EVE Information Portal

CCP Topknot and his team have written a new dev blog about the EVE Launcher set to launch soon (I've always wondered if you need a launcher to launch a launcher and who built the first launcher then? Crazy stuff right? Anyway...)

This blog should answer many of your questions about the launcher but don't be shy if you have more! We eagerly await your feedback as always.

Note that if you go to the test server, there's a pre-existing test server feedback thread here.

Also, have a look at the Evelopedia article here: http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/EVE_Launcher


FAQ

* Q: Will I have to use the Launcher, or can I opt out?
* A: Yes, you will have to use it. The previous patching mechanic is going away, and this will be the only supported way of updating your client in the future.

* Q: What about Manual patches?
* A: Manual patches will also go away, but for those of you who have multiple computers and only wish to download the data once from the internet, there is an option to Import/Export the downloaded data from machine to another.

* Q: How will I manage multiple installs?
* A: If you currently have multiple clients installed on the same machine, you can use the Import/Export feature under the Patches tab in the settings menu. This also works between machines but only if you are updating both of them from, and to, the same version.

To avoid having to install multiple clients on the same machine, you can use NTFS Junction Points. More information can be found here: http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Multiple_clients

* Q: Will the Launcher work with Junction points and Symlinks?
* A: From the testing we have done, it works.

* Q: Does the Launcher use peer-to-peer technology? And if so, will it use my bandwidth without telling me?
* A: P2P is one of the features that might come in the future (hopefully the not too distant future), but still we're quite far away from it right now. When implementing it, we will make sure that the user has full visibility and control over what is done, and that nobody sneaking away with your bandwidth without you knowing.

We're looking into that actually! Thanks

****.

I hoped for missile launhers.


But... this is ok too, when it can't be dev-blog about missile launchers.

Corpse launcher! FINALLY!!

Also, how will this affect us with multiple installs?

edit2/Also this multiple connection stuff... have you counted how many people are having problems with your regular patches in "auto" mode... I hope you still will provide static downloads (thinking multiple installs again...) (ofc that can be obtained via other means - torrent - than your sometimes slow CDN)?

/c

Got a broken link in the devblog proper at the end,.

Said it before and say it again. I DO NOT WANT AN AUTORUN MENU WHEN I CLICK THE SHORTCUT TO LAUNCH THE GAME!

I don't quite understand what you mean, can you elaborate please?

...which is why there's a setting to turn it off if there's not a patch currently available.

I appreciate the technological merits here, but I'm much more pleased with Topknot & co. consideration of the player experience. Giving us the ability to turn it off when not needed and thinking in terms of how it can be used (e.g., logging in through it so we have things we can do while the game patches) are what really sell me on the idea.

The launcher can generate a .patch file that you can use to patch multiple installs, which is equivalent to the static patch that I think you're referring to. It has the benefit of working natively with the launcher, so that if you try to patch a broken client with a .patch file, it will use the available data in the patch and download what it needs.

I think he means "when I double-click the EVE Online icon on my desktop, I want the game to start. I do not want to click my desktop icon to look at a pretty picture, which I then need to click to start the game.

I think the comment about not launching the launcher unless a patch is required addresses this, however.

Good stuff... but I would like to offer a couple of suggestions that would turn this from 'good' into 'fantastic:

* Saving the login details of user passwords. Don't mention security, please, if someone wanted to steal my password and had code execution access they're much more likely to go after my EvE Gate login details :)

* Being able to automatically hook in to an *extremely limited* API vCode for each account that I successfully log into, and which lasts so long as the account password remains the same. It should allow the launcher to show me a list of all of my characters (on every account I've logged in with). If they have mail it should display the appropriate icon, and it should show their current training.

Clicking on one should use stored credentials to jump into that account. Yeah obviously there needs to be a way to not save details, or to forget them. But I imagine 98% of us play on our own machines.

Oh yeah, and please, for the love of christ.... log which clients are connected and give us a warning:

"Just a heads up... you were probably trying to log in to your carrier alt, but in reality you're about to log in to the same account as you're currently PvPing in... it's going to get a proxy closed notice, and you're going to feel really really silly when your command ship gets blown to pieces while you're reconnecting... Are you sure you want to continue?"