Biggest problem with Fallout 4 (no audio), fixable with mods?

[CerebralHawk]

One of the biggest problems with Fallout 4 (and I blame Bethesda's ageing Gamebryo engine) is the no-audio bug, where if you have a different audio output selected when the game launches, even if you change it (a recent Windows 10 update allows this with the Xbox Game Bar which you can summon with Win+G in or out of game), you get no audio.

The game seems to detect the computer's audio output setting at launch and lock it to that for some reason. The only way to get audio in the game is to quit and restart the game.

My computer uses my TV as its second monitor, so when I watch stuff on the computer, on the TV, the computer switches the audio output from my PC's speakers to the TV. However, if the TV is off, it can't play sound, but it remains a valid output. It would be nice if, when the TV is off, the TV audio is disabled (and defaults back to the computer speakers), but Windows can't do this. (The reverse would also be nice, when the TV is turned on, computer audio would route to the TV.)

Most games can handle the switching of the audio output mid-game. In fact, the only ones I've seen that can't are in the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series. (Though, there are probably others.)

It seems to me the ideal situation would be to just follow the default audio device in Windows; to let Windows handle it and not lock it to one source. For example if you need to quickly switch to headphones. Wired headphones should cut your speakers (they have on every computer I've owned), but a Bluetooth headset would be its own audio device, and presently Fallout 4 would ostensibly require a restart for that.

Of course, it doesn't really take that long to restart Fallout 4. I'm just wondering if we really have to.

 

[michaelav1207]

surprised at the lack of replies here...3 years later and I still can't figure this out.

 

[Antoine Soverie]

I'm not sure if it's specifically a fo4 problem but I had it whenever I tried to plug in headphones. Restarting should fix it, yeah. But I wouldn't call it the worst problem or anywhere near.

 

[HalfWolf]

This issue seems to be tied to the game's engine, which locks onto the selected audio output during launch, making it a bit inflexible when you switch devices mid-game. Many games can handle audio output switches seamlessly, but the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series appear to be exceptions.

Ideally, the game should follow the default audio device in Windows, allowing for smoother transitions between audio sources, like headphones or Bluetooth headsets. While restarting Fallout 4 isn't a lengthy process, it's a valid question whether it's necessary in the first place. Game developers could potentially address this issue in future updates or game releases to enhance the overall user experience.

 

[Antoine Soverie]

I get that, can get pretty annoying, especially if you don't live alone and have to switch outputs regularly. Personally I'd prefer if we didn't have to go through loading screens to enter a small shack. I'd guess Starfield is like that too. I don't have much hope for updates though, usually no game updates is better for mods than any updates.

 

[msalaba]

surprised at the lack of replies here...3 years later and I still can't figure this out.

What video card are you running. My GTX 1070 automagically disables the hdmi audio to my TV when it is turned off. When I turn my TV on, the audio switches to it and when I turn it off it switches to my speakers. I can't remember it I did anything special in the nVidia settings. I don't think I did...