Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

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doom3r
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Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by doom3r »

I think that, in Windows, the Warzone 2100 settings and saves directory should not be placed in documents\warzone 2100, but in documents\my games\warzone 2100, where other games settings are sometimes placed. Only that, cos i dont like to have too many directories in Documents...  ::)
Last edited by DevUrandom on 18 Jan 2008, 02:35, edited 1 time in total.
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DevUrandom
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by DevUrandom »

Done in r3503, though with following note:
Windows doesn't seem to have CSIDL for this? Can we retrieve the name "My Games" from somewhere else?
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Buginator
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by Buginator »

DevUrandom wrote: Done in r3503, though with following note:
Now undo it. :P

Seriously, there is a logical reason for the caveat, and that is there is NO 'my games' officially.
And no, I don't need for wz to create a folder called 'my games'.

The official stance on this is:

CSIDL_PERSONAL : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and can be manipulated outside of the game contex" * [this one is meant for save games/screen shots...]
CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and are of use only within the game context."
CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA : "Game files that can be created by a user and read by all users. Write access is granted only to the creator of the file (owner)."
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES : "Static game files written by the game’s installer that are read by all users."


So leave it as it was.
We let the *user* decide if they want it someplace else, and that is one of the 'new' additions in 2.1 via the --configdir parameter.

If it was up to me, I would stick everything in the wz data folder.  I *hate* stuff that is forced to go to root drive, even if you have tons of free space all over but the root drive.
and it ends here.
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Hatsjoe
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by Hatsjoe »

Buginator wrote: Now undo it. :P

Seriously, there is a logical reason for the caveat, and that is there is NO 'my games' officially.
And no, I don't need for wz to create a folder called 'my games'.
I agree
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kage
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by kage »

Buginator wrote: CSIDL_PERSONAL : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and can be manipulated outside of the game contex" * [this one is meant for save games/screen shots...]
CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and are of use only within the game context."
CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA : "Game files that can be created by a user and read by all users. Write access is granted only to the creator of the file (owner)."
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES : "Static game files written by the game’s installer that are read by all users."
by the sound of those definitions, CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA should contain save-game files, and CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA and CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES have a lot of overlap (can anyone think of anything off hand that is neither CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA nor CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES, but is somewhere in between? only game type i can think of that could *possibly* make that distinction, depending on the implementation, is a MUD.
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by OvermindDL1 »

Mods would make sense to be available to all users, but not something you would stick in the game directory, probably installed using an installer and it would allow all users to install it, whereas on a 'standard' vista and so forth setup, then the main game directory is not writable by 'other' users.
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DevUrandom
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by DevUrandom »

Buginator wrote: The official stance on this is:

CSIDL_PERSONAL : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and can be manipulated outside of the game contex" * [this one is meant for save games/screen shots...]
CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA : "User-specific game files that are read and modified and are of use only within the game context."
CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA : "Game files that can be created by a user and read by all users. Write access is granted only to the creator of the file (owner)."
CSIDL_PROGRAM_FILES : "Static game files written by the game’s installer that are read by all users."
Where did you find that info? I searched for that too... :(
Buginator wrote: If it was up to me, I would stick everything in the wz data folder.  I *hate* stuff that is forced to go to root drive, even if you have tons of free space all over but the root drive.
You can move your My Documents, you know?
That's what I do, too.
Also a reason why I not choose appdata, since you cannot move that easily.
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by doom3r »

I *hate* stuff that is forced to go to root drive, even if you have tons of free space all over but the root drive.
Same here, thats why i asked to change the location of configuration directory.

So, we'll have to wait for 2.1 for the option to choose where to place the config directory?
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by Buginator »

DevUrandom wrote: Where did you find that info? I searched for that too... :(
You can move your My Documents, you know?
That's what I do, too.
Also a reason why I not choose appdata, since you cannot move that easily.
For those that are curious as to what MS wants:
User Account Control for Game Developers : http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/librar ... S.85).aspx

While I know I can move them, the main point I was making is I shouldn't have to, nor should we force a directory named 'my games' on users who do NOT have that directory.  AFAICT, only MS games use that directory.
All the other games usually do what we were doing in the first place, and then just create a folder name of the game's name.
Then we have the better games that install everything & save everything in its own directory.

As for adding this stuff (--configdir)to support for 2.0.x.  No.  That version is basically dead.  The (RC)2.1 release should be here soon though.
Then again, since source is available, anyone can add it in if they want.
and it ends here.
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DevUrandom
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by DevUrandom »

Buginator wrote: Then we have the better games that install everything & save everything in its own directory.
Depends on what you call better...
Multi-user-environments shouldn't be forced to become single-user-environments...
I think we should support MS' efforts here...
One day, who knows, it'll become as multi-user as Unix is...
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by Buginator »

DevUrandom wrote: Depends on what you call better...
Multi-user-environments shouldn't be forced to become single-user-environments...
I think we should support MS' efforts here...
One day, who knows, it'll become as multi-user as Unix is...
?
Where do I say we should force single-user-environments?

I am just saying that you wouldn't create 'my games' in linux, nor on the mac, and it is only used by one developer on windows.
It just worthless to do that IMO.
and it ends here.
doom3r
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by doom3r »

I am just saying that you wouldn't create 'my games' in linux, nor on the mac, and it is only used by one developer on windows.
It just worthless to do that IMO.
Im talking about Windows, not Mac or Linux
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by EvilGuru »

On Mac we put it in Application Support (which is not normally butchered by users), on Linux we put it in ~/.warzone2100 (most users will not touch it). I do not see why Windows should be any different.

The default, IMO, should be in App data, as that is exactly what it is. If a user wants to change it, no problem, the new versions supports that. Regarding maps and mods it is probably easiest if we had a helper application that is assigned to .wz as an extension and when run just moves/installs the mod to the correct location.

I suggest the same for OS X. (Linux is slightly harder but equally possible.)

Regards, Freddie.
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Re: Save WZ stuff in "My Games" on Windows

Post by Kayiaxo »

I found the current structure fine enough, but a path to costumize it would even be better.
Can't wait for it.
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Credits to Kacen for making the image.
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