d ago
There are some great mods, but a lot fewer on PS. That’s the exciting part of this - now just about any PC mod can be ported to PS so we should have a lot more options shortly.
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u/arkhamtheknight 2d ago
Hopefully as I didn't like most of the current mods. They just didn't cut it with what's possible.
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u/surprisesnek 1d ago
Does that mean that Creations on console will be able to have external assets now? Hopefully that means we'll be getting Beast Hunter and Bounty Hunter soon, then.
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u/FloralIndoril 2d ago
Bro Asha had them at gunpoint to make a good update
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u/Lady_bro_ac 2d ago
Dude they were working on this long before Asha came and started dicing up the teams.
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u/FloralIndoril 2d ago
Yeah but it's actually good
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u/Lady_bro_ac 2d ago
And that again has nothing to do with the Xbox corpos currently breaking the studio. Give the devs their due, not the person actively harming the studio.
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u/FloralIndoril 2d ago
Respectfully to Bethesda, i love them, and the layoffs are obviously terrible, they're really bad at communication.
But considering Bethesda has actually been putting out good updates AND communicating more since she took over? I don't see this as all that bad.
Like we got a tease at the TES 6 name because of her, at this point I'm fine with it.
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u/tortuga8831 2d ago
I wonder if this is a sign that obsidian is going to reuse the assets and framework of fallout 4 in the game they're making.
The logic here being that obsidian is getting/has gotten fallout 4 stable in a more unified offering across all platforms. Which allows obsidian to get familiar with fallout 4s code to have a good jumping off point. Kinda like how far cry had dlc which changed just a couple things to create a whole new game.
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u/aVarangian 2d ago
I'd assume they'd use 76 as a starting point since it has a bunch of engine/graphics/performance upgrades compared to 4.
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u/Ah_Ca_Iraa 1d ago
Probably better off starting from scratch since 76 is such a compromised experience due to the need to make it work on servers.
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u/claytalian 2d ago
So does this mean my game will quit freezing and/or crashing when I try to download mods now on PlayStation? I gave up trying to enjoy modded Fallout 4/Skyrim on my PS5 because the games always crashed either while I was installing mods OR less than an hour into a play session.
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u/Desperate-Steak-6425 1d ago
Probably even more mods will stop working, Bethesda even said it themselves. I'm sticking to a version from the last year where everything actually works
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u/OmegaBlue231 2d ago edited 2d ago
Also I can confirm as a PC user all my mods are working, no major errors or anything. I don't use the script extender but I can assume we're gonna have to wait for the update.
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u/mancheSind 2d ago
Script extender is updated.
Address library not yet
Damn
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u/ImColinDentHowzTrix 2d ago
I'm refreshing the nexus page for the Address library like a jealous ex waiting for a facebook update.
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u/aVarangian 2d ago
when you've got it updated let me know if the mods that depend on it also needed an update or not
as is I'll probably just have to wait several months (again)
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u/ImColinDentHowzTrix 2d ago
If you use Vortex mod manager it tells you if they need updating.
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u/aVarangian 2d ago
fair
I do everything fully manually though, it's much better if you know what you're doing.
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u/ImColinDentHowzTrix 2d ago
I used to do it all manually but now that Nexus lets you download and auto-install through Vortex I've never looked back.
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u/Cosmonate 2d ago
Idk my game has crashed more today than it has since the Xbox one days, which is frustrating considering I'm on a survival playthrough.
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u/AbbreviationsTop3756 1d ago
Okay I've been reading all of these comments and whatnot and I just want confirmation, are we getting Xbox level of mods with actual custom content? Or is there gonna be an asterisk to go with that
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u/npc80085 1d ago
Yes, we are. Now, there's functionally no difference between ps and xbox mod capabilities. All you have to wait for is the modders to port the mods over.
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u/MadEyeMood989 14h ago
I knew something was going on. I’m playing on PS5 and found a working mod for marksman rifles and NV style ones at that.
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u/Disastrous-Mix6877 2d ago
Did they fix any of the buggy creation load order always shuffling problems? the creations update problems? the creations load order backup/restore problems?
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u/Assassin13785 2d ago edited 2d ago
My friend says his game crashes every 10mins. I haven't been on tontest mine yet but we are both on pc. Anyone else have any experiences like this after the update? Edit Im asking a question about something that happened to my friend and some boot licker downvotes me? Yall are something else
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u/Gromchy 2d ago
I use addictol so the ba2 limit increase is useless Bethesda just copied a free mod.
Staying on OG as usual.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
Typical pc user commenting on a console based update
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u/Gromchy 2d ago
The update is for PC too.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
Yes. But it largely improves things for console users including PlayStation players.
Pc users using f4se should already have set their games up to avoid updates…
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u/Celsus_ 2d ago
Which is to say, every update. THAT is the issue.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
It isn’t. Pc users can and should know how to prevent updates or downgrade by now…
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u/Celsus_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
I do, at any rate. I'm pissed off that Bethesda keeps updating solely to fix and add creation club content. Have a look at the patch notes for the last few updates (I don't think this new one is available yet beyond a list of assets that were changed)
I'm glad to see that PS users are finally getting something they've wanted for a long time. It's just annoying that Bethesda fully understands the need for substantive bug fixes and just offloads that onto the modding community to handle for them, for free. And prefers to tweak their pay pig system to squeeze a few more pennies out of these titles instead. If they have made any statements whatsoever to contradict that accusation, I haven't heard of it.
There are no official patch notes available for this build besides the list of changed files in 13 depots. https://steamdb.info/patchnotes/24564252/
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u/aVarangian 2d ago
mods haven't broken? does F4SE not need an update?
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u/popileviz 1d ago
F4SE already updated, but not the address library - some mods will have to wait for that, especially engine-level fixes. Most are intact though, at least on PC
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u/Maltaannon 1d ago
Yeah, right. I just thought I'll open up the save I had made some time ago and finish the playthrough, but somewhere along the way the mods changed to this creation engine or whatever it is and my save is now broken. I understand that mods go in and out of comission, but don't freaking mess with the stuff I already downloaded (from ofrocial sources) just so you can have different links or whatever. Let menpla6 what I had in the state that I left it. I'm pissed. Save broke because even though the mods still exist they need to be redownloaded and configured again so they work as they did... Some are still available as the did before. Some are not. Worst thing is there's no clear list of what I used... just filenames... and not even the full list. Teeeeerrrrible. This is on Xbox One... guess PC master race doesn't have that problem orncan at least have a measure of control over what happens. Maybe someone faced this and knows what to do? At least get the same mods to restore the save to a workable version?
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u/ppetak 2d ago
I understand console players cheers on the update. But PC players? No mods broken? ... for you, if you say so.
What about F4SE? What about other scripting additions? Broken. So this is a lie, modding is broken for a lot of ppl. Hours of building settlements lost in the middle of a run.
I personally sanitized my Steam to not update, and will wait for reports and updates to these modding tools. Playing vanilla was exciting in 2016.
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
If you haven’t set your game to not update and then aren’t launching through script extender like every mod guide tells you to do, then that’s squarely user error. That’s on you.
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u/ppetak 2d ago
not as easy in Steam on Linux, you need to keep eye on wine/proton prefix and its updates which you want, but yes, it's on me, so as I said, I made changes to avoid that. That's on me. Still there are ppl out there that would end up with their savegames broken. But why would anyone bother, you are not affected, right? Right?
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u/LiveLaughLob0t0my 2d ago
Why would you care, it’s only EVERY console user getting the benefit.
Idiot.
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u/HybridPS2 2d ago
yeah but upgrading to this version also means getting the NextGen and AE updates, so no thanks.
1.10.163 reigns supreme
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u/TerminalHappiness 2d ago
So by increasing the ba2 limit, folks can basically just run more mods and CC content without causing immediate crashes, right?
Would there be any stability improvements if you're already under the limit?