Introduction
An oversized world is a world that uses a lot of data storage. A world that is oversized, or takes up too much data storage can result in difficulties/slowness loading into the game, or outright instability while playing.
We explain why world size matters, how to check world size, and resolve any issues with it below.
Why world size matters
World size mattes because users may start to see increased loading times around the 30+ MB mark. This is because Foundry VTT sends the world databases that make up this size to each player on every load (to make a complicated story short). This can disrupt players loading in, even on faster internet connections. If your world becomes large enough (100+ MB), you may even see some instability, or outright crashing of the world.
Checking world size
Checking world size is a little complicated, since some files (such as the fog databases) do not increase loading time for your games. However, a good rule of thumb for evaluating your world size is:
Normal: 5-20MB
Large: 30-50MB
Extreme: Greater than 50MB
We explain how to check for these sizes below.
Checking on The Forge
First, you’ll want to evaluate if your world’s size is a potential issue. You can do this on The Forge via the following steps:
- Navigate to your Forge setup menu: The Forge
- Click “View Data Storage”.
- Take a look at the “Worlds” tab, as depicted below
Sometimes, a world can be larger while in use, as it is normal for database sizes to swell while a game is active. However, if a game is not currently active, and your world size is extreme (greater than 50MB), there could be an issue.
Checking locally
We only advise checking locally if you are certain there is a problem with your world, and that it will require action outside of editing it within the world. This is usually due to a module problem (explained below). You can check a world’s size locally by following the steps below.
- Navigate to the Forge’s Setup Menu.
- Click “Export World(s)”
- Unzip the zip file that is downloaded.
- Navigate to the unzipped folder.
- Navigate to the “data” folder, which contains the db files of the FoundryVTT world
- Right click on the folder, and check its properties (in Windows) to see the total file size inside. This will tell you whether the world is too large.
Of course, as mentioned previously, world/data/fog does not impact world loading times or stability.
What causes world size issues?
Before fixing the world size problem, you should figure out what caused it. There are usually three causes for world size issues.
Excessive “entities” (actors, scenes, items, etc.)
If you have too many scenes, items, or actors within your world, this can cause world size issues. This usually only occurs if you have hundreds of items, actors, or scenes directly in your world. This is pretty self-explanatory to check for (see how many of them are in your world), and is usually pretty easy to fix- we explain how to do so in the fixing section, below.
Excessive chat size
Chat size for a world can swell over time, especially when modules or excessive logic/data within chat messages are involved. If your chat has not been cleared in many months, and you have regular sessions, this could be the issue.
Module issues/conflicts (only for pre-V11 worlds)
The second cause of bloated world sizes is due to modules, where due to a bug or conflict with another module, the module will jam garbage into one (or more) of the world database files. This can result into worlds that balloon from a nice, safe 5-10 MB up to and in excess of 500 MB.
Checking locally to find the cause
To determine for sure which is the issue, you can check your db files locally. To do so:
- Navigate to the Forge’s Setup Menu.
- Click “Export World(s)”
- Unzip the zip file that is downloaded.
- Navigate to the unzipped folder.
- Navigate into the “data” folder, which contains the db files of the FoundryVTT world
- Check each folder for a .db file that appears excessively large
IMPORTANT NOTE: Fog.db will be large simply by its design (it’s storing the Fog of War exploration for all players). A larger fog.db file will usually not increase loading times, and does not negatively affect overall world performance. You can slim fog.db down by moving Scenes you don’t need into Compendiums, or disabling “Fog of War Exploration” for scenes you don’t need it on.
In the above case, it appears the chat.db (as of version 10, this is now messages.db) is getting pretty large. In order to help increase loading speeds, it would be a good idea to clear the chat log in Foundry VTT to improve them.
In other cases, it might be the actors.db, or items.db, due to excessive imports/creation of items/actors, or module issues. Either way, we explain how to fix it all below.
Fixing this
Now that you’ve determined the issue/problematic .db file, you can now fix the problem. We explain how to address each potential issue below:
Fixing an enormous chat log
If the world will still load in, however slowly:
- Load into the world.
- Navigate to the bottom right of your chat window.
- Select the “Trash” or “Bin” icon.
- You will receive a confirmation menu, asking if you truly wish to delete the world. Select, and confirm yes. The chat will now be cleared.
If the world won’t load in at all:
- Navigate to the Forge’s Setup Menu.
- Click “Export World(s)”.
- Unzip the world. Make a backup of your world at this point, just in case you accidentally delete something important.
- Delete the chat.db file.
- Use “Summon Import Wizard” here: The Forge to re-upload the world.
Fixing world size due to excessive actors/items/etc.
- Create a compendium or compendiums within the world, or use The Forge’s shared compendium tool to create a compendium module. If you do the latter, make sure to enable it after creation.
- Move actors/scenes/items you no longer actively required into compendiums. Continue doing so until you have moved everything you no longer actively require.
- Close/shutdown the server once you are done, via The Forge’s My Foundry menu.
- Check your world size again, to confirm it has been sufficiently reduced. If not, repeat steps 2-4 until complete.
Fixing a .db file due to module issues (only for pre-V11 worlds)
- Navigate to the Forge’s Setup Menu.
- Click “Export World(s)”
- Unzip the exported zip file. Make a backup of your world at this point, just in case you accidentally delete something important.
- Use a text editor (like Notepad++) to find the offending section (typically a massive repeat of something, like commas, or
0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0) - Delete the offending repeating information
- Use “Summon Import Wizard” here: The Forge to re-upload the world.
Fixing via CLI
For developers and content creators who have a reason for wanting to edit the .db files directly, we would recommend looking into the official Foundry VTT CLI, which support unpacking of .db files to .json files, and then re-packing them to LevelDB. You can find it here.
