The Executable code MUST be in RAM.
The graphical background on which you shall be able to zoom in/ out MUST be in RAM, what difference does it make to load it from the DVD or the Hard Disk except wasted media and redundancy?
Money.
If a game is published exclusively on DVD, then I'll have to buy a DVD drive - and I can be *very* conservative on things. My burner, for example, is only one year old.
I'd prefer games on CD-ROM, because a CD-ROM drive is what nowadays everybody has.
Publishing a game on DVD ONLY is good for hardware manufacturers, but not for the one who has to spend the money.
Are you telling us that you do not have a 1.44 MB floppy drive!
Why not install it from 2000 floppies? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Ridiculous, right?
I have freakingly installed software that came on 26 floppies some years ago. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/memad.gif" alt="" />
CDs came in for the rescue.
Now the pattern is repeating itself.
With fabulous graphics and cheaper memories as well as gigantic software teams working under coordination, one expects software to inflate in size to multiples giga bytes very soon, and we are witnessing the beginning here and now, or do you not realise that <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/div.gif" alt="" /> is a 2.6 GB software, or perfectly a DVD-full size application?
Hard disks are going to jump to a 40GB as the standard average while 60, 80, 100 and 120GB shall be common place and quite available if not already.
A game simulating reality while porting it to fantasy shall consume memory media like a hungry Orc consumes a chicken leg. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
So do expect your next favourite title to come on six CDs (600 MB each) or two DVDs as an available variety. One DVD shall be the install DVD and the other shall be the run-time DVD. It is only a matter of time until you witness my prophecy to come true.
I started programming on Holerith Cards which I doubt if you have even heard of them.
Then came in the paper tapes then the magnetic tapes and finally (then) we rejoiced when we had the 8 inch floppies that stored 160 K bytes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
I have witnessed that pattern of media becoming obsolete to give way to a more compact media.
We almost disbelieved it when we were told that a 3.5 inch floppy could hold 360 k bytes. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
Then they told us there is yet a DOUBLE DENSITY and all our eyebrows went up.
No way, you mean 720 K bytes on one single floppy?
Then the quad density was announced and the name was changed to High Density for the 1.44 MB which is still surviving due to the size compatibility with office work and filing systems upgrade and for no other reason.
An application on 26 floppies was a cry from hell to find out an alternative for distributing that much on one platter.
There you go and CDs came into the market.
It is the demand that pushes the manufacturers to comply and not vice versa.
Now we do have DVDs available, thus it is a very wise decision to make the game available on 3 or 4 CDs as well as on one DVD as in a transitional period for the market to move on.
In 1986 I paid dearly to obtain a memory expansion card that was a mere 32 K byte to which I was grateful to have.
Today, my graphics work station holds 4 memory modules each of which is 256 MB totalling One Giga Byte RAM.
Progress is unstoppable and the Larians would regret not to share in making history and rather wait and watch.
I call for a poll.