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Game Pipe Changelog

What's new in Game Pipe 1.0.5

Apr 28, 2022
  • This release fixes a small bug with some older Steam Installs, where GamePipe may detect the same directory twice. This bug was innocuous but a bit confusing.

New in Game Pipe 1.0.4 (Aug 2, 2021)

  • ell, it's finally happened, Valve changed a thing. There's a new Storage Manager feature being added to steam, which has affected libraryfolders.vdf formatting. This release resolves the most apparent issue from this change, identified in #37 (thanks @sharkusmanch).
  • Game Pipe will now recognize libraries added via Steam, in both the new and old format, however the option to add and remove steam libraries is now disabled to prevent errors within the new format of libraryfolders.vdf, attempting these actions will give a message that leads you to the library manager.

New in Game Pipe 1.0.3 (Apr 24, 2021)

  • This followup release is a bit long overdue, but there were a number of minor outstanding issues that needed to be fixed long ago (and a few not so long ago); sadly I lost a lot of my will to work on this project after Steam changed it's policies to explicitly exclude me, and then my daughter was born, and then she didn't sleep for several years.... but that's besides the point.
  • I am just wrapping up another project this spring (if you're a fan of Tabletop RPGs, you should check out the shamelessly plugged "Dudes on a Map" on Steam May 6th), and have actually found some fun in coding outside of work again, so I wanted to get this project at least looking presentable for any who make it back here.
  • Also, I invested in some code-signing keys, so for posterity, I felt I aughta sign my release here as well.

New in Game Pipe 1.0.2 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Update: Fixed the binaries to resolve the "A new version is available..." message always being visible.
  • Identified and fixed a bug caused by any Steam web streaming video product which identifies itself with an AppManifest file. This rare case (discovered with "Double Fine Adventure") creates an AppManifest file for the video which has an empty "installDir", and exposes the Game discovery process to an exception which unravels the display of all of the libraries.
  • Ultimately, this fix will only affect a few people, but it made Game Pipe completely non-functional if you had an offending title in your library.

New in Game Pipe 1.0.1 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • This small release reworks the LAN connection screen to be a little easier to follow. I added a readout that attempts to list your active IP addresses as well, please let me know if you see garbage in this field (as it took some filtering to get it readable on my system and may take a bit more).
  • This release also makes it possible to run Game Pipe from Steam (as a non-Steam game) without GamePipe_Helper making it impossible to close Steam when you're done.

New in Game Pipe 1.0.0 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • This release contains some minor fixes and improvements, and bumps the version to 1.0.0, in preparation for putting Game Pipe on a few digital marketplaces (Amazon, Windows Store, and Itch.io are planned for now.
  • Despite Valve's recent news that it's going to scrap Greenlight in favor of "Steam Direct", I've been told by my Greenlight contact that they will not be changing their policy on utility software. So sadly, Game Pipe won't be appearing on Steam anytime soon.
  • Features:
  • Increased the stream buffer sizes, this further reduces CPU load while transferring files. Thanks @f1ac for pointing this out.
  • Removed the annoying popup for new versions, now there's just a small message at the top of the window with a link to the releases page (or you can click ignore to get rid of it).
  • Updated the way Game Pipe handles deleted games, now you will be prompted to restart Steam (just as if you had moved the game).
  • Improved the functionality of the background program Wingman.exe, and renamed it to GamePipe_Helper.exe. Now, Helper will monitor system activity (and Steam) for a period where no Steam games are running and the system has been idle for 5 minutes, and do an automatic restart of Steam. This helps prevent cases where Steam could start an update on a moved/deleted game before a user bothered to restart it. This is particularly important for folks who don't restart their computer very often.
  • Bugs:
  • Add handling of IOException when calling BeginRead() during transfers, which can occur reading corrupt files from the disk (such as a failing hard drive). Now, if reading fails, the file will be queued for a few retries before giving up. If Game Pipe can't copy a file, it will either cancel the transfer or let you know you need to Verify Game Cache (depending on how much of the game failed to transfer). Thanks @opcon for catching this one.
  • Added logic to immediately start GamePipe_Helper when Game Pipe starts. There was a race condition here where attempting to connect to helper too soon after it started would foul up the service host (preventing it from accepting incoming connections). Ultimately, this bug would result in nearly always being forced to restart Steam before closing Game Pipe.

New in Game Pipe 0.1.9 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Features:
  • Added a check for newer versions on GitHub so that you'll know when a new version of GamePipe is available.
  • Identified a huge efficiency issue in the file transfer layer (making an expensive call to see if Steam is running with every chunk of data). This addresses issue #12.
  • Removed the Crc check being performed on data being copied locally. This speeds up transfers a little, and reduces CPU load.
  • Added additional info readouts to each transfer, showing how much data has been moved, how much will be moved, and the current transfer speed.
  • Added a select all option to the library menu. Handy if you want to move everything out of a library.
  • Added logic to automatically refresh LAN libraries when they're connected.
  • Bugs:
  • Fixed a potential crash when aborting a network transfer

New in Game Pipe 0.1.8 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Features:
  • When games are being copied over LAN, Game Pipe will no longer lock up for the host during a download.
  • Orphaned ACF files (a steam game file which doesn't have it's install directory in the expected location, these always show in GamePipe with a size of 0 bytes) can now be moved as any other game, if the ACF file is moved to a library where it rejoins the games installation directory Steam will be able to re-associate the ACF file with its content (once restarted).
  • Added a sound when completing a transfer
  • Added some fallback handling in case of problems with the Wingman application, reverting to old behaviors where Game Pipe will request you restart Steam.
  • Added an option to each game's context menu "Explore to ACF" which opens file explorer, selecting the game's ACF file (the file Steam uses to identify a single game within your library, and track status, update progress, etc.)
  • Bugs:
  • Fixed an crash caused by stopping and re-starting network hosting.
  • Fixed a bug where trying to drag the scroll bar would initiate a drag & drop on the game underneath.

New in Game Pipe 0.1.7 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Features:
  • This release adds a small application called "Wingman.exe" which GamePipe will launch and communicate with, Wingman is tasked with doing any cleanup that is needed after Steam shuts down, so that Game Pipe can now be closed without restarting Steam immediately. Wingman remains open until both Steam and GamePipe are closed, and it has finished all of its cleanup work. Generally this cleanup deletes any acf files restored when Steam shuts down (usually caused by trying to run a game after moving it).
  • If you encounter an issue where Steam reports "Failed to Start Game (Missing Executable)", open Game Pipe, search for the game, and ensure it doesn't appear in both the old and new libraries. If this ever happens, please report it to me (through Steam or GitHub). To fix this, simply delete the copy that has a size of 0. Do not verify your game cache until this is resolved, as it will download a second copy of the game.
  • Added progress indication in the Task Bar, now when you're copying games, the task bar will indicate how far along the process is. Thanks @DivinityCycle for the great suggestion.
  • Bugs:
  • Fixed a situation where Game Pipe would refuse to copy a game that was "locked by Steam". Now, when this state occurs, there is an option to "Try to Force the Transfer" on the game. Clicking this will make the process more tolerant of some potential AppStates in the appManifest_appid.acf file. If the game still can't copy safely, you are instructed to close steam. Closing steam and Forcing the transfer will now always allow the game to be moved, regardless of AppState.

New in Game Pipe 0.1.6 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • This release fixes the last known source of crashing in Game Pipe. If you are still experiencing any crashes, please be sure to report them (on GitHub or on Steam).
  • Added support for transferring and deleting multiple items using multi-select (ctrl-click & shift-click).
  • To delete multiple games, simply select those you wish to delete and click the : button on a game and choose "Delete x Selected Games"
  • To move multiple games, select those you wish to move and drag them to a new library. Note that items may deselect briefly when clicking to drag, but if you continue dragging your full selection will be restored.
  • Bug Fixes:
  • Fixed issue #4 where images with corrupted metadata from Valve's content servers would cause Game Pipe to crash on startup for some users. (Finally, thanks to everyone who helped me test the solutions for this!)
  • Fixed bugs with the displayed library path when it didn't match the expected case
  • Fixed a bug where absolute paths within an ACF file weren't properly ignored (this would allow you unwittingly delete a game directory on another drive with Game Pipe)

New in Game Pipe 0.1.5 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Features:
  • Added options to Archives so that you can choose whether or not games are compressed and whether to copy games or move them (issue #3). These options are stored in a text file in the archive, so if this is out on network storage, everyone will share the settings (which are only checked at startup). Toggling compression doesn't compress/decompress items already in the archive, it only affects items as they are added.
  • Added a portable zip installer. This will require .net 4.5.2: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=397707
  • Bug Fixes:
  • An attempted fix to the startup crash some are experiencing (issue #4). Unable to reproduce this issue, so please let me know if you still have it.
  • Fixed an issue where Game Pipe couldn't find the drive info (case sensitivity) in issue #6, and the resulting crash if you tried to move a game to a drive where the info wasn't found.
  • Added some logic to check for windows defender before trying to scan with it. The auto-scan network games option is now disabled if you don't have defender.
  • Fixed the Game Pipe shutdown logic so that you aren't asked to shutdown steam when it isn't running.

New in Game Pipe 0.1.4 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • This release adds logic to better handle cases where multiple AppManifest files are present with the same Install Directory. This pattern appears to be used for expansion packs and editors, or other situations where game resources are shared between multiple applications. Now, Game Pipe will see these items as an inseparable bundle, and will move all the associated acf files along with the shared install directory.
  • The icon for Game Pipe has also been updated with a transparent background, hopefully this is less gaudy. You may have to restart your PC for the icon to update on your desktop.
  • Lastly, I've added logic to have the installer also download and install .net 4.5 if needed

New in Game Pipe 0.1.3 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Made the Startup routine more robust, so that if registry keys aren't found, you have an opportunity to tell GamePipe where to find Steam. This selection is saved if Steam.exe is found.
  • Fixed some issues with the installed version of GamePipe where file permissions settings were preventing logging from working and causing "Add Archives" to crash the application.
  • Fixed an issue with the virus scan feature falling into an infinite loop if it's temporary file already exists.
  • Fixed an issue with the "Add Library" feature failing due to exception because it didn't create the steamapps folder.

New in Game Pipe 0.1.2 (Oct 27, 2017)

  • Made a change to prevent files outside of a given Steam application's Install Directory being returned on a network file request.
  • Added option for automated virus scanning of network transfers with windows defender for users with Windows 8 and up.
  • Added a message to encourage virus scanning network transferred games to increase awareness.
  • Version information is logged to Log.txt now at launch.
  • Made the Host button more clearly state when it was starting/stopping the network hosting.