I just upgraded my main gaming rig a while ago with win7 x64, i7 930 overclocked at 4.2 mhz with 6 gb of ram. However, I remember reading early on in one of the threads about a 4 gb patch that can allow morrowind to use more than 2 gb of ram (I cannot find the thread). If so, I do not see it recommended anywhere on mainstream install list threads to do so or if it actually will improve game play. Any recommendations (and links to the correct 4 gb patch to use with morrowind)? Thanks in advance.

The patch program is located http://www.ntcore.com/4gb_patch.php.

Install order should be GOTY -> MCP -> (EXE Optimizer optional) -> 4gb patch.




The patch program will also generate a backup of your Morrowind.exe before it edits the file, in case you should need it. It won't change your game's performance, but it will allow Morrowind to address more than 2gb of memory at runtime. For me this has made Morrowind practically crash-free; before it, MGE with high enough settings plus my large number of mods was enough to crash Morrowind upon load or if not, after loading a few cells.


I still am paranoid about saving often though

Why the hell did I not know about this?

Damn it.

+1

Just tried it and it does seem to increase my FPS a little. Neat!

Well, when I finally get windows 7 I will have to get this.(likely isnt going to happen unless I really need to or I get a new computer)

Thanks for the quick reply - sounds like I should install it to avoid crashes but I shouldn't expect any substantial fps increases. With the increase in ram usage, should I change the morrowind.ini file to load more cells? Any setting recommendations?

Second question re mge - safe to increase quality settings and draw distance without affecting fps?

I thought it only worked for Oblivion. Cool. I'll try it out.

Maybe placebo, maybe not. I don't think it should affect framerate, since it only allows Morrowind to load more before crashing with a memory exception, but who am I to judge the CPU gods?



It isn't so much an increase in RAM usage as it is an increase in maximum RAM capacity; where before 2gb was the limit, now Morrowind can address up to 4gb, but it won't suddenly start using more just because it can. It just won't crash at 2gb usage.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, but the excess addressing capacity does allow me to generate distant statics from a minimum of zero and not crash (though it is a little bit slow sometimes, so I also have a custom exception list that sorts out a few things and makes sure all trees are very_far).

For Morrowind.ini settings, I can't comment on potential changes; I keep that at stock values because I run Morrowind from an Intel SSD which loads cells without much noticeable delay. Thus, buffering more cells isn't that big of a deal to me. Theoretically you could buffer more I suppose, but the memory used will go up rapidly (1 cell -> 9 cells -> 23 cells...).



Nope, this is a generic program. According to the author it should be able to patch pretty much all x86 programs. Note that the resulting file isn't the same as a native 64-bit program -- it is simply a LARGE_ADDRESS_AWARE 32-bit program.

For whatever reason, I did get an FPS increase after applying this. From 15-20 FPS in Balmora to ~30. I changed nothing else.

I also managed to play for hours last night without any crashes.

Ditto. Thanks, NMZMaster! I have 3gigs on a 64-bit system. Didn't know Morrowind wouldn't use more than 2Gigs!

I see no difference. For now.

But it is good that there are resources now opened for the Morrowind.exe

Unlike other heavy modded games like Silent Hunter 3, that I play were such a patch makes the difference between crashing on load or running.

Small bump for SCY_ in the MGE thread asking for more info on the 4gb patch...

Wow, this the best kept secret in TES gaming. Does anyone have *anything* bad to say about this, other than that they didn't see any change? Of course, usually if something has a downside, there will be many posts explaining what it is, by now. I have to give it a try.

Helps to eliminate CTDs due to memory restrictions (especially if you have lots of mods installed) versus any increase in fps. However, a few have reported slight increases in fps as well.

I have a mushroom here that some people report increases FPS by 10% and reduces CTDs by 25%. Of course, I won't tell you what variety it is...

The mushroom code patch is pretty tasty! Though I've never noticed increased fps from it.........

You know, even if the positive effect is just user perception, user perception is really all that matters, isn't it?

will this work on a 32-bit system? :huh:

Can you see 4 GBs of RAM in 32-bit system?

Just a quick report of my experience. I did not notice any FPS gain or shorter cell load times; *however*, I most definitely had a crash-free several hours of play whereas previously I would crash about once every hour. My personal crash behavior has been during teleporting, whether through doors or travel. These are the crashes that seem to have been solved by using the 4GB patch on my system.

I wouldn't know about that, Wollibeebee; I'm on a 64 bit system. Sorry.

i have 3 gigs jus like Alaisiagae said they did :shrug: so i guessed it might be possible.

You can still use it if you are on a 32-bit system, but you must also boot with the /3gb switch. Do a Google search for more details.

pretty confused now aye.

Does this work seamlessly with Morrowind Code Patch? Or does it override MCP and cancel the MCP fixes and upgrades? Or does MCP already allow increased memory use, making this unnecessary?

...What is this EXE optimizer of which you speak?