Ark Updates and Free Disk Space

[✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠]

Hey community!

I wanted to understand the technicality behind the huge space requirement for the new Ark Update. I didn't have a problem with it but seems some of my friends can't download the update. One of them has 90+ free space but can't download it. Yes I know most of you will just tell me that he should delete the game and reinstall it but I want to understand why and if possible maybe find an alternative solution that does not involve reinstalling the entire game.

I've tried to find a good explanation but the comments are full of insults and rage about the inconveniences that this situation represents. So anyway thats it. Hope someone can clarify this for me.

ty

[=Sarsante=]

Download, unpack, copy game files as backup, overwrite files and if everything is sucessful delete backup and downloaded file.

Thats a simple overview of the process

[✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠]

Originally posted by =T$ECore= Sarsante:

Download, unpack, copy game files as backup, overwrite files and if everything is sucessful delete backup and downloaded file.

Thats a simple overview of the process

but he can't download the update. =/

[=Sarsante=]

Maybe it allocates space first, so without all the required space doesnt do it.

Idk the exactly order steam does, but what i said before its what happens.

Edit: I have steam installed at c with 160gb free and the game at d with 80gb free and didnt have issues. So idk exactly where it allocates a bunch of space, clearly its not only where the game is installed. Idk if the backup is done where the game is or everything is done where steam is installed.

I didnt track free space during the installation.

[3rdShift]

Originally posted by ✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠:

Hey community!

I wanted to understand the technicality behind the huge space requirement for the new Ark Update. I didn't have a problem with it but seems some of my friends can't download the update. One of them has 90+ free space but can't download it. Yes I know most of you will just tell me that he should delete the game and reinstall it but I want to understand why and if possible maybe find an alternative solution that does not involve reinstalling the entire game.

I've tried to find a good explanation but the comments are full of insults and rage about the inconveniences that this situation represents. So anyway thats it. Hope someone can clarify this for me.

ty :happycthulhu:

from my understanding you need 100mb of free space on hard drive for ark to download any update, need bigger hard drive..

[Wikkyd]

Tormentor, does your friend have just one drive or two?

For example I have a 250 GB solid state drive, and a large 2 terabyte hard disk drive.

If he has two drives like my setup, then I can help. It takes doing a few things with the command prompt but isn't too difficult.

[Wikkyd]

Originally posted by =T$ECore= Sarsante:

Maybe it allocates space first, so without all the required space doesnt do it.

Idk the exactly order steam does, but what i said before its what happens.

Edit: I have steam installed at c with 160gb free and the game at d with 80gb free and didnt have issues. So idk exactly where it allocates a bunch of space, clearly its not only where the game is installed. Idk if the backup is done where the game is or everything is done where steam is installed.

I didnt track free space during the installation.

Just curious, which of those 2 drives do you have steam installed on?

[=Sarsante=]

Originally posted by Wikkyd:

Originally posted by =T$ECore= Sarsante:

Maybe it allocates space first, so without all the required space doesnt do it.

Idk the exactly order steam does, but what i said before its what happens.

Edit: I have steam installed at c with 160gb free and the game at d with 80gb free and didnt have issues. So idk exactly where it allocates a bunch of space, clearly its not only where the game is installed. Idk if the backup is done where the game is or everything is done where steam is installed.

I didnt track free space during the installation.

Just curious, which of those 2 drives do you have steam installed on?

Its installed on c where ive more free space. C has OS and apps, games and personal files are on d and e.

Edit: c is a 250gb ssd, d is 500gb ssd and e is a 3tb hdd.

[KOOLLAYDTAC]

I am trying to figure out why we have an 8.2 gbs patch period when the upcoming dlc hasn't even been released yet. I honestly thought we were past all this BS.

[✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠]

Thanks for all the replys.

I'll have to ask him later tonight he is not online atm. I run a server and I also wanna have something to tell the guys who might encounter this issue. Most of us log at night so I want to be ready.

From what I've been reading around the forums and what you've told me, I gather that it is best to have 100+ gb of free space =/. Guess there is no way around it then.

Personally I have a 500 sdd and several other hdds. All my games are installed on a 2tb disk that has over 400gb of free space so maybe that's why I haven't run into this issue.

[Oblivion_Gun]

Steam has always had the most *^&%$ up process for downloading updates and installs, I had to free up over 120 gb of hd space for it to download the latest update.. Don't you wish Steam could ask Orgins devs for some help to fix thier updating system

[g0rml3ss]

Originally posted by ✠☠ Tormentor ☠✠:

Hey community!

I wanted to understand the technicality behind the huge space requirement for the new Ark Update. I didn't have a problem with it but seems some of my friends can't download the update. One of them has 90+ free space but can't download it. Yes I know most of you will just tell me that he should delete the game and reinstall it but I want to understand why and if possible maybe find an alternative solution that does not involve reinstalling the entire game.

I've tried to find a good explanation but the comments are full of insults and rage about the inconveniences that this situation represents. So anyway thats it. Hope someone can clarify this for me.

ty :happycthulhu:

It's partly down to the file sizes and partly down to steams system for downloading and installing.

I'll try explain best I can and maybe someone can correct where I got it wrong.

I'm sure Sarsante may remember payday2 (I remember T$ECore being probably the biggest clan and certainly one of the top boys this is why I referance yourself) it used to have the same insane problem early days. I remember having to download a 20gig patch for a 134mb file change once and I'm sure thier forums do too.


A patch gets released be it what ever size it needs to be 1mb to 10tb who knows but that's what it is. Usually unless adding code these files are just overwrites of already existing files, due to thier nature they may be essentially connected to other files or even just parts of there fore those too need to be overwritten or replaced. So this explains why patch sizes may be large to begin with, they may have to overwrite complete sections of the file system.


Patch gets uploaded and steam distributes it, this is where steams system plays it's part.

When updating a game steam will generally (from what I see but here I may stand to be corrected) allocate enough free space to install the entire game to allow for this huge chunk of change without damaging your main file until completed. Here it installs the new shiney unpacked version and starts the process of overwriting the necessary files in order to remove the older unwanted files.


People say this can't be changed and it's just the way it is, I disagree and I'm sure PayDay2 crowd would also, after a complete restructure of thier file system the devs over at starbreeze where able to reduce this to barely anything over the actual patch size. This did require a onetime complete re-download and install of the game once finished but (imo) certainly worth it.

If WC are going to be willing to completely restructure the files in something as big as ARK is something I wouldn't hold my breath for personally.

[GodWreck, Wrathful Mind]

a simple solution. create another steam downlaod folder at another drive that has over 100-120gb free. then no matter wherever ark is installed if there aren't enough space in the installation drive it will use that drive.

[BD]

Originally posted by GodWreck:

a simple solution. create another steam downlaod folder at another drive that has over 100-120gb free. then no matter wherever ark is installed if there aren't enough space in the installation drive it will use that drive.

Thanks! To be clear: create another Steam Library Folder through View > Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders. It'll use the new folder only for download and uncompression.

[Bernie]

Originally posted by BD:

Originally posted by GodWreck:

a simple solution. create another steam downlaod folder at another drive that has over 100-120gb free. then no matter wherever ark is installed if there aren't enough space in the installation drive it will use that drive.

Thanks! To be clear: create another Steam Library Folder through View > Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders. It'll use the new folder only for download and uncompression.

I installed a new SSD yesterday and created a steam library folder in preperation of transfering some games over, and while im installing the new patch i noticed my new ssd was busy, when i read this thread, it explained why! Thanks GodWreck!

[tinsmith33]

Almost feels like its deleat game and redownload each new large update ..