Launcher Downloading 5.2 Gb?

[AluminumHaste]

So I installed Warframe onto my USB key at work, went quick as it's a 100Mbps connection.

 

Ran the launcher 4 times to make sure there's NOTHING else that needs to be downloaded, even logged into the game to make sure it worked, worked perfectly.

 

I get home, plug in my USB key, run the launcher; Downloading 5199MB.

USB key shows 8 GB for the Warframe folder before I try to run it at home.

 

Now it's getting bigger.

So what is it downloading now that it didn't download 3 hours ago?

 

Are you telling me that from the time I left work to the time I got home 3 hours later, that an update came out that's 5.2 GB in size?

 

Everytime I want to play this game I'm plagued with these stupid issues THAT NO OTHER GAME EVER GIVES ME!

I have a 128 GB USB flash drive and it's full of steam games that I play at work AND at home on a daily basis.

 

Every Single Game Works Perfectly Except Warframe. 

What is it doing, installing half the data to the install folder and the other half in a USER folder somewhere?

 

And it's the same problem as before, I can't spend all afternoon re-downloading as I'll lag everyone else in the house.

[MillbrookWest]

This is a big update. Chances are a lot of system files have been touched.

 

If your windows registry goes looking for a file that no longer exists, what's it gunna do? 

 

Also, this isn't a dev issue. You're making the conscious choice to install into a location that's lacking any windows files. Your USB does not have any registry files, DX files etc.

 

Chances are system files were not installed/updated. Hence a redownload of the entire game.

 

EDIT:

For clarity:

Games install registry entries to tell windows where it is amongst many other things. This is separate from say a content patch, where the game itself looks for the files it needs...ie. the new content.

 

If you update the game and content but don't tell windows that you've changed "X" file, windows will look for "X" and not find it, you may instead have "X.1" files instead.

 

Point being, Your system is probably looking for Update 14.10 files.

 

P.S - I simplified(took liberties with) the description of the 'registry' a bit ;)

Edited October 25, 2014 by MillbrookWest

[AluminumHaste]

Right, that's my point; every other game I play this way works without issue. Why is this the only one that his this problem?

Also the point was, I DID download the update, I checked several times by running then closing the launcher several times at work and it said it had no more updates.

So where is it installing this update to? Is it putting it in program files or some other place aside from the install directory of I:\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\Common?

From what I can tell it's not, as the USB key keeps getting more full every time I check.

So this launcher/installer is so stupid that instead of checking if the actual files are there, it just assumes they aren't because it's a different drive letter? Pretty moronic.

[Rydian]

Steam's game verification is #*($%%@ up with Warframe, it will actually backdate you to a really old Warframe install that the Warframe launcher will then need to update.  This is actually true with any game that uses it's own CMS to manage updates instead of Steam's update process.

 

The function SHOULD be disabled in Steam (it is for other games that do this) but for some reason Valve hasn't disabled it for Warframe's entry.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Rydian

[MillbrookWest]

Right, that's my point; every other game I play this way works without issue. Why is this the only one that his this problem? Also the point was, I DID download the update, I checked several times by running then closing the launcher several times at work and it said it had no more updates. So where is it installing this update to? Is it putting it in program files or some other place aside from the install directory of I:\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\Common? From what I can tell it's not, as the USB key keeps getting more full every time I check. So this launcher/installer is so stupid that instead of checking if the actual files are there, it just assumes they aren't because it's a different drive letter? Pretty moronic.

When you install a game, only the game files go onto the drive. Be it C;, D;, H:, I:, whatever.

 

The game also edits your registry with config files, counters, driver versions etc. etc, This is what you don't have as your USB does not have registry files to edit.

 

The problem is with your home PC.

 

If i use Skyrim for example (everyone knows skyrim i presume?).

If i make a sword for skyrim, i will put the required files (mesh, texture, data file etc) in the \Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim\data folder.

 

When i run skyrim, the skyrim engine will look through the game files, see that sword, and put it into the game world.

 

However, before the game engine runs, windows collects all the relevant kernal files, drivers, etc (system files) required to run skyrim. This info is usually held in your registry. Hence why i said your USB has no registry files.

 

When you 'double click' the game executable, windows runs around your PC finding what it needs to run the game.

 

IF (for example) it wants an Archwing.dll but can't find it, it will report the file isn't on the system. hence causing the launcher to download whatever it needs that contains that .dll

 

When you installed it to your work PC, the changes to the registry were made to that PC. Telling your work PC that Archwing.dll can be found in X location. All you've done is take the warframe files (the sword in my example), and tried to use it with a system that might still be looking for a NyxPrime.dll, your home PC is then saying it can't find NyxPrime.dll, as the game files only have something called Archwing.dll, prompting the launcher to re-download something that has that file (hence the re-download of the game). The re-download will then run an installer which will make nessasary tweaks to the registry, but instead of telling your home PC to look for NyxPrime.dll, it will instead say look for a Archwing.dll. - This is what you're missing, the changes the installer makes when installing.

 

ps. The .dll's are made up just for ease of describing.

 

EDIT:

If your other games run fine then it is something with those games, this isn't a Warframe thing. With any game (unless you know how it works) running it off of medium you move around is essentially like rolling a dice.

Some games will keep .ini files in their executable, some will keep them in the game install folder some will put it in the registry.

 

Regardless, all (a lie of sorts, most do) games make registry edits when you install them, and teh recent warframe update was a big update.

Edited October 26, 2014 by MillbrookWest

[AluminumHaste]

It's doing it, again.

All I did was double click the Warframe short cut and it launched steam and it's downloading 5.8GB this time...........................

 

Now it's gone from my computer.

I was playing this last night for over an hour doing the intro missions.

 

Now it's nowhere on my computer, except in the Steam temp folder.

 

How in the F*** is this game THIS broken?

So everytime I play this game now I have to download another 6GB?

 

To be clear, I have 85 games installed on Steam, not a single @(*()$ game does this.

 

Not.

One.

Game.

 

Stop defending DE, this is inexcusible.

Edited October 26, 2014 by AluminumHaste

[Rydian]

Check if the files are there before you try to run the game each time.

 

Also check if the files are there a few minutes after the game finishes closing.

 

It might be something else on your computer deleting important Warframe files when Warfram isn't running.

[AluminumHaste]

Downloading again at work, new launcher, very sexy, another 5.1GB on top of the 8 GB already downloaded.

Will see what happens at the 6 work computers I can test today.

 

I'll run the game and play for a bit and exit and see what happens.

[AluminumHaste]

Well I didn't have time to try any other computer but the one I was sitting at, but I was able to log in and walk around on my space ship.

 

So I got it home and just ran the launcher, sure enough it found another update, this time only 380MB:

 

 

Let's see if it actually loads up after this.

[Rydian]

Wait a sec...

 

That's not what my launcher looks like at all.  Is that standalone, and is the standalone launcher different from the Steam install nowadays?  Last I used the standalone launcher it looked the same as the Steam one.