Fallout new vegas long save file loading times fixed (kinda, i guess)

[MrKeytil]

I guess this is related to technical support thing.

Just go to the "solution" part below if you don't want to read all this.

I've played 137 hours and my saves are already taking like 20-30 seconds to load after an hour (i have a couple of mods). It was annoying so i searched for a solution. I googled it and all i found was other people with the same problem and some mods (https://www.nexusmod...egas/mods/57465).

Solution: quicksave, delete your quicksave and then the next time you quicksave/quickload it won't take too long as it was before (unless you're literally using a potato to play the game). Do same for the auto saves if they're also taking too long to save/load. I don't know if this works on consoles, i only tried on pc

[dubiousintent]

Do NOT rely upon "quicksaves" as your "save game" files. They do not include everything a "full save" does and will eventually fail you. Please see the 'Fourth Rule: Reloading "save game" files' entry in the 'First Timer Advice' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article for the details. You are given the ability to save 1000 game files for a reason; and you can stretch that number out by deleting older saves. There is seldom any need to (re)use a "quicksave" unless you are going to repeat the same action in the exact same circumstances repeatedly (such as repeatedly "bargaining" for a better price).

 

The more you interact with the game (any game; not just this one), the more it has to keep track of how your interaction "changed" the world from the initial vanilla state. That is simply unavoidable. The essential information has to be stored in the "save game" file and that is why it takes more time to load. If you are going to worry about it, stopping picking up or moving things. But every encounter with a "spawned" actor is going to have left something that is going to get saved.

-Dubious-

[MrKeytil]

Do NOT rely upon "quicksaves" as your "save game" files. They do not include everything a "full save" does and will eventually fail you. Please see the 'Fourth Rule: Reloading "save game" files' entry in the 'First Timer Advice' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article for the details. You are given the ability to save 1000 game files for a reason; and you can stretch that number out by deleting older saves. There is seldom any need to (re)use a "quicksave" unless you are going to repeat the same action in the exact same circumstances repeatedly (such as repeatedly "bargaining" for a better price).

 

The more you interact with the game (any game; not just this one), the more it has to keep track of how your interaction "changed" the world from the initial vanilla state. That is simply unavoidable. The essential information has to be stored in the "save game" file and that is why it takes more time to load. If you are going to worry about it, stopping picking up or moving things. But every encounter with a "spawned" actor is going to have left something that is going to get saved.

 

-Dubious-

I've been using quicksave from my very first hour and haven't got that "corrupted save file" in any bethesda game i've played and i quicksave often (like every 2-5 minutes)

[MrKeytil]

Do NOT rely upon "quicksaves" as your "save game" files. They do not include everything a "full save" does and will eventually fail you. Please see the 'Fourth Rule: Reloading "save game" files' entry in the 'First Timer Advice' section of the wiki "FNV General Mod Use Advice" article for the details. You are given the ability to save 1000 game files for a reason; and you can stretch that number out by deleting older saves. There is seldom any need to (re)use a "quicksave" unless you are going to repeat the same action in the exact same circumstances repeatedly (such as repeatedly "bargaining" for a better price).

 

The more you interact with the game (any game; not just this one), the more it has to keep track of how your interaction "changed" the world from the initial vanilla state. That is simply unavoidable. The essential information has to be stored in the "save game" file and that is why it takes more time to load. If you are going to worry about it, stopping picking up or moving things. But every encounter with a "spawned" actor is going to have left something that is going to get saved.

 

-Dubious-

What is it you're trying to say anyway? I didn't understand anything but it can corrupt my save file. Can you explain it in a little more simple way please? I don't know much stuff about save files and this kinda things

[dubiousintent]

Did you read the "Fourth Rule" in the article I linked in my initial post? That's the clearest example I know of, and something you can verify for yourself. If you don't follow that, I will try to clarify whatever confuses you but I need some idea as to what is not coming through.

 

Something that may help: compare the size of your latest "quicksave" file with that of your latest "auto" or "manual" save file. They aren't the same size (certainly by more than a few tens of bytes). Why do you think that is the case?

 

You might also note that sometimes a later file is slightly smaller than an earlier file. This means some information was not included that had been previously (for perfectly valid reasons). When you "overwrite" a file, it gets written in "blocks" of disk space. The last "block" usually is not completely filled with data related to the save, and contains left over "junk" from some other source. Because the entire block is copied, so is that "junk" carried along. Eventually it may all get overwritten with game data, and a new block gets allocated but at that point most of the "new block" contains "junk". If the "end of file marker" is off (or shortened just enough), the "junk" gets treated as part of the file, resulting in corruption. There is a lot of effort in the file system to prevent this, but it does still happen. That's just one of several ways corruption can creep in.

 

Another one of the things believed to corrupt save games are that "quick" and "auto" saves are "snapshots" of the game memory at that moment. Historically Bethesda games have had problems with scripts not having completed processing when those snapshots are taken, resulting in partial states and variable values. It appears the "full save" made when a manual save is initiated takes a bit longer to ensure the scripts are done. Certainly this is behind some of the options in mods designed to improve save file handling such as CASM. I understand (not having played it myself) that FO4 has greatly reduced the number of autosave files (to three I read) and a single quicksave file. Apparently they think they have overcome this problem in that game. Maybe so, but that doesn't mean it applies to FNV or older games.

 

Also: Save files are part of "risk management" against needing to reload for any reason. You may be willing to "risk" a corrupted game file which is overwritten constantly, but what are you going to do if it does become corrupted? How many hours of play are you going to lose going back to some file that wasn't overwritten? "When" did the corruption start? (Just with the last save is not likely.) You may consider the risk to be "low", but that is a far cry from "impossible".

 

-Dubious-

[JimboUK]

There's a simpler way to prove that loading a save doesn't revert the game back fully, save the game, play a facial expression on a character, load the game and that expression is still there.

 

30 seconds does seem rather excessive, I've had 500 hour saves load in half the time and I don't hold back on interacting with things, this on my old system with a mechanical drive. What are your specs? I'm wondering if you're struggling for memory.

[MrKeytil]

There's a simpler way to prove that loading a save doesn't revert the game back fully, save the game, play a facial expression on a character, load the game and that expression is still there.

 

30 seconds does seem rather excessive, I've had 500 hour saves load in half the time and I don't hold back on interacting with things, this on my old system with a mechanical drive. What are your specs? I'm wondering if you're struggling for memory.

6 gb ddr3 ram

gt 620 gpu

i3-2120 cpu

somewhere around 500gb hdd (i don't know what else details i have to write for hdd)

Write what else details you need and i'll edit (or write another reply)

[MrKeytil]

Did you read the "Fourth Rule" in the article I linked in my initial post? That's the clearest example I know of, and something you can verify for yourself. If you don't follow that, I will try to clarify whatever confuses you but I need some idea as to what is not coming through.

 

Something that may help: compare the size of your latest "quicksave" file with that of your latest "auto" or "manual" save file. They aren't the same size (certainly by more than a few tens of bytes). Why do you think that is the case?

 

You might also note that sometimes a later file is slightly smaller than an earlier file. This means some information was not included that had been previously (for perfectly valid reasons). When you "overwrite" a file, it gets written in "blocks" of disk space. The last "block" usually is not completely filled with data related to the save, and contains left over "junk" from some other source. Because the entire block is copied, so is that "junk" carried along. Eventually it may all get overwritten with game data, and a new block gets allocated but at that point most of the "new block" contains "junk". If the "end of file marker" is off (or shortened just enough), the "junk" gets treated as part of the file, resulting in corruption. There is a lot of effort in the file system to prevent this, but it does still happen. That's just one of several ways corruption can creep in.

 

Another one of the things believed to corrupt save games are that "quick" and "auto" saves are "snapshots" of the game memory at that moment. Historically Bethesda games have had problems with scripts not having completed processing when those snapshots are taken, resulting in partial states and variable values. It appears the "full save" made when a manual save is initiated takes a bit longer to ensure the scripts are done. Certainly this is behind some of the options in mods designed to improve save file handling such as CASM. I understand (not having played it myself) that FO4 has greatly reduced the number of autosave files (to three I read) and a single quicksave file. Apparently they think they have overcome this problem in that game. Maybe so, but that doesn't mean it applies to FNV or older games.

 

Also: Save files are part of "risk management" against needing to reload for any reason. You may be willing to "risk" a corrupted game file which is overwritten constantly, but what are you going to do if it does become corrupted? How many hours of play are you going to lose going back to some file that wasn't overwritten? "When" did the corruption start? (Just with the last save is not likely.) You may consider the risk to be "low", but that is a far cry from "impossible".

 

-Dubious-

I've read the fourth rule, and all i did understand from it is quick/auto saving might leave me a corrupted save file. But i still don't truly understand what you mean. Quick/auto saving "saves" some junk that leaves me with 6 mb save file if it was 2 mb before. But it still loads in the same time (2 seconds) as it was before when i delete my quick save and then create a new one while in game. I sometimes do use the actual save button though, in case my quicksave gets corrupted or i accidentally kill someone and quicksave after killing and then realising that someone was important

Edited September 12, 2018 by MrKeytil

[MrKeytil]

I've completed 39 quests, discovered and looted 139 places and did some other stuff. But everything i did and stored is still in game and haven't been deleted. So what is it actually deleting when i quick/auto save? I still can't understand that part

[M48A5]

I've completed 39 quests, discovered and looted 139 places and did some other stuff. But everything i did and stored is still in game and haven't been deleted. So what is it actually deleting when i quick/auto save? I still can't understand that part

You will keep your quests, discovered places and loot, but when you load a quick save, some of the things that happened just before you saved will not reappear. In the beginning of the game, I would quick save just before engaging an enemy force in case I was killed. When I loaded the save, there were not the same number of foes as in the game when I was killed. There have been other small things missing in the save that were present in the game just before making the save.

 

That being said, it's your game and you can do what you want. Take the advice of people that have been here for years and playing the game for years or just continue as you have been.

Edited September 12, 2018 by M48A5