FFXIV's RAM issue: Solved next expansion?

[EmmetOtter]

As far as I know, FFXIV is a 32-bit application which means that it's max addressable memory is limited to 4GB and in windows applications only 2GB of that 4GB is available for use by the application code. Once upon a time 4GB of ram was beyond HUGE, but now its nothing. I've run programs that can't even start with less than 6GB RAM and anything under 12GB would be awful performance.

Compare that 4GB to 17,000,000,00+ GB available (theoretically) to a 64 bit application and while no one I've ever met has anything close to that amount of RAM, but many people have 16GB and even 32GB of RAM on their home PC's. Porting everything from 32bit to 64bit would be a monumental task and may not actually result in a game that runs faster even though its no longer has RAM issues.

[File2ish]

This is unacceptable, in my opinion:

In 5.0 we shouldn't have to deal with dungeons which use zone lines like this:


It takes away from the experience. I know they do this to prevent 2012 gaming laptops from exploding because of low RAM but let's be real, it's time they stop using these zone lines for everything. Sprinting to the castle would feel amazing in that situation, instead of once again being teleported to another room. Thoughts?

I'm against this. It'll be novel the first couple times for players first experiencing it in the game, and might feel like a bit of a throwback to the long bridge from lower Limsa to middle La Noscea for those of us who played back in 1.X. Then the more you do it the more you gradually start to hate it. They can already do it, despite the maximum RAM 32-bit applications can allocate (4GB), just takes some asset loading/unloading. This is how 1.X did it, the long bridges and side hall to go from Ul'dah to Thanalan were basically loading zones like the hallways in Metroid Prime. Unless they made that section have something to do other than run across the water to the castle in your example, it would take more time to complete the dungeon for an insignificant reason (disregarding speed runners entirely, it serves no real purpose to remove the loading zone for a stretch that long to run across). Zones allow for more efficient use of assets, they can get away with low object detail on the castle to make the areas we traverse through more detailed.

[Sove92]

That zone line isn't there for any kind of RAM etc. reasons. It's there just so you don't have to do a long, boring and unnecessary trek to the castle every time you do the dungeon. That castle up ahead doesn't even containt the actual interior, so you couldn't make a direct trip there anyway.

[Arngrim_Greyashe]

FF14 does not have a ram issue. The Playstation 4 does my friend. If you think this is bad imagine having everything designed around the PS3. Consoles give you a wider audience but the cycle at which they get upgraded is slowwwwwwwwww.

If you played FF7 Remake those strange things where you would go down a corridor then have to shimmy between some random object that was everywhere was because that is a loading screen lol

Actually, the PS4 isn't holding the game back at this time. The minimum PC requirement specs are. However, the load lines aren't due to RAM at all.

[lolicon09]

"It takes away from the experience"
Nope, It doesn't

[Skivvy]

Oh no a 5-10 second loading screen.

I can't say that I've ever really thought about the issue in OP's original comment regarding dungeons specifically, but there is definitely something to be said for having a seamless world, or in this case, a seamless dungeon.

I absolutely looove games that have an open world, although these do seem to be fewer, sadly. I have always disliked how XIV feels so chopped up. The zones are small, you have instances everywhere, and now that it's been brought to my attention, he's very correct that dungeons can also feel choppy with all the zoning you do in them.

[Amnmaat]

Thank you Skivvy, those are my thoughts exactly. Holminster Switch feels like a complete dungeon, Dohn Mheg is that "chopped" up design that makes you like the start of the dungeon and hate the end of it.

[MsMisato]

Nah its great immersion tool if you have a good computer. I mean personally even during 1.0 I had a transition of a few seconds between areas it did add a bit of immersion. Yea even with Limsa Lominsa being 1 zone during 1.0 my load times were on par with what we have today.

However, in this example, a loading screen is a good to have that would be a bit of a transition that would be quite a trek to get ot the castle there though I agree though the open world could use less loading screens.

[Zorvan]

As far as I know, FFXIV is a 32-bit application

You know wrong. Perhaps read a notice once in a while (like 2 years ago), maybe? https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...26bb168047042a or https://support.na.square-enix.com/f...5382&kid=67500

[Barraind]

Needlessly long and mostly empty corridors are awful and pointless.

They were awful when they had spiders, they were awful when they had mushrooms, they were awful when they had flurrydrakes, they were awful when they had akhevans, they were awful when they had mephits, they were awful when they had fire dogs, they were awful when they had elves, they're awful when they have nothing.

Immersion is fun when you're running around solo to explore, and the bane of all but 1 person in a thousand's existence when its in group or raid settings.

If you're going to buiild a massive structure and not have teleport pads / zone lines, you better make every room and corridor work to further your raid or group content.