For those with heavy stuttering at startup

I only found this out a few days ago myself, even though I’ve been using ZZMI for a while. If you’re using mods and getting heavy stuttering at startup or frequent frame drops, try the following.

1. Turn on ZZMI’s shader cache (the most important step when using mods)
Open d3dx.ini in your ZZMI folder with Notepad. Under [Rendering], find cache_shaders and change it to cache_shaders = 1. If it’s off, the shaders your mods use get recompiled every time you launch the game, so you’ll get stuttering at the start every time. In the same file, also check that hunting = 0. If it’s set to 1 or 2, mod-making features are enabled, which adds more stuttering. Updating the launcher can reset this file, so check it again after every update.

2. Increase your graphics driver’s shader cache

• NVIDIA: Control Panel → Manage 3D Settings → set “Shader Cache Size” to 10GB or Unlimited. If the default is too small, the cache gets pushed out quickly.

• AMD: In Adrenalin → Graphics, make sure Shader Cache is turned on. Do not click “Reset Shader Cache” there.

3. Check whether Windows is clearing your cache automatically (a common cause of “it stutters again the next day”)
Go to Settings → System → Storage → Storage Sense. If it’s on, it can delete the “DirectX Shader Cache” while cleaning up temporary files. Either turn Storage Sense off or exclude the shader cache from what it cleans. If you use Disk Cleanup or a cleaner program (like CCleaner), uncheck the shader cache option there too.

I applied steps 1 and 2, and the startup stuttering disappeared and my frame rate got a lot better.