" Crafty "patching system for Unity projects.

In 15 minuts we will be sending Crafty 1.2.1 BETA to all the users that requested an update as they had errors.
A changelog and new updated documentation will be in the packed folder with Crafty inside.

We added to Crafty two new features:

1. TIMEOUT system, ( which will print out an error if Crafty wont be able to connect with the server ).
2. Entire updating system is hidden on Windows.
We also want to add third one, which is used only to inform players that they need a Java installed on there system for the Updating program to work properly. ( this will be added before the release to the asset store ).

There are 2 know to us bugs that we will also repair before releasing Crafty 1.2.1 to the asset store. Those bugs are:

- Patch Size is not stated properly it is represented by " 0b " but after clicking download button Patch is shown in a correct way.
- On Mac OS X below 10.6 there may be problems with Java. ( we need to allow Crafty to read older versions of Java and support older versions of Mac ).

There is no more bugs that we have detected, we will be awaiting feed back from the users if there will be any other errors or issues.
Just in case i'm remanding that we are sending Crafty 1.2.1 BETA to make sure that everything is fixed . That's why if anyone have a problem with Crafty but didn't ask for newer version yet please feel free to send me your Invoice.NO i will send you Crafty 1.2.1 BETA immediately.

Update to the Penkura website:
We added Crafty Documentation PDF directly to the website. It is available HERE.

​

 

I just wanted to report that i tested out Crafty 1.2.1 beta and i dont have any errors, but i also didnt notice the error you mention above. I was testing Unity Indie newest one on Windows 8 x32 with game size 1892 mb and patch size 162 mb.

My launcher shows how much patch there is to download and it shows download process correctly .

Also i want to ask how long till Crafty 1.2.1 will be officially send to the asset store ?

 

Most likely you are using Launcher from the Test Scene 2. It was designed to need a minimalist interaction from the overall player. It will detect download and patch it self with no need of any buttons. So the error is there it just happened so fast that you didn't notice it.

It's already repaired anyway .

From our side Crafty 1.2.1 is ready, we are just waiting for others feedback just in case if there was something that we have missed.
Unfortunately not all errors we are able to replicated we did our best to repair everything there was to be repaired but we want to wait just few more days to make sure.

 

Hello Thinker i just wanted to inform you that no longer i have any errors. Good job on the crafty 1.2.1
Just in case i will write down my specs as i notice Cubic already did.

Unity 3.5.7 Pro.
Windows 7
Build 21 = 5 891 mb
Build 22 = 6 009 mb
Patch = 259 mb
Targeted for Windows and Linux.

Thanks for fast support keep up the good work .

Cheers.

 

Thank you for the feed back happy to hear that everything works as it should. If there won't be any problems from others developers we think that Crafty 1.2.1 will be send to the asset store in the next few days.

Of course if you bought Crafty 1.2 and you want now already access to Crafty 1.2.1 just send me your Invoice.NO ( even if you don't have any errors ).

 

hey there, i just purchased crafty from the asset store, and when i open the Patchie window in unity, the Patchie folder is never created in my project... i tried to manually create the folder but the patchie window does not recognize it.

*edit


ah! i see the patchie window is created outside of the assets folder in the project. my bad.

i do see people saying there is a newer version than what is on the asset store? how can i get this version? and thanks!

 

Hello rpg_gamer right above your post i said:

Just send me your Invoice.NO and i will send it to you ASAP .

And yes the patchie folders are build outside of the Unity but inside the game project. Its in the documentation and video tutorials.

 

sent you a pm with my order number and email

 

Crafty 1.2.1 BETA was just send to you hope you enjoy the update.

 

much thanks! I will definitely give you a great review, you rock!

 

Thank you for the kind words . We will do our best to release Crafty 1.2.1 to the asset store as soon as possible.

 

Hello, I tested Crafty 1.2 the last days and it really is a step forward.
I like the new patch creation, especially the new GUI that shows you what changes are detected. And after I understood the new patching process with the updater.exe, I think, that's also better.

Just 2 things - one wish and a pretty serious bug.

1) It would be nice to create a patch from two folders that can be anywhere. So no two 'versions' inside the Patchie-Directory but any two folders. Not via the GUI but via some method call. Or is this already possible? (This would save us the work of copying the folders into the Patchie-Directory)

2) The BUG: When the updater patches a file via normal copying (so not via diff), the result is wrong when the newer file is smaller. That's because the updater just overwrites the bytes and doesn't trimm the end.

Example:
I have a textfile that I wish to patch. The contents is:
OLD: "I am a long text in a text file"
NEW: "New content!"
Then the patched file reads:
"New content!text in a text file"

This also seems to happen with binary files so that they are then corrupt.

 

Hello Philipp,

Crafty 1.2 had few mistakes that we already repaired. ( Some users are already testing Crafty 1.2.1 if you wish i can send you a copy ).

I don't see why this would be a problem to implement . Added to the requested features.

EDIT:

Just wanted to inform that our programmer will add this to the Crafty 1.2.1 as it is very simple feature.

Wasikuss will check this out to make sure everything is correct. We are overall working on full binary system, ( it will take some more time as we need to make a system that wont crash on GB in size builds, and also will work properly on limited memory. ) When this system will be implemented to Crafty, I highly doubt that we will see anymore bugs with patches plus we will reach the limit of patch size making them as small as it is possible ( at least for now till we won't think of something better ).

Happy to see that 100 % of users ( at least for now ) are very happy of new patching system. We work on that very hard but still we want to improve much more.

 

I seem to be getting an error after the patch has been unpacked:

cannot apply file:
PathToGame\CharliePoint_Data\Managed\Assembly-CSharp.dll

cannot apply file:
PathToGame\CharliePoint_Data\sharedassets0.assets

I apologise if I posted this in the wrong place or broke an forum rules by doing this but I can't seem to find a fix.

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

 

No no its all okkei.

This is the error we were not able to replicate would you mind sending me your email at support@penkura.com
our programmer would help you personally with this error so we can fix it permanently.

 

Hey will crafty standalone be another buy? As I would wait for it then, else I would buy the current system.

 

Crafty Standalone is completely different series of scripts written differently but acting the same. Overall yes Crafty Standalone is a separated advance program which will cost as much as Crafty for Unity. 50 $.

 

Okay thanks then I'm waiting for it.

 

We will do our best to release it as soon as possible. We just need to make sure that users on both sides ( Crafty for Unity and Standalone ) will be equally happy. But it should not take much longer for us to create it.

 

Hi there, this doesn't seem to work for me.

In my game client, it recognizes the new patch and downloads it, and uncompresses it as well....... but then my client closes, and does not restart. when i start the client again, it is still the old version.

 

Crafty have problem with versions located on different disks. To fix this, we decided to create folder for all versions. But we already added this to feature requests.

It should be already fixed in Crafty 1.2.1, because file will be deleted before copy new file. Before 1.2.1 Crafty simple copy stream of bytes, and as you noticed I forgot to truncate file if smaller. I will check this today.

can you write some details? Are you using Mac, Lin or Win? I offer support via any program with screen sharing feature ( TeamViewer, Skype, etc. ).

 

Also it is possible that its most likely happening because you don't have installed Java on your system, in the official Crafty 1.2.1 release we added an error message appearing when someone dose not have Java installed on their system, which should prevent a lot of frustration .

 

i do have the latest jdk and jre installed on my system.

*edit


specs : win7 64 bit, project patch is 900 mb. it downloads fine, and seems to un compress. It does not install.

 

I did get your private message with Skype, our programmer will contact you when he will return from the work. To help you with the problem.

 

all fixed, was actually an issue un related to crafty.


awesome dev!

 

Because of the amount of successful test on Crafty 1.2.1 we decided that we will release it this week to the asset store.
We also added some useful notes in the LaunchieLogic script to help developers with Patch creation process.

 

Is this version overall the same as the Crafty 1.2.1 Beta ? Or is it a better versions ? Also i have a request to make, i dont know if i already asked for this but can you please add the ability to work on versions.txt while patch is being created ? I work on massive project and it takes some time to create a patch i could spend it on writing patch versions.

 

Yes Official Crafty 1.2.1 will have two bug fixes an addition that will indicate if you have installed Java or not ( a small window error with a message explaining that you do not have Java installed on your system ) and few notes in the Crafty that will make patch creation easier for those who just started to use Crafty.

No problem, already on the list of requested feature, should be added in Crafty 1.2.1 in worse case scenario in Crafty 1.2.2.

 

Thanks for accepting my requested and i can wait its just a small thing not really that important but it would nice to see it

Also i have a question about Crafty Standalone, as in Crafty in game one i can use unity gui no problem to create what ever launcher i want but how it will work in Crafty Standalone ? Will i have access to the script or will i have to use only prepared launcher with super limited access to ?

I really need access to launcher gui in Crafty Standalone as it will be useless to me without it.

 

Hello again,

No problem we accept almost all of them .

We got a lot of questions of this type on the email, so to clarify.

We will give you access to create your launcher GUI in two ways:

1. We will give you a full access to the GUI part of the Crafty Standalone program script. With it you will be able to add what ever your hearth desire.
But this is for people who knows at least basic programming which may be a problem for some.

Because of that later on we will add the second way.

2. A specific Launcher building program composite of dozens upon dozens of ready to use additions from which you will be able to create Launcher without much of a problem. This type of system will allow even non programmers to use Crafty Standalone to the fullest.

And before anyone will ask ( as we also got this type of questions ) YES both of this systems will be on Crafty Standalone and NO we will not rise the price. We already gave our word that we will do our best to provide the best we can we intend to keep it, but as always it takes time to develop such complex program, as we don't like to give half made systems .

 

I will be maybe blend but for me this is the most important part of the entire program Thank you very much for this .

Also i send you a PM with few things i am working on using Crafty and if its possible i would request help with the second one.

 

It would be awesome if you showed your work here to everybody, its really good i didn't even knew you could use crafty in so many layers to practically turn it in to the game. If you don't mind post few screenshots here or a video, really awesome idea, looking forward to the full version.

After seeing your project now i understand why you want so much control over launcher GUI, i think we could squeeze some more features and open code a little more for everybody, in Crafty Standalone.

 

Thanks for now i want to keep this private but soon i will try to have a green light on steam, than i will for sure share it here with everybody .

Once again thanks it will help me a lot as this project now depends on Crafty . Its cool what you can do with it.

 

Hello Thinker i was writing her on your forum about a month ago about Crafty Standalone, i tried a different patching system but i had left disappointing and i have to come back to your product. As you already explain that you wont start a new thread till you will release new Crafty Standalone i cant really post this questions anywhere else,

Can you provide me with an update on when Crafty Standalone will be available ?
Edit: I was observing your website www.penkura.com but i found no post for months about Crafty. Sorry for asking but this is important to me.

 

Sorry about the website not being updated, but the website was suppose to be focused only on Penkura and not the Assets, which started to be filled with. Also we didn't really thought people really read posts on our pages when here on the forum there is so much info. We will start to update website with the release of Crafty 1.2.1 to keep everyone more inform.

Towards your question on Crafty Standalone we are doing our best to create it in May our programmers are working very hard to make sure everything is in high quality, we don't want to release half made program with barley any features. As we want to copy any feature that is in Crafty for Unity to Standalone version to provide already a high quality program to work with.

I will do my best to keep everybody up to date but i will do it on website from the moment Crafty 1.2.1 will be released as i want to keep this thread related to Crafty for Unity only .

 

does this have some sort of file integrity check? where it will download broken files?

 

No Lanuchie don't perform any integrity checks. We can add CRC32 information to patch to keep sure that downloaded data is not corrupted. It will be added in new config system that will replace versions.txt.

 

You mean cyclic redundancy check ? So Launcher will be checking code for errors just in case so that files wont get damage ?
Is this feature will be also in the Standalone version ?

 

We will do our best that all features that are available in Crafty for Unity will be available in Crafty Standalone.
We don't want to leave anyone behind with any features as usually users who buy Crafty for Unity also ask for Crafty Standalone, because of that we will put extra work on providing both programs with at least equal amount of features/additions.

 

As promised we have updated the website with the information on CRAFTY STANDALONE for those who are waiting for the program.

Post is available HERE.

 

Thanks for the info its basically all i wanted to know cant wait for the official release a must have from my side.

BTW you guys have THE BEST art concept, Crafty Standalone wallpaper looks AWESOME. I hope entire Crafty looks like this

 

Hello Crafty team,

I have one problem that I tried to figure out myself but I am out of ideas. Maybe you can help me.
I have a large (500MB) patch file. When I download it with Launchie in my Unity game client, it takes around double the time as when I'm just downloading the patch.zip with my browser. :/

Do you know what might cause this? I have tried it on several PCs. Do you have any idea what could slow it down?

 

Hello GameArt Philipp sorry for the late reply but i couldn't enter my PC till now.

We don't know exactly why this is happening it is possible that in the newer versions we made some kind of error in the buffer, or downloading process as Crafty is downloading everything in chunks. We are almost sure that we did it as it was suppose to but just in case we will double check that i will give you more information after our programmer will look threw the script.

Yes Crafty Standalone will have its own skin in the style of wallpaper in fact it is already made and working, its not so far from the completion we just need to make it work perfectly on Mac and Linux and not only on Windows.

 

Thank you for answering my questions on the website . I send you few more just to make some thing sure but also just like Halie wrote this is must have for me and i will gladly wait for the Standalone but i have a request to make,

is it possible for you guys to create a peer to peer data transfer ? in Crafty for Unity and Crafty Standalone it would be nice to see a system that is used in complex AAA launchers which is player to player data transfer something like a torrent system build in the launchers.
It would speed up the data transfer as it is normal that a program is not downloading as fast as physical direct download. I would love to see this in Crafty for Unity and Crafty Standalone.

Also i understand that Standalone will have a prepared Launcher will it be like this one already in Crafty for Unity ? I understand that those are test launchers and should not be used in the game it self but still it would be nice to see something better haha.

 

Yes we know about this system and we already got a request about it, we want to add it as indeed it will speed up the process of downloading updates or/and entire games, but we will work on this system after we will create full binary patch creation as it is our top priority after Crafty Standalone.

Also i have to add that this system will be added to the Crafty test scene and by default it will be turn off with the ability to turn on in the option section that we will also add. System like this need to be allow by the player as not everybody want this to be turn on from the start. This is very important.
Of course its up to you how you want to proceed with this addition but in all our test scene this will be turn of by default with the ability to turn it on .

We understand that our TEST SCENES don't have professional GUI, but we plan to add a Launcher GUI to our test builds after Unity will add new GUI system in Unity 4.6 we plan to use new features from Unity 4.6 GUI to present much more complex Launcher for the public.

 

Hi, I've done some tests. Seems, the download was so slow because of the way I wrote my LaunchieLogic-Script. I had an Update method in there and it seems to have slowed it down.
From around 5 minutes to 40 seconds. Oo I see why that really bugged me ^^

Another thing:
Launchie creates a new thread for downloading, I guess. Can you make that a background thread (isBackground = true)? Right now, when the main game/program is closed, the download-thread continues and I haven't found a way in launchie to stop it.
Or is there a way to make it stop?

 

Happy to hear that it was not our error as our programmer spend all night and couldn't find anything wrong hah.

I don't think that this is a problem to change for you . I will send your request to Wasikuss.

 

Good to know that wasn't bug in Crafty

In Crafty 1.2.1 all functions was rewritten to be asynchronous, because we added timeout feature. Do you think that isBackground should be hardcoded or as option in public functions ( default active and parametr to turn off )? I want to know is there situations when isBackground shouldn't be active? If no i will set all async threads to run in background.

[EDITED]
Regardless of your answer i will set async threads to background and add parameterized functions to turn off this option. It won't take much time Thanks for your feedback

 

Hello Thinker, Waikus,

nice to hear the background option will be in. I don't think there is a reason to not have it as background but the option to turn it of is good just in case.

Another thing regarding the slow download speed. I did some further tests and the problem is still there. But I also don't think it's Launchie's fault.
It is just: within Unity the download is slow even if I don't attach a GUI to Launchie but if I call Launchie from a Windows Form the download is about 2-3x faster. I have no idea why. I'm using Unity 3.57. Don't know if the problem exists in Unity 4.

This is why we decided to make the Launcher a simple Windows Form using Launchie (which works good). But this is also why I need Launchie to run as a background thread since otherwise it will finish its download even if the Form is closed.

 

This is interesting, thanks for telling us. We will do our own testing too just to check whats going on exactly. I also wonder if its only in Unity 3.5.7 or overall in Unity.