Hi there...

We are a smal lgroup of hobby game makers... who make freeware games in our spare time for fun. As amature game makers the games are often buggy and we are looking at patching solutions for us to use.. So the game downloader can get an auto update or select an option with a button click to get the latest version of the files.

We are woundering if X-Patcher is the way to go. Anyway we have some questions... the FAQ seams to be very slim so i hoep I am not asking things already stated.. if so please answer or at least point me to the place to find the answers.

1) We are a hobby group making free games for fun.. so cost is an issue.... the fee for the application.. i am not sure how the licence works... If we get it can we bundle the client in all our releases?

2) Dose X-Patcher have a way to be skinned so it better fits into the art of our games?

3) Can X-Patcher be used as a launcher. With things like launch game, visit website etc etc So the game will check for patches on each launch? if so can it detect if the internet is avalible.. and if not skip the patching process?

4) Can X-Patcher connect to diffrent FTPs? - So say you can patch a game or infact downlaod a compleatly new one?

Thanks for your time and I hope to hear form you soon

HobbyGuy

been playing with the demo.... it seams to use absolute paths? is that correct? Can it update from ftp into the currently installed dir fomr where the client is launched... no matter where that is .... as the XPatcher_Demo.exe was erroring when i was playing with it complaining that it could not find the path on the ftp?

example...

I placed a bunch of test files in c:/Temp/*.*

I ran the "XPatcher_Demo.exe" and set it up as i thought it needed to be. When i hit update it errored saying that there was no Temp dir in the root of the ftp i sent it to. Once i added a dir Temp.. it uploaded fine....

1) We are a hobby group making free games for fun.. so cost is an issue.... the fee for the application.. i am not sure how the licence works... If we get it can we bundle the client in all our releases?

You may bundle the client in your installs.

2) Dose X-Patcher have a way to be skinned so it better fits into the art of our games?

It's customizable but not skinnable.

3) Can X-Patcher be used as a launcher. With things like launch game, visit website etc etc So the game will check for patches on each launch? if so can it detect if the internet is avalible.. and if not skip the patching process?

Yes.

4) Can X-Patcher connect to diffrent FTPs? - So say you can patch a game or infact downlaod a compleatly new one?

Yes, currently Xpatcher only connects to non-windows based ftp servers.

The Xpatcher demo was moved from our old host to our new one, the demo is erroring do to the fact that host no longer exists so it cannot check for files.

Hmmm... is there a way i cna get a working demo? We woud liek to test it before we buy.

Dose the xpatcher-client config need to have a http acess to the ftp dir? Or dose it need to use a http address?

I really hope you can help me sort this out as this app loosk like the perfect solution ot our needs..... but as i cna not get the demo working ... i have no idea if it WILL do wat we want.. . . . .

Hi, give me a few hours to setup a new file host for xpatcher, i'll upload the new version and post here when finished.

Greetings, just a small update.. Xpatcher now works with Windows/Linux servers... As i stated earlier it didnt work with Win based servers but I've added functionality to it. Im in the process of setting up a new demo. Will post back soon.

This is great news.. I wait eagerly

Okay the client-side demo has been uploaded. 
I've also set up the new server that patches the demo game files.

Please note the server-side demo has hasnt changed as there is functionality removed from it since it is in fact a demo.The client demo will allow you to patch/install the a small game application for demostration purposes.

If in fact i ever changed any of the game files and ran the server-side patcher on my end it owul dupload only the newly changed files to the server. Any clients starting the application would be automatcially pick up on the newly uploaded files and bring themselves upto date.

To answer an early question you asked, i had overlooked it -

"Dose the xpatcher-client config need to have a http acess to the ftp dir? Or dose it need to use a http address?"
The server-side ( developer side ) application needs ftp login access, files are uplaoded to your webhsot via ftp protcols. For secuirty reasons the client-side ( the copy given to your customers ) only needs http access. This prevents you from having to give out ftp access info inside encrypted files. All client side files will be downloaded via the http protocol, this is the standard way of handling such procedures.

 http://www.gothasoft.com/Products/SoftwareSolutions/ProductXpatcher/tabid/62/Default.aspx

Let me know if you have any further questions.

SOLD!

Well we are all pretty impressed... like I said we are hobby game makers and very ameture... most of us know jack about programing and this looks like a great way to seam like we know wat the hell we are doing.

We will make our purchase in a few days..

Thanks for your time and effort on tihs app.

 HobbyGuy

Some one more question -

- Is it possible to change the icon of the clients exe form that world into the icon for your game?

- Dose the client exe test for internet connecting? What happens if it can not find it.. will it just continue to run the game exe... or hang up.

- Is there a way to not have the update notes dialouge pop up. For if there are no updates to the game then this poping up every time might be not necessary. Basicaly i am asking if there is a seamless way to load the game if there are no updates to download

One sugestion -

- If you ever feel like updating it.. a way to skin it would be amazing so the patching / game launcher can in fact match the game art..

You bring up alot of good points. Update notes can be set to show a set number of times only.

Basically you'd bypass the patcher utility if you wernt connected to the internet, your game project would bacially install 2 icons, one for the patch utility and one for the game itself. You could even further link the patcher with the application your writing.

The icon can be replaced with one of the numerous freeware icon replacing utilities, i didnt include a hex stripper to do this since we were tying to keep the budget down and offer it at a low price.

Skinning is something we want to add badly, actually I will be working on Xpatcher2 in the near future and it will be built around 'skinning' and module customizations, improved transfer rates and a new checksum scheme... also we'll be implementing a binary patch option.

Xpatcher2.0 will be a free upgrade to curent Xpatcher owners but we'll be raising the 2.0 price to $47.95.

I'm under deadlines right now, producing a game project myself, but we are getting close to completion then I will be starting on Xpat2.0..  If i had to give an estimate i'd say it'll be ready for release around June/July 2008...

ok purchased.... i hope i get email notification of any updates.. thanks again for this soft it is exactly wat we are looking for..

Cheer

Be excelent to each other and Party on dudes!!

Ok still a bit confused.. please bear with me i am only a GFX guy :)

Our dev project compile is outputted into e:\projects\development\compile\packages.

I place the Xpatcher exe file in there and run it... when it connected to the server space we have set for it it complaines that the path "projects\development\compile\packages" is not in it.

So as a test I put the compil into a dir called temp2 and put a dir called temp2 on the ftp and ten it uploaded fine with no errors...

Now when I run the Xclient it connects fine and dose everything but even though it says it is downloading the files do not seam to apear anywhere on my Hdrive.....

BUT if I manualy add the dir temp2 to where Xpatcher is installed then it will update fine.

Dose this sound right? Is that how it is ment to work?

???

How do you get the file to uplaod with Xpatcher with out the full directy path of where the originals are stored on your local system needing to be on the FTP and in the folder whre your client runs his patch exe from?

<---------Edit

The files it downlaods also seam to be corrupted somehow..... .  for example the game excutable is like .0.1K smaller for example... and even if i copy the original exe from my dev folder into the place where xpatcher put it it errors saying it can not acess the game files (the engine erro measn that it failed while trying to read one of the packs.. so they havn't downloaded properly either, remeber i also had to manualy add the directory path of where the files wer eoriginaly on my local system to the ftp and to the dir were the client-patcher was)

"Dose this sound right? Is that how it is ment to work?" - No, theres no need to create temp dirs manually.. actually theres no need to create any temp dirs at all as the xpatcher will handle all internal work orders.

"How do you get the file to uplaod with Xpatcher with out the full directy path of where the originals are stored on your local system needing to be on the FTP and in the folder whre your client runs his patch exe from?" - Xclient can be place dinto any direcotry the client wishes, the directory structure is grabbed from the ftp site and recreated from within the directory the Xclient is placed. If you wish to further control this then you can create an install ( using an installer application such as Clickteams Installer ), from there include Xlcient into the path you declare from within the installer.

""The files it downlaods also seam to be corrupted somehow..... . "" - A few files may fail checksum do to the many ways diffrent ftp server store files and perhaps even how some ISP protocols transfer header chunks. To get around this in Xpatcher you'll need to create a file in the same directory as Xpatcher is in, label this file 'zipexclusion.list', add the file that is being corrupted to that list. Xpatcher will use diffrent means to compress and encrypt the file so the header chunk is restored be the Xclients properly. Xpat2 will resolve this internally without such exclusion files.

Here's some more info that may help you get things going -

C.1 Exclude List

The exclude list can be accessed via the server application toolbar under 'Tools > Edit Exclude List'
This special list is imporant to developers as it allows them do, as you would guess, exclude certain files or directories from the patch processes. For example a devleoper would not want to upload their source code files to the ftp server, so they would enter the filenames here and the patch builder would skip adding these files to any patch process.

You may add entire directories as well, excluding a directory from the patch process will ultimately exclude all files and direcotires listed under that particualr directory as well.

By selecting file or directory from the buttons on the Exclude window you may view your current 'excluded' selections. If you wish to remove a selection simply highlight it and click the 'remove from list' button. This would allow the patcher to view the file or directory as patchable matrerial once again.

You may use wildcards when excluding files as well. Lets say our developemnt direcotry had 40 source code files in it with the extension *.bb, entering a wildcard of *.bb would exclude any file in the entire developement path ;ending in .bb; from the patch builder. This comes in handy when you wish to keep your dvelopement materials local only.

To add a specific file or directory to the exclude lists you need to be on the main builder window ( two windows listing current direcotry and patch needed files ), from there you may highlight a directory or a filename and add it to the exclusion list. To add multiple files use the built in 'Add wildcard' selection box.

D.1 Zip Exclusion List

This special list is not automatically generated by the patch builder; mainly because it dosent have any usefulness towards the builder until a compression problem occurs. Some files, expressly those compacted with an exe cruncher, may not take compression algo's very easily and hence become corrupted. This is a rare case, but none the less it could arise. You may define filenames within this file to prevent the patch builder from compressing the files within.

Open a blank file with wordpad, or notepad, and enter the filename of the file you wish to exclude from zip compression. You need not worry with pathnames within this file; and filename matching the list will be excluded from the compression algorythms automatcially.

Once you have finished editing the file, save it as 'zipexclusion.list', ;the file must be saved in text format.
This file should be placed in the directory that contains the xpatcher.exe.

E.1 Ascii List

This special list is generated by the patch builder on initial run. This list contains all the file extensions that should be uploaded via 'ascii' mode within the patcher. The list comes with several common file insertations that require ascii mode for uploading. You shouldn't have to deal with this file at all but in the case you have some files that are needing ascii mode trasnfers, you can add them to this list.

"Dose this sound right? Is that how it is ment to work?" - No, theres no need to create temp dirs manually.. actually theres no need to create any temp dirs at all as the xpatcher will handle all internal work orders."

Yea i know that is how what it says in the docsto work. But it is NOT how it is working at our end. It works as i stated above. I'll try and explain it again. in a Sec after i do this post...

Ok so this is the upload error. As you can see the files are in the root of c:\test3 I have set the ftp to upload to a dir called test3 as stated in the docs.. this dir dose NOT exist... but the other dir before it dose. I hit upload.... and the erro box in the image is seen. On the ftp the app has created the dir test3 exactly were it is ment to be... there is even some files in there (forgot wat they were) Ok so that is the first error.....

I get the same error if i manual make the exact ftp folders... in this canse .../test3

NOW

This image is a working upload that has worked... everythign in the settings is the same BUT THIS time i have manualy made the dir.. test3/test3 with my ftp client software. Note the patcher is still set to .../test3

So the error above were it makes the dir OR find the dir and then tries to mkd another dir is fixed by making a 2nd dir that is the PATH name of the files...... So if i had a long path name lis say... c:\projects\devbuilds\version10\beta\compile... then my ftp (with the above settings) needs to be manualy creaed ..../test3/projects/devbuilds/version10/beta/compile while the xpatch app is still set to .../test3

and this same path needs to be in the dir where the client exe is run from to download them.... so if i have c:\games\mygame\XpatchClient.exe.... then i also need c:\games\mygame\/test3/projects/devbuilds/version10/beta/compile

I know this is not how it is ment to work but that is how it is working

sorry my spellign is so bad but english is hard and my webpage spell check not working

Ok i am still having these wierd problems....

I ended up mouting the directory of the compile as a disk drive so all the files sat at "root" then the xpatch upload thing seamed to work as documented.... but the files are still corrupted on download....

I made

zipexclusion.list  (with notepad) - containing

cs_intro.dcp
data.dcp
Location_Inn.dcp

as these were the corrupted files..... they still download as corrupted... and do not run when the game exe is launched or pass a .SFV test comparing them to the original files.

<-- Edit

Wasn't ther somthing you said once about not supoprting windows ftp servers?

Do you have a irc channel for tech support? if not come to irc.starchat.net #ToDoList if you feel like helping me though this...

well i tested it on 6 diffrent ftps and stuff.... end result.. it is working!!! yay!!

I still have to run the xpatcher of a directory mounted to a drive so all the game files start at root to get the xpatch ap pto upload them...

I just used "subst : "

and i had to add every file in the project to the zip exclude file.

any help on getting the uplaod function would be cool... thanks.

Oh ps  - Is there a way to format the text in the patch notes and announcment... to have bold, bullet points stuff like that.. is it just a text file or html or rich text formt or anything?

Okay top level dir shouldnt be required, just create the top level directory on the ftp and xpat should use that, Sound liek to me a configuration problem with the slashes.

Bulletins are raw text right now, 2.0 they will be html.

We have IRC channel setup, you can find the link under this sites 'Support Tab'.

Try adding the files to the ascii list instead of the zip exclusion, for testing.. You may still need to have a few files in the exclusion list however.

Win support is in now, but very vague. the best servers for xpat are linux based systems. This will be corrected in 2.0

 Also try changing your config from Binary to Unknown.

Your  FTP Path ex: ive noticed its blothced out but there seems to be directory info before your test3 dir. There should be... If test3 dir is off your root ftp directory then that field should only contain the test3 name. 'test3'.

the ftp path thing is not that i think... it works from the root.. otherwise as i said above...

Example -

ftp - test.com

I want to uplaod into /public_html/testxpatcher

so in the dir path i put

public_html/testxpatcher

The dir public_html is already on sever... while the dir testxpatcher is not....

http://www.test.com/testxpatcher for the client.

have you had any thoughts as to what is going on and why the uplaoding function is broken?

Also i have been ideling in your IRC channel for almost a 5 days now and you have yet to reply to any of my comments in channel or PMs i have sent you on the server...

What gives?

(BUMP)

8 days no reply??