this seems to affect both sector loading as well as the initial startup of the game. as you devs can check, yes, I have an inventory that's, uhm, pretty nasty and spread out everywhere. but, really, I'd like to be able to do this and still have load times that aren't just getting worse. also, could one of the devs please confirm that this does indeed affect sector loading when entering a sector where you have a lot of inventory?

Yes. The sector you are in needs to know your inventory. When you enter it, the sector queries the database for your entire inventory. So, if you have a large inventory things will take a while.
It doesn't matter whether your inventory is 'spread out' or not because in the database, it's all one query. The sector needs to process all the data and that's probably what is taking all the time. I had a feeling this would eventually be a problem because there's currently no limit on storage space in stations. Limits are eventually going to be in place.

[edited - (RelayeR)]

Told Ya! =p

does this DB-dump deal with stacks? I have a large amount of ore in some stations (some thousand units or so) and if each of them are looked upon as objects, it'll hurt.

as for limits, well, that's all fine and dandy, but I'd really like to see some solution to shipping things around before that happens.

also, is it possible to postpone the loading of the inventory until you get into the station? it's not like we need it in space. :-)

:o

This is news to me, wish I hadn't spent that million credits stocking up Neutron IIIs now =/

/me is glad he sold off all his N3s.. Not as if I ever use them anyway.

"stacks" of single items are single rows in the DB, so that doesn't matter as much.

We were talking a couple weeks ago about limiting this so it only loads the inventory pertinent to the sector (your ship and its contents, really, and you're right in that we could in theory delay loading of the rest until you dock).

It's doable, I guess. Doesn't mean we're going to do it right now though. :P

I'm perfectly happy with hearing "we might delay loading upon entering station sometime in the future". I'm probably the only one who really has an inventory as cluttered as I have. if it gets done, greatness, if it doesn't, well, that's okay too.

it's just a bit annoying for me to see certain sectors load like a tarpit trying to swallow a moth. :-)

and I don't want to sell the stuff, I have no economic reasons to do so, and suddenly a guildmate needs some cargo or I decide to run a cargo mission. as for ore? well, if crafting is six months away, why not prepare for it? a few thousand of each precious ore might be nice to have.

...lol, thank your lucky stars there's no scarcity in this universe, terjekv, or everybody else might have something to say about your hoarding tendencies...

hey, good plan! =)