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JA 2 1.13 Installer & Naming Convention "stable/unstable"
http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/index.phpindex.php?t=rview&goto=352805&th=23665#msg_352805
For me and probably everybody else on this forum, getting JA 2 1.13 (or any other mod) to run, is not difficult. Copy and paste this and that and you are ready to go.
Still, there are many casual JA 2 players out there, who once played the original JA 2 or read about it nowadays when it is still referenced as the best tactical turn-based game.
I'm pretty sure a big part of those potential players don't want to - or some probably can't even - figure out how to proceed to play JA 2 1.13, even though there are some instructions out there on how to get things running.
To make a long story short: What do you guys think about an installation wizard (or however these regular installers are called) for JA 2 1.13 and the mostly-used mods?
You download an exe, start it, select your JA 2 path, then check other optional possibilities (e. g. stable/unstable version, mods, Windows 10 Fix, alternate this and that etc.) and hit "Install".
Once the process is finished, the INI editor opens, so everybody can do the resolution settings etc. and that's it.
Easy to use for the masses and providing a high usability with little means.
As for most people, data transfer isn't the problem nowadays, the most popular mods like AR, AV, UC, AIMNAS etc. could be included in the setup or - if this would blow the size - they could be downloaded by the installer if checked.
I know that none of you guys on here have this "challenge", but I try to think out of a perspective from one of the casual JA 2 players.
In the end, more people playing this game and therefore revitalising this forum would be a benefit for all of us, wouldn't it?
To visualize the need for such a thing, here is an example of how my installation routine goes.
So far:
- Extract, copy & paste JA 2 1.13 7435
- Extract, copy, paste & execute JA 2 1.13 7609
- Extract, copy & paste JA 2 AR 1.4
- Extract, copy & paste JA 2 AR 1.4 Update
- Extract, copy, paste & execute Windows 10 fix
With an installer:
- Execute JA 2 1.13 installer
- Chose options & execute
I am good at marketing (my profession), not developing. Therefore, I have no sense of how much effort would be needed for that, so I'd love to get some feedback on it.
If we could realize such a thing, I'd contribute wherever I could (e. g. setting up a website running on my server, creating the content, instructions and so on etc.).]]>ATigersClaw2018-03-28T11:48:57-00:00Re: JA 2 1.13 installer for the masses
http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/index.phpindex.php?t=rview&goto=352807&th=23665#msg_352807
Shanga2018-03-28T14:20:29-00:00Aw: JA 2 1.13 installer for the masses
http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/index.phpindex.php?t=rview&goto=352808&th=23665#msg_352808
They'd enter some keywords like "ja 2 1.13" into Google and in most cases end up on http://ja2v113.pbworks.com/w/page/4218339/FrontPage for the current stable build (Google organic ranks 1-3 all finally lead this way).
As the stable is only being updated every couple of years (last time 2014), there wouldn't be a lot of maintenance work, would there?
Just as I mentioned in my post before, it brings a lot more convenience, which is exactly what casual JA 2 players need to not be "scared" away.
This is pure marketing, making installing a game as easy as possible because who would want to read, extract, copy, paste, execute several different files blocks except for the hardcore mercenaries used to this stuff? I'm pretty sure nobody.
Still, I can't estimate the workload for an initial installer of the stable build.
Maybe some other vets on here like Flugente, smeagol, DepressivesBrot etc. could comment on that.
]]>ATigersClaw2018-03-28T16:40:08-00:00Re: Aw: JA 2 1.13 installer for the masses
http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/index.phpindex.php?t=rview&goto=352809&th=23665#msg_352809
As for my own work, I see no functional difference between zips and an installer and since the current file is already plenty for my shitty network, I sure as hell won't go the bloatware all-in-one-and-the-kitchen-sink route.]]>DepressivesBrot2018-03-28T17:05:20-00:00Aw: Re: Aw: JA 2 1.13 installer for the masses
http://thepit.ja-galaxy-forum.com/index.phpindex.php?t=rview&goto=352810&th=23665#msg_352810
DepressivesBrot schrieb am Mi, 28 März 2018 19:05
...since the current file is already plenty for my shitty network, I sure as hell won't go the bloatware all-in-one-and-the-kitchen-sink route.
Sticking to the idea of an executable installer, it probably should only contain all necessary files but offer additional files (e. g. fixes or mods) to download during the installation process in case a checkbox is activated.
DepressivesBrot schrieb am Mi, 28 März 2018 19:05
If it was up to me, we'd be steering people well away from that obsolete, unsupported, so-called stable release.
From what you are saying, it sounds like the unstable build is preferrable in almost every way, but still it is called "unstable", which keeps me (and probably many others) from using this release. Do you know why this naming convention is still being used, if the stable release is outdated, unsupported etc.?
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