Very slow download times for today's update?

[Gwydion]

Hi folks,
Is anyone else experiencing very slow download times? Is anyone not one leviathan experiencing slow downloads? I've been on 1 FILE for about 20 minutes now :(

[Shirai]

I haven't started yet, but as far as I could read on other forums this update is kind of huge. (>1 GB)
Paired with the fact that this should be the "final" large content patch I think many people reactivated for just that.

And since everyone has to download the patch from a single location...

[YosemiteYogorockBlondelle]

Hi folks,
Is anyone else experiencing very slow download times? Is anyone not one leviathan experiencing slow downloads? I've been on 1 FILE for about 20 minutes now :(



I haven't started yet, but as far as I could read on other forums this update is kind of huge. (>1 GB)
Paired with the fact that this should be the "final" large content patch I think many people reactivated for just that.

And since everyone has to download the patch from a single location...
I'm sure you know this already but it also can be due to your devices or type of bandwidth connection service you have too but that being said, I'll let you know how the downloading goes while i'm doing other stuff. (Of course it could due to connection issues too)

[Mnejing]

They should extend the login campaign by 1 day.

[Isilrhofal]

So far I only downloaded ~ 1000 files in 5hours.
I restarted POL but performance did not improve...

the patch.txt file alone took almost 2minutes to download.

[Gwydion]

Yes, something is very wrong. After logging in, I see only 58 people on Leviathan server. :/

[Fahzewn]

I know the population of the game is not that great anymore but it could be because everyone is trying to download at the same time. I'm sure some have to remember not even being able to get on FFXI to download the files because so many logged in/updated at once.

But yeah, it took me 20 mins to get to 1%.

[Isilrhofal]

For testing purpose I also whitelisted my Client in my router for outgoing traffic and disabled any kind of Intrusion Protection.
Doesn't look any better though.
From what I can see the delay is when initialising a file (new file stuck several seconds at 0% before downloading) and then again at 75% (most of the time.)
When I checked the Router the traffic rarely goes above 970kbit/ unless I do some performance tests (and that is remotely connected to the client...) ; ;

[Zarchery]

Yeah. I was asleep when maintenance started but woke up about 4 AM to start the download. Then went back to sleep for another 3 hours. Woke up and it was only 11% downloaded.

[Vold]

Yeah I'm shocked to learn that since about 7 hours ago or about the moment the check version came up, I started downloading. Went to bed, woke up early just now, and it's at 22%, 640ish files downloaded. Go figure if a bunch of people decided to reactivate or something. Yesterday and last night there was 270ish people on for most of the day on Q... christ, I've seen double that on a free EQ ripoff game with different names for towns and monsters.

Anyway, this brings back memories. Ahhh, the good ole days when you might as well plan to log in the following day after an update because of long update times.

[Hayamiya]

Yes very slow.

[Vold]

For testing purpose I also whitelisted my Client in my router for outgoing traffic and disabled any kind of Intrusion Protection.
Doesn't look any better though.
From what I can see the delay is when initialising a file (new file stuck several seconds at 0% before downloading) and then again at 75% (most of the time.)
When I checked the Router the traffic rarely goes above 970kbit/ unless I do some performance tests (and that is remotely connected to the client...) ; ;
I'm counting 12 seconds on average for a file to download and once it begins it takes all of 2 seconds to finish before it moves on to the next. When you're talking 2500 files, that's several hours wait time just for the damn files to start downloading.....

I don't think it's a congestion issue. We know very sadly what a congestion issue is like when downloading these updates, and it's not happening here. At this rate it's only going to get worse and I may as well plan to log in sometime tomorrow instead of today.

[Zarchery]

Well I only see 42 people on all of Carbuncle right now.

[Altered]

Yeah i pretty much just copied my bro's updated files on a usb then transferred it to my computer.

GL

[Isilrhofal]

I'm counting 12 seconds on average for a file to download and once it begins it takes all of 2 seconds to finish before it moves on to the next. When you're talking 2500 files, that's several hours wait time just for the damn files to start downloading.....

I don't think it's a congestion issue. We know very sadly what a congestion issue is like when downloading these updates, and it's not happening here. At this rate it's only going to get worse and I may as well plan to log in sometime tomorrow instead of today.

I see ~12seconds for a file to start downloading as well. The download time itself varies a lot (which makes sense).

[Belmonts]

My theory is that there are really very few servers assigned to the FFXI update, because I did start the FFXIV update at the same time and is bigger (or, at least, the same size, more than 1.2 GB) and it only took 25 mins to download.

8 hours later and the update is at 31% (´_ゝ｀)

At least it didn't disconnect like it used to be in the past...

[Ikillshy]

There is definately an issue on SE's end they just will not admit it nor do anything about it.

[Shirai]

There is definately an issue on SE's end they just will not admit it nor do anything about it.

It is, the same problem they've had for years and no, it is not going to be solved.
Too many people downloading the update at the same time, and SE's patch server is lacking the bandwith to provide everyone.
To top it all off, this update is humongous, over 1 gigabyte worth of files, close to 1.5 gigs even. If I'd had to guess, this is probably the largest downloadable patch this game has ever had.
It's larger than most actual expansions when you bought them on actual disks. Yes, it is.

And since this is the "final" content patch ever to be released for this game, I figure many people resubscribed to see the end, adding to the pool of people trying to download the patch.

[Isilrhofal]

http://www.playonline.com/ff11eu/polnews/news24352.shtml

[elqplau]

This like being on dial up all over again I've been downloading now since the server came back up and only at 20% ....they used to do a few batch files on a big down load and a patch why in this age of data transmission do I need to have not 1 but 2 tweleve hour downloads? This is like dial up all over again :'(

[elqplau]

This like being on dial up all over again I've been downloading now since the server came back up and only at 20% ....they used to do a few batch files on a big down load and a patch why in this age of data transmission do I need to have not 1 but 2 tweleve hour downloads? This is like dial up all over again :'(

[Alhanelem]

slowest update ive seen in years.

[Billnes]

Hi folks,
Is anyone else experiencing very slow download times? Is anyone not one leviathan experiencing slow downloads? I've been on 1 FILE for about 20 minutes now :(

I'm leaving this reply on Tuesday, November 10th, 12 Noon USA Eastern Standard Time.

I still can't get the update. I use Optimum Online. It's nice and quick, but I just can't seem to hold the connection to get the download. I have lots of RL stuff to do today, so I'll try again about 5pm USA East and report what happens.

[Fahzewn]

Quick! Everyone stop downloading and let me test how it runs :)

[Obysuca]

Earlier this morning it took about 2 1/2 hours to get 5%, so I decided to leave it on and went to bed. Got up hoping to get on but got met with that I d/ced in the middle of it -.- Really don't feel like having the whole day being taken up redoing ALL of it because it doesn't pick up where it left off

[Zarchery]

Earlier this morning it took about 2 1/2 hours to get 5%, so I decided to leave it on and went to bed. Got up hoping to get on but got met with that I d/ced in the middle of it -.- Really don't feel like having the whole day being taken up redoing ALL of it because it doesn't pick up where it left off

I think the downloads do. The "checking" phase won't, but that's less time intensive than the downloads.

[Dragoy]

Really don't feel like having the whole day being taken up redoing ALL of it because it doesn't pick up where it left off

It actually should.

As far as I know, the up-to-date files that are downloaded during version updates are removed only after they've replaced the old files (and only after all the files required have been successfully downloaded).

I often interrupt the update process just before it fully completes, so that I can copy all the files with the tmp2-suffix elsewhere and use them to update my other installation(s), if/when need be. That way I'm not unnecessarily loading the already heavily loaded servers even further. ^^

Alternatively, I may have a simple script copying said files every five minutes or so, removing the need for me to stay sharp for when the time comes.

[Billnes]

Hi folks,
Is anyone else experiencing very slow download times? Is anyone not one leviathan experiencing slow downloads? I've been on 1 FILE for about 20 minutes now :(

4:08 PM EST on November 10th. Download on Optimum Online, in New York. Started at 12:30, 74% done.

[Afin]

started at 3 p.m. gmt, and only 625 files to go!, after at least 1 server connection lost due to traffic anyway, but really, this is wasting valuable double cp time, you should've really considered giving the bonus campaigns (as its in 2 parts this month) at least a day later to give time for everyone to get in for the update, now folks will only get 9 days over 10 on part 1 =(

[YosemiteYogorockBlondelle]

Hey, I'm back again all and haven't started the update yet making it my decision to wait it out by remembering what it was like updating in old days on ps2 when they would also update something related to the PoL viewer or this case for pc users my belief it's also the pol.config tool for windows(PC) users only is being updated in this patch based update as well as yeah i'm positive a ton of players who only play during the free subscription periods came back to play ffxi yet again too. I can imagine those getting the expansions they don't have yet downloaded in this traffic of a patch is only adding to the old days of slowness that's still around too.
:rolleyes:
I myself remembering what its like when everyone is coming jamming together to get the updated at the same time would cause sever congestion to get the downloads and as such I usually wait til a later time to start the downloads at a time when I believe mostly everyone's done getting there update finally completed but that being said I do agree and do wish all the events would start at a later time of day as well since we basically bombarded with too many events to do to get to them all in the allotted time they've given us in the month to do all shown campaigns/events/holiday events up and running at this current time, especially if we are living on a busy schedule to note it. :cool: :p

[Billnes]

Finally finished. 5:37PM!

[Ladynamine]

Finally finished. 5:37PM!

congrats! xD

And I agree w/ the people saying that we should get an incentive for the server congestion by extending the event stuff by a day or 2. This congestion is ridiculous. I wonder if the reason behind all of this is because of both FFXI and FFXIV's updates being on the same day.

[bungiefanNA]

There's another aspect to the update as well. PS2 users are hammering it, because it is installing Adoulin for them, so NA PS2 users are finally getting official access to the content. Also, a lot of us have been spreading the word on other FF sites to let people know the story is ended this month, to try to get people to check it out, and boost server populations a bit. Record Keeper's Japanese version just got Shantotto added and its first set of FFXI dungeons, and the people on the FFRK Reddit seem to be interested.

If the download is going too slow for you, people that have already patched are providing alternate download methods to get the files faster. I'd been downloading for over 12 hours officially, with only about 700 files out of the 2700 or so finished, and the compressed archive of patched files took only 5 minutes to download, and then maybe 10 to install.

[Alhanelem]

If you interrupt the update after downloading some files, generally it doesn't start over, but it doesn't include the downloaded files in the total count of files to download, so it always starts at 0%.

[Ladynamine]

If the download is going too slow for you, people that have already patched are providing alternate download methods to get the files faster. I'd been downloading for over 12 hours officially, and the compressed archive of patched files took only 5 minutes to download, and then maybe 10 to install.

I was like 500 files left when i saw this an hour ago. With me using a limited amount of data to download stuff, I took the bullet and finished it through slow downloading. For me to go to somewhere else and try it that way, it would eat more data than intended. (It was a good thought tho :) )

[oliveira]

It always check all the files on the update list the first stage of the update. It then makes a database of which ones it need to download and that's where you get that number of files to download from. It varies based on which disk expansions you had installed (now everyone have all expansions, no?). Then it download the required files naming them as "whatever.tmp2".

After that, the file they're replacing is deleted and the downloaded files are renamed to their final names (third stage, the install).
So every time you disconnect it makes the "to download" list again as it assumes the list it had before could be outdated.

Downloading update files from elsewhere may expose you to Trojan horses. Particularly third party update packs using self extracting stubs. Even though PlayOnline will only accept correct files rogue files could be put inside the game data. Honest warning. Exercise your best judgement with using those.

[bungiefanNA]

Well yes, that's a risk, but looking at the ones posted to Reddit and BlueGartr, you have a large number of people vetting them. If there was trojans, someone would notice and the admins would remove the link and ban the user.