TO: Apolyton and CivFanatics; Civlization 1, 2 and Test of Time, scenario recommendations, for compilation?

[Thorn]

Attention:

Starting tomorrow, I am going to build a master installer and compilation of the old civ games to fix the 16-bit installer woes that have been present for new Windows versions with fixes, etc.

Additionally I'm considering, a module or separate installer for making a basic loader for Civilization 1 on the snes and Civilization 2 on Playstation 1 for completeness, but I need currently accessible scenario suggestions for the PC stuff. Thanks.

I would create an account on CivFanatics but I never got around to it. Thanks to anyone who wants to help.


I have a lot of experience making complicated installers, and enough coding experience to solve such problems, like I have done for other fandoms, not mentioned here, so this is going to happen. Distribution ideas would be exceptional, as this all contains copyright code. I can't simply upload it, in spite of my wanting to make Classic Civilization Apolyton Edition

[Thorn]

So I think i'm going to setup a minor outline of what I'm going to do now:

1) Extract the game files from an actual cd drive or an iso (via drive letter with file existing check)
2) patch the game files with fixes and delta binary diff patches
3) fix Indeo video on Windows 10/11 (already know how to)
4) installer options for paths and components
5) installer should create shortcuts on start menu and desktop
6) uninstaller available and functional
7) Dance into the Fire!
​​​

[Thorn]

1) and 3) are done, working on next parts


* How I'm going to make this legal is extracting the files on the fly, so the installer won't be that big actually. And delta patches to the Executables.

[Thorn]

​ 5) and 6) are done

wip:

I am working on a ton of pascal code, did i mention pascal sucks!

[Thorn]

Some new screenies:

[Thorn]

Giving you the idea of the Vanilla Install Size:

[-Jrabbit]

Great service to the gaming community!

BTW, any chance I will someday be able to play Civ2 on my Mac again?

[Thorn]

Just letting everyone know I made a lot of progress, but with programming a program I realize that not everyone wants to type in paths and filenames with no drag and drop ability and would rather browse to the files or drive, with that in mind I decided to rewrite parts of it, Right now I have over 7000 lines of code for the GUI installer, and 320 needed to do the basic work (part1).

I still need to finish 4) and 2) is easy to do; it will take me only an hour or so. I decided to use InnoSetup as I am familiar, and with all the coding variables, procedures, and functions which are all custom code make up the brunt of the work now. I could release a basic non gui program in like a day, but i want this to look and feel professional.

I'm having a few issues in the GUI code right now, not compile time but functional, once I air them out I can finish 4).

The reason this is so difficult is that I'm not simply repackaging the full installers, as that would still be sharing a lot of copywrite code, even with the MIT license I can't do that safely. Basically the program will take an original source install, be it a disc, disc image, or archive, and extract and collate everything properly. It also has a lot of checks to make sure it doesn't do things it can't, like processor architecture, and Windows Versions, that add a bit of code, but most of the code is custom relating to options selected, and doing stuff depending on the options selected that is where it currently stands.

If anyone has a rip of a full install of Civ2mge or Civtot and can't work it on windows 8+ I have a very useful multi cpu arch fix for the Indeo Video Woes that crash it on startup, PM me if you can't wait.

This has been my most complicated Install project, but when it is polished it is something for me to be proud of. I'll keep you updated.

[Thorn]

Also Jrabbit, as Mac is basically Darwin linux on the interior, it would be easier to emulate it via Wine or run it from windows via Parallels. I don't program for Macs, I'm familiar with it and some linux distros, but as far as mac stuff goes a lot of the stuff to run old programs is coded in Rosetta and that is not something anyone but Apple can update easily and they don't want to.

If it was a 3d program (thankfully not) the easiest route on a Mac or Linux is using qemu, kvm, and a passthrough card, kinda a pain. I've done this before on Debian/Ubuntu, and I can run MacOS on Linux via VMs. If you really want me to take a look at it, tell me what System Version it stopped working on, that will give me and idea of what level of fix it would be? -Thanks

[-Jrabbit]

Thanks for the detailed reply. Frankly, I'm not THAT invested. It would be a sort of "nice to have" item for me; no worries.

[Elok]

Would TOT installed this way have any issues running the TOT Patch Project? I don't imagine so but I know basically nothing of programming.

[Thorn]

Would TOT installed this way have any issues running the TOT Patch Project? I don't imagine so but I know basically nothing of programming.

No it won't have any issues, if someone could give me the contact information of TOT Patch Project and MGE lua luancher; or give me permission I'd even include it, but as it stands now there is only limited stuff my installer can do. Vanilla Install, Patch the game to the latest patch, nocd, and x64 fix, also extract the music from the cd images, or whatnot for preperation for 3rd party patches. It does have an option for setting up desktop and start menu items for those 3rd party patches when installed.

I've been busy working on this project its functional few bugs with the installer nothing too harmful, but I'm not ready to release it yet. I've reached a bit of a stumbling block not with what i'm doing but understanding InnoSetup functions for "TRadioButtons", taking me 3 days (8-10 hours a day at least) for one section of code to fix. Its a really simple issue, all the complex stuff is done.

Is anyone here familiar with pascal or C++ possibly? I'm pulling my hair out at this point, with this one thing, and I have a major trip coming up so i'll be shutdown working for a month.

here, is the snippet i'm having issues with (I have all the variables linked and set to the right types

///.... bunch of unrelated stuff.... installer based
var
  CivISOData: array[0..2] of TInputFileWizardPage;
  CivDriveData: array[0..2] of TInputDirWizardPage;
  CivArchiveData: array[0..2] of TInputFileWizardPage;
  Result1: array[1..13] of String;
  AfterID: Integer;
  // BeforeID: Integer;
  OptionPageID: array[0..3] of Integer;
  OptionPage: array[0..3] of TWizardPage;
  LabelOption: array[0..3] of TLabel;
  PrepareToInstallWithProgressPage: TOutputProgressWizardPage;
  RadioButton: array[0..11] of TRadioButton;
  Radio: array[0..11] of Boolean;
procedure RadioButtonClick(Sender: TObject);

begin
  AfterID :=  wpInfoAfter;
  if Sender = RadioButton[0] then
    begin
  if Civ[0] < 1 then
    begin
      inc(Civ[0]);
      CivISOData[0] :=  CreateInputFilePage(AfterID, 'Source', 'Select ISO Extraction Source Files', '*.iso *.bin *.img');
      CivISOData[0].Add('&Civilization Install Location:', 'Image Files|*.iso;*bin;*.img|All Files|*.*', '*.*');
      Result1[1] :=  CivISOData[0].Values[0];
      AfterID :=  CivISOData[0].ID;
      SetIniString('Install', 'Civ1ISO', Result1[1], ExpandConstant('{tmp}') + '\Setup.ini');
    end;
    end
    else
    if Sender = RadioButton[1] then
      begin
    if Civ[0] < 1 then
      begin
        inc(Civ[0]);
        CivDriveData[0] :=  CreateInputDirPage(AfterID, 'Source', 'Please Select Drive Letter or Folder', 'Select?', False, 'New Folder');
        CivDriveData[0].Add('&Civilization Install Location:');
        Result1[2] :=  CivDriveData[0].Values[0];
        CivDriveData[0].Values[0] :=  'D:\';
        AfterID :=  CivDriveData[0].ID;
        SetIniString('Install', 'Civ1Drive', Result1[2], ExpandConstant('{tmp}') + '\Setup.ini');
      end;
      end
      else
    if Sender = RadioButton[2] then
      begin
    if Civ[0] < 1 then
      begin
        inc(Civ[0]);
        CivArchiveData[0] :=  CreateInputFilePage(AfterID, 'Source', 'Select Full File Archive Extraction Source Files', '*.zip *.rar *.7z');
        CivArchiveData[0].Add('&Civilization Install Location:', 'Archive Files|*.zip;*.rar;*.7z|All Files|*.*', '*.*');
        Result1[3] :=  CivArchiveData[0].Values[0];
        SetIniString('Install', 'Civ1Data', Result1[3], ExpandConstant('{tmp}') + '\Setup.ini');
      end;
//if else to compare against next section (truncated), after 3 values, stop doing the "else if" then again until done in 3 groups
      end
      else
    if Sender = RadioButton[3] then
      begin  
    if Civ[1] < 1 then
      begin
        inc(Civ[1]);​
///............. this 3 times in 3 groups....

///.... then it jumps to this section
procedure InitializeWizard;
​///....skip a bunch of unrelated stuff for gui prettyness
///.....
      if IsComponentSelected('Install\Custom\Civ1') or IsComponentSelected('Install\Full') then
        begin
          OptionPage[0] :=  CreateCustomPage(wpInstalling, 'Civilization 1 Source?', 'Select Install Choice');
          LabelOption[0] :=  TLabel.Create(OptionPage[0]);
          LabelOption[0].Parent :=  WizardForm;
          LabelOption[0].Top :=  168;
          LabelOption[0].Left :=  6;
          LabelOption[0].Caption :=  '&Civilization 1 Options:';
          RadioButton[0] :=  TNewRadioButton.Create(OptionPage[0]);
          RadioButton[0].Parent :=  OptionPage[0].Surface;
          RadioButton[0].Top :=  LabelOption[0].Top - 160;
          RadioButton[0].Left :=  LabelOption[0].Left;
          RadioButton[0].Width :=  LabelOption[0].Width * 5;
          RadioButton[0].Caption :=  '&ISO';
          RadioButton[0].OnClick :=  @RadioButtonClick;

          RadioButton[1] :=  TNewRadioButton.Create(OptionPage[0]);
          RadioButton[1].Parent :=  OptionPage[0].Surface;
          RadioButton[1].Top :=  LabelOption[0].Top - 120;
          RadioButton[1].Left :=  LabelOption[0].Left;
          RadioButton[1].Width :=  LabelOption[0].Width * 5;
          RadioButton[1].Caption :=  '&Drive';
          RadioButton[1].OnClick :=  @RadioButtonClick;

          RadioButton[2] :=  TNewRadioButton.Create(OptionPage[0]);
          RadioButton[2].Parent :=  OptionPage[0].Surface;
          RadioButton[2].Top :=  LabelOption[0].Top - 80;
          RadioButton[2].Left :=  LabelOption[0].Left;
          RadioButton[2].Width :=  LabelOption[0].Width * 5;
          RadioButton[2].Caption :=  '&Archive';
          RadioButton[2].OnClick :=  @RadioButtonClick
        end;​

///...... continues with this in 3 groups

So basically the problem i'm having is its looping each selection with the question 6 times, i tried incrementing to stop it from looping but I dunno what the heck is wrong at this point. I may post this entire project all to github if anyone thinks its useful... undecided. Depends if i can fix it fast enough for my trip... unknown

[Thorn]

This is what loops 6 times (same question per game, a total of 6x4, ugh):
​​​
This part works fine:

​​​ ​​​

[Thorn]

so much for my work, got hit with a major storm power out for up to 3-4 days