[Wine] Re: EA Download Manager

[motub]

Cleveland Rock wrote:
> However, there's a major problem. I don't have the DVD version of The Sims 3. I have the downloadable version. The one I'm supposed to download with EA Download Manager.

Oh, that is unfortunate. Digital download (non-Steam) versions of games are often a problem, not only under Wine, but under Windows, and not only for this game, but for others I'm aware of as well. 

Naturally I have no idea when you purchased the game, or when you jumped over to Linux in relation to that. In the future, though, before committing to a digital download that requires a proprietary download manager to even receive, check the AppDB beforehand to make sure that the Download Manager works. 

The EA Download Manager  is listed as 'Garbage' (http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=18958) (<==this is a link!) for a moderately recent Wine version, and more importantly, there are 3 currently open bugs linked to it which would strongly suggest that buying the digital download version wouldn't be a good idea. In fact, the bug that the EADM doesn't download the Flash plugin was the reason that I pre-installed Flash (but I don't know if it helped, since no web page is displayed in the Manager). 

Of course, the bug stating that the DM doesn't download requested patches would have been of even more relevance to you prior to purchasing a version of the game that required the DM to download something significantly bigger than a patch file. Had you known.

Yes, I suspect Windows is your only option for the initial download and install, unless you want to buy a second 'hard' copy of the game (which I would suggest first, despite the cost. Maybe you can 'return' your digital download via customer service, if you just bought it).

If you choose to download and install via Windows, I would suggest the following to (hopefully/maybe) get the pre-installed version working under Wine:

DISCLAIMER 1: I am assuming that you have a dual-boot with a fixed Windows partition on your HDD. If not, you could always try VirtualBox or some such, however I have never used virtualization programs and could not advise on how they interact with Wine.

DISCLAIMER 2: These instructions are provided completely without guarantee that they will work. All I can say is that if this procedure can work, then this is the only way (as far as I know) that it will work, but it may be that it cannot work at all, and you have to get a DVD anyway. But your time is also an investment, and it's up to you what it's worth to you to attempt a procedure that may not succeed in the end.

1. If you don't have a separate partition for your data files/installed applications, you'd need to make one. There is no way you will be able to run a Windows-installed game from a Windows C:\Program Files under Wine. If you have a dual-boot, you are probably a bit familiar with partitioning, and there are numerous instructions available on the internet on how to use GParted or whatever the KDE version is (QTParted, I think) to reduce a current partition to create free space (obviously it must be of sufficient size to allow TS3 and whatever else to fit there) and create a new empty one from that free space.

Oh, crap, filesystem. You could either  a) use FAT32 so that Windows would see it as native (doable, but far, far from optimal, since FAT32 fragments and is easily corrupted), or b) format the FS as EXT2/3 and use the Ext2IFS driver for Windows (http://www.fs-driver.org/) (<==this is a link!) to allow Windows to access the partiiton. This is my recommended option, as this what I have used for years to access my Ext3 data partitions  (I always install applications and save 'loose' downloaded data to dedicated partitions so that if I ever have to delete or reinstall my OS-- whichever it may be-- I'm not in danger of losing my data unless the drive itself dies) in the event that I have to use my minimal Windows boot for something (like this, for example :) ). Be aware that Ext4 is not supported, so stick to Ext3 (or Ext2 if you don't care about journalling).

2. Once you have your partition set up and the IFS driver installed into Windows, you should be able to run the EADM from Windows and install the game to the new partition. Make a note to yourself as to what drive letter Windows calls this partition. Since you have downloaded the EADM separately, you probably have version 6, which afaics doesn't work at all under Wine. So after you've installed the game you should probably run it under Windows one time and install any needed patches, and also any downloadable content that you want to install (since the EADM v6 doesn't run at all, there's a chance that the Launcher won't run either, and you need the Launcher to install SimsStore bought content, or content from TheSims Resource or wherever. It is possible to install extra content via third-party apps if the Launcher won't run, but it's even a bigger PITA than you're having now, from the looks of it. At any point that this becomes ridiculous to you, feel free to head to the store and buy a hard copy of the game [Wink] . It's only money). Don't play the game, though (unless of course, you'd rather just boot into Win every time you want to do that).

3. OK, now that the game is installed under Windows, and is in theory accessible to Linux (because it's on a Linux partition), you should be able to export the Registry settings for the game (Start==>Run==>(type) regedit (Enter)), to a *.reg file (or several) that you can later import into Wine's Registry to fool it into thinking you've installed the game under Wine. The entries you need to export (select the noted key and then choose 'Export Registry file' from the 'Registry' menu above) are:

Under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT:
 - .sims3pack

Under HKEY_CURRENT_USER:

 - Software==>Electronic Arts (exporting the Electronic Arts folder/key will export all of the sub-keys under it as well)

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE:

 - Software==>Electronic Arts

 - Software==>Sims

Save the *.reg files you create on the partition you made for the game, but not in the EA folder where the game is (for safety's sake).

4. Head back into Linux. Depending on your settings when you created the partition, the new partition may have already mounted. If not, open Nautilus (presuming you're still using GNOME) and mount it.

5. If you have not made a separate prefix for TS3, do so now. Easiest way is to open a terminal and type export WINEPREFIX=~/.wine-ts3 (or whatever you want to call the prefix, .wine-ts3 is just what I use atm) and hit enter. All wine commands typed into this terminal will now be created under/attached to that specific wine prefix. So now type winecfg in that terminal. You should get a message box saying that the prefix is being created, and then winecfg will open. Do the usual 'new prefix' tasks, such as selecting your sound system, and (at least on my system, I always have to) going to the 'Desktop Integration' tab and setting the "My Documents" folder to ~/Documents, rather than the ~ folder that it is set to by default.

6. Then go to the 'Drives' tab (my OS is in Dutch, so it says 'Stations', but I presume that in English that would be 'Drives' or "Drive Letters" or something similar), and add your new partition as a new drive, using the first available drive letter that comes up when you click 'Add". Make a note to yourself as to what drive letter that is in comparison to what drive letter Windows installed the game to. Apply, then close winecfg.

7. In the terminal, type wine regedit. Regedit will open. Now you want to import all those *.reg files you exported from Windows. From the main 'Registry File' menu, select 'Import Registry file' and select the first exported *.reg file; it should be under 'My Computer'==>drive letter that you gave the new partition and hit OK to import it. The key will be added to the appropriate place in the registry. Rinse and repeat for all keys.

8. The keys are now imported, but it can be that the Windows thought that game is installed to a different drive letter than Wine thinks it's on. If that is the case (this is why you made those notes to yourself), you'd have to change that in the Wine Registry so that it's correct for Wine. The keys that might need changing to correct their location are (as far as I can see):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER==>Software==>Electronic Arts==>Sims 3==>Launcher==Settings==>DiskAuthDrive
Note This key is a) encrypted on my system, so I can't even say what the setting actually is, and b) since you're working with a digital download, it may be blank, or "perfectly OK" to leave as it is (as opposed to with a DVD where I expect that the key points to the DVD drive or some such). I wouldn't mess with it, myself, but for completeness I have to mention that it might be that that key points to a location that might have changed between Windows and Linux.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE==>Software==Sims==>The Sims 3 (additionally for any expansions or addons)==>InstallDir

This is the important one, naturally. If Windows thought you had installed to F:\ , and the same partition under Wine is considered D:\ , you would need to edit the key to reflect that (select entry on the right, right-click and choose 'Edit', change the F:\ to a D:\, OK). Repeat in all expansion key folders if necessary.

When you're done, close Regedit, and you have done all that you can do to fool Wine into thinking that TS3 is installed under Wine. 

You might want to set AppDefaults for the Launcher and the game(s) applications to run in a virtual desktop in winecfg, as is recommended in the AppDB listing for Sims 3 (http://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=9732) (<== also a link).

You might also be thinking of copying your C:\Program Files\EADM install folder from Windows' C:\ to Wine's /drive_c (since it's listed as being there in the Registry), but since you have v6 (probably) that doesn't initialize, I would leave it off the system (but leave the Registry entries alone), so that the program simply isn't found. The Launcher (assuming it works) will (hopefully) just give a message saying it couldn't connect to the Manager (because it's not running, because it's not there) and thereafter open normally (as opposed to the 'application could not initialize' message, which stops everything cold). If that doesn't work as expected (because the application not being where the Registry thinks it is stops everything cold), you can probably run wine uninstaller from the terminal where you've exported the TS3 prefix and "uninstall" EADM, thereby removing it from the Registry and hopefully resolving that issue. Or you could remove it manually from the Registry at last resort.

9. Since the installer was never run under Wine, you don't have any desktop shortcuts or menu items to run the game, so you'll have to run it from the terminal, or from a script that you put on the desktop (or wherever).

Here's the Target line from my Desktop shortcuts; adapt for your wine prefix and your path to the Game/Bin folder. All shortcuts by default point to the Launcher, which for me works fine under 1.2rc2, but since the Launcher is not particularly of use to you (unless you later want to install further downloadable content), you can also adapt this command line to point directly to the game executable (either the main game, if that's all you have, or the last-installed expansion or stuff pack that you have):


Code:
env WINEPREFIX="/home/motub/.wine-ts3" wine F:\\Electronic\ Arts\\De\ Sims\ 3\\Game\\Bin\\Sims3Launcher.exe 



So if you just "type" your adapted version of that into a terminal (honestly, type it one time in a text editor, then select, copy, and paste into the terminal, unless you'd rather type it out every time), and the game (or the Launcher, depending on which application you targeted) should run. Or you can put those commands in a text file-- one command per line, starting with #/bin/sh as the first line-- save it to the desktop and make it executable. Then grab an icon from somewhere and convert it to png (you can do this easily in EOG, which you should already have installed, but not in gThumb so don't bother to even try opening an *.ico file there) and attach it to the file, and voila! you have a desktop shortcut.

Whew. Hope this works, hope it helps, but mostly I hope you save yourself the trouble and get a DVD copy :) . Good luck!