This is not a rant but rather an honest question. I am almost 70 years old and have a basic ( very basic ) understanding of computers and how programs work. I am curious about what has to go on behind the scenes to get a DLC up and functioning. I know this may be obvious to some folks, but I am just trying to get a handle on how much must be done. Thanks to anyone who decides to clue in an old man.
I'm not sure of how long it takes to apply the new updates to the system. However, the long downtimes for the updates are usually to make sure nothing has gone sideways when the update is applied to the live game. Weird things can happen when an update interacts with the live game, so it's a "better safe than sorry" approach. Sometimes things go well and the downtime is less than what's predicted/announced on the forums. Sometimes something goes wrong and they need the full time plus some extra time to get it corrected.
The implementation is rather simple. You can see that because the update is already downloadable a few hours after downtime started. What takes up most time is checking all the implemented systems/items for major bugs or exploits i'd say. There will also be a few bugs wich they will try to address before opening up the server again. Not entirely sure about it since im not working in that industry but i'd be surprised if its not like that.
It takes a bit for the software updates to propagate to the various regional servers. There's also some coordination with the PS/Xbox networks that probably add a bit more time to the process. Then there are various hardware/software driver updates on the machines that might require some updating while they have things down. If you've ever updated your own graphics drivers, it's a similar process. Usually pretty quick, individually, but depending on how many drivers/machines/servers are involved, that could take a while. This is mostly what daily maintenance is about, though. Then there's the server restarts, which takes a bit, then they have QA teams pop in and try to find anything majorly wrong with the update before we get our hands on it. There is always going to be more stuff pop up as we have a lot more eyes and a lot more stress on the systems, which is why there are usually a few days of wonky bug stuff going on. Any issue that arises, and there's always SOMEthing, takes some time to address. A minute or two here and there adds up, so they make sure and block off sufficient time for things to go sideways. Then, if they're early, they apply the Scotty Principle and look like miracle workers. The time blocked off is about managing expectations.
It has to do with patching. If you've ever paid attention to any update in games or programs, it downloads the files then proceeds to do a file check of all resources on your machine. Once done doing a file check, it patches the files that need to be updated. Usually by replacing it with the new ones. In regards to the game's servers, it's the same concept, only on a much larger scale. Once the patch is complete, they have to then do a quick check to see if it patches okay. Which, if you've been playing this game for a while might have noticed, it doesn't always work out. This usually extends the downtime a bit longer as they have to correct the patch. Of course there are also bugs that could come with the update, which might result in them taking the servers back down to at least fix what they can or disable what is bad. (Example would be the Giganta fight in Doomed DC.) Some of these bugs can't be found on a small scale and more times than not, can only be found when live.
Using the example from my company I work at: The IT dept will move the updated software from the test server(s) to the main server(s) after the main servers(s) have been backed up. This is in case something terribly goes wrong during or after installation. The back is most likely one of the big chunks of time needed. Once they get the update to the software loaded, it is then tested on the main server before any users are allowed to access it just to make sure nothing has gone wrong as in the software still runs, users can log in and use the software (DCUO), and the new updates (our new DLC) is accessible for play. As always once all users are allowed access to the software (DCUO), bugs will be discovered that slipped past the testers on the test server or perhaps were discovered but in the need to meet the deadline of April 14, 2022, they were left to be fixed at a later time with a patch. I hope this helps explain in general terms the behind the scenes work being done. As I stated this is how it is done at the company I for at so I think it is pretty much standard practice. Daybreak most likely has some other specialized steps they take which are unique to the gaming industry.
Many thanks for all the responses. I hope the Title didn't make anyone go, "Oh no, another one of these."
That is wrong. At no point have they ever given "Unlimited" anything, let alone Source Marks. We have received a small amount of marks as compensation for enduring certain issues...but never unlimited. You can't just toss that word around all willy nilly...unlimited means something. If they had given "Unlimited" Source Marks, a large portion of us would never have to run any content for source marks ever again. Think about that for a moment.
A lot of it depends on the level of novelty being added. If you re-use old character builds and maps, don't include any new base items, they can churn them out pretty quick without much effort. Older DLCs had much more novelty, when they introduced Atlantis, for instance. That took an experienced development team many more man-hours to produce. There was also much more in the way of new gear styles, new mechanics, new characters, new maps, and new base styles.
As per the context of the thread, this was a bug that was quickly fixed. When a dlc opened up after the maintence, everyone got 9999 sm temporarily
The game is run on a much smaller budget than it was as recently as 2015. They could pump out a DLC every three months if they had the resource invested. It’s like asking why China can build a new airport in 6 months. They have a lot more people working on it.
Is your question "what has to go on to create a complete DLC from scratch?" or "what has to go on to take a completed DLC off test server and make it live?" People have been answering the second question, but it's not 100% clear to me, at least, which of the two questions you're asking.
