Very long startup times

Bringa · Aug 28, 2006

Hi,

I love FFH. I have one problem with it: starting Civ4 with FFH (whether I put it as Mod= in my ini or whether I loaded it from Advanced-->Load a Mod) takes about three minutes longer than starting Civ4 normally. I checked the task manager, and Civilization4.exe just sits there at 98/99 cpu usage for about three minutes. Then it starts and runs normally. I would put that down to some weirdness in my PC, but a friend of mine (with whom I play the game multiplayer) has the exact same problem.

My question is: does anyone else experience this? Is it normal? Is there a known workaround? Is the team working on it? Are my friend and I just very strange people?

Cheers!

Draconian · Aug 28, 2006

That's normal and there is no way to fix it. Every big mod has this "problem".

Grillick · Aug 28, 2006

Lies! There is a way to fix it.

The only catch is that the fix requires you to be more vigilant when installing patches than you would otherwise be.

If you move your FfH directory from its current location in Program Files/Firaxis Games/Civilization 4/Mods to the following location, it will load incredibly quickly. My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS

The catch is, when you install a new patch, or a new version, even, the default install location is Program Files/Firaxis Games/Civilization 4/Mods, so you need to manually change that to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS before installing the new version/patch.

QES · Aug 28, 2006

Grillick said:
Lies! There is a way to fix it.

The only catch is that the fix requires you to be more vigilant when installing patches than you would otherwise be.

If you move your FfH directory from its current location in Program Files/Firaxis Games/Civilization 4/Mods to the following location, it will load incredibly quickly. My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS

The catch is, when you install a new patch, or a new version, even, the default install location is Program Files/Firaxis Games/Civilization 4/Mods, so you need to manually change that to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS before installing the new version/patch.

Why (not is) this quicker?
-Qes

Grillick · Aug 28, 2006

Honestly, I don't know why it's quicker. But it is.

Teg_Navanis · Aug 28, 2006

Wow, it's really much faster! I always use this folder for mods I install manually, but I didn't think that it would make much of a difference.

Please, please modify the installer to install FfH to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS

Edit: The only problem may be different language versions: You'd have to use the registry to get the right directory every time. CvPath.py by Gillmer J. Derge may help finding the right registry entries.

woodelf · Aug 28, 2006

Only 3 minutes? I'd be thrilled with that. Right now I load up FfH2 and then go do some chores or surf. Multi-tasking at it's best.

Teg_Navanis · Aug 28, 2006

Just for the record: startup times:

My Games: 15 sec
Program files: 1 min 45 sec

Oh, did I already say how much I like having a brand new machine?

(the old one took 10 minutes)

vorshlumpf · Aug 28, 2006

Hmm, using the different folder doesn't do anything for me, though FfH only takes ~100 seconds to load up for me anyway.

- Niilo

Halancar · Aug 28, 2006

QES said:
Why (not is) this quicker?
-Qes

Personally, I suspect it is because there is some bug in the caching code somewhere, and the program just 'forget' to cache if you put the Mod in the My Documents directory. Which, of course, means it will have to do it 'on the fly' during the game (slowing it down).

On the other hand, I played that way for two month and never noticed a serious problem.

Sureshot · Aug 28, 2006

wow that is so much quicker.. it starts up right off O_o
i dont have time to go get a drink, play with cats, then stare at the screen anymore lol

Kael · Aug 28, 2006

Teg_Navanis said:
Wow, it's really much faster! I always use this folder for mods I install manually, but I didn't think that it would make much of a difference.

Please, please modify the installer to install FfH to My Documents/My Games/Sid Meier's Civilization 4/MODS

Edit: The only problem may be different language versions: You'd have to use the registry to get the right directory every time. CvPath.py by Gillmer J. Derge may help finding the right registry entries.

There are some things that are only checked for in cache, and those things wont work if you run out of my games. I know that the icons in the bubbles on the city bar aren't read from there (so you get ! on all the things you are building if you run from my games). Im not sure if there are more issues than that.

Teg_Navanis · Aug 28, 2006

memory usage from FfH at startup:

My Games: 120 MB
Program files: 120 MB

RAM clearly isn't the issue. Interestingly, Civ4 stays at 20 MB memory usage during the waiting period when it is loaded from the program files folder.

Kael · Aug 28, 2006

Teg_Navanis said:
memory usage from FfH at startup:

My Games: 120 MB
Program files: 120 MB

RAM clearly isn't the issue. Interestingly, Civ4 stays at 20 MB memory usage during the waiting period when it is loaded from the program files folder.

Sorry, when I said cache I meant the cache directory that Civ4 copies the mod into before running.

Teg_Navanis · Aug 28, 2006

That was in response to Halancar. I couldn't have made the test within the minute our posts lay apart

Sureshot · Aug 28, 2006

Kael, what buttons dont work? everything seems fine to me...

Kael · Aug 28, 2006

Sureshot said:
Kael, what buttons dont work? everything seems fine to me...

On the city bar do you see a picture of what that city is building or a white exclamation point on a black background?

Sureshot · Aug 28, 2006

pictures.. though i just started a new game and it doesnt have to many options

Sureshot · Aug 28, 2006

ah, i see what you mean, though only for non civ standard button images

is that the only thing that is messed up? quicker loading times could really help for troubles in multiplayer and i could deal with that single problem possibly

Kael · Aug 28, 2006

Sureshot said:
ah, i see what you mean, though only for non civ standard button images

is that the only thing that is messed up? quicker loading times could really help for troubles in multiplayer and i could deal with that single problem possibly

Thats the only issue Im aware of.

Very long startup times

King

Templar of Doom

Prince

Court Jester

Prince

King

Bard

King

Emperor

Warlord

Goddess

Deity

King

Deity

King

Goddess

Deity

Goddess

Goddess

Deity

Similar threads