Updating indirectly through steam

[RocketSquid]

So, I bought the game through steam and now have two installs. Steam updates one of them, but not the other. How can I update the install that steam doesn't update without deleting my saves?

[KocLobster]

I'm sorry I can't really help you with your question, but I think you'll have a better chance of getting help if you post in http://forum.kerbalspaceprogram.com/index.php?/forum/69-technical-support-unmodded-installs/ (or the other tech support subforum if you use mods).

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I can't say for sure as I don't own KSP on Steam, but it may be as simple as going to Program files>Steam>steamapps>common>KerbalSpaceProgram.

Then copy that folder over to the other KSP install folder after making a back up copy of your second save. Once you are done, move your save file data back over.

I'd like to reiterate this is all assumption on my part. Hopefully someone comes along with a more specific and educated answer.

[FullMetalMachinist]

I have KSP on Steam, and can confirm what @Rocket In My Pocket just said. 

However, if you want the process to be automated, that gets a bit technical.

Full disclaimer: I have never tried this with the full game files, only a save file or two, but I imagine it would still work. 

You basically make everything in the second install (except for what you want to be different, like saves or mods) a symbolic link to the main steam install folder. That way when steam updates the main install, the symlinks in the second one will be updated automatically. 

[Plusck]

16 minutes ago, FullMetalMachinist said:

Full disclaimer: I have never tried this with the full game files, only a save file or two, but I imagine it would still work. 

You basically make everything in the second install (except for what you want to be different, like saves or mods) a symbolic link to the main steam install folder. That way when steam updates the main install, the symlinks in the second one will be updated automatically. 

For MacOS, this doesn't work using aliases unfortunately

I tried to do this because I didn't want hundreds of screenshots and savegames cluttering up my SSD. So I made aliases to the save and screenshot folders. KSP refuses to look in the linked folders. It simply refuses to recognise that there are any savegames, and simply doesn't save the screenshots...

Or rather I should say it doesn't work if aliases from your main install point elsewhere. It might work for Steam's purposes (i.e. automatically updating the main install located outside the Steam folder).

 

Now, symbolic links are different but my knowledge of the workings of these things are sketchy.

I guess this should go on my list of "things to look up, read up on, and try to see if they actually do what you're failing to do without them".  It's a long list...

Edited March 31, 2016 by Plusck

[FullMetalMachinist]

1 minute ago, Plusck said:

For MacOS, this doesn't work using aliases unfortunately

Aww, bummer. 

Not trying to gloat, but for Windows it works pretty flawlessly. There was a time when I traveled a lot, and didn't want to keep up with a thumb drive for playing KSP across my desktop and laptop. So I put my save files in Dropbox, and made symlinks to the game folders on each pc. Worked great. 

[Plusck]

@FullMetalMachinist - I edited at the same time as your post - sorry.

Aliases work for just about everything else, and are very user-friendly, working through the Finder. However I have seen that symbolic links don't entirely integrate with the Finder but function under the underlying Unix file system. It could be that KSP uses lower-level commands to deal with its own files, which is why I need to check out symbolic links.