X360 performance. - by CCCToad
rujuro on 30/3/2006 at 12:53
It isn't necessarily a bad disc. From Bethesda:
"Oblivion uses the Xbox 360 hard drive extensively to cache (copy and reuse) game data. This is done to optimize all loading the game does. It has been found in rare cases on some Xbox 360s that the cached data can get overly fragmented. This exhibits itself by the game taking a long time to load anything from menus, dialogue, sounds, objects, levels, and more.
To solve this problem, reset your Xbox, and hold down the A button as the game is booting up. If any button is held while Oblivion is loading, it will clear its hard drive cache, and create a new one.
Once you see the “Bethesda Softworks” logo video, the game is already loaded, and the cache should have been cleared.
Note, this does not effect your game in any way other than loading. You will not lose any saved data."
FYI for those with the 360 version.
N'Al on 30/3/2006 at 14:02
Ok, this is very much off topic, but still slightly related, so I thought I'd post it anyway:
I'm having a problem with my original, unmodded Xbox in that I get frequent dirty disc errors. This is only a problem with some of my games though, not all of them; all 3 GTAs, Kotor, MGS2 and Ninja Gaiden, for example, run almost flawlessly, but Jade Empire LE and XIII are almost unplayable, and Amped takes almost 5 mins to load anything. Now, I handle all my DVDs with utmost care, they have no scratches whatsoever, so I doubt it's the DVDs that are fucked. I haven't got another Xbox close to try whether it's the DVDs though. So I'm thinking it might be a dusty read head as Komag mentioned. Anyone know what I can do?
Myoldnamebroke on 30/3/2006 at 14:07
Bear in mind you might have some scratches as the top of the disc is more vulnerable to damage and it's harder to detect flaws on. The Xbox is in my experience really really fussy about reading discs with flaws. It's just not very good at coping with damaged discs.
If it was a PS2 then I'd say yup, the laser's gone, as that seems to happen to just about every PS2 eventually. But the Xbox is notorious for not loading dirty discs.
So, basically, I've no idea what's wrong with it ;) Try the games in another Xbox, I guess, or test it out with lots of other games. If it only happens with certain discs then that might point towards the discs rather than the Xbox.
Tenkahubu on 30/3/2006 at 23:26
Quote:
Ok, this is very much off topic, but still slightly related, so I thought I'd post it anyway:
my original xbox started doing this just before it had a meltdown. I should send it off to be fixed straight away and back up anything you care about just in case.
Aja on 31/3/2006 at 04:16
Just curious, how long after you clear the cache until the load times become long again?
N'Al on 31/3/2006 at 07:49
Quote Posted by Myoldnamebroke
Bear in mind you might have some scratches as the top of the disc is more vulnerable to damage and it's harder to detect flaws on. The Xbox is in my experience really really fussy about reading discs with flaws. It's just not very good at coping with damaged discs.
Just remembered: My MGS2 disc is slightly scratched since I got the game as a trade-in. The game works pretty much flawlessly though. JE, XIII and Amped aren't scratched at all, but they don't work. And the other weird thing is that both JE and XIII worked flawlessly the first time I played and completed them; just now that I want to replay them they start acting up. That's why I'm thinking it's a problem with the Xbox, and not the DVDs. But until I can try them out on another box, I guess I won't know...
@Tenkahubu:
Do you know of a good way I can back-up all my files? I've got a memory card, but it's clearly not big enough to hold all my saves (e.g. DX IW, T: DS, Kotor, etc.)
CCCToad on 2/4/2006 at 20:49
ok....
I've got a 360 copy in the mail, via my Gamefly subscription.
Will see how it works out.
edit:
Forgot to post this before I left for my Field Exercise, but I finally realized where the main source of lag is coming from. The game goes into a slideshow any time the physics take a large effect, such as when an object is being knocked around or a body is going into ragdoll. The less intense the effect, the less performance hit. For example, if items go flying off a table, my computer will stutter and sputter. However, if I were to just drop an apple and the ground and it bounces slightly, the effect is minimal.
Very odd
