Help! What happens tomorrow (Feb 15)?

walt_scrivens · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:17 pm

I think I have screwed up, and need some advice to get out of it.

A long time ago, when Cyan first announced that Uru would be on GameTap, I signed up, mostly to show support for Cyan. I downloaded the GameTap browser, but none of the games interested me, so I just left it.

When Open Beta began, I downloaded it from GameTap. Out of expediency I got into the habit of starting the game from UruLauncher.exe on my hard drive, rather than going through GameTap, althought the GameTap splash screen/video plays every time I start up, and I use my GameTap username and password.

A few weeks ago I got a new PC, and I copied the Uru Live files, but not the GameTap stuff. Live still runs fine.

:?:

Now for the problem... Starting tomorrow, will we have to log in through GameTap? I downloaded the GameTap browser last night, and it does not appear to realize that I already have the Beta, since it insists on trying to download it. Should I go ahead and re-download the Beta files? What about all the ages I alrady have on my PC? And will there be a whole new download to do tomorrow - maybe I should wait?

I do know that the game progress is stored on the server, so I'm not concerned about losing that, but I would like to avoid several hours of downloading files I already have, and I want to be sure I can log in tomorrow.

Help, please!?!

Rusty_Russell · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:21 pm

I think when this happened in the past, people did the full GameTap download, then overwrote a couple of the folders with their beta equivalents. (They have different download folder paths).

Saruk · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:04 pm

There's a tools application under the gametap menu in your start/programs menu. You can use it to locate already downloaded games. I had to do this a couple of times.

Just an FYI, I think it did fail once though.

Ian Atrus · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:12 pm

Cyan prefers those who can to log in through the GameTap interface.

As for your problem, I can't use GameTap so I can't really help you there.

Weirga · **Joined:** Mon Sep 18, 2006 7:16 pm **Posts:** 216

You can download the game via the GameTap interface, then copy over the dat and sfx folders from your installation to the C:\Program Files\GameTap\volumes\games\140000150\data directory. That should minimize the downloading that you have to do.

I'm guessing that the standalone version will still work, but Cyan has asked us to use the GameTap client to access the game. I recommend checking out Sam and Max, among other games. You might want to check out the GameTap thread in the off-topic section to see other recommended games.

Marten · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:37 pm

Maybe someday GameTap will allow us to place 3 to 5 direct shortcuts on their main menu page for our favorite Favorites.

Hint hint.

dadguy · **Posted:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:20 pm

Hey Marten,

I have always used GameTap (since it's been avail as the interface) and all I do when that GameTap Home TV thingy starts is click below that window on "Game Vault", and my "Favorites" pops up with my 5 favorite games.

Now, granted, I have to click a whole extra mouse click, but it still is pretty good.

That was off topic....

Walt, I hope you figured out what to do... I'd do it NOW in any case so you are ready to go.

Dadguy

Dan'nee · **Joined:** Mon Oct 16, 2006 2:18 pm **Posts:** 722

dadguy wrote:

Hey Marten,

I have always used GameTap (since it's been avail as the interface) and all I do when that GameTap Home TV thingy starts is click below that window on "Game Vault", and my "Favorites" pops up with my 5 favorite games.

Now, granted, I have to click a whole extra mouse click, but it still is pretty good.

That was off topic....

Walt, I hope you figured out what to do... I'd do it NOW in any case so you are ready to go.

Dadguy

The problem, though, is the waiting for Gametap to load portion. If I could have a shortcut straight to Uru Live I wouldn't have to wait the extra minute or two for Gametap to load. It's only a minute or two, but I get into the game that much quicker (especially when it takes about 5 tries for my computer to finally get past initial updates instead of just hanging).

walt_scrivens · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:22 am

Quote:

You can download the game via the GameTap interface, then copy over the dat and sfx folders from your installation to the C:\Program Files\GameTap\volumes\games\140000150\data directory. That should minimize the downloading that you have to do.

That's pretty much what I did....
I was downloading from home last night (before I made the first post) and it failed after nearly 3 hours (on a 1.5MB DSL)

Then when i got to work (T-3 connection) I started it downloading again. It ran for a total of 6 hours, with numerous restarts, and finally got down to the end - I watched tha last 5 minutes go by, then it said "re-computing" where the time shows, and died with an error.

The downloaded files are all OK. I can get logged in using UruLauncher.exe, but just can't get in via GameTap.

We'll see what happens tomorrow......

Walt

mcbride3 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:47 am

Dan'nee said:
"The problem, though, is the waiting for Gametap to load portion."

Another problem is that GameT takes between 100 and 200 mb of memory to load, but gives back only something like 30 mb when it releases you to MU:OL.

That leaves me with only 10% +/- free RAMM with which to absorb so many special effects in the game. I suspect others have this problem too.

walt_scrivens · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:23 pm

A conclusion to my saga:

Last night, once again, I signed on to GameTap and began downloading. After 1 hour and 45 minutes (at 1.5 MB/sec) I finally had the whole download. Total connect-time doing downloads was nearly eight hours. From the time I clicked "Play" in GameTap (after the download was complete) to the avatar selection screen was another 15 minutes. Something is seriously wrong!

I regularly do large downloads, and it usually takes less than 2 hours to download a CD image (650MB), with all the error handling invisible to the user. To have a download progress for over an hour, and then just quit so that the user must manually restart, is totally unreasonable IMHO.

I hope that this is just a phenomenon relating to having limited resources during the beta, and that (today!) when we go live, that GameTap will devote more resources to the new downloads.

Does anyone know what time today they will pull the switch?

walt

Rusty_Russell · **Posted:** Thu Feb 15, 2007 1:28 pm

It's been reported as 6:00 PST - about an hour - so that's what we're waiting for. (It doesn't mean all that much to me personally as I'm an international at work, but it must be thrilling for Cyan).

Help! What happens tomorrow (Feb 15)?

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