[Resolved] Very Slow Loading of Maps

[apoll]

Hi, I wonder if I'm doing something wrong? Excitedly loaded it up but found the map loading takes for what seems forever. Happy to wait a few seconds or so...but it takes a long time (more than 15 seconds average) to load hi res maps. I have a decent computer and other graphically intensive flight sims run well. I saw something about having to download these maps from the internet? If that is so, then surely that's causing the slowness.

Unfortunately, if it isn't fixed, or some other method found to load those hi res maps, it's a game breaking issue for me and I'll be asking for refund. Want to register my concern on this issue and ask the developers, who are usually very responsive, to consider this issue and come up with a better system. Or pls give me some advice if I have done something inadvertently to slow the game down to unplayable speeds.

Regards and with respect,

aApoll

[morphin]

Yes. That's a pitty. Not usable at this time. But i hope that a download for the maps would improve the performance

[Dimitris]

Hello,

We are really sorry that your playing experience is so severely ruined by this issue. This is almost certainly a slowdown caused by the peak load of the initial release. It is reasonable to assume that as the load on the servers decreases by time, the responsiveness will be restored to normal levels. (Downloaded map pieces are cached locally on the hard drive, so each piece has to be requested and downloaded only once. Delays due to local factors, e.g. a slow HDD, are of course outside our control.)

We completely understand your frustration with this issue. I would only like to say that Command is a massive game in every sense of the word, and the multitude of "things" you can do with it are usually not readily apparent if this is your first time with the game. Giving a pass to Command as a whole because of this almost certainly transient issue would, IMHO, be like rejecting a Porsche 911 GT3 because you don't like the color of the gear shift lever: It's an understood and respected opinion, but you would be missing out on a whole lot of goodness. Of course I am severely biased so anyone else may view this differently.

That said, we do hope that you will give this game the chance to win you over, warts and all. Thanks.

[Gizzmoe]

ORIGINAL: Dimitris
It is reasonable to assume that as the load on the servers decreases by time, the responsiveness will be restored to normal levels.

I think the main "issue" is that the amount of map data that needs to be downloaded is generally huge, and that's unavoidable. It simply takes the time it takes, especially with my slow 8 Mbit DSL

Maybe you could offer downloadable higher-res map packs for certain regions, but I know that is much to ask for, considering the file sizes of such packs.

[guanotwozero]

Something that may be useful and improve map server performance is to only use map layers at certain zoom levels.

Right now I like using the BMNG & borders layers at large scale zoom, but at narrow zoom I often like to add the Sentinel-2 sat layer.

If this was automated (and commonly used), there's be less demand on the map servers. In the options we could set the zoom level at which we want any particular layer.

[ultradave]

I had noticed going back to a saved scenario in Chains of War, the second time the maps were already there from cache, I presume, so things were much smoother (but I have a pretty fast internet connection so the downloading of map data wasn't an issue for me)

[apoll]

Thanks for acknowledging, Dimitris. Not sure about the Porsche analogy: the reason I'd buy a Porsche would be to go fast, and to find it snoozes along like a family sedan would strain the friendship somewhat! But anyway, you get the message. The thing I am curious about is why there do not seem to be more accounts of this same issue, given I have a pretty powerful machine, reasonably good internet connection and SSDs, etc. So I consider myself to be pretty normal as a long term user of CMNAO and now CMO. So, if I'm having issues, why are most people not? Yet, I see replies of people having no issues, to only as slight delays...which would be great for me if that were the case. But it is not: remains unplayable. I wonder what they are doing that I am not? What's the secret here? Hmmm.

apoll

[thewood1]

I suspect it might be about expectations. I see some delay, but nothing that even makes me want to consider complaining about it.

[apoll]

Yea, I am trying out different hard drives as we speak. if it is my system, then of course, I have to sort and onus on me. Maybe expectations: I do expect the high res maps will load almost immediately, or with a short delay. Maybe I have to tone down that expectation, it would seem. Don't get me wrong: I love the complexity and the simulation more broadly, and the new interface is worth my spedning the extra money to get. No doubt. Just want those maps loaded more quickly! Anyway, Dimitris has the message and is aware. They've always been responsive so I'll stick with it.

apoll

[morphin]

Solution would be offline map. Please make maps downloadable
Thank's

[Dimitris]

We significantly improved this in B1121.1 & .2 . Is there still a problem?

[morphin]

I must say i only use BMNG at this time, also because of the artifacts. I must change the layer and have a look at it soon

[Dimitris]

I'm fairly certain we completely eradicated tile artifacts in B1121.3 .