True portable mode on Windows

[BrownSky]

Hello, currently R'n'D can be run in 'semi-portable mode' on Windows;
that is, you don't have to install it,
you can unzip it and run it from where you like,
meaning you can run multiple instances from multiple locations
[you can even run multiple instances from one location],
BUT,
the multiple instances share certain control files, typically .conf files,
which are located in the user's Documents folder.

This causes problems, eg run two different instances,
both update the same conf file with the last levelset and level played,
and the last one to be closed, 'wins'.

Or more importantly,
if you are trying to work with two different instances at once,
then performing actions in one, may affect the other.

Holger could there maybe be an ability to run R'n'D in full portable mode,
where it edits conf files etc only in its app folder?
I presume this would need to be triggered via a switch in config,
unless maybe by injecting into the app folder a file with a particular name,
which would be less friendly but still OK.
Once the same-folder conf files are present,
then the app could automatically use them instead of elsewhere,
and only default to a 'My Documents' approach if they are not present.

This would facilitate keeping one instance of R'n'D for one set of levelsets,
and another for another, and so on.
Also running different versions of the app without them possibly conflicting over file structures.

Since I am on this topic,
It would be super cool to have a way of editing the 'display name' [what comes up when you hover over the icon on the task bar] so you could customize particular instances more, and recognize them easily.
Or if that is a no go because it makes it easy for rascals to hide that the app is R'n'D,
an alternative would be a way of tagging open instances with the drive letter and/or final folder
[using the whole path wouldn't seem feasible].

Thank you.

John

[Holger]

Holger could there maybe be an ability to run R'n'D in full portable mode,
where it edits conf files etc only in its app folder?

Personal config files do not belong into the app folder! It should always be possible to throw away the complete app folder of an application and replace it with a newer (or older) one, and let it use the config files independently. This is how it works (and how it should work) for almost all other application on almost all other systems.

However, what you want to do is easily possible nevertheless -- including independent config file folders for separate instances of R'n'D! To see how to do that exactly, just have a look at the "R'n'D jue" games, which are just that: Different instances of the same program (R'n'D), but with different names and different configuration file locations. The key to do the same for two R'n'D instances is just renaming the EXE file, and (optionally) using a separate setup file "conf/setup.conf" inside the application folder (which optionally tells the program to use and show a different application name, version number, icons and so on).

As said, just have a look at R'n'D-based games like "R'n'D jue Sokoban", "R'n'D jue Pipeline" or "R'n'D jue Puzznic", which use this method to act like totally independent games.

You can find them all here: https://www.artsoft.org/2022/06/16/rnd- ... nreleased/