App: ScummVM Portable
category: emulation
version: 0.10.0
license: GNU GPL
homepage: http://scummvm.org/
wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scummvm
download: http://www.ormus.info/archives/95-ScummVM-0.12.0-Portable.html (pick your package)
description:
ScummVM is a program which allows you to run certain classic graphical point-and-click adventure games, provided you already have their data files. The clever part about this: ScummVM just replaces the executables shipped with the game, allowing you to play them on systems for which they were never designed! Some of the adventures ScummVM supports include Adventure Soft's Simon the Sorcerer 1 and 2; Revolution's Beneath A Steel Sky, Broken Sword 1 and Broken Sword 2; Flight of the Amazon Queen; Wyrmkeep's Inherit the Earth; Coktel Vision's Gobliiins; Westwood Studios' The Legend of Kyrandia and games based on LucasArts' SCUMM (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion) system such as Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Sam and Max and more.
notes: There are two games available for free at the official ScummVM page: Flight of the Amazon Queen and Beneath A Steel Sky. I'll try to contact the ScummVM team and will create .paf.exe installers (so you can easily add those games to ScummVM Portable) for those games - if that's allowed. For now just put the game folders (for example FOTAQ_Floppy for the Flight of the Amazon Queen Floppy Version) into the ScummVMPortable\Data\games folder.
latest updates:
24th November 2008:
- complete launcher re-write
- updated to version 0.12.0
- offering 2 packages, basic and including 2 games
- added new .ini file option to not adjust paths
- launcher respects relative paths, only adjust drive letter of absolute paths
29th June 2007 - beta1
- initial version
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Good work, looks like a good choice. Installers for those games would be good.
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It's kinda scary when my desktop is messier than my room...
Nice idea for a portable app, but be warned that - even following the mp3 or ogg compression guides available online - some games from the early or mid-90s end up being hundreds of MB in size.
If you have a large collection of compatible games, your game data folder could be 3GB or more. This make the release useful for running on external drives, or locally without installation, but not ideal for memory sticks.
*IDEA* - why not add support for auto-detecting a DVD drive, so the read-only game files can be organised in game folders on optical media with all saves and settings in the SVMportable folder? If you can do that, it would be a bit less "portable" (in physical size) but a lot more "portable" (in USB storage size)...
Of course, you might just want to play the 1980s, few-hundred-KB games, but I thought I should mention it.
(Official disclaimer - Abandonware is a made-up term, copying/downloading any games other than those on the ScummVM site not legal, and most compatible games are still available on compilations or from company websites. If you are really tight, shop on an online auction site...)
I agree, some games are rather big. But keep the following in mind:
- you might use it on a USB hard disk
- USB sticks offer more space for less cash at a fast pace, soon 4GB sticks will be available for only a couple of bucks
- you might not be able to carry EVERY game around at once, but sure can take your favourites along
My Blog
I, for one, would love to be able to take King's Quest I-IV with me on the go for a play now and again. I have the King's Quest collection I bought in High School that had I-VI & a demo of VII (okay, that dates me a bit), so for those of us who own legal copies of those classics, this would be a win-win!
This beta is basically completely broken - it performs no find/replace in the settings file, rendering the app unusable on any system that doesn't have the app in C:\PortableApps (ScummVM closes immediately if paths are invalid).
I haven't browsed the source in detail, but it looks as though the function to do this is defined but never called. Would be nice if someone could look into this.
This would make an excellent addition mainly because of the expansion/usage prospects.
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pkeffect.com
"We exist in a multidimensional polymorphic hyerspacial internode of neurotranslinguistic manifestations subjugated by hyperbolic quantum entanglement."
In my quest to make it portable I noticed scummvm writing INI in windows folder and savegames in user folder. I changed them both to the apps own folder for now in my personal portable version. UPX-ed the exe and maxed the zip compression.
I can't see any notes on changes made for this version.
ScummVM only needs a parameter passed to it to be portable (to tell it to use a config file in a specific place, rather than AppData). I just made a batch file for mine.
Signature automatically removed for being too awesome.
My try of a 'portable' version 0.10.0:
http://www.albartus.com/downloads/ScummvmPortable_0.10.0.zip
- no PAF Setup, no Splash Screen
- scummvm.ini is stored in ScummvmPortable\App
- savegames and screenshots are stored in ScummvmPortable\App
- theme zip re-compressed to max
- No games, source or other folders
Maybe it doesnt follow the strict portable apps definition but it was not ment as a official PAF version. It was merely to try getting an exe started with the correct parameters while also fitting correct in the portable apps menu.
ScummVM is used to play the games from the original media...
Because somehow the version of the OP didn't started I made my own test that worked. I noticed that somehow the savepath isnt used via the command line on my PC. Anyway, I have created a PAF version from scratch of v0.10 and called it 0.10.0.1 (I use the release number my release as most apps only use 2 or 3. I will probably change some graphics of the installer. This version does start on my PC as well.
To top it off I also added PAF installers for two floppy games; Flight Of The Amazone Queen and Beneath The Steel Sky. The PC Talkie versions are a bit to big to upload but I'll try to find a solution for that too. First install ScummVM Portable and then the games. The installer of the games uses the ScummVM portable folder /Data/games to install them (like the OP suggested with his installer).
http://www.albartus.googlepages.com/ScummVM_Portable_0.10.0.1.paf.exe
http://www.albartus.googlepages.com/FOTAQFloppy_Portable_0.0.0.1.paf.exe
http://www.albartus.googlepages.com/BASSFloppy_Portable_0.0348.0.1.paf.exe
If you manually add other games that you copied to the games folder please make the paths relative in the scummvm.ini (because the USB drive letter might change)
Have fun with ScummVM and the games.
BTW
I was thinking. Now the games are put in the /Data/games folder. But to be honest the data folder is used for User files so they can easily be backed up, right? So 'installed' games should *not* be put in the data folder.
I might change the files to have the games install in App or in Other folder. But I'm unsure which folder to pick. I can imagine it should go in the App folder as it's an app, but as it's not a part of the ScummVM itself one might say they belong into the Other folder.
I'm getting doubts about the Other folder's function again. App is for the application, Data is for settings (and user files?) and other is for the rest that doesnt fit into the App and Data folder. But what files (besides the source) could be using the 'other' folder. Why isn't Source in a subfolder of the App I start wondering again.
I could have the games be installed into the Other folder (which is a better choise than using the Data folder because it prevents the games to be backed up as well.) or the App folder.
Anyone have an opinion what would be the best solution?
what is happen with this project? Is it still active?
Version 12.0 is out!
+1
Cheers
ChEtTeDeBoEuF
I stopped updating it due the lack of any responses to my version...
Just installed the official zip version of scummvm on my flashdrive and put Day of the Tentacle next to it and it works smoothly.
It also turns up in the PAM as well.
I'm alive
I've rewritten the launcher and updated ScummVM to 0.12.0, see open post for details. More details at: http://www.ormus.info/archives/95-ScummVM-0.12.0-Portable.html
nice to see you working on it. Some remarks... I made my own version long ago because I had problems with your version, is this fixed?
You also have one wich includes 2 games, I suspect they are Beneath A steel sky and flight of the amazone queen. Are you aware that Lure of the Temptress and Drascule - the vampire strikes back are also freeware games available for scummvm. Also with todays flash sizes I can imagine having the talkie (CD-ROM) versions is cool to have. All these freeware games have been made available on the sourceforge servers (with SF's special permission, just to stop comments about that these are 'freeware' games)
Cheers.
PS. downloads not working (yet?)
Sorry, downloads are now linked directly in my blog entry, my download manager thinks those files are too big...
I read you made the launcher in Delphi. Any reason for that?
What about the two other games mentioned? any plans to make an addon installer?
See http://www.albartus.googlepages.com/portableapps for example of my try.
running a little late yesterday...
Delphi launcher: It's just easier for me. I've noticed that there is not much difference in memory and cpu footprint compared with an nsis one. Doesn't really matter for the ScummVM launcher anyway, because it will quit once ScummVM is started (there's no cleanup necessary at the end). I'm working an some more complicated launchers, my nsis just wasn't good enough for that.
Regarding the problems of the previous launcher: The new one will adjust the paths in the config file only if those are absolute (= starting with a drive letter), relative paths will remain untouched. The settings file is always used from the settings folder, the default locations (WINDIR) should never be touched...
New games: I might do an installer for those... I just need to figure out a way to adjust the scummvm.ini while installing. I think those floppy versions are fine to start with though.
I'm pretty sure all required actions of a launcher can be done using NSIS. Seeing as even the most complicated launchers could be done in NSIS. I'm unsure if using a non-standard launcher would ever be able to become a official PortableApps release. (I personally don't see why not though, as long as the launcher works flawless.)
For the game's I used NSIS to write the proper information to the scummvm.ini to add the games, and looking at it, it worked great. Maybe I look into creating an PortableApps installer for the games, including the (compressed) CD-ROM versions - if available so people might choose which version to install. (I'm even thinking to go the other way around and make each game install scummvm (if needed) as a common requirement but focussing on these games as if they were stand alone games.
With version 0.10, even when I set the save game folder to the PortableApps data folder, the games saved in the app folder. Does the current version have fixed that? I ended up using the launcher to move the save games to the data folder.
Thanks for your work on SCUMMVM. It's one of my favorite open source apps because it enables me to play some of my old games again on my modern machine. Also the number of games has grown considerably the last years and I'm proud to have been able to supply the English Talkie of the freewared game "Drascula - The Vampire Strikes Back" as the game was very, very hard to find an English version for sale. (Personally I still have some original CD-ROMs left, so its a bit of a shame that it now is officially freewared, else I could have sold them
But they're still rare!
I'm lucky I collect adventure games on CD-ROM as many of the games supported or being worked on I have in my collection. To all that are interested, take a look here to see what games/engines are supported and being worked on: http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Engines
The work in progress games can be tested with the daily automated SVN snapshot build. (Don't expect the work in progress games to work completely but some definitly are already in a playable state.
On a closing note I like to mention that the only thing that's holding back the 1.0 release is the manual. While the current documentation already is very complete they want it to be perfect, although that's hard to do with the rate games are currently added. Having a 0.x version in no case means that SCUMMVM in unstable and is definitely worth a look for all fan's of the old school graphic adventure games out there.
Cheers.
It's just not my cup of tea
I'm way faster with Delphi compared to nsis, where I barely know the basics. I'm sure it can do all the magic as well. I'm not sure about any launcher language policy, but the menu itself is also written in Delphi, isn't it? I'm pretty sure that Delphi is easier for most when compared with nsis (which in turn got it's own strengths as well!).
As mentioned I want to write some more launchers and with my Delphi framework (splash screen handler, process handler etc.) those will progress pretty fast.
0.12.0 is saving to the save folder set in the scummvm.ini, I've tested it. Seperate installers for game sure are a very good idea, isn't there some kind of addon/plugin concept for PortableApps? I've bundled those two games because I do think they are rather well known and will draw interest.
If you are using CDs to play games then the NoGamePathAdjust Option I've added might be something to look at. This will leave the absolute game paths untouched.