Black Soul Gems OpenMW east too much script resources [Untested Solution]

[zelazko]

No Black Soul Gems mod:

Spoiler: Show

Black Soul Gem mod installed and activated via black altar:

Spoiler: Show

Also savegames takes additional 2 minutes to load.

https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/45902?

[Capostrophic]

IIRC the mod is really script-heavy, I'm not sure if it should be used at all.

[zelazko]

I found solution for the script lag problem. They way you install this mod is to never save the game until you activate the black altar and make first black soul gem. Only then mod is correctly installed.
Step by step:
1. Drop the resources (meshes, textures etc.) of the mod into Data Files
2. Activate the ESP
3. Go to Mawia (coc "mawia" to teleport)
4. Kill all hostile actors and activate the black altar (wait patiently)
5. Wait for the right day to create the first black soul gem
6. Optionally - soul trap your first NPC e,g, Fargoth
7. Only then you can save the game and exit. Otherwise mod will not initialize correctly and your savegame will be bloated with script lag!!!

My initial tests show no lag increase and saves load just as quickly as before.

[Jemolk]

That soluition is very interesting. Sounds like something is being badly initialized, and that some tinkering with the script could fix that. I'll see what I can see reading through the script.

EDIT: Okay, I notice some unorthodox syntax in the scripts. I know that Morrowind scripts usually have all the variables declared at the beginning, but these declare the variables as they're used. I have to wonder if something in one of these scripts (probably aa_alterscript, since apparently the bug is removed by running that in full (i.e. going through the process described) prior to saving) is being saved in a form that confuses the everloving crap out of the engine if all the variables haven't been declared at the point of saving. That'd be the first thing I'd check. Maybe I'll get to that if I feel like I've got time.

[Capostrophic]

That "upon use" variable declaration thing is apparently legal. TIL.

[zelazko]

That soluition is very interesting. Sounds like something is being badly initialized, and that some tinkering with the script could fix that. I'll see what I can see reading through the script.

EDIT: Okay, I notice some unorthodox syntax in the scripts. I know that Morrowind scripts usually have all the variables declared at the beginning, but these declare the variables as they're used. I have to wonder if something in one of these scripts (probably aa_alterscript, since apparently the bug is removed by running that in full (i.e. going through the process described) prior to saving) is being saved in a form that confuses the everloving crap out of the engine if all the variables haven't been declared at the point of saving. That'd be the first thing I'd check. Maybe I'll get to that if I feel like I've got time.

Are you wiz from the nexus? Jus curious. I've been testing playing the game ever since I posted the solution and I don't notice any script lag or drop of FPS than usual drop in certain unoptimized affected by mods areas e.g. Seyda Neen, Ald-ruhn and Balmora. Mind you I have lots of other mods. I did not encounter a single CTD since installing the black soul gem mod and I captured quite a few souls. On my modded OpenMW experience I only experienced two CTDs and one was of my own making.

The only conflict I can see is intermod lore conflict that won't impact any technicality incompatibilities. https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/45674 Here is the mod ghost revenge that will make dead dummer npc reappear as a ghost after certain time. If you happen to soul trap a hostile dummer that has a ancestral tomb on Vvanderfell or Tamriel Rebuilt Morrowind mainland (s)he might reappear even if you soul trap that NPC.

[Jemolk]

Are you wiz from the nexus? Jus curious. I've been testing playing the game ever since I posted the solution and I don't notice any script lag or drop of FPS than usual drop in certain unoptimized affected by mods areas e.g. Seyda Neen, Ald-ruhn and Balmora. Mind you I have lots of other mods. I did not encounter a single CTD since installing the black soul gem mod and I captured quite a few souls. On my modded OpenMW experience I only experienced two CTDs and one was of my own making.

The only conflict I can see is intermod lore conflict that won't impact any technicality incompatibilities. https://www.nexusmods.com/morrowind/mods/45674 Here is the mod ghost revenge that will make dead dummer npc reappear as a ghost after certain time. If you happen to soul trap a hostile dummer that has a ancestral tomb on Vvanderfell or Tamriel Rebuilt Morrowind mainland (s)he might reappear even if you soul trap that NPC.

No, I have the same username pretty much everywhere.

I just tested the black soulgem mod both with and without an altered script, and found...pretty much nothing. I explicitly avoided using your solution, saving and exiting multiple times before activating the altar for the first time with my test character, and got no excess script lag in either case. Both tests had results like your first picture -- substantially more script processing than without the mod, but not nearly enough to cause lag. Running the latest nightly from the PPA on Linux Mint 19.2.

[Husaco]

I just tested the black soulgem mod both with and without an altered script, and found...pretty much nothing. I explicitly avoided using your solution, saving and exiting multiple times before activating the altar for the first time with my test character, and got no excess script lag in either case. Both tests had results like your first picture -- substantially more script processing than without the mod, but not nearly enough to cause lag. Running the latest nightly from the PPA on Linux Mint 19.2.

The substantially more script processing is the issue, not whether or not that's enough to cause lag on your computer in particular. I took a glance at the mod and it seems to add a unique script for every single character in the game, or near enough to it, which, needless to say, is horrendously inefficient and indicates that the mod probably ought to be completely rethought.

[zelazko]

Both tests had results like your first picture -- substantially more script processing than without the mod, but not nearly enough to cause lag.

My script load is between 0.3 to 3.4 on average before and after installing this mod using my solution and I can still soul trap the NPCs without problems. Probably the optional step to soul trap the first NPC is not optional but required.

I am using nightly build OpenMW version from 24,25 or 26 August (based on my intuition from looking at backup folder) can't get more specific than that because changelong does not say it.

[Jemolk]

I just tested the black soulgem mod both with and without an altered script, and found...pretty much nothing. I explicitly avoided using your solution, saving and exiting multiple times before activating the altar for the first time with my test character, and got no excess script lag in either case. Both tests had results like your first picture -- substantially more script processing than without the mod, but not nearly enough to cause lag. Running the latest nightly from the PPA on Linux Mint 19.2.

The substantially more script processing is the issue, not whether or not that's enough to cause lag on your computer in particular. I took a glance at the mod and it seems to add a unique script for every single character in the game, or near enough to it, which, needless to say, is horrendously inefficient and indicates that the mod probably ought to be completely rethought.

Not the only problem. Yes, it's pretty nuts in terms of script load. However, if you look at the second picture... *shudder* Having the script load at 47.87 is very different from having it at 6.5, you know? 6.5 is still excessive, I'd agree, but what I meant was that I wasn't getting anywhere near that 47.87 madness found in picture #2.