What ever happened to friendly installs?

[Dog--]

Back in the day games had nice and cool installs, lots of info, visually appeasing and all that, nowadays it's just the game installing very informally through install shield. Although it's not every game that does things this way these days, but most (I'd say 95%) of games do..

I mean look at this install screen for Age of Empires: Conquerers Expansion..

To me it feels like they put loads of work into the game, and they were actually proud of what they did, and were looking to please the gamer rather then make a profit..

Does anyone else hate the informal install shield installs these days, or is it just me?

 

[Que-Ever]

I love it when game installs have screenshots and tips.

 

[bam23]

I liked the installation for C&C Renegade.

That was hardcore.

 

[Dog--]

All C&C games were done very well, too. I loved the one for Red Alert 2. When you enter the CD keys it's all like 'enter code now, you have 30 seconds to comply', it wasn't just some text either, it was actual voices. It was pretty cool. You know there is dedication when they've got voice acting/animations/etc in the install menu.

 

[Acepilotf14]

AoE2 was fun. We should play that again.

 

[Narvi]

I love all the C&C installs. The first one was about installing EVA. RA2's was cool too.

 

[Krynn72]

I hate hate hate installs that have music playing. Theres no way to turn it off, and im always watching videos or listing to my own music when installing things so it just ruins everything and im forced to just sit there and watch the damn thing install.

 

[Operational]

Steam installs suck, it's just a download bar FFS. :dozey:

Custom installs were nice, good ones got you all eager to play, but I can live without them. BioShock was the most recent game with one IIRC.

 

[Raziaar]

AoE2 was fun. We should play that again.

May I loved age of empires 2.

One install I like is Operation Flashpoint, because you get to listen to the radio conversations I think they had. It was cool. I liked it anyways.

 

[Saturos]

User friendly/pretty installs has pretty much gone the way of the dodo and $3 movie tickets thanks to piracy and overly anxious producers forcing unreasonable deadlines on the devs. This is why it never bothers me when launch dates are pushed back.

 

[Krynn72]

Piracy has nothing to do with the installers. Delaying the game has no impact on the installers either.

The only reason installers get that kind of work put into them is if part of the team has nothing better to do.

 

[Saturos]

Piracy has nothing to do with the installers. Delaying the game has no impact on the installers either.

The only reason installers get that kind of work put into them is if part of the team has nothing better to do.

The first impression is the last impression. Also, I believe secuROM is built into installers in some way, if not the game's code itself. Correct me if I'm wrong, I never checked.

 

[Krynn72]

Who even looks at install screens any more?

The second I see the loading bar I Alt+Tab to something else and wait until the installer flashes on the start bar when its finished.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Who gives a shit?

 

[Jintor]

I give a shit.

WARNING! MILITARY SOFTWARE DETECTED! TOP SECRET CLEARANCE REQUIRED!

 

[Loke]

I've always liked the Tiberian Sun installation.

Brings back memories.

 

[redruM]

Even if the game only uses the install shield default boring installer skin, it should at least have screenshots during installation.

 

[Tagaziel]

My personal favourites are Tiberian Sun installation (for obvious reasons) and Starlancer (for providing BACKSTORY).

 

[StardogChampion]

The worst ones are the installers that take about 10 minutes preparing for install, then about 1 minute to install. It's the same with the uninstall too.

 

[Musk]

Doesn't really fuss me. I'm usually off doing something while my games install.

 

[Naph]

Even though this may not measure up, but I've always liked the Zork Nemesis installion.

 

[Dog--]

AoE2 was fun. We should play that again.

heh, why do you think I installed it? I got the idea for this thread while looking at that!



On topic - It doesn't have to be all made up with music, sounds, etc like C&C installs, but even a few screenshots are nice, like Doom 3 for example, it shows different screens of in-game gameplay, or System Shock 2, not of gameplay but it showed pre-rendered shots as if you were looking through security cameras at the Von Braun and Rickenbacker. I really liked Rise of Nations' installer, too. It shows a village in the dark ages, and then as the install progresses it shows the village expanding, getting into battles, etc. There is also AoE1 install, it shows the little villagers building the big structure, the building gets more and more completed as the install completes.

 

[jimbo118]

Only install that springs to mind that did something different was The Sims 2, there was a little minigame while installing.

 

[Lucid]

I have yet to install a game that didn't have a fancy installer.

 

[noQ]

I'd prefer if the install was instantaneous.

Faster harddrives kthxbai.

 

[Munro]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

 

[Emporius]

Morrowind had a nice install setup. You got to look at the artist's sketches of the enemies and whatnot.

 

[99.vikram]

I recently installed Freelancer and it had a neat installer.

More than developers being lazy, I think we see less custom installers because people prefer things standardised these days.

 

[nurizeko]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

I'm with Munro, when I get a game its usually because I'm actually excited to a degree to play it, and as they say, first impressions are last impressions, I want the game to milk my childlike anticipation, watching the screenies and info during the install, looking through the manual.


Those of you who said you don't care sound like either bitter old husks who have long abandoned joy, or punk vapid spoilt brat kids who are so spoilt you've never experience true emotion and entertainment in your lives and are social and emotional robots who's only prangs of emotion are the shallow empty offerings of a baby getting its rattle taken away and are satisfied with handing EA or Microsoft 50+ bucks for a game that is about as immersive and interesting as a dental extraction and as good quality as the run-off of a Chinese sweatshop. *gasp*






I kid. :imu:

But yeah, "User friendly" installers are nice, but I can live without them.

 

[Dekstar]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

When I go out and buy games I usually go to a cafe so I can sit down and read the manual over a nice cup of tea.

I likes me installs too. Especially Morrowind's, since I installed it so many times.

 

[Saturos]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

I'll have to agree with the gov'ner here. A good bit of the excitement of purchasing PC games is about the anticipation. :thumbs: You know you can't just pop the game in and go like on a console. Watching those install screens just adds to the excitement. Then again though, this very feeling of anticipation can be PC gamings own cleveland steamer for some people. Once you install the game, you have to tweak you profiles and the game's .ini files just right, download mods, etc. which sometimes can take days to get just right. But hey, it pays off in the end.

 

[Dog--]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

Exactly! I do this for EVERY game I get! The only game where I actually hated installing it was HL2.. No manual at all! Terrible..

 

[Raziaar]

I like watching the install. I like buying games (yes, actually purchasing them) and sitting down reading the manual while watching the install progress. It's all part of the experience...

You want to buy me games? You can actually purchase them. I'll let you buy as many as you want. It'll be exciting.

 

[Qonfused]

I do miss the installation screens. Sims 2 actually had mini games to play while it installed. While I think I maybe played one once, I still appreciate the fact that they took time into making something more than default. This also applies to game manuals. What the hell? The absolute most I get from a game box now is a simple sheet of paper with the controls on it (I'M LOOKING AT YOU VALVE) or a 3 page, Bible-paper thin, booklet outlining one or two things. What the hell is that shit? I have toilet paper; now give me a manual.

 

[Ridge]

IL-2 series always had good install graphics..sure, it was InstallShield, but they had full screen screenshots of the game going in the background...

You know what else I miss? When companies would release teasers of games and you'd want to download them...nowadays the first teaser they release is usually the game intro, and the others are like background vids and crap...DAMN YOU EA!!!

 

[ríomhaire]

Command & Conquer always had the best installers. The only games I've played where the installer was used as part of the experience. Westwood knew what the hell they were doing.

Company of Heroes has an ok one. Can't really think of any good ones.

 

[Dalamari]

I hate any installation that has music....

Anyways, The Sims 2 had the best install, little quizzes and games while you waited

 

[Krynn72]

Company of Heroes has an ok one. Can't really think of any good ones.

I wouldve agreed if it didnt have the music.

 

[Jintor]

Obviously my love for the RA2 Install cannot go overstated. It even gave you a little slide show about the Soviet Invasion! And it had Einstein in it!

It's probably one of the few things I dislike about Steam - everything's just "Bland Steam bar filling up". I guess it'd be too much work though.

 

[Operational]

Obviously my love for the RA2 Install cannot go overstated. It even gave you a little slide show about the Soviet Invasion! And it had Einstein in it!

I liked it the first few times, but when you are at a LAN and your install is being slowed down by it... :frown: