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20150623 - First idea for this when I was helping with the LSH3V6-2015-installer. I wrote the module that installs and activates the mod itself. I also coded the
easter-egg.
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20170213 - Drafted up the
new WAC5-installer.
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20180711 - DEF absorbed so much time, so most of my time went into DEF, SFSF and S3F
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20200610 - Completed flexible archive-access-module. Uni-Installer can now install several mega-mods.
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20210802 - 
- new progress-screen.
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20211015 - Uni-Installer can now install GWR and make a legal install of a legal OneAlex-archive of version 1.5x
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20211017 - 
- Completed report&feedback-module.
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20211018 - Updated flexible archive-access-module.
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20220107 - NEW: Code now uses the data in the table on THIS page.
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20220108 - NEW: Progressbar for all files flagged for download using #HTTP_Response
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20220327 - NEW: More options: You can now make backups during the process.
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20220404 - NEW: With help of Marci - we have sorted, cut and compiled 70+ diashow pictures!
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20220414 - NEW: Log-window on what is being done. Now able to use already downloaded files.
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20220429 - NEW: now displays details and a brief description of the selected mega-mod.
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20220718 - NEW: 7z-routines completed.
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20220909 - NEW: added S3C as constant item.
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20221009 - FIXED: 7z embedding looks proper now.
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20221012 - NEW: added buttons: HELP | SUPPORT | TEAMSPEAK | CONT/EXIT - Maybe soon in orange...
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20221122 - FIXED: Found and fixed a logic bug in the continue-conditions.
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20221125 - NEW: Your path in ...\My Documents\: + calcwidth() + tg + tt.
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20221204 - FIXED: Now also displayed unpacked size of selected mod properly.
The user always had to do a basic-install and this will remain the same. We do NOT support cracks like some Ukrainian GWO and also the other mods will be stripped from that. I coded the S3H, so it is all done already.
-
and then install the mod of choice - but then mostly came the problems, which patch, how, how not etc...
Goebbels: Wollt Ihr den totalen... Installer?
How this program (The Universal Installer) works:
- connects to DEFF and gets all data like definition, MD5, size, description etc...
- finds default installation paths and lets user choose...
- gives you a drop-down-menu offering you the currently available mega-mods
Should the user have downloaded ANY of the available installation-packages
and the MD5sum is okay, that is shown in the dropdown-menu als LOCAL FILE:
Now if the user chooses to install that one, naturally no download is necessary.
If a download is necessary, UNI will download that necessary installation package,
verify its integrity (MD5) and run the installation process.
"SH3 Installation DVD: Two .CAB-Files": show I have got a question about the two .CAB files on the SH3-DVD:
If you open, only those file which are going to be written into the root-install-folder are visible/plain to see.
All other files are renamed to a pattern following
"_"+32 chars
so if you unpack the 2 .CAB files on the SH3-DVD, you get a lot of crap.
Any idea how to decode this, i.e. rename from obfuscated to real file names?
The filenames seem to be a UNIQUE number of a fileindex that may point to the data of
~ the actual filename
~ and its pathlocation in the installation
example:_7E939D5F5ABC4CC38454C50C0EF954A7
appears in DVD\Data1.cab
and is the audio-file "Rohr 2 los" called "WeO_S_Firing_tube_2.ogg"
residing in target-folder installation-path\data\Sound\Speech\4
Just where does the installer get the information from?
Where is that information needed to extract ALL files properly, e.g. with their CORRECT name and CORRECT path.
I can show you an example:
; [File]
_FFD18AFC7DB94FE18BF1878897DF32B5 (Size: 22138) code-length= 32 bytes
; is installed to
; ..data\Sound\Speech\5\WeO_S_Observation_periscope_damaged_sir.ogg
; BUT (!) with this code: CED9EEE0F8AE443DB37B2876991912E8WE9427 code-length= 38 bytes
So how does
FFD18AFC7DB94FE18BF1878897DF32B5 convert to CED9EEE0F8AE443DB37B2876991912E8WE9427
Marked in orange is the filename that is stored in the .CAB-file
The other, longer code represents the entry for that file in the table.
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/692742/how-do-you-programmatically-resize-and-move-windows-with-the-windows-apihttps://stackoverflow.com/questions/5609486/in-c-windows-api-resize-window-during-runtimehttp://binaryworld.net/main/CodeDetail.aspx?CodeId=3919https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms633515%28v=vs.85%29.aspxGetWindow.f like this:
HWND WINAPI GetWindow(
_In_ HWND hWnd,
_In_ UINT uCmd
);
BOOL WINAPI SetWindowPos(
_In_ HWND hWnd,
_In_opt_ HWND hWndInsertAfter,
_In_ int X,
_In_ int Y,
_In_ int cx,
_In_ int cy,
_In_ UINT uFlags
);
"maybe InstallShield cabinet": show | | MODPACK | Size in Bytes | | Short Description/Notes |
 | | 24F V1.91 | 308.881.820 packed
1.282.058.859 unpacked | D740BF991CD416A25BB22C57B2E7184B | 24th Flotilla Mod version 1.9 was a modded LSH 5.1 with
a broken H.sie-patch.exe V1.5G2, a passworded release. |
| | AoTD V3 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | MD5testchecksum | ................................... |
| | CCoM V12.1 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | xxx | Commander's Choice of Mods is probably the best-tested
and most stable mega-mod out there besides NYGM and
GWX. It was a parallel development with LSH until V5.
The only issue with it was RoWi58 himself. He was notorious
for publicly trolling everything else in ironic-sarcastic offenses.
Banned from Ubisoft and MarineSims and later even DMP, he
was called "Rowdy", despite everyone respecting his obvious
talent.. RIP Rowi.
................................... PRO: VERY stable
CON: no development anymore (modder passed 08/2018)
CON: very few extra mods available
CON: was never actually tested with MP, RoWi was against MP |
| | FF9 V2.31 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | .... | The Front-Flottille/9te Mod-Pack was one of the earliest
mods that shipped with an installer. The main drawback
of its original release is that it also installs Star Force to
your computer. This called for a fix!
................................... |
| | FSB | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | ................................... |
| | GWD | 1 packed
2 unpacked | xxx | One of the first FORKs of GWX and an attempt to bring a
lot of NYGM was Grey Wolves flavoured to Ducimus' taste.................................... |
| | GWO legal 1.52 | 1.426.665.472 packed
0 unpacked | D182204503B3FFA36F505F4819D8E1B8 | Grey Wolves OneAlex Edition is basically OneAlex's modsoup
on top of GWX, it is not a mod on its own and initially OneAlex
did not even want to publish it. But folks liked it and so he
went on posting a download-link on his YouTube-channel
where everybody can download his modsoup as a full game
crack. This here however is a legalized version.................................... |
| | GWR V22 | 3.669.053.386 packed
0 unpacked | 7CCAE93CAE437FDC73312C223856EBE3 | [GWR] - Grey Wolves Reworked, a fork of GWX, is an
attempt to bring GWX to today's standards and integrate
all modern mods in a "reworked" package. This result is
GWR being the largest modern mega-mod around.
................................... PRO: Hands down the most detailed mega-mod in 2022
CON: Its creator Anvar is a chaot, not very responsive.
|
| | GWX V3.0 Gold | 1.411.027.721 packed
0 unpacked | EE96ED51E0082BD920E27E416C0AFF30 | Grey Wolves Expansion (formerly TGW) is one of the best
mega-mods of all time. It was designed to run on PCs
using the same specs as those needed to run stock SH3,
so it also works on older computers with little RAM. It is
VERY stable and by far the most popular mega-mod for
SH3, not only because their development-team paid
immense amounts of $ to SuSi to have it promoted.
................................... PRO: very good manual, very comprehensive!
PRO: practically every extensional single mod out there
is compatible with GWX and there are hundreds!
CON: unfortunately no more continued since 2008.
CON: incorrect AI for excorts, way pro-Allied and over the
top as judged by real German U-Boot-KLe because the
DCs often appear to be 'laser-guided'. |
| | IUB 1.03 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | Improved U-Boot was a very early fork of RUB that added
a number of additional mods.................................... |
| | KSD 1 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | 6CB5C3D3BC3DD549E67A8CA26CD7105A | ................................... |
| | LSH V5.1-7.1 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | Living Silent Hunter III shared a long way with CCOM,
because CCOM was the basis of LSH until LSH3V5. LSH
strives to expand the "look & feel" of the game, though
it often gets lost in eye-candy and it was developed by
people who actually went to sea with German U-Boote.
It is basically a tuned CCOM plus WS-GUIs, 10 ships, 20
planes, an installer and the Black Sea Campaign.
................................... |
| | MEG | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | Mas Edition Grupsom by Desga is something similar to
GWX's effects but "lighter" so you can have quick loading
when you play online.
................................... PRO: Optimized for MP (loading-times)
CON: Nobody plays it.
CON: Desga is not responding to support it. |
| | NYGM V3.8 | 626.221.077 packed
2 unpacked | 13ECCA7D4C72C44E15E7C75CAEE898D6 | Not Your GrandMother's has always been the closest to an
'officially approved' super-mod for SH3. It is the work of
capable programmers and a direct descendant of the old
mega-mod "RuB". It strives to continue from where RUB
had left off. Overall less attention to eye candy and more
attention to historical accurate gameplay mechanics (*).
................................... PRO: still continued.
PRO: The most realistic (="dark") gameplay.
PRO: The most expanded AI (nightmare-1944-settings).
CON: Some unrealistic "features" such as boat "sinking"
when doing low or zero speed ("anti-hummingbird" *). |
| | PotD | 1 packed
2 unpacked | MD5 | Prowlers of the Deep ................................... |
| | RUB V1.45f | 53.122.340 packed
246.819.172 unpacked | AE9C347497787E66D24210737A0B56E4 | Real U-Boot was one of the very
first mods around.................................... Was made by Ian 'Beery' Cooper |
| | SBM 1.7-2.0 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | ................................... |
| | UBOOT 1.21 | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | ................................... |
| | UTW V1.1 | 669.721.731 packed
2 unpacked | 0B4C0A150CB019721D794BB80B2A87F4 | UTW (U-Boote Total War) and Knights of the Abyss have
been merged and a successor ('Knights of the Abyss II:
Hell is not over yet') has been announced but never
released.................................... |
| | WAC V4.2-5.2 | 1.426.665.472 packed
2 unpacked | D182204503B3FFA36F505F4819D8E1B8 | War Ace Campaign based on SergButo's campaign mod
and has been the most elaborately fleshed-out campaign
system with historic warship movements and battles.
Every naval encounter is there in detail!
................................... PRO: has had a very detailed public development and
change-log until censored by the SuSi-SNOTs
PRO: offers the most historic events to partake.
PRO: V4.2 works on older systems, too!
CON: Han Solo was against support for S3C. |
| | WEM | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | ................................... |
| | WSM | 1 packed
2 unpacked | . | ................................... |
