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[Zanzetkuken The Great]

Note: I realize this is based off of the Minecraft Installer, but it was the first that came to mind.



Main Window: Shows latest news from the Dwarf Fortress development thread at bay12games.com/dwarves, as well as providing a link to the donations page (Donations would open in the default browser).
Play: Initializes the .exe file for Dwarf Fortress of the currently selected profile.
Profile (Bottom Tab): Redirects 'play' across various folders.  By default there are 2 for each of the most stable version in a cycle.  The first is the Vanilla version, while the second is where minor mods are automatically downloaded to (by default).
Profile (Upper Tabs): Manages profiles selectable within the bottom tab and allows a person to select which utilities launch when a certain profile is selected, as well as determining where minor mods are downloaded.
Major Mods: Allows user to download total conversions and the other mods that modify the default raws.  Rather than overlay onto an existing version, a new profile is made.  If it has its own launcher, that would be launched rather than the default DF executable.
Minor Mods: Allows user to download mods that add content, but do not modify existing raw files.  Downloading these puts them in the raws of a version compatible with the cycle they were released in.  Profiles (upper tab) can allow them to be downloaded into total conversion profiles.
Utilities: Allows user to download utilities to a compatible profile.  Profiles (upper tab) determines where they are downloaded to, and whether to initialize them on the start of a game using that profile.
Graphics: Allows user to download graphics packs to a compatible profile.  Graphics, like Total Conversions, would go into their own profile due to modifying several files.

Major Mods, Minor Mods, Utilities, and Graphics would all refer to DFFD for the downloads.  A decompression programs would need to be integrated so as to unpackage the zipped files.  Each of those tabs would list popular mods/utilities/graphics packs, as well as providing a randomized (Mod/Utility/Graphics Pack) of the Day, and a recently updated list.  Might want to rename 'Major Mods' to something like 'New Profiles', so that stuff like DFhack would fit under it, since that modifies major files rather than being something that could be turned on and off, and 'Minor Mods' could be renamed to 'Addons', since that is more what they are in this system. 

I don't know how much effort would be required, but that is offset by not having the utility need to be updated every time a new version comes out, since all it would do is call the .exe file to run, and providing a convenience for downloading mods, utilities, and graphics packs, making people more likely to try out a few since they don't have to be manually installed.

Anyway, that's the idea.  What do you think?

[smakemupagus]

see also
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=142295.msg5572159#msg5572159

[Elephant Parade]

Seems useful. It might need to compete with the LNP launcher, but that should be fine since it does entirely different things.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

see also
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=142295.msg5572159#msg5572159

That idea appears to be more focused on combining various small mods easily, while the primary motivation I had behind this was drawing attention to small mods and utilities.  By that I mean, that one you need knowledge of the mods, while this one draws attention to the mods, with mod mixing added in.

Edit: Also, the direction that is heading has the mods being incorporated from XML files, while this one is just 'extract the files and put into a designated folder.'

Seems useful. It might need to compete with the LNP launcher, but that should be fine since it does entirely different things.

I believe they could be more complementary rather than compete, LNP being "I'm going to help you learn to play the game", while this is more, "Alright, you have learned to play the game, I will help you customize the experience."

[Nopenope]

I've always thought about the idea of embedding a DF window, a DFHack terminal and Soundsense in the same launcher window. Or even better, embed them each separate tabs, along with Dwarf Therapist. Never got around to really getting to it because of a lack of time.

[Dwimenor]

pyLNP is a good start to implement all those things (open source, python). In a matter of fact, I would really appreciate DF launcher, that is downloading all necessary things on demand, including updates.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

I've always thought about the idea of embedding a DF window, a DFHack terminal and Soundsense in the same launcher window. Or even better, embed them each separate tabs, along with Dwarf Therapist. Never got around to really getting to it because of a lack of time.

So the program would run, and DF would be loaded in one window, then DFhack would be run, and put into a new tab, then Soundsense would be run, and put into another tab, followed by other utilities each being loaded in their own tab, allowing you to click upon tab to open the utility really fast?  That would probably be under a strech goal, with experimentation on how to keep it version-neutral.

pyLNP is a good start to implement all those things (open source, python). In a matter of fact, I would really appreciate DF launcher, that is downloading all necessary things on demand, including updates.

I was thinking more of having it in Java rather than python, because, while both require downloads in order to run, the success of Minecraft has Java on many more computers.  Although, whether it goes to Java or Python, I'm going to need some help with it, since I have very little knowledge on how to program.  I do have a little bit more knowledge of Java compared to Python, though.

[Putnam]

Don't have it in Java.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

Don't have it in Java.

Considering how my experience is only about 2-3 hours in it, I have basically equally bad knowledge in both.  It's really more of a matter of which I can get more help when working with.

[Putnam]

2-3 hours of Python goes farther than 2-3 hours of Java, believe me, heh. Less boilerplate and stuff.

[Nopenope]

Don't have it in Java.

This.

2-3 hours of Python goes farther than 2-3 hours of Java, believe me, heh. Less boilerplate and stuff.

Also this.

[palu]

You might want to look at this, it does almost exactly what you describe: devlog viewer, different versions, mods, and settings.

[Zanzetkuken The Great]

You might want to look at this, it does almost exactly what you describe: devlog viewer, different versions, mods, and settings.

It is mostly what is detailed.  It is missing three things: Being able to download mods, utilities, and graphics directly from DFFD (specifying where the downloads go in the settings, listing popular mods for the selected cycle, showing a random 'mod of the day' for that cycle, and having Total Conversions, DFhack style utilities, and Graphics Packs all being new 'profiles' being included in this), selecting utilities to be started up when the selected edition launches, and having a link to the Bay 12 games donation page on the same page as the devlog.  If those things were done, it would be this idea...

Edit: Would also need the addition of profiles, if it doesn't save multiple installs.