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Alien Swarm > General Discussions > Topic Details
Dmitriy 26 Feb, 2015 @ 6:04am
A fix for slow map loading. Navmeshes.vpk fix. NAV files downloading fix.
In game go to "Options" - "Multiplayer" and set the setting "Custom server content" to "None". Screenshot:
http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=399166864
This will prevent your game from downloading useles NAV files which sagnificantly slows down your map loading(2-5 minutes).

Alternatively you can use a console command:
cl_downloadfilter none

Explanation

Some dedicated servers and players use the navmeshes.vpk addon. Having this addon installed they force your game to download NAV files(~20 MB each) from server for each map when you connect to these servers(or players). As the download speed is low you wait for about 5 minutes to download this file. Don't listen to those who say that NAV files improve the AI in Alien Swarm. It doesn't. Navigation meshes are not used in Alien Swarm. Alien Swarm uses node graph navigation. Even the creator of these NAV files addon navmeshes.vpk confirmed that they are not used. He actually made a mod that uses navigation meshes for AI, it's called Swarm Director 2.

This will also prevent you from downloading AIN files. Which are the actual navigation graph files. But these files are not required by client(your game). And if you create a server from within your game the AIN file is created automatically the first time you load a map.

So disable the download of custom files from servers to improve your gaming experience.
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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments
Duke M 26 Feb, 2015 @ 9:25am 
2 Questions:
  • Can you provide a link or some more infos on that 'Swarm Director 2'?
  • If I allow custom content to be downloaded, why do I get rejected from the server if I do not have the map which it just changed to?
#1
Dmitriy 26 Feb, 2015 @ 9:35am 
- just google it. It's on moddb http://www.moddb.com/mods/swarm-director-2
- because Alien Swarm doesn't support custom maps downloading from server
#2
goodone 27 Feb, 2015 @ 12:23am 
disabling server content will just produce other errors for ppl.

if u rly wanna fix ur slow loading, either do not join badly setuped servers, or do not setup a server badly.

ps. i just love how op always fixes the problem from the end, not from the source, and by doing so, he creates additional problems on the way. this thread is yet another example of such practices.

pps. the amount of misinformation in op post is tremendously high, but i do not have time to combat it. use it on ur own risk.
Last edited by goodone; 27 Feb, 2015 @ 12:27am
#3
Dmitriy 29 Apr, 2016 @ 10:04am 
what kind of problems or misinformation? those are just empty statements...
#4
Duke M 29 Apr, 2016 @ 1:46pm 
necrobump
#5
goodone 29 Apr, 2016 @ 5:56pm 
yes, let's give more hype to nonexistent problem.
#6
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Showing 1-6 of 6 comments
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Alien Swarm > General Discussions > Topic Details
Date Posted: 26 Feb, 2015 @ 6:04am
Posts: 6

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