TUTORIAL - Running 2 Game Versions (ETS2/ATS) on the same PC and Steam Account - Steam

[Tarso]

i don't remember how i got to this point but i remember i tried avoiding to simply duplicate without success, then i stucked with the "simplest" in my case at the time as i had not that big in size of a library and made the tutorial based in the exact steps i made back in 2016.

[hawkbs]

Guys its probably because when you copy the entire steam installataion directory you are doing it while you have already patched to 1.38 OB.
Inside the SteamApps Folder there is an appmanifest_270880.acf file. This tells steam what version the game currently is and what it should be.

This is the contents of mine. You can check yours with Notepad++ or open it with your prefered editor to check yours.

Code: Select all

"AppState"
{
	"appid"		"270880"
	"Universe"		"1"
	"name"		"American Truck Simulator"
	"StateFlags"		"4"
	"installdir"		"American Truck Simulator"
	"LastUpdated"		"1593616617"
	"UpdateResult"		"0"
	"SizeOnDisk"		"4404466145"
	"buildid"		"5237135"
	"LastOwner"		"removed as its my steam id"
	"BytesToDownload"		"78940608"
	"BytesDownloaded"		"78940608"
	"AutoUpdateBehavior"		"0"
	"AllowOtherDownloadsWhileRunning"		"0"
	"ScheduledAutoUpdate"		"0"
	"InstalledDepots"
	{
		"270881"
		{
			"manifest"		"6026074817604183317"
		}
		"270882"
		{
			"manifest"		"10362877100132177"
		}
		"421090"
		{
			"manifest"		"1096732081752145195"
			"dlcappid"		"421090"
		}
		"421070"
		{
			"manifest"		"2445429526724708072"
			"dlcappid"		"421070"
		}
		"421080"
		{
			"manifest"		"3474153787597756150"
			"dlcappid"		"421080"
		}
		"421081"
		{
			"manifest"		"3540906664018307350"
			"dlcappid"		"421081"
		}
		"422310"
		{
			"manifest"		"9219558835456884353"
			"dlcappid"		"422310"
		}
		"432710"
		{
			"manifest"		"8447702495607663153"
			"dlcappid"		"432710"
		}
		"450550"
		{
			"manifest"		"4648908194670286565"
			"dlcappid"		"450550"
		}
		"463740"
		{
			"manifest"		"5814951050643325862"
			"dlcappid"		"463740"
		}
		"520550"
		{
			"manifest"		"1366113347355249497"
			"dlcappid"		"520550"
		}
		"541260"
		{
			"manifest"		"6987540272404459079"
			"dlcappid"		"541260"
		}
		"620610"
		{
			"manifest"		"1006351551805217741"
			"dlcappid"		"620610"
		}
		"684630"
		{
			"manifest"		"8989618246217953319"
			"dlcappid"		"684630"
		}
		"800370"
		{
			"manifest"		"1073279149409472319"
			"dlcappid"		"800370"
		}
		"962750"
		{
			"manifest"		"5799688921227628162"
			"dlcappid"		"962750"
		}
		"1015160"
		{
			"manifest"		"5330675348850524295"
			"dlcappid"		"1015160"
		}
		"1076080"
		{
			"manifest"		"3618274986956819173"
			"dlcappid"		"1076080"
		}
		"1104880"
		{
			"manifest"		"75860533267225658"
			"dlcappid"		"1104880"
		}
		"1149810"
		{
			"manifest"		"1668727794453127153"
			"dlcappid"		"1149810"
		}
		"1236650"
		{
			"manifest"		"698706734869185290"
			"dlcappid"		"1236650"
		}
	}
	"MountedDepots"
	{
		"270881"		"6026074817604183317"
		"270882"		"10362877100132177"
		"421090"		"1096732081752145195"
		"421070"		"2445429526724708072"
		"421080"		"3474153787597756150"
		"421081"		"3540906664018307350"
		"422310"		"9219558835456884353"
		"432710"		"8447702495607663153"
		"450550"		"4648908194670286565"
		"463740"		"5814951050643325862"
		"520550"		"1366113347355249497"
		"541260"		"6987540272404459079"
		"620610"		"1006351551805217741"
		"684630"		"8989618246217953319"
		"800370"		"1073279149409472319"
		"962750"		"5799688921227628162"
		"1015160"		"5330675348850524295"
		"1076080"		"3618274986956819173"
		"1104880"		"75860533267225658"
		"1149810"		"1668727794453127153"
		"1236650"		"698706734869185290"
	}
	"UserConfig"
	{
		"language"		"english"
		"betakey"		"public_beta"
	}
}

Note that there are several key elements here those being the following.

"LastUpdated" "1593616617" - Lets Steam know when the game was last updated
"UpdateResult" "0"
"SizeOnDisk" "4404466145" - Tells Steam how big the install should be
"buildid" "5237135" - Tells Steam what game Build it should be. In this case this one is an Open Beta Build

and

"UserConfig"
{
"language" "english"
"betakey" "public_beta" - Tells Steam you should have the Open Beta.

The Installed Depots and Mounted Depots Also tell steam what games you own and what games you have installed, and Im assuming that long number in each is related to a version.

My suggestion is before you copy the install to make sure it is not in open Beta. Follow the guidelines in the first post, then the copy you want to use for Open Beta you update after it is all done.

One other thing I would do is in the version you want to run 1.37 Go into the "depotcache" and "downloading" folders and delete anything thats inside there. Also check the temp folder and if theres anything in there that says 270880 delete that.

The rest of the appmanifest_*.acf files you do not need either as they are for any other games you might have.
ETS2 is appmanifest_227300 so keep that if you are also doing ETS2 and the same thing applies to that file as with ATS's appmanifest.

Deleting the Appmanifest may also prompt steam to do a fresh download of the game. So in case you do that make sure the copy of steam thats open is set to the right version you want.
(Note: This may also affect the registry)

None of this will affect workshop items you may have as they are handled by a seperate thing altogether. However if you have alot of workshop items for other games those will have been copied over as well. So to free up some space go into the workshop folder then the content folder. You only want the 270880 folder for ATS and 227300 folder for ETS2. So delete any others. Then go back to the main workshop folder and delete the appworkshop files for anything not matching 270880 and/or 227300. Again do the same with the downloads and temp folders.

Dont forget to empty your recycle bin as the files you deleted still take up space on your drive inside there on a shadowdrive.

Hope that helps out.

Please take note I am NOT running two versions but I have experienced issues similar to this with a different game and these files were the cause.

[Trucker_71]

Hmmm... do I have the courage to take another shot at it (?)

[Bandit & The Snowman]

Excellent background @hawkbs Hope it helps you @Trucker_71.

[hawkbs]

It did he got it to work @Bandit & The Snowman

[Trucker_71]

Excellent background @hawkbs Hope it helps you @Trucker_71.

The added info helped, I think mostly the idea that Steam was infested with version info before duplicating was the answer. I went back to 1.37, ran the game to make sure, then cleaned up the areas in the Steam folder that @hawkbs mentioned. When launching the other version for the first time you have to do it from Steam, not icon on my desktop, after that until you change vesions I can use the icon. Also before switching you need to use CTRL ALT DEL and close any entries for Steam that are there.
Until hawkbs gets Dalton running in 138, this is the way to go.

@Tarso Feel free to delete any of the posts starting with my first one, I feel like I've hijacked the thread. Thank you for all the help.

[Tarso]

@Trucker_71 no way I'll ever think about that, it must remain as history and it also might help others in future with similar issue.

@hawkbs thanks again for the inputs

[hawkbs]

No worries, glad to help.

[PsyberMind78]

I found one Caveat to this method:

If you have a different Steamapps directory (for example, I have steam installed on my System SSD, and the games on a separate data SSD) You will be able to copy everything around, however when you attempt to change the directory for your game files on the copy, it won't let you. It will tell you that there is already a steam games folder present on that drive.

Unless someone knows a workaround for that?

[Tarso]

I think that's because windows isn't applying the "copy" suffix and discovering the current folder result in the merge and overwrite message?

Maybe you need to copy to a folder where there is no steam folder (on the same drive where the error is given) and later you move it to the right place where you want after renaming it.