Personally I believe you should go for 64bit as I used to run 32bit about a ear ago, and I would rarely play games that were gpu intensive as this game is because the real limit was the integrated graphics card and the games felt unplayable. Many of the people who play with 32 bit (minus the small population you mentioned) are experiencing that type of gameplay. perhaps put out some other game that purchasers of subnautica get for free that is the last available 32bit that was released, so they can still play with the current version.
Secondly I do not think you should limit the great potential of this game. It is beautiful in its very nature and I was surprised to find out it is 32bit. I feel the game will fare better if you go 64bit. Please let the game grow. Don't stunt it. ^:)^
We should be careful to note that these are unique systems that Hugh is referencing, and not unique customers.
This is important because a portion of the underpowered rigs running the game could simply be second/third machines. I personally try lots of games on my older laptop from time to time to see if they'll run, though I also have a desktop and my laptop has little impact on my purchasing decisions.
Better information would be how many purchasers are using under-spec rigs, rather than how many rigs used are under-spec.
64-bit isn't the way to go, it's actually the way it is. As several folks have pointed out we are actively in the 64-bit era and have been for years. 32-bit support, much less 32-bit development, is in itself outdated.
Of course, I would recommend refunding anyone who has no capability to run the game. It's a small number and not all of those folk will actively seek a refund. Many might be prompted to upgrade.
Do it for the economy. Do it for us gamers. Go 64 bit.
I'll second that.
This isn't an open-world MMO relying on 32-bit platforms. x64 is here. Adjust your marketing efforts to make sure new customers are aware of this requirement. Make it so!
A lot of major software companies are slowly but steadily dropping 32-bit. Microsoft server has been 64-bit only since 2008R2 if I'm not mistaking. In other software people have been screaming for 64-bit support since they bought all that RAM which cannot be used in 32-bit.
With the data and numbers available as they are, I do think it's a no brainer. Pleasing the 32-bit user group will negatively effect everybody and would make the game less attractive which would do more damage than losing the 32-bit user group. Also.. Windows 10 is coming out as a free consumer upgrade in not too long. Anybody, including people with a pirated version of Windows will be opted to freely and legally upgrade to Windows 10. A lot of processors have been 64-bit compatible for much longer than the 64-bit OS became a standard. If people still stick with their 32-bit system, it's part of a choice they're making.
Playing on experimental now with the new 64-bit and HOLY BALLS BATMAN is it night and day difference. Frame rate drops are much less frequent, and transitioning between world chunks is hella-smooth now! YEY!!!!!
The general feel and look of the game improved as well. Win/Win!
After using the Experimental mode 64-bit version, I have to say it is absolutely lovely. No terrible lag-spikes on savegame load, crash warnings are much further apart and I can even run the game at a reasonably at 4K resolution.
I would be curious how many customers have only ran the game on a 32bit device. It's entirely possible that those customers ran the game on a 32bit device with substandard memory instead of on the 64bit device they would normally choose.
mind blown, i switched over to 64bit when bf3 came out, its hard to believe so many people are still hanging onto their old 32bit computers. thank god the devs aren't letting a few hold outs hold the game back.
64 bit all the way, but could we have an update soon that's ONLY purpose is to switch the non-experimental version to 64 bit? I can't wait bro! SERIOUSLY.
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I am a user who runs 64bit on my main machine, but I have a 2nd laptop which isn't able to run 64bit due to lack of drivers, and I have occasionally fired up subnautica on it, just to see how it plays, I suspect quite a few of those other 32bit systems are '2nd' machines.
i have to say i am uber impressed by the in depth analysis, most game publishers would just go SURPRISE 64 BIT and let people go bats*** over something that actually makes a lot of sense. kudos, keep it up :-D
I would like to address something for all you 32 bit users who sit in the shadow of all of us 64 bit users. It in no way says in Microsoft TOS or any legal documents that it is illegal to install a 64 bit version of windows using your product key as long as it matches the version of windows you use in 32 bit. example: lets say u own Windows 32 bit ultimate......it is entirely legal for u to go download the 64 bit version of windows ultimate and use it as you would with your regular outdated 32 bit product. Again....use windows 32 bit home.....download windows 64 bit home.....legal. catch my drift? You are entirely legal here. Alittle homework and you have valued information. Hope this helps. thanks
I would like to address something for all you 32 bit users who sit in the shadow of all of us 64 bit users. It in no way says in Microsoft TOS or any legal documents that it is illegal to install a 64 bit version of windows using your product key as long as it matches the version of windows you use in 32 bit. example: lets say u own Windows 32 bit ultimate......it is entirely legal for u to go download the 64 bit version of windows ultimate and use it as you would with your regular outdated 32 bit product. Again....use windows 32 bit home.....download windows 64 bit home.....legal. catch my drift? You are entirely legal here. Alittle homework and you have valued information. Hope this helps. thanks
I did this very thing a couple years ago now. My machine already had 32 bit loaded on when I purchased it. Got my key of my compy, called Microsoft, they sent me a 64 bit disk, used the same key, rest is history.
My computer is limited to 8GB DDR3 of which I only have 6GB. Before anyone tells me to buy a new one, I can't afford to build a new computer, I built this one years ago, but I'll take any donations to help update my current system or build a new one. :P
My computer is limited to 8GB DDR3 of which I only have 6GB. Before anyone tells me to buy a new one, I can't afford to build a new computer, I built this one years ago, but I'll take any donations to help update my current system or build a new one. :P
6Gb is more than enough to run Subnautica. The minimum is 4Gb. As long as your operating system is 64-bit, you're golden!
ok, well, I'll chime in as someone who is still running 32 bit Windows 10. (system upgraded from Win 7 Pro)
its an older PC (hardware wise it meets the minimum I believe). While I would love to run this game, I cannot, and am not sure when I will be able to upgrade. So til then I will entertain myself with the numerous games on Steam that still support 32 bit *smiles*
as to SubNautica, I can understand it needing 64 Bit, and when I do upgrade it will be purchased, for now it sits on my Wishlist lol
How is this even still a question? 2016 just started, 4-5 months ago the 4th generation of 64 Bit Windows was released. There is no reason to still run on 32bit OS.
Make the final 32-bit version permanently available for those few 32-bit players; and simply stop updating it. They can still play; and when they upgrade their rig, they can enjoy the most current Subnautica again.
Also, offering those few players back their money isn't even that big of a setback. Just upgrading to 64 bit and the related decrease in out-of-memory crashes will likely pull a few times that number in new sales.
edit: just discovered that this is already the case; there's a 32-bit-no-longer-updated version available in steam. Does this mean it already is 64 bit? Is this topic out-of-date?
32bit applications - is the last century - the Stone Age.
- All Normal users already switched to a 64 bit version OS, even if the computer has only 3-4 GB of RAM.
- All Normal notebook manufacturers and PC-assemblers already use pre-installed 64bit version OS.
- All Normal developers allready write a 64bit programs, and enjoy all the comforts and pleasant improvements contained in this.
*For information: in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, for a 32-bit application we have a hard limit of 2GB (!) RAM. 32-bit Subnautics can not use more than 2GB of RAM. More than 2GB it will never give out from the operating system, even if the computer has 64 GB of memory on board!
Do not look at the computers from the Stone Age in statistics! Today, you can not make the beautiful, voluminous, deep game, if you rely on the technology from the last century. All "Pithecanthropus" long ago have to reinstall their operating systems to 64-bit and add extra 4 GB of RAM.
32bit applications - is the last century - the Stone Age.
- All Normal users already switched to a 64 bit version OS, even if the computer has only 3-4 GB of RAM.
- All Normal notebook manufacturers and PC-assemblers already use pre-installed 64bit version OS.
- All Normal developers allready write a 64bit programs, and enjoy all the comforts and pleasant improvements contained in this.
*For information: in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, for a 32-bit application we have a hard limit of 2GB (!) RAM. 32-bit Subnautics can not use more than 2GB of RAM. More than 2GB it will never give out from the operating system, even if the computer has 64 GB of memory on board!
Do not look at the computers from the Stone Age in statistics! Today, you can not make the beautiful, voluminous, deep game, if you rely on the technology from the last century. All "Pithecanthropus" long ago have to reinstall their operating systems to 64-bit and add extra 4 GB of RAM.
*For information: in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, for a 32-bit application we have a hard limit of 2GB (!) RAM. 32-bit Subnautics can not use more than 2GB of RAM. More than 2GB it will never give out from the operating system, even if the computer has 64 GB of memory on board!
Actually I checked online to verify this, as I had known 32-bit versions of Windows to be able to address 3.5GB of memory. It turns out this value can vary based on the RAM of the video card installed! A PC with a video card that has 1GB of memory forces the PC to only use between 2.6 to 2.8GB, while a video card with a measly 256MB of memory allows the PC to address 3.3 to 3.5GB of memory. I find it super weird why more memory on the video card means less memory allotted to the system, but there it is.
So @TheLumberJack I'm afraid that's not correct... even in the reduced environment of 2.6 to 2.8GB of system memory, 32-bit operating systems don't have a hard limit of just 2GB of memory.
On another note, why is this even a debate these days? Back in the days of Windows XP, seeing "64-bit" in the System Properties tab was a rare treat indeed - but nowadays seeing "32-bit" stamped in Windows 7, 8 and 10 should be a rarity... I mean, even my system is over 7 years old with a paltry 4GB of memory (that sadly can't be upgraded). I upgraded its Windows 7 32-bit to 64-bit four years ago, and then upgraded that to Windows 10 64-bit when the free period rolled out. At my workplace, every computer and laptop we sell comes with Windows 10 64-bit; I find it almost amusing to see "32-bit limitations" still a thing. Outside of government establishments like schools and banks that are still running Windows XP as their primary OS (again WHY are they still using XP??), you'd think most people would have gotten on board with the 64-bit movement by now.
Comments
Secondly I do not think you should limit the great potential of this game. It is beautiful in its very nature and I was surprised to find out it is 32bit. I feel the game will fare better if you go 64bit. Please let the game grow. Don't stunt it. ^:)^
This is important because a portion of the underpowered rigs running the game could simply be second/third machines. I personally try lots of games on my older laptop from time to time to see if they'll run, though I also have a desktop and my laptop has little impact on my purchasing decisions.
Better information would be how many purchasers are using under-spec rigs, rather than how many rigs used are under-spec.
64-bit isn't the way to go, it's actually the way it is. As several folks have pointed out we are actively in the 64-bit era and have been for years. 32-bit support, much less 32-bit development, is in itself outdated.
Of course, I would recommend refunding anyone who has no capability to run the game. It's a small number and not all of those folk will actively seek a refund. Many might be prompted to upgrade.
I'll second that.
This isn't an open-world MMO relying on 32-bit platforms. x64 is here. Adjust your marketing efforts to make sure new customers are aware of this requirement. Make it so!
With the data and numbers available as they are, I do think it's a no brainer. Pleasing the 32-bit user group will negatively effect everybody and would make the game less attractive which would do more damage than losing the 32-bit user group. Also.. Windows 10 is coming out as a free consumer upgrade in not too long. Anybody, including people with a pirated version of Windows will be opted to freely and legally upgrade to Windows 10. A lot of processors have been 64-bit compatible for much longer than the 64-bit OS became a standard. If people still stick with their 32-bit system, it's part of a choice they're making.
The general feel and look of the game improved as well. Win/Win!
(64Bit, GTX 970, 16GB RAM)
After using the Experimental mode 64-bit version, I have to say it is absolutely lovely. No terrible lag-spikes on savegame load, crash warnings are much further apart and I can even run the game at a reasonably at 4K resolution.
I did this very thing a couple years ago now. My machine already had 32 bit loaded on when I purchased it. Got my key of my compy, called Microsoft, they sent me a 64 bit disk, used the same key, rest is history.
6Gb is more than enough to run Subnautica. The minimum is 4Gb. As long as your operating system is 64-bit, you're golden!
thanks!
its an older PC (hardware wise it meets the minimum I believe). While I would love to run this game, I cannot, and am not sure when I will be able to upgrade. So til then I will entertain myself with the numerous games on Steam that still support 32 bit *smiles*
as to SubNautica, I can understand it needing 64 Bit, and when I do upgrade it will be purchased, for now it sits on my Wishlist lol
How is this even still a question? 2016 just started, 4-5 months ago the 4th generation of 64 Bit Windows was released. There is no reason to still run on 32bit OS.
Make the final 32-bit version permanently available for those few 32-bit players; and simply stop updating it. They can still play; and when they upgrade their rig, they can enjoy the most current Subnautica again.
Also, offering those few players back their money isn't even that big of a setback. Just upgrading to 64 bit and the related decrease in out-of-memory crashes will likely pull a few times that number in new sales.
edit: just discovered that this is already the case; there's a 32-bit-no-longer-updated version available in steam. Does this mean it already is 64 bit? Is this topic out-of-date?
- All Normal users already switched to a 64 bit version OS, even if the computer has only 3-4 GB of RAM.
- All Normal notebook manufacturers and PC-assemblers already use pre-installed 64bit version OS.
- All Normal developers allready write a 64bit programs, and enjoy all the comforts and pleasant improvements contained in this.
*For information: in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, for a 32-bit application we have a hard limit of 2GB (!) RAM. 32-bit Subnautics can not use more than 2GB of RAM. More than 2GB it will never give out from the operating system, even if the computer has 64 GB of memory on board!
Do not look at the computers from the Stone Age in statistics! Today, you can not make the beautiful, voluminous, deep game, if you rely on the technology from the last century. All "Pithecanthropus" long ago have to reinstall their operating systems to 64-bit and add extra 4 GB of RAM.
FFS THIS THREAD IS A YEAR OLD. WHY U DO DIS?
Actually I checked online to verify this, as I had known 32-bit versions of Windows to be able to address 3.5GB of memory. It turns out this value can vary based on the RAM of the video card installed! A PC with a video card that has 1GB of memory forces the PC to only use between 2.6 to 2.8GB, while a video card with a measly 256MB of memory allows the PC to address 3.3 to 3.5GB of memory. I find it super weird why more memory on the video card means less memory allotted to the system, but there it is.
So @TheLumberJack I'm afraid that's not correct... even in the reduced environment of 2.6 to 2.8GB of system memory, 32-bit operating systems don't have a hard limit of just 2GB of memory.
On another note, why is this even a debate these days? Back in the days of Windows XP, seeing "64-bit" in the System Properties tab was a rare treat indeed - but nowadays seeing "32-bit" stamped in Windows 7, 8 and 10 should be a rarity... I mean, even my system is over 7 years old with a paltry 4GB of memory (that sadly can't be upgraded). I upgraded its Windows 7 32-bit to 64-bit four years ago, and then upgraded that to Windows 10 64-bit when the free period rolled out. At my workplace, every computer and laptop we sell comes with Windows 10 64-bit; I find it almost amusing to see "32-bit limitations" still a thing. Outside of government establishments like schools and banks that are still running Windows XP as their primary OS (again WHY are they still using XP??), you'd think most people would have gotten on board with the 64-bit movement by now.