FreeSpace Open Installer

NOTE: THIS PAGE IS OUT OF DATE. It will be updated when someone gets around to it. In the meantime, read the HLP thread or the Installer's home page.

The FreeSpace Open Installer is an attempt to significantly reduce the difficulty of installing FreeSpace Open over a Retail FreeSpace 2 installation. The Installer was coded by Turey, originally using the NSIS scripting language, but was re-written in Java as of December 12, 2006. The first version was released on October 16, 2006, and the latest versions of the exe and the source code can be found at fsoinstaller.com.

More information about the Installer can be found on Hard Light Productions.

Features

The Installer is designed to be one-size-fits-all, so that dial-up users can have a small Installer that only installs the necessary files, while broadband users can have an Installer that downloads all the extras for them. The Installer automatically checks to see if it is outdated, and will bring up the download page of the newest version if it is outdated. The first version of the Installer included only the Executables and the MediaVPs. Since then, many other parts have been added and refined.

FreeSpace Open Executables

The Executables were originally packaged as part of the installer, which added about eight megabytes to the size of the Installer. However, as of the 3.6.9 - RC 7.9x version, the Executables have been taken out of the Installer file and are downloaded at runtime.

OpenAL

One of the most common problems people have installing FreeSpace Open is that they do not install OpenAL. From the first version, the Installer has had an option to download and run the OpenAL installer automatically. This feature has temporarily been disabled, but will be re-enabled in the future. In the meantime, you can get OpenAL here.

MediaVPs

The MediaVPs are a set of graphical enhancements to FreeSpace Open, created by the FreeSpace Upgrade Project. These upgrades have been included since the first version, and as of version 3.6.9 - RC 7.9x, they use the Mod Installation System (see below).

Mod Installation System

The Mod Installation System is a feature that first made its appearance in version 3.6.9 - RC 7.9x. The system allows the creator(s) of a mod or campaign to include their work in the Installer, so that it can be downloaded and installed at the same time as FreeSpace Open. By interfacing with text files, the Installer can get the most recent files for each mod directly from that mod's web site. This allows mod creators to update their files at any time, without the need for a new release of the Installer.

Help with the Mod Installation System can be found at fsoinstaller.com

Mods and Campaigns currently included in the Installer can be found at fsoinstaller.com.

Version History

Visit the changelog on www.fsoinstaller.com.