Preload when?

[Wight]

So I've just spent a lot of time downloading the game after buying it and... People are telling me that Larian said you need to re-download the full game near release and that my download progress will not count towards it :(

My question is when is the preload, I couldn't find anything in the FAQ though I might be blind.

Thanks for any answers :)

[Venom]

Hopefully three days before release. Not having it would be weird and frustrating.

[MeatGolem]

It was my understanding there is no preload given how early the game is coming out so we can just start to download at 10 AM pacific on the 3rd.

[MrSoul]

ya, before got waylaid by laughing at all those bizarre threads, why came back other day to the discussions to try and figure out a battle plan for end of the month.

I swear saw something while back saying pre-load, or even early access(lol) to main game will be 3 days for anyone pre-ordered. Which is all of us technically as being grandfathered into digital deluxe editions...I think? (please someone check me with actual links if got em', cos it is damn near impossible to google anything about this game since the...bearcident)

So...going off what can gather and kind of remember, Monday the 31st of July we should be able to?

Originally posted by mindflayerslayer:

It was my understanding there is no preload given how early the game is coming out so we can just start to download at 10 AM pacific on the 3rd.

Ah, that would make sense too.

[Heu, Iterum Id Feci]

Well swen was asked about preload today in the stream, but he didn't really give an answer either way...It seemed to me like they want to give a preload, but weren't sure if they can make it happen, most likely due to the already mentioned moved release date.

[Lemiru]

Ok, but what does moved release date have to do with preload? There is nothing really stopping them from doing it. And if they still are fixing something those few days before the release they can always include it in the day one patch

[Mollerz]

I think exactly when it releases without a pre-load.

[Razorblade]

Originally posted by Lemiru:

Ok, but what does moved release date have to do with preload? There is nothing really stopping them from doing it. And if they still are fixing something those few days before the release they can always include it in the day one patch

Not being able to use Steam's preload feature would be one big thing stopping a preload. Preloading is a feature for exclusively unreleased games, and BG3 is, unequivocally, a released game.

Larian would either:
A. Have to brick the Early Access build by releasing an unplayable but mostly-finished final build, then update it to the final build on release day. This would obviously be bad, since you can't purposefully brick your Early Access game just because release is soon; that's grounds for a refund.

B. Create a beta branch to host the bricked, mostly-finished final build, then expect people to manually opt out of the beta branch on release day. This is the cleaner option, but would confuse a lot of people. See the thousand posts about "WhICH BEtA brANCh To i OpT InTO TO PlaY tHe cUrRent patCH" to see how this system may prove widely confusing.

[AzysLla]

Does the "you can carry over saves within three days before launch" thing still hold true? I have held back all these years just to enjoy the full experience so if it is still true I will definitely go early access.

[MeatGolem]

Originally posted by AzysLla:

Does the "you can carry over saves within three days before launch" thing still hold true? I have held back all these years just to enjoy the full experience so if it is still true I will definitely go early access.

No, absolutely nothing will carry over to 8/3 launch build.

[Wight]

Hopefully they find a way to add a preload, I think a lot of people would be happy if they did.

#SlowInternetLivesMatters

[Bastila Shan]

I can assure you there wont be a preload nor has there been in the history of early access games

[Wight]

Originally posted by Bastila Shan:

I can assure you there wont be a preload nor has there been in the history of early access games

They could make the early acces version unplayable a couple of days before release to update it to the current build then a small patch day one to unlock the game?

[Bastila Shan]

Originally posted by Wight Pride:

Originally posted by Bastila Shan:

I can assure you there wont be a preload nor has there been in the history of early access games

They could make the early acces version unplayable a couple of days before release to update it to the current build then a small patch day one to unlock the game?

They wont, its literally never happened before. Dont mistake that devs uncertainty for hope

[🅱⭕🅱R⭕D⭕🅱R⭕🍷]

there will not be preload. wait 03/08

[Rainnd]

Originally posted by Razorblade:

Originally posted by Lemiru:

Ok, but what does moved release date have to do with preload? There is nothing really stopping them from doing it. And if they still are fixing something those few days before the release they can always include it in the day one patch

Not being able to use Steam's preload feature would be one big thing stopping a preload. Preloading is a feature for exclusively unreleased games, and BG3 is, unequivocally, a released game.

Larian would either:
A. Have to brick the Early Access build by releasing an unplayable but mostly-finished final build, then update it to the final build on release day. This would obviously be bad, since you can't purposefully brick your Early Access game just because release is soon; that's grounds for a refund.

B. Create a beta branch to host the bricked, mostly-finished final build, then expect people to manually opt out of the beta branch on release day. This is the cleaner option, but would confuse a lot of people. See the thousand posts about "WhICH BEtA brANCh To i OpT InTO TO PlaY tHe cUrRent patCH" to see how this system may prove widely confusing.

I'm pretty sure they had separate "games" for finished and ea version in the steam list for one of original sin games and the another one for definitive edition. So they could definetely do preload without bricking ea version.