Platform: PlayStation 4.
Saving a game in the Witcher 3 is super fast. However, when I load a saved game, it's taking over a full minute due to a cutscene which is played before it actually starts loading, then the loading itself isn't so fast either.
From quick search, it looks like skipping the cutscene is not possible, but I still wonder:
- Is it possible to change some setting to totally disable that loading cutscene?
- Is it possible to tweak something to make the actual loading (after the cutscene) be faster?
Best Answer
The cutscene is masking loading. It is not waiting to start, they are just giving you something pretty to look at. When the cutscene ends, there is nothing more to show you so you see a traditional loading screen.
To explain the difference in save vs load times (a few seconds to 1 min+), think of what is being loaded vs what is saved:
Load: Lighting, character models, inventory, other assets of the world (terrain/scenery), etc.
Save: Inventory, dialogue choices you've made, etc.
There is no need for the game to save all of this scenery and other assets, which explains the much shorter load time. Of course, some of these are similar (inventory will be saved/loaded for example).
Loading elements of the world does not happen only one time, from the main menu. As I mentioned in my comment, that would take a huge amount of time, and it's much more efficient to load/unload assets dynamically. I may be lacking the technical knowledge for this next statement, but I don't think it would be possible to load everything the game requires into memory at the same time (especially on a PS4).
That aside, there is nothing you can really do to actually speed up the loading from a system point of view. I suppose you could invest in a SSD, but I am completely unfamiliar with how those work with a PS4, as I do not use one.