SHP Forums

As some of you may know, I have been redoing all of the installers. In addition to fixing reported errors and adding support for other versions, I am adding new features, such as the diagnostic tool, while cleaning up and optimizing the scripts. For a while now,

I have had various dialogs built into the installer that ask the user if they would like to change some DOSBox preferences and uninstallers that prompt the user about keeping any save games. Having so many questions starts to make too demanding, which gets annoying when repeatedly testing them over and over. My solution is to have the installer only ask when it is relevant; installers will only ask about keeping save games if there are save games in the game's folder, Collection installers will only ask about DOSBox settings at the end of the entire install process, not after every game, etc.


Anyway, sorry for the long preamble. Now for the question. I have installers for all of the Sierra collections, but for the multi-disc collections I have had a separate installer for each disc. What would your preference be for multi-disc collections? As it is now, where you need to download an installer for each disc and have to install each disc separately or one installer for each collection that would prompt when it needs the next disc?

Advantages of one installer for each disc are that the download is smaller for each installer and you only have to deal with selecting games on the one disc.

Advantages of a single installer is even though the one file would be a larger download, it would be smaller than the total size of all the individual installers put together. It would simplify the uninstall process, requiring a single uninstaller and if completely uninstalling, you would only have to go through the uninstall process once.

One installer seems easier, universally speaking...

However... single installers for each game may make trouble shooting the installers easier.

I'd say that anything that minimalises the process is better. One installer seems like a better option to me. The more concise, the better. I'm sure that many people would select the same options for each game in a series anyway.

Considering the size of games that many people are willing to download these days, downloading the installers for older games shouldn't be considered too taxing.

I agree. One installer is easier to manage and like Maia said, the overall file size shouldn't be an issue. Not when games like Empire Total War are 15 GB to download.

I also agree that one single installer is better, easier to use and probably even more neat: to have everything I need to install my game in one tidy package seems to me an option both reliable and "official," so to speak.

I recently used the single disk installer to install laura bow 2 from the kq collection.

I was pretty happy it existed.

Qbix wrote:I recently used the single disk installer to install laura bow 2 from the kq collection.

I was pretty happy it existed.

Of course if I combine them you will still be able to deselect all games except the one that you want to install.

No one else has any thoughts?

It doesn't really matter one way or the other for me personally. But I'd say the majority would prefer single installation files.

And the votes echo that.

The LSL Collection Series and the LSL Ultimate Pleasure Pack installers have been consolidated into single installers for each collection.

LSL Installers

One advantage of the combined installers is that it would not involve much to adapt them to convert multi disc Collections into a single DVD, much like the DVD wizards I've included with the GK2 and Phantasmagoria installers.

I see it this way: if you can get an all-in-one installer, with the option to install individual games (without needing to install everything at once), then that's the best of both worlds. The only reason I could possibly see for making single-game installers would be to reduce download times, but considering how small most of these games are, I can't see file sizes being much of a consideration.

They weren't single game installers, but separate installers for each disc of multi-disc collections, that is one installer for disc one of the LSL Pleasure Pack, a second for disc 2 and a third for disc three. The installer for disc one installed LSL 1-6 (non-talkie). Now all three discs are installed by a single installer that prompts the user for each disc as it needs them.

Okay, then I misunderstood. Regardless, the point still stands: combined installers are better in most cases.

Well, in spite of the fact that not many gave feedback, the results are overwhelmingly in favor of the single installers, so I will continue the combine the installers.