Unity 5 and the Windows 64-bit problem

[Wisq]

(Sorry if this has been asked before, but searches were coming up empty.)

I tend to run a pretty heavily modded Kerbal, to the extent that there's really no way for me to run it 32-bit.  I also play on Windows, because that's what my gaming machine runs and that's where all my recording and editing tools are.  (Also, I tried the Linux 64-bit build, and I was getting really annoying mouse lag.)

Up until now, I've been assuming that Unity 5 would solve most of the Windows 64-bit bugs.  After all, Kerbal works great on Linux 64-bit, and Windows 32-bit, but just not Windows 64-bit — and since Unity's supposed to be a cross-platform engine, that suggested to me that the problems were platform-specific low-level engine issues.  So I've been patiently waiting for KSP 1.1 and figuring that would sort it all out.

However, I recently (re?)read the KSP announcement regarding removing the 64-bit Windows build, and I was a bit worried about one passage that I evidently missed up until now:

Quote

Additionally, we must take this opportunity to stress that Unity 5 - while a definite leap in the capabilities, performance and development power of the engine - is not going to inherently be a ‘cure all’ for issues, particularly in the matter of the instability of the Windows 64-bit build.

What I'm wondering at this point is, do we have any additional information on this?  Was the above statement just a case of managing expectations, or do the devs really expect that some/most/all of the 64-bit Windows problems will remain?  Has anyone been testing the Unity 5 KSP's 64-bit Windows build?  Will the 1.1 release include a 64-bit Windows build, or is that still dependent on QA results?  Will said build even be part of the QA process? 

I imagine a lot of people have their opinions and speculation on this, but I'd appreciate it if we could try to avoid guesswork here.  Ideally, I'd love to hear directly from Squad — even if it's just a terse yes/no answer — or links to other Squad posts about the issue.  Thanks.

[eurybaric]

If I recall correctly, what Unity 5 brings to the table is a proper Win x64 debugger. This will enable actually figuring out what's wrong and patching those bugs, hence the not a "cure all".

I fully expect x64 to ship along with 1.1 though.

Cheers!

[Wisq]

Oh, cool, that makes a lot of sense then.  So it won't be a cure-all but it will mark the beginning of much easier bugfixing.

Not as fast an outcome as my original "Unity 5 will solve our 64-bit problems" assumption, but not nearly as bad as my new "Unity 5 won't help much with 64-bit at all" worries.

Good to hear, thanks!

[Cdr_Zeta]

Basically this means...dont plan on Win64/Unity 5 anytime soon?

Can Unity 5 run Win32 KSP??? If so will game saves, models, etc be affected such that we need to start the game over?

zeta

[eurybaric]

2 hours ago, Cdr_Zeta said:

Basically this means...dont plan on Win64/Unity 5 anytime soon?

Not really. I think it's part of what SQUAD is aiming for in 1.1.. Don't take my word for it but I believe it's coming.

2 hours ago, Cdr_Zeta said:

Can Unity 5 run Win32 KSP??? If so will game saves, models, etc be affected

Yes, and no. 64 bit will be an additional executable shipped, so 32 bit isn't going anywhere. Savegames and all stock parts and workings have nothing to do with you running the 32bit or the 64bit. So no change there, and savegames should even be interchangeable as far as I know.

Cheers!

P.S: There are several threads discussing 64bit/unity5 wit far more thorough and knowledgeable explanations. I suggest you look around the forums a little.

[Randazzo]

If 1.1 ships without 64bit support, I will use some feeble-to-moderate language to express my displeasure and be sad.

 

[Claw]

Like so many things, it's hard to make a promise to deliver something until it gets to the point where it can actually be wrung out. Previous Win64 builds were thought to be reasonably stable, until it went horribly awry. It hasn't been promised for KSP 1.1, but I don't think it's been ruled out either.

And yes, save games will be compatible. They're basically text files, which means they are compatible across most versions and operating systems.

[Cdr_Zeta]

Greetings,

I just got KSP 1.05 so sounds like I will start working on getting the MODS for a few months when I can.

Cmdr Zeta