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Bundles - Your UI makes me want a refund *from a charity purchase* plz fix.

A topic by Corvustech created Jun 18, 2020 Views: 304 Replies: 1
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(+4)

I get that downloading an entire 50+ page bundle is going to be taxing to your servers.  I do.   However, many of us already have libraries of hundreds or thousands of games on other services.  The way things work now are deeply frustrating and it will show in my tone, which I'm only kind of apologetic about. Please, for the love of God, do the following: 


1. Add the games to our libraries individually, even if they are not downloaded, when in a bundle.   Valve can do this.  GOG can do this.  Origin can do this.  I believe in you, you can do this. 

2. Make the app aware of what we've downloaded in the bundle download pages.  I was slowly going through each page over the course of days, downloading a page at a time, and then when Windows Update restarted my computer.....it forgot what I downloaded and shows "download" on all buttons again.   it subverted my clunky workaround to the awful UI problem of not having a "Download All" or 'Download Page" button.  Now, just to figure out what I have left, I have to open my library on the website and the installers on the app and compare.

3. Support multiple downloads being initiated at the same time.   Valve can do this. GOG can do this.  Origin can do this.  Even my bank's statement system can do this.  I believe in you, you can do this. 

4. Vet your bundle participants.  Some games flat out won't pop the install script, and one has a "go to page" button instead of an installer where you are asked to buy the game a second time.   If it's technological, fix it.  if it's them being snits and trying to double dip, pursue action against them.  

5. Make the Bundles page easy to get to from the landing page on the app.  I had to go find it in my browser and paste it into the URI bar because it's not obvious. 

6. Add some sort of bulk download button.  "Download page", "Download All", "Download All Games" with other buttons for dev tools and software, just anything is better than what's going on right now. 

7. If you're not going to do any of that, at least sort the titles alphabetically on the pages so we can remember what letter we were on, because we *are* going to bulk download one at a time vs. your vision of us treating it more like a SaaS kind of thing.   We can't even see a full list of what the bundle has in it on one page; how are we supposed to know what to search for, anyway?  Gamers browse their library like it's a trip to the GameStop used games wall, not like a LexisNexus search engine.

8. Please inject your JSON parsing server hamster with steroids.   I get "Error: JSON-RPC Connection Timed Out" all the time.   

(1 edit) (+2)

1 Add the games to our libraries individually, even if they are not downloaded, when in a bundle.

They don’t yet support hiding, so manual adding may be their interim solution. I’m pretty happy to curate my bundle additions instead of filling my library with stuff I don’t want to look at.

2 Make the app aware of what we’ve downloaded in the bundle download pages

This would be nice but not really that useful? Like if there was #6, would you really need this?

3 Support multiple downloads being initiated at the same time

You mean clicking install on multiple games? Or clicking Download on multiple pages on the bundle page? (Both work for me.)

5 Make the Bundles page easy to get to from the landing page on the app.

It’s unfortunate that “Bundles” are not under Library, but once you’ve added everything from a bundle maybe it’s not useful. You have to go Explore > username dropdown > My library > My purchases > Bundles.

However, I wouldn’t want a top-level item in the app for this bundle – especially after #6. Maybe “bundles with unclaimed items” under library?

6 Add some sort of bulk download button

If you go to the bundle download page (https://itch.io/b/520/bundle-for-racial-justice-and-equality and Click download), you’ll see this note:

Note: We will be updating this page soon, we know it’s difficult to navigate so many games. We know you want a button to add show everything in your library. No need to reach out. Any new games added to the bundle will automatically show up here. Thanks!

Seems like that’s the most important bundle-related thing they’re working on. Or at least the main thing they’ve publically and prominently promised.

8 Please inject your JSON parsing server hamster with steroids

I wonder if you’re getting JSON-RPC timeouts because you’re trying to click so many games? I did a couple pages on and off over the course of a day (just looking for interesting games – not everything) and never hit any problems like that.