how to fix the 2 gig limit for sins

So realistically, we need to get the industry to switch to 64-bit in order to get more stuff in sins with the current game mechanics concerning textures. Hmmm.

Thank you for this btw, very useful.

there's a MS-tool for that? do you have a link? I use this tool: link. It works great and the author added new features or removed bugs in no time when you requested it in the thread.

But anyway, I would really like to know why developers nowadays don't ship their games as x64. Most games I play (CoH, SupCom, Sins, Oblivion) have issues with their memory usage which could be solved by making them x64. They even could "just" deliver a x64-patch like Crytek did for Far Cry. But well, they'll have their reasons...

If they support 32 bit systems they get bigger consumer pools than if they support only 64bit. I think this is main reason.

well, at least for digital download it should be no problem to offer both, or, like Far Cry, to offer a patch.

Is there an 'official' workaround to the 2gig limit that is supported by Ironclad / Stardock? Will this be addressed in the next patch?

Thanks !

No there is no official workaround and i don't think there ever will be. Perhaps for SINS 2 if it ever comes out.... To fix this game would need to be rewritten and that is too much coding.

I'm not even sure that MS "large address aware enabler" works for this game.....

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/375539

i posted links to the fixes here some time ago. you can do the fix to your main exe file and play with people without the mod with no issues - and it CAN work on 32 bit OS's, if you follow all steps.

there isn't a official workaround i know about that's why i posted this

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

this is a link to the sight that  shows you how to do it it works if you do it right and large address aware is a Microsoft program so you can trust it.

o and yes it does work for sins i use it all the time with mod and full settings, it doesn't do anything except allow your game to use 3.5 gigs instead of two.

I have Vist x32 and 3 gigs of ram, should I follow the instructions to increase the ram available on a x32 system? Or is my total ram too low?

RAM we are talking about is the ram SINS can use. Even if you have high end machine with 12 GB of ram SINS can use only 2 GB for itself MAX. That comes due to 32-bit code.

If you are using those programs they enable SINS to use up to 3.5 GB of ram. But 

3 gig should be enough i think. I don't think system itself uses more  than 1GB so ..... but you can check in task manager. As for SINS they run well enough on 2GB of ram.

One way to avoid that limit is also to simply turn graphic settings to low...

Those programs are manly used if you are playing moded game. There are some mods like 7 Deadly Sins that without those programs crash on map above 4 players and big maps.

As for using programs 3 GB what you have installed is for operating system and game you are running so even if you install programs they wont be able to get you much past 2 GB SINS limit.... since majority of that 3rd GB of your ram will be used by system.

There is a workaround if u are using Linux. Something that has to do with open GL and fact that it utilizes graphic card ram better than Direct X...... at least as far SINS go.

We are pushing to get The Sins Optimization Project incorporated as an official patch. TSOP fixes the 2 gig problem without you having to hack your machine, or the game exe. Entrenchment, and Diplomacy never use more than 1.5 gigs on 100+ planet multi star random gen maps with 9 AI's with TSOP enabled.

Right now TSOP is a mod. Hopefully once IC sees what it does it will be incorporated into the next official patch.

EDIT: Sorry, didnt mean to hijack your topic.

LOOK this doesn't do any thing to the game except just allow the game to extend over the 2 gig limit, so there isnt a need for optimization it isn't a hack or a crack or anything of the sort

CALM DOWN

LAA is retarded.

i personally wouldnt like to see tsop incorporated into a patch, dont get me wrong im not predisposed against it but i thought it does slightly diminish the quality of the particles

also, i've never had a crash while playing base diplomacy, only when using large mods

fine don't get your sins to work past the two gig limit, i was just trying to help

o and the sins optimization project didn't help at all after i turned off laa... still crashes, and doesn't work with mods

Sorry, I'm quite a bit of a computer idiot, I am just a windows applications user and know nothing about drivers and all this stuff. I do know that I use Windows 7 64 bit, and have 6gig of RAM, and by reading a bunch of different posts on this forum including the Sins Optimization Mod thread, I think I understand the problem in general. Can any smart computer person here state in computer-idiot terms if this suggestion which the OP wrote about is a good, safe, easy, problem-free thing to do, or does it involve doing something that you then have on your computer forever and it eats your resources, or is it not effective? Or is there no consensus? Thank you.

It should work OK as long as the problem you are experiencing is due to Sins hitting the 2GB/32bit application memory limit. If that is the case then the OP's suggestion should help.

Can't garuantee you won't have issues doing it though, your mileage may vary.

I was getting slowdown on a system that shouldn't so I was going to try it tonight.

Again, it is not a sins, Stardock or Ironclad issue... but a Microsoft licensing problem...

Since 1995, all 32 bits processor are in fact 36 bits... good for 64 gb... on 32 bits professional  Microsoft OS, user can access these extra memory... the only Microsoft limit is 4gb by application...

Now, any people who design low price application ( game y example ) will target the more used OS... who is mainly home edition of Windows OS...

Windows xp starter 32 bit is lilited at 0.5 gb, Vista 32 bits starter at 1gb, Windows 7 32 bits starter at 2 gb, Xp/Vista/7 32 bits home/professional edition at 4gb ( where 2 gb is reserved for the system )... a old 32 bit windows 2000 can reach 32 gb, 32 bits windows server 2003  can reach 64 gb...

A interesting article... http://www.geoffchappell.com/viewer.htm?doc=notes/windows/license/memory.htm ... with Microsoft, you have what you pay for... don't hope for any magical software from them who will make run your home edition like a datacenter edition...

For info, actual processor called 64 bits are in fact limited to 52 bits for the adress range and 48 bits for the virtual address space... in 32 bits desktop windows OS, kernel limit these virtual address to 2 gb... there is tip and trick who will allow you to see and use more ram ( PAE, 3GB, etc ) but one single 32 bit application cannot use more that these 2 gb virtual address space ( several application running together can go over these limit )...

My biggest sins game was a huge multistar map, using 10 different races ( mod ) and after several days playing, have reach a 11.5 gb use by sins... not using direct and not using a windows OS... if somebody have a 32 bits server edition of Windows ( from 2000 of after ), it will be interesting to test sins... i am not sure that it will crash at the 2gb... if sins crash with PAE, it is always possible to try with PSE-36 ( introduced in from x-86 PIII, allowing a max of 64 gb ram too, hierarchy of page tables is not changed, page entries keep their old 32-bit format...

There is a lot of topic similar to these one on the forum... it always end by people being angry against Stardock or Ironclad, both not being responsible that the majority of gamer are buying crap OS... Microsoft make good OS like the server version... in fact, they create first the server version, remove feature for creating a limited desktop edition...

Finaly, the LAA thing is only changing a flag in the application allowing it to use LA... but if the application was not compiled LAA, it will change nothing... if you have the source code, adding the LAA can really be useful