New folder structure.

[Kamaze]

I would love a better structured installation.
This is my idea to organize:

Code: Select all

[warzone2100]
|
|   License.txt
|   link to warzone2100.exe.lnk
|   Readme.txt
|   Uninstall.exe
|
+---bin
|       jpeg6b.dll
|       ogg.dll
|       OpenAL32.dll
|       physfs.dll
|       png13.dll
|       SDL.dll
|       SDL_net.dll
|       vorbis.dll
|       vorbisfile.dll
|       warzone2100.exe
|       wrap_oal.dll
|       zlib1.dll
|
\---packs
    \---warzone
        +---gamedata
        |       mp.wz
        |       warzone.wz
        |
        +---globalmods
        |       grim.wz
        |
        +---mpmods
        \---spmods

Maybe merge mp.wz and warzone.wz together.
(I hope that dosn't require more explainations )

[DevUrandom]

bin folder? Maybe.
Merge mp.wz and warzone.wz? Not possible currently.
One plan for 2.1 is to remove the need for having them seperate, but that takes a while till we get there...

[Kamaze]

I just hate it, if all is smashed together...

[DevUrandom]

What we could consider is to statically link against those libs. (Means integrate them into the exe directly.)
It doesn't have any benefit to use dlls if no other program also uses the same dll.
Then we would only have those OpenAL dlls left. (I can't link them statically, because I think I don't have a static version of them.)

[karmazilla]

IMHO, putting .dll's in a bin directory would clutter it. I would only put files in a bin directory that are "double-click executable", and put the libraries (dlls) in a lib directory.

And then I'm not sure about ./packs/warzone/ why not just a ./data directory?

Would leave us with something like:

Code: Select all

./
|   License.txt
|   Warzone2100.exe.lnk
|   Readme.txt
|   Uninstall.exe.lnk
+  /bin
|   |   warzone2100.exe
|   |   uninstall.exe
+  /lib
|   |   jpeg6b.dll
|   |   ogg.dll
|   |   OpenAL32.dll
|   |   physfs.dll
|   |   png13.dll
|   |   SDL.dll
|   |   SDL_net.dll
|   |   vorbis.dll
|   |   vorbisfile.dll
|   |   wrap_oal.dll
|   |   zlib1.dll
+  /data
|   |   mp.wz
|   |   warzone.wz
|   +   /mods
|   |   +   /global
|   |   |   |   grim.wz
|   |   +   /multiplayer
|   |   +   /singleplayer

My 2c.

[Kamaze]

IMHO, putting .dll's in a bin directory would clutter it. I would only put files in a bin directory that are "double-click executable", and put the libraries (dlls) in a lib directory.

In Windows, the exe is trying to find the required libs (dll's) in the same directory where the exe is.
Thats why it would be finee to put all exe/dll in one dir.

And then I'm not sure about ./packs/warzone/ why not just a ./data directory?

If someone makes a other Game (here named pack) on the engine.
Some day.... if the scripting engine works and we have some tools,... *g*

[DevUrandom]

I think we must differe here between the SVN/sourcecode layout and the Windows installer layout.
I think this thread was about the Windows installer layout... (Which doesn't have no data directory as far as I remember.)

Mass DLLing will be limited in the next installer when I link most libs statically. (Makes sense on Windows, where they are not used all over the system...)

[Terminator]

I just hate it, if all is smashed together...

Me too

[Kamaze]

*Bump*

[DevUrandom]

Why bump?
Are there any issues left? I thought this was the "problem" that there were too many .dlls in the Warzone folder on Windows. This should allready be fixed in 2.0.5.

[Kamaze]

I would really like the 'small' modding folder change.

Code: Select all

[warzone2100]
|
|   license.txt
|   warzone2100.exe
|   readme.txt
|   uninstall.exe
|
\---packs
    \---warzone
        +---gamedata
        |       mp.wz
        |       warzone.wz
        |
        +---globalmods
        |       grim.wz
        |
        +---mpmods
        \---spmods

With this "packs" folder structure, some 'future' full conversation mods could be better organized.
I think it would make mod 'organizing' a bit easier.

[DevUrandom]

Don't know yet...
We could put the .wz into the data folder and use that. I'd like to remove the need for a mods/{global,...} folder and instead just use (eg) data/mods, but this requires some more work on the code-side.
What I don't see as bringing benefit is having dozens of subsubsubfolders as you layed it out.

[Kamaze]

I just love a clean and organized look

[Kamaze]

The third try:

Code: Select all

[warzone2100]
|
|   license.txt
|   readme.txt
|   authors.txt
|   dbghelp.dll.license.txt
|   changelog.txt
|   uninstall.exe
|   warzone2100.exe
|   wrap_oal.dll
|   dbghelp.dll
|   OpenAL32.dll
|
+---base
|    +--- sp_001.wz
|    +--- mp_001.wz
|
+---mods
|    +--- <your mod here>
|
+---maps
     +--- <your map here>

Would be a bit more structurized. And another idea, why not use a quake like package system (PhysFS should support this).
If something alters on the mp.wz/sp.wz we could provide a patch named like "sp_00x.wz" wich contains the altered files.
So, that the game loads the wz packs in an alphanumeric order so that the new wz packs overwrite the contained files from the base package.
Maybe merge mp.wz and warzone.wz together.
(I hope that dosn't require more explainations )

[kage]

lol. i hope this doesn't apply to those of us running a fhs-compliant *nix