Can I skip the 10+ minute optimization process?

[Solemn Hobo]

I don't know what the post launch optimization process is doing or what triggers it to occur more than once, but it seems like it should be opt-in or include a skip. Sometimes I only have 10 or 20 minutes to play. I don't really care for the optimal experience. Just knock the graphics settings down to a lower than optimal level and offer the optimization option as s non-blocking menu option.

I get that the team worked really hard on the graphics for this game and would like to show the game in the best possible light, but did they intend for that to come at the expense of users potentially bouncing off the game entirely? At my current low hour count I am considering shelving it.

[Salamand3r-]

"optimal experience" is just an explanation they use to avoid scaring off non-technical people.

It's actually a fairly necessary procedure in order for the game to work.

It shouldn't be doing it more than on first-run however, except when the game is patched or updated.

Make sure Cloud Sync is on and you don't have any other software like antivirus interfering with the game generating needed files.

[Arc]

I like how the overly simplified and dumbed down wording has actually negative effect of confusing people :3

@OP: Compiling shader at startup is necessary and you should not interrupt or skip it via any way.

[Salamand3r-]

Originally posted by Arc:

I like how the overly simplified and dumbed down wording has actually negative effect of confusing people :3

@OP: Compiling shader at startup is necessary and you should not interrupt or skip it via any way.

Shouldn't be necessary every startup though. Indicates something else is going on.

[PsyBlade]

Changing the GPU or updating its driver will necessarily trigger it too.

[lt_catscratch]

I wonder if it could be file access problem. Maybe game can not read the folder structure and can't see the shader cache file. If you never fiddled with user rights on windows or steam starting as admin or similar, it shouldn't be the case thou.

Do you have anything(AA, aniso, vsync) hard set on your graphics card control panel ? You could restore defaults and try again.

Btw, people really should add Steam folder to antivirus exception list let alone their master games folder if they have one.

[NaabiS]

same i haven't played since latest driver update ♥♥♥♥ takes too long and yes you can skip it
but i wouldn't do it

[Engels78]

I went 3 times through this... First after release, second after update drivers and now after update Win10 from 1910 to 2004... Only it took now like 10 minutes instead of 30...

[Solemn Hobo]

From the other comments here it sounds like I may have hit every branch falling out of this particular tree.

When I first launched the game it warned me that my drivers were out of date but then threw me in to the game anyway and went through the optimization process. Maybe it shouldn't do that without an option to exit out and update your drivers?

Then I updated the drivers and it went through it again next launch.

Then I restarted Windows which led to an OS updated and next game launch it triggered again.

I don't know that the vagueness of the message is really the core of the issue. This process is better masked or non-existent in other games.

I am really enjoying the game it just won't be one I feel I can dip in and out of throughout the day to gather resources and complete smaller quests; which is something I like to do in other open world games.

[Plex]

Its compiling the shaders into a language your GPU can read.
Without it you won’t see any visual effects like water etc..
or if it compiles them during runtime it would cause a lot of stuttering.

[GameBunny77]

I have a simple question, why does some games need compiling shaders at game start up ( first time run, or run after driver update), and some games don't ?

[Roccondil]

Originally posted by GameBunny:

I have a simple question, why does some games need compiling shaders at game start up ( first time run, or run after driver update), and some games don't ?

DX12 is the first to require extensive shader compilation, and so far very few games have really been integrating its features. As DX12 starts getting more widespread use, expect more games to need it.

As for length of time, some games only use a few of the features/shaders that DX12 offers, and so the process takes a short bit of time. H:ZD heavily integrates DX12, and so it needs an extensive amount of compilation to run through. (This length is comparable to each other on the same system; same game on different systems will take different times to complete depending on the hardware capabilities.)

[emarex]

Solution

For me the solution was, in order to skip the game's "Optimization Process" to place in \Documents\Horizon Zero Dawn\ path an 100% complete saved game.

How to

Download 100% Complete saved game files[www.nexusmods.com] and extract the content in the path writen below.
\Documents\Horizon Zero Dawn\
The game's engine the bypass the "Optimization Process" and you will be prompted directly into the main menu.

[Salamand3r-]

Originally posted by emarex:

Solution

For me the solution was, in order to skip the game's "Optimization Process" to place in \Documents\Horizon Zero Dawn\ path an 100% complete saved game.

How to

Download 100% Complete saved game files[www.nexusmods.com] and extract the content in the path writen below.
\Documents\Horizon Zero Dawn\
The game's engine the bypass the "Optimization Process" and you will be prompted directly into the main menu.

That will also degrade performance and has potential to cause graphical glitches depending on your hardware.