64-Bit Client: The Future of SWG Evolve
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The 64-bit client is the future of SWG Evolve. It removes major limitations of the old 32-bit client, allows us to continue adding new features and content, and makes better use of modern hardware.
If you haven't switched yet, please start making the transition now.
Read below for more details, including how to install the new client and move your existing settings over.
Ready to Make the Switch?Head over to the SWG Evolve website and download the new 64-bit launcher.
You will also notice that we now offer:
Native Linux Client (Beta)
Native Mac Client (Beta)
64-Bit Windows Client
Important: Install the 64-Bit Client SeparatelyWhen installing the new 64-bit client, do not install it inside your existing 32-bit client folder.
The 64-bit client needs to be installed in its own standalone folder.
For example:
32-Bit Client
C:\SWGEvolve\64-Bit Client
C:\SWGEvolve64\The exact location is up to you, but keep the two installations separate.
Bringing Over Your Existing SettingsYou don't have to start over with a completely fresh setup.
Once you've installed the 64-bit client, you can transfer many of your existing settings from the 32-bit client.
Profiles
Your Profiles folder contains many of your character-specific settings.
Simply copy the Profiles folder from your 32-bit installation into your new 64-bit client folder.
User.cfg
If you've customized your
user.cfg, you can bring those settings over as well.Copy your existing:
user.cfginto the new 64-bit client folder and rename the copied file to:
custom.cfgThe 64-bit client uses
custom.cfgfor your personal configuration, allowing you to carry over many of the features and settings you've enabled.For many players, that's all it will take to bring over things such as macros, toolbars, and other customized settings.
If something doesn't carry over correctly, don't worry. Reach out to a staff member and we'll be happy to help you get your setup transferred.
Why Are We Moving to 64-Bit?
The short answer is simple:
The 32-bit client has reached its limits.
The old client was designed around technology that is now decades old. It was primarily dependent on a single CPU thread and was limited to less than 4 GB of memory per process.
As Evolve has continued to grow, these limitations have made it increasingly difficult to add new features, improve performance, and take advantage of modern hardware.
The new 64-bit client removes many of those restrictions.
It can:
- Better utilize multiple CPU threads.
- Access significantly more system memory.
- Better utilize modern CPU and GPU hardware.
- Use a modern Vulkan rendering pipeline.
- Give us significantly more room for future development.
This isn't simply a technical upgrade.
It gives Evolve room to grow.
What Does This Mean for Multiple Clients?
One thing some players have noticed during testing is that running multiple 64-bit clients can behave differently than running the same number of 32-bit clients.
The old 32-bit client was heavily restricted in how much memory and system resources each process could use. The 64-bit client no longer has those restrictions.
That's great for the individual client, but when you're running four, five, six, or more clients at once, they are all competing for your computer's available:
- RAM
- CPU
- GPU
- VRAM
A computer that previously handled six 32-bit clients may not necessarily handle six 64-bit clients.
Your hardware, rather than the old 32-bit limitations, becomes the practical limit.
If you're experiencing clients closing or dropping while running multiple instances, check Windows Task Manager to see whether your RAM, CPU, GPU, or VRAM is reaching its limits.
Reducing the number of simultaneous clients can also help determine whether you're hitting a system resource limitation.
That said, please continue reporting crashes and unexpected behavior. We're still optimizing the 64-bit client, and those reports help us identify issues that need to be addressed.
Real-World Testing Example
To help provide some real-world context, one of our Lead QA Staff members recently tested the 64-bit client by running 8 clients simultaneously while performing a variety of activities, including planetary generation and completing Heroic encounters.
Using a system with 64 GB of available memory, they experienced little to no issues during testing. Individual clients were generally using between approximately 2.7 GB and 3.5 GB of memory.
This further supports the point discussed above: your individual system resources play a significant role in how many 64-bit clients you can run simultaneously.
While CPU and GPU resources can also become limiting factors, the amount of available RAM has consistently appeared to be one of the most important factors when running larger numbers of clients.
Your results will vary depending on your hardware and what each client is doing at the time, but this testing demonstrates that running a large number of 64-bit clients is still possible when the necessary system resources are available.
What Happens to the 32-Bit Client?
This is an important part of the transition.
The 32-bit client is being retired.
Going forward, development will only focus on the 64-bit client. The 32-bit client will not continue receiving the same updates, features, and content as the 64-bit version.
You're already beginning to see the difference. New content and features developed for the 64-bit client, including things such as new species and other visual improvements, may not appear or render correctly on the 32-bit client.
As development continues, this gap will only grow.
Why Can't We Keep Both Forever?
Maintaining two separate client architectures requires additional development, testing, hosting, patching, and support.
The project also spends money maintaining the infrastructure required to keep the legacy client available. Those resources will be redirected toward development, infrastructure, and other areas of Evolve.
Maintaining the 32-bit client simply isn't practical or possible.
We want to give everyone time to transition before we reach that point.
What's New in the 64-Bit Client?
The 64-bit client isn't just the same game with a different architecture.
It already gives us the ability to introduce features that weren't practical or possible under the old client, including:
- New toolbar functionality
- UI resizing
- Improved rendering
- Better utilization of modern hardware
- New species and visual features
- A much larger foundation for future development
And this is only the beginning.
Moving to 64-bit also opens the door for us to continue modernizing Evolve across additional platforms.
The availability of native Linux and Mac clients in Beta is another major step toward that goal.
The Bigger Picture
The goal of the 64-bit client isn't simply to put a new label on the old client.
It's about removing the technical limitations that have held Evolve back for years.
The 32-bit client gave us a very small box to work inside.
The 64-bit client gives us a much larger one.
There may be some growing pains during the transition, especially for players running many clients simultaneously, but this change is necessary for Evolve to continue growing.
We're building for where Evolve is going, not just where it has been.
Thank you to everyone who has been testing the 64-bit client, reporting issues, and providing feedback.
If you haven't made the switch yet, now is the time to start.
The future of SWG Evolve is 64-bit.
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