Some notes about game installers

[Pluto999]

It is strange that all the big 2 GB+ Mac games (as far as I remember) don't have OS X installers - there are only folders to be copied manually so the discs look a bit amateur. Why? It is quite possible to make such installers, even with VISE X - also it don't allow to make single installers of more than 2 GB in size, it is possible to divide data into several separate installers, use 'sublaunch' function from the main installer and then return control to it. All installers besides the main can be made invisible on disc so these multiple installers will look as a single installer for a gamer installing it. It was tested (working VISE installers were made) for such games as Call of Duty 2, Quake 4 and Stubbs the Zombie.

 

The installers can be also used to make professional looking pirated editions which will automatically install all necessary items - the game itself, system items such as additional fonts for localized versions, cracks if necessary - instead of usual how-to-install-and-crack notes.

 

As for cracks it is even possible in some cases to generate machine-dependant registration files just from the installer. For example, if Mac license generator is exit for particular game it can be launched from main installer and the file generated for the target machine can then be moved by the installer to the necessary place (this was tested for The Lord of the Rings).

[U.C.]

Great Suggestion. Wanna upload a pirated version of COD2 with a professional installer to demonoid?? Even if you did, I would not download it, coz Mac Demo + PC version = Full Mac Game.

 

Anyway, I dont really care about installers. Simply make a DMG file with the installed game and burn it on a disk. Easy. Fast. Simple.

[sg]

are you actually a mac user? or do you come from the windows world? installers are lame and not needed when all you need to do is copy/move a file or directory.

[sarahbau]

I'm not sure I understand your post. I've always loved programs that install just by dragging over - and many Mac programs work this way. It has nothing to do with piracy. It's all about simplicity. Personally I think installers look less professional, unless they use their own software like Blizzard. Something that uses "install shield" or whatever on Windows or VISE on Mac OS, I feel like they didn't put a lot of thought into it.

[Headrush69]

It is strange that all the big 2 GB+ Mac games (as far as I remember) don't have OS X installers - there are only folders to be copied manually so the discs look a bit amateur.

Well I would propose that if all the files are installed to the same location, (as they must if they use this method), then needing to load a secondary app, (the installer), to do that is well, stupid.

 

Installers have their usefulness and for applications that need to install files in multiple locations and/or modify file, permissions, etc, then an installer would be appropriate.

 

In drag n' drop installation you know that the app is self contained, with installers you never know what and where anything is being installed.

(Evident by the useless {censored} MOST Windows based installers install.)

 

If it helps you can always install your games and then use Package Maker and create you own installer for those files using sub-packages as needed. You can add whatever extras or post-install script you want.

[Pluto999]

Usually I deal with localized versions of Mac games where the things may be not so simple. What is a typical localization patch on the Net - it is a pile of files extracted from the localized PC version with instructions ("how-to-install-and-crack notes") like that: 'Download the English installer from the Rapidshare then move this into Sounds folder and this into Video folder and this will go into the subfolder 'XXX' you must create somewhere ...' It can be not so easy as some games contain several hundreds of folders and 50000+ files (Hearts of Iron II or Rise of Nations, for example). The installation of a crack may be also tricky and sometimes it need a hex or resource editor such as Resorcerer or advanced file manager such as PathFinder. So the single installer program for all that can be more convenient for users - especially if the product is targeted to be sold on the street.

 

I've used Stuffit InstallerMaker for my first projects but then switched to VISE (download is free and the numbers are in Serial Box) - it is really the most powerful and versatile installer existing for Mac (far superior to Apple's) and in many cases you can also use it to perform tasks usually done with iPatch (create updaters and patchers) or AppleScript (searching and moving files, launching external programs). This program is complicated and docs may be not clear at first in some chapters but if you do everything right your installer will work properly.

 

Usually a full installer for the pirated localized version of the game contain already pre-cracked application (also I prefer to mimic original key disc if possible or install a registration file so the game can be updated later if necessary without new cracks) but for some games it can be more elegant solution. Let's take The Lord of the Rings, for example - also there is a crack for it on the Net it can be done other way. The game is protected by the hidden file which the original installer generates for particular machine based on the entered serial number and put it temporarily into the Users folder but it won't work from there - it must be then copied into the game folder which will be created later. The original LOTR installer consist of two parts - first of them ask to enter a serial number, check it, generate machine-dependant registration file and then launch the game installer itself. For the Russian version of the game I have left the first installer as it is and simply replaced the second installer in the package with new full installer for the Russian version of LOTR and after the installation of the game this installer also make a search for the previously generated registration file and copy it into the game folder.

 

 

upload a pirated version of COD2 with a professional installer to demonoid

'Professional' maybe too big word for an installer but not for VISE X itself - if you'll take a look into VISE X documentation you'll see that programming of its advanced features is not less easy than usual C programming (some work should be done with Xcode). As for examples of game installers - here are they:

 

http://hosted.filefront.com/Pluto999/

 

Also marked as mods in comments all of them are implemented as standalone Mac games (like recently published OpenArena or World of Padman, for example). Some versions are English or bilingual but most are Russian - so see file comments before download. The names of files are not always explicit (intentionally) - 'BestOfP2' is really a standalone enhanced version of 'Postal 2 Apocalypse Weekend' and 'P2Muhosransk' is the Akella's ('Postal 3') previous Postal2-based game 'Shtopor Burn'.

 

COD2 Mac Demo + PC version = Full Mac Game

You are not quite right - not every PC version (Polish, Greek, Russian, ...) will work properly with COD2 Mac Demo or full application. The problem is in data files - some of them may be in formats not supported in Mac version - for example, the dubbing may be encoded with unsupported codecs - then COD2 will loose ingame speech. (Some other games will crush on level loading if they will find unsupported PC data.) Russian Mac COD2 demo is also on FileFront (there was no official Russian Mac edition, only PC's) - the PC speech files were extracted from packs and batch converted with Sound Grinder to Mac supported format.

 

Simply make a DMG file with the installed game

Some games generate different applications for different kind of Macs - Legion Arena installer, for example, can generate 5 different applications (3 for PPCs and 2 for Intels) - so you have to find five different machines to do installation on them to support all cases (at least it should be done for G4, G5 and IntelMac). And if you are making a new installer for localized version you've to do target checking and create variant installation.

 

Well I would propose that if all the files are installed to the same location, (as they must if they use this method), then needing to load a secondary app, (the installer), to do that is well, stupid.

From the point of view of the advanced Mac user surfing the Net it is certainly does not matter but it may be useful for commercial product - check the target system as some dumb person may try to install Prey on G3 with OS X 10.1, make variant installations for PPC and Intel if nececcary, find a target application to update among several installed, install the crack during game installation, even create attractive billboard, etc. And to make the disc more attractive it is even possible to create a frontend for the installer on the disc (as Blizzard do sometimes) which will launch the installer, show trailer or game guide, redirect to the game site or online catalog (it is usually done in Macromedia Director).

 

Even a freeware product will be more appealing if it look as a commercial product.

 

do you come from the windows world?

Yes, but long ago. Once I was making licensed localized editions of the Windows games and set the copy protection on the discs for a local dealer. Now I'm making the same work for local Mac pirates and Russian Hotline community.

[Headrush69]

Using examples of applying cracks and or parts from PC versions may be useful to you and others but suggesting that because a commercial company doesn't make it easier for you by making it easier to use products not supplied by them is unprofessional is without merit.

 

Its simple, cases where an installer is needed they use it, for cases they don't they don't use it.

 

Most of the things you are arguing are decisions based by whoever supplies your crack. Whether the game was installed by an installer or by the drag-n'-drop method, they can just as easily use an installer if needed for their patch. Arguing that they should use it initially so its easier to add a crack is dumb.

 

check the target system as some dumb person may try to install Prey on G3 with OS X 10.1, make variant installations for PPC and Intel if nececcary, find a target application to update among several installed, install the crack during game installation

Like mentioned, if they need to do those kind of checks they will use an installer. Most apps are universal anyways so there aren't different packages for different archs. Cracks, come on, why should the developer care about that?

 

And to make the disc more attractive it is even possible to create a frontend for the installer on the disc (as Blizzard do sometimes) which will launch the installer, show trailer or game guide, redirect to the game site or online catalog (it is usually done in Macromedia Director).

 

Even a freeware product will be more appealing if it look as a commercial product.

I absolutely hate this stuff as I'm sure many people do.

Most of this stuff in the games I have are handled in the game: guides/tutorials, link to web site.

 

Once I was making licensed localized editions of the Windows games and set the copy protection on the discs for a local dealer. Now I'm making the same work for local Mac pirates and Russian Hotline community.

So really this isn't about being more professional at all.

It's more about making life easier for you to crack and distribute hacked versions of commercial products.

 

People may or may not agree with what you are doing but why not just say that?

"I am cracking games and I find the drag-n-drag installed games a pain, why can't they always use installers?"