Workshop Mod Update & Integration

[RakTheGoose]

Please. Fix how mods update and integrate with servers when they are outdated. It is so cumbersome to have to UNSUBSCRIBE and RESUBSCRIBE every time an update comes out and to shut down the game and restart it for every single mod.

Please fix the workshop updating of mods that can update when the game is running, to atleast only having to restart once, instead of what has to be done above.

[wecanmakesangmwiches]

what an inconvenience for you!

[katsuragi]

all i have to do is wait for the server to be reset after an update. sometimes I have to restart steam but not always.

[RakTheGoose]

Originally posted by katsuragi:

all i have to do is wait for the server to be reset after an update. sometimes I have to restart steam but not always.

I'm not talking about the server updating. I'm talking about the client updating.

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

Lot of it is just down to Steam not setting the updated flag for whatever reason.

Otherwise, picture if you will the effect of updating a mod while the server is live: data no longer matches or an error occurs. There goes your server.

At least when you're the one to toggle it off then back on you can be there to address this in some way.

(Take it from someone that spent years running modded servers for PZ, who had to deal with mods forcing resets when they blew up. Though I was never crazy enough to run dozens, only 1-5. The current streak of adding literal hundreds is legitimately terrifying.)

Again, all i'm talking about is the updates on the Client, not the server. Having to restart the server for an update is understandable and expected.

Thank you.

[Shurenai]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

We have no control over how Steam updates mods. All it should take is closing the game and relaunching it for mods to update.

Same as RimWorld or any other Steam-enabled game, really.

Feel free to correct me if I'm misinterpreting something here. I feel like I am.

That is all it Should take. But for whatever reason, Many/all mods are not updating properly when launching project zomboid. Unless a player manually force-updates their mods, they could be several versions of the mod behind and Steam will still refuse to 'naturally' update the mods as you've described.

To use myself as an example, I was using the mod Extra Map Symbols among a number of others, and I was experiencing an error- After some relaunching, I discovered it was an Extra Map Symbols UI issue, and, thinking I was on the latest version of the mod, I went to the mod page to report it. Creator asked what version I was on- I said 1.2. Creator said that was an old version, The bug was fixed in 1.3, and current version is 1.4.

1.2 was released on Jan 5th, 1.3 was on Jan 11th, 1.4 was on Jan 13th. Despite playing the game on the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th, and about 40 relaunches on the 15th I think trying to figure out which mod was the issue, Steam did not update that mod to 1.3 OR 1.4. I had to delete and redownload it. This is happening with numerous mods. I'm not sure what is going on, or why it is happening, Only that this failure to update is only happening with workshop mods for Project Zomboid- And that it isn't only happening to me, since many others are experiencing similar.


To the OP, If one or more mods are failing to update, you don't need to unsub->resub to force them to update.

Just verify game integrity. It should force a check for workshop stuff too.

If for some reason it still doesn't, go to the workshop folder associated to your games install directory
EG:
If your game is installed to "C:\...\steamapps\common\ProjectZomboid"
The workshop folder you want is "C:\...\\steamapps\workshop\content\108600"

Once in the proper workshop folder, delete all the contents within 108600 (Or go back a step and delete 108600 itself, either way is fine), and then verify game integrity again. This time it will 100% force a workshop check and redownload all mods you're subscribed to.

This is how I've been keeping my mods up to date.

[Remo]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

Lot of it is just down to Steam not setting the updated flag for whatever reason.

Otherwise, picture if you will the effect of updating a mod while the server is live: data no longer matches or an error occurs. There goes your server.

At least when you're the one to toggle it off then back on you can be there to address this in some way.

(Take it from someone that spent years running modded servers for PZ, who had to deal with mods forcing resets when they blew up. Though I was never crazy enough to run dozens, only 1-5. The current streak of adding literal hundreds is legitimately terrifying.)

All steam needs to do is add in a new option for game updates. "Do not update this game".

So people can join a server, once they are in just go to PZ steam preferences and turn off the updates for PZ. Then as long as the server doesn't update, you can keep going in and out no problems.

The biggest issues with mod updates in PZ is that the server has to update them, not that the players do.

I'd suggest petitioning them for an option to turn off updates.

[Remo]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

Steam isn’t going to do that.

I don't see why not, it's just an option you would have to turn on.

[Genebris]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

We have no control over how Steam updates mods. All it should take is closing the game and relaunching it for mods to update.

Same as RimWorld or any other Steam-enabled game, really.

Feel free to correct me if I'm misinterpreting something here. I feel like I am.

It's not a problem of not receiving updates for the client. It's the opposite.

I'm playing with my friends and as soon as I unlogin, Workshop forces update on me. And I can't play anymore because the server has older version of a mod.
Now we need everyone to quit the game and restart our dedicated server. And we need to do that every time one of our 30 mods gets a meaningless update.

Is there any good solution for this?

[Genebris]

What do you mean by a mod pack?

[RakTheGoose]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

We have no control over how Steam updates mods. All it should take is closing the game and relaunching it for mods to update.

Same as RimWorld or any other Steam-enabled game, really.

Feel free to correct me if I'm misinterpreting something here. I feel like I am.

You're right, that's all it *should* take, but unfortunately in my case, and in the case of all of my other friends & server players, we are having to manually go to each "outdated" mod's page, unsubscribe, quit the game, then resubscribe. by finding the mod again through the workshop page.

Only after doing all that, can we re-launch the game, attempt to join the server, and have the server tell us "oh btw there's also another mod thats out of date and you have to do that again for every single mod."

So a server with 5 outdated mods means the game has to be restarted 5 times to figure out which mods are outdated, and manual typing in of the workshopID to visit their respective workshop pages are required twice.

[matzil]

Originally posted by EnigmaGrey:

Use less mods.
Use stable mods.
Ask the modders to schedule updates.
Make a mod pack w/ modder permissions.

Where is the Steam suggestion forum to allow game devs to restrict mod updates to once weekly or once monthly? It'd help if game devs had more weight in requesting such regulation if mod developers too frequently update their projects.