Ok, I admit it, I don't have the fastest machine in the Known Universe. Indeed, it's not the fastest machine in the Known Neighborhood. It's a 1.6GHz dual core laptop with 512MB ram and a 5400 rpm disk. But it plays Sins.
(I'm buying more memory for it so it can handle pirate raids without the OS complaining about needing more virtual memory.)
I timed it, it takes about 2 and a half minutes to load, from pressing the "Play the Game" button to the point where you are suddenly way too close to one of your planets.
But there's a peculiarity during this load time ... the progress meter always stops at around 3/4th of the way!? Then it doesn't move at all, until the game is finished loading.
Again, I timed it ... approximately 1 minute to reach the half-way point, and it keeps going, then 1 and a half minutes to reach the 3/4th point ... where it stops and just stays there for about another minute.
Hmmmm.
So, anyhow, my sub-game ...
What I do is try to guess the exact point where the progress bar will stop! I put the mouse pointer there, then I watch and wait ... closer ... closer ... oh, almost!
What fun! If I make a good guess, and have the mouse within a few pixels of the stopping point, I give myself a nice prize! 20 minutes of extra play-time! Whoo hoo!
(I'm such a cheater, I give myself an extra 20 minutes anyway.)
I wonder if anyone else has ideas on how to kill time waiting for initial load, for this or any other game for that matter ... and/or maybe some thoughts as to why the stupid progress meter stops progressing?
