(Beware, lots of text! I tried to get all the questions I could think of written down as best I could. Very, incredibly sorry for those who have to read this.)
Hello.
I just want to run a few things by the Sages, or others who might know better than I, before I start getting into the tricky part of getting the game up and running:
In no particular order:
-I'm intending on trying the game out on an old Win 7 machine, for experimental purposes, the one I first installed the original client on back in the day in fact; it's a bit of a junkheap now (barely use it these days but should be up-to-date, current to the last 2 years or so) and theoretically it should run but just to be sure:
--Are all the C++ files listed in the supplementary section required? From what I've seen the help section here gives me the impression that up to 2015 might be enough to pass muster, but the download page lists everything up to 2017 for Win 7. Is it it simply based on the computer setup or is there actually a required threshold I need to meet?
--Same goes with the Direct x9 file listed, I know for a fact it worked with Direct x9 and Direct x11 programs, but I'd like to know offhand whether any extra stuff from the linked file is helpful before attempting any potential reinstalls.
--Not sure if you can answer this but is the "memory leak" from the old SPM days still a thing? I remember going through some dungeon runs and things ran so hot that not only did the computer crash due to the heat but I ended up having to wave it by a freezer for awhile to get it to cool off enough to turn back on, or at least so it could do so in a relatively faster manner as opposed to simply waiting for it to return to room temperature on its own. I'm not an expert, but as far as I'm aware the fan works properly, for an average setup anyways. I once asked about the issue and the response I got back, not sure from whom, was that the game had a serious "memory leak" issue that eventually taxed things to the point that it just got overwhelmed. Would be good to know how much I should use kid-gloves on it should that issue resurface.
--I'm pretty sure the original SPM files are still installed. Now a few years back, I did have to do a "fresh" start onto a new harddrive and then had to copy all the data from the previous setup, so I'm not sure if it's actually "installled" or just "stored in bits and pieces." Should I worry about getting rid of the old files before trying the new client or not?
-Bit of a wider question, has anyone had issues with antivirus software blacklisting the client files? Or perhaps any particular antivirus software? I know that a limited program with a small userbase likely doesn't play well with most "insight" algorithims but I'd rather not have to turn things off if I can avoid it. Or at least I'd like to know how much/how often I need to fiddle with it to keep it from eating anything important.
-Lastly, and these are less tech and more game/account/site oriented questions:
--As I have not played Planet Forever/IceEE before, and as far as I'm aware all the old SPM account data is gone or at least inaccessible, would I be able to use a similar username/character names like I had back in the SPM days, or do I need to make some new ones to avoid getting "X already exists" errors?
--How exactly does the "credit shop" work these days and if it doesn't where would one get what used to be available there such as the costume sets, the bags, or the junk grinder tool? Also how much vault space does one get access to now?
--Not a question but for whatever reason alot of the "account" only sections of the site such as the Leaderboard and the Game Guides only provide "access denied" pages. Yet with some roundabout searching I can get into the guides for groves and crafting without needing to log in first. That might need to be looked at.
My apologies for all this rambling, but any answers that can be provided would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.