why so many updates?

[rickberge]

Seems like everytime I turn on the game there is an update. And I'm not talking about the "return to main menu" one. Its the one in where it has to update through Steam and takes like 10 to 15 minutes.

[Andrew]

It looks like they've been pushing through some smaller hotfixes with any patch notes on all platforms this year. Unfortunately, even the smaller ones take a while to install on PC, due to the file structure and patching method they've gone with. It's been that way for a couple of years now, though the hotfixes are more common this year.

[rickberge]

Got cha.

And what's a hot fix? Is it generally gsmeplay related? I know they changed the soundtrack which is weird lol

[Andrew]

A hotfix is a small fix/update for a specific issue that's released as quickly as possible, as opposed to a larger, major update that may be released on a more regular schedule. Say there's a standalone issue, possibly caused by a previous patch. If it can be fixed fairly quickly and painlessly, a hotfix will be pushed through rather than saving the update for the next big patch, or turning it into a bigger patch than it needs to be. The name comes from the idea of applying fixes to a system that's live and currently running (i.e. a system that's "hot").

I'd say hotfixes are usually more technical or content-based than gameplay changes. To give you an example from the modding community, when I was making roster updates for NBA Live PC back in the day, there were a couple of times when I forgot to include a new art file. Although I repackaged and reuploaded the roster accordingly, I also released a hotfix; in that instance, the missing art files that people could place in their game folder, so they didn't have to wait for me to fix the main download and/or download and install the whole roster again.

From 2K's perspective, it might be a small bug that they overlooked and have a quick fix for, or as I said, an issue that arose when the last patch fixed a different problem but caused a new one, because software development is frustrating in that way! Otherwise, it could fix a problem with Seasonal content in MyCAREER and MyTEAM, or prepare the game for new content (like the soundtrack updates). Something important enough or necessary to fix ASAP, but not dedicate a major patch to.

[rickberge]

Okay thanks