Memory crashes and how to recognize them

If you are suffering from crashes loading between maps, or at the beginning of them, without any message?
Or sometimes, when crossing certain areas of some maps, always the same, or when certain programmed enemies appear?
It is very possible that you are having memory problems caused by limits of the game engine that have no solution. Read this little guide to know how to identify and avoid them.

Memory crashes and how to recognize them

If you are suffering from crashes loading between maps, or at the beginning of them, or in a certain map locations, or when a certain scripted enemy appear, without any message from the game or Windows explaining the error, it is likely that you are suffering from memory problems caused by limits of the engine itself, and do not depend on the capacity of your computer.
If you want to know if that is the cause, remove only a few mods, not many, that have to do with HD textures or new models with better resolution and detail than the original ones. A couple of character models, specials, or a couple of RNG mods, or 2K-4K mods, that usually take several MB of memory, is enough. If the map starts without crashing, write "memory" to the console. You will get something like this:

] memory
Heap Used:
 0.04 MB (46337 bytes)

Video MemoryUsed:
 0.00 MB: Dynamic Verts
 0.32 MB: OtherVerts
 5.91 MB: Static Indices
22.53 MB: RenderTargets
78.71 MB: Other textures
30.00 MB: Lightmaps
 8.33 MB: CubeMap textures
68.99 MB: VGUI textures
 4.34 MB: Decal textures
1490.85 MB: Model textures
 0.00 MB: Unaccounted textures
 0.00 MB: bik
67.06 MB: World textures
34.85 MB: Model Verts
 2.02 MB: Client Effect textures
 0.63MB: Precached
20.50 MB: SkyBox textures
 3.23 MB: World Verts
 0.00 MB: Displacement Verts
 0.02 MB: Particle textures
 3.41 MB: Lighting Verts
------------------
1841.70 MB: total

Hunk Memory Used ft_m5_rooftop:
Total used memory: 19842096
Total committed memory: 33554432

From 2200-2500 onwards, it can cause problems between map transitions, since sometimes some unnecessary models between one map and another are not deleted from memory (a problem with the Valve engine, and there is no solution).

If you have high values and your game crash frequently, but on other maps or with fewer mods, it doesn't happen to you, you already know that the cause is that you have reached the limit of memory that you can use and that, irremediably and without a solution, you will have to do economy of mods and articles, especially models and 2K-4K textures. There are so many combinations to never get bored, try to change from time to time.

Tips:

- Use HD versions instead of 2K-4K.
- Try not to use so many RNG mods at same time.
- If you are playing with L4D2 survivors, disable custom L4D1 models, are not necessary but the game loads them on memory
- Models mods with Bodygroup Randomization, which load both RNG textures and extra models, are the most memory intensive items out there
- If you know how to use sourcemod, I recommend a plugin called Accelerator. With it, you will receive a report like the one in the attached image, where it is clearly indicated that the problem was due to a memory fill. (read in the last lines below of the image): https://forums.alliedmods.net/showthread.php?t=277703

[plutoi]

190 memory not 170

[plutoi]

I have 170 memory, is it supposed to be like that?

[Sky Yuki]

Good to know audio doesn't count into memory limit

[Short]

does graphic settings affect often crashes? my computer specs arent the problem

[Short]

le i have 1400 and still crash to shit every now and then ffs

[Yui]

My game is using 2.5GB of memory every time and I've been wondering why it was crashing all the time. Thanks for the heads-up, I had 2GB used for Textures/Models.

[syl]

ive never ran into this before so idek what this is tbh

[Short]

no

[CloudDude(AKA:CD)]

TLDR: dont play with mods