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Gamerdude535 Apr 19, 2022 @ 12:22pm
What the heck is up with the download servers. And also what's with the latest elden ring patch
Took a bit just to download an 800 something mb patch. And for some reason it has to install the entire game size worth just to patch said update that's only 800 something MB. Like what? this makes no sense to me. Normally it only has to download and install the amount of data the update is actually sized.
Last edited by Gamerdude535; Apr 19, 2022 @ 12:29pm
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Showing 1-13 of 13 comments
Crazy Tiger Apr 19, 2022 @ 12:33pm 
All depends on how the developers have packaged their games. If they use large container packages, it means those need to get unpacked, patched and repacked again.

This always happened, it's just that in the past with the old download UI the download bar in actuality was for both download+install. Now you have two different bars for that.
#1
MonsieurFreeze Apr 19, 2022 @ 7:16pm 
Yes this is ludicrous, now most of the big games are taking forever to patch, they write and copy the whole game which usually means x2 time the total physical space of a game: TotalWar Warhammer 3 took me 2.5h last time, Elder ring last update 1h... never again, now I am just uninstalling-re installing any game that needs a patch, its actually faster to dl 100Go than patching.
Last edited by MonsieurFreeze; Apr 19, 2022 @ 7:17pm
#2
Herald_UK Apr 19, 2022 @ 8:03pm 
Does anyone have a proper explanation for this, as to why this is now the trend ? What is it with their fads, like QTE and having to hold the button down for several seconds to perform the simplest of interactions ?

Until this last Generation (as you'd count it in consoles), you downloaded X amount of bytes and installed the same (or slightly larger if arriving packed). Now, more often than not. It's as OP says. You download a few bytes and the whole game has to re-write. Why is this ? Is it a trend thing or a tech thing (like are SSDs responsible for this) ?
#3
Nico Apr 20, 2022 @ 6:46am 
Originally posted by Herald_UK:
Does anyone have a proper explanation for this, as to why this is now the trend ? What is it with their fads, like QTE and having to hold the button down for several seconds to perform the simplest of interactions ?

Until this last Generation (as you'd count it in consoles), you downloaded X amount of bytes and installed the same (or slightly larger if arriving packed). Now, more often than not. It's as OP says. You download a few bytes and the whole game has to re-write. Why is this ? Is it a trend thing or a tech thing (like are SSDs responsible for this) ?
Probably started with the pandemic
"To save a bit of bandwidth we make you tax your hard drive 10x times"
#4
crunchyfrog Apr 20, 2022 @ 8:32am 
Originally posted by Herald_UK:
Does anyone have a proper explanation for this, as to why this is now the trend ? What is it with their fads, like QTE and having to hold the button down for several seconds to perform the simplest of interactions ?

Until this last Generation (as you'd count it in consoles), you downloaded X amount of bytes and installed the same (or slightly larger if arriving packed). Now, more often than not. It's as OP says. You download a few bytes and the whole game has to re-write. Why is this ? Is it a trend thing or a tech thing (like are SSDs responsible for this) ?
Because of luck.

Some games do this, others don't. You're probably just noticing it now.

The fact is all games are written differently, much the same as any book is wrriten differently.

If you have a patch say, that alters a variable like health, then the actual patch might be small in content but it will have to patch the WHOLE game, as that variable applies across everything. That's quite normal.

Other games, and ther patches might not.

So it entirely depends.
#5
Herald_UK Apr 20, 2022 @ 9:18pm 
Originally posted by crunchyfrog:
Some games do this, others don't. You're probably just noticing it now.

I don't know, been a while now. Started round here when Steam changed all the front end UIs and that. So when was that ? About 5 years ago now ? Not saying it's a Steam thing as Ubi-connects (lol), does the same thing... And I can't confess to seeing small packets for quite some time. If you're saying devs are still doing small packets. I'll have to take you at your word. It's not been my experience of recent years.
#6
SLG Apr 20, 2022 @ 10:50pm 
It does not take long for me when a whole game has to been downloaded to update it.
#7
crunchyfrog Apr 21, 2022 @ 4:57am 
Originally posted by Herald_UK:
Originally posted by crunchyfrog:
Some games do this, others don't. You're probably just noticing it now.

I don't know, been a while now. Started round here when Steam changed all the front end UIs and that. So when was that ? About 5 years ago now ? Not saying it's a Steam thing as Ubi-connects (lol), does the same thing... And I can't confess to seeing small packets for quite some time. If you're saying devs are still doing small packets. I'll have to take you at your word. It's not been my experience of recent years.
Nah that's not when anything has happened. Changes to the UI have been ongoing all the time, certainly not an arbitrary 5 years ago. I know how much this is because I left Steam for a few years and only returned just over a year or so ago.

When I retuned there were substantial differences to the UI. And yet I noticed no marked difference to the downloads. I think you are indeed seeing pattenres where there are none.

The fact remains all games are different and will download their own ways according to how they're coded.

The only noticeable diffeerences to downloads in recent times has been a few months ago when they made the shader cahce files visible under downloads page, wheras before they did it invisibly.

I'm afria dnothing changes the fact though that games will update what they NEED to update. There's no evidence of inefficiency or wrongdoing.
#8
Herald_UK Apr 21, 2022 @ 5:12am 
Originally posted by crunchyfrog:
*

Like I said, not my experience. But sure, Ok, super, etc...
#9
crunchyfrog Apr 21, 2022 @ 5:17am 
Originally posted by Herald_UK:
Originally posted by crunchyfrog:
*

Like I said, not my experience. But sure, Ok, super, etc...
Just to be clear here, I ain't having a go at you at all.

It's just that I'm trying to be as clear as poss, because myths about this issue LOVE to get thrown around and it gets really confusing for people.
#10
Hooddyyxd Apr 21, 2022 @ 6:56am 
Sometimes steam reduces the download speed because the servers are close to shut down or fall
#11
crunchyfrog Apr 21, 2022 @ 7:16am 
Originally posted by Corleone Hooddy:
Sometimes steam reduces the download speed because the servers are close to shut down or fall
That's absolutely untrue. Please don't spread myths.

Valve do not adjust or change downloads speeds at all.

The onyl time that there have been changes to dnwloads is over the COVID situation which was widely publicised.

Servers don't work like this either.

A server in a network if failing or having issues has the other servers in its network automatically reroute - it's how networks work.
Last edited by crunchyfrog; Apr 21, 2022 @ 7:16am
#12
Herald_UK Apr 21, 2022 @ 7:33pm 
Originally posted by crunchyfrog:
Originally posted by Herald_UK:

Like I said, not my experience. But sure, Ok, super, etc...
Just to be clear here, I ain't having a go at you at all.

Oh I perish to think it even looks remotely like that. :steamdeadpan:
#13
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Date Posted: Apr 19, 2022 @ 12:22pm
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