Two utilities\programs that may help CMBN

[Wodin]

Two utlities below may help CMBN for those who own 64bit systems and have more than 3 gigs.

First is a copy and paste from SIm HQ

"If you'd like a BIG in-game memory boost that makes a noticeable difference in game performance in your sims, you can operate on the .exe file and change the file header so that the game addresses more than 2 GB of RAM if you have a 64-bit OS.

It's simple and anyone can do it with ease. The easiest way to do that is to go here:

http://www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php

Click on "Download Explorer Suite". Once it's downloaded, install it. Make a backup copy of your game .exe file and put it in a safe place. Then launch "CFF Explorer" in the Explorer Suite in your Windows menu and open your operational game .exe file in the main game folder.

Once you've opened it in "CFF Explorer", in the left pane of the window, click on "File Header". You will now see "Click Here" in the right pane highlighted in blue. Go ahead and click on it.

A dialog will open. You'll see an entry that says, "App can handle >2gb address space". Put a tick mark in that, click "OK", then go up to the File menu and click "Save". You'll be asked if you want to overwrite the original .exe file. Click "Yes" as long as you made that backup copy of the .exe file and put it away.

Your game will now address more than the 2GB of memory allowed in 32-bit (if you have that much memory onboard and a 64-bit system), instant memory boost in-game with attending performance improvement.

This memory boost trick will work with just about any 32-bit app in the 64-bit environment. But make sure you make a backup before you operate on the .exe file. I've found one title (Battlestations Pacific) which does not like it, and won't work afterwards. But everything else I've tried it on was fine. It really made IL2 1946 snap right along, amongst others. I couldn't believe how much faster Silent Hunter 4 loaded as well after the memory surgery on the file header.

If an app is already 64-bit compatible, the tick mark will already be in the box. If so, you don't need to do anything to it.

There ya go! It's like getting free RAM! Y'all can buy me a beer if we bump into each other.

Cheers!

Rick... "

http://www.ntcore.com/exsuite.php

Works well apparently.

Then there is this one. Alot easier to use. Streamlined and simple. This stopped someone having constant CTD's in Battle of britian 2.

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112556

[RockinHarry]

Nogo

http://www.battlefront.com/community/showpost.php?p=1320203&postcount=85

[Erwin]

If all this does is enable more that 2 GB ram to be accessed when using 64 bit Win 7, can that be doing harm to CM?

I was shocked to realize that CM can't utilize my 6GB. So, all those players who talk about their 8+GB ram are getting no benefit over 2GB??!!

[Ranger33]

A better question would be: If this can be done with a free utility off the Internet, why can't BF do it themselves?

[Wodin]

Well the DRM thing is annoying. As said above why can't BF do it in the next patch? It can't be to hard as someone said.

Damn. it just dawned on me I did it last night. I tried to launch the game and nothing happened. I reversed the exe and still nothing. Thankfully installing the patch fixed it!!

Anyway it helps with other games you may have.

[Guest]

Just to reiterate for folks that don't follow the link: using these tools may cause the DRM to think your copy of the game is illegitimate. That's something you want to avoid. Also, it violates the game's EULA.

As to why we can't just do it ourselves... well, there must be *some* reason we haven't done it yet, right? In fact, there are several. I can't go much beyond that (although Steve or Charles possibly could if they wanted to). For now assume that CM does not "like it" and we'll continue working on fixing it in a way that will actually work.

[Erwin]

I hope so, Phil. Being able to fully utilize the power of our systems is pretty important as CM2 continues to be a resource hog. I am still in shock at the news that Ram over 2GB is basically useless with CM games. That is really true is it?

[Schrullenhaft]

Yes, that is true. CMBN is a 32-bit application, as are most games and applications (even if they are ran in a 64-bit OS). To use more than 2GB of RAM/address-space (outside of some of the tweaks here to get a program to use 3GB) a program has to be created to utilize 64-bit addressing. However such programs can't be run on 32-bit operating system (which still constitute the majority of Windows operating systems).

So there has to be TWO versions of the game for Windows, 32-bit and 64-bit. That adds a significant amount of additional programming and support for a small company. If we went forward and only supported a 64-bit game, then probably 2/3's of our customers couldn't run the game until they upgraded their RAM, CPU, motherboard and OS to run in 64-bit (not everyone needs to replace every one of these items, but some will). So we need to find some sort of solution to the game running as a 32-bit application for now, with the possibility of a 64-bit game at some point in the future.

[Erwin]

It's understandable. However, this probably explains why so many of us with "super-computers" bitch about CM2 performance. If we'd known...

So, from your perspective what is wrong/inadvisable about using the utilities mentioned in the initial post here?

[Wodin]

It doesn't work for starters.

I treid it before I found out about the DRM thing.

Infact so far CMBN is the only game I've tried it on that had an adverse reaction.

[Guest]

It's understandable. However, this probably explains why so many of us with "super-computers" bitch about CM2 performance. If we'd known...

So, from your perspective what is wrong/inadvisable about using the utilities mentioned in the initial post here?

In addition to Wodin's observation, I'll repeat:

1) If you use these utilities the DRM might decide your copy of CM is illegitimate. This, as I've mentioned, is something you really, really want to avoid. "Inadvisable" is framing it far too mildly. Don't do it.

2) It violates the game's EULA.

I'm definitely sympathetic. The solution for CM is long-term; we are working toward it. In the meantime don't break your copy of the game.

[BletchleyGeek]

So there has to be TWO versions of the game for Windows, 32-bit and 64-bit. That adds a significant amount of additional programming and support for a small company. If we went forward and only supported a 64-bit game, then probably 2/3's of our customers couldn't run the game until they upgraded their RAM, CPU, motherboard and OS to run in 64-bit (not everyone needs to replace every one of these items, but some will). So we need to find some sort of solution to the game running as a 32-bit application for now, with the possibility of a 64-bit game at some point in the future.

On Windows I think you're out of options guys, other than having two builds and possibly doing a complete rework of CM:BN memory management. The AWE API offered by some versions of Windows - up to Vista I think - is regressive as in going back to ye olde times when one had to work with overlays to access EMS in the 1990s. Worse, it doesn't even work for 32-bit applications running on 64-bit environments.

On Mac I see you might be able to do it, if Apple didn't geld the BSD basecode powering their MacOS X thing. 32-bit applications running on a 64-bit Linux Kernel can access beyond the 4GBs using mmap(). Ironically, this would involve programming work similar to that needed to have the CMx2 engine code to support 64-bit out of the box.

For the non-programmers: we're in a much better situation regarding compatibility than in the 1980-1990s when there were in the market 8-bit (C64), 16-bit (IBM PC, Amstrad PC) and 32-bit platforms (AMIGA, 80386, etc.).