Help! Royally Savegamebloat.

[schatten]

I noticed, when I am now removing my mod (only my mod. So I think it must be mine. Damn!) my savegame size explodes!

What can I do? How can I track down what script caused it? Help?

[WillieSea]

Scripts that place a lot of objects in the game can cause this, especially if they are not cleaned up and marked for deletion.

Especially if they are persistant references, they stick around in your save game.

[schatten]

I don't place any objects (except move persistent refs via moveto like markers).

How can I identify the script that causes this? Can I load an early save that has my mod in an early stage and use my current mod in a script reduced state? And then add one script after another to find the culprit? Or is there a better way?

How can a save with a mod, then remove the mod, get so big? Looks like a endless loop. Also I noticed when I load the save that doesn't have my mod (because I had done a clean save) my scripts still gets run and the doonce var was not set anymore.

Edited August 14, 2012 by schatten

[WillieSea]

You have to delete the scripts from the scripts folder, or they run even if the mod that added them is removed.

Why?

I can only guess its because the scripts are now 'seperate' from the mod ESP file. And the pointer to the script is now saved in your 'save game' so it continues to run.

[schatten]

http://www.creationkit.com/OnUpdate_-_Form#Notes

IS interesting. think, because I use registerforupadte thins may start to pileup because of the unloaded mod. Using singleupdate is better after the event it seems.

[WillieSea]

do you ever unregister your updates when they are not needed?

[Arthmoor]

Sticking with RegisterForSingleUpdate() protects against having the mod pulled out from under your save and then proceeding to spin countless attempts to update something that's no longer there. At worst, with a single update, all you'd get is one last attempt by the game to execute the event.

Even in cases where the plugin and the script files have all been removed properly from the game, you can get disastrous save game bloating in a matter of minutes. Uninstalling Sounds of Skyrim Civilization is a prime example of this. Even if you delete all the files, you'll get epic level save bloating in minutes, with a Papyrus log well into the hundreds of megabytes if you have them enabled.

[schatten]

Noticed that, too. I deleted all the scripts but it didn't help. >_<

I changed all the scripts now. But if my savegame is like it is, I have to add a one time unregisterupdate call to be able to use my savegame? Or is the only possibility to start a new game?

[schatten]

Even with a changed script I get a bazillion onupdate calls. So I guess only a new game will be working.

[Arthmoor]

Yep, unfortunately once the script has been severed like that you're stuck with the damage. I'm really not happy with the way these things have been handled.

[WillieSea]

Thanks Arthmoor, that information gives me something to think about for my mod, since when the player chooses a certain perk, the quest with script becomes a constant registered update. When they remove the perk, it unregisters.

[schatten]

Another stupid question. When you have a script that does not have registerforupdate and only register forsingleupdate and you remove that script from the object in CK. Will it still cause errors and increase the save size?

[WillieSea]

It should not since it will only run a single time.

But I will say, if you are working on a mod, you should NEVER use a save game that was saved when your mod was active. Its called a dirty save game and it can and will mess up your testing where you will not always get the results you should.

[schatten]

Yep. This is quite worse to test and debug as Oblivion.

Another thing I noticed is that even with singleupdate it is possible that the script bloats your savegame. Not fast but it is noticeable. What works is using states. After I changed the script to use states it is better. Apparently the script "freezes" (might have something to do with findactor, comparing an actor to none and/or an uninitialized actor variable. [assigning none to a non-object]) and creates a new instance or something.

Edited September 23, 2012 by schatten