Why so many updates?! Rise of Kunark All-in-One

Sharlesa · 03-25-2008, 08:30 PM

Hi,Yesterday I bought the all-in-one pack. I installed it and then waited patiently for about two hours while all the updates downloaded (this I expected, having played Trial of Isle some years ago). Then I played for about an hour and a half and went to bed.So today now I want to play again. Except that I'm stuck downloading updates again, with an ETA of another 2 hours. I assume it isn't hung because the progress bar is actually advancing. But is this normal?If it is normal, why do players put up with it? Surely SOE can get their act together and streamline the update process! This is ridiculous, and terrible customer service!

Elorah · 03-25-2008, 08:38 PM

Well, RoK came out in November of 2007 if I remember correctly... There have been a few updates since then

However, there were no patches today, so unless you didnt download them all yesterday....it should be downloading again today....

Sharlesa · 03-25-2008, 09:10 PM

That might be. Though my boyfriend is having the same issue.Honestly though, SOE should do something different with updates, like making a full updated build available for people who buy the DVD packs, and then only updating once a week to reduce delays. When I played Trial of the Isle in 2004/05 the updates were done the same way they are now and it's a bit disappointing to see SOE hasn't come up with anything better.

Josgar · 03-25-2008, 09:31 PM

I dont know how the game update discs would work persay...

Would thye like mail them or somthing?

It would be impossible for them to get stores to stock them me thinks.

Rise of Kunark came out with game update 40. So there have been three major updates since then that include:

changes to some of the larger cities

Epic weapon quests

new raidable monsters

looting changes

etc.

This does not count various hotfixes either.

Its alot if you are three or four months out of the loop, but the attention that the devs give this game is awesome.

Sharlesa · 03-25-2008, 10:11 PM

No, I don't mean an update disc. The update build would have to be a (free) download that has a week's or two week's worth of updates bundled in it and saves to a file on the hard drive and then is installed. ie, You go to log in and get a prompt instead that says something like

"There's a new version available! Would you like to download now? Save/Cancel"

This way, unless it's a critical update that is needed to keep the game from borking, players have some control over when they install those updates (like before bed or while away from home, instead of before playing). Right now SOE doesn't give players a choice and it's a huge waste of time. Frilly/minor updates and patches that not everybody necessarily needs at the same time shouldn't keep paying customers from playing for upwards of two or three hours when they choose to play (my two hour update is into its third hour now). An update method like this can have the updates compressed into a smaller file which downloads faster. Lots of programs use this or a similar method.If players repeatedly choose not to install the updated builds, a preset can be programmed that after X number of builds the update is forced (ie, if one build is released per week, set the force update to 4 or 5 missed/declined updates), but otherwise, don't jam updates down peoples' throats so often.

Seidhkona · 03-25-2008, 11:30 PM

Sharlesa wrote:

If players repeatedly choose not to install the updated builds, a preset can be programmed that after X number of builds the update is forced (ie, if one build is released per week, set the force update to 4 or 5 missed/declined updates), but otherwise, don't jam updates down peoples' throats so often.

There is a setting in the Launcher options that allows you to have downloads go on in the background for non-essential content -- stuff like music files, say. But DO be aware that the download time estimate on the patcher is NOTORIOUSLY wrong. It will say 20 hours then it will be done 23 minutes later. Ignore the time estimate. However, currently SOE is making changes to improve performance, which I can just about guarantee means that a lot of stuff in the datastream is changing. This will affect a lot of areas of the game, and I would think that every one of the last three updates is absolutely critical if you are going to communicate with the server-side software.The OP seemed to be asking about the initial install. SOE burns the install CDs and DVDs weeks before release day, then they are frantically patching and evolving last-minute stuff right up until an expansion comes out. That means on Expansion Release day you do a huge download even if you have the physical media. To my eye most of that content is music and voice packs.After a Live Update (i.e., a game update that does not involve buying more expansions/adventure packs) you will usually see some patch fixes off and on for a week or two. Like EVERY other software development project, I'm certain SOE's test environment is not quite the same as the live servers, and odd bugs that didn't appear in Test WILL show up when you go live. There's also the factor of having a vastly larger playerbase in live than on Test, and so things that the Test server players missed gets reported. Thus the patch fixes. The average fix involves about an hour of downtime at 7AM Pacific, which is not really that big a deal.I personally wish I could click an option that would stop Legends of Norrath updates through EQ2's patch. When I do use LoN, it's via the stand-alone client, and I'd VASTLY prefer to not have to have EQ2 downloading it too. but c'est la vie.

Sharlesa · 03-27-2008, 01:26 AM

Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote:

There is a setting in the Launcher options that allows you to have downloads go on in the background for non-essential content -- stuff like music files, say.

That's an improvement at least. I didn't know that option existed, so thanks for sharing!Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote:

However, currently SOE is making changes to improve performance, which I can just about guarantee means that a lot of stuff in the datastream is changing. This will affect a lot of areas of the game, and I would think that every one of the last three updates is absolutely critical if you are going to communicate with the server-side software.

This is encouraging too. If they're at least trying to do something about it, it's better than nothing.Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote:

I personally wish I could click an option that would stop Legends of Norrath updates through EQ2's patch. When I do use LoN, it's via the stand-alone client, and I'd VASTLY prefer to not have to have EQ2 downloading it too. but c'est la vie.

lol This sounds like something I would prefer too. I have no interest in Legends of Norrath so it'd be nice to not have the content taking up space on my machine.Thanks for your thorough answer!

03-25-2008, 08:38 PM	#2
Elorah Loremaster Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 3,200	Well, RoK came out in November of 2007 if I remember correctly... There have been a few updates since then However, there were no patches today, so unless you didnt download them all yesterday....it should be downloading again today.... __________________

03-25-2008, 11:30 PM	#6
Seidhkona Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,115	Sharlesa wrote: If players repeatedly choose not to install the updated builds, a preset can be programmed that after X number of builds the update is forced (ie, if one build is released per week, set the force update to 4 or 5 missed/declined updates), but otherwise, don't jam updates down peoples' throats so often. There is a setting in the Launcher options that allows you to have downloads go on in the background for non-essential content -- stuff like music files, say. But DO be aware that the download time estimate on the patcher is NOTORIOUSLY wrong. It will say 20 hours then it will be done 23 minutes later. Ignore the time estimate. However, currently SOE is making changes to improve performance, which I can just about guarantee means that a lot of stuff in the datastream is changing. This will affect a lot of areas of the game, and I would think that every one of the last three updates is absolutely critical if you are going to communicate with the server-side software.The OP seemed to be asking about the initial install. SOE burns the install CDs and DVDs weeks before release day, then they are frantically patching and evolving last-minute stuff right up until an expansion comes out. That means on Expansion Release day you do a huge download even if you have the physical media. To my eye most of that content is music and voice packs.After a Live Update (i.e., a game update that does not involve buying more expansions/adventure packs) you will usually see some patch fixes off and on for a week or two. Like EVERY other software development project, I'm certain SOE's test environment is not quite the same as the live servers, and odd bugs that didn't appear in Test WILL show up when you go live. There's also the factor of having a vastly larger playerbase in live than on Test, and so things that the Test server players missed gets reported. Thus the patch fixes. The average fix involves about an hour of downtime at 7AM Pacific, which is not really that big a deal.I personally wish I could click an option that would stop Legends of Norrath updates through EQ2's patch. When I do use LoN, it's via the stand-alone client, and I'd VASTLY prefer to not have to have EQ2 downloading it too. but c'est la vie. __________________

03-27-2008, 01:26 AM	#7
Sharlesa Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4	Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote: There is a setting in the Launcher options that allows you to have downloads go on in the background for non-essential content -- stuff like music files, say. That's an improvement at least. I didn't know that option existed, so thanks for sharing!Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote: However, currently SOE is making changes to improve performance, which I can just about guarantee means that a lot of stuff in the datastream is changing. This will affect a lot of areas of the game, and I would think that every one of the last three updates is absolutely critical if you are going to communicate with the server-side software. This is encouraging too. If they're at least trying to do something about it, it's better than nothing.Sigrdrifa@Lucan DLere wrote: I personally wish I could click an option that would stop Legends of Norrath updates through EQ2's patch. When I do use LoN, it's via the stand-alone client, and I'd VASTLY prefer to not have to have EQ2 downloading it too. but c'est la vie. lol This sounds like something I would prefer too. I have no interest in Legends of Norrath so it'd be nice to not have the content taking up space on my machine.Thanks for your thorough answer!

03-25-2008, 08:30 PM	#1
Sharlesa Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4	Hi,Yesterday I bought the all-in-one pack. I installed it and then waited patiently for about two hours while all the updates downloaded (this I expected, having played Trial of Isle some years ago). Then I played for about an hour and a half and went to bed.So today now I want to play again. Except that I'm stuck downloading updates again, with an ETA of another 2 hours. I assume it isn't hung because the progress bar is actually advancing. But is this normal?If it is normal, why do players put up with it? Surely SOE can get their act together and streamline the update process! This is ridiculous, and terrible customer service!

03-25-2008, 09:10 PM	#3
Sharlesa Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4	That might be. Though my boyfriend is having the same issue.Honestly though, SOE should do something different with updates, like making a full updated build available for people who buy the DVD packs, and then only updating once a week to reduce delays. When I played Trial of the Isle in 2004/05 the updates were done the same way they are now and it's a bit disappointing to see SOE hasn't come up with anything better.

03-25-2008, 09:31 PM	#4
Josgar Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,606	I dont know how the game update discs would work persay... Would thye like mail them or somthing? It would be impossible for them to get stores to stock them me thinks. Rise of Kunark came out with game update 40. So there have been three major updates since then that include: changes to some of the larger cities Epic weapon quests new raidable monsters looting changes etc. This does not count various hotfixes either. Its alot if you are three or four months out of the loop, but the attention that the devs give this game is awesome.

03-25-2008, 10:11 PM	#5
Sharlesa Hero Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4	No, I don't mean an update disc. The update build would have to be a (free) download that has a week's or two week's worth of updates bundled in it and saves to a file on the hard drive and then is installed. ie, You go to log in and get a prompt instead that says something like "There's a new version available! Would you like to download now? Save/Cancel" This way, unless it's a critical update that is needed to keep the game from borking, players have some control over when they install those updates (like before bed or while away from home, instead of before playing). Right now SOE doesn't give players a choice and it's a huge waste of time. Frilly/minor updates and patches that not everybody necessarily needs at the same time shouldn't keep paying customers from playing for upwards of two or three hours when they choose to play (my two hour update is into its third hour now). An update method like this can have the updates compressed into a smaller file which downloads faster. Lots of programs use this or a similar method.If players repeatedly choose not to install the updated builds, a preset can be programmed that after X number of builds the update is forced (ie, if one build is released per week, set the force update to 4 or 5 missed/declined updates), but otherwise, don't jam updates down peoples' throats so often.