Remove those 3rd party installers!!!

[kaydee]

Dear, Valve

You guys should find another way of distriuting 3rd party installers, such as DX, VCr, etc. I have two suggestions regarding your current system.

Those installers in a typical games folder weights(?) about 330MB! If you guys didn't allow these files to be included in their download package, I could've done something else with that left over bandwidth, or even saved life (I meant W-cycle) of precious memory on my SSD!

So, here is my first suggestion:


Move all those installers to your "TOOLS" area with a seperator.
Those common ones, such as; DX, VCr, OAL,etc.
Game specific installers (or should I say NOT common), such as; Ubigamelauncher, rapture, etc. should be downloaded with the game package.
Then let the users install those common installers themselves, by downloadeding them from your server via "TOOLS" page.

If it's installed, you can either remove, or reinstall.
(Should need some kind of installation detection system for the first run of steam client or after a fresh install: not necessary, just for better steam client)


Also, remove the first time installation procedure! (2nd suggestion)


Since the common package has been removed (from the first suggestion), the first time installation should be gone as well.

Rather than going directly into installation, a popup window lists required softwares and a tick to set "never bother me again". The game requirement page should note "3rd party softwares required to play with detailed required softwares information.

If that popup window shows what components are missing, it would be even better, but I won't expect THAT much from......:p
And an addition for your support dept. that is: for those people who might complain about the game won't run, now you have another to tell them: "Check the option and make sure all the required 3rd installers are installed".


When you search "redist" in steam folder, especially those whom with a large library of games installed should and will end up with 4+GB worth of those installers.

Thank you for your time.

- Kaydee

Ps. If you need someone to find all the installers and catalog it, and even executing all the changes, hell, lemme know, I'll gladly do it for free.

[garcia]

+1

its a waste of hd space. For ssd's this is a problem because they are so small.

[gromacs]

+2

I'd be nice to at least be warned on the purchasing page, which games come with extra BS installers (i.e. the ported from console games) so that we can avoid them instead of being in for a nasty surprise once we've bought them, downloaded them and want to jump into gameplay for the first time to be stopped by another installer.

[Vonje]

This is all in my "Programs & Features"

Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 ATL Update
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable
Thanks to all 3rd-party games installing essential tools I ALREADY have.

[Rarz]

Same with directx; while it can't do harm to reinstall a version already installed, it is kinda redundant. Check before installing. :)

[kaydee]

If doing so as stated above is too much hassle for you guys, How about an "ADVANCED MODE"?

Once this option is ticked from the settings, Steam client won't bother users with the first time installations.

It still downloads the 3rd party installers, but I can do some extra clicky works, so... Having those simple options to avoid automated installs would be great as well, but not as the first and second suggestions...

[garcia]

the worst part is the waste of bandwidth and hard disc space.

[Quick]

Agreed with OP.

[Fëanor_USMC]

I agree with this in principle, but I'm willing to bet there is a good reason the system is set up the way it is. I would like to know what that reason is, however.

[Rossco]

I agree with this in principle, but I'm willing to bet there is a good reason the system is set up the way it is. I would like to know what that reason is, however.

It's a dependency check. Windows doesn't have any kind of package manager. Why waste time checking the integrity and compatibility of each VC++/DX/.NET dependency when you can just install a clean dependency package over them? "As long as the game works, right?"

I'd like to see something like OPs idea implemented too. Game dependencies on Windows are an absolute mess, and I think Steam should take the helm and do something about it (that is, whenever Valve has nothing better to do ;)).

[Gone'Postal]

I agree with this in principle, but I'm willing to bet there is a good reason the system is set up the way it is. I would like to know what that reason is, however.


Image files.

The publisher gives Valve a CD with the game on, (Normally the same one that goes for mass printing for retail)

Valve uploads the image to the content servers, where a player downloads the image.


as far as I'm aware, the client just downloads and installs, nothing more, so we have each installer as their on the image for the game, you would have to change the installer on the images to look somewhere else for the installers.

but agreed op!

[pearce64]

It's a dependency check. Windows doesn't have any kind of package manager. Why waste time checking the integrity and compatibility of each VC++/DX/.NET dependency when you can just install a clean dependency package over them? "As long as the game works, right?"

I'd like to see something like OPs idea implemented too. Game dependencies on Windows are an absolute mess, and I think Steam should take the helm and do something about it (that is, whenever Valve has nothing better to do ;)).

[Quote
Quote:
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 ATL Update
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable[/quote]

Can you uninstall old versions, and just have latest installed?

[gromacs]

[Quote
Quote:
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 ATL Update
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable

Can you uninstall old versions, and just have latest installed?[/QUOTE]
I don't think so, unlike java and others this stuff isn't backwards compatible. That would be a good thing in an ideal world, where dev's don't build code on old tech. In reality, they build it on old tech to reach "more customers". BS imho, just the xbox users and slow-adapters holding technology back, so now we gotta have multiple versions of dx, cpp and .net :p

[Hakker]

Sorry to bump this thread but I would like to add another suggestion to this. when you (steam in this case) installs it let it atleast install it to one place. at the moment I got visual C++ packages on 6 different hard drives in the root folder. Annoying as hell.

[real4xor]

It would be nice if all those 3rd party tools would have their own single directory with the latest version downloaded.
At least it`ll stop you from downloading them yet again if you already have those packs.
It is a waste of space to have a copy of each 3rd party tool per game...

I wouldn`t really go for ignoring the 1st time setup of games tho. Even if it`s annoying and takes up seconds, it always ensures the game has everything installed to work...

[Z Overlord]

+1, agreed, waste of time.

[Acewings]

I agree, also please remove DRM. That crap is SO annoying!

[CTRL ALT DEL !]

Average size of installers = 100MB (a wild guess)

345 games installed = 34GB of installers

[mot393]

I'd definitely like this to be sorted out, but I think it would take a lot of time and resources to come up with a better system than we have now. It's not just steam that does this, often when you buy a retail game or download a program it will require some framework or whatever, sometimes it installs an old version even if the new one is backwards compatible.

So I'm for this but it doesn't really affect me personally. I'd much rather see improvements to the library/in-game.

[BgT]

Agree with OP, so very annoying to see 'installing vc++ redist' all the time

[C0dex]

I think that Steam should add a new section for these files and then checks them to see if you have them. If so, then the installer doesn't download these files again.

[Lord iCeDrAgOn]

I had made this suggestion a long time ago, and yes it is still and issue. I presently after getting Crysis am stuck with the installed constantly wanting to install Gamespy Commander, Something that I don't even want.

But as for my idea I had a long time ago, and it is something that can very easily be done.

Steam already uses it's own virtual file system. that's what all the GCF/NCF files are in the steamapps folder. The thing is, since most games aren't designed for using the steam virtual file system most games need to be installed in a separate folder, that's why they end up in the \common subfolder.

Now Valve could very easily package DirectX, VC Run time, and anything else for that matter in to one of their packages and just make the required components a dependency. Much like all the half life games are dependent on sourceengine.gcf

[damaged]

Look this has been addressed a dozen times, many libraries (inc DirectX) are customized for certain games, it's not like video card drivers, while some of the 3rd party apps like Gamespy and the like could be consolidated, games built against particular versions of DirectX and other libraries cannot.

That being said, the 3rd party apps are the developers responsibility to package, not Valve's, this would require every developer to get with each other and work out which was superfluous and which are not, then come back to Valve with said list, this list would have to be redone every time a new game was added, and any mistakes would cause many issues with multiple games increaing support load and costs.

Harddrives are cheap, get one.

[Verminus]

I had made this suggestion a long time ago, and yes it is still and issue. I presently after getting Crysis am stuck with the installed constantly wanting to install Gamespy Commander, Something that I don't even want.

But as for my idea I had a long time ago, and it is something that can very easily be done.

Steam already uses it's own virtual file system. that's what all the GCF/NCF files are in the steamapps folder. The thing is, since most games aren't designed for using the steam virtual file system most games need to be installed in a separate folder, that's why they end up in the \common subfolder.

Now Valve could very easily package DirectX, VC Run time, and anything else for that matter in to one of their packages and just make the required components a dependency. Much like all the half life games are dependent on sourceengine.gcf

Valve seem to have given up on the GCF filesystem. In case you hadn't noticed Portal2 and both L4D 1&2 reside in \common.

[kaydee]

I've been posting how to bypass this first time installation, but none seems like interested.

When you go to the game folder of whatever you've downloaded, find anything *.vdf and delete it.

It won't bother you with the installation anymore.

The simplese way to do so is find every vdf file in the common folder using explorer, delete 'em all.

It lists all required software installation, and when all are finished Steam client erases the file.

Considering a few latest Unreal engine games install that darn "AMD Dualcore-optimizer" on my i7 system. A nasty surprise. I'd rather install any necessary 3rd party programs, when really needed.