Patches from Hell

[republic]

I have the unfortunate luck to have no access to real broadband, so I have to make due with very meager bandwidth allotments, download caps, etc.

I booted up Steam this morning to find that Sword of the Stars 2 wants to download 3319.2 mb to update.  I got rid of my PS3 a few months back because every time I wanted to play it, I had to download a 45mb patcher program to download a 300mb patch.

I know I've been around awhile, but I can't understand why a patch should require I redownload that much game assets.

Honestly, you would think Steam would have even lower patching download requirements.  You would think the Steam client could look at the new updated install, and look at your own install and then only swap out the files that are different.

For us bandwidth challenged...its very frustrating.  :(

[Tpek]

I have the unfortunate luck to have no access to real broadband, so I have to make due with very meager bandwidth allotments, download caps, etc.

I booted up Steam this morning to find that Sword of the Stars 2 wants to download 3319.2 mb to update.  I got rid of my PS3 a few months back because every time I wanted to play it, I had to download a 45mb patcher program to download a 300mb patch.

I know I've been around awhile, but I can't understand why a patch should require I redownload that much game assets.

Honestly, you would think Steam would have even lower patching download requirements.  You would think the Steam client could look at the new updated install, and look at your own install and then only swap out the files that are different.

For us bandwidth challenged...its very frustrating.  :(

If you don't have broadband internet access I'd recommend avoiding Steam altogether.
It never asks for permissions to patch the games, and often developers are so crappy at producing proper patches that they just force you to redownload whole games again and again, even if they are well over 10GB.

[republic]

If you don't have broadband internet access I'd recommend avoiding Steam altogether.
It never asks for permissions to patch the games, and often developers are so crappy at producing proper patches that they just force you to redownload whole games again and again, even if they are well over 10GB.

I know!  That drives me insane!  I usually play with Steam offline, but inevitably I go online to try a small demo or something, Civ5 becomes self aware and wants to download its 10gb self again.  It wouldn't be so bad if you could just cancel the update but you cant, and you cant play until the update is complete.

I'm a big geek, and I've devised an elaborate method to keep my Steam folder up to date.  I have a copy of Steam installed on a virtual machine on a USB Hard drive that I can just take with me wherever, and I update it as I can.  At the library, McDonalds, at work, etc.  Once its up to date I can use backup/restore, but sometimes that doesn't work, so I use Synctoy to copy over the updated files.

I try to do the copy over process as sparingly as possible because it wipes out the security 'cookie' Steam does, and I'm terrified at some point when Steam has to send me a new login credential they are going to just ban my account without letting me explain myself.  :(

[Martok]

I had similar problems with Steam and Empire Total War.  I've been leery of Steam-required PC titles ever since (although not only for that reason). 

I have the unfortunate luck to have no access to real broadband, so I have to make due with very meager bandwidth allotments, download caps, etc.

As someone who was in your shoes not that long ago, I fully sympathize.  It's one of the reasons I wish patches/updates would get released more often but in smaller portions.