Six Updater: Install/Update mods, missions. Delta patching. Server browser, and more!

[sickboy 13]

Does SixUpdater copy every file twice? I'm seeing all of my addons and stuff in their regular folders, but everything seems to duplicated in .rsync folders. Why is this?

http://www.six-projects.net/Six_Updater+FAQ#Why%20does%20SU%20use%20nearly%20double%20diskspace,%20compared%20to%20other%20products%20/%20download%20methods

[stk2008 14]

Hi all I need some help.

I am using latest ARMA 2 beta version and when I do an update in SU and then tick the beta box and create a desktop short cut.

If I launce the game via short cut and look at bottom right of screen the beta version never matches the version I installed.

I deleted all versions of the old beta but still six dont see the latest version I installed.

Please advise.

Thanks

[sickboy 13]

Try to delete the beta folder, it resides in the expansion folder.

Also remove any arma related folders and files from your VirtualStore folder (C:\users\yourname\appdata\local\VirtualStore)

Then reinstall the beta with SU and try again. Also make sure you recently synchronized with the SU portal.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Sickboy

[stk2008 14]

Hi thanks for the reply.

I did delete the BETA folder BUT I did not delete the files from the VirtualStore folder so will try that all so did not synchronize SU so thanks will try that ASAP.

[stk2008 14]

Still no luck.

I deleted old BETA

I have looked in C:\users\yourname\appdata\local\VirtualStore and I have nothing in there (show hidden files is enabled)

And I have resynced SU but still shows an old version of ARMA in SU not the latest version.

SU shows 89223 and when I start ARMA it to shows 89223 I have created a desktop short cut in SU BTW this is how I have all ways done it but now it just dont work :(.

Ticket created

https://dev-heaven.net/issues/29163

Edited March 5, 2012 by stk2008

[Harmonica 1]

Six Updater is WPF-based and utilizes the GPU/DirectX to render, this has been the case since the initial SU v2.0 release, over a year ago.

If you are experiencing driver crashes, there's something wrong with your driver, videocard or system, I recommend fixing the actual issue instead.

I reckon these issues can also occur if you are using 'special GPU utilities', like Radeon Pro, GPU Meter Gadget, older TS3 overlay plugins etc, probably also Overclocking etc.

Why not upgrade beyond the October edition? They're almost half a year old?

Thanks for the reply. I was using the drivers because my performance was good with them. Actually, in the days just before I posted nvidia released some new drivers which have probably fixed the problem (no crashes with them since installing) but I hadn't got around to updating.

There was nothing wrong with my particular system, unfortunately this problem affects anyone with a recent GeForce card and any drivers from last year through February this year. Specifically, it's an issue with Windows 7 and how it monitors the GPU, when the card powers down for power saving, sometimes W7 thinks the card drivers have crashed, and reboots them (known as a 'TDR' problem). I guess the process is similar when using Six Updater (card powers up and down a lot when switching views/idling).

Might be important for you to know for future reference! Also, a fix would be to allow software rendering.

[sickboy 13]

Thanks for the reply. I was using the drivers because my performance was good with them. Actually, in the days just before I posted nvidia released some new drivers which have probably fixed the problem (no crashes with them since installing) but I hadn't got around to updating.

There was nothing wrong with my particular system, unfortunately this problem affects anyone with a recent GeForce card and any drivers from last year through February this year. Specifically, it's an issue with Windows 7 and how it monitors the GPU, when the card powers down for power saving, sometimes W7 thinks the card drivers have crashed, and reboots them (known as a 'TDR' problem). I guess the process is similar when using Six Updater (card powers up and down a lot when switching views/idling).

Might be important for you to know for future reference! Also, a fix would be to allow software rendering.

Cheers!

According to http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jgoldb/archive/2010/06/22/software-rendering-usage-in-wpf.aspx

you can disable the HW rendering yourself:

You set the global registry key. E.g.:

(HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Avalon.Graphics]

"DisableHWAcceleration"=dword:00000000 )

Otherwise I could deal with a setting in the program;

RenderOptions.ProcessRenderMode = RenderMode.SoftwareOnly;

I suspect the issue affects other WPF programs as well so seems to make sense to disable it globally instead.

[scarecrow398 43]

I've been curious why when SU updates it uninstalls and reinstalls the entire program insted of just updating the old files?

and also why you're not allowed to close the program when its 'busy' other than ending prosess?

[sickboy 13]

It only does an uninstall and full reinstall for Major Upgrades. Major Upgrades are sometimes needed to replace files that have no changing Version id's, or other major changes.

Minor upgrades are the ones usually performed, and these just deal with changed files.

Dealing with MSP's (patches) I find too cumbersome for the time being.

You may not exit when busy because it would have unforeseen consequences, data corruption etc. Close anyway on your own peril.

For starters, any changes made to settings or records applied during this session, will be lost.

Some actions, like executing the updater actions are cancelable. Press the abort button and then exit gracefully once aborted.

Edited March 13, 2012 by Sickboy

[scarecrow398 43]

It only does an uninstall and full reinstall for Major Upgrades. Major Upgrades are sometimes needed to replace files that have no changing Version id's, or other major changes.

Minor upgrades are the ones usually performed, and these just deal with changed files.

Dealing with MSP's (patches) I find too cumbersome for the time being.

Ah, okay cheers, it just seems nearly every day in the last week SU has been uninstalling and reinstalling when i open it(which is a little anoying when trying to multitask as Windows likes to switch windows, damn microsoft...)

[Harmonica 1]

Cheers!

According to http://blogs.msdn.com/b/jgoldb/archive/2010/06/22/software-rendering-usage-in-wpf.aspx

you can disable the HW rendering yourself:

Otherwise I could deal with a setting in the program;

I suspect the issue affects other WPF programs as well so seems to make sense to disable it globally instead.

Thanks, that's really useful actually because I have a few friends still on older drivers and I'll have them use that registry edit.

[iceman11a 11]

I wanted to see is an option to remove a mod was going to be added. When I install a mod SU seems to have this information and when I remove the mod from my arma game folder. SU seems to just reinstall the mod all over again. AFter I removed the folder from my game folder.

If you have an option to install the mod. Wouldn't it be nice to have an option where it would remove the folder and mod from SU. I don't mean completely remove the mod from SU. I mean just so that it shows as not installed.

The idea is I been wanting to try some of these other mods. I didn't really want to have to install all of the mods. And I'm thinking about another option to add, Some thing like a script helper into SU. This is for users who need more help when it comes to scripting for ArmA mission editing. It's just I been finding some samples in Arma and they don't all ways work in ArmA II. This is why I got Arma Gold. as a learning tool. It just that there's scripting options I just don't under stand.

Iceman11a

http://www.df-barracks.com or http://www.frontline-nova.com

[sickboy 13]

If you dont want the mods to be reinstalled, you need to remove them from your preset. (As thats the whole point of Presets)

If the mods are required by other mods or by selected server, you should really want to have those mods installed anyway.

But if you really want to force them so they are not reinstalled even if they are a dependency for other mods,

go to the Mods tab, and check the Disabled column for said mods.

Scripting support/helper is out of the scope of the App, but the scope will broaden alot in version 3.0, so let's see.

Edited March 23, 2012 by Sickboy

[iceman11a 11]

Thanks, Sickboy, I know. I asked and I will keep my fingers crossed.

[cuel 25]

Having a hard time finding documention for this so i'll just ask here.

We have a rented server with FTP access and we just finished putting together our own modpack with different mods/islands and tweaks.

I don't know where to go from here. How do I specify what pbo's etc that six updater should download and so on? Do I just load up the server with our mod pack and it'll recognize all addons and then when a user wants to connect it'll download the needed files?

[sickboy 13]

You can setup the pack and server settings in the Repo Manager: http://www.six-projects.net/Six_Updater+CustomRepos_Setup

---------- Post added at 11:49 ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 ----------

As a response on the question what are the plans with Six Updater for ARMA 3 / SU 3:

Plans and Prototypes for SU v3.0 are still in the Design phase, what I can divulge at this time, is the following:

• The Six Updater team has grown from a one-man-show with some helping hands, to a team of 6 people strong, consisting of 3 programmers, 2 UI/UX artists and an analyst.
  
• We will be deploying Behavior Driven Development - incl a pinch of Agile, CI
  
• All libraries and applications will be fully unit and acceptance tested, documented, and API's and Command Line Interfaces should be top notch.
  
• First class UI / User Experience / Usability is paramount in the next generation of Six Updater
  
• Infrastructure is being improved and expanded, we are looking at Peer2Peer possibilities as well.
  
• We are looking into community building features. The SU portal will be completed renewed, and a tighter integration with the Desktop client is planned
  
• We are looking at possibilities to integrate with the game
  

We have far more in the works, but we will reveal in time.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Sickboy

[jedra 11]

Wow SB that's great news. What you achieved on your own with this was pretty amazing, but I am glad you have found a team to help you out.

Integration into the game along with six browser is the next logical step and it makes a lot of sense for this to become the official launcher for Armaverse. I mean look at the amount of support questions here, on the Steam forums and elsewhere that are regarding startup issues, loading betas, mods and missions. Most of these questions can already be answered simply by saying 'Use SixUpdater'. If people had it from the start (i.e it was actually also the Arma/ToH installer) then a lot of these questions would simply never be asked!

Well done mate - you did something quite brilliant with this product, long may it continue.

[fraczek 4]

Looking forward to the v3 UI changes. As much as I love your launcher (I can't even imagine the countless hours of work that must be behind it, BIS should adopt it!), the UI could get some work. E.g., more easier selection (tick/untick) of mods to use etc.

However, in the current version, I have a feature request please - in Server Browser, resized/moved columns do not save their layout upon next launch of SixUpdater. I have meticulously resized and moved the server info columns to show the important information in full and leftmost, but upon next launch, it reverted to default sizing...[Windows 8 C.P. 32bit]

[sickboy 13]

New build released taking care of some issues with TS3/ACRE: http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?121729-A-C-R-E-Advanced-Combat-Radio-Environment-1-3-Stable-Release-Thread&p=2128048&viewfull=1#post2128048

---------- Post added at 13:44 ---------- Previous post was at 13:43 ----------

Looking forward to the v3 UI changes. As much as I love your launcher (I can't even imagine the countless hours of work that must be behind it, BIS should adopt it!), the UI could get some work. E.g., more easier selection (tick/untick) of mods to use etc.

Thanks ;-)

However, in the current version, I have a feature request please - in Server Browser, resized/moved columns do not save their layout upon next launch of SixUpdater. I have meticulously resized and moved the server info columns to show the important information in full and leftmost, but upon next launch, it reverted to default sizing...[Windows 8 C.P. 32bit]

It is planned: https://dev-heaven.net/issues/21011

Not 100% sure it will be implemented before v3 though.

[duckmeister 10]

I have a question, I am very much a noob at Six Updater, so bear with me :D. In order for the Six Updater Portal to have the latest version of an add-on, is it the responsibility of the add-on author, or the responsibility of someone like Sickboy at the SU Portal? I ask this because a new version of MCC Sandbox came out a few days ago, and it has not appeared in the Six Updater yet. I realize that people are very busy and such, but I just didn't want to go around bugging the wrong person to update it since I'd much rather download it through SU than download the new version manually. Thanks.

[sickboy 13]

I have a question, I am very much a noob at Six Updater, so bear with me :D. In order for the Six Updater Portal to have the latest version of an add-on, is it the responsibility of the add-on author, or the responsibility of someone like Sickboy at the SU Portal? I ask this because a new version of MCC Sandbox came out a few days ago, and it has not appeared in the Six Updater yet. I realize that people are very busy and such, but I just didn't want to go around bugging the wrong person to update it since I'd much rather download it through SU than download the new version manually. Thanks.

Heya - Currently it's my job, but the plan is still to make it manageable by authors as well, probably at v3.

If you like you can notify about new updates or mods to add at: http://www.six-updater.net/p/support.html

I've updated MCC on the network in the meantime.

[duckmeister 10]

Great! Really appreciate all of your work. Thank you!

[sickboy 13]

Take on Rearmed now fully supported, with few caveats until next update:

https://dev-heaven.net/issues/30329#note-9

Up on auto self update!

[jedra 11]

Thanks for the update SB. For my own interest only, is there any reason why you put the beta files in "beta_toh" rather than just "beta"? Confused me for a while 'cos I had the beta already and had added my own Rearmed profile! All sorted now, I just wondered.

Secondly...

I have been adding Arma mods to the ToH folder using the windows junction command for re-armed. Is Six going to be able to sort out which are Arma mods and which are ToH mods and put them and get them from the right place? Currently I am adding mods manually to the shortcut line in the profile for re-armed, but it would be good to be able to select them like we do with Arma and ToH - if only to get six to work out the dependencies. At the moment, it seems that Six wants me to install the Arma mods again in the ToH folder for re-armed when using your new game profiles.

I get the feeling that ReArmed might make life a little more tricky for you!!

[sickboy 13]

Thanks for the update SB. For my own interest only, is there any reason why you put the beta files in "beta_toh" rather than just "beta"? Confused me for a while 'cos I had the beta already and had added my own Rearmed profile! All sorted now, I just wondered.

Secondly...

I have been adding Arma mods to the ToH folder using the windows junction command for re-armed. Is Six going to be able to sort out which are Arma mods and which are ToH mods and put them and get them from the right place? Currently I am adding mods manually to the shortcut line in the profile for re-armed, but it would be good to be able to select them like we do with Arma and ToH - if only to get six to work out the dependencies. At the moment, it seems that Six wants me to install the Arma mods again in the ToH folder for re-armed when using your new game profiles.

I get the feeling that ReArmed might make life a little more tricky for you!!

There already is a beta modfolder for A2 Original's beta. Perhaps in the future SU'll support colliding modfolder names (cross games) :P

For the mods, you can do multiple things:

- Make symlinks per modfolder

- Set the TOH game profile's ModPath to A2 / OA

- Move all modfolders to a common location (say C:\mods) and use that as Global ModPath (in the Options), so you don't need to worry about it in any Game Profile

I personally use option 3.

Perhaps supporting multiple "ModPaths" at once could be an idea, but perhaps more trouble than it's worth :) (ticketed; https://dev-heaven.net/issues/30461)

I think SU supports Rearmed pretty well. Game, family and edition support is actually very flexible and future proof :)

some more improvements coming later, while CBA and ACE rearmed updates will be available tomorrow.

Edited April 18, 2012 by Sickboy