How does Steam handle the installation of each DLC?

[JARK]

On Windows-10 game pass app version, you have to download the entirety of the Halo MCC package (everything sans ODST & Halo 4), and then just download very small "permission files" to activate each module (Reach, CE anniversary, 2, 2 anniversary, and 3).

IIRC on XB1 you can choose which module to install, with the first one downloaded ostensibly containing the MCC's base files (like the main menu files). I could be wrong as it has been a long time since I re-installed MCC on Xbox One.

Does Steam download all existing modules together, and then treat the DLC as permission files?

Note: this may have been double-posted.

[Mr. Bitches]

Modules are downloaded separately from the main game

[halo 2 enjoyer]

I think by default it only installs halo reach. You can choose which game you want to install/remove and whether it is the campaign you are downloading/removing or multiplayer.

[JARK]

Interesting, that sounds like how the Xbox 1 version is handled.

I find it curious as to why the game pass app downloads the whole thing by default -- I was only counting on playing Halo 3 this weekend, and the "100 GB" download (which isn't even the final install size) ate up a lot of bandwidth allotment.

[Define Brackish Water]

Originally posted by JARK:

Interesting, that sounds like how the Xbox 1 version is handled.

I find it curious as to why the game pass app downloads the whole thing by default -- I was only counting on playing Halo 3 this weekend, and the "100 GB" download (which isn't even the final install size) ate up a lot of bandwidth allotment.

Wow. I didn't expect that. Inside of MCC you have the option to install the single player and multiplayer separately for each game. Because this is built-in to MCC and is an option that works separate from the Steam library DLC menu I assumed it was there for the sake of the Windows Store version.

The weird way that Xbox Game Bar and Xbox Console Companion work is bad enough, to hear that this feature is entirely worthless because of how the Windows Store version works is very disappointing.

[JARK]

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Originally posted by JARK:

Interesting, that sounds like how the Xbox 1 version is handled.

I find it curious as to why the game pass app downloads the whole thing by default -- I was only counting on playing Halo 3 this weekend, and the "100 GB" download (which isn't even the final install size) ate up a lot of bandwidth allotment.

Wow. I didn't expect that. Inside of MCC you have the option to install the single player and multiplayer separately for each game. Because this is built-in to MCC and is an option that works separate from the Steam library DLC menu I assumed it was there for the sake of the Windows Store version.

The weird way that Xbox Game Bar and Xbox Console Companion work is bad enough, to hear that this feature is entirely worthless because of how the Windows Store version works is very disappointing.

It is, but the weirdest part is that within the game itself, when you launch it, you still have to manually check each module to install. The default installed module is probably the latest release -- Halo 3 in my case. [EDIT: no, I mis-remembered that. I chose "Halo 3" in the Game Pass app, which is actually different from the companion app and supersedes it, and then the app proceeded to download the entirety of Halo MCC. Thus the "default" module installed with the game is the one you click on first within the app].

It wasn't a big deal, because each "module" that was downloaded after I installed the game was probably no bigger than a few MB. It was just weird that if a program is going to "force" me to download an entire thing, it should also activate permissions for the entire thing.

Game Pass games on windows 10 have their ups and downs:

- CrossCode doesn't have achievement support, and my save file got wiped from existence
- Gears 5 got randomly uninstalled (after months of me pausing its patch update queue); not even sure if the measurement of my HD space reflected that it was even uninstalled to begin with
- you can't even inspect the install files or directories, as they are purposefully kept hidden; arguably Microsoft has every right to do this, as we don't own Game Pass games we download, but it does make it harder to manage the games

Other than that, signing into my account works fine, as does cross-save (for "play anywhere" titles like Children of Morta), and achievements for games that support them (except Rage 2 -- I almost never got an achievement "pop" notification when I briefly played it, but at least I still got the achievements themselves).

I won't really complain too much as Game Pass PC is basically tacked onto a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which includes PC and Xbox and XBL Gold. It's the lowest-costing portion of the whole gamut of paid subscription offerings in the Xbox ecosystem; even the initial-month is dirt cheap. You get what you pay for!

[Define Brackish Water]

Originally posted by JARK:

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Wow. I didn't expect that. Inside of MCC you have the option to install the single player and multiplayer separately for each game. Because this is built-in to MCC and is an option that works separate from the Steam library DLC menu I assumed it was there for the sake of the Windows Store version.

The weird way that Xbox Game Bar and Xbox Console Companion work is bad enough, to hear that this feature is entirely worthless because of how the Windows Store version works is very disappointing.

It is, but the weirdest part is that within the game itself, when you launch it, you still have to manually check each module to install. The default installed module is probably the latest release -- Halo 3 in my case. It wasn't a big deal, because each "module" that was downloaded after I installed the game was probably no bigger than a few MB. It was just weird that if a program is going to "force" me to download an entire thing, it should also activate permissions for the entire thing.

Game Pass games on windows 10 have their ups and downs:

- CrossCode doesn't have achievement support, and my save file got wiped from existence
- Gears 5 got randomly uninstalled (after months of me pausing its patch update queue); not even sure if the measurement of my HD space reflected that it was even uninstalled to begin with
- you can't even inspect the install files or directories, as they are purposefully kept hidden; arguably Microsoft has every right to do this, as we don't own Game Pass games we download, but it does make it harder to manage the games

Other than that, signing into my account works fine, as does cross-save (for "play anywhere" titles like Children of Morta), and achievements for games that support them (except Rage 2 -- I almost never got an achievement "pop" notification when I briefly played it, but at least I still got the achievements themselves).

I won't really complain too much as Game Pass PC is basically tacked onto a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which includes PC and Xbox and XBL Gold. It's the lowest-costing portion of the whole gamut of paid subscription offerings in the Xbox ecosystem; even the initial-month is dirt cheap. You get what you pay for!

I just double checked and I'm glad to say that the Windows Store version can still manually save maps and gametypes. Thanks for the review by the way, I don't think I've had anyone describe the Windows Store with that much detail before. Sorry to hear about yourCrossCode save. I just realized that I never bought that game, what did you think about it?

[JARK]

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Originally posted by JARK:

It is, but the weirdest part is that within the game itself, when you launch it, you still have to manually check each module to install. The default installed module is probably the latest release -- Halo 3 in my case. It wasn't a big deal, because each "module" that was downloaded after I installed the game was probably no bigger than a few MB. It was just weird that if a program is going to "force" me to download an entire thing, it should also activate permissions for the entire thing.

Game Pass games on windows 10 have their ups and downs:

- CrossCode doesn't have achievement support, and my save file got wiped from existence
- Gears 5 got randomly uninstalled (after months of me pausing its patch update queue); not even sure if the measurement of my HD space reflected that it was even uninstalled to begin with
- you can't even inspect the install files or directories, as they are purposefully kept hidden; arguably Microsoft has every right to do this, as we don't own Game Pass games we download, but it does make it harder to manage the games

Other than that, signing into my account works fine, as does cross-save (for "play anywhere" titles like Children of Morta), and achievements for games that support them (except Rage 2 -- I almost never got an achievement "pop" notification when I briefly played it, but at least I still got the achievements themselves).

I won't really complain too much as Game Pass PC is basically tacked onto a Game Pass Ultimate subscription, which includes PC and Xbox and XBL Gold. It's the lowest-costing portion of the whole gamut of paid subscription offerings in the Xbox ecosystem; even the initial-month is dirt cheap. You get what you pay for!

I just double checked and I'm glad to say that the Windows Store version can still manually save maps and gametypes. Thanks for the review by the way, I don't think I've had anyone describe the Windows Store with that much detail before. Sorry to hear about yourCrossCode save. I just realized that I never bought that game, what did you think about it?

lol it's ok, I cried my tears about it many moons ago.

Honestly, the tragically-shortened portion of the game I played makes me seriously want to consider buying it (for Nintendo Switch), even though I can play it any time I want on Xbox. If you really liked the SNES era of JRPGs, and specifically action-RPGs, then you will most likely love that game. It's basically a love-letter and a *cross* between Zelda and the arbitrary SNES RPG. (Pun intended!)

It is actually a game-within-a-game, and so simulates an MMORPG to an admirable degree. There's also a unique flair of puzzles to solve as you explore, and the dungeons themselves take the "puzzle action" to another level. All the other bits are great as well: story, music, artwork.

I think there's a demo on Steam, so try it out.

[Define Brackish Water]

Originally posted by JARK:

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

I just double checked and I'm glad to say that the Windows Store version can still manually save maps and gametypes. Thanks for the review by the way, I don't think I've had anyone describe the Windows Store with that much detail before. Sorry to hear about yourCrossCode save. I just realized that I never bought that game, what did you think about it?

lol it's ok, I cried my tears about it many moons ago.

Honestly, the tragically-shortened portion of the game I played makes me seriously want to consider buying it (for Nintendo Switch), even though I can play it any time I want on Xbox. If you really liked the SNES era of JRPGs, and specifically action-RPGs, then you will most likely love that game. It's basically a love-letter and a *cross* between Zelda and the arbitrary SNES RPG. (Pun intended!)

It is actually a game-within-a-game, and so simulates an MMORPG to an admirable degree. There's also a unique flair of puzzles to solve as you explore, and the dungeons themselves take the "puzzle action" to another level. All the other bits are great as well: story, music, artwork.

I think there's a demo on Steam, so try it out.

Sounds like you liked it. I might give it a go.

[JARK]

Forgot to forewarn everybody about another minor annoyance with the Game Pass app: every time you open it from the desktop or start bar (but not the system tray) -- regardless of whether it is running in the background or not -- it'll open up a second dialogue window asking you if you want to download and install the app, even though it simultaneously opens and runs the program as requested. Sheesh.

[JARK]

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Originally posted by JARK:

lol it's ok, I cried my tears about it many moons ago.

Honestly, the tragically-shortened portion of the game I played makes me seriously want to consider buying it (for Nintendo Switch), even though I can play it any time I want on Xbox. If you really liked the SNES era of JRPGs, and specifically action-RPGs, then you will most likely love that game. It's basically a love-letter and a *cross* between Zelda and the arbitrary SNES RPG. (Pun intended!)

It is actually a game-within-a-game, and so simulates an MMORPG to an admirable degree. There's also a unique flair of puzzles to solve as you explore, and the dungeons themselves take the "puzzle action" to another level. All the other bits are great as well: story, music, artwork.

I think there's a demo on Steam, so try it out.

Sounds like you liked it. I might give it a go.

Good!

[Mr. Bitches]

Originally posted by JARK:

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Sounds like you liked it. I might give it a go.

Good!

If you're talking Crosscode, you should definitely get it. It is an amazing game with an awesome story