Massive Download

[Mijen]

Issue resolved.
The install from Disc 2 failed at for some reason early on. It then switched to dwld mode to finish the install.
I reinstalled from the beginning and the dwld was 5x smaller. It went from 250,000 to around 50,000 files.

Original Post

So I bought the retail copy to avoid have to download the game. I put the disc in. It installs for like 3 minutes. And now I have a massive f-ing download.
Like 250,000 files. Needless to say I am very annoyed. 10minutes in I am at 1%..

Also the link I get to validate my account isn't valid....

Is this something everyone has to do?

[Mudkiper]

The email validation link when you login hasn't been working since the pre-release, for me atleast. Doesn't effect anything though.

[Varyk]

You could have very easily avoided this, they let you download/install the entire game at least a week prior to release, with tiny patches updating every day or so.

[Mijen]

You could have... blah blah. That's in no way helpful, Varyk.
I have never seen a disk install of a JUST released game require so much of an update.

[Varyk]

You could have... blah blah. That's in no way helpful, Varyk.
I have never seen a disk install of a JUST released game require so much of an update.

Complaining doesn't help either. That is surprising that there is that much to download, but for the future "now you know".

[Mijen]

Well, if you actually read the OP I was asking a question. If you're not going to answer, don't post. K, thx.

[Prepared]

You could have... blah blah. That's in no way helpful, Varyk.
I have never seen a disk install of a JUST released game require so much of an update.

I've seen this happen with every single MMORPG that I purchased that had a disk to install the game with. Including WoW, Everquest, Everquest II, Guild Wars (wasn't much because the game had max 6 gig if I remember at the time), Matrix Online, Final Fantasy Online, Warhammer Online.

Guild Wars 2 had the least amount of a download for me because they let me pre-purchase the game and have access to the betas, stress tests and keep the same client. Most other games don't use the same client used for betas for release.

[Grraarrgghh]

Well, if you actually read the OP I was asking a question. If you're not going to answer, don't post. K, thx.

Considering this is literally the sixth thread today to ask, I'd say yes, everyone who bought a physical copy had to download 3-4 weeks worth of updates as well.

Shocking.

[Apaz]

I hope you have good internet, OP. The download uses a http protocol as opposed to a p2p one, this means if you get even a tiny bit of packet loss, your download will stop and you will have to start all over again.

I downloaded it on my pc (with a spliced ethernet cable), got to 50%, got packet loss and had it stop, then I had to re-download the whole thing.

[Lifedragon99]

I hope you have good internet, OP. The download uses a http protocol as opposed to a p2p one, this means if you get even a tiny bit of packet loss, your download will stop and you will have to start all over again.

I downloaded it on my pc (with a spliced ethernet cable), got to 50%, got packet loss and had it stop, then I had to re-download the whole thing.

It doesn't restart from the beggining. If you look at the files remaining that goes down but the progress bar starts back at 1%.

eg: you start at 250000 items, get down to 125000 the progress bar says 50%, than you loose and regain your internet connection, The progress bar restarts at 0% but the items remaining stays at 125000.

[MOLTENSPRING]

I hope you have good internet, OP. The download uses a http protocol as opposed to a p2p one, this means if you get even a tiny bit of packet loss, your download will stop and you will have to start all over again.

I downloaded it on my pc (with a spliced ethernet cable), got to 50%, got packet loss and had it stop, then I had to re-download the whole thing.

this is false info i have probaly the worst internet in the world where i live and i had no probs what so ever dl the game even after stopping coz i capped the net

[Apaz]

Ah, I see. I thought since It was starting again from 1% It was actually restarting the download. My mistake.

[Gisei]

The download tends to be very top heavy too, so the percent should speed up the farther in you get.

[Granyala]

The download tends to be very top heavy too, so the percent should speed up the farther in you get.

% number seems to be bound to the file number rather to the total size of the download.

@OP 250K files? Seems like the disc install did almost nothing, I bought the game digitally and DLd 260K Files. (~ 15Gigs I think)

[vesseblah]

So I bought the retail copy to avoid have to download the game. I put the disc in. It installs for like 3 minutes. And now I have a massive f-ing download.
Like 250,000 files. Needless to say I am very annoyed. 10minutes in I am at 1%..

The discs are made 8-10 weeks before release to make sure there are enough game boxes in stores on launch day. Those don't just magically appear but need to be manufactured in mass production which takes time.

Because the disc is two months old and beta has been running until the launch, every single daily patch since June has to be downloaded.

[Blufossa]

You could have... blah blah. That's in no way helpful, Varyk.
I have never seen a disk install of a JUST released game require so much of an update.

WoW did it, WAR did it, SWTOR did it, and just about any MMO had updates very early to combat bugs and errors (etc).

ArenaNet is no different other than what their product offers.

[jmacphee9]

You could have... blah blah. That's in no way helpful, Varyk.
I have never seen a disk install of a JUST released game require so much of an update.

you havent bought very many games in the last 2 years then? none of the online games come with much on the disc anymore. also as a warning, if you hold onto this philosophy for much longer you will be very dissapointed, in the next few years no/very little software will be on discs.

[Mudkiper]

Ah, I see. I thought since It was starting again from 1% It was actually restarting the download. My mistake.

You're confusing the way the downloader works, it downloads files e.g. 200k files, if you only look at the percentage and you reach 50% you'll have 100k files left for example, if you restart the downloader your percentage will be back to 0% but it will only have 100k to download still.

[Mijen]

Issue resolved.
The install from Disc 2 failed at for some reason early on. It then switched to dwld mode to finish the install.
I reinstalled from the beginning and the dwld was 5x smaller. It went from 250,000 to around 50,000 files.

[ZenX]

Isn't 5 GB worth of update at the time is bit too much for a game you buy from the shelf and just waste your evening for the install?

...and don't give me the "But certain other MMOs had this issue at their launch" is not an excuse, GW2 is a game of now not a game of years or months past.