fixed Obnoxious DCS startup times since 2.8.6.41393 OpenBeta MT (around 120 seconds!)

[Tepnox]

38 minutes ago, Livers said:

why is this an "Installation Problem" ?

Well, because the description for this sub-forum is: "For any issues with Installation, updating and repairing."

So it kind of fits.

[YoYo]

4 minutes ago, Tepnox said:

Well, because the description for this sub-forum is: "For any issues with Installation, updating and repairing."

So it kind of fits.

I was wondering why before too, but then I noticed this description. 

[Art-J]

...on the other hand, it's not "updating" problem, because all of us updated just fine and we're already on the latest version. I'd rather put it in performance or general section, but it doesn't matter now. BigNewy keeps an eye on this thread and that's what matters.

Edited June 27, 2023 by Art-J

[silverdevil]

6 hours ago, Livers said:

why is this an "Installation Problem" ?

the OP put it in this forum. the mods may eventually move it somewhere.

[Flappie]

The slow startup is global and it's been reported internally.

[AhSoul]

Phew glad it's not just me thinking DCS has got really slow to start recently

[Mezhik]

ssd samsung 980 pro 1tb, openxr reverb g2, dcs mt, 1 min 44 sec

dcs.log

Edited June 28, 2023 by Mezhik

[Sprite001]

Load time now MT 140 sec. 

Load time now ST 135 sec. 

Load time before was about 30 sec. MT + ST

Ssd Samsung 980 Pro SSD 1tb M2. OpenXr, Reverb G2

 

 

dcs.log

[BIGNEWY]

posts merged, we do have a report for the team so thank you for your logs 

 

[MoleUK]

9 hours ago, Flappie said:

The slow startup is global and it's been reported internally.

Have any problems with menu screens been flagged? That's the other noticeable change in the latest patch for me. Bringing up and scrolling through role select on a busy server can result in severe stutters and freezes now. Not sure if it's related to the startup problems, though the main menu can also be iffy in the same way when it first loads up.

[YoYo]

48 minutes ago, MoleUK said:

Have any problems with menu screens been flagged? That's the other noticeable change in the latest patch for me. Bringing up and scrolling through role select on a busy server can result in severe stutters and freezes now. Not sure if it's related to the startup problems, though the main menu can also be iffy in the same way when it first loads up.

For me, loading MP servers always resulted in stuttering, but the menu can be a similar issue described here (check video):

 

[MoleUK]

3 hours ago, YoYo said:

For me, loading MP servers always resulted in stuttering, but the menu can be a similar issue described here (check video):

 

Yep that's about right, same experience here as listed in the thread. Being that it arrived in the same patch i'm guessing that it's at least tangentially related but could be wrong.

Edited June 28, 2023 by MoleUK

[Maestro3818]

I don't know if it is really needed at this point but I'd like to add my DCS start-up log.  In which DCS folder do you find it?  I'm away from my desktop or I would just try to find it myself.    Thanks in advance. 

[Art-J]

^ All logs created by DCS are stored in C:\Users\[your user profile]\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\ folder.

Edited June 29, 2023 by Art-J

[Holbeach]

4 minutes load for me.

Tedious when trying to learn a new module.

..dcs.zipdcs.log

[Maestro3818]

13 hours ago, Art-J said:

^ All logs created by DCS are stored in C:\Users\[your user profile]\Saved Games\DCS\Logs\ folder.

 

Thank you. 

[Fuggzy]

Back in the old days with a 5400 rpm HDD, I was able to launch the sim and then prepare dinner and feed it to my kids before the menu screen came up.  It was excellent for sim/life balance.  Then it got faster...wayyyy faster especially with M2 Nvme, until it was all I could do to microwave hot dogs and shove them at the kids before the menu was ready and I was called to action.  

Recently, I've noticed that load times are inexplicably increasing every time I launch the sim, even to the wait of 5400 rpm HDDs. Thank you so much.  Today I double-clicked DCS, and then I made -- from scratch -- a Bolognese sauce with charred garlic cloves, served it, and did the dishes all before the sim was ready at the menu screen, perfectly right on time.  Please make these loading times skyrocket, so I can get more things done.

[BIGNEWY]

posts merged

[Thx1137]

For comparison.

1 minute 40 second to go from desktop to menu screen for me in MT mode. That includes about 20 second compiling reshade shaders. I have a fast m.2 drive and 12th Gen i7-12700F, 2100 Mhz, 12 Cores with 32mb of fairly slow RAM.

Some Sinai based missions were taking a long time to load but I used to have preload radius set to max. At 70,000 it is a fair bit faster.

dcs.zip

[macedk]

Same here. 165 seconds and 161 seconds after the antivirus exclude. On 1tb ssd. 

No overclock, a couple of sound mods and 3 flight mods. 

Otherwise my install is rock solid, 1 crash in over 2 years (offline play).

[Moxica]

There's always something amiss with DCS.
Be it stutter, login problems, artifacts, flickering graphics, missing bomb precicion etc.. or crazy bad load/startup times.

This one error is one of the worst and I don't even consider starting DCS based on an impulse, for example to learn air to air in my newly purchased F-15.
Because it takes forever to start.
I've been near ditching the entire concept due to time wasted many times already.
But I have put to much "terms and conditions of EULA" money in it. Plus hardware.
I've been told to "please be patient" to many times.
So I have to appeal to ED; Please be vigilant, and try to consider customers point of view, and fix or give info.
I have no clue; will  this take weeks, months, or, as in some occations, years? Are you even on it?
"Reported" 
This is the most frustrating concept I've ever encountered, although it is my favourite one too.
My time off from work is precious. I want to dedicate some of it to DCS, according to what I paid for.
I bought a dedicated PC for this concept only, with the spec to handle it. But atm: No joy.

In all fairness: Theres been weeks on end where I've enjoyed the work you put in to such measure, I've actually exclaimed sounds of joy. My girl say she heard me sing.
 

[YoYo]

Don't worry, you're not alone. A moment ago I spent ... 1 hour  trying to start, long loading time and then strange long freezes in the menu, I gave up in the end.

Luckily there is an ST version and this one works fine. Clearly there is something broken in the engine itself now the MT version, I don't know what happened, before the last patch everything was great. After Thursday with the F-15E only problems with starting (well, but halfway, because sometimes it's ok). I hope the matter will be resolved soon and there will be some hotfix. Honestly, after 1-2 DCS launches last OB patch, I immediately noticed that something was wrong with this version of DCS 363. More posts about it started to appear on Saturday and Sunday, but probably more people had free time then and before that, some did not run DCS or thought it was a problem with their computers. No, this is not a hardware problem.

[Moxica]

6 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Don't worry, you're not alone. A moment ago I spent ... 1 hour  trying to start, long loading time and then strange long freezes in the menu, I gave up in the end.

Luckily there is an ST version and this one works fine. Clearly there is something broken in the engine itself now the MT version, I don't know what happened, before the last patch everything was great. After Thursday with the F-15E only problems with starting (well, but halfway, because sometimes it's ok). I hope the matter will be resolved soon and there will be some hotfix. Honestly, after 1-2 DCS launches last OB patch, I immediately noticed that something was wrong with this version of DCS 363. More posts about it started to appear on Saturday and Sunday, but probably more people had free time then and before that, some did not run DCS or thought it was a problem with their computers. No, this is not a hardware problem.

Thx!, But another question lurks: Am I paying for trouble?

[Flappie]

Just now, Moxica said:

Thx!, But another question lurks: Am I paying for trouble?

No, you enlisted to it. It's called an Open Beta.

If you want less trouble, use ST or opt out from Open Beta.

[YoYo]

4 minutes ago, Moxica said:

Thx!, But another question lurks: Am I paying for trouble?

If you take an expired candy bar from the shelf and you didnt notice it, and then you will have problems, it will be an analogous situation ;). Sometimes it happens. But I hope the guys will solve this problem soon. As I wrote, for now it's better to fly on the ST version and forget about MT, luckily this one works better.