32 bit exe

[rabcor]

That is just not at all the case. With a 64 bit OS and more than 4 GB RAM, the exe can itself use just below 4 GB RAM for internal use, and the other RAM fitted can be usefully utilised by the OS, the graphics card as shared memory, peripheral drivers, services and any running background or supporting applications.

I can't even begin to imagine why this would be the case. Maybe if you were working with a 20 year old codebase that simply couldn't be retooled, but wasn't X Rebirth supposed to be, I dunno, an improvement? You could totally flip the LAA flag on an X3 executable.

The LAA flag is already flipped for Rebirth, and updating code to work with 64-bit operating systems is more than just flipping a flag. It requires writing the code, and everything the code interacts with (including any third-party middleware), with 64 bit in mind. It certainly isn't just 'a setting' that they can turn on and suddenly their code will work perfectly.

This is true, but they had 7 years to do that. It takes only a few seconds to implement LAA. It's something i look at as an ugly hack for 32 bit programs to run better on 64 bit systems, it's not something a developer should "rely" on. It looks like an amateur move.

It's about as silly as making a wheelchair that requires legs, or a digital clock that relies on internal analogue hands to determine what the time is.

[f7k]

I agree, it's absolutely mind boggling why they would make it a 32-bit game.

In the years leading up to release there was so much talk and hype about how they are making it future proof, going on about how it's designed from the start to use multithreading scalable to the future CPUs with dozens of cores.
And then they make it 32bit...
Even though every single multicore processor is x64 capable.

I was so happy when I saw that it requires a x64 version of Windows, hoping that we would finally get a game that makes use of the modern install base of 8gb ram, and my 32gb would finally make a difference outside of video editing and VMs.. but no.

[rabcor]

Luckily they have said that they might later on make a 64 bit executable. But that'll probably be at least another year from now

I think i'm going to be playing Elite Dangerous at that time. X Rebirth might be my lucky break between ED and Star Citizen's release. But clearly the next space sim i will be playing is going to be Limit Theory or Elite Dangerous.

I did not buy this game to be a beta tester.

[pjknibbs]

Even though every single multicore processor is x64 capable.

And is every one of those processors running a 64-bit version of Windows? I suspect not. In any case, it *does* make a difference to run a 32-bit executable on a 64-bit system--in that case, the executable has access to nearly all the 4Gb address space available, as Alan Phipps pointed out; the same executable running on a 32-bit system would have only 2Gb (or possibly 3Gb, if you use the relevant boot flags in Windows to tell it to allow that).

[rabcor]

I think the number of 32 bit windows users on steam was something like 12%, don't remember the exact number though.

On a 32 bit system it would be limited to 2gb unless a workaround like you said is used.

A 32 bit system (windows at least) is limited to 3.25GB RAM and Large Address Awareness gives the program this same 3.25GB limit.

It will not use 4GB. and exceeding the 3.25GB limit will crash the game (any 32 bit game)

So we're talking that 2GB is too little for the game, but 3GB is just barely enough, i'm still calling it a bad decision to make it a LAA 32 bit application instead of a 64 bit application that wouldn't have these memory limitations.

Also for a moddable game, if the base game is consuming all the memory the game can use, there's not much room left for modding (look at Skyrim for example, it's much easier to crash it into the ground than Oblivion which uses a lot less memory.)

If the game actually could run on a 32 bit system without any workarounds, an LAA patch for users with a 64 bit system is an acceptable solution for a performance increase, otherwise it's just an ugly hack.

[ypsylon]

Just couldn't resist. It took ~10 seconds checking if exe supports more than 2GB RAM (and I'm not a programmer in any shape or form). And guess what all moaners - it does!

Using 32 bit "workaround" instead full 64b code is a let down, but fact is that XR can just fine utilize more than 2GB. So please stop b*******.

http://s9.postimg.org/mpfccoudr/CFF_Exp ... ebirth.png

Still it is completely baffling why EgoSoft persisted with 32b exe instead of 64b.



{Images posted directly to the forums should not be greater than 640x480 or 100kb, oversize image now linked - Terre}

[Knetter_Gek]

Just couldn't resist. It took ~10 seconds checking if exe supports more than 2GB RAM (and I'm not a programmer in any shape or form). And guess what all moaners - it does!

Using 32 bit "workaround" instead full 64b code is a let down, but fact is that XR can just fine utilize more than 2GB. So please stop b*******.

A 32bit application has a 32bit allocation limit. That makes 4 GB. The way Windows was designed way back when 32 MB of RAM was an insane amount was to permit programs to allocate the first 2GB at their leisure and have the other 2 GB "locked" so Windows could allocate the various bits of memory needed for interaction with the hardware.
Windows got a bit more clever since 95, and memory got cheaper, so by the time we were all using PCs with 4 and more GB of RAM but software houses were still releasing 32bit code we all discovered the LAA flag, which lets 32bit programs allocate more than their 2 GB base block. But the total allocation for memory for that program is STILL limited to 4GB - minus the bits allocated by Windows to make the hardware interaction work.

We were setting this on X3TC's .exe file and IT would use 3,1 GB of RAM before crashing. Go and look up when that came out. Then realize, a lot of Supreme Commander players were setting this on that program's exe as well. That's about 8 years ago.

So don't come here and pretend like this 32bit program which is supposedly future proof and all-new written from scratch is magically going to be able to address memory problems we were already seeing in X3R with mods and in X3TC without mods. It won't have, and when p-eople get to the stage where we're building complexes and ordering fleets about that ~3GB RAM limit is going to come down on this game like a ton of bricks. And unlike with X3TC where the excuse was a valid "it's antique code, nobody has 64bit yet, we'll make the next engine more robust and future proof" this time it's SUPPOSED TO BE the superior engine. But it's just a 32bit app that's already bumping the 3 GB bounds on my PC and I haven't even cleared the tutorial yet. So I can already predict crashes ahead due to out of RAM.

That you don't see or understand any of this doesn't mean everyone else is girl-dogging. It means you haven't understood the problem. The fact you're not a programmer means you don't know what you're arguing about. I suggest you learn a bit more before you venture an opinion, especially if that opinion is "you're all b******ing".

[Kolreth]

Even though every single multicore processor is x64 capable.

And is every one of those processors running a 64-bit version of Windows? I suspect not. In any case, it *does* make a difference to run a 32-bit executable on a 64-bit system--in that case, the executable has access to nearly all the 4Gb address space available, as Alan Phipps pointed out; the same executable running on a 32-bit system would have only 2Gb (or possibly 3Gb, if you use the relevant boot flags in Windows to tell it to allow that).

That is a ridiculously redundant question to worry about since the game requirements clearly state 64bit OS's required.

Making PC games that support 32bit os's is a waste of resources that makes life difficult for everyone, especially you, the developer. Since you're going to worry about people with boat anchors for PCs why not make it work on windows 3.1 as well?

[Alan Phipps]

This is the Tech Sp Forum for specific problem issue threads and not for general chat about the design decisions of the game. I replied to the OP's question/statement at post 2 of this thread.