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[Erin C]

As games get bigger (and better) their file sizes increase. WildTangent has done everything we can to minimize download times, but there are a few things you can try:

• Download during off-peak hours (early morning, late evening). It means less data competing with yours where bandwidth is limited.
• Don't use streaming music or video services while downloading games. Streaming services take up a lot of bandwidth!
• Download one game at a time. That one game will download quickly, and you can play it while another downloads.

If your game is very large, a better solution may be to purchase the game online and include a Backup Disc in your shopping cart. Game files are included on the disc so you don't have to download them again.

But I have a very fast connection--

Download "speed" is really just a way to measure how much data your PC can receive and send per second. If your Internet provider says you have a maximum download speed of 10Mbps, that means 1.2 Megabytes of data can be sent to your computer every second.
So why does your download speed vary?

The answer is that there are multiple servers between WildTangent's own and your computer. Maximum download speed is calculated only between the last server (owned by your ISP) and your computer. So, only the last leg of the journey!

Let's look at it another way--

Say you're driving from Seattle, WA to San Francisco, CA.

Your car (data) is capable of driving at 70 mph--your maximum speed. You get on the highway and start to cruise.

Now, imagine you have reached a small town where the road narrows from 4 lanes to 2 lanes. You're forced to go slower than your maximum speed as all the cars on the road squeeze into those 2 lanes. At this point, your speed is limited by the capacity of the roadway (bandwidth). With each successive small town, it takes you a little longer to reach your final destination.

Pretend that you also need to stop and ask for directions. If you stop 3 times, you will arrive in San Francisco sooner than if you stop 7 times. The number of stops you have to make along the way, and how far apart each stop is, adds time to your journey. The same is true for your game data--it must be routed through several different servers on its way to your computer.

WildTangent has done everything we can to reduce the number of hops and the number of places in which bandwidth is limited, but big games simply take a while to download. Typically, the bigger the game, the better the graphics, sound, etc., so the wait is definitely worth it!