Game loading times issue

pdglock19 · 04-26-07, 11:46 PM

Im new to the SH series and SH4 is awesome. I m wondering if I could do something to shorten the insane long loading times, especially when it says "Please wait". I have a P4 with 7800GS video and 1.5MB of RAM. I takes 10 minutes just to load a game!! All my other games, like HL2, load much faster. Thanks.

maerean_m · 04-27-07, 12:09 AM

The "Please wait" message duration depends on how long the patrol is.

On an AMD 3200+, it stays for 45 seconds to load a 2 week, 40k tons, patrol.

How long is your patrol for the load to take 10 minutes?

DocDarm · 04-27-07, 06:54 PM

I have the same issue. My loading time is near ten minutes. I started at PH with a Gato, went to the South China Sea, topped off my tanks and reloaded torps with the Aussies, and am now back enroute towards Japan to Midway. INSANE load time. I can't just boot the game up to check my patrol time...I have to schedule time to play this game since it'll take 10-15 minutes to get into it. Bad.

EDIT: AMD 64 3200+, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 7800 GS

DocDarm
Fort Lauderdale

SteamWake · 04-27-07, 07:55 PM

You wouldent happen to have added the bearing tool mod would you ?

When I added that in my load times doubled.

DocDarm · 04-27-07, 08:02 PM

I am running no mods at all. Did clean install with immediate patch to 1.2.

DocDarm
Fort Lauderdale

d@rk51d3 · 04-27-07, 08:10 PM

Any antivirus / antispyware running in the background? This can be a killer for me.

I believe some security software in particular can rob you of alot of resources.

swash · 04-27-07, 08:32 PM

For me, each save game of a career patrol takes longer to load. Like maerean_m said, the longer the patrol the longer the load.

Traveling from Pearl to the East China Sea and then down to the Luzon Straits and back is the longest patrol I've gone on so far. I had 5 saves over 3 days worth of playing and the last loadup was over 5 minutes, almost close to 10 minutes but I didn't time it.

Traveling from Pearl down to Aussie land and back

? That's going to take some time to load for sure.

GnarPow · 04-27-07, 08:36 PM

Wowsers

10 minutes to load, jeez...

I play this game on a laptop with Dual 1.83ghz processors, 2GB of ram at 667mhz and a geforce go 7400 256mb and I dont think it takes longer than 1 minute.. maybe 2 max and I wouldnt even think it takes that long... I've never thought to time it b4 but now im gonna check and get back to you.

swash · 04-27-07, 09:14 PM

Doh

Just had a thought. I didn't defrag before installing the game. Got caught up in the excitment when I bought it.

I wonder if the extended load times are caused by the game trying to pull fragmented files across the drive?

Skipbo · 04-27-07, 09:53 PM

Swash - let us know what happens after defragging. Would have to believe that you're onto it now, that's a lot of bytes to pick up in many chunks. I'm running a couple of dozen mods including FTT and SHIV itself loads in 1:34 with another 1:18 to load the Midway Mission or under 3 minutes total with dual 3.0Ghz CPUs. Good luck.

AVGWarhawk · 04-27-07, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swash

Doh

Just had a thought. I didn't defrag before installing the game. Got caught up in the excitment when I bought it.

I wonder if the extended load times are caused by the game trying to pull fragmented files across the drive?

This should help. It helps me when the loading drags. Also, like most have stated, depends were you saved. If I leave port and save a minute later, my next reload goes like lightning. If it has been a long patrol it take some time. Definitely not 10 minutes. Maybe a minute at most. I have not fast rig either. Off the shelf Emachine with better inards added.

Church SUBSIM · 04-28-07, 10:08 AM

Check out this program ... WinPatrol Plus for the PC. This is a slick little utility that will allow you to govern almost all aspects of what gets turned on and off at system start. Resources, Hidden apps, the works. You can get a free version of it to run and after using it for some time I finally paid the guy for the Plus version because I think he deserved it.

Here is the link .... http://www.winpatrol.com/

Give it a look - you may find some things under the hood that may be effecting performance.

yellbird · 04-28-07, 11:23 PM

I noticed that right before I quit playing I save the game in a new name then I would delete all the old saves and for whatever reason the new file always loads fast, if however I kept saving to the new name it would slow down so i just repeat the process when it started loading slow. Works for me.

Grothesj2 · 04-29-07, 04:49 AM

It always loads up pretty fast for me. Maybe more RAM or faster hard drive needed?

DocDarm · 04-29-07, 10:11 AM

My patrol so far is about 6 weeks. Saved game wieghs in at 7.9 MB. Load time is 9 minutes. On a AMD64 3200+ with 1GB RAM, plenty of extra GB hard drive space, and a nVidia 7800 GS.

Guess I'll head back to dock and see what a new patrol load time will be...oh, and a defrag.

DocDarm

04-26-07, 11:46 PM	#1
pdglock19 Bilge Rat Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Game loading times issue Im new to the SH series and SH4 is awesome. I m wondering if I could do something to shorten the insane long loading times, especially when it says "Please wait". I have a P4 with 7800GS video and 1.5MB of RAM. I takes 10 minutes just to load a game!! All my other games, like HL2, load much faster. Thanks.

04-27-07, 12:09 AM	#2
maerean_m Captain Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bucharest, Romania Posts: 529 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	The "Please wait" message duration depends on how long the patrol is. On an AMD 3200+, it stays for 45 seconds to load a 2 week, 40k tons, patrol. How long is your patrol for the load to take 10 minutes? __________________ Kilroy was here

04-27-07, 08:32 PM	#7
swash Sailor man Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 46 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	For me, each save game of a career patrol takes longer to load. Like maerean_m said, the longer the patrol the longer the load. Traveling from Pearl to the East China Sea and then down to the Luzon Straits and back is the longest patrol I've gone on so far. I had 5 saves over 3 days worth of playing and the last loadup was over 5 minutes, almost close to 10 minutes but I didn't time it. Traveling from Pearl down to Aussie land and back? That's going to take some time to load for sure.

04-28-07, 10:08 AM	#12
Church SUBSIM Weps Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 353 Downloads: 121 Uploads: 4	Check out this program ... WinPatrol Plus for the PC. This is a slick little utility that will allow you to govern almost all aspects of what gets turned on and off at system start. Resources, Hidden apps, the works. You can get a free version of it to run and after using it for some time I finally paid the guy for the Plus version because I think he deserved it. Here is the link .... http://www.winpatrol.com/ Give it a look - you may find some things under the hood that may be effecting performance. __________________

04-27-07, 06:54 PM	#3
DocDarm Swabbie Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 11 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	I have the same issue. My loading time is near ten minutes. I started at PH with a Gato, went to the South China Sea, topped off my tanks and reloaded torps with the Aussies, and am now back enroute towards Japan to Midway. INSANE load time. I can't just boot the game up to check my patrol time...I have to schedule time to play this game since it'll take 10-15 minutes to get into it. Bad. EDIT: AMD 64 3200+, 2 GB RAM, GeForce 7800 GS DocDarm Fort Lauderdale

04-27-07, 07:55 PM	#4
SteamWake Rear Admiral Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,224 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	You wouldent happen to have added the bearing tool mod would you ? When I added that in my load times doubled.

04-27-07, 08:02 PM	#5
DocDarm Swabbie Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 11 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	I am running no mods at all. Did clean install with immediate patch to 1.2. DocDarm Fort Lauderdale

04-27-07, 08:10 PM	#6
d@rk51d3 Sea Lord Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 1,952 Downloads: 207 Uploads: 0	Any antivirus / antispyware running in the background? This can be a killer for me. I believe some security software in particular can rob you of alot of resources.

04-27-07, 08:36 PM	#8
GnarPow Gunner Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 96 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Wowsers 10 minutes to load, jeez... I play this game on a laptop with Dual 1.83ghz processors, 2GB of ram at 667mhz and a geforce go 7400 256mb and I dont think it takes longer than 1 minute.. maybe 2 max and I wouldnt even think it takes that long... I've never thought to time it b4 but now im gonna check and get back to you.

04-27-07, 09:14 PM	#9
swash Sailor man Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 46 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Doh Just had a thought. I didn't defrag before installing the game. Got caught up in the excitment when I bought it. I wonder if the extended load times are caused by the game trying to pull fragmented files across the drive?

04-27-07, 09:53 PM	#10
Skipbo Sailor man Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Southern Indiana Posts: 46 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Swash - let us know what happens after defragging. Would have to believe that you're onto it now, that's a lot of bytes to pick up in many chunks. I'm running a couple of dozen mods including FTT and SHIV itself loads in 1:34 with another 1:18 to load the Midway Mission or under 3 minutes total with dual 3.0Ghz CPUs. Good luck.

04-28-07, 11:23 PM	#13
yellbird Seaman Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 31 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	I noticed that right before I quit playing I save the game in a new name then I would delete all the old saves and for whatever reason the new file always loads fast, if however I kept saving to the new name it would slow down so i just repeat the process when it started loading slow. Works for me.

04-29-07, 04:49 AM	#14
Grothesj2 Medic Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 167 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	It always loads up pretty fast for me. Maybe more RAM or faster hard drive needed?

04-29-07, 10:11 AM	#15
DocDarm Swabbie Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 11 Downloads: 8 Uploads: 0	My patrol so far is about 6 weeks. Saved game wieghs in at 7.9 MB. Load time is 9 minutes. On a AMD64 3200+ with 1GB RAM, plenty of extra GB hard drive space, and a nVidia 7800 GS. Guess I'll head back to dock and see what a new patrol load time will be...oh, and a defrag. DocDarm