Exe modifications

A forum about everything related to the Cafu World Editor CaWE: mapping, editing, scripting, making GUIs and fonts, using the BSP, PVS and Light compilers.
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n321
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Joined:2006-05-12, 18:58
Exe modifications

Post by n321 » 2006-12-08, 07:42

Hey Carsten a few quick questions.

Would it be possible to release a modified exe of Ca3De's latest SDK with...

No config menu
Loads directly to a GUI script called Main Menu
BUT also reads from a text file or script that can allow me to define cinematics to play before or as the main menu loads

oh and an external ico icon like the CaWE one but call it "icon"

My goal is to make it work like an ID soft game

Double click on exe
Loads cinematics of my choosing
Loads menu GUI

Then I can make the rest

I wouldent think that this would take alot of changes but I could be wrong so let me know it this is alot to ask....

But I gues the problem would be how to make a GUI that can define all of the options that is normally in the config menu.....is this possible from a GUI script?
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Carsten
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Post by Carsten » 2006-12-08, 12:52

Hi n321,

well, your suggestions are good, and in fact I was planning to implement most of them anyway.

First about the cinematics:
You can easily work-around this e.g. by writing a ".bat" script file, that when double-clicked, first plays the cinematic with any method you like, then loads Ca3DE. It's a bit of a hack, because you cannot play the cinematic in the same window as the engine, and seamlessly switch over at the end of the cinematic, but it's still very good because it keeps the cinematic technology and Ca3DE completely separate for now, which certainly is a good thing.

About the icon:
The icon is embedded in the exe file, it's not (reasonably) possible to refer to it externally. If you really need a Ca3DE.exe with a custom icon, I'll send you a customized exe file.

About the initial dialog:
The initial config dialog can be skipped with the "-skipDialog" command line parameter, run "Ca3DE.exe -help" for more information. Unfortunately, the "-skipDialog" command is a bit buggy in the latest release, I'm working to fix this.
Anyways, the plan is of course to get rid of this dialog entirely, and -as you said- move it's functionality into a in-game GUI. While this is not inherently difficult, I still have to clarify a few issues with the client and the server, which both are state machines that must be treated a bit differently when there is no external config dialog any more.
Thus, while I'm very sorry that I so frequently have to put you off until "later", all that I can promise it that you certainly will get what you suggested (the current situation is very unnatural, after all), but I cannot promise if it will be before or after the next public release.
Anyways, please continue to give me feedback in this regard, I'm certainly willing to update my priorities if this issues turns out to seriously get into your way before I get to address it. (My hope is that you need some time with other technical aspects anyway, which in turn gives me time to address this issue when there is a better opportunity than right now. :oops:)
Best regards,
Carsten
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Stephen
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Post by Stephen » 2006-12-12, 08:33

Carsten, if you put an icon in, we can replace it with Resource Hacker. I don't think it's possible to add an icon if it doesn't have one, but you can replace pictures in the EXE. You can also modify the text and layout of the main dialogue.
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Thrawn
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Post by Thrawn » 2006-12-12, 14:59

There are programs that can convert bat files to exe files with own logos! I just don't remember them/their names :S You have to google a bit ;)
Image
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Carsten
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Post by Carsten » 2006-12-12, 18:05

Stephen, your suggestions is certainly a good one. I was planning to add an icon to the Ca3DE.exe file anyway. But in the meanwhile, I support and recommend Thrawns suggestion: If you create a wrapper of any kind around Ca3DE.exe, then you have solved (or say, worked-around) all the problems while having full flexibility.
Best regards,
Carsten
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Carsten
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Post by Carsten » 2006-12-12, 19:02

Oh, and another note:
The -skipDialog switch that I mentioned above may or may not be broken in the currently available Demo+SDK, I didn't check (but I guess that this bug crept in after the last releases were made, so they're not affected). Anyways, I just fixed the problem that I mentioned above, so that -skipDialog will reliably work with the next release in any case. ;)
:up:
Best regards,
Carsten
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