Multiple Factorio Installs

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-root
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Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by -root »

I'm trying to get multiple factorio installs to work. This is so I can have a different modset active on each one. I tend to forget to deactivate them through the ingame console and when i load save games, that completely borks them.

Is there a way of getting multiple installs to work with a different modset on each OR is there are way of packaging the mods so that I only have to turn on/off ONE mod per savegame?

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by Martc »

According to wiki, it should be possible to have 2 separate zip installations, with separate mod and saves directory. Or zip and normal installation.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by daniel34 »

It's perfectly possible to have multiple installs of factorio one one pc.
But only one of them can be the Installer version, all others have to be the zip version.

The installer version reads/writes your mods, saves, config to %appdata%\Factorio (at least on windows), that's why you can only have one.
The zip version reads/writes everything it needs from its own folder, completely independent and isolated from other installs.

For example, I have the installer version installed without mods, and currently 2 zip versions for different mod packs.
You can even copy the zip folder onto another computer and continue playing, or just keep it on an usb drive.
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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by Klonan »

Its perfectly easy, I have two directories, one is my 'main' one, which i used the installer to install, with the mod directory being in my romaing folder, the other i have uses its own directory to store the mods, and made straight from the .zip i think. If you want to create more directories you can just copy paste the entire factorio directory if you copied it from the zip.
Installed directory
zip copied directory

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by -root »

ah! brilliant! thanks guys, i'll be giving it a crack over the weekend.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by ssilk »

Is there a way to do something similar on macOs, too?

I know I can run the app directly, but it uses the ~/Library/Application Support for the user. Can this be configured?
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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by daniel34 »

I don't own a mac so I can't tell you for sure, but I know that on windows and linux the zip-versions only read and write from their own directory, so I would assume it's the same for mac.
Also, you can configure the read/write path in the config/config.ini file (at least on windows).
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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by DaveMcW »

There is no Mac zip file. ;)

You could keep multiple copies of config.ini, but you would have to copy the one you want into the config folder every time you start the game.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by cube »

ssilk wrote:Is there a way to do something similar on macOs, too?

I know I can run the app directly, but it uses the ~/Library/Application Support for the user. Can this be configured?
Yes, you can do it on mac too, but you'll have to do some manual changes :-). Unfortunately I've never done that before and currently don't have that much time to research it -- but in general the steps should be something like this:

1) Mount the dmg file
2) Make directory somewhere (let's call it F)
3) Copy factorio.app from the dmg file to F
4) Edit file F/factorio.app/config-path.cfg to contain

Code: Select all

config-path=__PATH__executable__/../../../config
use-system-read-write-data-directories=false
5) Edit file F/config/config.ini to contain

Code: Select all

[path]
write-data=__PATH__executable__/../../..
That should turn the directory F into a portable instalation of Factorio and keep the updates working. But no guarantees :-)
You could also copy your existing config and other data from ~/Library/Application Support/factorio to F and only overwrite the line in config file in step 5, if you don't mind the complications.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by ssilk »

Thanks. :) When this works, I make an update in the wiki: https://forums.factorio.com/wiki/inde ... _directory
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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by Wyrm »

As stated, this Mac OS multiple installs guide doesn't work. I've tried a couple of likely locations to put config-path, and no love. It still uses the Application Support directory. What function are you using to figure out __PATH__executable__ in the Mac version, and how is config-path.cfg built from that? If I have that, I can reconstruct where the mac version expects to find its config-path file.

By the way, the Application Support directory should not be used to store user data. Mods and saves are user data and should be moved out of that directory to a configurable base directory in future versions.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by bluegreenash »

Hi, I am running MacOS Yosemite, and have been running 0.11.22 and I have a multiplayer campaign.

However I installed 0.12 as a seperate entity, which seems to run fine, however when I tried to use 0.11.22 I found that it was not working properly.

Although it appeared to work, I could load savegames and generate new worlds, you couldn't interact properly, right / left click and zoom no longer functioned.... Not sure what happened there. Any clues as to what I can do to resolve this?

Thanks


I worked this out....... somewhere along the line the way keybinds for the mouse changed. and I had a whole bunch of invalid keybinds
I had red entries for all my mouse inputs, I resolved this by re-making all my keybinds for mouse button presses to change "Mouse Button 1" to "Mouse Left Button" etc..

go figure..

hmmm continuing n this.... this has happened again... the key binds for the mouse have changed and become invalid...not sure what to do about this but rebind the keys each time.

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by realm174 »

Sorry for reviving an older post... I've been trying to figure out how to do this, and came across this post. I bought my game on Steam. There's no installer or zip version that I can see. Does that mean I don't have the option to do that? Or is there a different way for Steam customers?

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by daniel34 »

You can make an account at factorio.com and connect that account with your steam account. Then you are able to download the DRM-free installer and zip-versions.
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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by realm174 »

Fantastic, thanks for the prompt response Daniel, that worked perfectly!!

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Re: Multiple Factorio Installs

Post by sorahn »

Since the wiki points to this thread, I'm resurrecting it from the way past dead for working instructions for the latest version (1.1.50, and macOS).

* in factorio.app/config-path.cfg

Code: Select all

config-path=__PATH__executable__/../config
use-system-read-write-data-directories=false
* in factorio.app/Contents/config/config.ini

Code: Select all

[path]
read-data=__PATH__executable__/../data
write-data=__PATH__executable__/..
You need the read-data and the write-data config values. And the folder structure for the mac version is a lot flatter than it was previously.

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