Streamlining load times - is this possible?

[tizerist]

You know how simPE lets us boot TS2 from within the simPE app.
Would it be possible for a program to somehow let us choose a neighbourhood, then a residential lot from before the game has even been launched, therefore bypassing the need to go through all three loading screens and choosing after each one?

Some of us have some extreme loading times (mine is about 11 minutes from desktop to lot) and if this could be managed then we would see less waiting around.

Possible?

[maxon]

I guess that's a question for the SimPE boards.

[J. M. Pescado]

Booting TS2 from within SimPE is daftness, since your game will crawl like molasses with SimPE open at the same time because SimPE chews up more RAMs than the game itself!

[Theo]

Tizerist is asking for automation of TS2 executable functions, probably accomplished by hooking into the LUA host, if that's even possible.

Frankly, you have better chances if you ask EAxis to make a Sims2Launcher with actual usefulness. :/

[Alex]

Booting TS2 from within SimPE is daftness, since your game will crawl like molasses with SimPE open at the same time because SimPE chews up more RAMs than the game itself!

My computer will quite literally keel down to die if two SimPE windows are open at the same time. Therefore, I assume running the game through SimPE, and having the game rely on SimPE, will actually cause a BFBVFS.

[mildlydisguised]

Why don't you just remove the neighbourhood folders that you don't intend to play before startup?

[Jelenedra]

But... don't you rule over all us lowly types? Can't you figure it out yourself? My hyena paws are not good for programming applications.

[tizerist]

Why don't you just remove the neighbourhood folders that you don't intend to play before startup?

I only have one neighbourhood anyhow. But say if I wanted to choose a sub-hood,  and then a particular lot from the launcher,this would eliminate the need to come back twice more and check if the next loading screen is done.

Abit like queuing up the actions in the game itself

[Gwenke]

Why don't you just remove the neighbourhood folders that you don't intend to play before startup?

I only have one neighbourhood anyhow. But say if I wanted to choose a sub-hood,  and then a particular lot from the launcher,this would eliminate the need to come back twice more and check if the next loading screen is done.

Abit like queuing up the actions in the game itself

tizerist, I've been wanting the same thing for ages and now put the question to Numenor as it seemed like a nice feature for his AnyGameStarter. This is his answer: "I would like to be able to implement such a feature, but it's impossible  -As far as I know, only the special debugger version of the game used at EAxis can load directly a specific family."
 
http://sumomo.modthesims2.com/showthread.php?t=250555&c=1&ht=1&page=21&pp=25#startcomments

[Inge]

Perhaps another example of where one or two extra logins can come in handy.  One per hood, and then you only need the downloads you are actually using in that hood.

[Fat D]

You know how simPE lets us boot TS2 from within the simPE app.
Would it be possible for a program to somehow let us choose a neighbourhood, then a residential lot from before the game has even been launched, therefore bypassing the need to go through all three loading screens and choosing after each one?

Some of us have some extreme loading times (mine is about 11 minutes from desktop to lot) and if this could be managed then we would see less waiting around.

Possible?

This is anything but extreme... Back in the day, I used to play it with loading times of half an hour - to the main menu.

[Killzone]

These long loading times interest me, I have what I would call a fairly ancient rig:-

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp.080413-2111)
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2800+,  MMX,  3DNow, ~2.1GHz
Memory: 512MB RAM
Page File: 348MB used, 2180MB available

It takes me a tad over 4 mins to get to a lot from desktop with 1.2GB in downloads folder (predominantly hair, skins/mesh,clothes, characters, zilch furniture/lots). Ive read people having extreme load times of 30-40mins+. Does some types of CC make for longer loadtimes than others?

30-40 min load times..you'd have to be very keen on the game to keep playing under those conditions!

 I remember back in the day, loading games on my Commordore 64 with an external tape drive and load times were quicker than that, haha!

[Dea]

My loading time is 10 minutes, I wouldn't complain about that after having 40 minute load times. My ex played a completely vanilla game because he liked the almost instant loading time.  Maybe it's a male thing.

[Killzone]

Probably is a male thing. We are not likely to have gigabytes of asthetically pleasing curtains cos we are more interested in MOAR fights and who gets a fuckbuddy on the side when they are engaged, haha.

[J. M. Pescado]

Augh! *10* minute load times? You are must be joking! If I had 10 minute load times, I'd spend more time loading than getting any productive WORK done, and you wouldn't have SHINY THINGS. I boot from click to main screen in 60 seconds, tops, with a lot opened in 90 seconds. Otherwise I start deleting things!

[witch]

OK. I gotta test this out. 2.2GB CC.

3 mins 10 seconds to main hood menu. 20 seconds to load hood. 3.5 minutes total.

I was surprised, I thought it was quicker than that. I would have said 2, 2.5 minutes as a guesstimate.

ETA: With no CC it takes 45 seconds to load to the main menu and between 15-15 20 seconds to load the hood.

[Gamblor]

Its not the loading time of starting the game that bothers me its the loading between hoods and sub-hoods that get on my nerves the most. That's why my Sim doesn't usually leave home unless it's for something really important to do. Shopping is a waste of time that's why I hate doing it in real life

My load time is just under a minute with out any CC.

[Gastfyr]

Without any CC my game still takes 5 min from launcher to neighbourhood choosing screen.     With CC, it's over 10 mins.

Of course, I've given up playing Sims on this computer for now because after such brutal load times, it doens't let me play for longer than 5-10 mins before crashing.  So now I'm playing sims on my husband's computer.  It still takes a long time to load with all the CC, but it saves lots so fast by comparison, and it's great to have 0 crashing.

[maxon]

These long loading times interest me, I have what I would call a fairly ancient rig:-

Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp.080413-2111)
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) XP 2800+,  MMX,  3DNow, ~2.1GHz
Memory: 512MB RAM
Page File: 348MB used, 2180MB available

It takes me a tad over 4 mins to get to a lot from desktop with 1.2GB in downloads folder (predominantly hair, skins/mesh,clothes, characters, zilch furniture/lots). Ive read people having extreme load times of 30-40mins+. Does some types of CC make for longer loadtimes than others?

I've never quite understood this one either.  My old computer was even more venerable than your's and it still took only about 5 minutes to load with about 2.5GB in Downloads.  I had optimised virtual memory and other tweaks and I kept it pretty clean and defragged and all the rest.  The processor was a measly 1.6GHz though I had a graphics card with memory of its own (which, when first installed, made the biggest difference to running the game) and a gigglebyte of RAM.  It ran the game fine with up to Freetime installed - in fact, it still is, I gave the system away to a friend of mine with a noCD crack for the installation.  I do wonder what is different about that and those games that take so long to load.  I don't think the short load times are a male thing either, I wouldn't be playing if it took 30 minutes to get to Little Carping.  The new rig loads in about 3 minutes from click to lot - it was about 90 seconds but the volume of custom content has crept up.

[Gastfyr]

As far as CC and males go, my husband is much worse than me when it comes to downloading tonnes of CC clothing.  I'll be downloading a few outfits, and he'll go, "Hey!  Download that too!  Come on; I want to see how it looks in the game."  I think it's always female clothing.     Like I need anymore female clothing!  lol