The 7D2D Mod Launcher - A Mod Launcher for 7 Days to Die

[sphereii]

I guess I am not understanding. Once the files from github have downloaded (after it takes 4+ hours because of the bottleneck speed), I uncheck "refresh mods automatically" and "direct download" and I do not click Pre-Sync Mod after the initial download since the github cloning doesn't work and it takes forever and a half to download using direct download. Once I click play mod all it should be doing is copying folders within the windows directory and I have a SSD so the copy process should be very quick. There shouldn't be any downloading from github once I hit play mod. Or is there? When I click the play mod button all I see are things like "Copying folder \TempMods\Mods ...Copying is done." Which doesn't indicate downloading of any kind. And yes I do have AVAST set to exclude the 7D2D folder. But during the entire testing I've always had AVAST disabled to rule out the antivirus. It just feels like something is slowing the loading process down. It's like I am running some old intel celeron processor from the 90's. Its just dirt slow. Yet the official game loads up in 5 seconds.
Now, if when I click on the play mod button there is in fact files being downloaded from github going on in the background then that would make sense because there seems to be a major bottleneck somewhere. However, I am testing it on a Windows 10 computer and it loads up in 30 seconds and both computers are using the same ISP so I believe that rules that out.

Another thing I have noticed is that when I download the zip file from github manually using FireFox, I see speeds of 2mbps and higher which would take roughly 5 minutes to download the file. When using your launcher, I've seen it take 4 hours and I cannot see any progress window or speed measurements provided by your launcher when downloading the zip file so I don't have any way to measure its speed except based on time. Is there a way to see the download speed 7D2D is downloading at?

Correct, with Direct Download checked, and Refresh Mods Automatically unchecked, there will be no additional downloads. When you hit Play, it copies the mod from TempMods to the game folder and starts.

If your copy from TempMods to the game folder is still slow, something obviously slowing it down. The Launcher uses standard copy API in windows to copy. My guess is that Avast still has its fingers in it, or something else is reading the files, slowing it down.

Starvation includes DLLs as part of the mod, and a lot of anti-virus and spyware tools are rightfully suspicious of these types of files.

The Launcher's Direct Download uses a standard https request to download the zip file. My guess is that whatever is slowing down your copy, is also slowing down the download too, by inspecting all the bytes.

Any other security systems in place, or special overlays you use?

 

[Guppycur]

Is there a way to see the download speed 7D2D is downloading at?

Kinda? You could open the windows Resource Monitor and more or less figure out which Image represents the launcher (it's either going to say it's the launcher or say svchost.exe) and look at its Receive speed. Hacky, but works.

 

[gpcstargate]

Good day Sphereii

Hope you and family are well.

Have a question and I didn't see anyone else ask it yet ... Will there be a way to Tell when Jax updates his Game to " Ravenhearst 3.0 "

from the load screen with all the New Version. Just wondering

Thank you and Have a Great week ... the Old Gamer .. :02.47-tranquillity:

 

[sphereii]

Good day Sphereii
Hope you and family are well.

Have a question and I didn't see anyone else ask it yet ... Will there be a way to Tell when Jax updates his Game to " Ravenhearst 3.0 "

from the load screen with all the New Version. Just wondering

Thank you and Have a Great week ... the Old Gamer .. :02.47-tranquillity:

Only in his thread I won't even know when he flips the switch

 

[JDead]

Correct, with Direct Download checked, and Refresh Mods Automatically unchecked, there will be no additional downloads. When you hit Play, it copies the mod from TempMods to the game folder and starts.
If your copy from TempMods to the game folder is still slow, something obviously slowing it down. The Launcher uses standard copy API in windows to copy. My guess is that Avast still has its fingers in it, or something else is reading the files, slowing it down.

Starvation includes DLLs as part of the mod, and a lot of anti-virus and spyware tools are rightfully suspicious of these types of files.

The Launcher's Direct Download uses a standard https request to download the zip file. My guess is that whatever is slowing down your copy, is also slowing down the download too, by inspecting all the bytes.

Any other security systems in place, or special overlays you use?

I uninstalled AVAST, rebooted and tried launching 7 Days again. Same issue, loads slow as molasses so AVAST isn't the culprit. I have no other monitoring software or security software installed. I have an SSD with an internal HDD for data but all programs install on the SSD. I also made tweaks to the TEMP and TMP directories for Windows to store it on the HDD instead of the SSD to save it from reads and writes when I first got the SSD long ago but changed it back to the SSD for testing this still problem persists. I performed a diagnostic startup on Windows which loads the basics still same problem. So I decided to rule out the 7D2D launcher and perform all the steps manually.

1. Copied the 7D2D directory. 2. Manually downloaded the .zip from github. 3. Copied all folder contents to its respective locations. Ran 7DaysToDie.exe and same problem. So I tested some more...

Since the logs show that it takes forever to load the .unity3d files I decided to rename the Mods/SDX/Resource folder to Resource_BAK so that the game wouldn't be able to find the folder. Launched 7DaystoDie.exe and BAM loads straight to the main menu like the official game without mods. However, the console comes up stating all sorts of errors, probably because it couldn't find the resource folder. As soon as I rename the resource1 folder back to resource and reload the game, game takes 10 minutes to load.

I am starting to believe that there is some kind of code, script or something somewhere that is telling the game to do the following...

Load 1.unity3dWait 15 seconds

Load aat.unity3d

Wait 15 seconds

Load Abominable.unity3d

Wait 15 seconds

This is what it is honestly doing from reopening the logs every couple seconds and seeing that it takes its time loading each .unity3d file. I am no coder so I haven't the slightest clue where to start snooping around but I can tell you that the Mods/SDX/Resources folder is what is causing the game to take forever to load on my Windows 7 computer and I have no idea why since the official game without mods loads with no hitch but only has problems once the mod is introduced.

I am not giving up but I could honestly use some more help thinking of other ways to troubleshooting this. Any suggestions please throw my way.

Thanks

 

[sphereii]

I uninstalled AVAST, rebooted and tried launching 7 Days again. Same issue, loads slow as molasses so AVAST isn't the culprit. I have no other monitoring software or security software installed. I have an SSD with an internal HDD for data but all programs install on the SSD. I also made tweaks to the TEMP and TMP directories for Windows to store it on the HDD instead of the SSD to save it from reads and writes when I first got the SSD long ago but changed it back to the SSD for testing this still problem persists. I performed a diagnostic startup on Windows which loads the basics still same problem. So I decided to rule out the 7D2D launcher and perform all the steps manually.
1. Copied the 7D2D directory. 2. Manually downloaded the .zip from github. 3. Copied all folder contents to its respective locations. Ran 7DaysToDie.exe and same problem. So I tested some more...

Since the logs show that it takes forever to load the .unity3d files I decided to rename the Mods/SDX/Resource folder to Resource_BAK so that the game wouldn't be able to find the folder. Launched 7DaystoDie.exe and BAM loads straight to the main menu like the official game without mods. However, the console comes up stating all sorts of errors, probably because it couldn't find the resource folder. As soon as I rename the resource1 folder back to resource and reload the game, game takes 10 minutes to load.

I am starting to believe that there is some kind of code, script or something somewhere that is telling the game to do the following...

This is what it is honestly doing from reopening the logs every couple seconds and seeing that it takes its time loading each .unity3d file. I am no coder so I haven't the slightest clue where to start snooping around but I can tell you that the Mods/SDX/Resources folder is what is causing the game to take forever to load on my Windows 7 computer and I have no idea why since the official game without mods loads with no hitch but only has problems once the mod is introduced.

I am not giving up but I could honestly use some more help thinking of other ways to troubleshooting this. Any suggestions please throw my way.

Thanks

Well, we are definitely still with you in troubleshooting. Just want to clarify a few things before you dig too deep.

The Resources folder is definitely what is causing your slow down. That's where the mod's main folder is installed, and is definitely the biggest chunk of data (over 1 gig). Renaming the folder cause it not to find any of the assets, so you effectively loaded into vanilla, but with heavily modded, and broken XMLs. Starvation's mod alone is significantly larger than most of the other mods, and has over 3 times the amount of assets in vanilla.

There's no script or delay involved in the load process. It wouldn't make any sense in adding fake delays or sleeps. The delay you may be seeing is the log buffering, and isn't a really good indication on the speed in which its actually loading. If the log is still being updated, and loading the assets, no matter how slowly, it means it's still working. I think you said it loaded just fine on the Windows 10 machine?

After you hit Play, and the mod launcher copies the files over, and launches the game, it's done its task and no longer interacts with the game. From that point on, it's the base game loading all the new assets.

The choke point appears to be still loading all the assets. How much memory do you have in your PC? What kind of processor?

Having a fast solid state is great, and does help, but it in itself won't resolve all performance issues.

 

[Guppycur]

Could it be something weird like a non white listed antivirus folder, so that whitelisting the /mods folder works?

 

[JDead]

What is this code?

SDX: Loading bundle... C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\7D2D\/Mods/SDX/Resources\zedSounds.unity3d
(Filename: C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp Line: 37)

Specifically this code...

(Filename: C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp Line: 37)

The above code is logged and happens after every .unity3d file is loaded. What is C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp ? There is no folder there that I see yet the logs state it is trying to find something there every time it loads unity3d file. This looks suspicious and may be why the game is loading so slow.

 

[JDead]

Well, we are definitely still with you in troubleshooting. Just want to clarify a few things before you dig too deep.
The Resources folder is definitely what is causing your slow down. That's where the mod's main folder is installed, and is definitely the biggest chunk of data (over 1 gig). Renaming the folder cause it not to find any of the assets, so you effectively loaded into vanilla, but with heavily modded, and broken XMLs. Starvation's mod alone is significantly larger than most of the other mods, and has over 3 times the amount of assets in vanilla.

There's no script or delay involved in the load process. It wouldn't make any sense in adding fake delays or sleeps. The delay you may be seeing is the log buffering, and isn't a really good indication on the speed in which its actually loading. If the log is still being updated, and loading the assets, no matter how slowly, it means it's still working. I think you said it loaded just fine on the Windows 10 machine?

After you hit Play, and the mod launcher copies the files over, and launches the game, it's done its task and no longer interacts with the game. From that point on, it's the base game loading all the new assets.

The choke point appears to be still loading all the assets. How much memory do you have in your PC? What kind of processor?

Having a fast solid state is great, and does help, but it in itself won't resolve all performance issues.

Here are my computer specs...

CPU: AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W FD8350FRHKBOX Desktop Processor
SSD: Samsung SSD 840 EVO 250GB ATA Device

GFX Card: SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RADEON RX580 8G GDDR5 DUAL HDMI / DVI-D / DUAL DP OC W/BP (UEFI)

Motherboard MOBO: ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 7 x SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL10D-16GBXL

Cooling System: Corsair CWCH80 Cooler

Power Supply: Corsair CX Series 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 744 Power Supply CX750M

OS: Windows 7 64bit Pro SP1

Secondary HDD: 1TB SATA

My computer should be more than capable of running this game as it does run the game just fine without the mods. The laptop with Windows 10 actually has lesser specs yet it runs the mod.

Could it be something weird like a non white listed antivirus folder, so that whitelisting the /mods folder works?

I have now removed all antivirus softwares, which all I had was AVAST, so I believe white-listing isn't an option as of now.

 

[sphereii]

What is this code?


Specifically this code...

The above code is logged and happens after every .unity3d file is loaded. What is C:/buildslave/unity/build/artifacts/generated/common/runtime/UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp ? There is no folder there that I see yet the logs state it is trying to find something there every time it loads unity3d file. This looks suspicious and may be why the game is loading so slow.

They are loading the assets and are completely normal and expected. The UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp is just trace debug statements in the base game.

- - - Updated - - -

Here are my computer specs...
My computer should be more than capable of running this game as it does run the game just fine without the mods. The laptop with Windows 10 actually has lesser specs yet it runs the mod.

I have now removed all antivirus softwares, which all I had was AVAST, so I believe white-listing isn't an option as of now.

Are you running any anti-spyware? Malware Bytes, IOBit, Security Center, etc?

 

[JDead]

They are loading the assets and are completely normal and expected. The UnityEngineDebugBindings.gen.cpp is just trace debug statements in the base game.
- - - Updated - - -

Are you running any anti-spyware? Malware Bytes, IOBit, Security Center, etc?

Nope. AVAST was the only protection installed. I have no other antivirus, antispyware, antimalware, anti anything. And like I said I performed a diagnostic startup on Windows, meaning only basic programs run, and still the problem persisted. This usually rules out third-party programs from being the culprit. I also had Teracopy installed which is a transfer utility designed as an alternative for the built-in Windows Explorer file transfer feature. However, I removed that for testing purposes, rebooted and problem persists.

See attachment for all installed programs on my computer. If you think anything could cause this copying problem I'll try removing it and testing.

InstallList.txt

 

[sphereii]

Nope. AVAST was the only protection installed. I have no other antivirus, antispyware, antimalware, anti anything. And like I said I performed a diagnostic startup on Windows, meaning only basic programs run, and still the problem persisted. This usually rules out third-party programs from being the culprit. I also had Teracopy installed which is a transfer utility designed as an alternative for the built-in Windows Explorer file transfer feature. However, I removed that for testing purposes, rebooted and problem persists.
See attachment for all installed programs on my computer. If you think anything could cause this copying problem I'll try removing it and testing.

Thank you for the list. I'm not 100% familiar with some of these programs, but this is what stands out for you to give a try too:

https://superuser.com/questions/742765/is-it-beneficial-to-enable-rapid-mode-on-a-samsung-solid-state-drive

 

[JDead]

Thank you for the list. I'm not 100% familiar with some of these programs, but this is what stands out for you to give a try too:
https://superuser.com/questions/742765/is-it-beneficial-to-enable-rapid-mode-on-a-samsung-solid-state-drive

Good observation. I didn't even consider that. I went into the magician software, disabled RAPID mode, rebooted but problem persists. Had it been the RAPID mode I would have been surprised since to my knowledge it has never caused any issues and I have not had memory problems in the past. Plus all my other games load with no problems.

How about this, just to rule out it is a problem with github, maybe the files are downloading corrupted or something. Can you PM me a temporary link to the zip file from another link besides github?

 

[sphereii]

Good observation. I didn't even consider that. I went into the magician software, disabled RAPID mode, rebooted but problem persists. Had it been the RAPID mode I would have been surprised since to my knowledge it has never caused any issues and I have not had memory problems in the past. Plus all my other games load with no problems.
How about this, just to rule out it is a problem with github, maybe the files are downloading corrupted or something. Can you PM me a temporary link to the zip file from another link besides github?

You are trying to download and install Starvation? You'd have to ask the Starvation crew for a direct link, as they control that aspect.

But I had thought you had already installed it via that way? If you have a USB stick, you could just copy your Windows 10 copy over to Windows 7 and see how it runs and if there's a difference.

 

[JDead]

You are trying to download and install Starvation? You'd have to ask the Starvation crew for a direct link, as they control that aspect.
But I had thought you had already installed it via that way? If you have a USB stick, you could just copy your Windows 10 copy over to Windows 7 and see how it runs and if there's a difference.

Ya I tried that already and same problem. It doesn't appear to be a 7D2D Launcher problem. I think it has something to do with the Starvation mod. I will be communicating on their thread and see what they can come up with. Thank you for your help.

 

[sphereii]

Ya I tried that already and same problem. It doesn't appear to be a 7D2D Launcher problem. I think it has something to do with the Starvation mod. I will be communicating on their thread and see what they can come up with. Thank you for your help.

Have you tried other mods, such was War of the Walkers? It offers two options: Bigger Back pack and standard backpack. Those would be good tests. If standard backpack option loads in a reasonable time, but the bigger back pack is slow at loading, it indicates something is still looking at each file that's being loaded.

 

[gpcstargate]

Good day Sphereii and JDead

I don't know if this will help him ... But this is my settings on the Mod Launcher and I don't have any issues with downloads or Game installs.

Just a Thought ... the Old Gamer .. :02.47-tranquillity:

View attachment 24214

It might have something to with direct download .. I myself never use it.

Hope you can see it .. That is Ravenhearst 3.0 this morning and No Issues .. about a 6 min pre-sync (first time) and about a 3 minutes to get into game launcher.

But after first set-up .. Pre-sync "3 to 5" seconds and into game about 2.5 minutes

Hope it helps

 

[gpcstargate]

Good day Sphereii

Have yourself a wonderful Holiday weekend and yes I know .. No rest for the modding community .. but any way Enjoy.

the Old Gamer .. :02.47-tranquillity:

 

[sphereii]

Good day Sphereii
Have yourself a wonderful Holiday weekend and yes I know .. No rest for the modding community .. but any way Enjoy.

the Old Gamer .. :02.47-tranquillity:

Thank you kindly, and enjoy yours as well.

 

[jamrev73]

Not Working

After installing the mod and trying it out, the mod no longer works. Tried reinstalling it, now I get a red 1/2 circle next to view log with message that's shows, "Error reading from default list ". Help ! Tried re-installing several times, no change.