Addons in 64bit client

[blazzin]

how do you think the 64 bit client will effect game mods ?

discuss

[ImpTaimer]

It will only effect them if they use 32bit files and executables. The effect could be dismal or astronomic depending on the skill of the mod developer.

If they start using 64 bit version of the files and executables, than it should be fine. They may even process faster and allocate memory better.

[ComputerNerd]

Addons in wow are handled completely by the client itself, and do not use executables of any sort.
Therefore their performance will be tied completely to that of the client, and the hardware it is running on.

As for other games then it depends on the nature of them, and and whether they are doing anything architecture specific.
64-bit OS's should in most cases handle 32-bit applications just fine, so no reason why a 64-bit client can't handle 32-bit mods if the developer puts any thought into it.

[Eon Drache]

ComputerNerd is right. All the mods should be handled the exact same. Even if the mods used a x86 executable or direct file approach, x64 clients run them fine. A x64 is just faster than a x86 .exe.

It is like downloading a commonly used program. Say, Vent. You can run vent as a x86.exe fine on a x64 OS. But the x64 Vent is faster.

[cybermind]

so no reason why a 64-bit client can't handle 32-bit mods if the developer puts any thought into it.

WoW addons are scripted and run in a VM, so client architecture won't affect WoW addons, but 64bit processes cannot load 32bit modules (PE files, i.e. DLLs and EXEs) into the same process. A 64bit OS can indeed load 64bit processes and 32bit processes, but the two formats cannot co-exist in a single process.

A x64 is just faster than a x86 .exe.

It is like downloading a commonly used program. Say, Vent. You can run vent as a x86.exe fine on a x64 OS. But the x64 Vent is faster.

x86-64 vs x86 has nothing to do with speed, it has more to do with register/pointer size. Speed can differ, but it would be a side-effect and likely trivial.

[vesseblah]

how do you think the 64 bit client will effect game mods ?

Not possible, because the addons do not run machine code but are scripted. When Blizzard changes the scripting engine to 64bit it looks and acts exactly the same as before for users and addon writers.

x86-64 vs x86 has nothing to do with speed, it has more to do with register/pointer size. Speed can differ, but it would be a side-effect and likely trivial.

Going from 32 to 64 bit can significantly speed up parts of old programs because you can put two 32bit numbers into 64bit register and run 64bit operations on them with one instruction in assembly instead of two 32bit operations. It does not work on everything, but some things like for example subtractions can run at double speed. As a whole it makes overall very little difference to games like WoW since very efficient math is not the big bottleneck of the game, but waiting for memory, disc and internet IOs. For counting the decimals of pi 64bits makes big difference.

[ComputerNerd]

Going from 32 to 64 bit can significantly speed up parts of old programs because you can put two 32bit numbers into 64bit register and run 64bit operations on them with one instruction in assembly instead of two 32bit operations. It does not work on everything, but some things like for example subtractions can run at double speed. As a whole it makes overall very little difference to games like WoW since very efficient math is not the big bottleneck of the game, but waiting for memory, disc and internet IOs. For counting the decimals of pi 64bits makes big difference.

Yet with a 64-bit OS we are still not seeing these vast improvements to performance, so a switch to a 64-bit architecture is still falling way short of that promise on the OS performance, let alone that of the applications that run on it.
If the architecture is not the bottleneck, then really where is the real benefit to a 64-bit client.

[vesseblah]

If the architecture is not the bottleneck, then really where is the real benefit to a 64-bit client.

All the small optimizations that comes from running multiple 32bit instructions as 64bit later will give an average gain of few % which might not be anything earth-shattering, it is free speed-up. More important is the fact that running 32bit executables in 64bit operating system will slow down whole system by a small amount. When you throw both of these together you might get 5% higher speed on average in the game.

Biggest difference is the memory use. If you play the game with really extreme configurations where you have three or more monitors side by side, or are using single very high resolution screen the game will actually hit the memory limits of the 32bit applications. There are semi-official ways now to fix the issue, but in five years it might be when bigger portion of the playerbase have these really big screen computers because prices have dropped to average joe level and an official lasting solution is needed.

So by going to 64bit Blizzard is removing a smallish bottleneck that affects everyone, and a big instability issue that affects only few players now, but potentially whole lot more after expansion or two.

[ComputerNerd]

All the small optimizations that comes from running multiple 32bit instructions as 64bit later will give an average gain of few % which might not be anything earth-shattering, it is free speed-up. More important is the fact that running 32bit executables in 64bit operating system will slow down whole system by a small amount. When you throw both of these together you might get 5% higher speed on average in the game.

Biggest difference is the memory use. If you play the game with really extreme configurations where you have three or more monitors side by side, or are using single very high resolution screen the game will actually hit the memory limits of the 32bit applications. There are semi-official ways now to fix the issue, but in five years it might be when bigger portion of the playerbase have these really big screen computers because prices have dropped to average joe level and an official lasting solution is needed.

So by going to 64bit Blizzard is removing a smallish bottleneck that affects everyone, and a big instability issue that affects only few players now, but potentially whole lot more after expansion or two.

The client has already in a previous patch had the Large Address Aware flag added, so that memory issue is already resolved.