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Mondoid 09/09/13


Headshotkill

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So if I read "Important things #2" from the blog correctly, the Steam Early Access version (when it's released) will be auto-installing a Java Runtime on my system ?

If that's the case, I'm sorry to say you definately won't win me as a customer after all that waiting.

 

I have no problem with Java in itself, as long as it's not installed system-wide, for all virus and trojans free to use.

Just distribute your EXE launcher and tested JRE binaries referenced by the EXE on Steam and everyone is happy, no ?

The game would work just as good, without causing a huge security concern.

 

Help me try to understand the reason for Java having to be installed system-wide otherwise, because it doesn't make any sense at all when it's perfectly possible to just start up the game by referencing the JRE binaries from a BAT file without having Java installed.

Also, when the user is updating his Java runtime or modifying global JRE settings, because him being a developer, tester, whatever, then you'd have to deal with unnecessary, unrelated problem reports which too could be avoided by simply distributing your tested JRE binaries with the game and referencing them by the EXE launcher in the games install folder instead of installing Java on users PCs %programfiles%.

By distributing tested JRE binaries in the install folder you also immediately get around the problem of x64 users having to explicitly install x86 JRE.

 

I don't get it, is it a Java licensing issue to simply do that or ..?

 

I want to buy your game as soon as it's finally available on Steam Early Access, but as I said, sadly not under these conditions.

Should you insist on requiring Java installation in %programfiles%, I'll continue to wait for the GoG version if it's ever released there and play it on a separate offline PC or a virtual machine, but that's just nuts.

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I want to buy your game as soon as it's finally available on Steam Early Access, but as I said, sadly not under these conditions.

Should you insist on requiring Java installation in %programfiles%, I'll continue to wait for the GoG version if it's ever released there and play it on a separate offline PC or a virtual machine, but that's just nuts.

You could already do this, you don't even have to involve Steam, as the game is on Desura DRM-free.

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I want to buy your game as soon as it's finally available on Steam Early Access, but as I said, sadly not under these conditions.

Should you insist on requiring Java installation in %programfiles%, I'll continue to wait for the GoG version if it's ever released there and play it on a separate offline PC or a virtual machine, but that's just nuts.

You could already do this, you don't even have to involve Steam, as the game is on Desura DRM-free.

 

Download the offline installer for Java.

With 7-zip, open the installer.

Take out applicable files -- with the Java.exe (mandatory, otherwise you'll have to roll your own exe to call the jvm.dll and I haven't seen its entry point documented on the Internet).

Write a bat to call java from the absolute path of the location where you've extracted those files.

Go to it.

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Download the offline installer for Java.

With 7-zip, open the installer.

Take out applicable files -- with the Java.exe (mandatory, otherwise you'll have to roll your own exe to call the jvm.dll and I haven't seen its entry point documented on the Internet).

Write a bat to call java from the absolute path of the location where you've extracted those files.

Go to it.

 

 

English is not my native language, so I'm not quite sure if you're suggesting that I should do the developers' job or not.

According to its features list, "exe4j" seems to be doing the trick just fine if the developers don't want to write their own launcher / wrapper : http://www.ej-technologies.com/products/exe4j/overview.html (just one time fee of 60 EUR for commercial use)

 

 

  • Optional distribution of a bundled JRE

    exe4j allows you to distribute your own private JRE with your application. This way you can ensure that your application's requirements are definitely met. You can even configure where the JRE is located.

 

My point was that the Steam version (according to the blog post) seems to be doing an automated, unskippable JRE install on the system, which is not what I want.

Other Java games (my last example with "Starfarer" / "Starsector" being one of them) are using a bundled JRE that doesn't require Java to be installed on the system, so it's perfectly possible to do it that way (and not open a huge security backdoor by installing Java system-wide).

 

The developers of this game will do "their thing" regardless and it's up to me whether I'm going to be dealing with it or not.

Just as I can choose to ignore each and every UbiSoft, EA and Activision game because I dislike their DRM and business practices, I'll be choosing to (maybe) ignore Project Zomboid because I don't want a huge security hole in my PC.

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I'm telling you a practical way around something that you dislike, in a way that allows you to get past these security violations you so fear. This way, you don't have to wait for them  to do it (or hope that they'll do it in the future): you can do it now.

Despite that message on Steam, it appears to just be a check to see if Java is installed on the system rather than an outright install.

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