Comments on: Can Peer-To-Peer Downloads Help FML Patch Distribution?

By: Football Manager Live Portal | Interviews | Episode 35 – FML Developer Interview with Ov Collyer of Sports Interactive

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:32:23 +0000

[...] Website Sports Interactive’s Official Community Forums The Gameworld One editorials about peer-to peer downloads for FM Live as well as giving us something to play for about the radical overhaul of [...]

By: MooSys_FC

MooSys_FC — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:43:44 +0000

I think its the way to go!

By: Bertie BG

Bertie BG — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:18:48 +0000

Hi Jordan

Well written article and I think you summed up the problems we had really well. However, you have got the facts slightly wrong.

The statement "managers took the effort to bundle up their completed patched client download install and share or mirror these files themselves" is just not what happened (if it did it was on a small scale and is not supported officially). The links that @fredondoXI gave to you were direct download links for the client that were released officially by Sports Interactive. Go look at them again, and you'll see that they are from the download.footballmanagerlive.com domain. This was released as part of a backup plan once we realised that the autopatching system (again) wasn't working and was a learning from the fiasco that was the 1.2 update.

Although I by no means think that the system we've got at the moment is perfect, I do think that the autopatching system (albeit a heavily improved one) is the best way for update distribution. Fully working, it would mean that people wouldn't have to go and "download" anything, as double clicking on the game client would do all the work for them. The team have already identified what went wrong this time round and are working hard to fix it and try to ensure that nothing of this sort goes wrong again.

That said, it doesn't mean that peer to peer couldn't work as a viable backup and is something we are looking at as a possibility.

By: Jordan Cooper

Jordan Cooper — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:18:31 +0000

You don't think releasing a new client build before it's needed would cause more confusion? I could imagine the rants of people not being able to sign in when they're using the new build they just downloaded instead of the current one.

By: TomHales

TomHales — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:33:38 +0000

I must admit, I seem to be one of the lucky ones who had few problems with the update. I had a steady download speed (in comparison to most) of about 30-40kb/s and my client was ready to go well before the servers were back up. The only problem I had was the repeated attempts at trying to log in before anyone else! There were only me and 4 or 5 others when Keane was eventually accessable, growing to about a dozen in the next half-hour or so.

By: seami

seami — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:23:16 +0000

You need to offer both option. A direct download from the sega which kicks in automatically when there isnt a minimum amount of users seeding and for people who have bittorrent throttled of turned off by their isps. And a bittorrent method that kicks in for when a few hundred people need a patch or update.

By: Chris Wilson

Chris Wilson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:29:16 +0000

i think so, peer to peer is great for patchs but what might also help is could the patch be ready like a week before its something that they do in wow, with it you get the patch 3 or 4 weeks before the actual launch date of the patch so on the big day its a case of just installing or just downloading the latter part of the patch.

dont ask me how it works

By: Gareth Millward

Gareth Millward — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:54:50 +0000

Fantastic review of the current system, Jordan, and I'm very interested in hearing any official word from SI on the matter. The thread you linked to seems to suggest that it's “under review”, but let's hope it isn't put too far down the priority list.