An Interesting Future for Outerra

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Why are we fighting about the 64-bit matter? Outerra doesn't need the extra VAS  right now, but they are working on making it 64-bit anyway.

[nathanpinard 0]

64bit is kind of a standard now, so I would assume anything new that is developed would assume 64bit for the sake of "future proofing" and I would guess a lot of development tools assume 64bit as well.

 

That being said there are plenty of enterprise cases (like my own job) where things are way way behind. At least windows didn't cut 32bit support like Apple did.

 

Correction: Apple cut POWER PC app support, which isn't quite the same thing.

[wolke85 150]

Why are we fighting about the 64-bit matter? Outerra doesn't need the extra VAS  right now, but they are working on making it 64-bit anyway.

+1

Why are we fighting about the 64-bit matter?

... was asking that as well somehow in #553.

 

but they are working on making it 64-bit anyway.

Correct - So let's leave it this way and i think that we can be quite happy because:

By now Outerra may not - and yet (!) - need the extra VAS, but if it one day should need more VAS, it will certainly be very good to have it available then already and right away!

:smile:

[foxfiles 0]

for such a 3D application, that will open and/or store more and more datas, 64 bits is obviously welcome as soon as possible, before the engine increases its complexity and capabilities.
I suggest you read the below page, to see why it is interesting to run in 64 bits,
starting from the application/program up to the OS and the CPUs...64 bits is more than worth it

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/32-bit-64-bit-operating-systems/#!by0RqL 

[HawkDsl 50]

Bigger pipes is always better then smaller ones.

[JSkorna 137]

Unless the pipes are incompatible.

[HiFlyer 9,363]

That looks like something with potential! I will keep watching where that goes.

Eve World preliminary warp drive effect. Ship moves so quick it seems to just disappear! (gotta watch again to catch it)  ^_^

 

http://www.indiedb.com/games/eveworld/videos/warp-drive-test

 

EVE:WORLD is a free project that takes advantage of the Outerra engine's 1:1 scale rendition of Earth to bring you a planetary invasion simulator set in the EVE universe. Battle through enemy lines in everything from 10m drones to 18km Titans. Make a controlled descent through Earth's atmosphere to strike at targets around the globe.

 

[ChaoticBeauty 6,692]

Eve World preliminary warp drive effect. Ship moves so quick it seems to just disappear! (gotta watch again to catch it)  ^_^

 

http://www.indiedb.com/games/eveworld/videos/warp-drive-test

 

Looks great! Nice to see Outerra is being used.

[P*Funk 9]

Unless the pipes are incompatible.

 

What does that even mean?

[JSkorna 137]

What does that even mean?

Try running a 64 bit program on a 32 bit OS, which thousands, if not millions of computer have installed.

 

"In 32-bit operating systems of the Windows family, the only way to launch 64-bit applications is to use emulators and virtual machines, for instance, qemu and VMWare, but the necessity to emulate the 64-bit platform in this case greatly reduces the system's performance and the end user will have to purchase the 64-bit version of the operating system anyway."

[P*Funk 9]

Yea but who actually still uses 64 bit operating systems anymore? You basically said the same thing as "You can't run a win95 program in DOS" as if this is some kind of issue.

 

Its a lot easier to run 32 bit applications in a 64 bit environment than the reverse, and this is because there will be time spent ensuring a measure of backward compatibility during the move forward. 

 

Basically if you refuse to adapt to the modern hardware/software environment then yes you will suffer all kinds of issues but there is basically no cost to your functionality in moving forward and only in staying put. 64 bit Windows/Mac/Linux/etc is stable, functional, provides backwards compatibility, and utilizes more ram than 32 bit allowing people to actually take advantage of what EVERY SINGLE motherboard produced today can do. The only problem with using 64 bit then comes with people who basically won't upgrade.

 

What you've described is a problem created by the computer component lodged between the keyboard and the chair, and nothing else.

[JSkorna 137]

 

 

Yea but who actually still uses 64 bit operating systems anymore?

 

My point exactly! Thanks for helping me out there!! You're absolutely right, all those that run XP, Vista, Win 7, and Win 8 32 bit are a huge number and there would be no forced update needed.

 

If the switch to 64 bit was the answer to every software problem in the universe as you make it out to be, then why does MS even SELL a 32 bit Win 8?

 

Good thing you don't write and sell software for a living because you would want to eliminate over half your potential user base before you even started.

 

Yep you've described the problem all right and it ain't us!!

[P*Funk 9]

But can you name a legitimate reason for not upgarding? The only reason people in the past would resist was because of a lack of driver support and because memory was expensive enough that it wasn't viable. Things have changed and you can buy twice as much memory as in the past for the same price, driver support across the board for 64 bit exists, backward compatibility is always going to be something supported in a market driven by users of legacy software, and these days 64 bit is being shipped with more and more packaged computers so that even grandma and grandpa who do nothing but email will be in the 64 bit realm.

 

So, whats your reason for not upgrading?

 

Here's a lazy search for some data:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2366300,00.asp

 

 

 Microsoft cites NPD's Stephen Baker, who says that 77 percent of all retails systems sold in April of 2010 were being pushed out with Windows 7 x64 preinstalled. That almost matches up with a number on the enterprise side of the equation—according to Gartner, 75 percent of all businesses will be running a 64-bit Windows operating system by 2014.

 

This is a 4 year old article. At that point Windows 7 was nearly 50/50 64bit, I don't know the numbers for today but I'd be willing to venture a stab at it being closer to 64 bit dominated. Businesses are basically embracing this future. Why would home users not?

 

Even 5 years ago when I was 32 bit and only had 4 gigs of ram and a 512 video card I was suffering an artificially limited experience. I couldn't use all my ram because I needed to donate 512mb of my total memory usage to my video card. These days we have video cards that can use all of a 32 bit system's memory. When old guys who don't want things to change for no good reason hold us back by demanding support for 32 bit it stalls development and forces resources to be wasted on compatibility with an obsolete system design.

 

This is the same thing that happened with DOS. They had to plan very carefully getting rid of that dinosaur and people were grumpy. Guess what, we're DOS free these days and the old men didn't drop dead from the change.

 

So why use 32 bit? Because you want to keep using the same 10 year old software without having to tick a few compatibility boxes? If you want to use 64 bit software you should buy a 64 bit OS. If you want to just keep using old 32 bit software then stay in your 32 bit museum but it is so irrational to complain that 64 bit won't work on 32 bit when thats a natural thing in a paradigm shift. You can't run FSX on DOS, you can't run a lot of things on Windows 98, progress is a pain sometimes, but its progress. I like my 8 gigs of ram thank you very much. I like that I can use all my ram without donating any space to my video card. I like that I can actually use maximum VAS with FSX unlike with a 32 bit system where some of that memory has to be used by the other background systems.

 

So why 32 bit? I can't think of a reason that shouldn't result in a Picard face palm.

[saed45 38]

My point exactly! Thanks for helping me out there!! You're absolutely right, all those that run XP, Vista, Win 7, and Win 8 32 bit are a huge number and there would be no forced update needed.

 

If the switch to 64 bit was the answer to every software problem in the universe as you make it out to be, then why does MS even SELL a 32 bit Win 8?

 

Good thing you don't write and sell software for a living because you would want to eliminate over half your potential user base before you even started.

 

Yep you've described the problem all right and it ain't us!!

 

 

jim your point is kind of mute. this is a simulation software not a  2d chess game. if your serious about simulation/gaming you would probably have a system that has been built in the past 2-3 years and most likely you spent around 500-1000 USD for the system. anything that has been built in the past 2- years has a 64 bit operating system.

 

if the developers are building a 64 bit outerra then good for them. they know within 2-4 years every system will come with more than 4 gigs of ram. in fact most laptops that are within the 300 dollar price range come with 4 gigs of ram already.

[User72 28]

My point exactly! Thanks for helping me out there!! You're absolutely right, all those that run XP, Vista, Win 7, and Win 8 32 bit are a huge number and there would be no forced update needed.

 

If the switch to 64 bit was the answer to every software problem in the universe as you make it out to be, then why does MS even SELL a 32 bit Win 8?

 

Good thing you don't write and sell software for a living because you would want to eliminate over half your potential user base before you even started.

 

Yep you've described the problem all right and it ain't us!!

 

Can we try not to derail what has been nothing but a positive thread until now, such things are so rare!