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Constant EVE client updates
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Remus O'Connell
Solaria Enterprises
#1 - 2012-01-28 20:07:09 UTC
I'm sure it's been discussed many a time, and I remember hearing rumours of some magic new system that was going to make client updates a little less obnoxious, but since then, I've not heard a peep.

I look at the way Google Chrome does it's updates (silently, in the background, using a scheduled task running under a special EVE admin account), and then I look at the way EVE does it's updates (loudly, constantly, and if you don't open the client for a week, you've got 4 new updates to download and install).

1) is there any system in the works to make this better?
2) if so, is there a timeline?
3) if not, is this something that enough people care about that it should be looked at implementing?

Thanks for listening to my rant ;)
mxzf
Shovel Bros
#2 - 2012-01-28 21:25:35 UTC
I SERIOUSLY don't want a background daemon on my system all the time updating Eve, that's a waste of resources and is unneeded. Most client updates are really small anyways, it doesn't take long to just install them (though I will admit that it is annoying to have to re-launch the game a couple times in the process).

A better system might be worthwhile, but I really don't want to see yet another background process running all the time "just 'cause".
Mara Rinn
Cosmic Goo Convertor
#3 - 2012-01-28 21:59:15 UTC
I prefer being in control of what my computer is doing with my limited bandwidth. Background downloading was the first thing I switched off in my WoW days: the lag it induced was unbearable. The downloads for EVE updates are relatively fast and as mxzf has said, the only complaint I have is that the client reboots each time a patch is applied.

The stream of updates is not "constant". There are, perhaps, too many for people who just want to get to playing the game in their limited daily play time.

You might want to consider restating the problem.

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Remus O'Connell
Solaria Enterprises
#4 - 2012-02-05 18:35:20 UTC
Alright, so that makes sense too. There are there are pros and cons of each opinion:

1. Constant (and multiple) updates can be tedious and time consuming, but leave you in control of your system and allows CCP to get fixes out immediately rather than waiting to bundle them.

2. Having a scheduled update task would resolve both the concerns of issues #1, but leaves open that people don't want additional services running on their systems that they're A) not in control of and B) uses of system resources. (I should note that it's possible to do this in a secure manner, so security shouldn't be a concern).

Therefore, we are left with an impasse. There are two compromises I can think of:

1. Give users the choice to utilize the auto-updater or manually perform updates.

2. CCP adjusts their patching model so that outdated game versions can manually update once, bringing the client up to the latest version (a rollup pack or a sequenced installer that gathers the cumulative patches and installs them all during the one client update cycle).

Past that, this would be an ideal place to toss around other potential solutions.
leviticus ander
The Scope
Gallente Federation
#5 - 2012-02-05 18:51:27 UTC
why not just have some form of launcher. if they were to do this you could get all the patches in one big chunk or at least before you launch the game. as well as if they were to do this they could make it capable of being aware of multiple clients so as it's updating it updates all of your clients rather than just the one you launched.
Valei Khurelem
#6 - 2012-02-05 19:53:24 UTC  |  Edited by: Valei Khurelem
Most if not all launchers coded by game devs are absolutely hideous, not just in their look but also in how they work because they tend to lag up windows or freeze up often or my personal favourite, the supposed 'offline' mode doesn't work offline at all. Look at steam, loads of players love it I suspect mainly because of the ridiculous 75% off deals that come out every year during holidays or the auto-update features, I know I get myself suckered into buying games when they're at those prices, but if it weren't for that kind of thing most people would hate it.

I've had enough with DRM crap trying to work it's way into my PC as if it's a good thing devs are perfectly capable of making their games nice to run on your PC and convenient, they just choose not to. If you're going to put features like auto-update then put them in the actual game as an option, don't create some obnoxious launcher menu that pops up to annoy me.

I have a particular hatred for launchers that put ads and when you click on any part of the menu that isn't a button they direct you to a site or offer.

"don't get us wrong, we don't want to screw new players, on the contrary. The core problem here is that tech 1 frigates and cruisers should be appealing enough to be viable platforms in both PvE and PvP."   - CCP Ytterbium
Nestara Aldent
Citimatics
#7 - 2012-02-05 20:04:08 UTC  |  Edited by: Nestara Aldent
Actually in good operating system, update of the system is the job of the OS, not individual programs (linux is an example).

What does linux distro do when there's new flash player version? It queries manufacturer site, downloads new version from the manufacturer, or distro site, and installs it. So central update facility of the OS is maintained in one place. You dont wanna updates to run, you dont have million programs to turn off auto-update individually. You want update to run at a certain time only, there's only one place to configure the update.

Windows method where every program has its individual update system is broken.

So your proposal, Op, sucks.
Mara Rinn
Cosmic Goo Convertor
#8 - 2012-02-06 04:53:52 UTC
leviticus ander wrote:
why not just have some form of launcher. if they were to do this you could get all the patches in one big chunk or at least before you launch the game. as well as if they were to do this they could make it capable of being aware of multiple clients so as it's updating it updates all of your clients rather than just the one you launched.


The EVE launcher is coming. It downloads and applies all relevant patches before actually launching the game.

Go try the Singlarity client, complete with launcher. Sadly the launcher is only available for Windows users. CCP is still playing catch-up with Blizzard in that regard.

From my perspective, Blizzard had an awesome model with their launcher/background downloader. They would seed patch files a long time in advance of the actual patch: it didn't matter if you withdrew changes, they'd just get thrown away without the user's involvement. So you launch WoW, play for a while, then when you quit the launcher/downloader would continue running with the patches downloading in the background. If I wanted my bandwidth for something else, I'd just tell the downloader to pause (or quit). Simple interaction with the user, and paranoid delusionals like myself could pretend we were in control :)

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