Technical Insights into Helldivers 2’s Installation Size
Despite the enthusiasm surrounding Helldivers 2, the game has encountered notable technical challenges, particularly following the performance-impacting Into the Unjust update. In response, developers at Arrowhead have announced an upcoming patch and have initiated a series of technical blog posts that delve into the engineering intricacies of their cooperative shooter. The first entry, however, does not address framerate issues but instead tackles the game’s substantial installation size, which has ballooned to approximately 150GB.
Earlier this year, players identified a primary factor contributing to Helldivers 2’s hefty size: the presence of duplicate files. These redundancies encompass everything from weapon models to environmental textures, leading to an inflated install size over time as updates introduced additional assets. This situation left PC players perplexed about the excessive consumption of storage space, especially when compared to the PS5 and Xbox versions, which are roughly one-third the size and free from such duplication.
In the blog post authored by deputy technical director Brendan Armstrong, it is revealed that the inclusion of multiple file copies was a strategic decision aimed at addressing the slow loading times associated with traditional hard drives. While this remains a concern for some PC users, it is less relevant for console players equipped solely with SSDs.
Armstrong elaborates on the issue: “The main problem with a mechanical HDD is seek time. An HDD stores data on a spinning platter, and a physical arm with a read head must move across the platter to locate and retrieve data. The time it takes for this arm to ‘seek’ or navigate to the correct location becomes a significant performance bottleneck.”
He further illustrates the challenge with an analogy: “Imagine a large game level filled with various objects—trees, rocks, buildings, props. If the data for these objects is scattered across the hard drive, the read head must physically jump around the disk, which significantly prolongs the loading process.”
Armstrong’s insights resonate with many, drawing parallels to personal experiences of misplacing everyday items. In the case of Helldivers 2, Arrowhead seems to prioritize loading speed over the time spent searching for individual, non-duplicate files.
The blog post also explores potential alternative solutions, such as removing or repacking certain duplicates. While this could result in slower loading times for HDD users, it might effectively reduce the overall file size. Another option discussed is the possibility of offering 4K textures as an optional download, a feature not natively supported by the game’s engine but one that could be implemented with some effort.
While it may be tempting to suggest that players simply upgrade to SSDs, the reality is that the rising costs associated with gaming PC components have made such upgrades less accessible for many. As the gaming community awaits Arrowhead’s resolution, there is hope for a solution that accommodates all players, regardless of their hardware setup.
