The only way how to play this game is (on Win7):
Start>Control Panel>Programs>Programs and Features
hit Uninstall
...and be done with it.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. Even with all the considerable effort (and hat down to all modders who spent all the time on the game
) the game remains unplayable to me: multiple CTDs, annoying bugs, etc...
I have tried, many times, even spent quite a bit of time creating and releasing mods for it, but the game stays a big POS in my book.
The reason for playing games is, for me, enjoyment. Playing, or I should rather say "attempting to play" SH5, equals, in my book, in terms of enjoyment, to sticking rusty nails and needles under my fingernails. Painful and huge waste of time.
I'll pass... (For now, until there is, maybe in future, equivalent of GWX3 for it - SOLID and WORKING compilation of mods). R.I.P.