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Beta Branch install guide that keeps your Normal Branch!

By Arc and 1 collaborators

Download and maintain a separate Beta Branch installation of Insurgency using SteamCMD.

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Created by

Arc
In non-Steam game

· eXnihilo
Offline

Category: Walkthroughs

Languages: English

Posted

Updated

6 Feb, 2015 @ 11:10pm

23 Jun, 2020 @ 6:40am

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Guide Index

Overview

Prolog

Step 1: SteamCMD download and extract

Step 2: Launching SteamCMD loging in and verifying your Steam Account

Step 3: Creating a script

Step 4: Creating a shortcut of SteamCMD for automatic updating

Step 5: Downloading/Updating the game

Step 6: Launching the game

Troubleshooting

Comments

Prolog

Want BOTH Stable Branch and Beta Branch Insurgency clients installed separately? Here's how!
Keep Steam set to the Stable Branch and use SteamCMD to download and maintain a separate Beta Branch client install.

Version for OSX users:
http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=496199639

Step 1: SteamCMD download and extract

SteamCMD is the command line version of your familiar Steam Client, download link below:

http://media.steampowered.com/installer/steamcmd.zip

Create a folder in C:\ drive and name it “SteamCMD” (It should look like this: C:\SteamCMD ), open previously downloaded ZIP file and extract “steamcmd.exe” into the “SteamCMD” folder you’ve just created.

Step 2: Launching SteamCMD loging in and verifying your Steam Account

* Always Exit Steam before launching SteamCMD *

Open your “steamcmd.exe” and let it update, now you need to login with your Steam account:

Example:
login peter354 s0m3th1ng

It will verify your account and ask you for Steam Guard code.

Open your Email which you used to create Steam Account and retype Steam Guard Code into Steam Command Line tool, hit "enter key" and wait till it verify your account (couple of seconds), once it's verified, close SteamCMD tool and proceed to next step.

Step 3: Creating a script

Now create a text file in “C:\SteamCMD” and name it for example: ins_beta (It should look like this:C:\SteamCMD\ins_beta.txt )

Open said text file and copy/paste there commands shown below:

@ShutdownOnFailedCommand 1 //set to 0 if updating multiple servers at once @NoPromptForPassword 1 login your_login your_password force_install_dir your_path app_update 222880 -beta beta validate quit

Now edit variables show below to correspond with your actual data:

“your_login” - Login name of your Steam Account (example: peter354 )
“your_password” - Steam Account password (example: s0m3th1ng )
“your_path” - exact path you want to install your Beta client to, example: E:\Games\Ins_beta, keep this file path without any special markings or language-specific characters !!

Example file with exact data:

@ShutdownOnFailedCommand 1 //set to 0 if updating multiple servers at once @NoPromptForPassword 1 login peter354 s0m3th1ng force_install_dir E:\Games\Ins_beta app_update 222880 -beta beta validate quit

Once you’ve edited those, save/exit the file.

Step 4: Creating a shortcut of SteamCMD for automatic updating

Create shortcut of “steamcmd.exe” into your desktop (or anywhere you like it) and add this parameter to the “target” text field:

+runscript Ins_beta.txt

It should look like this: C:\SteamCMD\steamcmd.exe +runscript Ins_beta.txt

Step 5: Downloading/Updating the game

!!!! Always log out (or shut down) from Steam Client before you launch this script !!!!

Now launch the shortcut and let the game download, same shortcut will “update” your game if new update come out (just launch it again).

Once the game is downloaded and SteamCMD quitted, you can launch Steam Client.

Step 6: Launching the game

Launching game directly:
Once the game is downloaded, open folder you've specified in SteamCMD script and launch game directly from it's executable file (insurgency.exe)

Launching game via Steam Client:
Go to Steam Client Library, Add Game, Add non-Steam Game, find "insurgency.exe" from the folder you've specified in SteamCMD, mark it, click on Add Selected Programs, done.

Troubleshooting

You can get one of these errors:

Error code 5: Wrong password entered, may appear also if you have unsupported character within the password,

Error code 65: Anti-spam timer if you spamming login, wait 30+ minutes and try again

error! app 222880 state is 0x1 after update job:
Unsupported character in <path> (for example: ?, !, etc. and probably some language-specific characters as well) or invalid path.

"Failed to load script file..."
Specified script file does not exist, double-check spelling and file extensions (Windows hides file extensions by default so be careful to not have ".txt.txt" file).

ATTENTION
SteamCMD will download all subscribed items for Insurgency, including maps.

47 Comments

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Arc [author] 27 Jul, 2021 @ 11:14am

It can be when you change the AppID, Beta name and Beta password.

This guide is basically copy of Valve's docummentation about SteamCMD + specific mumbo-jumbo for Insurgency + some troubleshooting based off of community feedback.

The official Valve wiki is here:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD

ㄥoㄥıʞɐꞱ 27 Jul, 2021 @ 11:03am

Ohh damn my fault, i got this thread linked and thought it's a general guide for beta branches for any steamgame

Arc [author] 27 Jul, 2021 @ 10:59am

If you are trying this on Insurgency, it does not matter as the beta should match the base game given it is years out of active dev cycle.

If you are trying this on another game it depends on DRM and other things. Some games you can launch outside of Steam, some cannot launch due to Steamworks DRM, some will just start the base game instead.
I keep using this method for DRM-less test/dev builds for years just fine, but once you have DRM in, it might not work anymore.

ㄥoㄥıʞɐꞱ 27 Jul, 2021 @ 9:02am

just starts the regular branch tho. It downloaded the beta files, but attempts to start the game via steam directly anyways. So it will not start the beta version in the end ._.

wingarmac 3 Mar, 2021 @ 7:03am

Sorry, I've two accounts and didn't pay attention. It's all the same wingarmac ;)

wingarmac 3 Mar, 2021 @ 6:58am

After I ran the command I wrote, it prompts to enter the password.
Just be sure of what you type, because you don't see any characters or else when typing it.

Arc [author] 3 Mar, 2021 @ 6:44am

There's also -betapassword <Password> (or is it -beta_password ?) for when that's needed :)

wingarmac 3 Mar, 2021 @ 6:11am

Your post has helped me though. I was looking for the right wayto use the command for beta, and that's how I found it. Thanks and cheers

Arc [author] 3 Mar, 2021 @ 5:54am

Yea, you do not have to use script at all.

The script exist to automate things, this guide specifically for when the game kept receiving periodical public beta updates.
though the same procedure is used for when you are updating dedicated server tool on Steam.

wingarmac 3 Mar, 2021 @ 5:34am

Ubuntu Wine:
I didn't had to use a script.
I entered the command in Linux terminal to do it (with another game)

1. Login as root
2. Enter this all as one command: (replace what's needed before applying)

steamcmd +@sSteamCmdForcePlatformType windows +login STEAM-ID +force_install_dir '/GAME LOCATION/GAME FOLDER' +app_update GAME-ID -beta NAME-BETA-VERSION validate +quit

(The text to replace is in capitals: Steam user, game location, game id and beta version)

3. Wait for the process to finish and run your game

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