Latest Assassin's Creed Unity Patch is Accidentally 40 GB on Xbox One

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

I've never seen a performer pull that off so I commend Ubisoft on innovating a new move.
Its not quite credible as a finisher, but it makes a lovely set up move.

Ubisoft, masters of botchamania. They manage to turn a botch into a signature move... If it were Kurt Angle in the ring, he'd sell it and end up finishing with a BROKEN FRICKIN NECK!

 

[Kahani]

Even without this glitch...

6.7 GB. For a patch.

Some people don't seem to entirely understand how patching works. Many game files are binaries, or are at least in some way compressed and/or obfuscated. That often means that there's no way to just modify the file in question; if you want to patch it you go back to the source, make your changes, then generate an entirely new file. When people install the patch, they need to download the entire new file, not just a short log of changes to be made to it. So no, 6.7GB is not at all unreasonable, and whether this is the first, fourth, or hundredth patch has absolutely no bearing on how big it might be. All this means is that there are a bunch of different files being patched, probably including at least some involving textures and/or sounds which tend to take up quite a bit of space. It absolutely does not mean that they're having to replace half the game and that therefore it should never have been released.

Of course, the fact that they're up to their fourth major patch and the game is still buggier than a box of cockroaches probably does mean it should not have been released. But it's the amount of things they still have to fix despite the huge number of fixes already made that indicates that, not the raw size of the files used in the patches.

There can be a reasonable argument made that this demonstrates poor design. Having all individual textures, sounds, etc. as separate files makes it far easier to fix an issue that might only exist for a few of them. And of course it makes it much easier for modders to work with it, although not only is that not so much of a concern for devs focussed on consoles, it may even be a reason they deliberately don't do this. However, it does come with downsides to optimisation and the like, since digging through long directory structures and loading lots of separate files can slow things down more than having a single very large but highly optimised file designed specifically for the game to work with.

 

[Hyperstorm]

It's nonsense like this that makes me long for the days when there was no internet connections on consoles. Back then developers had to check their products properly before release.

Thanks Ubi: you've unlocked my grandpa mode.

 

[xxobot]

Developers that behave like this should not get that o-so-precious preorder/first week order money.

If it ain't playable, we shouldn't be buying it.

... a single very large but highly optimised file designed specifically for the game to work with.

I've messed around modifying games that have one file to rule them all (the one that comes to mind is homeworld 2, ironically, the third installment in the series), but the file was always (with the right tool) easily (de/re)compress-able.

Though relic (in my mind) have always been pretty good about mod support for many of their games, if only accidentally in many cases.

I do understand that decompressing an already massive and optimized file just to patch it is not without its problems though.

 

[truckspond]

Let's compare the sizes of a few games...

FTL: Faster Than Light: 0.19 GB

Turbo Dismount install size: 0.24 GB

Kerbal Space Program install size: 3.02 GB

Garry's Mod install size: 3.96 GB

This patch intended size: 6.7 GB

Fallout: New Vegas install size: 7 GB

HL2+EP1+EP2 install size: 8.14 GB

Telltale's The Walking Dead seasons 1 and 2 install size: 8.21 GB

Portal 2 install size: 12 GB

Team Fortress 2 install size: 15 GB

Assassin's Creed Unity install size: 37.64 GB

This patch Xbox One edition: 40 GB

Running the numbers I can get every game listed except TF2, Portal 2 and AC:U + Patches into the same space as AC:U with 6.88 GB to spare. In exchange I get a wide number of experiences from story driven P&C adventure to open world RPG to "Simulation" game to sandbox to spaceship commanding game and even a linear shooter thrown in for good measure.

Why exactly do current-gen games have to suddenly balloon out like this? What was wrong with last gen's install sizes?