Why isn’t it possible to just log into Zwift to get an update? Every time, the system won’t let me in, I have to uninstall Zwift, and then reinstall, and then it starts an update download.
Another issue is why can’t you choose the map you want to ride? I’ve been waiting a week to ride NY/Central Park again.
I tell ya, for $15 a month it’s not worth it. First time something better comes along, I’m gone.
I believe this still works: How to ride any Zwift course at any time using the <world> tag hack | Zwift Insider
Tens of thousands of people are able to update without the issues you raise so perhaps its more an issue with your hardware.
You’ve never been able to choose whichever map you want. Only recently they’ve increased it to 3 worlds. You signed up to Zwift and it’s always been like that so why start complaining now?
Good luck finding something better.
Nice.
You can easily ride on any world you like by creating a Meetup on it.
warning
This is 2020, not 1998 - software is to be released to work with all hardware cited by minimum specs. A quick read of these forums shows a history of buggy releases, and customers with numerous tech issues.
This is not in step with the current global software market. Whether or not you feel emotionally attached to the game (and I’d point out that emotional attachment is Zwift’s clear strategy, vs. investing in infrastructural build out), that’s just reality. Not using the .NET frameworks shows that the software has not grown with the customer base. It’s poor performance, and the lack of response is poor vendor behavior.
Pointing out that some are successful with the software is not relevant. I’m a former exec with a SAAS vendor, and we had a user base of around 2.5 million, and would never have tolerated the volume of issues seen here. And the code is just on an old platform.
Zwift has a great overall design, and the game itself is well thought out. Outstanding user base, and apparently they’ve just raised a bunch of cash. Should they fail to address their very pressing development needs, they could well become the MySpace of cycling eSport.
Your last sentence is exactly right. However. What people here fail to realize is that at the end of the day it is Zwift who decides and chooses what they believe will not make them the “eSports Myspace”. Everyone thinks they know what is best for Zwift w/out actually being on the inside and knowing what it is that Zwift wants in the first place.
It is not only the game - for me is Zwift a training tool, making it possible to sit on my bike for more hours, make structured workouts, training plans, etc. - in the indoor season (about 4-5 month in year).
And I am sure I am not the only one - I read somewhere there are more than 3 millions accounts (not all active, for sure) and Eric Min says “Zwift has seen a 263% increase in subscribers since April".
The software is not perfect, the UI is a mess, but awful?!?
I’m learning to live with it. I had no idea updating could be done under the “hidden icon” tab. Just have to remember to do it every morning so I don’t end up waiting 20 minutes for a ride. But, literally, the only thing that keeps me here is that the others are far worse.
That’s very true.
But MySpace knowing what they wanted didn’t stop another company from eating their lunch.
They deliberately and repeatedly don’t say what’s going on and what the plans are, or what the vision is, or what they’re working on, or what’s going well, or what’s proving a challenge, or any timelines for anything at all. Most of the time it’s the end users that point out bugs and problems - some of which are blatantly obvious - and many go ignored for months. It’s no surprise people speculate, because they treat the users of their software with utter contempt.
Dave is right. Perhaps the software is or isn’t awful, but their corporate behavior towards end-users is, indeed, awful. Just awful. Embarrassing, really. To the young man who says “I use it as a training tool, it enables me to sit on my bike for hours” … yes, so do many other programs. You probably haven’t used them yet, and there’s nothing wrong or unusual there.
I’m a big old noob myself. After 44 years of road riding, including winters on rollers in the garage, I got KICKR CORE and … well, I went to Zwift. Because their marketing and advertising is excellent, and that stuff works. Within 2 days, I was ‘hooked.’ Loved it. Began to rack up badges, connect with IRL friends, etc.
On my 14th day - an ‘update.’ And what had been a great program, running well on my dedicated-purchase PC, started crashing every single session. Must be my fault, I thought. And I wound up here.
No, it’s not my fault, I’ve discovered. And worse, as a very newly signed up customer, I sought support. You know what, Zwift? It’s better to not offer support, then to promise it and completely renege on that promise.
After five days and seven sessions of crashing, I moved on to a competitor. I will say this - it’s MUCH better. Do I miss the carnival on wheels atmosphere of Zwift? Sure. But I didn’t Zwift today for the first time in 17 days, and didn’t miss it at all.
Instead of drama, I enjoyed riding my bike and not thinking about IT issues and some smug person bragging about revenue growth while his customers suffer.
Look around, people. There really are far better alternatives.
Why isn’t it possible to just log into Zwift to get an update? Every time, the system won’t let me in, I have to uninstall Zwift, and then reinstall, and then it starts an update download.
Robert, perhaps you should create a support ticket with Zwift. They may have ideas what to check. It appears to be an issue with your computer or its configuration. For example, is there a possibility that you start Zwift with insufficient user rights to install an update?
Another issue is why can’t you choose the map you want to ride? I’ve been waiting a week to ride NY/Central Park again.
The reason is because Zwift does not want riders split across all available worlds. They want a lot of cyclists on the road to make it fun experience for everyone. The more people join Zwift, the more guest worlds will be open at the same time.
Which competitor might this be?
Like I say, I’ve learned to live with the update thing.
I don’t see wanting a lot of riders on the road as a legitimate excuse for limiting access to other worlds. I play mmolg’s, and the popular ones do not have such limitations.
Hi Dan, thank you for “the young man” - born 1959 
I have no dedicated PC, it a 6 years old one, I just bought a new Nvidia GTX 1650 in February 2020.
Had never the problems you (and other users) report. Started with Zwift December 2018, level 31 now (riding outdoors April/May - October/November). Updates need 1-2 minutes, no problems pairing devices. Had 3 crashes in France - but that was my fault (edited configuration files to get better graphics before the GTX 1650 got Ultra).
But you never wrote what your hardware, your devices and your configuration is - there are many people who could perhaps help. And this is for me the sense of this forum.
If you are happy with another competitor, no problem. Ride on!
You can ALWAYS ride where you want - MEETUP makes it possible.
It’s a 9th gen i5, Radeon 550, feeding a 45" TCR TV. 12GB RAM, Windows 10 on an SSD. While it was purchased expressly for the Pan Cave (aka garage), a month prior to DL’ing and installing Zwift it was asked to stream video from several sources on election night in America while Spotify played. It handled that fine. Also, Zwift ran perfectly until the update of 11/23.
I moved on to Rouvy. There are huge differences, but I have had no problems with it’s basic functionality. Just for hoots and hollers, I ran Zwift again today, and it crashed again (twice).
Much, much more egregious is their behavior. I “opened a ticket” on 11/23. Another on 11/24. I have received a total of zero replies yet. None. I see that others have received no answers, either.
However, I did get a badge (!!!) as “New User Of The Month.”
I mean, really - this is truly pathetic.
Dan: I loaded rouvy but don’t see any way the ant+ sensors on my kicker core connect to the app. Does rouvy control the resistance the way zwift does, or am I expecting too much?