You need to forward your ports set in the ffxivconfig.exe in your router. uTorrent uses upnp, the FFXIV downloader does not. You have to forward the ports if you want good download speeds, otherwise you're stuck with uTorrent or HTTP links.
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So whats the Upnp setting for in the xiv config? The game itself?
Shrug. It's supposed to automatically open ports so that the game downloads things fast through peer-to-peer, just like uTorrent does... however, it just doesn't work or something. Opening ports manually results in increased download and upload speeds.
Your router also has to support upnp, of course. I downloaded today's patch through the FFXIV downloader with no issue.
As I've stated previously, games like WoW download their patches using the same method, through peer-to-peer. However, they have an HTTP backend that the patch downloads through in the case of peer-to-peer not working properly (which results in poor download speeds). Disabling peer-to-peer (or simply automatically upon noticing peer-to-peer isn't working) causes the patcher to download through HTTP instead of peer-to-peer, resulting in full download speeds without having to use peer-to-peer.
The thing is, peer-to-peer uses no bandwidth on SE's part, and it's usually a fast, friendly way to get the patch distributed to everyone. HTTP would use bandwidth, and SE does not have this HTTP backend in case of patching failure.
SE has expressed interest in improving the patching process. Who knows what they'll do, but they're working on it.
Hey SE, we solved what's wrong with your patcher, add UPNP!!
It would help. Theoretically it should be working already, and might be, but in many cases obviously isn't because uTorrent offers such great success to people even though they have never forwarded a port in their life (and yet the FFXIV downloader fails).
Upnp might be working, but might not be working on certain routers or setups. Who knows.
I have forwarded the proper ports to get a better DL speed from the patcher. It didn't work. Last night the patcher was telling me it would take 7 hours to download. That is completely unacceptable. IMO for their patcher to be successful I shouldn't have to forward ports to fix their screw up. I do not have to do that with other peer to peer programs and they work wonderfully.
Not too mention this whole business with redownloading the same patch over and over again. I am on a limited data connection. If I have to download 100's of extra MBs that is really going to make my life difficult.
Well Im pretty sure this is how it works.
SE decides to update and add in content/fixes. Now you dont just DL what they are adding you download a file that they added the coding to not just the extra coding. So you are actually downloading the full .dat file that they added code to and it replaces the current file that you have, if the current .dat file is 200 MB then you download the updated file of 200 MB + the new stuff.
as an example.
D2011.04.13.0000 is 325 MB this was a content update I think it was 1.17 D2011.04.21.0000 was probably 1.17a which was just a minor update of the same files that 1.17 updated so you have to re-download those same files that had the additions of 1.17a added to them to replace the current files.
Its like this to probably every single game out there.
Edit:
Also Coding does not take up a lot of space usually its images that make up for a lot of the space used. They have not added a lot of visual since release (NMs, and some gear) so you can imagine how much coding they have added if you count most of the MBs added as code.
Also Folks if you are having issues Downloading the patch and you dont like to torrent it (which is very fast) check out this site it is a direct DL of the patches.
http://tehkrizz.net/FFXIV/downloads.php