Save files....How large of a file is TOO large?

[ElMonstero29]

Hey guys,

 

I'm going to be starting a new game here soon with a crap ton of mods. And I'm just curious how big of a save file is too big?

 

I've heard 30mb is game breaking...is this true?

 

I'm going to be using tons of texture mods including ethereal elven overhaul, cover kajits, XCE, as well as the TPC, and the new book cover retexture mod. And I will also be using mods like immersive armors/weapons, bandoliers, apocolypse spell package, deadly dragons, monster mod,...etc(and yes I'm going to use wrye bash :P)

 

But yea if you guys can give me any tips on keeping the save file under control I would really appreciate it.

[Georgiegril]

I would suggest that:

1. Add mods one at a time after exiting Helgen. Run BOSS and play a bit to be sure the game is working properly before adding the next. Starting with a "crap ton of mods" increases the chance of you spending hours or days trying to figure out the source of a problem when one appears.

2. Fewer active quests in your quest journal and fewer items in you inventory will help keep the save size down somewhat.

3. Using a texture optimizer mod like Skyrim Mods Complex Optimizer. will help with game size and also RAM use.

 

However, the problem you are most likely to encounter with a bunch of mods that spawn things, add animations, etc. is simply exceeding the game engine's limitations or your computer's. Adding mods one at a time will also help you determine where the limit is.

[TheRomans]

It depends a lot on the accumulated errors in the save file, and may also be influenced by the hardware capabilities. I have got up to 23mb with no problems beyond the longer time to save and load. UESPwiki say that save files of over 20mb are problematical, but I did not find that to be so.

The main bloat for save games comes from some mods mods, particularly some older ones, use use editor commands such a player.placeatme that multiply records in the save games, or leave null records behind when uninstalled (from mod created items that were sitting in vanilla cells). Another large source of savefile bloat is a lot of mod scripts running continuously, I have one mod that added .75mb while its quest was going, but then settled back done to .1mb after the quest was over. I would guess that altering the base state of cells by doing stuff with persistent items like taking various bits of loot or clutter that are in the open would also have some effect.

[ElMonstero29]

Thank you both for the input! And i will take to heart all of your suggestions.

 

I know about the SoS save bloat problem but it sounds like that issue has been fixed and I was going to go ahead and give those a shot.

 

I'm also going to use this:

 

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/13286/?

 

I have a lot of music that I want to add to the game do you guys think this might cause me issues?

 

Also should I look into possibly combining mods with TES5edit? Will that help me out in the long run? If I do decide to combine doesn't that mean that I'll have to make merged patches as well when my mods get updated?