RE5 Versus mode launches, is a giant 1.86Mb in size

Bloody norah! At least they can’t complain that it’s just an unlock code for stuff that’s already on the disc. Unless it’s 1.859mb of zeroes.

It’s an unlock code *and* a BMP for the game mode in the menu.

So basically, all that stuff about the Versus DLC being outside of the scope of Resident Evil 5 was complete and utter bullshit then?

I’m all for DLC, but I don’t care much for publishers that attempt to take their customers for fools. I think I’ll be passing on this one.

Oh, yeah, there is that whole stop and shoot business, but at least that’s not susceptible to lag problems. I imagine it’d compare to CoD 4 multi for a rookie, vs. CoD 4 skilled, with sniper rifle. With the roles alternating, depending on who’s attacking. The target’s stuck still, lol – on paper, you can’t miss!

*cold caused me to edit my new comment over the old, rather than post a new response. Meh*

I’m a big fan of Resi 5, even in solo mode I think it’s a belting action game, but I just can’t imagine how a vs. mode could work well with the ‘stop and shoot’ mechanics being as they are.

I’ll be interested to hear feedback from those who do take the plunge, regardless of the debate over Capcom fleecing customers.

What utter bastards. Paying extra for content already on the disc is an utter disgrace.

I imagine each match descending into a farcical Police Squad style face-to-face static shoot out…

It’s probably not already on the disc actually. It’ll be all code, which takes up hardly any space.

The stuff about them charging because of bandwidth costs is stupid though.

“It’s probably not already on the disc actually. It’ll be all code, which takes up hardly any space.”

You’re kidding, right?

Code does not take up “hardly any space”, and it most certainly doesn’t take up a measly 1.86MB. If someone could code something like this into less than 2MB of data, they’d be a certified billionaire.

It’s not impossible for it to be code of some sort.

The fact that the download is big sort of suggests that there are rather a lot of art assets coming along with it. Do we know what we’re expecting? Lots of new characters? Brand new maps, etc?

@Blerk: Take a close look at the letters after the numbers. That’s not big.

@Michael O’Connor: A small patch file can make fairly significant differences to a game if it’s done using binary differential / delta compression.

You basically compare the original and patched versions of an executable and generate a small file which makes the changes rather than having to completely overwrite the full file.

Code does not take up “hardly any space”, and it most certainly doesn’t take up a measly 1.86MB. If someone could code something like this into less than 2MB of data, they’d be a certified billionaire.

Sure they could, if it uses assets that are already in the game (such as existing levels, and character models). I mean, it might be on the disc, but I’m not sure. Why did they delay it if it was already there? Why didn’t one of the many people hacking the game code discover the versus mode in there?

“Big” in regards to a 1.44mb floppy.

Code can take up practically fuck all space. You should see some of the stuff talented people manage to do in 4k or less.

1.86mb sure isn’t a lot, but if it’s just compressed code that integrates into existing assets then there’s plenty of scope for good stuff. Elite ran in 32k, remember?

Or to look at it from a more recent perspective. The original PS1 had 2mb of main RAM (+1mb VRAM +1mb Audio RAM). You can do a lot in 2mb of code.

However, I doubt that’s the case here. But then I don’t have a problem with DLC or microtransactions. When I buy a game I have a good understanding of what I’m buying. If I want more game then I’m happy to pay more for it.

“Sure they could, if it uses assets that are already in the game (such as existing levels, and character models). I mean, it might be on the disc, but I’m not sure.”

Even it uses practically every single asset from the game itself, it would still need to be a hell of a lot more than 2MB.

I know how to code. You cannot put a fully networked, online functional addon into 1.86MB, no matter many of the assets from the disc you use. The graphics used for the menus for the VS mode would take up more than that alone, ten times over, and seeing as this does use unique graphics, it’s clear that a deliberately large part of the versus mode’s assets *were* already on the disc.

Further to my other post… here’s some info on Delta Compression which the geeks here may find interesting.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms811406.aspx

Menus are likely to be made of reusable assets too. Plus it’s worth bearing in mind that 1.86mb is probably the data in transmitted form and therefore compressed. It could easily be double that size once installed – for what it’s worth.

Entire levels and setups can be described in extremely data-efficient ways that have very wide ranging results due to reusing assets such as audio, animation and AI.

Never underestimate what talented people can do with code and a knowledge of its environment. Check out what these guys can do in 64k.

glol! I’ve only just realised that it’s MB and not GB. Thanks for pointing out what a buffoon I am, Psycho.

So basically… Capcom sucks from the cock of goats, amirite?

@Shatner: they’re very impressive, I’ve been following them for years, aswell as the more general 32K & 64K game competitions.

Shatner: Downloads like this (on the 360 at least) are flat data downloads. The game has to be patched separately in order support it.

The size you download is the size you get, at least on the 360, since it doesn’t allow for remote installations like the PS3 does.

Even if the graphics and coding was compressed, there is *no* way they could get it all down to a measly 2MB. A high resolution texture or big graphic would take up 1MB alone. It’s pretty blatantly obvious the assets for the DLC already existed on the disc.

We’ve also never seen Capcom code something that deliberately small before, so why would they now? Anything that small has almost universally been unlock content. Take a quick gander at the SFIV alternate costumes for an example.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing wrong with companies doing “unlock” DLC. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. What I have a problem with is how Capcom tried to tried to convince that it will “out of the scope” of the original game, when it clearly well wasn’t.

@MOC: yet downloads are almost always smaller on 360 than on PS3.

If it was on the disc, I want to know why nobody found it before. People have been tearing open the code of this game since release, and never mentioned it.

Yeah, you’re probably right. This is more than likely an unlock key and little else. I think the last time I saw this ‘it’s a key’ hubbub was with the Katamari DLC.

Perhaps this is the start of Mike Capps’ idea of giving people 90% of the game on the retail disc and using digital distribution to supply the rest.

The Game – First 3 levels – $49
level 4 – $5
level 5 – $5
level 6 – $5
multiplayer – $5
EPIC HUGE(3 maps) multiplayer mappack – $10

this is our future?

Yup!

So stop whining about how bad you think you’ve got it today.

“If it was on the disc, I want to know why nobody found it before. People have been tearing open the code of this game since release, and never mentioned it.”

I’m guessing that Capcom simply left the very, very bare bones off the retail disc. Think of it like this; if you have 98% of the code, the program still isn’t going to run properly if you don’t have the other 2%.

I wouldn’t call this an unlock key persay… more like the door. It’s an entrance into the content that’s already there.

“@MOC: yet downloads are almost always smaller on 360 than on PS3.”

The PS3 requires a lot more installations than the 360 to run its content. With the 360, the content being downloaded is simply data, with a separate patching process being required to access it unless it was already pre-programmed into the game. In the case of the PS3, the content you download can patch the game directly.

There’s one easy way to figure this out. Boot up Resident Evil 5 on the 360 while online, and see if there’s a new patch.

i fucking KNEW they’d do this shit i knew it as soon as they announced it.

figures it was content they’d already made.

CUNTS

Well, it’s using stuff that’s in the normal game. You have the same levels, characters, and weapons, the levels are just the mercs levels afaik. How much code does it take to be able to say Chris can shoot Sheva and add a +1 to the score?

Then why they didn’t include this mode from begin?
Answer – $5

“How much code does it take to be able to say Chris can shoot Sheva and add a +1 to the score?”

That’s really, really oversimplifying the amount of coding that goes into this sort of stuff.

Yeah I know. I’m just playing devils advocate at this point.

Is it? The network code is in place, the hit detection is in place, the animation is in place, the graphics are in place. You’re basically adding in the scoring system and the events to support it. It’s not like they’ve gone from synchronising the actions of two players to having eight running around.

Of course… this all kind of supports the theory that 99% of it was on the disc already.