Saves should be loaded after exiting to main menu or to desktop? Save data purge bug?

[Squerol26]

Hello.

 

I've read some forum comments about Oblivion engine bug which causes save data to not purge if we load save when we are in game.

The effects of that engine bug could be crashes in moments of dead or crashes at loading/saving game and corrupting them (I'm encountering those issues right now).

 

Is it true? Or just some sort of myth?

 

Some people said that to purge save data loading save files should be done only after:

a) exiting to desktop and launching game again,

b) exiting just to main menu and loading save there,

 

So if purge data engine bug isn't myth, which save game loading method will purge it? a) or b)?

 

By the way I've already disabled autosaves, I'm not overwriting save files and I'm not using quicksave to protect my save files from corruption because I've heard those are bad habits too.

 

Thanks.

[Striker879]

I'm probably one of your "some people" ... let me offer my reasoning behind what I do.

 

I read a lot, so I run into posts or articles that sometimes don't have relevance for me until some time later, when I then run into the situation discussed myself.

 

I used to be a quicksave/quickload junkie (those damned wisp stalks and their low probability of harvesting success is my main excuse). Eventually my first character's saves became all but unplayable. I remembered reading something about saves and started doing some research in earnest. Everything pointed to quicksaves being the culprit.

 

I adopted good saving habits (though for that character autosaves were still enabled but they were almost never used to continue) and over the course of weeks the save line was recovered to normal stability. Both of my subsequent characters have used good saving habits from the outset, with my latest being the first to disable autosaves from the beginning (second character turned them off part way through).

 

Early on in recovering that first character's saves I started the exit to desktop/restart game strategy. My reasoning was that I wanted to load that save into the game without any possible left over data from the prior session (I had started exiting the game regularly before it crashed, in an effort to speed up the recovery process). When loading a save from the main menu without exiting to the desktop you are relying on the game doing a proper job of clearing all old data ... exiting to the desktop first shifts that job to the operating system, and I was looking for maximum bang for my buck.

 

Do I have any science supporting that practice ... sorry, no I don't. That would require at least two runs through the entire "recovering the save-line" process, one using exit to desktop and one not (probably more like a dozen runs of each method if you want proper science). All I can tell you is I was successful.

 

I still have that character's saves if I ever wanted to recreate his load order and play him (not likely ... he was a pre-OCOv2 potatohead, as was character two).

 

- Edit - If you are not using it already, I highly recommend EngineBugFixes. It's an OBSE plugin and is highly configurable via it's INI file.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Striker879

[Squerol26]

I'm probably one of your "some people" ... let me offer my reasoning behind what I do.

 

I read a lot, so I run into posts or articles that sometimes don't have relevance for me until some time later, when I then run into the situation discussed myself.

 

I used to be a quicksave/quickload junkie (those damned wisp stalks and their low probability of harvesting success is my main excuse). Eventually my first character's saves became all but unplayable. I remembered reading something about saves and started doing some research in earnest. Everything pointed to quicksaves being the culprit.

 

I adopted good saving habits (though for that character autosaves were still enabled but they were almost never used to continue) and over the course of weeks the save line was recovered to normal stability. Both of my subsequent characters have used good saving habits from the outset, with my latest being the first to disable autosaves from the beginning (second character turned them off part way through).

 

Early on in recovering that first character's saves I started the exit to desktop/restart game strategy. My reasoning was that I wanted to load that save into the game without any possible left over data from the prior session (I had started exiting the game regularly before it crashed, in an effort to speed up the recovery process). When loading a save from the main menu without exiting to the desktop you are relying on the game doing a proper job of clearing all old data ... exiting to the desktop first shifts that job to the operating system, and I was looking for maximum bang for my buck.

 

Do I have any science supporting that practice ... sorry, no I don't. That would require at least two runs through the entire "recovering the save-line" process, one using exit to desktop and one not (probably more like a dozen runs of each method if you want proper science). All I can tell you is I was successful.

 

I still have that character's saves if I ever wanted to recreate his load order and play him (not likely ... he was a pre-OCOv2 potatohead, as was character two).

 

- Edit - If you are not using it already, I highly recommend EngineBugFixes. It's an OBSE plugin and is highly configurable via it's INI file.

 

Yes, indeed - I remember Your specific profile picture from some of these posts.

 

Thank You very much for comment on that save purge stuff and Your personal expieriences.

 

Well, if game is actually purging data in main menu I will start new game and try that method through whole playthrough first. If I will start encountering problems, I will start new game again and try "only exit to desktop then load" method like You to check if it will help.

 

Exiting to desktop per every death doesn't sound promising for me to be honest - because I play with mods where death happens often (2x faster attacking and moving enemies + Maskar Overhaul on nightmare + WAC + No backward running and some other mods).

The alternative could be no death mods avaible on nexus with diablo 2 inspired respawn system but well, they doesn't looks promising either (a lot of running around, risk to lose all of Your gear doesn't looks like fun).

 

Yes, I'm using EngineBugFixes since long time with NVAC+DisableProcessWindowsGhosting and 4gb patch.

 

Cheers.