Ouch! Thanks for the info. I had no idea about that.

I was trying to avoid having to load dynamically at runtime because with something so big it would take ages to search/read/write from a simple file each time I modified a simple value in it.
The alternative was using a database with sql queries or something similar, so I was trying to find an easy way out.

Having a smaller array in memory solves the size problem but adds a new one... For example, each time I move a row north I would have to delete the bottom row, move all the other rows down a column in the array, and then insert the new row at the top (north).
Even with a small array in memory (lets say 64*64*2) that would mean 128 delete instructions, 8064 move data instructions (8064 read instr. + 8064 write instr.), then 128 variables read from the hard drive, and lastly 128 write instruction to the top row in our small array. And this would be each time the player moves in any direction. This seems like it would create a big speed problem.

I wonder how they solved this when making Dwarf Fortress, One aproach causes memory problems and the other speed problems... Anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Mabe a mix of the two? But how? I am lost...