Hi All!
Since i like playing both Stormworld and Master's Affliction and I'm tired to do all the copy & paste needed to switch the mod, I'm writing a little mod manager to do the stuff.
Started as hard coded file copy & paste, now is a little more complex and can manage more mod with easy (more o less...).
FE Mod Manager 1.0.4 is out! Now with mod update check!
Online setup will autoupdate
here you can download online setup
here you can download standalone setup (uninstall online version prior to install this)
FE Mod Library page
FE Nexus page
Development status (info about implemented functions e currents TODO)
FE Mod Manager Guide
Mods supporting the Mod Manager
Stormworld
LargeUI
Snaking
Henchwomen
Summonunits (both versions)
Amarain Sacrificial Elementals
River City Bridge
Tent Building Style
Heroes
For the mod developers:Manual for configuration.femm and version.femm
xsd schema used for configuration.femm, FEMM.xsd, can be downloaded here
xml sample can be downloaded here
you can check xml with the xsd file here
when v1.0 is ready i'll try to create a configuration for all the mod released but i need your help for inserting the file in your release (and keep it updated when new mod version are released). THANKS!
Right, my fault.
At the moment the program can't manage archive in archive this is your archive modified (added Stormworld_Rivermod_TerrainTypes folder)
The wipe doesn't appear to function, when I click yes for the mods folder it remains untouched.
I'm also having trouble with one of my folders not installing. I'll play around and see if I can fix it, otherwise I'll upload it so you can check it out.
Thanks for tackling a very needed project ev4debug!
Yes, I just found the bug
A_LIB_UnitStat_BG_vZC?
On the configuration file posted is A_LIB_UnitStat_BG_vZB....
No, I saw that one.
Here's the zip https://dl.dropbox.com/u/32649007/Stormworld1.5k.zip
I can't get any of the Stormworld_ExpandedFactions folders to extract. Stormworld_ExpandedFactions Stormworld_ExpandedFactions_Champions Stormworld_ExpandedFactions_NoVanillaSov
Bug found, killing it!
Heavenfall, faction bug is gone; mods directory wipe bug is also gone (tested on 2 different pc, but if you found the same bug again, i've a set of virtual machine ready for test )
Start, close and restart the manager to autoupdate (internet connection required)
One issue I'm seeing, which really doesn't affect me right now but it is still technically a bug.
If I have a FileStructure entry without a ModModule entry, then I can't have it as a requirement from other FileStructures if I set it to Required=0.
For example, the first one here doesn't have a ModModule entry and the second does
<item> <id>1</id> <type>MODS</type> <category>Folder</category> <name>A_LIB_UnitStat_BG_vZC</name> <destination></destination> <required>0</required> <requirements></requirements> </item>
<item> <id>4</id> <type>MODS</type> <category>Folder</category> <name>Stormworld_Reliquary</name> <destination></destination> <required>0</required> <requirements>1</requirements> </item>
The expected behaviour here is that id1 gets installed if id4 is selected, even if id1 is not visible in the mod manager. Instead, id1 simply gets ignored.
Basically I can't have requirements for hidden non-"required" filestructures.
Another detail, I have some .txt files in the top level of the archive (Stormworld1.5.zip/example.txt) and they are getting extracted into the /mods/ folder but I didn't tell the manager to do that.
To help the "newbie" user use the mod manager, I would recommend that you explain somewhere how the user can expect to find the /mods/ and the /maps and the installation folders.
That is, if you can't fill them out automatically which would be even better.
I've tested the mod manager plenty now and it seems to work really well.
In my next release of Stormworld I'd like to link somewhere in this topic so people can read about how to use the mod manager. Do you think you could make a post with a small guide that is without the technical jargon for the "newbie" user? Other than that, it seems ready for use and I'd like to use it for Stormworld.
for you Heavenfall!
thanks for the feedback!
New message box on line (after this release, the program will autoupdate at startup)
Now time for some bug hunting...if Morfeo let me.
For the guide, no problem making a post (obviously with hope that my English explanations are understandable...); I'll also add a tab to the program with instruction. (this tomorrow, no energy now ...)
Uhh sorry, that may have been me manually extracting the zip. Nevermind the .txt comment.
uff,uff,pant,pant!
Last update for tonight, "Basically I can't have requirements for hidden non-"required" filestructures." bug killed mhuahahahahaha!
Time to sleep..tomorrow is a working day, 5 sleep hour left
[e digicons]:')[/e]
I was having a thought yesterday about updating of mods through the mod manager. I realize it is a very ambitious project, but a "danger" with putting the mods in the mod manager is that the user becomes disconnected from the community and misses updates.
Perhaps a very simple function could be used to check if there is an update for a particular mod. In the configuration.femm file we could give you a http adress to a file found on the internet through dropbox or something similar. The file would be bare-bone, essentially just mentioning an order of updates. If the mod manager sees this in the configuration file
<ModName>Stormworld</ModName> <ModVersion>1.5k</ModVersion>
and then sees a list downloaded from the http that looks something like this
<ModName>Stormworld</ModName> <ReleasedVersion>1.5k</ReleasedVersion> <ReleasedVersion>1.5l</ReleasedVersion> <ReleasedVersion>1.5m</ReleasedVersion>
it could notify the user that there is an update available. Basically, you'd only need to check if the <ModVersion> is identical to the last <ReleasedVersion>.
It could prompt the user to go somewhere to download the new version (another tag in the original configuration file perhaps). Also a small icon in the mod manager, like an exclamation point next to the updated mod.
Just a future request, really.
Good idea! And we can also let the program download the update
Request inserted i nthe TODO list.
please make the look up as well as the download an optional feature, since this is more then just a bid of a security issue for the machine itself
Noted
Thinking about mod update as started by Havenfall....
This is my idea, may be can be realized with some support:
Why only check for new version of already downloaded mod? We can also offer to the user the list of realesed mod, and let him choose what mod download...
I Known, "I'm flying high" (literal translation of a Italian common saying)...this one is for the "much more than dream" section
that sounds great also you could implement a "launch game" button the basic idea would be that instead of starting the game exe, i will as a standard start you program then set the mod i want to use and then click launchgame, thus givin the whole game a true "use mod" experience
Yes! Since I was inspired from Nexus Mod Manager (used a lot for Fallout new vegas and Skyrim) this is definitively a must TODO!
Created FE Mod Manager Guide (I hope it's understandable)
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