4E4: Multimon support? And installers?
Author
I wondered if any of the judges will have multiple monitors on their judging PCs, or would make any effort to arrange this if a game supported multimon?
My base D3D code has support for multiple adapters so in theory it's only a minor(ish) amount of work to make a multimon-enabled RTS, which I think is a good idea...
Also - is having a proper installer essential or are judges happy to unzip things manually? I suppose the ideal is running one .exe sets everything up and gives the option to view the readme and/or start the game for the 1st time. Are there free installation tools we could use - never got a project finished to wrap it up with an installation package before?!
[Edited by - d000hg on August 23, 2005 9:37:01 AM]
Make it optional, but if you state in your readme that you support it, it'll be tested out.
Author
That sounds good. Can you suggest what areas this might score on - technology, or just maybe a few kudos points? I suppose it depends if any judges are supporters of multimon-enabled games (like me)!
Quote:Original post by d000hg
That sounds good. Can you suggest what areas this might score on - technology, or just maybe a few kudos points? I suppose it depends if any judges are supporters of multimon-enabled games (like me)!
It probably scores on nuisance...jkjjkomg
All jokes aside though, I'm curious about the installer thing too.
I seem to recall seeing in an earlier thread at some point that installers would go towards "polish", but don't quote me on that.
As for what you can use, NSIS is a great package which you can use for free, with plenty of great features. Developed by the team at Nullsoft (the guys who made Winamp).
You could also try the Clickteam Install Creator, although I personally consider it an inferior product. It does tend to be a little easier to use, and will get the job done, but displays an ad unless you upgrade to the registered or pro version (see the webpage for the differences).
Of the two, I recommend NSIS, but either would get the job done just fine.
As for what you can use, NSIS is a great package which you can use for free, with plenty of great features. Developed by the team at Nullsoft (the guys who made Winamp).
You could also try the Clickteam Install Creator, although I personally consider it an inferior product. It does tend to be a little easier to use, and will get the job done, but displays an ad unless you upgrade to the registered or pro version (see the webpage for the differences).
Of the two, I recommend NSIS, but either would get the job done just fine.
Installation (and uninstallation) are definitely part of your polish score.
The only possible exception would be with regards to ISO files: to allow you to 'simulate' the game being distributed on CD media, we might allow that an entry be submitted as an ISO file to be burnt/mounted, and that process wouldn't affect your polish score. You'd be judged on everything from disc-mount onwards though, so you could use things like autorun apps to give the best user experience.
This isn't confirmed yet, though, so if anyone thinks they might want to do this, let me know and I'll see about getting a definitive answer for you.
The only possible exception would be with regards to ISO files: to allow you to 'simulate' the game being distributed on CD media, we might allow that an entry be submitted as an ISO file to be burnt/mounted, and that process wouldn't affect your polish score. You'd be judged on everything from disc-mount onwards though, so you could use things like autorun apps to give the best user experience.
This isn't confirmed yet, though, so if anyone thinks they might want to do this, let me know and I'll see about getting a definitive answer for you.
How about a single .exe? If your game is entirely self-contained, would an installer be a good or a bad thing?
I believe making a ISO with a autorun installer on it would be the best route for me.
OK. I've spoken to Kevin about this now.
ISO submissions are going to be allowed, but you have to submit a non-ISO downloadable version as well, so that people can easily download the game from the contest pages and try it out. You'll be judged on the ISO version (though both versions should be basically the same).
If you submit an ISO, please zip it up with the downloadable one first (i.e. submit a ZIP/RAR containing a .ISO for judging and a .ZIP/.RAR for downloading).
ISO submissions are going to be allowed, but you have to submit a non-ISO downloadable version as well, so that people can easily download the game from the contest pages and try it out. You'll be judged on the ISO version (though both versions should be basically the same).
If you submit an ISO, please zip it up with the downloadable one first (i.e. submit a ZIP/RAR containing a .ISO for judging and a .ZIP/.RAR for downloading).
This topic is closed to new replies.
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