Star Citizen is going to be massive. Thanks to raking in ridiculous amounts of money from crowd funding, they have the resources to make a game on an insane scale. However, that sense of scale isn’t confined to their view of money or features, it’s also after your bandwidth and HDD space.
Jeremy Masker, Director of Game Operations at Cloud Imperium Games, posted a reply to a message predicting install size of the game (thanks PCGamer).
As I have already said, I would not count on this. The game compression and asset removal is unlikely to yield such high gains that we will be able to reduce our client size to 30-40gb. The size and number of assets that are left to deliver means that our client size is much more likely to be 100gb.
Also, yes we are optimizing game patching for speed and to only deliver diffs, but this is unlikely to reduce actual patch size. Again, each patch has 100s of assets, each of these assets are at times 200mb, this leads to 2-6gb patches, and if we end up doing a file type re-factor and have to re-download 30-40% of the assets on the hard-drive, then the patch will be 14-20gb.
A client that’s a 100 GB download. Just let that sink in for a moment. Even on a fibre connection you’re looking at a day or two of downloading. Of course, if you’re on anything slower than that, you could be downloading for quite a number of days. Then factor in that South Africa isn’t the only country where many people still have capped internet, and Star Citizen basically becomes impossible. Oh, and just hope there aren’t too many patches seeing as those will be coming in at between 2 GB and 20 GB.
I understand that the game will be massive and supposedly surpass everyone’s expectations of what a space game should be like. However, with files sizes like this, they may be alienating a whole bunch of their supporters. Sure, plenty of people can download this data without any issue, but an entire segment of the population of gamers will be excluded simply because it will take them too long or work out as too expensive to download. And to think, we complain locally about the size and frequency of patches on Xbox One. This is a whole new level.
Last Updated: March 12, 2015
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:34
Those tags say it all I think. Dafuq?
Umar
March 12, 2015 at 09:35
Really hope this game doesn’t tank…
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:36
I don’t want to dash your hopes, but #StayStrongUmar I think will extend to this when it does release.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:42
This should still be a real thing. That real people # for no apparent reason. It’d be one of the smarter trends.
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 10:00
Like this?
Blood Emperor Trevor
March 12, 2015 at 09:35
A not unexpected punch right to the bandwidth. That’s half the reason I haven’t bothered with keeping it installed, they patch it quite regularly & I don’t feel like downloading a few GB every time I fancy loading it up.
Ottokie
March 12, 2015 at 09:37
The best excuse to hold a LAN again 😛
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 09:52
^THIS!!!
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 10:02
Ps2 9gigs. Ive copied the install files to so many people I need a new HDD. Hopefully one can do the same here.
RustedFaith
March 12, 2015 at 10:39
Best thing is it will have full lan functionality. 🙂 You can even host your own persistent universe over lan.
Uberutang
March 12, 2015 at 09:38
Pffft. The PCMR does not worry about silly things like 100gig downloads for a game…
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:39
100GB? Do you even download bro?
Uberutang
March 12, 2015 at 09:42
Exactly. that is like 1/10th of a 4k movie.
FoxOneZA
March 12, 2015 at 11:02
The master race always has “zip” and “rar” to help out in these situations 😉
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:40
Oh. Hello Star Citizen. 100Gb download on a 4mb line? Thank the Gods we’re in an exclusive uncapped relationship, Mweb and I. Or else this bastard child would never see the light of my PC screen.
Maxiviper117
March 12, 2015 at 12:43
They will throttle you though, I have a 4mb uncapped line with Mweb and if I go over 100 in the past 30 days they will throttle the line. And being if you managed to download 100 gigs quickly like within a week, they’d probably suspend your adsl connection and leave you with horrific speeds for a long time unless you pay them extra. First hand experience talking here.
Draco Lusus
March 12, 2015 at 14:11
That was my experience, having to re-download my entire (years’ worth) of PS Plus games account and half of my Steam account games. I was throttled to all hell. Basically, what they are saying is that you are allowed to download full 4mb speeds for a little under 3 days, and then…thanks for paying, bugger off now.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:41
On this day fifteen years ago. How many CD’s does it take Star Citizen to install to your PC? 😛
How far we’ve come.
Reidroc
March 12, 2015 at 09:43
Go further back to the glory days of floppy disk.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:43
Cannot. Execute. Query.
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:45
72 817 778 Floppy disks.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:46
Computer says HELL no.
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 10:02
Enter the blue screen …… OF DEATH!
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 10:11
BSOD after 72 817 777 floppies….
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 10:12
Only for Llew. All those 7s
Admiral Chief
March 12, 2015 at 10:24
HAH
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 10:13
I’d go postal.
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:44
147 CD’s to be precise. 22 DVD’s. 15 Dual layer DVD’s.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:45
Computer says no.
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 10:41
Good thing no one uses ancient tech anymore.
128gb Flash Drive or alternatively 1TB external drive. 😛
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 10:44
Hmmm. Physical games released on flash drives. That’d be interesting.
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 10:51
Already done. 🙂
Meet Starcraft.
Sageville
March 12, 2015 at 09:51
69444 Stiffies….
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 10:03
Those were the days. Stiffie 5 out of 11 doesn’t read. FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUU
Sageville
March 12, 2015 at 12:00
Abort, Retry, Ignore….
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 12:11
retry = false hope. maybe worked once every 100 times
ReaperOfSquirrels
March 12, 2015 at 09:42
100GB? LOL! That just makes me skip the game… I have a 2Mbps line, it took me 5 days to download Max Payne 3 (31GB through 2 full days and 3 midnight to 6am stints), there’s no way I’m sitting and downloading a game over a minimum of 15 days.
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:42
You know you can do other things besides just sit and watch it download, right? Like live your life? 😛
Loftus
March 12, 2015 at 09:49
but if he doesn’t watch the download bar it will not move
ReaperOfSquirrels
March 12, 2015 at 09:50
lol! I hardly ever sit and watch things download, but it’s the whole thing of WAITING half a month to play a game I bought, which is out, and other people are playing. I don’t have that kind of patience.
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:54
To be fair, unless they’re rich asshats with fibre, they’ll be waiting just the same as you.
ReaperOfSquirrels
March 12, 2015 at 10:04
I’ll have to go visit my friend that just got uncapped 50Mbps fibre installed in her house…
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
March 12, 2015 at 11:25
One of the friendly community members with a uncapped 10Mb line can always download it, then it is just a copy/paste…..
Draco Lusus
March 12, 2015 at 13:57
What would be nice is to find someone with a 20/40 VDSL or 25/50mb fibre connection to download the connection and then have a get together to copy to everyone’s drives…Like old school LAN parties bru 😛
hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 09:44
Those tags xD
I’m on an “uncapped” account. If ever did get Star Citizen, I would be throttled senseless O_o
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 09:47
Your ISP would understand. Especially since every tech in the company would have used company resources to download the game as well. 😛
hairyknees
March 12, 2015 at 09:50
Haha perhaps 😛
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:53
Uncapped in this country means full speed until you start actually using the internet. Then, sorry. We’re gonna kill that speed. Because “fair use”. HOW DARE YOU USE THE SERVICE YOU’RE PAYING FOR!!!
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 10:52
Kinda like Eskom. 😛
FoxOneZA
March 12, 2015 at 11:01
If you are on IS then you’ll be downloading from the local IS Steam mirror.
Sageville
March 12, 2015 at 09:49
Time to make a friend with cap…
DrKiller
March 12, 2015 at 09:54
100GB can easily be done on a 40mb line in around 6-7hours… Over night, easy 🙂
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 09:57
So 1% of South Africa can download it overnight. Fantastic.
Her Highness the Hipster
March 12, 2015 at 09:59
the 1%? OCCUPY THE INTERNET!
DrKiller
March 12, 2015 at 09:59
40mb users are nice… We are willing to share 🙂
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 09:57
I wonder if the consoles can read tripple layered Blu-ray discs? They can store a 100gigs….
DrKiller
March 12, 2015 at 10:00
We might need bigger hard drives for the install though 🙁
DO NOT LET ME CHOOSE BETWEEN THIS GAME AND PEGGLE!!
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 10:00
Honestly, Peggle would win outright. It’s not like console users are serious gamers… 😉
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 10:01
No, I play for the lulz.
DrKiller
March 12, 2015 at 10:01
You take that back! Most of us are serious gamers… you can tell by our number of achievements 🙂
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 10:00
Can imagine how frustrating 6GB weekly patches can become.
Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)
March 12, 2015 at 10:03
By the time this game is actually released, SA will have internet fast enough to download it in an afternoon.
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 10:05
Right after HL3
SargonTheBatpandaOfAkkad
March 12, 2015 at 10:07
R(S – A) = 3
Half-Life 3 Confirmed!
Hammersteyn
March 12, 2015 at 10:14
XD
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 10:11
And The Last Guardian.
Pariah
March 12, 2015 at 10:11
#StayStrongUmar
Sageville
March 12, 2015 at 10:29
My hopes exactly….
Deceased
March 12, 2015 at 10:21
Hmmm… so spend 15 days or so to continuously download the game, try to launch it, see there’s another 30GB or so for patches…
FFFFUUUUUUU Day 1 PATCH!!!
– “Dude, that patch came out 10 days after launch” :/
😀
I can see this being a thing – “Patch downloader simulator”…
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 11:16
HAHA!
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 10:39
I am just saying this now. If you live in JHB and need this game when it gets released you can get it from me.Assuming ofc you bought the game and it allows installs to be transferred ala steam backups.
I am still pumped up for it even after the file size bump although I will need to buy another SSD.
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
March 12, 2015 at 11:27
You can haves my upvotes… less time waiting for download, more beer..er playing time
Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event
March 12, 2015 at 11:44
We have been doing it for ages now. Ill buy a game and after the pre-load unlocks I back it up and people drop by and copy it. I love steam.
HairyEwok
March 12, 2015 at 11:04
In the end this game will be for the rich folks. System specs will be on the extreme side and the in-game purchases are all but cheap and now the internet as well to get the game.
Chaos Lord Norm
March 12, 2015 at 11:15
Would suck badly to have been a backer of this game only to find out your have neither the internet connection nor the gaming rig to actually play it.
GalacticLordCaptainAwesomeness
March 12, 2015 at 11:29
Not that bad…
another 100GB is not gonna hurt the monthly Afrihost figures…
Tom Krager
March 12, 2015 at 12:03
I’m going to buy a new GPU specifically for this game
Brady miaau
March 12, 2015 at 12:14
“And to think, we complain locally about the size and frequency of patches on Xbox One.”
Who complains? Patches are very fast and easy. Download and reboot. I have 10Mb Uncapped ADSL
So, this is the start. Bigger games are coming.
hatmadter
March 12, 2015 at 14:17
Troubleshooting Guide:
Q: My Game won’t install
A: Your current installer is corrupt, please download a fresh copy.
Zander Boshoff
March 12, 2015 at 17:21
My 20GB cap says no…. but i really hope this game does well. its got such high expectations that it is feeling like watchdogs a little bit
David N' Lisa Short
July 25, 2015 at 23:15
They could sell the game on 128GB flash drives, or a dozen or so DVDs..