✔️ NEW FEATURE: Installer

[Krishty]

We can’t expect users to manually set the registry keys for did.dat. Even the two of us fail at it from time to time.

We don’t need an actual graphical installer, but we should at least provide three scripts:

An automatic setup script that checks the registry / hard drive for installations of EF2000, ADF, TAW, or TAW 2.0 and adds these to the registry so they show up in TFXplorer.

Two manual setup scripts (one for EF2000 and one for TAW). Here you can manually enter a path to did.dat and the game will add it.

[Krishty]

The latest version brings five Windows Batch scripts with it.

install.cmd

This is what the average user should run before starting TFXplorer. It tries to find on the system:

• TAW 2.0
  • by default installation directory C:\DiD\F-22 Total Air War 2.0
• TAW
  • by registry key HKCU\SOFTWARE\Digital Image Design\F22 Total Air War\1.0\F22TAW\path
  • if the above fails, by default installation directory %programfiles(x86)%\DID\TAW\PROGRAM
• ADF
  • by registry key HKCU\SOFTWARE\Digital Image Design\F22 Air Dominance Fighter\1.0\F22ADF\Path
  • if the above fails, by default installation directory %programfiles(x86)%\DID\ADF\PROGRAM
• EF2000 V2.0
  • by default installation directory C:\DID\SUPEREF.WIN\DATA\PROGRAM\

There is no manual input or anything, it just adds the games it finds to TFXplorer and reports success/failure.

install ADF.cmd
install EF2000 V2.0
install TAW 2.0.cmd
install TAW.cmd

If the automatic script fails to find a game but you know where its DID.DAT is located, you can use one of these scripts to add them to TFXplorer. Just enter the path, done.

The scripts do not take into account things like multiple parallel installations; adding a second TAW installation just overwrites the first one. But I think it is enough for the average user.

@mikew: Are the registry paths and directories in the above list correct?

Could you please back up your current keys and test the scripts a bit? We learned that “works on my machine” is not production quality 😆

[mikew]

Weirdly, on this Windows PC, the only reg entries I have for Digital Image Design are Typhoon related (3dream,Hovis,Typhoon).
I thought I'd at run at least the ADF installer from CD, but maybe just copied the TAW and ADF installations from elsewhere.

There is a reg entry for TAW 2.0 though...

[Krishty]

There is a reg entry for TAW 2.0 though...

Oh, where? I installed 2.0 just last month but couldn’t find an entry here!

[mikew]

HKCU\SOFTWARE\F-22 Total Air War 2.0

There's also one for 'EF2000 Reloaded'

[Menrva]

I can definitely help about making such an installer, I'm quite skilled with Inno Setup, so we can look for previous installations of those games and for their files as requirements, among registry checks if required.

[Krishty]

I can definitely help about making such an installer, I'm quite skilled with Inno Setup, so we can look for previous installations of those games and for their files as requirements, among registry checks if required.

Thanks but not urgent. I do have the possibility to make an MSI installer (which I use plenty over at Papa’s Best) but with shiny things I’ll wait until we have an actual, playable game …

[mikew]

Those scripts don't work for me, but that's not surprising given my registry entries.
I've tried tried to run the CD installer for ADF, and as it doesn't work on Win10, it's probably the old 16-bit type.
It's the same situation with the EF2000 CD.
So, these games are unlikely ever to have registry entries on Win 7/10/11
I'm not sure about TAW, but I'd assume the same there.

[Krishty]

HKCU\SOFTWARE\F-22 Total Air War 2.0

Sorry, I just installed TAW 2.30 and no such key shows up in my registry?

Now trying EF2000 Reloaded …

[mikew]

Well, I didn't ask for things to be put in my registry.
This standard Windows 10 Pro. I haven't tried to secure it down.

reg_ef.PNG (10.36 KiB) Viewed 80 times

[Krishty]

Well, I didn't ask for things to be put in my registry.
This standard Windows 10 Pro. I haven't tried to secure it down.
reg_ef.PNG

Very odd. I installed EF2000 Reloaded and it doesn’t show up either.

image.png (7.77 KiB) Viewed 75 times

I’m no admin on my machine (Windows Server 2019, which is basically Windows 10 Enterprise) but I do elevate to admin for the installer …

I’ll add the TAW 2.0 key to my installer nonetheless. Can’t use the EF2000 Reloaded key because it does not point towards a did.dat.

[Krishty]

With the latest version, install.cmd should consider the TAW 2.0 registry key.

[Krishty]

Nobody complained, so I regard this complete.