Installing iGame By Jerry Gray

Why iGame

iGame is a MUI based frontend for launching and managing whdload games.
It's purpose is to catalog your games, and provide a simple way of finding and playing them.

Features include:
Scans hard disks for installed games (only required to do when adding or removing games from your disk)
Uses the games' tooltypes when running them
Game screenshots (screenshot window can be altered through tooltypes, uses datatypes to load foreign formats)
Game categories and filtering
Manual add non-whdload games
Simple statistics
Find-as-you-type search filter

Versions

This guide was written using the following versions.
iGame v1.5 winterland.no-ip.org/igame/
MUI v3.8 aminet.net/util/libs/
guigfx.mcc – v19.2 aminet.net/package/dev/mui/MCC_Guigfx
Texteditor.mcc v15.51, -https://github.com/amiga-mui/texteditor/releases

Note: guigfx.lha contains the guigfx.mcc AND guigfx.library AND render.library. I used the files from this archive rather than downloading individual .library files out of concern of version conflicts, assuming the archive is a complete, compatible package.

Note: I started with MUI v5-20190108r6341, muidev.de but found 3.8 was the latest by the original developer. I used a 3.8 package from AmiNet (because a lot of the official mirrors seemed to be down). For some reason the 3.8 version will not extract on my windows machine. I have to extract it on an Amiga for the extraction to successfully complete.

Notes about my process

I installed this on an Emulated A3000 using Amiga forever.
I installed WHD load and a couple of games prior to installing iGame.
I created an iGame folder with all the required software and added that to the emulated machine as a hard drive (df2). I try to extract all files in this folder so I don’t have to do those steps on the amiga. However, MUI 3.8 would NOT extract on windows and had to be done on the Amiga.

To install on a real classic machine you will need to download and/or create media appropriate to your situation.

Prerequisites

MUI

The major prerequisite for iGame is the Magic User Interface and the download can be found at https://muidev.de/ If you do not know if MUI is already installed check your s startup files.

MUI is a shareware program, so in order to use it beyond the trial period you need to register it and get a key. The site to register is www.sasg.com and the cost is currently $25.

Using Shell Copy mui38usr.lha to the Ram drive
> copy iGame:mui38usr.lha to “”
> CD Ram:

Extract the archive
> lha e mui38usr.lha
Navigate to the Ram drive on your workbench, open the MUI folder, and launch the Install-MUI program

> Double click on Install-MUI

> Click on “Proceed with Install”

> Click on “Proceed”

> Click on “Proceed”

I installed MUI on my Workbench drive.
> Click on “Show Drives”

> Click on DH0: Workbench3.1:

> Click on “Proceed”
Several screens will pass by . . .

> Click on “Proceed”
Several screens will pass by. . .

> Click on “Proceed”

I’m not planning on developing MUI interfaces on this workstation, so I passed on this option.
> Click on “No”
Several screens will pass by. . .

Success.

> Click on “Proceed”
> > Restart the machine.

Register the MUI installation

Copy the mui.key file to s: and reboot.

To register the MUI installation you will need a key file. You can purchase one from http://www.sasg.com/mui/ and Stefan Stuntz will send you a key file. I have my key file on my iGame drive with the other files and dependencies.

> cd s:
> copy iGame:mui.key to “”
> Restart the machine

TextEditor.mcc Manual Installation

I have a copy of the extracted archive copied to my iGame drive for installation.

guigfx.mcc Manual Installation

Install guigfx.library and render.library from Guigfx.mcc package

I have a copy of the extracted archive guigfx.lha copied to my iGame drive for installation.
> cd iGame:MCC_Guigfx/Libs/
copy guigfx.library and render.library to the Libs: volume on the system partition:
> copy #?.library dh0:Libs
> Restart the system to ensure all new libraries/files are loaded.

Install iGame

Igame has no installer.

Open the iGame.guide and click on Installation to get the instructions below.
Note: You have already completed step 4 in preparation to install iGame.

Create an iGame destination folder.

Note: I put this on the WorkBench drive so iGame is easy to find. I am concerned that it will be hard to find/manage if I install it in the Games drive where I plan on installing hundreds of games.

Open Shell (Opens to my Workbench drive)
> makedir iGame
Copy the iGame folder contents to my new iGame folder on my Workbench drive
> copy from iGame:iGame to Workbench3.1:iGame All
iGame is now installed.

Make iGame Easily Accessible

Optional: The iGame volume is no longer needed to install or run iGame so we remove that volume from the emulator
> iGame is on the harddrive where I want it, but the folder is not visible in the Workbench GUI because we have not created an .info file for the new folder.
Open the shell, which opens to the Workbench3.1 drive where we copied the iGame folder, and copy an .info file.
> > copy WBStartup.info iGame.info
This has a habit of stacking the new icon on the one copied. Drag the iGame folder icon to a new location and Snapshot the folder.
Go to the iGame folder, click on the iGame icon, then right click on it and go to the icons menu and click on “Leave Out”. This will place iGame on our Workbench for easy future access.

Setup iGame with your WHDLoad Games

First you will want to:
> Launch iGame

Setting up a repository

You need to tell iGame where your games are installed. They call this a repository and you can setup one or multiple repositories depending on where you installed your WHDLoad games. In my WHDLoad setup, I installed everything in a Games drive so I only need one repository.
> Right click on the iGame window
> Select Settings > Game Repositories

In the Games repositories window that opens you will click on the folder icon to browse to a location you have WHDLoad games installed. In my case, I had to navigate up the parent path several times to reveal my drives and select the Games: drive.

Now I only need to click the Add button to add that drive as a repository to iGame.

I can now close the Games repositories window.

Scanning for Games

Now that iGame knows where the games should be, you can tell it to look for games in your repositories and add them to the menu. This can take a long time if you have a large number of games.

> Right click in iGame to bring up the Menu
> Under the Actions menu > Scan Repositories >Once the scan is finished the games show up in the list immediately.

Manually adding a Game

> Right click in iGame to bring up the Menu

> Under the Actions menu > Add non-whdload game

> Type in a name for the Title

> Click on the folder icon to locate the game. You need to go into the game folder and locate the main game file or this won’t work.

> Click on the OK button to add the game to the menu

Playing a Game

This is the easy part. Just click on the game in the Menu and enjoy!
You will notice iGame also provides filters on the bottom right of the game menu screen that will allow you to show specific genres of games, Favorites, or on the frequency of play.

iGame tracks the number of times you play a game for you.
In order to make a game a “Favorite”:
> Right click on a game
> Select the Game > Game Properties menu
> Select “Favorite” in the box on the Game Properties window.