32 bit, 64 bit, NSD and Vista?

[ironsight]

Norb or anyone:
I'm in the preliminary stages of buying a new PC of which some decisions have to be made regarding the Operating System. The PC i'll end up buying will have an Intel2-quad 64 bit processor which will also support more than 4 gigs of memory if a 64 bit OS is installed.
Keep hearing bad things about Vista which has me thinking of just installing XP in the new rig. Although the other side of the coin if i know uSoft, XPs final demise via non-support is probably within sight. Maybe a year or two, who knows.

Some questions:
-I'll safely assume the new game's code will be compiled as 32 bit to be compatible with the vast majority of PCs out there which use 32 bit Operating Systems such as XP-Home, 32 bit Vista, etc.
But since i feel 64 bit PCs along with 64 bit SW is the wave of the future to fully take advantage of 64 bit processors...
Are there any future plans for NSD to release a 64 bit game?

-Are any of you guys running 64 bit Vista? If so, does TC2M and other 32 bit SW work?

-Does TC2M or other SW work OK with 32 bit Vista?

-Is anyone running 64 bit XP? If so, does TC2M and other 32 bit SW work?

-What Operating System(s) does NSD use for development and testing!

[JDunn]

I have been using Vista ever since it came out on my laptop and I honestly can't see why people have problems with it. I never have had any problems with it. I built a computer back in December with Core 2 Duo Processor, 4 gigs of ram, and I installed Vista 64 Bit on it. I also have never had any compatibility problems with software running on the 64 bit version. Even programs that were compiled for 32 bit processors work just fine in 64 bit. I have also installed TC2M on that same desktop with Vista 64 Bit, and it runs just fine. Just so you know, I did use XP extensively before switching to vista, and I think once you start using vista, you'll honestly like it better. At least that's my opinion.

[Chamberlain]

ironsight,

I also have Vista 32 bit on my Desktop which is AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor with 2 Gig.

I have TC2M installed and it runs fine. i have not had any compatability issues. B)

The only symptom we (others on the MMG boards with Vista) is that after you complete a battle, you have to exit and go back into the game. For some unknown reason, you cannot finish a battle and immediately start another one.

All in all, it's fine ! B)

Chamberlain

[ironsight]

JDunn, Chamberlain,
thanks for taking the time to reply, i appreciate it.
I was leaning towards 32 bit XP Pro but now i'll have to rethink it all again based on your comments.
Chamberlain, kinda reassuring you've had no problems with 32bit Vista as thats what most new PCs have installed in them.
JDunn, interesting you have no problems running 32 bit SW with Vista 64.
I read somewhere that AMD's 64 bit processors were ahead of Intel in this respect. Don't know if Intel's newest Q9000 series 64bit quads matched AMD's efficiency with running 32bit SW, i'll have to do some research.
I really like the idea of being able to install more than 4 gigs of memory with a 64 bit OS. The only downside is all my current external hardware obviously uses 32 bit drivers which as i understand are not compatible with 64 bit Vista.

[norb]

The biggest problem with Vista is the hardware requirements. You need a good rig to run it. That just takes away resources from games. We have some guys on the team working with Vista because we understand that we have to make sure it works there. What we'll end up doing is having a real good demo and warn people to make sure the demo runs before buying the game.

[JC Edwards]

I made sure when I bought my new rig that it had Windows XP; which I prefer. I really hope I never have to start using Vista. Maybe they'll come up with something better?

Well........we can always hope!:lol:

[ironsight]

Norb wrote:
The biggest problem with Vista is the hardware requirements. You need a good rig to run it. That just takes away resources from games.

Yeah Norb, this is one of the bad things i've heard about Vista. On one of the many millions of uSoft's web pages, it stated in order to run Vista as efficiently as XP, one needs a PC 10 times more powerful! What exactly that means, i don't have a clue! 10X the RAM? 10X faster RAM? 10X the processor clock speed? 10X the processor horse power?
None of this makes much technical sense with the exception of the new state of the art processors that are easily 10Xplus more powerful than for example the old Intel vanilla single P4's. It sure looks like uSoft sacrificed performance for more security and more bells 'n whistles with Vista.

JC, i think i'm with you (today anyhow). Hopefully by the time uSoft stops supporting XP, Vista will be improved and bug-free..based on uSoft's track recod..wishful thinking. I'm convinced uSoft, Intel and AMD are in co-hoots with each other to force the masses to buy new faster PCs in order to keep up with uSoft's new&improved&bloated OS's.

[ironsight]

Well if anyone is still interested, i finally ordered my custom PC from a local PC place.
I went with an Intel MOBO probably not the fastest or best choice but hopefully it'll be more stable than the rest of the pack.

Here's the basic specs:
-Intel DX48 gaming mother board, up to 1600 FSB, Express X48 chipset, OC'ing options
-Intel2 Quad Q9650 processor, 12MB L2 cache, 45nM, 3GHz clock, 1333 FSB
-4 Gigs DDR3 1333 RAM
-nVidia GTX-280 with 1Gig on board memory
-850 Watt PS
-500Gig server quality HD with 32MB cache
-XP Pro 32bit OS. Decided to stick with XP for as long as i can, Vista64 maybe in the future when 64 bit SW becomes more common or Vista32 when uSoft stops supporting XP.
-And most important, a plain-jane case. No futuristic goofy looking Star Wars case for me...hopelessly old school i geuss!

With this rig, if i still get momentary freezes during TC2M, i give up!

[chantilly]

Now if we could just get you off that damn dial-up ! I know times are tight, but are you thinking of going with a WiFi mobile card or something ? Prices should be coming down & maybe you can get a deal with your mobile phone service provider ( if you have one) for a package phone & PC WiFi card .

[JC Edwards]

Wow ironsight, that's quite the setup. I would like to have a custom rig built; just cannot afford it really.
As soon as I get my new VC installed, I'm going to see about upping my 2 Gigs RAM to 4.
Right now I really have no issues playing TC2M......very few freezes.....and most of those are when I'm using the Fredericksburg map. Every so often (but again, not too much) I'll get some freeze while using the Gettysburg/Chattanooga maps.

The only draw back with my current rig is the harddrive.....only 160GB. But I'm thinking about picking up one of those external HD's.......found one with 500GB for about $150....which fits my budget just fine.