Very slow character log on - Windows 10

[Grinn]

I have a very annoying issue. The first character I log on with after launching the game takes a very long time to load. Splash screen takes a fair bit of time before the progress bar moves and then the character shows up, unable to move or chat until the Experience bar appears and all the existing buffs (if any) appear (with sound FX).
I can read NPC interactions (Winnie's constant worrying in Eveningstar)

This did not happen until I upgraded from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro (x64).

I have (since the initial Win 10 upgrade) tried:

1. Wiped computer and performed a clean install of Windows 10 Pro (Build 1511).
2. Added new HDD solely for Games (LOTRO, DDO and Witcher3 only currently installed).
3. Clean download & re-installation of DDO, LOTRO & Witcher3. No issues with LOTRO (other than Datacenter move) or Witcher3 - only DDO - as administrator.
4. Changed properties of all the launchers to run as administrator.
5. Checked documents folder for r/w permissions.
6. Manually had to download Visual C++ files for DDO, and used Stoner81's links for missing files (DirectX9c).

I'm wondering if I should try to copy the My Documents\DDO folder to OLDFOLDER. and then delete the existing folder. I can save the Layout and keyboard settings for my characters and import them back afterwards.

Anyone else having similar issues or a workaround? Once I get into the game it's been good with the normal lag issues that everyone else is experiencing.

My system:
Asus P6TD Deluxe with Intel i7-930 Extreme (I know - it's finally off the benchmark tests).
12 GB DDR3 RAM
OS: 120 GB SSD
Games: 3 TB WD Black SATA
EVGA GTX 680 SC x2 SLI
ASUS Xonar Deluxe 7.1 sound card

Thanks
Grin Drake
Orien

[Greantun]

Have you configured the launcher to pre-cache the game code (arrow on upper right)? The usual problem with the first character is the amount of data that has to be loaded, and you can now have the launcher pre-load it.

[Stoner81]

If you are running DDO off of a mechanical HDD then most of your loading issues are right there, move DDO to your SSD and you will see a near instant improvement. There is also a defragger for the games .DAT files which can also help with load times.

Stoner81.

[Grinn]

Have you configured the launcher to pre-cache the game code (arrow on upper right)? The usual problem with the first character is the amount of data that has to be loaded, and you can now have the launcher pre-load it.

Thanks, I shall have a look at that this evening and let you know if it solves it.

If you are running DDO off of a mechanical HDD then most of your loading issues are right there, move DDO to your SSD and you will see a near instant improvement. There is also a defragger for the games .DAT files which can also help with load times.

Stoner81.

My system is getting pretty long in the tooth now and that SSD is also getting on in years. For now I'd like to keep just the OS on the SSD. I'd think that a clean/new installation shouldn't be fragmented enough to warrant the .dat defragger but I know the old rule of thumb was to defrag the game's drive every few patches - or do a clean install every few months. I'm starting to plan for my next system upgrade, but the troubles with getting the neural jack to work properly are delaying the process.
Since this issue has been with me since I reinstalled Win 10 and DDO (and everything else) with your wrapper files - thanks for those - really appreciate the effort you make to help everyone - I'm thinking it might be that pre-load data setting and I shall try that first.

[Stoner81]

I'd think that a clean/new installation shouldn't be fragmented enough to warrant the .dat defragger but I know the old rule of thumb was to defrag the game's drive every few patches - or do a clean install every few months. I'm starting to plan for my next system upgrade, but the troubles with getting the neural jack to work properly are delaying the process.
Since this issue has been with me since I reinstalled Win 10 and DDO (and everything else) with your wrapper files - thanks for those - really appreciate the effort you make to help everyone - I'm thinking it might be that pre-load data setting and I shall try that first.

The clean/new installation you are referring to do you mean the game itself or Windows? If it is the former then it is quite possibly you won't need to but the defragger decides for itself when you run what does and doesn't need defragging. The pre-loader should be automatically enabled due to the amount of RAM you have but double in the launcher options and enable it.

Stoner81.

PS - Glad you like DDO-Wrapper

[Grinn]

The clean/new installation you are referring to do you mean the game itself or Windows? If it is the former then it is quite possibly you won't need to but the defragger decides for itself when you run what does and doesn't need defragging. The pre-loader should be automatically enabled due to the amount of RAM you have but double in the launcher options and enable it.

Stoner81.

PS - Glad you like DDO-Wrapper

Both. It was a clean Windows 10 installation and a complete wipe of all my hard-drives.

After checking last night, my Mechanical drives were 0 % fragmented and the pre-cached loader was enabled.

I bit the bullet.

• Copied my ui/layout folder and my keyboard.ini files to a seperate location. (if doing this also copy any screenshots or crafting/character planner folders/files as well).
• Uninstalled DDO completely
• Ran CCLeaner registry checker - always backup your registry before making any registry changes.
• Deleted the Documents\Dungeons & Dragons Online folder & rebooted the computer.
• Downloaded the updated DDO Wrapper files, checked the MD5 Hash (with FCIV) and installed DDO again. Though sorely tempted (Having 75 GB free on the SSD) my deeply embedded IT training blocked me from installing DDO onto the same drive as the System/OS resides...
• This time I was not prompted that the Visual C++ files were missing.
• Ran Launcher and got the recent 29.1 patch installed. Followed the prompts for Hi-Res and DirectX11. Re-Enabled Firewall to allow DDO inbound and outbound access. Reset Graphics and sound settings. Closed the game.
• Copied saved layout and keyboard files into new Documents\DDO folder.
• Restarted game.
• Game loaded super fast - character selection screen was up so quick I barely had time to stare at the blue bar.
• Moment of truth - select character and log on... this was incredibly fast - the experience bar appeared right away and for a change, other players around me were the ones to populate their gear slowly.

Now I've seen really good load times right after an update, so I'll not hold my breath, but when I logged out and then restarted the game, the second log in was as fast as the first.
With the price of SSDs so cheap right now, I'm tempted to get one just to put DDO and LOTRO onto it to see how that improves in-game performance.
I'll see how well the log in goes this evening after a cold boot.
I'm not sure, it could have been a bad config file or something completely different, but at this point I'm optimistic.

[Stoner81]

Both. It was a clean Windows 10 installation and a complete wipe of all my hard-drives.

After checking last night, my Mechanical drives were 0 % fragmented and the pre-cached loader was enabled.

I bit the bullet.

• Copied my ui/layout folder and my keyboard.ini files to a seperate location. (if doing this also copy any screenshots or crafting/character planner folders/files as well).
• Uninstalled DDO completely
• Ran CCLeaner registry checker - always backup your registry before making any registry changes.
• Deleted the Documents\Dungeons & Dragons Online folder & rebooted the computer.
• Downloaded the updated DDO Wrapper files, checked the MD5 Hash (with FCIV) and installed DDO again. Though sorely tempted (Having 75 GB free on the SSD) my deeply embedded IT training blocked me from installing DDO onto the same drive as the System/OS resides...
• This time I was not prompted that the Visual C++ files were missing.
• Ran Launcher and got the recent 29.1 patch installed. Followed the prompts for Hi-Res and DirectX11. Re-Enabled Firewall to allow DDO inbound and outbound access. Reset Graphics and sound settings. Closed the game.
• Copied saved layout and keyboard files into new Documents\DDO folder.
• Restarted game.
• Game loaded super fast - character selection screen was up so quick I barely had time to stare at the blue bar.
• Moment of truth - select character and log on... this was incredibly fast - the experience bar appeared right away and for a change, other players around me were the ones to populate their gear slowly.

Now I've seen really good load times right after an update, so I'll not hold my breath, but when I logged out and then restarted the game, the second log in was as fast as the first.
With the price of SSDs so cheap right now, I'm tempted to get one just to put DDO and LOTRO onto it to see how that improves in-game performance.
I'll see how well the log in goes this evening after a cold boot.
I'm not sure, it could have been a bad config file or something completely different, but at this point I'm optimistic.

Depending on what version of DDO-Wrapper you ran it might have been before I recently defragged the files but I can't say for certain one way or the other.

Curious to know why you don't want to install DDO to the same drive as OS?

Stoner81.