Comedy download speed

Microblitz · Jun 7, 2015

Doing the update and the download speed is 120 kilobytes per second.

Come on guys add some server farmage!

Well at least the file server speed is in keeping with the release date of Frontier. I seem to remember having a faster download speed back then.

Sugarat · Jun 7, 2015

I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed my ISP and suddenly it changed. Problem was either my router or ISP.

Seonid · Jun 7, 2015

I typically get 3-4Mb, your ISP is likely more of a factor than the update server.

Microblitz · Jun 7, 2015

Based on that observation Ill switch my connection and see what the difference is.
Nope even going through another ISP the data rate drops suddenly from around 2.0 mb to 0.10 mb and sits there.
10 hours to update which should actually take me less than a couple of minutes.

Jockey79 · Jun 7, 2015

I did it through Steam, was done in about 10 minutes.

Kramster · Jun 7, 2015

Seonid said:
I typically get 3-4Mb, your ISP is likely more of a factor than the update server.

Or the route the ISP sends it's data, telephone exchanges, data centres etc etc

I updated both my steam launcher and FD launcher in less that 5 minutes so I don't think it is FD's end

Asp Explorer · Jun 7, 2015

Sugarat said:
I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed my ISP and suddenly it changed. Problem was either my router or ISP.

Problem was your ISP

more specifically, their peerage tree and their traffic shaping. Some ISP's go absolutely out of their way to slow down things that their shaper does not like - because the big media companies cannot tell the difference between packets, and downloading Elite updates looks exactly like downloading unreleased Game of Thrones episodes.

Fenris Wolf · Jun 7, 2015

Actually timed the download for the Powerplay (sad git that I am!) and it took two minutes and 18 seconds.

Seonid · Jun 7, 2015

Asp Explorer said:
Problem was your ISP more specifically, their peerage tree and their traffic shaping.

This is why I use an ISP that does none of that shaping or cap nonsense and has a Tech Support that is actually technical.

Amaze · Jun 7, 2015

Sugarat said:
I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed my ISP and suddenly it changed. Problem was either my router or ISP.

I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed to a linked steam account and suddenly is has downloaded in around 10 mins though steam.
Problem was NOT either my router or ISP.

Rubbernuke · Jun 7, 2015

For once my slow download speed was intelligently handled by the game using the pre download beta assets, everything was done in 20mintues. Normally on my 2mbps line it's normally 250k per second and takes several hours.

salad · Jun 7, 2015

OP, if you can't deal with FDev's server you can always switch to Steam and update the game from their servers.

For some of us it improved a lot.

Sugarat · Jun 7, 2015

Amaze said:
I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed to a linked steam account and suddenly is has downloaded in around 10 mins though steam.
Problem was NOT either my router or ISP.

Well I don't have Steam and I don't have the problem anymore.. go figure.

Seonid · Jun 7, 2015

Amaze said:
I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed to a linked steam account and suddenly it changed.
Problem was NOT either my router or ISP.

It's a lot more complicated than just "ISP" as different ISP's have different peering arrangements and transit routes and maybe some ISP's have better/worse peered connections to AWS or whatever CDN Steam is using for your region. Sometimes, it's just slow because other stuff is going on, same principle as a traffic jam.

Asp Explorer · Jun 7, 2015

Amaze said:
I used to have this problem with every patch and download. Changed to a linked steam account and suddenly is has downloaded in around 10 mins though steam.
Problem was NOT either my router or ISP.

Yes it was

Steam is not a cure, it is simply a different content delivery network that has a different place on a peerage tree, and pays cash to be so. Do you know how the internet works?

Amaze · Jun 7, 2015

Asp Explorer said:
Yes it was Steam is not a cure, it is simply a different content delivery network that has a different place on a peerage tree, and pays cash to be so. Do you know how the internet works?

Funny, but really. Yes Steam is not a cure but it is a content delivery network that actually works.
Yes I know little how the internet works or doesn't work.

If you are delivering content that can only be obtained online then you have to make sure the people can access that content at reasonable speeds.
I have downloaded huge files for my home music studio at good speeds and from places all over the world.

This game can't be pirated, not with the online always thing.
So why cant I get a download link?
I could then use a download accelerator like IDM or something, them I would not have bothered with steam.
Peer to peer downloading could work too. I can download healthy torrents at speeds 20 times faster then from updates from frontier.

Asp Explorer · Jun 7, 2015

Amaze said:
Yes I know little how the internet works or doesn't work.

Yes indeed.

Slacker · Jun 7, 2015

I have a theory that this might be connected to people having uPNP turned off. Though I may well be wrong and have little solid evidence. But if the launcher uses peer-to-peer to download then it's possible.

Seonid · Jun 7, 2015

Amaze said:
If you are delivering content that can only be obtained online then you have to make sure the people can access that content at reasonable speeds.

Then why do some ISP's have CDN servers in their own racks that are provisioned by peer rather than transit links and others don't?

Asp Explorer · Jun 7, 2015

Slacker said:
I have a theory that this might be connected to people having uPNP turned off. Though I may well be wrong and have little solid evidence. But if the launcher uses peer-to-peer to download then it's possible.

Elite has had a bit of a strange history with uPnP - back in Alpha peeps had to try out all sorts of weird combinations of uPnP on/off/mode switched, pure port forwarding, DMZ to firewalls off running completely open networks.

All in the name of testing!

I'm glad to say though, that FD have mostly sorted out the problems with connection, but they will never be able to sort out the problems of throughput or latency. Those are all down to peeps trying to play Elite on connections that should have been dragged into the shed and shot 15 years ago.