Planned Feature Installer Updates

[Pieter Boelen]

Despite my efforts, it is still possible for users to install the mod the wrong way.
So when I get the chance, I want to make the following further changes:
- Make the installer script use wildcards (user will not notice this; it is just quicker for me to generate another EXE)
- Implement a better check to see if the correct base game is present (current check on ENGINE.exe and readme.txt is apparently not good enough as someone still managed to put it on AoP instead)
- If the destination folder includes "C:\Program Files", then give an error message and refuse to install
- Change the "We're pirates; would we lie?" text to something more likely to encourage people to read it (I'm open to suggestions here....)

Plus outside the installer:
- If "RESOURCE\build14_beta4_final" is not present, BREAK THE GAME!
This file gets written BY the installer, so if it isn't there, the user must have manually extracted the archive or something which is BAD.
With "break the game", I just mean that the game shouldn't start and compile.log should contain an explanatory note.
Ideally it should show on the screen as well, but I'm not sure yet how to do that.

Any other changes we should consider making to prevent installation errors?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

MWUHAHAHAAAA!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Would this here better urge players to actually read it?

 _  _  ______ _____  ___ ______  _____ _  _  _  _
| | | |  | ___ \  ___|/ _ \|  _  \  |  _  | \ | |  | | | |
| | | |  | |_/ / |__ / /_\ \ | | |  | | | |  \| |  | | | |
| | | |  |  /|  __||  _  | | | |  | | | | . ` |  | | | |
|_| |_|  | |\ \| |___| | | | |/ /  \ \_/ / |\  |  |_| |_|
(_) (_)  \_| \_\____/\_| |_/___/  \___/\_| \_/  (_) (_)

  >>>USEFUL<<<  installation information below!
  -- Ignore this at your own peril --

This as opposed to my original "-- We're pirates! Would we LIE to you? --", which was a bit more humorous and friendly.

 

[Ketchup]

Keep the "We're pirates" etc, it doesn't feel the same without it add it also, but don't replace

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Keep the "We're pirates" etc, it doesn't feel the same without it add it also, but don't replace

There isn't much space in the box:

But I suppose I could make it "-- We're pirates - Ignore this at your own peril --".

 

[ANSEL]

This is more clear to understand, but some people never reads such things,
and reading manuals, oh no they wont.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Some of the improvements mentioned in the opening post are now included in here:
Mod Release - Build 14 Beta 4.1 WIP | Page 2 | PiratesAhoy!

I challenge anyone to use only the Stock Game + Latest Installer EXE + TAR Archive and do any of the following:
- Install it on top of Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales
- Install it on top of Age of Pirates 2: City of Abandoned Ships
- Bypass the Installer EXE and create a working Build 14 Beta 4.1 WIP (17 July 2016) installation anyway

These should be even more difficult to accomplish than before.
It should be near-impossible to NOT notice that it doesn't work somewhere down the line.

 

[Armada]

But I suppose I could make it "-- We're pirates - Ignore this at your own peril --".

That makes it sound as though you're going to install malware if the user doesn't read on... maybe try something else?

I wonder if it's worth replacing the giant "Read on" text with very short bullet points that the user can't miss, then a "for more information, see below".

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That makes it sound as though you're going to install malware if the user doesn't read on... maybe try something else?

You do have a point there. Getting the wording right isn't so easy.
I now came up with "Trust us - You DO want to know what follows".

I wonder if it's worth replacing the giant "Read on" text with very short bullet points that the user can't miss, then a "for more information, see below".

Not sure if that would help, but maybe you're right. I put the huge text there to make it stand out more.
But I suppose it is quite impossible to get it so good that every single person who sees it will get the message.
People will be people, after all.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

As you guys have probably noticed by now, I still have virtually no time to actually do much of anything on PotC.
In the meantime, we also still have the situation of new stuff and fixes being merged together rather than them being separated.
It would take extra time for me to do that separation properly, so unless somebody else steps in and does that, it is a further source of delays for me.

But even if that is done, it is still very dubious when I'll be able to spend some proper time on the mod.
So here's a question: Is anyone ELSE interested in creating a proper installer?
I could use what little time I have to explain how to do that so that you don't actually need to rely on me.