FYI - If you still want to play Red Dead Online then use RedM. This functions off of your RDR2 installation and creates a completely separate profile, meaning it will not use any mods you have installed.
I am incredibly grateful for your guide! Thank you so much for bringing this RDR2 mod guide to the Nexus space. Your hard work in putting it together is seen, and I commend you for the effort! <3
I am having some issues with getting the RDMT working past the "continue" button for the path to the root folder, but of course, this is not your doing. I have tried to fix it with some troubleshooting from the main mod page, but unfortunately, nothing has worked so far, and I am not the only one who deals with this issue. I just thought I'd let you know in case of adjusting it for the guide.
EDIT: Well then! RDMT suddenly started working after a couple of save loads for both the Epilogue and in Chapter 2, and after I had successfully installed some mods. It might be that the presence of mods allowed the app to work? Or maybe it was that I needed the Online Content Unlocker? I'm not sure. These were the only changes I made since posting my original comment.
Hey, I'm glad you find the guide useful and it's working for you now.
Regarding your other comment, AI could help but I wouldn't trust it with everything as it's easily misinformed about topics that don't have a 'clear' answer to them, in spite of the way the AI words things. If it does work for you then you should keep using it to find the best mods for your playthrough.
I'll be updating the guide real soon to clarify some sections, the spawn bug section especially as I felt that I could have worded it better.
For some reason having vsf.asi in my main directory makes the game not launch. It loads up r* games launcher and has an error message that says "Red Dead Redemption 2 Exited Unexpectedly". My game only launches when i remove vfs.asi from my folder, but when i remove it, all my lml mods dont work anymore. is there any way to fix this? i have a legal copy of version 1.0.1491.50
Keep vfs.asi and remove all of your mods (both lml and script mods) to see if the game starts. If it does then it's a specific mod that's causing this. Add each mod back in one-by-one or in pairs to root out the culprit.
If all mods were removed and the game still isn't starting then make sure you have installed everything in Chapter I properly. The game should not crash with those components installed on their own.
from what i found out is that if the game launches, than LML did not work because for whatever reason I think that Rdr2 crashes when Lml is working/would have worked
This is an absolute long shot but have you tried verifying the game files? I'm still looking into other's encounters with this and a few state that verifying integrity solved this for them.
it still says "Rdr2 Exited Unexpectedly. Please click retry below to enter the game again, or click safe mode to launch the game with reduced graphics settings". But when i launch safe mode or click retry it loads for like 20 seconds and then the same error message pops up.
Sorry to say but I'm really unsure what could be causing the crashing for you. I think your last resort is to reinstall the game completely and see if that fixes the issue, otherwise I'm completely stumped.
I did a reinstall and had a clean/unmodified rdr2 folder, running the game worked fine. But The only extra things that i added to the basic unmodified version lml modloader files version 11beta (without any mods in the lml folder),scripthook v2 and ultimate asi loaders Dinput8 from the 64 tab and i still get the same error message. Does steam version 1.0.1491.50 just not work with lml?
the only mods that I'm trying to use are Whyems bloodIust, improvements in blood and Realsitic weapon sounds. Is there any way to get these mods without lml?
For new modders, if people need troubleshooting help with any mods and are still stuck even after looking around online, then I'd recommend also getting an AI tool like ChatGPT to help you out. I am by no means a supporter of AI generated images DO NOT COME FOR ME
An AI tool can help you as long as you know modding terms and "PC talk". It can help save time and explain things for you patiently (and as a bonus will praise you and encourage you for doing the sometimes not-so-easy modding things of RDR2.)
Just make sure to catch it when the AI is referring to an outdated version of a mod. For example, if it refers to a log file when talking about Lenny's Mod Loader, then it is talking about a previous version of LML that no longer uses the log, and instead uses the vsf.asi file. And always remember to never have the Online Content Unlocker and version.dll at the same time! Cos ChatGPT will sometimes forget these files conflict.
In the end, modding RDR2 isn't too difficult once you spend the time learning. I started researching it over two days, and began working on the downloads today. So far, I have about a 98% success rate - just still figuring out how to get the Gun Tricks to work! But this modding guide was super super helpful! Thanks!
Next, I'm going to use ChatGPT to help me figure out how to pick out a few things I want from WhyEm's DLC in an attempt to avoid the ped/train spawning error. There are very few alternatives for clothing mods, or I haven't been able to find them. Which is sad, because, afterall, 1899/1907 fashion is important. And it is time to play Outlaw Barbies. Yeehaw.
first off, thank you for spreading some good info to the community, it's surprising how much false/wrong/outdated info gets passed around here. can you make also make a concise, written info about merging mods? I know there are bits and pieces around but a well-written guide posted here would make so much problems disappear. RDMT and OpenIV seem to struggle and just helping people understand what a merge looks like would be tremendous work. speaking of, can you help me with a SUHM + Munitions V3.1 merge? i believe it's possible but i haven't gotten it to work yet
This is an excellent guide! You mention knowing of alternatives to the mods listed in chapter 3: Known Outdated Mods. I was wondering if you had a link to the functional versions? The contracts one I am most interested in.
Hey, I had another look into this and unfortunately it seems that the other mods that top contracts no longer work either (they were made by the same author who has presumably quit modding), I will update that section soon.
As for the other mods:
No Out of Bounds Snipers is an alternative to it's mentioned counterpart, although you could use Project New Austin instead as this does that and so much more to the desert region of the game.
Hi, first thank you so much for this guide extremely helpful!
I was wondering if you could explain how to replace AB scripthook with scripthook v2. When I tried, some script mods I wanted would not work like duels I believe
Also I just installed Why Ems and so far the npcs are still spawning in good thankfully
I do really want to add ambient gangs on top of bandit hideouts but I think I should copy a new directory and see how it works because Im afraid that will cause the spawn bug. Also with project new austin lol
Hey, I'm very glad the guide has been found helpful to a lot so far.
Ensure that you removed all files that AB ScriptHook consists of before installing ScriptHook V2. The files are: •ScriptHookRDR2.dll •dinput8.dll •NativeTrainer.asi (if you installed this)
If you're sure that this was done and the Duels mod still isn't working then double check to ensure you have installed it correctly or mess around with the config file that it comes with. It should work with ScriptHook V2 as I have used that mod myself in the past. On a side note: Duels is a buggy mod and doesn't always work as intended. I'd recommend installing Dueling Redone alongside it to see if it fixes any of your issues.
Ambient Gangs claims not to cause the spawn issues so you can take their word for it, I suppose. Bandit Hideout shouldn't cause the spawn bug as it only touches enemy gang-related spawns and adds them to new locations. Both are compatible with eachother so you should be fine.
Project New Austin doesn't cause the spawn bug but it does touch some locations, however. I wouldn't recommend use both of those mods alongside PNA as it may cause unintended issues, although you should be perfectly fine to use it with Ambient Gangs if you let PNA overwrite it in the mod manager.
Also, that's the first time I've heard WhyEm's not cause the spawn bug, unless it's not an immediate issue for some.
Thank you for the comprehensive reply very helpful sir.
Maybe I have not noticed it with Why Em's yet but I have noticed it being buggy not loading in the jacket I have on when I first boot the game. Not sure if I just didn't save or what but I try to figure it out. I also think I read somewhere WhyEms causes the NPC spawn glitch when you buy a lot of the clothes themselves. Not sure if this accurate just a rumor I read I for the life cannot remember where. I think a reddit post
"Its a known issue tied to modded assets being loaded in your area, the biggest culprits are custom .ytds that are being applied to player clothing and other model/texture mods or even ymaps and custom ped .ymts For example: you have a fully vanilla game and add 100 modded ytds that edit valentine only now it will cause tons of ambient spawns/scenarios to not load in that area specifically but, if you are nowhere near the modded valentine the spawns will be just fine. Most of the player clothing mods like jmrp, wyems etc all have custom retextures for all types of clothing so if you are wearing any clothing components that have been modded with files in the stream folder you will automatically lose ambient spawns/scenarios almost everywhere you go because you are basically a walking memory overload. The more clothing you wear the less spawns you will encounter, if you are dressed in fully vanilla clothing you will notice some spawns coming back. All modded files contribute to this problem but the biggest culprits are .ytds I personally think its due to lml not having the ability to use compressed files and having to resort to load the full filesizes of modded assets into memory unlike gta v with openiv where it will load rpfs with the compressed modded assets in them."
this post and this specific reply is what I remember. Maybe just because I usually only use the poncho from it that I have not noticed
https://www.reddit.com/r/PCRedDead/comments/1ihfoq4/heads_up_to_pc_rdr2_players_using_mods_there_is_a/ This is the post I found recently that talked about buying too many of the clothes
I recall that first reddit post, this is where the spawn isssue got one if it's first open discussions on what really causes it.
Excuse my lack of clarity on the matter but it's basically what you said, mods such as WhyEm's mainly cause the spawn bug when you're in an area that the mod effects (locations where spawns are affected, areas or clothing which have custom textures, etc) which is why I point to the mod causing that bug in regardless as most people will explore everything that the mod has to bring and so end up causing the spawn bug.
However, I was not aware of that second reddit post and that's a very interesting find on their end. I'll update the WhyEm's section to reflect their findings and be a bit clearer on how WhyEm's causes the spawn bug. Thank you for the information.
Talk about being unlucky. Come to think of it, it's possible that WhyEm's contains uncompressed textures which could be a leading culptrit but I don't know if this is actually the case.
If you're referring to Red Dead Offline, that mod literally just 'unlocks' a lot of content that is unavailable in singleplayer by default; by that method I don't believe that it should cause the spawn bug in spite of the other bugs that the mod has.
After reading everything and thinking about it I'm now obsessed with getting these trains to spawn normally again and I'm afraid a few mods are affecting them. Not sure. Like I said I'm new to this and I am definitely not a coder but I do recognize patterns easily
and yea I was referring to red dead offline. I just need my Clint Eastwood poncho fix and trains to rob lol
Also curious if Project New Austin is maybe messing w the train spawns because it seems to add trains in New Austin. Idk man idk s#*! lmao. Thank you for your time
PNA won't cause the spawn bug, thankfully. I use it myself amongst a good amount of texture mods and my trains are perfectly fine because those mod authors knew what to do.
yeah dude idek whats causing them to not spawn in. I've been riding around like a madman trying to find them. I even installed railroad engineer to track them lol they will not spawn rn. Whyems is uninstalled. Yeah idk
Been cleaning out some mods after reading through this. I've had an issue pop-up that I never noticed before, has anyone else had manes on horses glitch out? They usually look stretched out and flickering but only at certain distances. It's very annoying and I can't pin down the issue.
One small error regarding the Ultimate ASI Loader section. The version of the asi loader you have to download is dependent on whether the game is 64-bit or 32-bit, not your operating system. RDR2 is a 64-bit game (like every modern game today), so you have to use the x64 version.
If you wanted to use it for GTA: San Andreas, and your operator system is 64-bit, you would still need to use the 32-bit version, because GTA: San Andreas is a 32-bit (x86) game.
I'll update that section to reflect this. I wasn't that aware of operating system specs and how they relate to games this way and it's interesting to know this now, thank you.
64 comments
I am having some issues with getting the RDMT working past the "continue" button for the path to the root folder, but of course, this is not your doing. I have tried to fix it with some troubleshooting from the main mod page, but unfortunately, nothing has worked so far, and I am not the only one who deals with this issue. I just thought I'd let you know in case of adjusting it for the guide.
EDIT: Well then! RDMT suddenly started working after a couple of save loads for both the Epilogue and in Chapter 2, and after I had successfully installed some mods. It might be that the presence of mods allowed the app to work? Or maybe it was that I needed the Online Content Unlocker? I'm not sure. These were the only changes I made since posting my original comment.
Regarding your other comment, AI could help but I wouldn't trust it with everything as it's easily misinformed about topics that don't have a 'clear' answer to them, in spite of the way the AI words things. If it does work for you then you should keep using it to find the best mods for your playthrough.
I'll be updating the guide real soon to clarify some sections, the spawn bug section especially as I felt that I could have worded it better.
Keep vfs.asi and remove all of your mods (both lml and script mods) to see if the game starts. If it does then it's a specific mod that's causing this. Add each mod back in one-by-one or in pairs to root out the culprit.
If all mods were removed and the game still isn't starting then make sure you have installed everything in Chapter I properly. The game should not crash with those components installed on their own.
I’ll try have a look to see other’s cases of this issue or if I can replicate this. Keep me updated if anything changes.
I'm still looking into other's encounters with this and a few state that verifying integrity solved this for them.
i have a nvidia 1050ti 4gb, with radeon 5 2400g processor, and my computer model is an hp pavilion gaming desktop 690-00xx
Sorry to say but I'm really unsure what could be causing the crashing for you. I think your last resort is to reinstall the game completely and see if that fixes the issue, otherwise I'm completely stumped.
And yes the latest version of the game should work without any issue. I'm well and truly lost as to why it doesn't work for you.
I am by no means a supporter of AI generated images DO NOT COME FOR MEAn AI tool can help you as long as you know modding terms and "PC talk". It can help save time and explain things for you patiently (and as a bonus will praise you and encourage you for doing the sometimes not-so-easy modding things of RDR2.)
Just make sure to catch it when the AI is referring to an outdated version of a mod. For example, if it refers to a log file when talking about Lenny's Mod Loader, then it is talking about a previous version of LML that no longer uses the log, and instead uses the vsf.asi file. And always remember to never have the Online Content Unlocker and version.dll at the same time! Cos ChatGPT will sometimes forget these files conflict.
In the end, modding RDR2 isn't too difficult once you spend the time learning. I started researching it over two days, and began working on the downloads today. So far, I have about a 98% success rate - just still figuring out how to get the Gun Tricks to work! But this modding guide was super super helpful! Thanks!
Next, I'm going to use ChatGPT to help me figure out how to pick out a few things I want from WhyEm's DLC in an attempt to avoid the ped/train spawning error. There are very few alternatives for clothing mods, or I haven't been able to find them. Which is sad, because, afterall, 1899/1907 fashion is important. And it is time to play Outlaw Barbies. Yeehaw.
speaking of, can you help me with a SUHM + Munitions V3.1 merge? i believe it's possible but i haven't gotten it to work yet
As for the other mods:
No Out of Bounds Snipers is an alternative to it's mentioned counterpart, although you could use Project New Austin instead as this does that and so much more to the desert region of the game.
Bakou's Rifle Holsters is the best alternative to it's mentioned counterpart.
There is currently no alternative to the Blackwater mod but somone is in the process of making one and it looks amazing so far.
I was wondering if you could explain how to replace AB scripthook with scripthook v2. When I tried, some script mods I wanted would not work like duels I believe
Also I just installed Why Ems and so far the npcs are still spawning in good thankfully
I do really want to add ambient gangs on top of bandit hideouts but I think I should copy a new directory and see how it works because Im afraid that will cause the spawn bug. Also with project new austin lol
Ensure that you removed all files that AB ScriptHook consists of before installing ScriptHook V2.
The files are:
•ScriptHookRDR2.dll
•dinput8.dll
•NativeTrainer.asi (if you installed this)
If you're sure that this was done and the Duels mod still isn't working then double check to ensure you have installed it correctly or mess around with the config file that it comes with. It should work with ScriptHook V2 as I have used that mod myself in the past.
On a side note: Duels is a buggy mod and doesn't always work as intended. I'd recommend installing Dueling Redone alongside it to see if it fixes any of your issues.
Ambient Gangs claims not to cause the spawn issues so you can take their word for it, I suppose. Bandit Hideout shouldn't cause the spawn bug as it only touches enemy gang-related spawns and adds them to new locations. Both are compatible with eachother so you should be fine.
Project New Austin doesn't cause the spawn bug but it does touch some locations, however. I wouldn't recommend use both of those mods alongside PNA as it may cause unintended issues, although you should be perfectly fine to use it with Ambient Gangs if you let PNA overwrite it in the mod manager.
Also, that's the first time I've heard WhyEm's not cause the spawn bug, unless it's not an immediate issue for some.
Maybe I have not noticed it with Why Em's yet but I have noticed it being buggy not loading in the jacket I have on when I first boot the game. Not sure if I just didn't save or what but I try to figure it out. I also think I read somewhere WhyEms causes the NPC spawn glitch when you buy a lot of the clothes themselves. Not sure if this accurate just a rumor I read I for the life cannot remember where. I think a reddit post
"Its a known issue tied to modded assets being loaded in your area, the biggest culprits are custom .ytds that are being applied to player clothing and other model/texture mods or even ymaps and custom ped .ymts
For example: you have a fully vanilla game and add 100 modded ytds that edit valentine only now it will cause tons of ambient spawns/scenarios to not load in that area specifically but, if you are nowhere near the modded valentine the spawns will be just fine.
Most of the player clothing mods like jmrp, wyems etc all have custom retextures for all types of clothing so if you are wearing any clothing components that have been modded with files in the stream folder you will automatically lose ambient spawns/scenarios almost everywhere you go because you are basically a walking memory overload. The more clothing you wear the less spawns you will encounter, if you are dressed in fully vanilla clothing you will notice some spawns coming back.
All modded files contribute to this problem but the biggest culprits are .ytds
I personally think its due to lml not having the ability to use compressed files and having to resort to load the full filesizes of modded assets into memory unlike gta v with openiv where it will load rpfs with the compressed modded assets in them."
this post and this specific reply is what I remember. Maybe just because I usually only use the poncho from it that I have not noticed
https://www.reddit.com/r/PCRedDead/comments/1ihfoq4/heads_up_to_pc_rdr2_players_using_mods_there_is_a/
This is the post I found recently that talked about buying too many of the clothes
so separate issues
Excuse my lack of clarity on the matter but it's basically what you said, mods such as WhyEm's mainly cause the spawn bug when you're in an area that the mod effects (locations where spawns are affected, areas or clothing which have custom textures, etc) which is why I point to the mod causing that bug in regardless as most people will explore everything that the mod has to bring and so end up causing the spawn bug.
However, I was not aware of that second reddit post and that's a very interesting find on their end. I'll update the WhyEm's section to reflect their findings and be a bit clearer on how WhyEm's causes the spawn bug. Thank you for the information.
Update: nevermind I did my own testing and even having it installed causes trains to despawn. Super unlucky. Does RDO cause the same thing?
If you're referring to Red Dead Offline, that mod literally just 'unlocks' a lot of content that is unavailable in singleplayer by default; by that method I don't believe that it should cause the spawn bug in spite of the other bugs that the mod has.
and yea I was referring to red dead offline. I just need my Clint Eastwood poncho fix and trains to rob lol
Also curious if Project New Austin is maybe messing w the train spawns because it seems to add trains in New Austin. Idk man idk s#*! lmao. Thank you for your time
they will not spawn rn. Whyems is uninstalled. Yeah idk
update: its probably the train mod itself lmaoo
If you wanted to use it for GTA: San Andreas, and your operator system is 64-bit, you would still need to use the 32-bit version, because GTA: San Andreas is a 32-bit (x86) game.
Hope that clears the confusion.
I'll update that section to reflect this. I wasn't that aware of operating system specs and how they relate to games this way and it's interesting to know this now, thank you.