Trouble downloading? Read this

from Elemental Forums

With the launch of Fallen Enchantress, our download servers are pretty pegged right now.  We're increasing capacity as fast as possible.

This is NOT an official recommendation but here's one way to solve it -- a download manager.

This is a program I've used to download large files before:

http://internetdownloadmanager.com/

Once you have this installed go to http://download.stardock.com and do this:

 

Reduced 63%
Original 891 x 287

 

 

Then in the program put the URL here:

 

Reduced 60%
Original 949 x 560

 

I download a lot of large files so I tend to run into this sort of thing.  Stardock Central is generally pretty robust but it's never been put under this kind of strain before. They'll have to improve it tomorrow before we start sending out the emails to existing customers.

We apologize for any inconvenience. This will likely be a moot issue within the next 36 hours (once the big wave is over). But in the meantime, if you are having issues, this should help.

32,669 views 27 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Aren't growing pains wonderful? :P

Yeah, bandwidth is expensive and your customers are frustrated, but I hope you take the good from the trouble that a lot of people are giving it a try (though, I presume, most downloads from Stardock are for your customers, like myself, given free credit for having purchased prematurely-released WoM, most of your new paying customers I would suppose to buy and download FE from Steam).

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

;)

Indeed. It's an unintentional experiment in bandwidth use.  Stardock still has all the bandwidth servers from the Impulse days (long term contracts).  But we've never had a situation where tens of thousands of people were downloading a 3 gigabyte file within a short amount of time.

It's fixable with either a) more bandwidth or b) a tighter Stardock Central or c) a combination of A and B.

ObjectDock - Access shortcuts and frequently used applications from an animated dock.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top


This is good news!!! (the pegged servers)

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

A small Stardock Central update with additional logging for errors has been pushed out. We're putting additional retries into place if it hits a speed bump in the download process, but that's still being tested internally. Best additional suggestion testing here today: exclude the %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\Stardock directory from your anti-virus, or turn the AV off during the download. We've got at least one reproducible test case with file i/o getting blocked by the AV during download.


You can also email kwilas at stardock dot com and I can provide an alternative download in smaller chunks in the meantime.

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

I downloaded the installer three times already using google chrome. It went very fast, and chrome reported a success, only the file turned out to be corrupted every single time :-(

 

So I got the Stardock Central yesterday but that one crashed first after 25% then restarted it and it crashed after 30%.

 

Today I got your update for Stardock Central, and it just passed 50% at 5-6 MB/s, which is quite promising. I saw it going back a few times and restarting a chunk of 3%, so it looks like it's actually working.

As an old Master of Magic fan, I've been beta testing Fallen Enchantress from the beginning, and I hope I can start exploring the release in the next few minutes.

 

Hang in there!

 

Greets, Geert.

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Hrm... I just finished installing the game. So obviously my download (using FF) worked. Had a hang though at 86%. But after hitting pause and resume everything went smoothly.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

48 hours of download and it stopped at 97% complete and won't connect anymore to finish the download.
Yes I use a download manager.

Yes I played the Betas, but by the time I could get them downloaded any feedback i could give was already given 5 times over.

Not happy that I will have to go through another 4 days of downloading  to get the 28 hours needed this time to even get the chance to try to install.

I absolutely hate digital distribution.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

48 hours?! Do you have an ISDN connection?! 8C

Mine was 1h50m ...

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Dracomeander, reply 8

I absolutely hate digital distribution.
End of Dracomeander's quote

 

Me too.  Stardock Central solved my issues in this case however.

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

I have successfully downloaded it, I think.  Using Win Vista 64, Firefox, I click on the *.exe and it sits and sits and sits and nothing ever happens aside from the performance of my computer taking a hit, so I know it is doing something, but I can't see it in the processes/Task Manager.

 

Any ideas?

 

EDIT: Apparently posting on a message board regarding my shameful abilities was the necessary step needed to allow the computer to extract Fallen Enchantress.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Even with a download manager I am still getting corrupted download packages, unfortunately...

Reply #12 from Elemental Forums Top

This might sound like a crazy idea, but could you release a MD5 or SHA hash for the install files?

 

This would allow us to utilize the features of several download managers to error check and resume downloads.

 

Could also offer the download as a torrent... would fix the bandwidth issue.

 

 

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top

Frogboy,

              I read the forums quite a bit and basically throughout the entire development. I purchaused WOM next to the time it was released (Full priced) and really enjoyed it. I was more than happy to hear that Stardock, who has been my favorite for years, was preparing to rerelease it under as a new, better developed, better budgeted game. Although dynasties are gone, and the days of a hundred flame pillars per turn are over, I got my one handed spears and a insane AI to compete with happily. Although again, I do scurry away at the sound of a NERF, for fear of losing them, I am happy about the new changes like being able to minimize.

         Thanks,

 

Reply #15 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Caduceus06, reply 11
I click on the *.exe and it sits and sits and sits and nothing ever happens aside from the performance of my computer taking a hit, ...
 

EDIT: Apparently posting on a message board regarding my shameful abilities was the necessary step needed to allow the computer to extract Fallen Enchantress.
End of Caduceus06's quote

Yeah, funny thing. I had the same happening. Took ages to start the installer. So I did what I always do in such cases. I got myself a up o coffee and when I returned, there was the install screen.

 

DEVS! Anyone a good idea or explanation why it takes so long for teh installer to start-up?!

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

What I find a bit weird is the low numbers on Steam compared to for example Kings Bounty (which I also love). One important factor is that many players of FE is not on steam (using Stardock Central). So I do hope that FE is selling well, cause its deserved.

 

Current Peak Game

924   2,219 King's Bounty: Warriors of the North

379   1,095 Elemental: Fallen Enchantress

Reply #17 from Stardock Forums Top

I can't download it.

The Stardock central doesn't work(keeps going to 2% and then going back to 0%) and trying normal or download managers keep getting a file corrupt message.

Reply #18 from Stardock Forums Top

I have attempted to download Fallen Enchantress five separate times now, using Firefox and Chrome.  Each one completed at 3,652,857KB, however, each one also fails to extract with the "File is corrupt" error message.  FC also shows me that each one is different from the others, so it's not like your cache is serving up the same bad file every time.  More disheartening, your cache isn't serving up the same file each time period.

The Internet isn't supposed to work this way.  I don't know what to do about it.

I also tried putting my serial into Steam, hoping that I could download it that way, but that doesn't work (it's not recognized as a valid key by Steam).  Is there some way I could register my game with Steam and use their service?  Less load on your servers, working program for me - everyone's happy. 

 

3.8 GB is a reasonable download, but having to do it a half dozen times the novelty is wearing off.

Reply #19 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 2


Indeed. It's an unintentional experiment in bandwidth use.  Stardock still has all the bandwidth servers from the Impulse days (long term contracts).  But we've never had a situation where tens of thousands of people were downloading a 3 gigabyte file within a short amount of time.

It's fixable with either a) more bandwidth or a tighter Stardock Central or c) a combination of A and B.
End of Frogboy's quote

 

Have you considered integrating peer-to-peer technology into SDC?  Peer-to-peer would enable Stardock customers to download from customers who have already completed their downloads, thus reducing the direct bandwidth demands on Stardock's servers.

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top


Still having trouble with the download.  Using Stardock Central, and when it starts, it begins saying it's 50% downloaded, then just stays at that percentage (sometimes at 51%, then dropping back down).  It's been running for hours, saying it's downloading at 88kb/s.  Any suggestions?

Reply #21 from Stardock Forums Top

I am having the same issue as you are Takedaze, and I too have downloaded it enough times that I have given up until I hear some type of solution. I have been searching for a solution but haven't found one yet. If you find a solution could you please let me know.

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top

Anyone here managed to get it with IDM?

 

Tried it with FF built-in. Worst file corruption. Getting the message when trying to start. Unable to browse it in 7z.

Tried it with Orbit. Still corrupt. Getting the message after 96% of extracting. Can browse the archive with 7z, but all files show as corrupt.

Tried with IDM (free trial). Unable to download. Trying with several connections fails, IDM gives a corruption warning and switches to single connection, re-downloads 99.99% and then fails due to timeout. If DL-ing originally with one connection also goes up to 99.99% and fails from timeout.

 

Tried each of these several times, always the same result.

Reply #24 from Stardock Forums Top

I cannot even get the download to start at this time.  I am using the recommended download manager to no avail....

I downloaded the patch just fine...

 

Update: Used the Stardock Download Manager and it worked.

Reply #25 from Elemental Forums Top

So I was at my parents place for Christmas  this year, and I found my copy of Elemental war of magic, and installed it yesterday, I tried to register it via the gamp stop app it looked like it went through.  However I am unable to update it anyone have any ideas?  I've contacted support via the game stop app. 

I was deployed before the game came to me, and it ended up sitting at my folks house pretty much since I purchased it.   Also does anyone know if the cd version of the game is playable, I had heard there were some bugs so I've yet to really play it.  Also, if I was to buy Fallen Enchantress would it fix the first game for me as well?  If that would be the easiest solution then I'd do it.  

I have heard so many awesome things about this game I was extremely excited to find my copy, and yet now it's more of a frustration. 

*Here's hoping someone will know*