Larian Studios Forums Dragon Commander Dragon Commander - General Preloading for Dragon Commander?

Hey guys! I'm super excited for this game and can't wait to get my hands dirty in kingdom politics...

Saying that though will we be able to preload the game before release? My internet connection isn't bad but I would rather not spend all of release day downloading the game rather than playing it.

Speaking of which, will the beta be turned into the full game or is it a completely separate application?

They are separate; Larian said they would look into if it will be possible to update the beta to the full game, though, to minimize the amount of downloading required.

I hope we can preload, cant wait to play this game!

i also want a preload

I'm afraid that if you are playing BETA on Steam, the actual Dragon Commander game will be a new entry in your Steam library, as that is the way it is organized.

There WILL be a preload, but the BETA data will not count towards that.

However, I think that if you simply copy the beta data to the folder where Dragon Commander regular will be installed, Steam may accept that as "data you already have" and will only download what you need. We could test that out, might work.

Well, since it can't be removed, some games like Team Fortress 2 have separate "beta" versions, despite being released, where players can test separate changes before they go live.

Although that probably wouldn't be ideal in this case because of all the free key giveaways. It would be a bit like getting too much of the multiplayer side for free, unless there's a a way to change the post-release beta to be "for those who bought the game only."

We could ask Steam if that is possible if that is what we want. We've also been thinking about keeping the beta app there to test out future updates and get feedback

I think there is no need for all that stuff. Just release a normal version on Steam.

A few gigs more or less, the average modern Steam user doesn't care, especially when preload is possible.

You should concentrate on more important stuff, Larian....

awesome, thanks

So approximately which day of the week will the Kickstarter backers get their Steam codes for the game? (Approximately when can we start preloading the game?)

Good idea, though it might be better as an opt-in situation.

Isn't leaving the beta installed after the release, and set to auto-update, already opting in?

EDIT: though of course for people who buy the game after the release, they should need to opt in (if that is an option).

Well, presumably you'd be using the Steam Beta system to give access to the beta? There's a way that you can request beta participation, so I figure that people who have Dragon Commander in their Steam library would be allowed to request participation in the beta, and then they'd have the beta app in their library too.

I don't know if you could do a default opt-in sort of thing, and you'd have to deal with the people who shouldn't have access to the beta (since presumably post-release the beta will be for purchasers only.)

I think however it works, some segment of people will have to download more than they want to download.

(edit: but a preload would be nice for those with slow internet to get a head start. )

I dont think the Beta Client will update to the actual client

Since its two different games on Steam

I think we need a specific preload

I don't think we "need" a preload at all, but that's just me.

Can I ask why so many people are against preloading? Some of the people here seem to be acting like that would hamper the development of Dragon Commander. Which is pretty wierd. Granted I know next to nothing about the actual process but I am pretty sure all it takes to set this up is to call steam and sign whatever papers they want.

If you are worried about taking away from dragon commander the game is already way past any serious additions gameplay wise. The changes the beta comes with are mostly but fixes and other changes that don't take significant resources to make.

So why knock that little extra convenience for those without the best Internet connection? If I had the opportunity to download the night before so I can actually play on release is helpful for saving time and boredom. (Downloading something as big as dragon commander means my Internet is locked down for my whole household.)

Preloading is simply giving you a head start on downloading the game before the release date, so that you can start playing it almost immediately instead of downloading it later. I don't think it causes any additional work for the developers, so why would anyone be opposed to it.

You missed the question mark, Stabbey :p

All I said is that I think we don't "need" preloading. What I implied should be pretty clear: it's not a necessity, it's a desire; a desire that seems to be quite widespread, in my opinion.
I don't see how a small delay matters as much as it's painted to matter.

I typically don't pre-order unless there is a confirmed pre-load. Sorta an you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours mentality :P

Preload will most probably start on Monday.

Beta is indeed a different app for Steam, so that data/download does not count towards "less dl".

We'll make sure that Vault preorders and backers get their keys on Monday too.