SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - Multiple Installs??

This is an old thread but taking the comments above, I have written a batch file that swaps out the active SH5 copy and the settings and saves in your Documents directory for another copy and saves just by renaming folders. No registry changes. Just drag and drop the folder of the inactive SH5 copy you want to activate on the batch file.

Works for me to run mod tests on one copy, keep another for the stock version and a third for The Wolves of Steel.

You need to know how to edit the batch file below to work in your set up. If you know about Windows batch file programming, it should be easy.

Copy the code below and save it in a text file but change the extension to .bat instead of .txt.

To be safe, the actual renaming lines have been commented out so you can test it to see if it works after editing the path names pointing to your Documents directory and the Silent Hunter 5 install directory. Once you are happy the simulation works, edit out the REM part in front of RENAME in the 4 relevant lines.

You can create as many copy of the default install folder as you like. Give each a unique name and make that as part of the name of an empty folder WITHIN each copy. The batch file looks for a folder with "unique_name_" as the first part of its name to correctly swap out the active copy. E.g. unique_name_SH5_1.2.Wolves_of_Steel. Note that you have to do this for EVERY copy.

See details within the batch file.

Hope it is not too complicated and of use to someone.

Code:

@ECHO off

REM =============== Intro ===================

REM This batch file swaps the current game with another copy in a dropped folder

REM It will also rename the settings file usually located in the Documents folder

REM of the current user

REM Requires an unique name for each copy stored in a folder name within 

REM the directory of that copy



REM Create an empty folder

REM name it in this format: unique_name_[choose_a_name_for_the_copy_without_these_brackets_or_spaces]

REM MUST start with "unique_name_"



REM Spaces in file names or path may cause problems

REM If possible, initial game installation should avoid using 

REM the C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files(x86) folders as they need 

REM special write privileges to change content which may be a problem

REM ==================================



REM ============ Modifications to make this work ===============

REM 1. Duplicate clean copies of your game

REM 2. Create a subfolder in each giving each copy a unique name as mentioned above

REM 3. Change the default path variables in the User Defined Variables section below

REM 4. Place this batch file in the same folder containing your game copies (optional)

REM 5. Try dropping an inactive copy to swap out the active copy

REM 6. Look at the DOS Console window output and make sure the file name changes are right

REM 7. If everything looks right, uncomment the 4 lines in this batch file that 

REM    renames files (remove the REM before RENAME) and save. 

REM The batch file is now ready to do its thing.

REM ==================================



REM User Defined Variables - change according to your set up =========================



REM Change this to the path to your documents folder if necessary

SET settings_file_path=%HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%\Documents



REM No need to change the next item

REM This is the default folder where Silent Hunter 5 settings are saved

SET settings_file_name=SH5



REM change this to where Silent Hunter 5 had been installed

SET full_installed_path=C:\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter5





REM Parse variables ================================

For %%A in ("%full_installed_path%") do (

    Set installed_path=%%~dpA

    Set installed_folder=%%~nxA

)

IF "%installed_path:~-1%"=="\" SET installed_path=%installed_path:~0,-1%



IF [%1]==[] GOTO NoTargetProvided



ECHO.Copy to activate is: %~1



IF NOT EXIST "%~1" GOTO NoTargetFolder



for %%F in ("%~1") do SET TargetFolder=%%~nxF



REM Check current default folder



ECHO.Default Installed Path is: %installed_path%\%installed_folder%



IF NOT EXIST "%installed_path%" GOTO NoInstallPath



IF NOT EXIST %installed_path%\%installed_folder% GOTO NoInstallFolder



REM Make sure the installation folder is not the same as the target folder



IF [%~1]==[%installed_path%\%installed_folder%] GOTO InstallFolderDropped



REM Look for name of the current active copy



IF NOT EXIST "%installed_path%\%installed_folder%\unique_name_*" GOTO NameNotFound



for /f "delims=" %%a in ('dir "%installed_path%\%installed_folder%\unique_name_*" /ad /b') do @set current_copy_name=%%a

SET current_copy_name=%current_copy_name:~12%

echo.Current active copy is: %current_copy_name%



REM Main swapping routine ===============================



REM Now change the installed folder to its real name



ECHO RENAME "%installed_path%\%installed_folder%" "%current_copy_name%"

REM RENAME "%installed_path%\%installed_folder%" "%current_copy_name%"



REM Now change the target folder to the default install folder name



ECHO RENAME "%~1" "%installed_folder%"

REM RENAME "%~1" "%installed_folder%"



REM rename the settings files in User/Documents



IF EXIST "%settings_file_path%\%settings_file_name%" (

        ECHO RENAME "%settings_file_path%\%settings_file_name%" "%current_copy_name%"

REM        RENAME "%settings_file_path%\%settings_file_name%" "%current_copy_name%"

)



IF EXIST "%settings_file_path%\%TargetFolder%" (

        ECHO RENAME "%settings_file_path%\%TargetFolder%" "%settings_file_name%"

REM        RENAME "%settings_file_path%\%TargetFolder%" "%settings_file_name%"

)



Set ErrorMsg=Switched to %TargetFolder%!

GOTO printMsg



REM Error processing =================================



:NoInstallPath

Set ErrorMsg=Installation Path not found!

GOTO printMsg



:NoInstallFolder

Set ErrorMsg=Installation Folder not found!

GOTO printMsg



:NoTargetProvided

Set ErrorMsg=No Target Folder specified!

GOTO printMsg



:NoTargetFolder

Set ErrorMsg=Target Folder not found!

GOTO printMsg



:InstallFolderDropped

Set ErrorMsg=Aborted as Target Folder is the installation folder!

GOTO printMsg



:NameNotFound

Set ErrorMsg=Real Name not found in installed folder

GOTO printMsg



REM Print messages and exit ==============================



:printMsg

ECHO %ErrorMsg%



pause



exit /b