BoS, Can we pre-download before it goes live?

[Feathered_IV]

Here's a question for the devs.  I've noticed that some game titles give their customers the opportunity to download the game a couple of days or a week before the official release goes live.  This seems like a pretty good idea.  Especially for my part of the world where download times are relatively slow and a new game will need to be painfully acquired over several days.  If premium users had a chance to get things downloaded in advance, we'd all be able to login and get started at the same time.  That'd really be something 

[NastyDog]

Not a bad idea i think ,

 

Only i dont think it,s gone be  C.o.duty  style that 5 mil kid try to download there game on the same time

and the main downloadsever bang down.

Edited August 29, 2013 by NastyDog

[6./ZG26_Emil]

They'll have to gift us free F5 keys at this rate :D

[Bearcat]

Here's a question for the devs.  I've noticed that some game titles give their customers the opportunity to download the game a couple of days or a week before the official release goes live.  This seems like a pretty good idea.  Especially for my part of the world where download times are relatively slow and a new game will need to be painfully acquired over several days.  If premium users had a chance to get things downloaded in advance, we'd all be able to login and get started at the same time.  That'd really be something 

 

 

I think that is what the pre-order is... Are yo talking about a pre-order to the pre-order.. ?

[Matt]

He's talking about a pre-download to the pre-order.

 

Like a few days before the preorder gets released, people will be able to start downloading already, but won't be able to play yet.

Edited August 29, 2013 by hq_Matt

[6./ZG26_Emil]

Can we pre-order the pre-download?

[OBT-Psycho]

nop, I think he is mentionning the fact that in some cases, the games can be downloaded before the official release date but is locked until the D-DAY. I can picture it is doable in our case because of the need of intenet connection to log to your account, they could let us download the stuff without unlocking account access or something like that

Edited August 29, 2013 by OBT-Psychopoak

[I/JG27_Rollo]

Having horrible download speeds myself, I really like the idea.

[Feathered_IV]

He's talking about a pre-download to the pre-order.

 

Like a few days before the preorder gets released, people will be able to start downloading already, but won't be able to play yet.

 

That's right.  So that one can get the data onto their computer, ready for the moment it goes active.  That way people like myself won't be downloading for several days, gnashing their teeth as others are up and away in under an hour.

[Jaws2002]

They should.

This move reduces the stress on the download server and avoids the complains if there are problems with the server.

The game is not released yet, so people don't scream bloody murder if they have connection problems.

[Pierre64]

Nice try :-)

Edited August 29, 2013 by Pierre64

[Revvin]

Yeah it would be nice to get the bulk of it downloaded before the day it goes live, perhaps be able to download everything except a small .exe that we could download on the day of release? I've lost count of the developers and publishers who have released games digitally only to see their servers crash under the strain and then they trot out the excuse that they were not expecting such demand etc etc.

[Heywooood]

yeah -

 

would there be Pre-Premium Pre-order Pre-download only?

 

or could there also be Pre-Standard, Pre-order Pre-download available...

 

now I'm Preoccupied with the possibilities

[FuriousMeow]

Pre-loading always amused me. In order to pre-load, the game has to be virtually complete. Maybe a patch on release day. So basically what they're doing is, the game is complete and done, but they pushed back the release date to allow "pre-loading" when in fact what you are doing is getting to load it when it should be the release date because it's done but it's been pushed back to "pre-load."

Edited August 29, 2013 by FuriousMeow

[VeryOldMan]

These things are important in major blockbusters.  To avoid things like when Battlefield 3 and skyrim  were released same day and killed steam servers

Pre-loading always amused me. In order to pre-load, the game has to be virtually complete. Maybe a patch on release day. So basically what they're doing is, the game is complete and done, but they pushed back the release date to allow "pre-loading" when in fact what you are doing is getting to load it when it should be the release date because it's done but it's been pushed back to "pre-load."

 

Nope.  Most of the final changes are codewise. The executable is  just a few MB. THe majority of content are textures that  are usually ready   weeks before release.

[FuriousMeow]

Uh, okay. The exe isn't the entire program, you do know that right? The majority of content isn't textures, it's the code that builds the world that the textures sit on top of.

[FZG_Merlin]

Here's a question for the devs.  I've noticed that some game titles give their customers the opportunity to download the game a couple of days or a week before the official release goes live.  This seems like a pretty good idea.  Especially for my part of the world where download times are relatively slow and a new game will need to be painfully acquired over several days.  If premium users had a chance to get things downloaded in advance, we'd all be able to login and get started at the same time.  That'd really be something 

 

I second this idea

[Bearcat]

Gotcha.. I understand now.. Since the only thing I ever get heated about are sims .. and the last one I was heated about enogh to buy on the day it was released was 1946.

[Pupo]

Uh, okay. The exe isn't the entire program, you do know that right? The majority of content isn't textures, it's the code that builds the world that the textures sit on top of.

 

yes but the code may be just a "few 100's of megabytes. the rest of it is just textures, soudns, 3d models ( who arent that big at all) etc.

 

i like the idea od a pre-laod a lot, it's good to have your game ready to go ( or just a 100's of megabytes patch away), than a full 3-10 gb download when you are just excited to play.

[FuriousMeow]

It's a delay ploy. It's nice you guys think it's something else, like they're letting you get it ready but fact is the game has been ready.

 

You can play it on the day it's ready for pre-load. A week later, and another patch, same game just a few more fixes but it was still very playable when you pre-loaded.

Edited August 29, 2013 by FuriousMeow

[Freycinet]

Pre-d/l of 95% and then just a small, supplemental but crucial d/l on release day sounds like a great idea. However, if it means big troublesome changes for the developers, reconfiguring their whole distribution setup, then it isn't really crucial. They have been very good about avoiding feature creep and we should all be happy that they want to run a tight ship. Also, we'd lose the charming frantic days of lots of forum threads with "my d/l is at 78%!!"

[Goanna1]

I wonder how large the total download file is.

 As I too have very average (in world terms) of download speed as well.

 And the bloody Liberal party here in Oz wants to update the system to be a second rate system, if and when they get elected on Sept 7.

They dont understand the needs of the gaming industry and its demands for us "old" -nearly 60ish players LOL

[FuriousMeow]

If you want the pre-download... the pre-release is the best way. Over several months you can incrementally update until release day when - surprise! - a few MB download to be up-to-date.

[=BKHZ=Furbs]

Jason said the size should be around 4 to 4.5gb, but of course subject to change.

Edited August 29, 2013 by Furbs

[leitmotiv]

Good idea

[FlatSpinMan]

It didn't work out so well for the Devs of GTA 5 or whatever. Their content got leaked before release, I recall reading somewhere. 

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

If it is going to be 4+ GB I would really like to be able to pre-download.  That will take a couple of days for me to download, I think.

[BlackSix]

Here's a question for the devs.  I've noticed that some game titles give their customers the opportunity to download the game a couple of days or a week before the official release goes live.  This seems like a pretty good idea.  Especially for my part of the world where download times are relatively slow and a new game will need to be painfully acquired over several days.  If premium users had a chance to get things downloaded in advance, we'd all be able to login and get started at the same time.  That'd really be something 

 

We'll talk about that in the spring, it's too early. But the idea is good

[LG1.Farber]

BRILLIANT idea.  There is nothing worse than when a new game / sim goes live and everyone is downloading it, sucking out all the bandwidth, and it is crawling though a slow download...

[Mac_Messer]

Awfully tempting to look into the downloaded files before release. Someone will find a way I think. And if 1CGS doesn`t want that, it can be a bad idea.

[6S.Manu]

If they are going to distribute it by Steam then there will be no problem of bandwidth.

[Feathered_IV]

Thanks B6, fingers crossed!

I find even Steam can top out at 250kbs, making the download a very time consuming process. Getting the majority of files ahead of time then downloading the last bit to patch up and activate would be great.

[VeryOldMan]

Uh, okay. The exe isn't the entire program, you do know that right? The majority of content isn't textures, it's the code that builds the world that the textures sit on top of.

 

 

Funny  tryign to explain   that to me.  And the code is the Exe, or better the  Exe is the code. The textures  are around 90% of the  footprint of the game.

If they are going to distribute it by Steam then there will be no problem of bandwidth.

 

 

As long as they  avoid making  it same day of blockbuster releases

Awfully tempting to look into the downloaded files before release. Someone will find a way I think. And if 1CGS doesn`t want that, it can be a bad idea.

That is why most games  upload only the textures. The exe file  being uploaded a t the very end.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

If they are going to distribute it by Steam then there will be no problem of bandwidth.

 

It has already been said in the dev diaries that Steam is a non-option, but I don't quite get your point.  I have the same connection to my ISP regardless of if I download via Steam or anywhere else -- that is usually the limiting factor on my connection speed.

Thanks B6, fingers crossed!

I find even Steam can top out at 250kbs, making the download a very time consuming process. Getting the majority of files ahead of time then downloading the last bit to patch up and activate would be great.

 I generally don't see over 100kbs, but I live in an area where there are more wild horses than people.  I would love to be able to pre-dowwnload.

[HeavyCavalrySgt]

We'll talk about that in the spring, it's too early. But the idea is good

 

I confess, I am kind of expecting to download sometime in Autumn of 2013.  

[FuriousMeow]

Funny  tryign to explain   that to me.  And the code is the Exe, or better the  Exe is the code. The textures  are around 90% of the  footprint of the game.

 

The exe isn't the only code for the game, it just initiates it. The code base is scattered through different folder structures in different files and modules.

[VeryOldMan]

The exe isn't the only code for the game, it just initiates it. The code base is scattered through different folder structures in different files and modules.

Only if you WANT to.  On my  17 years of   development industry I  rarely  deployed  a software  with any code  (outside   of   bought libraries)  not how I said so.   And Any developer would understand when you say the executable that you are referring to  the  launcher + main executable +  runtime libraries.

 

You are trying to be nitpicker with someone that understand a lot about software development...  

 

Anyway, ALL the CODE  in ANY modern game, in any form is a  pitiful    tiny   irrelevant size if compared to the textures.

[FuriousMeow]

I'm not a developer, they break my systems, leave gaping security holes, and then when their programs or databases get infected turn to me to wave a magic wand to fix what they broke.

 

I do understand textures take up more space, but the game is ready to go and be played the day a pre-load becomes available. It's just an additional week to put the final touches on the interface or whatever small features they want to toss in.

[Jaws2002]

It's been done already with so many games, I don't see why it couldn't be done in this case. Steam offers this for many games and there are no issues at all.