Please add DLC pre-select before install for game&soft in Steam client

[Teletha Eliberl]

To Valve and Steam Devs:
Please add a DLC pre-select function, as for 4K Texture DLCs, and multi-DLCs games that some DLC contents are conflict with others or one time use only/consume DLCs.
Your automatic installing is overall better than Uplay and Orgin yes, but without a DLC pre-select function, when I got a 4K texture DLC 50G 100G more hard drive needed, it`s insane. For those DLC conflict each other, you need download(pre-locate) every DLCs than switch off those I don`t need this is turely annoying. For consume DLCs, it`s just fatal for everyone`s pocket.
I think this shouldn`t too hard for you guys, as now you actually can select the DLCs you want after install(pre-locate) on hard drive.

I been annoying by these kind of problems since I use steam as my main digital game platform, than come to The witcher 3 and Deus Ex this is turely a pain in the♥♥♥♥♥ further after the 4K days comes, like Rainbow6 Siege Final Fantasy 15 with 80G 120G for just pre-locate the game, it`s gone bad, real bad, I had to change file between my multiple hard drives every time, install a game became a HDD/SSD management project. Now today I brought RESONANCE OF FATE with 4K pack need 90G with my running drives only 70G 18G 30G 70G left, I been♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥off.
You guys even update steam to a chat software with group/clan feature and just can`t fix the basic function? Really? But I think you can fix it. So add a DLC pre-select function not after the install, please!

Originally posted by YorkyPudsy:

I don't know how long this has been possible (probably ages, and we all just overlooked it!?), but for anyone still following this thread or coming here in future...

1) right-click a game that is NOT currently installed in your library, and choose "Properties"

2) navigate to the "DLC" tab in the popup window

3) you can tick/untick whatever DLC you want to install (BEFORE initiating a download), then OK out of the popup window

4) now click to "Install" the game as usual, and you should find that it only asks to reserve disk space needed for the specific DLC that you selected to install

I don't know why those checkboxes aren't presented in the DLC list until AFTER a game is installed, but that alternative might be handy for anyone tight on disk space who doesn't need all DLC for any specific game, eg. 4k/HD textures.

Hope that helps someone!

Great found on something we overlooked, so this topic should be, add this to LIBRARY main page not hide this in Properties Valve!

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

When you start the download for the game itself, go to the library page and uncheck what you don't want. It should only pre-allocate what you want to install if you do that before allocating is finished. I do that all the time.

[Teletha Eliberl]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

When you start the download for the game itself, go to the library page and uncheck what you don't want. It should only pre-allocate what you want to install if you do that before allocating is finished. I do that all the time.

:qr:

let go through how steam install game one more time with Resonance of Fate (16G game 70G for 4K texture):
1. Go LIBRARY
2. Press INSTALL
3. Shows: You are about to install ROF. Disk space required: 84313MB Disk Space available: 74242MB Estimated download time: XXXXXXX MB/s
4. Press NEXT>
5. Steam - Error
You do not have enough disk space available to run this game.
Please free up some disk space and then try again.
6. Press OK
GG no game even its just 16G with 70G DLC.

Same thing with every 4K game Fallout 4 Final Fantasy 15 Rainbow 6 and others.

You can`t choose DLC before step 4. and 5.
That`s the problem with steam.
Uplay and origin just worse. They just do not have a DLC management.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Why would you even have such a small amount of available space on your HDD?

[Teletha Eliberl]

Now my live drives with empty space, 30G(can`t use for windows Update), 69G for on board HDD,18G for on board SSD, 35G 72G for USB3.0 connected SSDs.
You need store different things OS games animes movies raw material records pics and everything and they need store with classification and work load for different drive or become a mess.
Every time this happen you need to reorganize everything if not work, delete some game(Big ones) you want to play but got no time so they just lay on your drive. So annoying.

[Teletha Eliberl]

Here is a update and will hurt Valve Devs hearts
Uplay now, have DLC management. Every game support 4K were add free 4K texture DLC into your account, and you don`t download it with the game unless you choose to download it within DLC section, complete independent, differ form game everytime.

[Winged One]

Originally posted by Asaka Ailibeier:

Now my live drives with empty space, 30G(can`t use for windows Update), 69G for on board HDD,18G for on board SSD, 35G 72G for USB3.0 connected SSDs.
You need store different things OS games animes movies raw material records pics and everything and they need store with classification and work load for different drive or become a mess.
Every time this happen you need to reorganize everything if not work, delete some game(Big ones) you want to play but got no time so they just lay on your drive. So annoying.

Simply catalog videos and other media on to an external, and hook it up as needed.. alternatively you could get a NAS for the media, but that's a bit overkill

[Teletha Eliberl]

Originally posted by theseraph1:

Originally posted by Asaka Ailibeier:

Now my live drives with empty space, 30G(can`t use for windows Update), 69G for on board HDD,18G for on board SSD, 35G 72G for USB3.0 connected SSDs.
You need store different things OS games animes movies raw material records pics and everything and they need store with classification and work load for different drive or become a mess.
Every time this happen you need to reorganize everything if not work, delete some game(Big ones) you want to play but got no time so they just lay on your drive. So annoying.

Simply catalog videos and other media on to an external, and hook it up as needed.. alternatively you could get a NAS for the media, but that's a bit overkill

Well that`s why I said live drives, I got a lots of external drives for storage and more form old decommissioned PCs. 2 of my SSDs is using a drive dock or hub(I have no idea how it called in English) externaly connnecting. NAS is just not necessary for me.
Said that much, if valve just add a selection for 4K packs it wouldn`t be a problem.
Valve just say L4D3 on 2019, back before not a single valve game pass 20GB but the new ones, it`s the age of 4K they should do something now.

[YorkyPudsy]

Great suggestion OP! I'd also like to see this implemented.

Perhaps the checkboxes in the DLC list in the library (which let you toggle which DLC you want installed) should be shown at all times, even for games which aren't currently installed.
( EDIT: Below, I show how Steam appears to actually be storing these selections for each game already. It's just that we can't toggle them unless the game is installed/installing. )


There's the already-mentioned situation where some games have one or two very large optional DLCs (eg. 4K/HD texture packs). But also some games have a great number of large DLCs which don't necessarily all need to be installed at all times, eg. aircraft in DCS World.

Certainly, more SSD/HDD space is one answer, but in my experience (& with games growing ever bigger) that just delays the inevitable!


One interesting thing I've just discovered, which may be a clue to how this might be possible.
Try this...

1) Tell Steam to start installing a game from your library, one which has some DLC

2) Then un-check some/all of the DLC in the library tab, at any point after Steam has started "allocating space" (either while it's still doing that, or while it's downloading the game, or even after it's finished installing)

3) Now uninstall the game (doesn't matter if Steam is still downloading it, or even if it's still allocating space)

4) Notice how the DLC list in the library tab no longer indicates which DLC is installed, nor does it let you toggle them any more, however...

5) ...if you now tell Steam to install the game once again, it does remember which DLC you previously un-checked, so it only downloads what you had "previously selected".
( EDIT to add: note that this is actually reflected as a lower amount of disk space required in the prompt when you install the game for the 2nd time )


So I assume Steam must be storing a list somewhere of which DLC you want installed / not installed for each game, even for games that aren't currently installed. I haven't tested whether that is stored locally (specific to each machine), or online (so it would remember if you installed the game elsewhere). I presume these choices are probably not even populated until a game is first installed (or perhaps when DLC is first purchased), at which point it defaults to "installed" for all DLC.

Since Steam is already almost doing what is being asked for in this thread, surely it wouldn't be that difficult to extend this to allow us to pre-select using the DLC list in the library, BEFORE installing a game?

Perhaps someone out there might even be able to use that info above to come up with an interim solution by delving into Steam's config files or similar...?

[YorkyPudsy]

OK, so following on from my post above, a little digging shows that Steam is indeed storing our choices for which DLC to install (via the checkboxes in the library tab).

If you look at a game's "appmanifest_xxxxxx.acf" file in the "..\Steam\steamapps" folder, if you have disabled any DLC, you get a section that looks like this... (these examples taken from HITMAN 2 with various DLC unchecked via the library tab)

	"UserConfig"
	{
		"language"		"english"
		"DisabledDLC"		"953094,953095,950553,950552,950554,950555,950551,950540,950550,953090,953093,953096,953092"
	}

If you untick any DLC in the library tab for a game, Steam immediately updates that file to reflect your choices of which DLC to "disable" (not install).

So if there was some way to create a default "appmanifest" file for a game BEFORE installing it, and it could be populated with a list of appropriate DLC IDs, it might be possible to work around this issue, until/unless Valve can implement pre-selection of DLC to install.

[YorkyPudsy]

I don't know how long this has been possible (probably ages, and we all just overlooked it!?), but for anyone still following this thread or coming here in future...

1) right-click a game that is NOT currently installed in your library, and choose "Properties"

2) navigate to the "DLC" tab in the popup window

3) you can tick/untick whatever DLC you want to install (BEFORE initiating a download), then OK out of the popup window

4) now click to "Install" the game as usual, and you should find that it only asks to reserve disk space needed for the specific DLC that you selected to install

I don't know why those checkboxes aren't presented in the DLC list until AFTER a game is installed, but that alternative might be handy for anyone tight on disk space who doesn't need all DLC for any specific game, eg. 4k/HD textures.

Hope that helps someone!

[Teletha Eliberl]

Originally posted by YorkyPudsy:

I don't know how long this has been possible (probably ages, and we all just overlooked it!?), but for anyone still following this thread or coming here in future...

1) right-click a game that is NOT currently installed in your library, and choose "Properties"

2) navigate to the "DLC" tab in the popup window

3) you can tick/untick whatever DLC you want to install (BEFORE initiating a download), then OK out of the popup window

4) now click to "Install" the game as usual, and you should find that it only asks to reserve disk space needed for the specific DLC that you selected to install

I don't know why those checkboxes aren't presented in the DLC list until AFTER a game is installed, but that alternative might be handy for anyone tight on disk space who doesn't need all DLC for any specific game, eg. 4k/HD textures.

Hope that helps someone!

Great found
I notice this first time too.
Maybe back to older version of Steam this function just not exist?
Or maybe just back than rarely games go up to 60G and more before id go beth and reboot Wolfenstein?

For Valve maybe you should add this into Steam LIBRARY base page too. Not hide in Properties.