DizzyAGE games distribution format

[xelanoimis]

This long post... is about some some adjustments I want to make in DizzyAGE games' distribution format. So, DizzyAGE developers, please read and post your opinion.

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As you now know, the standard format of distribution for DizzyAGE games is as a .zip file, including dizzy.exe, dizzy.pak, dizzy.ini, setup.exe, and readme.txt, (and whatever else it has), all in the root of the zip.

However, some games might want a different form of distribution, like Peter's TUCA, which comes as a setup.exe application, with a html readme file.

I usually don't encourage this format, because of the installers hell. One unfortunate thing that might happen to such games is the installer stops working and there would be no way to extract the game files.

I'm sure this is not the case with TUCA, which uses the nice Inno Setup, but still the warning stands - keeping it simple is usually better.

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Considering the above, there are some situation when a different distribution would be more suitable, for example a CD/DVD release, like I want to do now, for "The Other Side".

Placing the game's zip, or even the game files directly on the disk would look bad. People would have to copy the files manually. However if I use an installer, like TUCA, I can't run the game directly from the disc - players must install it.

Anyway, I've been thinking this over and over, and I decided to try to adjust the DizzyAGE setup.exe a bit, to integrate with external installers.

Now, the setup.exe offers some limited install/uninstall features, for standard game's icons and shortcuts. I don't know if anyone ever used it. In DizzyAGE v1, it used to copy files too, but since these days the installers get more and more complicated, and some DizzyAGE games can have additional files or links, I will not try to reinvent the wheel.

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What I'm thinking is to make the install and uninstall options (from setup.exe) to use an external installer and uninstaller.

Then you can put the game files on a cd/dvd, and have an installer (install.exe) to copy them on the hard disk and generate the uninstaller (like Inno Setup does).

In the cd's autorun.inf you can set the setup.exe to be launched when the cd is inserted, and from the setup.exe you can choose to run (directly from the cd) or you can choose to install the game on hard disk. This last option would quit the setup.exe and launch the installer.

After instalation, the installed setup.exe would show the uninstall option, that would launch the generated uninstaller.

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Here are the changes for DizzyAGE:

- dizzy.inf will specify the game_readme (so it can launch a html file in setup-about page), game_installer, game_uninstaller files. If used with Inno Setup, you name the installer install.exe. The generated uninstaller seems to be unins000.exe (see TUCA).

- the install option will launch the installer, if specified and if found. Since the installer.exe is not actually copied, when you run setup.exe form the hard disk, the install option will be disabled.

- the uninstall option will launch the uninstaller, if specified and if found.

- if the dizzy.inf keeps the game_installer blank (or not set them at all), the install option will allow creation and deletion of desktop and START group shortcuts, like it did before - just in case someone needs that.

These are changes only to setup.exe and they will not affect older games.

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I've tested this with TOS and Inno Setup, and it seems to work nice.
And I'm interested in opinions from these with experience in installers.

If you want I can upload this setup.exe, so you can play with it and Inno.

If no one have something to object, the next version of DizzyAGE will have such a setup.

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Other thoughts...

I guess you know that now, when launched from a read-only medium like CD/DVD, DizzyAGE games are somehow limited, because the setup.exe and the engine itself can't save the dizzy.ini there on the disk. You can't run setup.exe from disk, change settings and run the game with these settings. And of course, the game can't save it's saved-games there.

I also want to fix this. There are a few ways, but I still have to find the better one. For example, saved games and ini could go in a MYDOCUMENTS/Game folder.

This feature would require minor changes to game's scripts. Anywhere you read or write in dizzy.ini or where you save or load the game files, you'll have to use a new engine function that provides the base directory for these files. Like some GetGameFolder(SAVES) or GetGameFolder(INI).

I have to study this, but let me know what you think.

Alex

[delta]

hmmmm

i can't say anything about an installer, as i have no experience of using one.

regarding save games and the .ini file, the command 'gs_inigetint' only specifies the file name, not where it is to be found. would it not be possible for something to be added to setup.exe for you to specify where to save the game .ini file to?

the only problem with that ofc, is that how would you 'save' this change to the setup file if you were running it from CD?

the problem goes deeper than that too. even if you got the engine to specify a certain directory when running the game from CD, such as C:/my documents/dizzyage, what if that person's hard drive was D: and C: didn't exist?

personally i think that like most CD games, you should have an installer that would copy the game from the CD to the hard drive. This not only saves people having to insert the CD every time they want to play it, it also gets around the problem of save games etc.

after all, the games are not even slightly big. even the full version of TLoD is likely to be less than 20mb in size, which is tiny compared to most games these days. most normal dizzy games really really struggle to be larger than 2mb unzipped. even TOS, the largest normal dizzy game there is, with masses of sound effects, is only just over 6mb unzipped.

as i say, i think for these reasons any installer should simply copy the game onto the hard drive, and run it from there.


as a side issue, i'm curious as to why you want to release the game on CD? after all you can't sell it, so where is the incentive (and money) for releasing it on hard media?

[xelanoimis]

There may be several reasons why a game wouldn't have write permissions where it is. One is running from cd, other is writing permissions. In this case the game usually picks one generic folder like MyDocuments and saves them there. This folder can be requested to Windows, through an API call, so it always returns something valid, no matter where user have it or if C: exists.

And I always thought games that can run directly from a cd are pretty cool. And since Dizzy games are small, they load pretty fast. The only problem remains with this save folder choice and it's use inside the game.

As for TOS, "release on cd" means having it put on a cd, in a proper way. I just printed the case and cd graphics and made a few cases. I just have to write the disks. I'll post photos when it's all done. And I might also post on the website what's needed for others to do the same after they download it, if they want to.

[xelanoimis]

For now, I gave up on the game_installer and game_uninstaller options in dizzy.inf

The new setup.exe will try to detect them in the same directory as executables (.exe) starting with "install" and "unins" (suitable for InnoSetup and similar tools). If found, it will enter in "external installers more" and the install and uninstall options will launch these files if found. If only one is found, the other option is disabled.

If no such executables are found, the setup.exe will work as before, creating desktop and group shortcuts.

This way, if you include this new setup in your game and have it all packed, even in a single file, with InnoSetup installer (that creates unins000.exe in the destination folder), the "uninstall" option from the setup.exe will uninstall the game with the Inno uninstaller.

The game_readme option in dizzy.inf remains, but if not used, the setup.exe will look for different readme files, starting from .txt, .html, .doc, and .pdf. Just name it "readme".

I might make this setup available for download sooner, if I don't have time now to add other relevant changes for a DizzyAGE v2.21 release (Jamie, I have noted your wish about a bigger window in editor).

[Meph]

I don't see whats wrong with the way things are done now.
Seems like unnecessary hassle to me.. But what do know.

[Lord Dizzy of Yolkfolk]

Im not a developer of dizzy games & I dont understand the technical side of things to beable to make them, however as someone who enjoys and appreciates the games you guys make I do agree with Jamie.

The memory of the games are small and given the memory capacity of todays pc's then its best any games running from a CD should be installed to the hard disk & beable to be uninstalled should one wish thereafter.

However being able to download and install from a Zip file does exactly that with little fuss usually.

Is the idea of putting a game on a CD disc so you can have an actual 'copy' in hard form with a sleeve design.

[delta]

Is the idea of putting a game on a CD disc so you can have an actual 'copy' in hard form with a sleeve design.

yes i think that is what alex is wanting to do. the problem with that is that if you tried to run the game from the CD, you wouldn't be able to save any game options, or use the save game.

some other games, such as DWD, RRD and MSD simply wouldn't work at all direct from CD, as they all write things to the dizzy.ini file shortly after loading.

[xelanoimis]

To see the TOS cd case, check the last post in the TOS thread:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/bb/showthrea...=6804#post6804

I guess I'm still in love with nice game boxes...
I have a nice deluxe edition of Myst with lots of stuff in the box.
And I remember I saw a box of King's Quest in my early ages - it had an walkthrough book inside with questions and answers. The trick was that you had to use a provided red glass to see the answers I bothered the storekeeper a few times then - we didn't had internet

[Lord Dizzy of Yolkfolk]

yes i think that is what alex is wanting to do. the problem with that is that if you tried to run the game from the CD, you wouldn't be able to save any game options, or use the save game.

some other games, such as DWD, RRD and MSD simply wouldn't work at all direct from CD, as they all write things to the dizzy.ini file shortly after loading.

Yes that sort of confirms I was understanding on the 'save game' aspect and the dizzy.ini file side of things from reading the posts.

[Lord Dizzy of Yolkfolk]

To see the TOS cd case, check the last post in the TOS thread:
http://www.yolkfolk.com/bb/showthrea...=6804#post6804

I guess I'm still in love with nice game boxes...
I have a nice deluxe edition of Myst with lots of stuff in the box.

Yes well its always nice to have a lovely box set, I have a few deluxe ones myself, come to think of it I have one for Myst too but cant remember exactly
how it was, think it was a box one, I never really got into the game either. I would have to dig it out to see what format it was for too as I cant remember.