Too Much Coffee on 23/6/2024 at 02:49
Hi I just installed NewDarkLoader today and configured everything based on its instructions. It works, but the app is very slow loading when I launch Thief Gold from Steam, around 5 minutes. I have only one FM archive in the loader right now (Black Parade). I suspect it may be something about 7z that is slowing it down but not sure. Is it just me or is this common? I have a Win10 system with only SSD storage.
Stingm on 23/6/2024 at 04:20
Try using AngelLoader,
baeuchlein on 23/6/2024 at 11:23
7z archives indeed often slow down all mission loaders when these loaders "see" them for the first time. As far as I remember, FenPhoenix did some work to speed this up somewhat in AngelLoader, but my experience with AngelLoader is limited, and I don't know how well it works.
However, once a loader has finally finished its first look at these archives, things should speed up a lot, and stay like that with that particular 7z archive in the future. So, try to let NewDarkLoader "swallow" "The Black Parade", and if it does this within, say, half an hour, things should be fine. On the other hand, I have seen NewDarkLoader "choking" on some large 7z archives as well, so if it doesn't do its job in due time, you better use FMSel or AngelLoader - especially since the author of NewDarkLoader told us a few posts above that this loader is not in development any more - A.K.A. "it's deprecated and won't be improved any more".
R Soul on 23/6/2024 at 15:29
Fen took a more rigorous approach to performance than I did. AngelLoader extracts the readmes and stores them in their own folder so it doesn't have to open an archive each time an FM is selected, just the first time. Plus a few more technical optmizations that make a big difference with a large number of FMs, and with large file sizes.
Too Much Coffee on 23/6/2024 at 15:52
For me it does not get any faster after the first time loading the archive. Each time I return to NewDarkLoader, it takes 5 minutes to load and display. Again I only have experience with the Black Parade archive. When I first installed the app and started it the first time without having any archive added, the setup screen displayed quickly. But as soon as I added a FM archive, the app is now always taking 5 minutes to load.Even after quitting the game and gong back to the app it takes that long to refresh and redisplay.
baeuchlein on 24/6/2024 at 22:19
I checked it as well, and while my installation reacted a bit faster, it was also taking its time when doing anything about the Black Parade.
"The Black Parade" has been published as a rather large 7z archive, which causes rather long processing times for all loaders, but the problem is not limited to this archive. Since NewDarkLoader is not developed any further, the only solution is to switch to either FMSel or AngelLoader, the latter being closer to NewdarkLoader's "look and feel", and more comfortable as well. If there's no reason against using it, this seems to be your best choice.
Too Much Coffee on 28/6/2024 at 22:24
5 minutes might have been a little exaggerated. But it definitely takes at least 3 minutes for NewDarkLoader to run each time. But I have been immensely impressed with The Black Parade and enjoying it a bunch. It has been worth it.
