Thread

1. mitxela · 1790352088 · focus · HN ↗

   Remember that Factorio does not release its 3D models. Everything in the game is a 2D render of a 3D model, which is why the game uses so much VRAM.

   1. Sohcahtoa82 · 1790356121 · focus · HN ↗

      ?

      The game doesn't consume that much VRAM. It plays on 4 GB GPUs just fine. The GPU only needs to keep resident what's currently on the screen. Even including every animation frame, that's 1 GB tops.

      Hell, the minimum requirements are a GeForce 750 Ti, or Radeon r7 360. Those are 2 GB GPUs.

      1. lucb1e · 1790362036 · focus · HN ↗

         > The game doesn't consume that much VRAM. It plays on 4 GB GPUs just fine.

         Not everyone bought a GPU to run LLMs on. That is quite a bit of VRAM, especially for non-desktops

         1. Sohcahtoa82 · 1790364363 · focus · HN ↗

            What the actual fuck are you talking about? This has to be a troll comment.

            4 GB is nothing. Mid-grade GPUs from 2013 had 4 GB. Budget GPUs from 2016 (10 years ago!) had 4 GB.

            1. snazz · 1790364818 · focus · HN ↗

               You can play Factorio on laptops and other devices that don’t have dedicated GPUs. A mid-grade computer from 2013 would be a $599 laptop with a Core i3 integrated GPU that shared the 4 GB of system RAM.

               1. jamesgeck0 · 1790366503 · focus · HN ↗

                  Such a machine would probably benchmark favorably against the Nintendo Switch, which runs Factorio on downclocked tablet hardware of a similar era.

                  1. mitxela · 1790418059 · focus · HN ↗

                     I think the Switch version of Factorio uses low-res sprites.
            2. harpersealtako · 1790364981 · focus · HN ↗

               the "minimum requirements" aren't even the actual minimum, the game can definitely play on worse machines than that (just inconsistently). I know from personal experience that you can play factorio (at least the base game) on a crappy old 2009 toshiba laptop. Pretty sure it doesn't even have a GPU, just integrated graphics. It doesn't run well but it's not an action game, a little stutter isn't the end of the world and anybody playing on a system like that should not be surprised by it.

               1. komodo99 · 1790366559 · focus · HN ↗

                  The most potato i've run it on was a CB131 chromebook, (which was about a hundred bucks in 2017) and even then, even though video was chugging at 20fps, the main update loop was locked at 60TPS. very impressive. (and helpful for a 9 hour layover on christmas eve, anecdotally)

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