Extremely long save file loading times.

[lunaknight]

For some reason it takes me 5 more than five minutes to load a save file. If I click anywhere on the screen the game crashes. Changing historical start dates also crashes the game. Any ideas what the problem might be.

Game is still running on the Denmark Patch. And I've attached the computer specifications below.

 

[AndrewT]

Please do a full **clean** re-install:

- move any valued save games elsewhere
- "uninstall" in Steam-EU4
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/EU4 AND Documents/Paradox/EU4 folders
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- start the game with no mods active and test

In particular you need to make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam EU4 or Documents EU4 locations, before installing again.

 

[lunaknight]

Alright, download went quicker than I thought. I've done what you told me, but I'm still getting the same problem.

Interestingly when I switch the start date or load a save game, the GPU usage (GTX 970) reaches maximum (100%) load. I've already tried updating graphic card drivers. Any ideas?

 

[AndrewT]

Has this always happened ever since you've had the game? Or only since what change or update?

Once loaded does the game play normally, or slow or jerky?

Does it write save files OK, or is that also slow?

 

[lunaknight]

I've just bought the game several weeks ago. It's happened since the beginning.

Once the game is loaded, it plays perfectly. Save files write fine as well.

Its just that loading the save file takes too long, and crashes the game if I click anywhere on the game screen.

 

[AndrewT]

No real idea then sorry! You may as well update that video driver
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Is the game and your Windows User Documents folder all on that SSD C: drive? Or on D: or F: ?

 

[lunaknight]

Graphics drivers has been updated already. Game is install on the SSD (C: Drive).

Thanks for the help anyway. Hit me up if you got any solutions.

 

[aadrianswe]

I have the same issue, extremely long loading time and also if selecting any start date in a new game. Have tried reinstalling several times and deleting the above maps.
It just started about 2 weeks ago.

 

[AndrewT]

Graphics drivers has been updated already.

In that dxdiag they are dated February, but there are April drivers available from nVidia now.

Game is install on the SSD (C: Drive).

So the Steam Library the game is installed in is on C: . Your Windows User Documents folder is there too?

FYI there's a problem with a Windows patch that's been causing performance issues with many of our games, although not just the long load times you report. Here's how one of our users found and fixed this problem:

it was due to a Windows update (KB4015217) after rolling this back the game now runs smoothly on the latest version (1.5.1), this Windows patch is not the Creators Update and is just a Cumulative Update. I am going to test reinstalling the patch and running the Creators Update to see if i can get the game working and have a patched system.


What i did was uninstall KB4015217 then download https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=KB4015217 and run it mannualy i then tried to run windows updates the normal way an noticed it was stuck at downloading an update and was on 0% so i opened cmd as admin and ran "net stop wuauserv" then removed all files in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution then ran "net start wuauserv". After that i ran windows updates normally again and it downloaded a couple of smaller updates and installed them.
If you can not delete some files in the SoftwareDistribution folder then restart your computer and run the command to stop the service again.
You might not need to do the update fix, i only did this as like i said i noticed that it was stuck on downloading an update.


I noticed a update that looked stuck at 0% downloaded. I stopped the windows update services then I removed the software distribution folder and let windows update repopulate the folder. Restarted the services and let windows download Windows update (KB4015217) again since I removed that for testing and then it downloaded another update (Windows 10 Creators Update Privacy Settings for x64-based Systems (KB4013214)). This must of been the one stuck. I restarted and did a random game on Stellaris and seems smooth as before

May as well check into that.

 

[lunaknight]

Yeah. Sorry about that. I've updated the graphics driver after I attached the dxdiag, so thats why you see it as an older driver. The one i have now is dated 31/3/2017.

At the moment the actual Steam program is installed in F: Drive. But the game is installed in the C: Drive. Having EU4 installed in the same drive as Steam makes no difference. Still same problem.

I somewhat followed your suggestion about the windows update. I didn't experience the stalling on the update. So, all in the end I just uninstalled and re-installed the that particular update. Still experiencing the same problem.

Here are some screenshots of what the problem is like. It crashes the game if I click on the screen while the save file is loading. GPU usage is maxed out for some strange reason when loading the save.

Unfortunately, there's no EU4 crash report upon re-launching the game.

 

[AndrewT]

At the moment the actual Steam program is installed in F: Drive. But the game is installed in the C: Drive. Having EU4 installed in the same drive as Steam makes no difference. Still same problem.

But what about the Windows user folder where save games sit? Where is that?

You can make a text file userdir.txt in the folder where eu4.exe is, and place a file path in there. then the game writes and reads settings, logs and save games from there instead of the Documents folder. Putting a simple dot in there means it does it to the same place that eu4.exe is.

Also, does it matter whether these saves are local or in the cloud? Does that change the load times at all?

What about compressed or not?

 

[lunaknight]

But what about the Windows user folder where save games sit? Where is that?

Save files are located in C:\Users\Name\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Europa Universalis IV

Tried the using userdir.txt. Problem still occurs.

Also, does it matter whether these saves are local or in the cloud? Does that change the load times at all?

Nope. Doesn't change.

What about compressed or not?

Also doesn't make a difference.


What's really interesting is that I can bypass this long loading time by starting a new game (Pick any nation in the menu). And once inside game, load the save file I want to play in-game (Esc > Load Save). Unfortunately this isn't possible in ironman (The mode I want to play!) as you cannot load saves in-game.

 

[AndrewT]

Sheesh. Well I have no idea what is causing this for you with this game. I assume it does not occur with the other games I see under your name here?

What if you roll back to earlier game versions in the Steam Betas tab for this game, say 18.4 and 16.3? Do they all do this?

 

[aadrianswe]

Could this be queried with the devs? It is extremely annoying having to wait 3-4 minutes everytime I load a save, especially considering how many times the game already crashes.

 

[aadrianswe]

Here is a vanilla save file which has the exact same problems. I usually play with mods but it makes no difference, vanilla saves suffer the same fate.

 

[CraYen]

I have this exact issue. I believe it happened after patch 1.19. Whether vanilla or mods, compressed or not makes no difference. Saving is instant but loading time can take more than 1 min (used to take 5-10sec). Game is on SSD (E:/ drive), my docs are on D:/ (system drive, 2nd partition).

When loading I can remember after the button is pressed the hourglass icon appears then when save is almost loaded the button press sound is played. Now the hourglass disappears after few seconds then sound is played, and then waiting time till save is loaded. Clicking anywhere few times makes the game unresponsive (as in title bar says not responding).

Attached dxdiag.

Also I made full reinstall after 1.20 patch (cleaning mydocs).

 

[lunaknight]

Yeah, a fresh reinstall of the 1.20 patch does not solve this problem.

 

[AndrewT]

Both those dxdiags have February 2017 nVidia drivers, interestingly. Updating to the latest April driver makes no difference?

Changing historical start dates also crashes the game.

Does this still happen too, BTW? Do any of the others here getting the slow load problem also have this?

Here is a vanilla save file which has the exact same problems. I usually play with mods but it makes no difference, vanilla saves suffer the same fate.

Under 1.21 on my iMac it was under 2 seconds between clicking on the save/OK and the Play button appearing, then 2-3 seconds after hitting Play before I was in the game and could play.

In a Win10 VM (4gb memory, 2 emulated CPUs, emulated video card) on that same iMac, it took 1'12" to get to the Play button, and 15 seconds from hitting Play to being able to play.

If you are getting >5 minutes to load (I'm guessing mostly that first part of the process) on an i7 with nVidia 9xx or 10xx and 16gb of memory, that is amazing and inexplicable really.

Can se see your dxdiag.txt too please, for comparison?

Game is on SSD (E:/ drive), my docs are on D:/ (system drive, 2nd partition).

Is it possible to get Steam, the game and the documents folder on the same drive? You can userdir.txt as per my post #11 above to govern where the game reads the saves from.

 

[CraYen]

Both those dxdiags have February 2017 nVidia drivers, interestingly. Updating to the latest April driver makes no difference?
Is it possible to get Steam, the game and the documents folder on the same drive? You can userdir.txt as per my post #11 above to govern where the game reads the saves from.

Sorry I made a mistake. Steam is on E:/, game and docs are on D:/. I'm not so keen on updating drivers as I don't think it's the problem, but I'll do it when I get back from work.
Can't say about start dates, I play only on 1444 start.

 

[londoner247]

Both those dxdiags have February 2017 nVidia drivers, interestingly. Updating to the latest April driver makes no difference?


Does this still happen too, BTW? Do any of the others here getting the slow load problem also have this?


Under 1.21 on my iMac it was under 2 seconds between clicking on the save/OK and the Play button appearing, then 2-3 seconds after hitting Play before I was in the game and could play.

In a Win10 VM (4gb memory, 2 emulated CPUs, emulated video card) on that same iMac, it took 1'12" to get to the Play button, and 15 seconds from hitting Play to being able to play.

If you are getting >5 minutes to load (I'm guessing mostly that first part of the process) on an i7 with nVidia 9xx or 10xx and 16gb of memory, that is amazing and inexplicable really.

Can se see your dxdiag.txt too please, for comparison?



Is it possible to get Steam, the game and the documents folder on the same drive? You can userdir.txt as per my post #11 above to govern where the game reads the saves from.

1 minute 12 seconds to load the save is still pretty slow compared to performance before the 1.19 patch though. Is that considered "normal" for Windows 10 now? It is certainly slow on my machine but when I saw your comparison between Mac and Windows 10 performance the contrast was so extreme that I had to ask!