GUI needs to look sleek and... non-keyboard-y.

SCD3 does not have every version... SCD4 will.

I could add a single registry line in a specific path for such a thing.

I am considering making it SC-like.

It will use a few tabs for easy navigation ...

Current Tab Ideas:

Install (Main tab):
- Current Version
- Listbox with listed patches (SC or BW)
- Radio/Dropdown for Star/BW (Default in options or just use the latest? Perhaps based on the broodwar registry value?)
- Toggle SFNoCD (Show state, too. Hopefully there is some signature in the exe to easily detect this. )
- ToggleNX?

Options:
- Back Up SC Data Files (As listed in the first post)
- Use Registry Path (Show the path?)
- Else, Use StarCraft Directory (Like in SCD3)
- Default SFNoCD State (When applicable)
- Default ToggleNX State
- Run SC after patch option
- Close SCD after Patch option

About:
- Stuff.

Early layout (not style or design) concept:


Potential background Image and tab box:


I'm working on getting this into a program. I could do a more interesting image if I had a greater image area, but this should suffice.

Looks good!

Another idea, a sort of inverse of the plugin system: Mod Library. A list where you can add mods to a database in SCD and associate what version of SC the mod needs. Then, to play a mod, just load up SCD, go to the Library tab, and select the mod you wish to play. Maybe even provide the option to create special shortcuts or executables for the mods in the library. Then you can treat those shortcuts like the mods themselves -- just double-click to play; put them wherever, such as your desktop, or make Start Menu shortcuts, etc.

This would remove the need for someone to manually update any older mods with the earlier plugin idea (especially if the mod was made with something that can't use plugins, like SECWADS).

If both ideas were implemented, the auto-load plugin and the Mod Library, they could work in tandem. A mod with the auto-load plugin could automatically create its own entry in your Mod Library, so you could access it either way. The advantage of the plugin is that for newer mods, players wouldn't have to go through the steps of setting it up in the Library and creating custom shortcuts. The Mod Library is more suited to "Hardcore" Mod Players who have dozens of mods to manage, all requiring various versions of SC, whereas the plugin helps current modmakers attract "Casual" Mod Players. With both, newer mods could keep their instructions very simple: "Download and install SCD [link]. Run Mod." Everything else would be done behind the scenes, minimizing user error and ensuring the entire experience is as easy and painless as possible.



Another feature idea: Upgrade. If you release a new version, SCD can check the internet to see what the most current version of SCD is and output whether or not the user needs a new version -- or if you're feeling overly advanced, automatically upgrading the program. The importance of this kind of feature, though, depends entirely on how heavily you plan to support the program with updates.

Wouldn't that like... Kill Farty's bandwidth?

How? A *.txt lookup wouldn't consume much, and actually patching SCD to a new version would be similar to users downloading it normally anyway.

If mirrors are ever needed, I know CampaignCreations would be willing. I'm sure the same could be said of SEN, Stormcoast, and BWAI. In fact, the program could be set to look at each mirror if any of the other sites lack the specific *.txt file (such as if any of the sites go down in the future). If none of the prelisted mirrors contain the txt, the program can return an error message along with any advisory action (such as performing a Google search).

xP I was considering doing a mod-reference database for the Run feature. I thought "Why would you need to simply run a SC version after patching... unless perhaps it ran a specific mod."

Idea: Rather than myself (or the public, as I used for EUDDB) updating some sort of library, I could make a plugin for mods that will check if SCD4 is installed and then add itself to the library. Existing mods could be included in the library. ... Or, rather than have users store a database, I could make it an online library. My server should be able to handle small requests as long is it doesn't require much processing... I could hash mod names (and perhaps versions... or just something unique to a specific mod) into a small data size (like a 4-byte integer) and then have the server respond with another integer stating the version. Sending and recieving 4 byte requests should not take much from this.
... Or I could combine it and make it so it initially requests the version and then puts that into a local database.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Oct 14 2008, 2:55 am by FaRTy1billion.

Woo.



This is in C.

... Though for some reason size 10 and 16 fonts go offcenter on the first line.

nice design.... I hope there won't be annoying errors like in Pcolor :l
will there be some notes for example, with which patch what was fixed?? would be usefull

Thanks.
Any comments (from anyone) on it would be nice. I'd like this to be as user-friendly as possible... rather than just making random box-drawing tables. >.>

Eh? Like what? O.o
This uses C, though, so there should be no OCX-related, missing files, or other strange errors. I am also not a fan of VC++ so you will also not get missing MSVCRxx.dll or runtime file errors either.

C:\Program Files\Starcraft\Patch.txt >.>

point 1:
point 2: if the program is done, and i "test" it, and there will be errors, i'll make screens for u, k?
point 3: y... but if the program directly shows what has fixed at what, it would be better...
and the patch.txt only has informations for the versions since you installed SCBW
[so if you installed SCBW, and have joined b-net, with the V1.00.01, there wont be informations for V1.00.00 or less, understand me?]

Mine goes to 1.00... It's always been from 1.00... Want me to include it?
Hopefully all errors will be gone when it is done.

y... want u to include it
also hope it, when will it be done? [around]

I have no idea when it will be done. UI will probably take the longest. >.>

If someone doesn't mind errors to be in a foreign language, I found a site that had rars of all the files of each version of starcraft (thank u babelfish for auto-translating it so i could understand the site). Lost the bookmark but i still have the rars for 1.00-1.04b and 1.06 if anyone wants them.

I already have every version, and in patch_rt it has the different languages.

(Updated first post to reflect some current ideas.)

lolol get your reading glasses.

I really like the "Mod Library" idea and think it would be helpful to implement. I would like to make it a bit more specific, though. I am thinking it could be done two ways: Generate the library based on mods on the user's machine, or retrieve the information from an online database (or, perhaps, both.)

Creating it on a local machine would mean that it would need to locate which version the mod should run based on the mod's executable, or have the user input the version (automation would be nicer.)

An online database would probably be more complex and have more components (the program module, online service and database), but be more useful. If mirrors are used, a configuration value could hold the servers (though the problem with databases would be keeping them consistent.) It would find a server and send some information that the server could interpret and reply with version information.
But how would the database be managed, anyway? Would the program send information for unknown mods, would I (or perhaps other appointed individuals) manually add mods, or would it be open like EUDDB where everyone can contribute?

Also, with the online database would the database be polled every time the user wants to patch, or would it only check the database for new/unknown mods? The latter seems nicer as it saves on bandwidth, other than the initial request no connection is needed, and it would probably work faster.


After [re-]re-reading Hercanic's post, how would the mods get put in the library to be looked up in the first place? A plugin to add to every mod seems a bit excessive, a button to manually locate mods would be a bit annoying to set up initially, but maybe an add folder button for people who put all their mods in one place.

Another afterthought: This database could also be used to inform users if a mod version they are running is out of date. I don't want to make this a mod updating device, but it could at least help point a user in the right direction to get the latest version (i.e., it links to a download page.) However if this were done that would mean it would need to frequently check the server... Perhaps it could be on demand rather than automated. Honestly, though it may be useful, this thought doesn't seem like something necessary.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Oct 19 2008, 9:12 pm by FaRTy1billion.

This is what I think:
Make a pre defined database of common mods. Your AA, fungus, FC, whatever.
Upon running SCD for the first time, and whenever user feels necessary, the program can scan the SC directory for such mods.
Any unknown .exe files could be queried from an online database, simply adding the proper patch information to it's local database.
SCD can then compile a list of what mods are installed. When user wants to run a patch, they select it from SCD4, it patches and then simply launches the mod.

Or am i missing something?

Not scan the SC directory, because not all of us keep it there.

Yeah, that is why I was thinking of some form of an import folder function.

Yay, here is what I have done in the past two hours:

The "Again" button is being pressed as I screenshotted.

These are just normal Windoze controls. <3 OWNERDRAW.

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Oct 20 2008, 3:14 am by FaRTy1billion.

Add moar buttons, again and again!