Installers are one of the first things a user actually encounters. Depending on your distribution method, only box art or a web page and a download program will be more visible to your users. Good-looking, functional, and reliable installation tools predate a good majority of modern gaming companies. Despite this, there are still nightmares of poorly designed, non-functional, or counter-intuitive installers out there.

This particular rant comes thanks to the Savage 2 installer. I’m not going to hold the matter against S2 Games or Savage 2 — it actually looks kind of fun. On the other hand, the installer tried to install programs that already existed on my computer, slapped files in places they should not go, and otherwise stuck a bunch of defaults in place. It didn’t hit every sore spot, but it hit enough of them to bring memories of other poorly written installers. Let’s go through them, quickly.

  • C:\Program Files or %ProgramFiles%. This one, everybody does. It’s still not right. Whether people are using XP, Vista, or any other recent Microsoft operating system, all of the Program Files directory is both protected and requires administrative access. There are also a bunch of other programs in there, a good majority of which are supposed to be vital for normal use of the operating system. Your game or useful application does not need to go in there. This is doubly important in Vista, which will now prevent applications from writing to Program Files\ without Administrative Rights, requiring you send applications data elsewhere anyway
    %SystemDrive%\Games, %SystemDrive%\Applications, or even %UserProfile%\Games are all seldom-used, are easy to get explicit permissions for, and are far more friendly to your users.
  • Quick Launch Abuse. The Savage 2 installer default tries to put a shortcut on the Quick Launch toolbar by default. Most Windows installations don’t show the Quick Launch by default, and those few that do lock it down to four or five icons at most. Users do not need every game, program, and application there; only those applications both often-used and often-used while other tools are running should be placed on the Quick Launch bar unless the user chooses to add it. Music programs, calculators, writing tools, internet browsers, not video games, spreadsheets, or development environments.
  • Meaningless Windows. If you have a Completion Window without any choices, you are doing it wrong. If you had finished installing an applications and do not provide an option to run the app, restart the computer, or read a guide, you’re missing something far more fundamental.
  • Needless Folders. Whatever your application does, it should not need to be buried under five layers of folders detailing the company’s name, application name (twice), purpose, and designer’s middle initial. Pick one, and have the shortcut to your executable on the top layer. If you have specialized tools or a lot of documentation, then use subfolders.
  • Anything that isn’t Installation

    • . I do not need to register a new account — I did that before even downloading your game. I do not need a dozen flashy backgrounds shifting back and forth as a plot synopsis comes up. I do not need to verify every file. I do not need unrelated programs, Google Toolbar, a half-dozen selection prompts that don’t really do anything. I really, really do not need orchestral music. I do not need green eggs and ham. Some of this might be necessary, or might not be that annoying if done properly. Figure out which parts are not.

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