Some general settings issues

[LouisaB75]

I just purchased the game, having had it recommended to me for a long time, but am having severe difficulties with some of the simplest things relating to settings.

The main issue is that I can't seem to access all of the settings menu. Nothing I do and no key I press allows me to scroll down to the items under the little down arrow. Which means I can only map the keys at the top and can't see anything below to see what I need to.

I can't even get to an option to exit the game. I can save it or load it but there is no obvious option to simply save and exit. Or if there is an option it is hidden below the place I can't scroll to.

There is also an annoying issue in that I can't control my volume while inside the game and I can't minimise the game to the desktop in order to google all these issues.

I had to close down the game from the task manager after using steam overlay just to get to that. I really need to know how to exit the game properly and I have a sneaking suspicion that it is another option that is hidden below the can't scroll issue.

The first thing I want to do in any game is sort out my key bindings and what should be an easy job is proving to be ridiculously problematic.

Any ideas please?

[Vlad 254]

Originally posted by LouisaB75:

I can't even get to an option to exit the game. I can save it or load it but there is no obvious option to simply save and exit. Or if there is an option it is hidden below the place I can't scroll to.

Many have asked that same question and were surprised to see that the answer was simply to scroll down. Don't feel like the lone ranger, it's happened to many.

[LouisaB75]

I finally managed to get it to scroll down by using the wasd keys but am still having scrolling difficulties, now also with dialogue. It won't let me pick any other dialogue option by scrolling or clicking on them. And while I can get to the exit option I still can't scroll to the key bindings. Though oddly I can scroll through the previously invisible help menu without difficulty.

There does seem to be an issue with scrolling that this game simply does not like.

Actually, just went back to the help menu and now that won't scroll either and neither will the left side menu to the exit option again. :(

So, to exit I now need to scroll down and count the number of times I hit the S key so I can guess that it is on the exit option since I can't see it, but it will open up the options that are hidden even though the menu appears to be stuck.

[Riverdusk]

That is strange. Maybe try a different mouse or a controller if you have one? Or if you do have a controller plugged in, try unplugging it as it might be interfering.

[LouisaB75]

No controller or mouse. I generally use just the keyboard and touchpad since I am on a laptop and nowhere to balance a mouse. Though I am thinking I may have to try that at some point just to see whether it makes a difference. For most games I can scroll with the touchpad or use the arrow keys or wasd keys.

This game seems very bugged with this though. The can't scroll through the dialogue issue is making the game largely unplayable. Even clicking on the dialogue option I want, and highlighting it so it shows in white, does not help and it still just repeats the first bit of dialogue in some conversations over and over again.

[Riverdusk]

Sounds like it may just not work well on a touchpad then. Although it can be finicky about mouse/keyboard too honestly. Unfortunately they went hard on making the UI more controller focused.

Not sure if you want to jump into modding yet, but I use these two to help with that very issue for Keyboard/Mouse and they might help:

Better Dialogue Controls:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1429

Better Messagebox Controls:
https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/1428

[LouisaB75]

Thanks. I will dig out my old mouse and give that a try, if that doesn't work then I will see about the mods.

[LouisaB75]

After checking out the mod descriptions I realised that it was almost certainly not going to help to use the mouse since my hands will still be catching the touchpad which is clearly what is making it misbehave. The times it was working okay must have been when I was being more careful and hadn't triggered the bug.

On that basis I downloaded the mods and installed them with Vortex. But when I look at the mods menu on the game it does not show any mods in the list. Is that right? It says they are both enabled in Vortex.

It does seem to be working much better for the menus (though again it could be that I am just being careful at the moment) but oddly I still can't scroll down the controls page. I am starting to wonder if there is anything below what I see initially, even though there is a downward pointing arrow there.

The ones I see are the movement keys and they go down as far as sheath/unsheath. Nothing shows below that, although I would expect to see ones for more like block and hide etc.

[Riverdusk]

That is normal and same for me, those mods aren't actual plug-ins so they won't show up in your mod load order list. Also means they don't count against your max mods allowed and it is how some people have 1,000 mods going. As long as it shows as "enabled" on the Vortex mods list you should be good.

There are definite control setting options below that. I can either use my mouse scroll wheel or the S key to scroll down when I look at it.

[LouisaB75]

Thanks. Still having a few issues with scrolling but it is a lot better than it was yesterday. And suspect that the issue today is not confined to scrolling as I suddenly switched to third person view and could not back to first person and I can't seem to scroll through my skills list either.

If this game hadn't come so highly recommended I am pretty sure I would be asking for a refund by now. I seem to spend more time googling to try to fix stuff than I do actually playing the game.

[dazzaplin]

I play on a laptop that has a touchpad but I use an external mouse. Occasionally my hand will drift to the pad and affect the camera but it's rare. I don't imagine this game will be much fun on a touch pad. I highly recommend you find a table or countertop to put your laptop on and get an external mouse, failing that get a controller.

I have run into the dialogue selection problem though. If the dialogue sentence itself isn't highlighted in white AND the selection arrow isn't pointing on it, then the game seems to default to the first dialogue choice even if you just heard it. Simply clicking on the dialogue you want just isn't reliable, seems 50/50 whether it will work or not.

I only run the unofficial bug fix mod and the added blood splatter mod.

I can't change the volume or exit to desktop unless I activate the steam overlay first.

You have to remember this game is almost 12 years old, and it has had several jolts of juice shot into it over the decade to keep it walking, so to speak. Skyrim is a creaky, clanky beast, even for a Bethesda game but I hope you stick with it because it is worth it. People are still playing it a decade later for a reason.

[LouisaB75]

Thanks. The two add ons mentioned in an earlier post appear to have mostly fixed the dialogue and scrolling issues.

The can't minimise to control the computer volume I just have to remember to set the volume before I start the game since there is no way to do that in game.

I am now convinced that the down arrow in the controls/key bindings settings is just for decoration as there is no way at all for me to move down past what is already visible on the screen. I am trying to convince my fingers to use different keys to what I use in most of my other games - not the easiest thing and it works both ways if I move to those games from Skyrim and have to train my fingers back again!

I find that occasionally I have the issue where I suddenly switch from first person to third person POV, can't switch it back, and that triggers the menus being unscrollable so have to reload the game. It maybe happens once or twice over a few hours of play so far better than the constant issue it was before.