Question regarding eroge and their dependency on the registry (specifically MONSTER PARK 2～神々を宿した乙女～ )

[pariah]

Heya.

I prefer to gravitate towards eroge that you don't have to install for it to work. It makes things very modular and much easier to organize. Plus, if your computer crashes you don't have to reinstall everything.

As a result, I tend to sing the praises of Dieselmine, Lilith, and Liquid, whereas I tend to curse to high hell studios like Black Package Try, Silkys, and Bishop (Bishop to a lesser extent because I'm more upset with them always using so much dummy data and messy file formats then with installation requirements). I like the ANs that the latter studios produce, but due to path and registry requirements, I'm forced to hang onto their images instead of just their game files. Sucks.

Initially, when Trois came out with Monster Park 2, I was really happy because I was able to install the game once, copy the files elsewhere, and make it work without a lasting dependency on the registry. However, now that they've released scenarios that append the original game, which essentially update the existing files and add new ones, the game suddenly becomes registry dependent.

This U-turn gets me to thinking that, perhaps, the registry isn't really needed, but rather its interaction is hard-coded into the game. I mean, the update didn't really change how the game worked so much as it just added some new material. So there's little reason to believe that the game needs anything other than its own files to run.

I tried, for instance, using the startup executable from the original version, that works without the registry, inside the MP2 Complete Edition folder. It's able to open up the game screen before giving me an error message: "EAccessViolation." That makes me think that it WANTS to work, but there's something specifically designed to keep it from working.


Now, I don't claim to be an expert on this, but I'd appreciate some input on whether or not my suspicions are well-placed and if there's someway to get the game working without the registry.

 

[Ren Nanase]

Most games run without having to install the game, as i tend to extract the game from the ISO so i dont have to install.

Now some games need the registry to keep the serial code /activation information which gets called.

 

[pariah]

I do that as well when I can.

In this case though, the game didn't previously have that issue.

 

[Ren Nanase]

Well i have the game sitting on my desktop but deciding if i want to install it to see if i can find a work around or not lol


Edit: Checked the registry. Deleted it and seen what happened and it will just keep regenerating the files in the registry. Now i could move the folder where ever i wanted but keptef adding it.
I dont think there is any fix for this unless you know how to change it in the .exe.

 

[pariah]

Okay. That's all I wanted to confirm. Thank you for your help.

 

[Anayomex]

Now, I don't claim to be an expert on this, but I'd appreciate some input on whether or not my suspicions are well-placed and if there's someway to get the game working without the registry.

I won't go into too much details but actually it depends per game.... since is developers who decide for each release. Usually most of games during installation process will create registry keys which are necessary when you run the game. There are only three possibilities:

• When you run a game and this registry key doesn't exists the game will crash with or without error
• Game will not crash, it will detect that keys doesn't exists and it will automatically create them
• There are also a games which doesn't need a registry and so they store setting which a game consider to be necessary (I don't mean save game) inside file (somewhere on HDD) instead in registry.

As about your question if registry is necessary, it depends how game works. As a side note, in every game is possible to make a workaround for example adding registry keys manually, editing game files....
Actually i make usually a workaround so i can play a game anytime from a external hdd. I don't play so many games though.

 

[pariah]

As about your question if registry is necessary, it depends how game works. As a side note, in every game is possible to make a workaround for example adding registry keys manually, editing game files....

Oh, I understand that. Normally, I wouldn't make assumptions about what the developers had done, but in this particular instance I figured there was an easy fix...but I suppose not.

Additional question: for the workarounds that fabricate registry keys for the startup, do they subsequently delete the keys when the game is stopped? It always seemed like a decent method to me, but I don't like cluttering my registry.

Also, how difficult would it be to modify a game that requires the registry so that it doesn't need it?

Actually i make usually a workaround so i can play a game anytime from a external hdd. I don't play so many games though.

Same here. I only keep a seldom few at a time. But if and when I access them, I don't want to go through a complicated startup process; just a click and start.

 

[Joyjason]

I see and understand everyone's point. Heck, when I started eroge, I was completely lost when I had to apply NoDVD and such.
It is true that for older games, you can simply double click on the exe file to start the game. Despite this, active players like myself like to actually go through the long setup process for the following reasons:

1) Record Keeping. Pretty self-explanatory, right?

2) Get the "full taste" for the game, from beginning to end

3) Some games require their respective .ISO/.mds files to be mounted

4) What you're doing by extracting said .ISO or .mdf files is pretty much what the setup is doing.

I apologize in advance if I completely missed the point and focus of the thread, but I don't see how the game adding values to the registry is remotely "bad" for players. If someone can enlighten me, that'd be awesome.

Along with points 3 and 4, I think it's really not too bad to simply go through the setup process, and it allows even a non-computer science expert to play games without much problems :P

 

[Anayomex]

I apologize in advance if I completely missed the point and focus of the thread, but I don't see how the game adding values to the registry is remotely "bad" for players. If someone can enlighten me, that'd be awesome.

I don't really recommend editing registry(if you don't know where) since you must know exactly where changing, inserting what.
So adding keys is not bad if you do it correctly, understand it and not just clicking on some random reg file without looking into it first. Of course is always good to delete keys later when you don't need them anymore since in general there could be a issue when you cannot start or install something because even if all files all deleted if keys still exists it will recognize it so installation may fail and it will tell you to unistall app even though you already did. It could also crash when you try to run it because keys are incompatible, corrupted etc.

So for a normal user is always good to keep a track of every change you made manually and of course a backup. True, for games this is no usually issue since there are only a few registry keys so just be careful.
So in the end is fine as long you do it properly.

Additional question: for the workarounds that fabricate registry keys for the startup, do they subsequently delete the keys when the game is stopped? It always seemed like a decent method to me, but I don't like cluttering my registry.
Also, how difficult would it be to modify a game that requires the registry so that it doesn't need it?

Usually registry keys are deleted when you unistall application. If you meant Game will not crash, it will detect that keys doesn't exists and it will automatically create them then Game creates usually only one key and even if you don't delete it shouldn't be issue (key usually includes: the path you start the game, font, window properties such as position and some other details) and sometimes even if you install a game and after unistalling the application key still remains.

Also, how difficult would it be to modify a game that requires the registry so that it doesn't need it?

Usually only adding this key, mentioned above and game will run without install. Most of games when you run them search for this key to find installation path so game can load files.


There is also another way which is harder. You made it so that instead looking into registry the game will look into certain file which acts like a registry(this file include necessary keys) so your rergistry will stay clean. This is harder since you must edit a lot of files and usually downloaded the game from scratch since is necessary to edit most of files.

 

[pariah]

Usually registry keys are deleted when you unistall application. If you meant Game will not crash, it will detect that keys doesn't exists and it will automatically create them

Well, the idea here is to run the game without having to install it on the machine. I don't want to hang on to the image and uninstall files for the rest of eternity along with the game.

There is also another way which is harder. You made it so that instead looking into registry the game will look into certain file which acts like a registry(this file include necessary keys) so your rergistry will stay clean. This is harder since you must edit a lot of files and usually downloaded the game from scratch since is necessary to edit most of files.

Sounds like an .ini file, but yeah, that's exactly what I want to do. I have no idea how to do it, but I'd like to learn. Can you point me in the direction of instructions? Like, has anyone ever done it before?

I was hoping this particular case might somehow be easier because I could compare the discrepancies between the older executable and the new one to, perhaps, see what they did differently. But, barring that, I wouldn't mind feeling my way through a hot-wiring process with the game's code. Honestly, it sounds more like a long job rahter than a hard one.

 

[Anayomex]

Well, the idea here is to run the game without having to install it on the machine. I don't want to hang on to the image and uninstall files for the rest of eternity along with the game.

From the beginning i meant that you do install a game once inside virtual system(or extract files) into external hdd so when you plug hdd into other PC you can easily play it without installing anything except directx and drivers of course.

Sounds like an .ini file, but yeah, that's exactly what I want to do. I have no idea how to do it, but I'd like to learn. Can you point me in the direction of instructions? Like, has anyone ever done it before?

I was hoping this particular case might somehow be easier because I could compare the discrepancies between the older executable and the new one to, perhaps, see what they did differently. But, barring that, I wouldn't mind feeling my way through a hot-wiring process with the game's code. Honestly, it sounds more like a long job rahter than a hard one.

I think that in your scenario is finding a key, making a reg file just fine since you want to run a game anytime. You just need to open the reg file first time before you start the game. If you're concerned about registry, you'll be fine since you'll keep this reg file so you can see which key is added so you can remove later if you don't want to play a game anymore.


The other way is creating a portable app which you can use for any software not only a game. Idea is creating launcher which will start the game. There is a lot of examples, yes is more about taking a time and learning. A lot faster is to just making a reg file. Here is website.

 

[pariah]

From the beginning i meant that you do install a game once inside virtual system(or extract files) into external hdd so when you plug hdd into other PC you can easily play it without installing anything except directx and drivers of course.

Ah. I understand now. Innovative solution.

Still not quite modular enough for my taste though.

The other way is creating a portable app which you can use for any software not only a game. Idea is creating launcher which will start the game. There is a lot of examples, yes is more about taking a time and learning. A lot faster is to just making a reg file. Here is website.

Is this how most other eroge patches work? I always thought it was just a matter of sifting through the code that's already there and making the game work rather creating a new venue for it to work....Neat idea though.

 

[Anayomex]

Is this how most other eroge patches work? I always thought it was just a matter of sifting through the code that's already there and making the game work rather creating a new venue for it to work....Neat idea though.

No this is different. It doesn't have to do anything with a patch since you don't make any changes directly with the files, is a more universal solution. Read more on wiki.