Discussion: Upgrade to the NCsoft Launcher now!
By
Alexander_Drako,
Posted on: 2011-03-03 24:55 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion
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I was one of the people affected by the problem with games.xml not downloading. For me, the problem was the DNS server: the launcher was failing to resolve launcher.ncsoft.com.|
Originally Posted by Beastyle
For those of our South American players having trouble with the launcher, please read the updated instructions here.
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So, I changed my own connection's settings to use Google's DNS 8.8.8.8, and then tried again. This time, the launcher was able to download the updated Games.xml with no issues.
No guarantees it'll work for everyone being affected, but it doesn't hurt to try.
To change your DNS servers, you have to go to the Control Panel, and find "Network Connections". Note that I don't mean "Network and Sharing Center", I mean "Network Connections"; it should be a window that displays only your network adapters.
From there, right-click the one you're using to connect to the internet, and select Properties. A window will pop up with a number of protocols. Double-click IPv4 in there, and another window will pop up.
At the bottom of that window, it'll usually say "obtain DNS addresses automatically"; if it already has some addresses in there, write them down for future restoration (if needed), otherwise just click the radio button that'll allow you to change them, and enter Google's DNS addresses in there: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Screenshot (in Spanish) as a guide:
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Originally Posted by Keen Stronghold
Second, the whole site "http://launcher.ncsoft.com/" doesn't seem to respond from my IP. And apparently (from what others say), from any IP in South America.
Chrome's error: "Error 105 (net::ERR_NAME_NOT_RESOLVED): The server could not be found." |
www.SaveCOH.com: Calls to Action and Events Calendar
This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!
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Just been looking at a Wireshark trace while the update was running, and from what I've seen, their "content delivery network" is Akamai, which is not peer-to-peer.|
Originally Posted by _gohan661_
One thing worries me about this
"content distribution network" Does this mean Peer to Peer? all Peer to Peer is blocked on the network so i'd simply not be able to patch or anything |
This is a good thing because many ISPs (mine included) will have an Akamai cache on their local network, so as advertised, we should benefit from improved download speeds. I'm getting pretty much line speed right now, which is a massive improvement over the old updater. I've downloaded 90% of the entire Test client while I was writing this post.
That said, it wasn't all smooth sailing. The install seemed to go OK but the first time I ran the launcher, it hung with just a blank grey window and a menu bar that didn't do anything. Killed it with Task Manager and it ran OK second time.
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Thanks for the info guess i'll try it now.. tho i really do not see why they'd implement such a feature i really aint gunna be getting any of their other games
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Originally Posted by Freelancer
Just been looking at a Wireshark trace while the update was running, and from what I've seen, their "content delivery network" is Akamai, which is not peer-to-peer.
This is a good thing because many ISPs (mine included) will have an Akamai cache on their local network, so as advertised, we should benefit from improved download speeds. I'm getting pretty much line speed right now, which is a massive improvement over the old updater. I've downloaded 90% of the entire Test client while I was writing this post. That said, it wasn't all smooth sailing. The install seemed to go OK but the first time I ran the launcher, it hung with just a blank grey window and a menu bar that didn't do anything. Killed it with Task Manager and it ran OK second time. |
It'd be nice if they could integrate server status into the launcher rather than have it open the web page.
Goodbye may seem forever
Farewell is like the end
But in my heart's the memory
And there you'll always be
-- The Fox and the Hound
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It also allows *faster* download patching speeds. Basically instead of downloading directly from NCsofts servers, you download from the nearest CDN server that NCsoft has an arrangement with. Its faster downloading for you, |
Originally Posted by _gohan661_
Thanks for the info guess i'll try it now.. tho i really do not see why they'd implement such a feature i really aint gunna be getting any of their other games
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No more of this 16 hours to download the game on a patch day when you are on a 20Mb line.
And you will be using it.... whenever you patch the game.
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Changing the DNS did it for me. Launcher running okay now. Thank you.
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Originally Posted by Leandro
Try switching the DNS, looks like you have the exact same problem I had.
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That's exactly what I was looking for. TYVM for the information.
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Originally Posted by Zombie Man
Pro Tip: New and Quick Start-up Desktop Icons
2. In the Properties window, you can add many of the old command line tags you use to with the shortcut to the old launcher. For the blue Hero skin, leave it blank or use -uiskin 0. For the red Villain skin, use -cov or -uiskin 1. For the gold GR skin, use -uiskin 2. Hit the OK button when done. 3. For each Desktop Shortcut Icon, you can customize which icon to show. Right click on the shortcut and in the pop up menu, chose Properties. In the main or shortcut tab, look for the "Change Icon" button and click it. If you get an error message or only one icon to chose from, click the Browse button and navigate to the cityofheroes.exe file in your main City of Heroes directory. You should now see a choice of five icons to use. Chose the one you want for each client's/server's shortcut. |
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I was thinking that myself the other day, would definately be sweet.
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Originally Posted by Tenzhi
It'd be nice if they could integrate server status into the launcher rather than have it open the web page.
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"Superman died fighting Doomsday because he allowed his toggles to drop, and didn't beat Doomsday before Unstoppable wore off, sad really..."
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Originally Posted by Von Krieger
Urf. The NCSoft launcher has, three times, completely and utterly failed to update my CoH beta folder. It found Beta and Test okay, but then started to download the entire installs over again. And again. And again.
Every time my internet connection hiccups, the NC Launcher starts the downloads over again. I went to bed, having it downloading the Beta, woke up and used the restroom, checked on it to see that the download had only 2 hours left (of the original 14), and went back to bed. Upon awakening the Beta had NOT been installed, and was about 10 percent of the way through downloading the 4.3ish gigs worth of files. Again. It doesn't seem to ever want to resume downloads, or retain its progress. |
I wonder if your registry for Beta and Test aren't pointing to the same directory. That would cause it to change it to one, then change it back to the other and then back to the other, etc...
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides
Though it detected and runs the copy of CoH that's in my Steam folders, it doesn't show up that I'm playing in Steam, nor does any of the other integration via Steam work.
Can we get a version of the launcher released through Steam? Or at least push off mandatory use of the launcher until after SW:tOR launches? 
@bpphantom
The Defenders of Paragon
KGB Special Section 8
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If you launch a program *directly* from inside its directory, it wont show up via steam showing that you are playing it.|
Originally Posted by bpphantom
Though it detected and runs the copy of CoH that's in my Steam folders, it doesn't show up that I'm playing in Steam, nor does any of the other integration via Steam work.
Can we get a version of the launcher released through Steam? Or at least push off mandatory use of the launcher until after SW:tOR launches? |
I can launch Dragon Age (which i bought on steam, and is in my steam directories) directly, without Steam tracking that I have played it.
The NCSoft launcher works in the same fashion (calls up the program directly, instead of getting Steam to launch it)
The new NCsoft Updater is so much better then what we had, It actually works with satellite connections. It so nice not having to open 20 updaters and waiting 30 mins for a connection. This has connected on every attempt so far. Thank you Devs
Launcher "works" but after selecting "Play" it brings-up a "Just-In-Time Debugger" that has to be dismissed twice before it launches City of Heroes.
After that, all seems well.
What bothers me is that...well...outside of hacked-together Access scripting, I've never seen a user dropped into a debugger. I mean seriously, a good programmer should have trapped for that.
This on XP/SP3, and just checked, have all the latest patches.
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ACTIVE INCARNATES: Polly's Revenge (V) | Stygian Kitten (V) | Archon Abrasax (V) | Alpha Antares (V)
Felines | Wolves | Avians | Bovines | Griffons | Centaurs | Insects | Robots
What, you really think HUMANS are going to save the world? LOL!
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Check this out.
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Originally Posted by CFIndustries
Launcher "works" but after selecting "Play" it brings-up a "Just-In-Time Debugger" that has to be dismissed twice before it launches City of Heroes.
After that, all seems well. What bothers me is that...well...outside of hacked-together Access scripting, I've never seen a user dropped into a debugger. I mean seriously, a good programmer should have trapped for that. This on XP/SP3, and just checked, have all the latest patches. |
Speeding Through New DA Repeatables || Spreadsheet o' Enhancements || Zombie Skins: better skins for these forums || Guide to Guides
Update:
ok, its definetly something with my laptop. running a dell Vostro 1500, winXP home OS, and loaded the game off the original discs after uninstalling every prior aspect of the game and new launcher. made shortcuts for test and beta servers and let all three run updates to get up to speed. opened all the game versions to make sure the system was stable and without flaws running with the new launcher. closed everything down. went and dled the launcher.
nope. same problems as always. launching the launcher cause it to see the nclauncher.exe as locked. from there, everything goes right into the toilet. so, im back to square 1 with this. not sure why the launcher works on my HP desktop but not my Dell laptop. did the exact same method with the laptop today that i did with the desktop yesterday to get it to work. so... i dont even know. what could the problem be? any ideas?
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ok, final update until i see something about a fix, or a repair, or a way to modify the files to make the launcher work for everyone everywhere all the time:|
Originally Posted by TheDark1
Update:
ok, its definetly something with my laptop. running a dell Vostro 1500, winXP home OS, and loaded the game off the original discs after uninstalling every prior aspect of the game and new launcher. made shortcuts for test and beta servers and let all three run updates to get up to speed. opened all the game versions to make sure the system was stable and without flaws running with the new launcher. closed everything down. went and dled the launcher. nope. same problems as always. launching the launcher cause it to see the nclauncher.exe as locked. from there, everything goes right into the toilet. so, im back to square 1 with this. not sure why the launcher works on my HP desktop but not my Dell laptop. did the exact same method with the laptop today that i did with the desktop yesterday to get it to work. so... i dont even know. what could the problem be? any ideas? |
uninstalled the new launcher. rebooted the laptop. tried loading the game through the old shortcuts and got an error message saying the nclauncher couldnt be found. went through my folders/files and checked out what the launcher had changed to redirect my regular loaders to that one. deleted CoHupdater.exe, renamed old.cohupdater.exe back to CoHupdater.exe and got things back to normal. all shortcuts worked just as they did before this whole problem. hopefully a recommendation or suggestion or idea will come out soon. again; works just fine on my HP desktop. doesnt work at all on my Dell laptop.
Check this page, especially step 3:
https://help.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/ncso...p_sid=_x59Ldok
I dual box a lot so I have d:/city of heroes and e:/city of heroes. I can still launch both from their folders but the launcher is going to stop me doing this at some point isn't it?
Can't see how to add a second (or more) installations to the launcher.
With regards to the EULA - I actually can't read it with that font / colour on that background. I know I didn't read the old one.. but that was for different reasons, I actually attempted to read this one and just hurt my eyes.
www.repeat-offenders.net now playing GW2 with RO in Crystal Desert
RIP Sailor Rush, September 7th 2010.
http://www.change.org/petitions/ncsoft-keep-ncsoft-from-shutting-down-city-of-heroes
Sign the petition to save CoH please.
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Why would you need multiple installations of CoH to dual-box? Just go to File, Settings, Advanced tab and check the box that says "allow multiple instances of games to be run." It doesn't require multi-installs to dual-box, just run the game twice, it's what I've always done when I've needed to do it.|
Originally Posted by lukewarmdog
I dual box a lot so I have d:/city of heroes and e:/city of heroes. I can still launch both from their folders but the launcher is going to stop me doing this at some point isn't it?
Can't see how to add a second (or more) installations to the launcher. With regards to the EULA - I actually can't read it with that font / colour on that background. I know I didn't read the old one.. but that was for different reasons, I actually attempted to read this one and just hurt my eyes. |
As for the EULA, yeah, it's really tiny and almost impossible to read, and I JUST got new glasses, but at 1920x1200 it's a mess. One does wonder why you chose to not read the OLD EULA though, and for what "reasons" you didn't read it. Technically you're not supposed to agree to a EULA you didn't read. Regardless, you're still bound by it, even if you didn't read it.
"Superman died fighting Doomsday because he allowed his toggles to drop, and didn't beat Doomsday before Unstoppable wore off, sad really..."
The launcher will not recognize both installations of the game. But, it is unnecessary to have two installations of the game in order to run two instances of the game.
In File->Settings, in the Advanced tab of the Launcher, you can select "Allow multiple instances of a game to be launched".
If you need the two instances to have different command line arguments, you can create a desktop shortcut (right click on the game in the Launcher and select "Create Desktop Shortcut"), rename it and add any command line arguments you need to that shortcut, and then make another shortcut with different command line arguments.
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giving it a go. i'll post my success or failure when complete. thx for the suggestion Tex.
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Originally Posted by Tex
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well, that didnt take long at all.|
Originally Posted by TheDark1
giving it a go. i'll post my success or failure when complete. thx for the suggestion Tex.
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ok, uninstalled 1.1 and 3.5, but cant remove 2.0 or 3.0. says its necessary for some applications and cant be removed.
any other suggestions?
Try reinstalling .NET and MSXML anyways.
Might just be me but it felt a lot happier with two seperate installs running than running the same exe twice.
As far as two shortcuts go, I already do this, I thought the launcher was supposed to integrate functionality and features.
At this point in time I'm hopeful the launcher is actually going to be useful, the distributed network thing had better have the hell tested out of it before it goes live.
www.repeat-offenders.net now playing GW2 with RO in Crystal Desert
RIP Sailor Rush, September 7th 2010.
http://www.change.org/petitions/ncsoft-keep-ncsoft-from-shutting-down-city-of-heroes
Sign the petition to save CoH please.
Urf. The NCSoft launcher has, three times, completely and utterly failed to update my CoH beta folder. It found Beta and Test okay, but then started to download the entire installs over again. And again. And again.
Every time my internet connection hiccups, the NC Launcher starts the downloads over again.
I went to bed, having it downloading the Beta, woke up and used the restroom, checked on it to see that the download had only 2 hours left (of the original 14), and went back to bed.
Upon awakening the Beta had NOT been installed, and was about 10 percent of the way through downloading the 4.3ish gigs worth of files. Again.
It doesn't seem to ever want to resume downloads, or retain its progress.