Huge save file (60mb) causing stuttering : V

» Wed May 30, 2012 11:06 pm

I recently started noticing more and more stuttering in my game and now saving takes ages as well. I looked at my save file and to my amazement I saw that it is now 63 mb! I'm guessing this is the cause of the lag? I am 20 hours into this game, so I think it is a mod that is causing the lag. Here is my load order. Does anyone have a way to reduce the size of the file and prevent it from growing again? It would be a waste to lose so much character development if I have to load a earlier (smaller) save. Also, if the problem is still there, it won't matter anyway...

Spoiler

Active Mods

? 00 Skyrim.esm
? 01 Update.esm
? 02 WARZONES - Civil Unrest.esm
? 03 DeadlyDragons.esm
? 04 EagleEyePerk.esm
? 05 Shrine of Azura LOD Fix.esp
? 06 Realistic Lighting - Full.esp
? 07 NoOverPlayedCaveCrumblingAmbiance.esp
? 08 ImprovedCraftableLockpicks.esp
? 09 killthemgenerals.esp
? 0A Legionettes.esp
? 0B Skyrim Scaling Stopper - Misc Edits.esp
? 0C Tamriel Compendium.esp [Version 1.0]
? 0D Cloaks.esp
? 0E TrissArmorRetextured.esp
? ++ PISE-Sneak Tweaks Only.esp
? 0F StealthImmFixv1halved.esp
? 10 PISE-AI Tweaks Only.esp
? 11 WiS IV - Dark Rainbow.esp
? 12 WiS IV - Fix FrostspiderGiant.esp
? 13 DeadlyDragonsNormal.esp
? 14 PickaxeWeightReduction(5)v1.2.esp
? 15 Acquisitive Soul Gems.esp
? 16 CutthroatMerchantsHard.esp
? 17 Deadly Traps.esp
? ++ HoodsAndCirclets.esp
? 18 Lightweight Potions and Poisons (0.2).esp
? 19 No Helmets Required.esp
? 1A NoDeepCaveAmbianceLoops.esp
? 1B OpenFaceGuardHelmets.esp
? ++ posesivecorpses.esp
? ++ SameWalkRunSpeedsLite.esp
? 1C Speed Revised.esp
? 1D Uncle Sheo.esp
? 1E dD- Realistic Ragdoll Force - Minor Force.esp
? 1F VampireOverhaul.esp
? 20 HealingMagickaPotions12sec.esp
? 21 Eld-combinePotions.esp
? 22 PISE-NPC Spell lists and Potions.esp
? 23 PISE-Reduced Potions.esp
? 24 hardcoe Lockpicking1-12.esp
? ++ Pickpocket Fixed [98].esp
? 25 Realistic crime report radius.esp
? 26 Epic Dual Wielding v.1.1.esp
? 27 Dual Wield Parrying_ScriptDragon.esp
? 28 Duel - Combat Realism.esp
? ++ 30% Slower Leveling.esp
? 29 Skyrim Scaling Stopper.esp
? 2A Better Followers - SNP.esp
? 2B [MPX]RaceHeights.esp
? ++ Skyrim 3 Day DeadBody Timer.esp
? ++ Skyrim 3 Day Respawn.esp

Not sure if this should be in the mod forum instead?

» Wed May 30, 2012 4:59 pm

My save file size is 8 MB after over 100 hours using: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=4528
That is the only addon I use and it definitely does its job. I see you have it there so some other addon must be collecting mass amounts of garbage to your save file. I have never heard of a save game that large or even remotely close.

» Thu May 31, 2012 4:03 am

Are you patched to 1.4?

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:22 am

Yes, it does that automatically, right? I had to update to the last versions of SKSE en script dragon.

» Wed May 30, 2012 8:11 pm

1.4 just adds floating weapons, and if you walk in to them you can pick them up.
Saving on steam cloud (no idea why you'd want to do that) you only have 50mb for your savegames.

/facepalm smiley

» Wed May 30, 2012 8:14 pm

The mod isn't whats causing this, I forget were but I there was a guy on PS3 who also had this issue

» Thu May 31, 2012 3:46 am

Yes, it does that automatically, right? I had to update to the last versions of SKSE en script dragon.

There are a lot of people still playing v1.0 because they are convinced patches cause problems. Just thought I'd ask. I've never heard of a savegame that big.

1.4 just adds floating weapons, and if you walk in to them you can pick them up.

Patching to 1.4 can reduce a savegame size considerably. Ashpiles and orphaned weapons seem to be the biggest cause of bloat though curiously, Bethesda didn't address the overlapping Nirnroot glows.

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:49 am

Bethesda didn't address the overlapping Nirnroot glows.

http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=4528It is also supposed to help with saved game bloating.

I believe Martigen also has a save game debloatifier mod hanging around somewhere. if I can find a link, I'll post it.

EDIT: http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=8216

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:05 am

For only being 20 hours in you sure have a boat load of mods. You should not have a save game file of that size. Also the Possessive Corpse mod is fantastic however it will not work miracles. Some mod you are using is bloating your game with garbage that should not be there. Some mods have even been known to leave a lot of stuff in the game world that is basically invisible so you cannot tell it is there.

FWIW a high level character playing with 1.4 or higher should have save game files in the 15 to 20 meg range. Starting characters in a vanilla game should have save files in the 4 to 5 meg range. However I do not use mods that add a tremendous amount of new NPC's into it. That alone could add a lot of size to your files.

Try going into an interior and waiting or sleeping for 32 days. Then go out into Skyrim and make a new clean hard save. Now see how large that new clean hard save is. If it drops considerably you may be fine. If not you may have a mod that is not cleaning up nicely.

» Wed May 30, 2012 6:51 pm

MY save is shrinking in size...lol...Current character (level 51) = Save 838 - Darkness Skyrim 227.10.36 ...and at a peak was 13 meg @ around 100 hours . Hovered at 13 meg for the last 100 hours, my last save was only 12 meg. And its not like I wasn't doing anything..Main quest , Thieves Guild, Mages Guild and the War, are all completed + a number of miscellaneous ones along the way. I am currently doing the Companions quest line.

According to Wrye Bash I have 18/23 mods active.( 5 mods merged into patch).

Some place in your list, you must have a mod that is saving a boat load of something. In Oblivion it was found that calling "Place at me" in a mod did this. Bash is not fully aware of Skyrim so we don't have the tools, that could check, and remove Save game Bloat. (they are working hard at it! ).

» Wed May 30, 2012 7:31 pm

Mine won't go past 8-9 MB it fluctuates weapon drop added so much junk to my older saves and now I am not the trash collector of Skyrim.

» Thu May 31, 2012 12:42 am

I got a save that's 10.6 MB and it won't even load, argonian's a collector. Any news on saves that don't even load past the loading screen?

» Wed May 30, 2012 7:48 pm

My last save --> 13,8 MB = 472 hours of gameplay. Level 63.

28 esp mods and 45-50 loose files mods (most textures).

I have simple rules for every game of BGS I play, since Morrowind, that in my opinion, help me with the size of save files:

1. Everthing I don't want, I don't touch.

2. I keep all my belongings in containers in my house(s), nothing is shown. And if I want to dispose of objects no longer wanted or needed, I put them always in containers / corpses. Never in the floor.

3. I try to keep track of all arrows fired and recover them if I can.

4. I try to play with few active quests (around 10) in my journal.

5. I use fast travel to sell the loot in major cities.

6. I manually save my game every 25 - 30 minutes, usually before I enter a new cell.

7. I don't use quicksave (or autosave). NEVER!

8. In Skyrim I use Possessive Corpses mod, helps a lot.

To the OP: Why you have a savegame with 20 hours and 60 Mb is completely beyond me. Really... Sorry.

» Wed May 30, 2012 6:53 pm

Seein all this trouble makes me think the format for saves in TES games could maybe be i bit more efficient.... but that's just me talkin...

» Wed May 30, 2012 3:40 pm

20 hours, LoL, yeah that's a big savefile!
Wow.
I know after ~500 hours my Level 67 guy is around ~12 MB.

» Thu May 31, 2012 1:08 am

I went a few saves back and did not become a vampire+ removed the vampire mod. I seem to recall that becoming a vampire made my game stutter before, but I did not think to check the save file then. It's doing well again for now, so at least I can play again. :smile:

Also using Martigens mod now as it says it cleans up a cell after you leave it. I also installed wars in skyrim in rainbow mode this time to reduce extra npcs.

» Thu May 31, 2012 2:32 am

7. I don't use quicksave (or autosave). NEVER!

Aside from the occasional bugs that get fixed, I see no reason why quicksave or autosave should not be regularly used.

» Wed May 30, 2012 7:09 pm

Aside from the occasional bugs that get fixed, I see no reason why quicksave or autosave should not be regularly used.

Some day you will....

Been playing Beth games since Arena......these can corrupt a save...could be fixed in Skyrim. But I never use them, and the very first thing I do in a ES game is disable ALL automatic save stuff. Seen it to many times to ever trust a game making my saves...Hard saves only, and in the places I want.

Think of this...Go in and out of your house 15 times...you just overwrote your save file 30 times...is that really necessary?? Think that wont corrupt a save? Save on load...lol

» Wed May 30, 2012 3:38 pm

Aside from the occasional bugs that get fixed, I see no reason why quicksave or autosave should not be regularly used.

I have played many games of BGS (F3,MW,OB,SK), I have followed that particular rule and I never, I repeat, I never had a corrupt save. *knock on wood*

I also made this test a bunch of times: With my character, I made a regular save somewhere, then I made a quicksave. I go out of the game and compare the size of the two saves. My quicksave is ALWAYS bigger that the regular save, even if I made the quicksave first! However, I confess the reason why this happen it beyond me.

Besides... Skyrim is a BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS game. Trust your all gameplay in autosave and quicksave in a BGS game is madness! Everbody knows that (or they should know it)

» Wed May 30, 2012 7:21 pm

Nah, Skyrim saves are now as much or more reliable than the previous 5 Bethesda titles I have played. I have no reservations about using the 3 autosaves or the quicksave, in addition to named saves that I create on my own (73 saves currently). Most of the time, in Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout NV, I load the game from one of the autosave or quicksaves. I don't remember what I did for Morrowind and I never played Daggerfall for more than a few minutes.

In Oblivion, the main problem was that the game did not save enough, so I depended on automatic saves (Stream Save) to preserve the game state against frequent CTD.

» Wed May 30, 2012 3:05 pm

(...) I have no reservations about using the 3 autosaves or the quicksave, in addition to named saves that I create on my own. Most of the time (...) in Skyrim (...) I load the game from one of the autosave or quicksaves (...)

LOL. Good luck with that. :biggrin:

When I get into my car to go anywhere, I'm not waiting to have an accident, but just in case, I always put the seat belt. Is common sense, like not to trust on files that have been recorded over (auto and quicksaves) a dozen times, especially in a BGS game.

» Wed May 30, 2012 11:21 pm

No one is having trouble with quick save or auto save. Quit spreading unfounded hysteria.

» Thu May 31, 2012 3:16 am

No one is having trouble with quick save or auto save. Quit spreading unfounded hysteria.

Srsly you couldn't be more correct. I personally prefer to not bother using it but it has never failed me in the instances where it happens regardless of settings like before you encounter Alduin on the Throat.

» Wed May 30, 2012 7:41 pm

No one is having trouble with quick save or auto save. Quit spreading unfounded hysteria.

Don't be silly. It's not hysteria. Like i said, is common sense. About NO ONE is having CTD with quicksaves / autosaves in Skyrim, lol ... Google it... And if there is no more problems, maybe, just maybe that's because many players like me and others already know the problems about this feature in BGS games and avoid it by not using quick or autosaves. Have you thought about that?

Anyway, that was only ONE of EIGHT suggestions I did to preventing the size increase of savegames, and that works for me. Nobody is obliged to follow my advice.

Cheers.

» Wed May 30, 2012 9:25 pm

^^^^
No. Let me repeat: No one is having trouble with quick or auto save. No one. Nobody. It's not an issue. Quit repeating bad advice.