Problem: Most Mods at CFC are .exe

[ancestral]

As Civ IV makes its way into our hands likely in the coming weeks, we'll be able to try out all the great mods and uploaded files here at CFC. Nothing will need to be converted (my understanding).

But there is a problem. Most of the mods to download are self-extracting Windows installers and cannot be run in Mac OS X.

What we need is to be able to download these files in a compression format like ZIP, DMG, SIT, or TAR.GZ (zip would probably be the best bet).

Can we tell the community about this? As modmakers, I'm sure they'd like to reach out to as many players as they can, so this change is worthwhile both to us and them.

 

[AlanH]

You're quite right, and I've raised this issue with the mod community with respect to Civ3 mods here. So far there's been a resounding silence ... maybe it should have been posted in a more prominant place. Feel free to try again - you don't need anyone's permission.

We could raise it again with respect to Civ4 for Mac, but I think it would be premature right now, as no one would be able to see any impact until the game is out there.

 

[awb]

Can't EXE's be opened by StuffIt Expander?

 

[Queue]

Can't EXE's be opened by StuffIt Expander?

Yes I beleive stuffit expander can. However; I think the exe will place the files in the correct location for Windows Users. Where for us Mac users, we will have to figure out the proper place to put all the files. Which is fine as long as there is a readme file to explain where they all go...Many times though we are left to the trial by error method.

It might would be nice to have to a place to post steps needed to get specified mods to work on Mac

 

[AlanH]

I've only found one so far that can be opened by Stuffit - DyP for Civ3. It depends on the internal structure of the .exe. If it happens to use ZIP compression for the data files, and Stuffit can recognise that inside the file, then it will extract them. Most *don't* seem to use ZIP compression and Stuffit just thumbs its nose, or sometimes crashes, when asked to open them.

A lot of the straightforward terrain mods are just zip files, and mods in Civ4 are easy to install, as they just need to go into your Custom Assets folder. That is likely to be in a Civ4 folder in your ~/Documents folder.

If anyone discovers a method for installing a non-trivial mod then they should probably post it here as a new thread. If they build to a significant library of expert info we can create a stickied index thread to link to them from a single place.

 

[ancestral]

Can't EXE's be opened by StuffIt Expander?

Alan H takes the cookie. If and only if they are solely self-extracting archives in a StuffIt recognized format (much like if you remember those .SEA files — they were self-extracting archives that could run independently, but StuffIt could still extract them nevertheless). The EXE's I've tried here on the boards have the installer and the extractor all-in-one — and that doesn't help at all.

A safer more compatible route would be to zip the file and provide an installer program within the directory. Mac users could just ignore the installer and figure out the painfully hard process of installation (huge sarcasm here — installing mod files is ridiculously easy). Or better yet, if people just provide a zip alternative download.

I suppose it's possible you could hack these EXE's by hex to isolate the compressed part from the Windows installer part, assuming the compressed part is zip or something. But my point is, we shouldn't have to. They're freakin' mods, a bunch of files in a folder, not complex multi-directory applications. There's little reason for fancy installers in the first place.

 

[Queue]

My Bad ,
Guess I don't go downloading a lot of exe files on my computer
I should have been more specific.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[Pharaohx]

Not specifically with CIV mods, but other self-extracting .exes I need on the Mac side.

Here is a link for anyone interested.

http://echoone.com/filejuicer/formats/formats?f=exe

 

[AlanH]

Have you seen what File Juicer creates when you throw a typical Civ3 mod at it? I tried it with Warhammer for Civ3, and it produced a heap of gobblegook. There was no way I was going to try to decipher the strange file and directory structures it created, and I had zero confidence that what I got was a full set in any case. It may do better with Civ4 mods, but I wasn't impressed.

 

[Pharaohx]

We can kill the Juicer idea then. That blows. Just tried it myself. You are correct! What resulted was a useless pile of warm camel piss.

 

[ainwood]

Is there a mac version of winzip? WInzip Self-extractors can be opened in winzip.

Alternatively, you could get someone with a windows insall (bootcamp?) to unzip it, then rezip it.

 

[AlanH]

If it's a Winzip self extractor then I think that's the kind that Stuffit Expander can handle, as it finds the zipped files inside and expands them. I've found very few that are (one, so far).

I can extract some installers to a dummy folder and then rezip them using my aged Penium. Trouble is (1) they are huge in some cases, so it's a significant commitment to provide download server space. (2) if the mod maker updates the mod you have to stay on top and update the Mac mirror version and (3) there are some mods that will only expand into the Civ4 application (eg Blue Marble). So I'd have to have a copy of Civ4 Windows to get the installer to do its thing.

 

[ainwood]

Will graphics mods actualy work at all? Presumably the Mac version doens't support .dds files!

 

[AlanH]

Since I suspect all the standard graphics for the game are .dds files, I would be very surprised if the game can't handle them.

They had to provide Mac OS file readers for .pcx files in Civ3 (I've even managed to do that myself ), so I'm sure .dds isn't beyond them. There are standard apps for Mac OS that already load and save .pcx and .dds file types.

I have it on good authority that graphics nmods will work fine as long as we can get hold of the files and place them in the right directory.

 

[jothoma]

What we need is a willing Angel (victim), whose is currently running boot camp, to run the .EXE files and re-zip them for the Mac community. I know that I am not going to install boot camp just for CIV4 but surely someone on the board is running boot camp for other reasons and would be willing. Any volunteers?

 

[ColdFever]

Trouble is (1) they are huge in some cases, so it's a significant commitment to provide download server space. (2) if the mod maker updates the mod you have to stay on top and update the Mac mirror version and (3) there are some mods that will only expand into the Civ4 application (eg Blue Marble). So I'd have to have a copy of Civ4 Windows to get the installer to do its thing.

Hi Alan, Ainwood directed me to this thread. As author of "Blue Marble" I have no clue about Macs, but if you would be willing to write a Mac installer,...

• I could send you all graphic files and keep you updated
• I could provide server space to host the "Blue Marble for Mac" version

But - is there a kind of MyDocuments\...\CustomAssets folder on Mac too, similar to the one on Windows? The beauty in the Windows version is that you do not have to overwrite the original graphics, so it's a safe installation/uninstallation and Blue Marble works with all mods. I have some doubts that the Mac versions allows the same mechanism. But as a last possibility the originals files could be overwritten.

Only to port the optional BM "CivScale" tool to Mac would be impossible, because this is lot of heavy program code that only works on Windows. But most people should be happy with just the BM graphics anyway. So if you are interested to port the "Blue Marble" graphics to Mac, please contact me via kai@civilized.de.

 

[AlanH]

I'll email you

 

[frankT]

If it's decided we don't need an installer, why not simply use the Finder's File > Create Archive feature already available in Mac OS X to rezip the files. Built-in support and no 3rd party extractor required.

 

[AlanH]

You have to have the files in the first place. If you can extract them then you're done. It's the file extraction that's the problem. I've agreed with Kai how we'll handle the Blue Marble mod for Mac users when the time comes.

I expect to adapt my drag and drop Mod Installer to make installing mods in Civ4 trivial once we have access to zip files. So even the most technically challenged Mac user should have no problems then.

 

[AlexandrNyetski]

Sounds good, I was going to build my own, but I'll download yours if it becomes rapidly available.