this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023
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The problem is, loading things takes different amounts of time. I once tried to implement a real loading bar for an app because it took long enough to load that clients needed some indication that the app hadn't crashed. There were seven steps, so I naively made each step take about 14% of the bar. Then I tested it, and it just jumped to step 4, sat there for the entire loading process, and then jumped to 100%. Because loading isn't linear.
The only way for loading bars to work is for them to be fake.
I've seen other games add a secondary loading bar for the individual task at each step. So, sure, its stuck at 5/7, but then the second loading bar shows it's still processing.
Perhaps the best indication is just telling the user what it's doing rather than an arbitrary progress bar.
Edit: Just gonna add, I've been playing Bannerlord and the game (while heavily modded) just silently freezes when starting a new game. Outside of task manager and watching the game just not do anything for a while, you wouldn't even realize it was frozen.