"When you load the save game, you're loading all of those differences into resident memory."
Well, there's your problem. It shouldn't be too hard to cache this data on the hdd and only load the relevant stuff for the cell you are in.
How is this database structured anyway? It takes half to a full second now to add/remove anything to/from a chest in my house while it is instant in a relatively new game, with the same amount of things in both my inventory and house. (Storing alchemy ingredients to make potions when the chest fills up again)
It's almost like it does an expensive insertion operation on one incredibly huge array of all the changes in the whole game...
Anyway no point holding on to the game for DLC, seems it can only get worse.







