Educate a noob on how to see if the game can be preloaded

[Dopey Shepard]

I don't read my email almost at all, and since all notifications of wishlisted items go directly there (even though they could have a better system than just e-mail imo) how does one know when to exactly start pre-downloading? With my 25 mbps max and ISP being complete garbage especially on evenings dropping my speed down to 2 mbps (i know lol) it might take more than 12 hours to download all 100 gigs

Please do tell someone who has never preloaded a game before how it's done and how one sees it because there are no actual confirmations if there even will be a predownload

[Oracle]

It will show in Library on a page of the game. It shows only release date for now.

[MasterDrake]

Most likely it's gonna be 67gb not 100gb
Also there will be a "preload" button over your game.
We can update this thread once the preload goes live
we have no info about preload

[droid_orat]

The Play button on game's Steam page in your library will appear if pre-load is a thing. By clicking on it the download will start as for a regular game. Once downloaded if you will click the play button or the icon on your computer the pop up will appear saying the game is not released yet.

The game will update itself once it is fully release downloading a small missing file to unlock the game files on your pc

[CCore]

Originally posted by droid_orat:

The Play button on game's Steam page in your library will appear if pre-load is a thing. By clicking on it the download will start as for a regular game. Once downloaded if you will click the play button or the icon on your computer the pop up will appear saying the game is not released yet.

The game will update itself once it is fully release downloading a small missing file to unlock the game files on your pc

^ This. I imagine the preload will probably go live within 24 hours before release at this point, if there is one.

[Uhuru N’Uru]

Originally posted by droid_orat:

The Play button on game's Steam page in your library will appear if pre-load is a thing. By clicking on it the download will start as for a regular game. Once downloaded if you will click the play button or the icon on your computer the pop up will appear saying the game is not released yet.

The game will update itself once it is fully release downloading a small missing file to unlock the game files on your pc

This was how Steam used to do this.
Downloading game files, but withholding the game exe.
This only required a small download of the exe, plus the inevitable day one patch is downloaded, then installed.

It changed recently
Now only after decrypting, do the games appear in the Downloading Folder, and only once that is done, do they get moved over to the install location.

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\Downloading\<GameID>

Where Horizon Zero Dawn's <GameID> = 1151640

These days All game data, both full games, and patches, are downloaded in encrypted Format as DepotCache files, and preloaded games stay in this format, until officially released.

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\DepotCache\<GameID>

Once game goes live, this decryption is started.
This takes much longer than adding the single exe file did.
After decryption, puts all the games files in Downloading folder.
The entire game is moved to the

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\Common/<Game Name>

folder for playing, plus the inevitable day one patch is downloaded, then installed.

The only reason this changed, was to make Spoilers, by data mining files, and/or modding more difficult.
When Fallout 4 was released, mods were getting released before the game, because all the game files were available.

Even with a preload, it takes much longer to get playing these days, because game must be decrypted first.

[droid_orat]

Originally posted by Uhuru N'Uru:

Originally posted by droid_orat:

The Play button on game's Steam page in your library will appear if pre-load is a thing. By clicking on it the download will start as for a regular game. Once downloaded if you will click the play button or the icon on your computer the pop up will appear saying the game is not released yet.

The game will update itself once it is fully release downloading a small missing file to unlock the game files on your pc

This was how Steam used to do this.
Downloading game files, but withholding the game exe.
This only required a small download of the exe, plus the inevitable day one patch is downloaded, then installed.

It changed recently
Now only after decrypting, do the games appear in the Downloading Folder, and only once that is done, do they get moved over to the install location.

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\Downloading\<GameID>

Where Horizon Zero Dawn's <GameID> = 1151640

These days All game data, both full games, and patches, are downloaded in encrypted Format as DepotCache files, and preloaded games stay in this format, until officially released.

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\DepotCache\<GameID>

Once game goes live, this decryption is started.
This takes much longer than adding the single exe file did.
After decryption, puts all the games files in Downloading folder.
The entire game is moved to the

<Drive>:\Steam\SteamApps\Common/<Game Name>

folder for playing, plus the inevitable day one patch is downloaded, then installed.

The only reason this changed, was to make Spoilers, by data mining files, and/or modding more difficult.
When Fallout 4 was released, mods were getting released before the game, because all the game files were available.

Even with a preload, it takes much longer to get playing these days, because game must be decrypted first.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

How do know?