OOTP taking forever to start

[FleetWalker]

Beginning Wednesday, November 22, OOTP 24 started taking over 20 minutes to load to the start screen. This is not an exaggeration, it actually takes that amount of time. The last attempt took 24:25 based on the stack trace. Prior to that it loaded in seconds. I have a pretty robust machine, and the game is on a SSD. Once the game finally launches, it seems to run as normal.

I have tried the following:

1. Restarted Windows
2. Turned the computer off and then after several hours restarted
3. Uninstalled and reinstalled Steam
4. Uninstalled and reinstalled OOTP
5. Ran sfc /scannow which came back normal

I started the game in trace mode, but I don't see anything in the trace that seems useful. The load basically flies along . . . except for five 5-ish minute gaps.

2023-11-25 09:40:48 startup: Checking command line parameters:
2023-11-25 09:43:05 startup: Using custom back buffer allocation function
2023-11-25 09:49:09 startup: Program started with command line parameters: D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Out of the Park Baseball 24\ootp24.exe

2023-11-25 09:49:09 startup: This is the DMPT_APP path now: D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Out of the Park Baseball 24
2023-11-25 09:54:31 startup: This is the DMPT_APP_DATA path now: D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Out of the Park Baseball 24\data

2023-11-25 09:54:32 startup: fg_opengl_init() succeeded
2023-11-25 09:59:53 myfacegen: myfacegen object created, opengl_major_version = 4

2023-11-25 09:59:55 ENTRY_PAGE::create: Online backend - continue...
2023-11-25 10:05:16 entry_page: Called request_check_write_permission

[Cod]

You need to provide details of your machine as "robust machine" can mean different things to different people. Also, you didn't mention which version of the game you're playing. Start by providing those things then we can help you work through any issues. In the past, I've seen people suffer from this issue due to their antivirus software.

[FleetWalker]

I'm running OOTP 24, and I have close to 800 hours in the program. This only started happening a few days ago. I use Bitdefender as my anti-virus, and it has never caused issues in the past. It seems unlikely to me that is the culprit.

My processor is Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-10750H CPU @ 2.60GHz, 2592 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s)

System info:
In-Game Overlay is available
OpenGL always on
Uses OpenGL for display
Uses default image resize code
CPU: 12 CPUs, 2592 MHz
Free disk space: 673,075 MB
Physical memory: 16,215 MB, free: 3,029 MB
Virtual memory: 134,217,727 MB, free: 3,029 MB
Chilkat version: 9.5.0.88

[Cod]

Are you playing the latest version of the game (24.11.85)? It was released a few days before Thanksgiving, which matches up to your timeline. Also, I agree that your AV isn't likely the problem, but I would still test starting the game with your AV disabled. You can't rule that out unless you test it. Plus, a recent rulepack update could cause your AV to act wonky.

You shouldn't be having any issues, so I'm trying to think what could've changed recently.

[FleetWalker]

It'd be nice if that was the issue, but it looks like I'm still on version 24.10.82.

I also tried turning off the Antivirus, and the program maybe loaded quicker, but still in the 10-15 minute range.

I'm starting to think there may be something going on unrelated to OOTP, such as an impending SSD failure. The machine is only about 3 years old, but it sees very heavy use. I am now noticing a few other issues, such a really long shutdown time for Windows (and the inability to run diagnostics on the SSDs). So far, the machine boots normally and (other than OOTP) programs run normally, but it may be time to replace it.

[Cod]

Sorry to hear that. Even with heavy usage, I wouldn't think most SSDs would fail that quickly. Try the following:

1. Go to the command line. Type "WMIC" and hit enter. Then type "diskdrive get status" and hit enter. (both words w/o quotes)
2. Test your SSD with something like CrystalDiskInfo (free download)

The results may tell you what you need to know.

[FleetWalker]

Thanks. I have two drives, one 512GB (WD) and the other 1TB (Samsung 970). They show up as OK in WMIC. I couldn't get Samsung Magician to provide any info about the Samsung Drive at all other than it was there, and the WD SSD tool showed the drive as OK but with ludicrously slow read/write times. CrystalDiskInfo didn't recognize the existence of either drive (and it also took about 15 minutes to load).

But today CrystalDiskInfo ran fine and identify the drives as 95% (WD) and 100% (Samsung). And OOTP opened as usual without any delay. This is without a restart let alone a shutdown.

No clue what is going on honestly. It could be an issue with heat, although the laptop is setting on a stand with fans. Or possibly a virus that Bitdefender doesn't recognize. Or some other intermittent hardware issue. In any event, it doesn't appear to be OOTP specific.

[Cod]

Glad you're making progress. Hope it gets better and works out for you!