Which files to transfer to update an account?

[Wade.2597]

If I wanted to update the GW2 game on a friend's computer using a flashdrive of the updated game files from my own computer, which files would I need to transfer? There are 5 files and one bin64 folder in my Guild Wars 2 folder under Program Files. Which need to be updated then transferred?

[Invisible Pete.7290]

Gw2.dat has all the updated info. Update your game, copy to your flashdrive, and replace the Gw2.dat on your friend's machine.

[Wade.2597]

Thanks. I'm off to give it a try.
I expected that one needed to be moved but wondered about some of the smaller ones, since their date modified changed on mine when I did an update. Fast flash drives and USB 3.0 make this bearable.

[Wade.2597]

Time to chase the answer further. Thanks, Pete, for the answer of GW2.dat, but while that is part of the answer, there is still more to go. When I read your post I knew my .exe file had been updated slightly too, and knew we'd have to transfer it. However, there is a small (~15mb) something somewhere we've not tracked down.

The goal is for me to download whatever updates that come when I login, then use a flash drive of the files that were updated to transfer them to a friend who has a significant monthly data limit on his phone which he's using as a hotspot to login. It doesn't take much data to actually play the game, but downloads can use a month's data in a few days so he sits out not only GW2 but everything else for the rest of the month he might want phone data for.

Under the folder Guild Wars 2 on my computer are 6 files and a folder, including some temp files with zero content and a dump file with minor content. Under the folder in there are 6 more files and a folder (which is empty.) Success will be defined as when we update the correct files via flash drive transfer to his computer, he will get zero update transfers needed when he signs into the game. So far we're getting a small transfer even when we download every single file in my GW2 folder, even if they were not updated by the game.

There are two distinct update periods during an update. First, when what I'll call the Loader screen shows up (All white, GW2 headliner, updates are shown as running text updates until it's done, then the Login Screen shows up where a content update is shown with it's own progress bar, and you enter/confirm your userid and password.

At the moment we can prevent the Login page from updating by transferring the entire GW2 folder across via flashdrive. That is where big hits come to data usage. Once you're past the .dat file (45GB) the rest are tiny and it's easier to send them all than select the 5 or 6 that have changes. However, we have so far NOT stopped what I've called the loader from getting a small update, and I can't track where that file is. It appears to be a "always update" file even if there are no changes. Or I'm guessing wrong, but the fact remains he's getting an update we aren't squelching with the transfers (and might not be able too if it's a safety mechanism against crashes or misloads.

Anybody know the total answer?

[Linken.6345]

If the data is that stingy why not bring your friends pc over to your place and let him update the game there?

[Wade.2597]

Discussion of that situation is outside the bounds of the OP. We're down to either a transportable method of updating (flash drive, portable hard drive, burnable DVD, etc or not playing GW2.

[Dawdler.8521]

This seems like an awkward way of playing... the game will consume a fair bit of data regardless.

But regarding the minor update, I'm not so sure you can fix that. Could be the game doing some stuff with local.dat (appdata\roaming folder) but that contains your settings/login/account info... not exactly something you want to copy from another machine. Could also be something as simple as the news window always updating. Unfortunetly I think they removed the command lines for logging straight in while bypassing the launcher.

[Wade.2597]

No, the game doesn't use much data to play, even with heavy loads. All that passes back and forth are button presses and mouse clicks (with cursor position) for fights, motion, etc and after results are calculated on the server and messaged back as positions, special effects code numbers, damage, remaining life, etc. I. e short, brief text. Running in instances, where nearby player and NPC count is small and map area is limited the load is almost unmeasurable (or it takes a long while to get to 10mbytes accumulated). Running boss fights, where there are so many folks the lag shows up have more message traffic, but still small. It's still text, not art or software loads.

The update that brought in the Halloween Festival was 325mb, followed almost immediately by another 150mb "fixup". Thus almost half a GB just for a Tuesday update, with which one could play daily for almost 2 weeks, or 2 times a week for an entire month. A a big TP update, with new art, will run a lot, and it's not even necessary to play the game. Just a waste of bandwith to some. If the content was new (like a fresh LWS part) you'll get a bigger update, and then a barrage of "new build available" for days or weeks, scattered all over the calendar. So updates are bigger, and with a run away frequency.