[GMOD Updates] Next update, x64, Chromium and upcoming changes to Steam Workshop support

[KZG Bot]

Hello everyone.

The next Garry's Mod update is coming soon. Actually 2 of them.

The first update is scheduled to release on 21st of January (around the usual 4PM GMT) and will bring changes to Steam Workshop support in Garry's Mod. More details are below. This update is recommended to be installed on all servers, but will not be enforced.

You can find the list of changes that will be coming in the first update here:
http://wiki.garrysmod.com/changelist/prerelease/

The second update is scheduled to release on 24th of January and will bring the long awaited 64bit builds and a new built-in browser engine - Chromium. This second update will not affect servers in any way, so it won't be necessary for server owners to perform any updates.

Upcoming Steam Workshop support changes

We are moving Garry's Mod to a new Steam API called ISteamUGC, which will bring a bunch of nice features for everyone.

Here's what's changing:

• Addons will no longer have a size limit, meaning no more separate downloads for map content, etc
  
• New or updated addons on Steam Workshop will display their real, uncompressed size
  
• New or updated addons will take less space on your HDD/SSD
  
• There will be no negative impact on download sizes
• Players will be able to update their uploaded Dupes, Saves and Demos from in-game

For addon developers

If you are using 3rd party tools that do not use gmpublish.exe to upload content to Steam Workshop then addons published with those tools after the update may cease to work.
This does not apply to already existing addons, however the benefits above only apply if you are using the new version of gmpublish.exe (v1.2)

Existing addons can take advantage of the new system and its benefits by simply updating using the new gmpublish.exe (v1.2). Please note that this is a one way process and there's no going back to the old system once you convert your addon, meaning you won't be able to update it again with old versions of gmpublish.exe or 3rd party tools that do not use gmpublish.exe (which realistically shouldn't matter).

Help us test the update

We kindly ask anyone willing to help us test this update before it releases (especially modders and server owners), to minimize any potential problems with the update.

You will find instructions on how to use the upcoming update below.

You can report any found issues in the comments below, or on our official bug tracking repository on GitHub: ( be sure to search before posting )
https://github.com/Facepunch/garrysmod-issues

Steam Beta branches for testing

The Pre-Release Steam branch for Garry's Mod has been updated and contains all the changes that will be included in the first update.
The x86-64 beta branch contains the upcoming 64bit builds and Chromium

If you want to set up an Dedicated Server instance using the Pre-Release branch, see this article: https://wiki.garrysmod.com/page/Hosting_A_Dedicated_Server.

How to switch game branches:

1. Exit the game
   
2. Right click on Garry's Mod in Steam and select Properties
   
3. Go to the Betas tab and select your desired branch

None - This is the normal version of the game
Pre-Release - This is the first update
Dev - This is a bleeding edge version of the game, expect it to contain more bugs than usual
x86-64 - This is a preview of the upcoming 64bit builds and the new in-game browser engine

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