pointless downloads

[Sporkinator]

I buy a game, have a 6 GB download, then when I start the game there's a 4 GB patch. FAIL!!!!

[Freyar]

Originally posted by Sporkinator:

I buy a game, have a 6 GB download, then when I start the game there's a 4 GB patch. FAIL!!!!

Steam doesn't get a fully updated client with each patch. This is common practice for most MMOs though it would be nice if Steam at least got milestone releases. (2.3, 2.4, 2.5.)

[Asphe]

New to PCs probably. Or current gen consoles.

Think of how, those on metered internet feel.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Originally posted by Sporkinator:

I buy a game, have a 6 GB download, then when I start the game there's a 4 GB patch. FAIL!!!!

Steam doesn't get a fully updated client with each patch. This is common practice for most MMOs though it would be nice if Steam at least got milestone releases. (2.3, 2.4, 2.5.)

The Square website doesn't get that, why would Steam?

[Freyar]

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

Originally posted by Freyar:

Steam doesn't get a fully updated client with each patch. This is common practice for most MMOs though it would be nice if Steam at least got milestone releases. (2.3, 2.4, 2.5.)

The Square website doesn't get that, why would Steam?

They both should. :P

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

The Square website doesn't get that, why would Steam?

They both should. :P

Why? It wouldn't make the download go any faster. Aside from which, updates are already all handled through the launcher, so it's just pointless to put up a new launcher download every time there's a new update.

[Freyar]

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

Originally posted by Freyar:

They both should. :P

Why? It wouldn't make the download go any faster. Aside from which, updates are already all handled through the launcher, so it's just pointless to put up a new launcher download every time there's a new update.

Excuse me. SE pushes the launcher, Steam actually pushes a full build (not just the launcher). As such, having Steam at least up to milestone builds would reduce time and bandwidth required to get to playable status.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

Why? It wouldn't make the download go any faster. Aside from which, updates are already all handled through the launcher, so it's just pointless to put up a new launcher download every time there's a new update.

Excuse me. SE pushes the launcher, Steam actually pushes a full build (not just the launcher). As such, having Steam at least up to milestone builds would reduce time and bandwidth required to get to playable status.

You're downloading the same thing either way, having one big download instead of two smaller ones doesn't actually make it go faster, it's 10GB any way you cut it. This is how every MMO does it, as you yourself admitted, and not just on Steam.

[Freyar]

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

Originally posted by Freyar:

Excuse me. SE pushes the launcher, Steam actually pushes a full build (not just the launcher). As such, having Steam at least up to milestone builds would reduce time and bandwidth required to get to playable status.

You're downloading the same thing either way, having one big download instead of two smaller ones doesn't actually make it go faster, it's 10GB any way you cut it. This is how every MMO does it, as you yourself admitted, and not just on Steam.

Okay.. Let's start over here.

SE:
Download Launcher, Launcher Downloads Content (All). There's no overlap here.

Steam:
Downloads Launcher plus the "milestone" build that is woefully out of date. (2.1?), then when the launcher runs it downloads the updates which means that you're downloading extra content when it's not needed. The severity for the overlap is questionable but it's there.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Originally posted by Big Chief Devil Hawk Fireball:

You're downloading the same thing either way, having one big download instead of two smaller ones doesn't actually make it go faster, it's 10GB any way you cut it. This is how every MMO does it, as you yourself admitted, and not just on Steam.

Okay.. Let's start over here.

SE:
Download Launcher, Launcher Downloads Content (All). There's no overlap here.

Steam:
Downloads Launcher plus the "milestone" build that is woefully out of date. (2.1?), then when the launcher runs it downloads the updates which means that you're downloading extra content when it's not needed. The severity for the overlap is questionable but it's there.

You'd have to download 2.1 and 2.2 anyway, since those are major content updates, which have data not included in 2.3.

[Freyar]

Content overlap is still there. Even then, some people have a bigger problem with the peer-to-peer delivery of the launcher compared to Steam's direct CDN.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Content overlap however wouldn't be as much of an issue anyway. Even then, some people have a bigger problem with the peer-to-peer delivery of the launcher compared to Steam's direct CDN.

Cutting out superfluous bugfixes would reduce total download size by a couple hundred megabytes at best. And even then, you'd still have to download all patches and updates released since those milestones. Only a few people would actually be able to benefit off of this idea of yours.

[Freyar]

Point is that it'd be good to have it done once rather than in steps. People get irked when they see a large downoad followed by another large download. Do it once, not four times.

[Oberon]

Originally posted by Freyar:

Point is that it'd be good to have it done once rather than in steps. People get irked when they see a large downoad followed by another large download. Do it once, not four times.

Even though it would take the same length any way you do it.

[Sporkinator]

I guess it all depends on the overlap. I posted based on the idea that it was a big overlap; if the patch was 90% new content, that's not such a big deal.

[Freyar]

Originally posted by Sporkinator:

I guess it all depends on the overlap. I posted based on the idea that it was a big overlap; if the patch was 90% new content, that's not such a big deal.

Yup. Not a big deal if it's all new and there is a fair amount of new stuff.