Helldivers 2's PC Size: Arrowhead Explains HDD Impact on Loading Times
Arrowhead Game Studios has shed light on the size difference between the PC and console versions of Helldivers 2, attributing it to the prevalence of hard disk drives (HDDs) among PC users. The studio is exploring solutions to balance loading times and installation size.
Helldivers 2's large PC size, around 150GB, is partly due to 12% of PC players still using HDDs. Brendan Armstrong, deputy technical director at Arrowhead, explains that HDDs' 'seek' time, a significant performance bottleneck, is mitigated by duplicating data files. This ensures all players load missions simultaneously, as no match begins until everyone is ready.
Making 4K textures optional is not feasible for Helldivers, as it's a substantial project. Until most PC players switch to SSDs, sacrificing some extra hard drive space is necessary for reasonable mission loading times. Arrowhead is exploring ways to de-duplicate common assets to balance loading times and installation size, acknowledging that removing duplicated assets would make loading times 10 times slower for HDD users, which they find unacceptable.
Arrowhead Game Studios is working to find a balance between loading times and installation size for Helldivers 2 on PC. The studio is aware of the challenges posed by HDD users and is exploring solutions to improve the gaming experience for all players.
