Game-Installer-Creation

This is a Game Installer Creation research for the Project II subject on UPC-CITM created by Arnau Bonada Campos.

Project maintained by arnaubonada Hosted on GitHub Pages — Theme by mattgraham

Game Installer Creation

My name is Arnau Bonada, and I’m a student of Degree in Video Game Design and Development in UPC-CITM Terrassa. This is a project research for the Project II subject. On this research you will find out what a game installer is and how to implement it in your own game, and how to test and customize it.

Introduction to Installation

First of all, it is necessary to clarify what is meant when talking about installation. Starting with the installation of software, is the act of making the program ready for execution. There are different processes of installing a piece of software. Because the process is different for each program and each computer, programs often come with an installer, a specialised program responsible for performing everything required for installation. Installation generally involves code being copied or generated from the installation files to new files on the local computer. This is done for the following reasons:

Makes easier access by the operating system.
Creates all the necessary directories.
Registers the environment variables.
Provides a separate program for uninstallation, which involves more than just deleting the program folder, because there are registry files and other system code that may need to be modified or removed for a complete uninstall.

The installation of any software, and especially a game, should be as fast, simple and easy as possible. This means that you need to compress and store all the files and folders in one executable, which will allow you to install the game in a short amount of time. The creation of this executable is called installation package.

Each installation package includes a .msi file. This .msi file contains:

An installation database
A summary information stream
Data streams for various parts of the installation

And can also contain:

One or more transforms
Internal source files
External source files
Cabinet files required by the installation

In order to create this installation package it is necessary to use a technique to be able to achieve it, which is called Application Packaging. Application packaging involves the preparation of standard, structured software installations targeted for automated deployment. To enable this level of application management, Microsoft now provides the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) service as a part of its desktop operating systems.

What is Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI)?

Microsoft Windows Installer, also known as MSI or Windows Installer, is an installer package file format used by Windows. The installer service enables customers to provide a better corporate implementation and provides a standard format for component management. MSI files are used for installation, storage and removal of programs. This MSI files are database files, used by Windows Installer, and they contain information about an application which is divided into features and components, and every component may hold files, registry data, shortcuts, etc. MSI files are executed by an EXE file that is part of Windows, called MSIEXEC.EXE. This application reads the data in the MSI file and executes the installation.

Windows Installer functions

The Windows Installer service was designed to support every phase of the application management life cycle, providing a service to support each step involved in managing a desktop application from deployment through retirement. To support these functions, the Windows Installer needs to receive instructions from an installation package.

Figure 1. Application life-cycle tasks supported by Windows Installer

Windows Installer has many built-in functions that will save you time and effort:

Automatic add and remove, uninstall, reinstall, and repair support. If an application is already installed, Windows Installer will detect it and display a maintenance user interface instead of an application install interface.
In maintenance mode, Windows Installer detects which parts of an application are installed and can allow a user to add or remove features or reinstall the application. The repair functionality also appears in maintenance mode, but is also automatically run every time a shortcut for the application is activated in Windows 2000. The repair functionality is particularly useful for administrators whose users like to recklessly clean up disk space.
Advertising allows an application to appear to be installed, but files are not actually installed on the system until the application is activated through a shortcut, extension, or COM server. Advertising makes an application available on the desktop, but since it’s not installed until it is activated, companies save on licensing fees and disk space. Once a user clicks on a shortcut or double-clicks on a file associated with that application, the application installs automatically.
The same functionality can be written into the application itself. For example, an application may have a particular feature that is rarely used, so it is not installed by default. A developer could put Windows Installer API calls in the code that activates that feature to make it install on demand. Using installation on demand saves disk space and avoids requiring the user to exit the program and rerun the setup to install features that aren’t installed by default.

MSI Files and Components

.msi file: A file with .msi extension is a simple database file that can be read by Microsoft Windows Installer service contained in all recent versions of Microsoft Windows. The database contains the files, registry and instructions to the Windows Installer service in order to install the application.
Msiexec.exe: The Msiexec.exe program is a component of Windows Installer. When it is called by Setup, Msiexec.exe uses Msi.dll to read the package (.msi) files, apply any transform (.mst) files, and incorporate command-line options supplied by Setup. The installer performs all installation-related tasks, including copying files to the hard disk, making registry modifications, creating shortcuts on the desktop, and displaying dialog boxes to prompt for user installation preferences when necessary. When Windows Installer is installed on a computer, it changes the registered file type of .msi files so that if you double-click an .msi file, Msiexec.exe runs with that file.
MSI Extensions: Each installation package includes an .msi file containing the installation database, a summary information stream, and data streams for various parts of the installation. The .msi file can also contain one or more transforms, internal source files, and external source files or cabinet files required by the installation.

Figure 2. File name extensions used in the Windows Installer service

Signing an Application Packaging

First of all, it is important to understand what digital signature means. A digital signature is a mathematical scheme for verifying the authenticity of digital messages or documents. Digital signatures are a standard element of the most cryptographic protocol suites, and are commonly used for software distribution, financial transactions, contract management software, and in other cases where it is important to detect forgery or tampering.

Signing an application package provides the user with verification that the application data has not been modified after being signed, while confirming the identity of the user or the company that signed it. Therefore, signing an Application Packaging files is an important thing since you help ensure that tampered files are not installed on end-user computers.

There are many methods and ways to approach this topic. Since we are making use of .msi files for the deployment of applications, the best option at the moment is SignTool.exe. SignTool is a command line tool that is used to sign an application package or a set of applications with a certificate.

We need Microsoft Windows SDK to be able to work with SignTool.exe. The tool is installed in the Bin folder of the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) installation path.

You need to follow this steps:

Install the certificate you want to sign the file with in the development computer.
Open a Visual Studio command prompt.
Change to the directory that contains the .msi file.

Sign the .msi file using the following command:

signtool sign /sha1 CertificateHash SetupNameFile.msi

Test in a Virtual Machine

In order to test the game on diferents Operation Systems and its previous versions, we will need a Virtual Machine. Virtual machines are one of the safest ways to test software. This method allows you to simulate a full operating system, isolated from the rest of your machine. The tool chosen to create virtual machines is VirtualBox.

Oracle VM VirtualBox is a free and open-source compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Solaris and OpenSolaris. Basically it supports the creation and management of guest virtual machines. It is aimed both for enterprises and home use. To test the program in the virtual machine, you must follow this steps:

Install and open VirtualBox. Be sure to install the property platform package according to your current OS
Click “New” to create a new virtual machine. You can check out our guide here for detailed instructions, but the wizard should make it fairly simple. You will need to download the ISO file according to the OS you want to try.
Install the operating system of your choice on the virtual machine.
Before you install anything else, take a snapshot. This will allow you to revert to your original install, without any change of states, after you are done testing.

NSIS: Packaging Tool

We need to create MSI files to build the installation package in the correct MSI database format, and we must collect information about each application. Items include executable files, installation instructions, configuration parameters, test instructions, and hardware and software dependencies.

Best practices recommend that installation packages be created by experienced packaging engineers, using tools specifically developed for that purpose. The tool I have chosen is NSIS, but there are other equally valid alternatives that offer interesting options to create your installer. For example, there are software similar to NSIS, such as Inno Setup or WIX Toolset.

NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is a professional open source system to create Windows installers. It is designed to be as small and flexible as possible and is therefore very suitable for internet distribution.

NSIS is script-based and allows you to create the logic to handle even the most complex installation tasks. Many plug-ins and scripts are already available: you can create web installers, communicate with Windows and other software components, install or update shared components and more.

This are the features of NSIS:

Small overhead size
Compatible with all major Windows versions
Unique compression methods
Script based
Multiple languages in one installer
Many features and checks for the target system
Custom dialogs and interfaces
Plug-in system
Support for web installation and file patching
Project integration, different releases and automatic builds
Easy and human readable file formats
Portable Compiler
Free to use. See License

Implement NSIS to your game

Now is the moment to put everything explained previously into practice. First of all, there will be some examples to understand how it works, and then there will be exercises (TODOs) and their respective solutions.

This exercises will help to learn how to create your installer, with NSIS. To start with the Installer, you must install the software. The link can be found here.

Once the .exe is downloaded, you have to click on it and the NSIS Installer will start running. Now, default options are recommended in order to install the program.

Example

How to create a basic Installer based on .zip

To create your own Installer, you need a .zip file. Once you have your .zip to create your .exe, you have to open the NSIS menu and select “Installer based on .ZIP file”. This will open a new window, where you have to select your .zip by clicking “Open…”. It is recommended to leave the default options selected. Then click on “Generate”.

Figure 3. NSIS Menu

Figure 4. Software to convert .zip to .exe

Exercises

TODO 1: Load the Icon of your game

All games have their own installer. And in each installer there is an .exe with its own icon. This icon has to be in .ico format.

In order to create a .ico, you need to have the image you want to use (it is recommended that it be square) in .png, .jpg or similar format. Then, you need to convert the file to .ico, and it is recommended to select size 32x32 pixels. The fastest method is using this link.

Once you have your .ico, open Visual Studio and Add new item. This item has to be a Resource File (.rc). Now, import your Icon by adding a Resource to the new .rc folder.

This are the steps to follow. Now you can run the code, a new .exe will be created with your own icon, in the Debug or Release folder, depending on how it was compiled.

TODO 2: Create your customized Installer

To create your own installer, you will need some tools to configure as desired. This tools are known as scripts, and the NSIS program itself provides a tool for creating scripts, NSIS Quick Setup Script Generator. It is possible to download it here.

You have to download a .zip. Once downloaded, you should unzip it and run the .exe. This will open the software. Once you click on Next, you will be able to custom your Installer Setup. Here you need to specify a lot about your project and how do you want your installer to be. Each user can customize it however they want. In any case, it is important to fill in all the boxes, especially those that ask for the .exe and the files folder. If you want to add a License to the Installer, you will need to convert your License to .txt.

TODO 3: Add your Logo to your Installer

If you have done the previous exercise correctly, a .nsi script will have been created. This script is used to edit your installer to your own liking.

A very clear example is adding the game’s logo to the installer, so when users are installing the game can visualize. This is exactly what has to be done in this TODO. To do this, you need to know that the language used in the .nsi files is special. To learn how to use it you can enter this link.

Two changes have to be made in the script: one to add a small .ico icon at the top left, and the other to add a .bmp Header Image to the installer that will appear during installation. For the .ico, you can use the same as before, and for the .bmp, you need to create a new one or change the format. A quick and efficient method is to use Paint, and save as .bmp (24 bit) (recommended size: 150x57 pixels).

Hint: use !define MUI_XXXXXXX below !include “MUI.nsh”. Using the simplest method, one line for the .ico and two lines for the .bmp is sufficient. But more details can be added to customize the installer.

After editing the .nsi script, you need to save it and open the NSIS program. Then you have to compile the script. To do this, select “Compile NSI scripts”, and once the new window is open, click on “File” and “Load Script…”. When it loads you will be able to test the installer and check if you have done it well.

Solutions

TODO 1 - Solution

For the solution of TODO 1, it is necessary to follow these steps indicated in the following images:

Figure 5. Open Visual Studio and Add New Item

Figure 6. Select Resource and Resource File (.rc)

Figure 7. Add Resource to the new .rc folder

Figure 8. Import the Icon .ico

TODO 2 - Solution

In this TODO there is not only one correct solution, but there are more recommended methods. For example, the images below show the options that I checked, and I believe that is the best way to do it. That does not mean that it cannot be changed, since everyone can customize it however they want.

Figure 9. NSIS Quick Setup Script Generator: Application Info

Figure 10. NSIS Quick Setup Script Generator: Installation Preferences

Figure 11. NSIS Quick Setup Script Generator: Compiler Preferences

After these steps, an .exe will have been created that will be the installer, and a .nsi that will be the script. If you did TODO 1 properly, when you run your installer, the shortcut that is created on the desktop will have the .ico icon added before.