Digital Art Zone

I feel that the orders and downloads section is a mess that makes downloading more than a couple of items a real pain. I mane yeah I have spent my money so why bother, but it’s making it harder for me to want to order stuff, and surely all that content is where the real bread and butter is. I am posting this to see what people think, so please let me know if you share my troubles about it.

I realise that I am in an unusual position, in that I am trying to rebuild my downloads after a crash. But frequently I order quite a few items, especially if there is a sale, or I just trawl through the Plat Club specials.  I have had exactly this sort of trouble for years, just making multiple purchases in a session. When I started out, I bought heaps of content to build up a population and I remember being completely frustrated. To this day I am not sure I have even downloaded everything I have bought.

At present to download multiple files that may have expired, I have to reset each one manually. This takes me to the downloads pages, where there may be one or several resulting downloads made available. I then have to try to download. Then repeat. I currently am working on 242 ordered items, with an unknown number of resulting downloads. So I have to go through all 242, because I never know when I have accessed all the downloads.

As I say I realise this is unusual (but I bet not unique) but I have ordered 50 items at once, and it was a royal pain then, even without having to reset..

These are my gripes.

Both Mac and PC versions are shown. This just adds a layer of going through lists
It keeps making me log in and loses my place.
Cannot each order at least be bundled? I could then simply download all items on an order as a bundle.
It would at least help if you could rearrange the sorting to be by order number etc, or date.
If I reset an item in the Itemised Orders page, it does not show that I have done that.IT still just says Reset. So you cannot track where you have got to.
Many downloads have failed, with and without a download manager. That try costs me a download attempt. I
have run out on quite a few, and cannot reset it.
Sometimes a download “expires” even if I try once, or succeed once. In fact some downloads just seem to be
expired. These are often ones that I have bought quite recently. Another file I bought at the same time is fine.
Even when I buy a “bundle” I have to download every item individually.
There is no way to cross-reference the actual file name with the description. Even the link that pops up if I
hover over the name is not the file name AFAICS.
I tried to reset Hexagon 2.5 and it just did not appear. In fact I have reached a point where nothing I reset.
appears in the download page. I get taken to the downloads page but the new download is not there.

Edited to remove the Poll. We are not certain why this feature is enabled, it was not a feature of the old forums.

Oooookaaayyy! Can something be done to block it? I put some effort into that and now I just feel silly.

OldNick - 15 September 2012 12:23 AM

I realise that I am in an unusual position, in that I am trying to rebuild my downloads after a crash. But frequently I order quite a few items, especially if there is a sale, or I just trawl through the Plat Club specials.  I have had exactly this sort of trouble for years, just making multiple purchases in a session. When I started out, I bought heaps of content to build up a population and I remember being completely frustrated. To this day I am not sure I have even downloaded everything I have bought.

At present to download multiple files that may have expired, I have to reset each one manually. This takes me to the downloads pages, where there may be one or several resulting downloads made available. I then have to try to download. Then repeat. I currently am working on 242 ordered items, with an unknown number of resulting downloads. So I have to go through all 242, because I never know when I have accessed all the downloads.

If you’re running Windows, click the link below, there are some tools that may help…

It sounds as if there may be a problem with your account, I would suggest opening a support ticket on the missing downloads. But in order to help suport, just address that - don’t go into the other stuff about sort order, which they won’t be able to help with. You definitely should avoid using any download accelerator with downloads from DAZ.

The inability to filter mac/Windows downloads should cease to matter once DAZ finishes moving to zips, with the exception of applications of course. As for the losing your place, I would suggest making a list of files to reset (in alphabetical order) and then right-click on the reset link and choose open in new tab or open in new window so that you keep the itemised list open as you go through.

There are certainly a lot of ways in which the order history could be improved - I’m sure DAZ has been made aware of them, as this is a much-discussed issue, but there’s no harm in adding your voice via a general feedback ticket.

OldNick - 15 September 2012 04:06 AM

Oooookaaayyy! Can something be done to block it? I put some effort into that and now I just feel silly.

No don’t feel silly, Lots of people have tried it out, with the same result

Just think, at least your post at least brings you one post nearer losing the “new” in front of member. See you can find a silver lining in most clouds

We are hoping that someone will find the magic switch to turn it off, but at the moment it does appear to be hiding.

chohole - 15 September 2012 04:59 AM

OldNick - 15 September 2012 04:06 AM

Oooookaaayyy! Can something be done to block it? I put some effort into that and now I just feel silly.

No don’t feel silly, Lots of people have tried it out, with the same result

Just think, at least your post at least brings you one post nearer losing the “new” in front of member. See you can find a silver lining in most clouds

We are hoping that someone will find the magic switch to turn it off, but at the moment it does appear to be hiding.

Thanks mate.

Richard Haseltine - 15 September 2012 04:59 AM

It sounds as if there may be a problem with your account, I would suggest opening a support ticket on the missing downloads. But in order to help suport, just address that - don’t go into the other stuff about sort order, which they won’t be able to help with. You definitely should avoid using any download accelerator with downloads from DAZ.

The inability to filter mac/Windows downloads should cease to matter once DAZ finishes moving to zips, with the exception of applications of course. As for the losing your place, I would suggest making a list of files to reset (in alphabetical order) and then right-click on the reset link and choose open in new tab or open in new window so that you keep the itemised list open as you go through.

There are certainly a lot of ways in which the order history could be improved - I’m sure DAZ has been made aware of them, as this is a much-discussed issue, but there’s no harm in adding your voice via a general feedback ticket.

Thanks for the reply Richard. I remember you of old Cats claws and such? (and I totally agree). However….

I do not think it;s my account. This has been going for me for years, and I just reckon the download area is bad. The fact that there is a post here with a tool to fix it seems to show that there is a widespread problem.

I get the same trouble with and without a manager. Using a manager has never made any worse or better. A manager _will_ allow faster downloads, which can be deathly slow from DAZ otherwise, given the number and size of files I (and others I guess) am dealing with.

I agree that I should make a list, but I have spent hours at a console, writing / typing stuff, ticking and crossing. There is no need to get logged out every intermittent now and then.

If I do not tell support, who _may_ be able to feed complaints back, how do I add my voice to whoever is complaining about the mess?

Sorry. As I say this has been happening to me since 2005, and it is very frustrating that nothing seems to have been done. I have actually spent a lot of money here (it scares me to have to lay it all out as I re-download). We deserver better than this.

I wasn’t saying you should mention the issues in a ticket, just that the ticket on missing items or unresettable items should cover only those things and not the other stuff.

Richard Haseltine - 15 September 2012 05:59 AM

I wasn’t saying you should mention the issues in a ticket, just that the ticket on missing items or unresettable items should cover only those things and not the other stuff.

OK. I get you. Thanks Richard.

Taozen - 15 September 2012 04:57 AM

If you’re running Windows, click the link below, there are some tools that may help…

WOW! You are an absolute hero! Nuff sed.

All done. I will still (I think) have to reset stuff that I did not get reset on the first session, but I just walked away and left it overnight and there were 508 files there for me.

I hope it gives you a good feeling, seriously.