How to Download

How to Download
Downloading is the process of copying a file (such as a game or utility) from one computer to another across the internet. When you download a game from our web site, it means you are copying it from the author or publisher's web server to your own computer. This allows you to install and use the program on your own machine.

Here's how to download a file using Internet Explorer and Windows XP. (This example shows a download of the file "dweepsetup.exe" from Dexterity Games.) If you're using a different browser such as Netscape Navigator or a different version of Windows, your screens may look a little different, but the same basic steps should work.

   1. Click on the download link for the program you want to download. Many sites offer multiple download links to the same program, and you only need to choose one of these links.

   2. You may be asked if you want to save the file or run it from its current location. If you are asked this question, select "Save." If not, don't worry -- some browsers will automatically choose "Save" for you.

   3. You will then be asked to select the folder where you want to save the program or file, using a standard "Save As" dialog box. Pay attention to which folder you select before clicking the "Save" button. It may help you to create a folder like "C:\Download" for all of your downloads, but you can use any folder you'd like.

    4. The download will now begin. Your web browser will keep you updated on the progress of the download by showing a progress bar that fills up as you download. You will also be reminded where you're saving the file. The file will be saved as "C:\Download\dweepsetup.exe".

Note: You may also see a check box labeled "Close this dialog box when download completes." If you see this check box, it helps to uncheck this box. You don't have to, but if you do, it will be easier to find the file after you download it.

     5. Depending on which file you're downloading and how fast your connection is, it may take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to download. When your download is finished, if you left the "Close this dialog box when download completes" option unchecked, you'll see a dialog box like this one:

     6. Now click the "Open" button to run the file you just downloaded. If you don't see the "Download complete" dialog box, open the folder where you saved the file and double-click on the icon for the file there.

What happens next will depend on the type of file you downloaded. The files you'll download most often will end in one of two extensions. (An extension is the last few letters of the filename, after the period.) They are:

    * .EXE files: The file you downloaded is a program. Follow the on-screen instructions from there to install the program to your computer and to learn how to run the program after it's installed.
    * .ZIP files: ZIP is a common file format used to compress and combine files to make them download more quickly. Some versions of Windows (XP and sometimes ME) can read ZIP files without extra software. Otherwise, you will need an unzipping program to read these ZIP files. Common unzipping programs are WinZIP, PKZIP, and BitZipper, but there are also many others. Many unzipping programs are shareware, which means you will need to purchase them if you use them beyond their specified trial period.
(http://www.asp-software.org)

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Downloadable content

Downloadable content (also referred to as DLC) is a form of digital media distributed through the Internet. The phrase is used to refer specifically to content created for video games that is released separately from the main video game release.

HistoryPrecursors to Downloadable content
The earliest form of digital distribution in video games was the Atari 2600's GameLine service, which allowed users to download games using a telephone line. A similar service, Sega Channel, allowed for the downloading of games to the Sega Genesis over a cable line.

While the GameLine and Sega Channel services allowed for the distribution of entire titles, they did not offer Downloadable Content for existing titles. Perhaps the closest the services came to offering true Downloadable content was Shiny Entertainment's special edition of Earthworm Jim offered over the Sega Channel, though it too was still a stand-alone download.

On personal computersAs the popularity and speed of internet connections rose, so did the popularity of using the internet for digital distribution of media. User-created game mods and maps were distributed exclusively online, as they were mainly created by people without the infrastructure capable of distributing the content through physical media.

The majority of such content was available for free, and the phrase "downloadable content" is rarely used to refer to such content, instead being termed "user-created content" and or "mods", for example, the Spring game engine has many downloadable content under both free and proprietary licenses.

On consolesThe Dreamcast was the first console to feature online support as a standard; Downloadable content was available, though limited in size due to the narrowband connection and the size limitations of a memory card. These online features were still considered a breakthrough in video games, but the Dreamcast's immediate competitors, the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, did not ship with built-in network adapters.

With the advent of the Xbox, Microsoft was the second company to implement downloadable content. Many original Xbox Live titles, including Splinter Cell, Halo 2, and Ninja Gaiden, offered varying amounts of extra content, available for download through the Xbox Live service. Most of this content, with the notable exception of content for Microsoft-published titles, was available for free.

Microsoft was the first company to charge for downloadable content, with the 2002 video game Mech Assault.

With the Xbox 360, Microsoft integrated downloadable content more fully into their console, devoting an entire section of the console's user interface to the Xbox Live Marketplace. They also removed the need for credit cards by implementing their own Microsoft Points currency, a strategy that would be adopted by Nintendo with Wii Points and Sony with the PlayStation Network Card.


Sony adopted much of the Xbox Live Marketplace's features into their downloadable hub, the PlayStation Store. With Gran Turismo HD, Sony planned an entirely barebones title, with the idea of requiring the bulk of the content to be purchased separately via many separate online microtransactions. The project was later canceled. Nintendo has featured a sparser amount of downloadable content on their Wii Shop Channel, the bulk of which is accounted for by digital distribution of emulated Nintendo titles from previous generations.

Music video games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have taken significant advantage of downloadable content. Harmonix claimed that Guitar Hero II would feature "more online content than anyone has ever seen in a game to this date." Rock Band features the largest number of downloadable items of any console video game, with a steady number of new songs being added weekly. Acquiring all the downloadable content for Rock Band would cost at least over $2000.
(en.wikipedia.org)

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Download acceleration

Download acceleration, also known as multipart download, is a term for the method employed by software such as download managers to download a single file by splitting it in segments and using several simultaneous connections to download these segments from a single server.

The reason for doing so is to circumvent server side limitations of bandwidth per connection. Because in normal networking situations all individual connections are treated equally, rather than actual file transfers, multiple connections yields an advantage on saturated links over simple connections, both in terms of total bandwidth allocation and resilience. Many servers, however, implement a maximum number of simultaneous connections per client in order to mitigate this.

This is not to be confused with segmented downloading, which allows a client to download segments of a file simultaneously from multiple servers. (en.wikipedia.org)

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