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Major lag/delay with every save

heartxmurmurheartxmurmur Member Posts: 2
in Troubleshooting
Hey folks,
Every time I save (standard or quick save), I experience a delay of about 30 seconds before the save completes and I can resume playing. If I press any buttons on the keyboard or mouse I get a message reading "Baldurs Gate is not responding..." ala a standard software crash.
Anyone else experience this? Any solutions? I really loved this game back in the day and was so excited to play it again, especially with the new content and features, but this issue is making the experience pretty frustrating and unappealing.
Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • DoubledimasDoubledimas Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 1,286
    What OS are you playing on? What game precisely? What version? Do you have any mods?
  • PaulaMigratePaulaMigrate Member Posts: 1,201
    The EE games are much faster than the old games but they provide no GUI indication about the saving progress and when it is running. Saving is almost not recognisable at the beginning but if you play a large game with loads of mods etc your savegames become larger with all the globals and areas and items that are stored. Saving kind of freezes the game for a moment.
    I play the EET, i.e. all parts of the game as one + a very large number of mods. Saving times definitely increase the longer I play but it is still 10 times faster than the old game. You get used to it - the only real issue here is that you have no feedback from the game about what is going on like the old waiting screen we once had.
    Most likely they did not deem that necessary since in the fractured and unmodded game the saves are almost instantaneous.
  • heartxmurmurheartxmurmur Member Posts: 2
    Thanks PaulaMigrate and Doubledimas. So this is for BGEE, played on Win10 machine. No mods. This problem has been happening since near the beginning of the game, though sporadically at first for stretches of time on some maps, now consistent. I get the proposition of larger save games taking longer to write, but it's still a bit mystifying; I recently replayed PST (non-EE) with a bunch of mods, no problem. Same for IWD (also non-EE, but with mods), which I played on a low-end laptop. This problem is happening on a mid-level gaming laptop w/ Intel i7 processor, GeForce GTX 560M, 8 Gig ram, etc.
    Hmmm.
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    I've also recently had this problem happen with my laptop. Though it's not a powerhouse by any means, I thought this might be an indication of HDD issues. I ended up buying a SSD (Samsung 850 Evo) and installing but the problem seems to persist. The issue does not seem to happen with my desktop that also is using the same SSD, but I can't seem to see anything specific causing this problem. Also, I reinstalled both BGEE and BG2EE and am using no mods (both are behaving this way) neither improved. Anyone have some ideas on how to fix them?
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    I forgot to mention earlier this is on Windows 10, but additionally I found an older copy of BGEE from GoG that isn't updated (the build date file says it's from Aug 29, 2014) and it still works perfectly fast saving. This is really odd behavior.
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    The latest GOG version (actually the last two) has Cloud saves. Maybe this is turned on and it is going through a timeout before defaulting to HDD? Only a guess as I don't use the cloud saves. It can be turned off in Options/Gameplay.
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    I haven't tried the latest GoG copy, I'll give that a shot soon. So far I've only encountered this issue with BGEE and BG2EE steam editions. I'll try the GoG copies and let you know. (I do have the cloud save option in the menu disabled though, so I would think that shouldn't be the problem.)
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    Just downloaded the GoG version 2.3.67.3 and installed, it's still has about a 20 second delay when I do a save (quicksave and normal) with cloud saves turned off or on. This is very strange.
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    Do you play connected to the Internet or disconnected? If you play connected, then try disconnected or vica versa. The delay length seems like it could be network related.

    Do you have a cloud storage and if so, are you logged in (for testing purposes only)? Maybe there is another program in the background that is accessing the network? Not sure why this would impact on BG, but its worth asking... Do you have another PC that you can access to try (I'm sure it isn't the installer itself)?
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    So I've tried with the laptop (forgot to mention before: Windows 10 like the OP) with the wireless on and off and no noticeable difference in save times. I don't have any cloud storage programs running in the background and I don't see anything that should be interfering with network traffic.

    My desktop (also windows 10, steam copy) seems to be working perfectly fine with and without the network cable plugged in. This is a really strange issue. Also, both are downloading the same steam account so both are BGEE with SOD.
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    @Valerik, about how long has this been happening. Windows 10 has had a major update to the Creator (may or may not have happened with your laptop/desktop yet) version which may have 'updated/corrupted' some drivers. Could it have been around the same time? To check, just go to Settings/System/About and look at the version number. The Creator version is 1703.
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    @Gusinda First, thanks so much for all the help. :) I checked the laptop and it has 1703 and my desktop is still with version 1607. This has been happening for awhile - at least a month, but I've been unable to find the time to use the laptop for any gaming until a few days ago so I started to try trouble shoot it starting then. I'm not exactly sure when it updated to Win10 version 1703.

    It's just so strange that the non-EE versions still work perfectly, but the new versions both have this issue.
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    edited June 2017
    No probs, this why we have a troubleshooting section in the forum, to share frustration :)...

    I think the month would fit in with the Windows 10 update timeline. My wifes PC was updated about two months ago and mine upgraded about 2 weeks ago. If you go to your update history, Settings/Update/Update History/Other Updates (which is likely to be number 1 in the history list), you will find out when the update occurred. It lists itself as 'Feature update to Windows 10, version 1703'. You can also check to see if and hardware drivers were updated by looking at Driver Updates, likely to be the second in the update history.

    Without knowing what type of laptop you have and the type of components within, I will make some suggestions:

    - 1st, reinstall DirectX 9.0c. Test.
    - Update Video card drivers (yeah I know - but stranger things have happened). Test.
    (This should also update your OpenGL drivers, if it doesn't then also update OpenGL).
    - Check and make sure your sound card drivers are up to date. Test.

    If these don't work, let me know what the laptop brand and model is, and we can play further.

    Also, if you paste a copy of the contents of your baldur.lau (..\My Documents\Baldur's Gate - Enhanced Edition\baldur.lau) just to look.


    I say this as I was having some problems with a different application when I updated to 1607 last year, and the fix ended up being completly unrelated, the driver for an external monitor (I have a gaming laptop connected to a monitor) which had a couple of speakers built in of which I never use. Thankfully, the problem didn't return with the 1703 update. In your case, DirectX and/or OpenGL are related to the way BGEE interacts with your computer's hardware.


    Fingers crossed
    Gus
  • ValerikValerik Member Posts: 7
    Sorry for the slow reply, but I got stuck finishing up building a fence at home and now out of town for the holiday. I should be able to try your suggestions next week. I'll update you after I give them a shot.

    I did find a really old copy of the GOG installer for version 1.3 something and the saves on that older EE version work fine.
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    No probs and hope you enjoy your holiday.

    Gus
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    I've been having the exact same issues for roughly the same time period. I'll give @Gusinda's suggestions a try as well to see if we can find a fix to this problem
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    @Noobacca,
    Fingers are also crossed for good results on your system.

    Gus
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    @Gusinda, I've finally found time to sit down and run through your suggested steps. My video/sound drivers are all up-to-date. The only thing I haven't had success with is with reinstalling directx 9.0c. I used the dxdiag and found that I have directx 12 installed so I was a bit hesitant to uninstall that and reinstall 9. You suggested @Valerik should copy/paste his baldur.lau contents so I'll do the same below.

    SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Active Campaign','2') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Sprite Mirror','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Translucent Shadows','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume SFX','80') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Disable Cosmetic Attacks','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Font Name','') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Drop Capitals','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Voices','100') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Path Search Nodes','32000') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Cloud Saves Enabled','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','3D Acceleration','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Maximum Frame Rate','30') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Tooltips','15') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Movie','90') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Music','40') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Never Show Nuisance SOD','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Program Options','Volume Ambients','40') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','zh_CN','SIMSUN') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','Zoom','112') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ko_KR','NANUM') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ru_RU','PTSERIF') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','ja_JP','MEIRYO') SetPrivateProfileString('Fonts','uk_UA','PERMIAN') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Scale UI','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Character Highlights','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','vendor','Intel') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','version','OpenGL version 3.1.0 - Build 9.17.10.4459 - build XXXX') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','renderer','Intel(R) HD Graphics 3000') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Zoom Lock','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Hardware Mouse Cursor','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Nearest Neighbour Scaling','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Use Sprite Outlines','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Greyscale On Pause','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Show Black Space','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Language','Text','en_US') SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Enable Chat Menu','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Multiplayer','Disable Banters','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','HP Over Head','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Subtitles','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Filter Games','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Mouse Scroll Speed','68') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Explored Map','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Memory Level','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','GUI Feedback Level','5') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Cleric Ranger Spells','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Combat UI','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tutorial State','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Difficulty Level','2') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus XP','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Locator Feedback Level','3') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Selection Sounds Frequency','3') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Extra Feedback','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Last Save SOD','000000001-Quick-Save-4') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Nightmare Bonus Gold','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Tiles Precache Percent','100') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Pausing Map','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Travel Regions','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Hotkeys On Tooltips','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Suppress Extra Difficulty Damage','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Color Circles','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Message Box Top','86') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Message Box Hint','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Journal Popups','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Terrain Hugging','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Weather','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Learnable Spells','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Over Confirm Everything','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Duplicate Floating Text','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Effect Text Level','62') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause State','128') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Area Effects Density','100') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Maximum HP','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Quick Item Mapping','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Heal Party on Rest','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Always Dither','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Show Character HP','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Critical Hit Screen Shake','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','All Learn Spell Info','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Last Save','000000001-Quick-Save') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Render Actions','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Auto Pause Center','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Keyboard Scroll Speed','80') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Bored Timeout','3000') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Attack Sounds','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Environmental Audio','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Ranged Weapon Switching','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Command Sounds Frequency','2') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Infravision','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','3E Thief Sneak Attack','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Footsteps','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Confirm Dialog','0') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','No Difficulty Based XP Bonus','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Game Options','Classic Selection Circles','0') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','SODCIN03','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','ELDRCITY','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','REST','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','ENDMOVIE','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','SODCIN02','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','BLACKPIT','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','RESTDUNG','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','RESTINN','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','SODCIN01','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','CAMP','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','BGENTER','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','NASHKELL','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','LOGO','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','INTRO','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','FRARMINN','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','SODCIN05','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','MINEFLOD','1') SetPrivateProfileString('MOVIES','DEATHAND','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Full Screen','1') SetPrivateProfileString('Window','Maximized','0')

    As far as I'm aware, the only thing I've adjusted in this is the cleric/ranger spells.

    Again, thanks for taking the time to help us out with this!
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    edited July 2017
    @Noobacca, you should have not problems installing DirectX 9.0c as they can co-exist on the system. A couple of Qs. Is the system a notebook, and how much RAM do you have? Do you run any mods?

    Can you try this, once you install DirectX 9.0c, backup baldur.lua and change the following line:

    SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','0')
    to
    SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','1')

    Save and start the game. This will change the backend to DirectX. See if that makes any difference to the lag.

    My main game system is a notebook with the Intel chipset (4600) as well as a discrete NVidia card. I had lag in the game (and too much to worry about whether there was a save prob as well) but once I changed to DirectX, the game was fine. I have since played around with both OpenGL and DirectX on the cards and found DirectX on the NVidia to be the best for me, second was DirectX on the Intel chipset, then OpenGL on the Intel chipset (which had the probs).

    If it plays up (I don't expect it will), all you need to do to switch back to OpenGL is revert the Backend to 0 (or replace baldur.lua with your backed up version...)

    Gus

    Edit: Sorry, I reread your comment and noticed that you didn't have success with installing DirectX 9. Was this because 12 was installed and you didn't want to temp fate or there was an error when installing 9?
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    Gusinda said:

    Edit: Sorry, I reread your comment and noticed that you didn't have success with installing DirectX 9. Was this because 12 was installed and you didn't want to temp fate or there was an error when installing 9?

    Yeah, I wasn't sure if installing 9 while I had 12 on my machine would cause any problems.

    Also, to answer your other Q's: I'm using a PC (Intel Core i3-2105 CPU @ 3.10GHz), 4GB RAM and currently running no mods.

    Also, just to clarify, are you saying I can download and install directx 9 even when my system has 12 installed already? If so, I'll give that a try tomorrow and adjust the .lua file as you've suggested.

    Thanks!
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    @Noobacca - Yeah, no problems installing DirectX 9. In fact, DirectX 9.0c is one of the drivers (after Video and Sound card drivers) I place on any system that I rebuild (with Windows). The main difference is how the CPU talks to the GPU and some .dlls that are not installed with DirectX 12.

    RAM is no worries (I was thinking there may have been a bit less) and CPU should be able to handle it.

    Gus
  • NoobaccaNoobacca Member Posts: 139
    Ok, so I can't install DirectX 9 because I'm running Windows 10 (d'oh!) but I went ahead and changed

    SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','0')
    to
    SetPrivateProfileString('Graphics','Backend','1')

    and it seems to have worked! I'll start a new game and run through it a bit and test the different saves to see how it goes.

    Thanks again mate!
  • GusindaGusinda Member Posts: 1,917
    edited July 2017
    @Noobacca - happy to help out.

    Just to let you know, I am running Windows 10 (and build a number of systems that I place DirectX 9 on as well) and have no problems installing DirectX 9. I always install it as some of the older games I play require it. Some of the .dlls aren't installed with version 12 (or 11). It is a common practice (well mine anyway). My guess is that you need to find a location that allows you to download the offline installer. I have to disappear right now, but I will locate and place a link in the discussion when I get back.

    [Casts Invisibility Spell]
    Gus


    Edit: Here Ya Go - Directly from Microsoft. Although you prob wont need it now, grab it for later on (depending on the style of games you play).
    Post edited by Gusinda on
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