Should I have to install Microprose Falcon 4 CD to install and run BMS ?
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Well, you do not strictly need the CD version: any valid (aka: from a certified source) installation of F4 - as the “Falcon Collection” bundle you can buy from various online platforms - will do the job.
Just to provide you with an easier path in case you don’t have the original F4 CD and are struggling to find one… -
How can we setup BMS if we want to use it at uncontrolled environment or event. such a open day or factory event
I mean if the PC config not belong to me and I don’t want to share my steam and account on it to setup the original F4?
And even there is no internet connection.
Is it possible to download on pendrive and setup from it ? -
@adrianmak . Hi, and welcome. As BlueRaven wrote, you don’t really need the cd. Steam, for example, has it for $6.99 US.
@repvez , your question might be a bit more involved. I don’ t see why you couldn’t download the BMS Installer to a flash drive of sufficient capacity, then install it from that. I wonder, though, about Falcon 4 without a cd. Does Steam work without an internet connection? -
Obviously, Steam will not work without an internet connection - it is a digital distribution platform that allows downloading and installing software purchased on its network. You cannot download a portable installer through Steam, it only will install to a designated “Steam Library” and I doubt this can be a removable storage device.
Likewise, you cannot purchase and download the game from GoG.com without an internet connection. However, you can connect any computer to the internet just to purchase and download the Falcon 4.0 installer from GoG.com and place it on any removable storage device - you can later connect this device to any capable computer to install Falcon 4.0 and no internet connect would be required for this installation.
@repvez I assume this is for something like a LAN party where computers may be provided, yet you must install your own software (without internet access), and if that is the case, for legal reasons it would be required for you to uninstall your copy of Falcon 4.0 from that computer that you don’t own once you are done using it. It’s important that we all respect the copyright of Falcon 4.0 (and of course BMS) to ensure a safe and prosperous future for BMS without any complications or complaints from the copyright holder of Falcon 4.0
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@SemlerPDX yes this is the case. a temp lan event to show the sim to PPL and they can try it, that’s why I’m asking, because, I don’t know that I can download an ISO from steam. I know only you can set up it directly from there.
The another question is that If I DL the iso and set up on multiple PC it will be illegal.third I don’t want to log in to a PC which will be use without me .Or buy multiple times for one account for once event. if it could be one account to multible falcon4 use.
And also don’t want to use my own account because it will be mess up my stats and config -
@SemlerPDX said in Should I have to install Microprose Falcon 4 CD to install and run BMS ?:
Obviously, Steam will not work without an internet connection - it is a digital distribution platform that allows downloading and installing software purchased on its network. You cannot download a portable installer through Steam, it only will install to a designated “Steam Library” and I doubt this can be a removable storage
Once installed you can run Steam games in offline mode without Internet connection if the game doesn’t require a permanent connection. And sure you ca have your SteamLibrary on a removable device or have multiple SteamLibrary locations
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third I don’t want to log in to a PC which will be use without me .Or buy multiple times for one account for once event. if it could be one account to multible falcon4 use.
And also don’t want to use my own account because it will be mess up my stats and configYou could create a secondary Steam Account and use family share. So your stats won’t be messed up. Even so you can share with up to 5 accounts only one user at a time can play game
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My solution:
the Original Falcon 4 on CD can not be installed on WIN10/11.
So, copy the whole folder Microprose to c:\ (without install !) then
make new Registry-entries:a) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\Falcon4.exe]
“Path”=“C:\MicroProse\Falcon4”
@=“Falcon”b) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\MicroProse]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\MicroProse\Falcon]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\MicroProse\Falcon\4.0]
“baseDir”=“C:\MicroProse\Falcon4”
“objectDir”=“C:\MicroProse\Falcon4\terrdata\objects”
“misctexDir”=“C:\MicroProse\Falcon4\terrdata\misctex”
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\MicroProse\Falcon\4.0\MPR]
“MPRDetect3Dx”=dword:00000001
“MPRDetectCPU”=dword:00000001
“MPRDetectMMX”=dword:00000001
“MPRDetectXMM”=dword:00000001c) [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Falcon 4.0]
“UninstallString”=“C:\Windows\IsUn0407.exe -fC:\MicroProse\Falcon4\Uninst.isu”
“DisplayName”=“Falcon 4.0”This hack fakes an installation and you’re ready to install Falcon BMS.
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@Eagle10 are you sure this is TOS compliant?
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@repvez
A couple of solutions to your issue –- buy from GoG and as I understand, you can install it anywhere (no DRM) so just save the installer to a flash drive and install
- create a “LAN account” on Steam and buy it from there. As it is a trash account, who cares about stats? Just remember to remove your CC info
- hotspot onto your phone to do the installs. You can pre-download the BMS installer but I think it still checks the internet for the latest Launcher or any other Hot Fixes.
The F4.0 install itself is small, it’s the BMS installers (3.8GB) that is bigger and would definitely benefit from being pre-downloaded onto a flash drive.
If the PC will be used to demonstrate BMS after you leave, then maybe #2 and #3 would be the best solution as the “LAN account” will technically own a copy of F4.0. If you use #1, then YOU own the copy of F4.0 that the LAN PC is using. Small details and technicalities but with the situation of BMS, it is best to be in the clear for yourself and for the BMS community, all for the cost of £4.99
Please remember that BMS is also for non-commercial use only. There may be some options for commercial or extended-demo use but best to refer to the devs for clarification on this.
Good luck!
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@Atlas said in Should I have to install Microprose Falcon 4 CD to install and run BMS ?:
@repvez
A couple of solutions to your issue –- buy from GoG and as I understand, you can install it anywhere (no DRM) so just save the installer to a flash drive and install.
Good luck!
I had wondered about GoG as a Steam alternative, but have little experience with it. As Semler and Oak were describing, the question with Steam becomes if the f4.exe is something that is downloaded for offline play( and thus could be transferred to a flash drive), not to mention the Steam Library issue.
Eagle may be on to something… -
@drtbkj
Why hack it when F4.0 on Steam costs £4.99 or the Falcon Collection on GoG is £6.99?If Steam accounts and what-not is an issue, then just make a new Steam account solely for this purpose and spend £4.99, problem solved and no headaches.
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@Atlas said in Should I have to install Microprose Falcon 4 CD to install and run BMS ?:
@drtbkj
Why hack it when F4.0 on Steam costs £4.99 or the Falcon Collection on GoG is £6.99?If Steam accounts and what-not is an issue, then just make a new Steam account solely for this purpose and spend £4.99, problem solved and no headaches.
Hi, Atlas. I completely agree. The issue is no internet connection where the Op wants to set up. So, what we seem to have is…
- Putting the BMS Installers on a sufficiently sized flash drive is not an issue, and he can install off those at his event.
- As Semler said, Steam (Idk about GoG)can be set to run in off line mode, so theoretically he should be able to put it on a flash drive, too. And, I agree he can simply make a new account for his project.
- So, we just have to enable the pc at his event to “see” f4.exe, right?
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@drtbkj
In today’s day and age, can OP not hotspot the PC to his mobile phone?
Even if this is not possible, wouldn’t the GoG option be possible and even simpler/safer than doing a registry hack? -
@Atlas Good point about the hotspot.
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@Eagle10 said in Should I have to install Microprose Falcon 4 CD to install and run BMS ?:
the Original Falcon 4 on CD can not be installed on WIN10/11.
I just reinstalled Falcon 4.0 on Win 10 & 11 devices from original CD so there is technical reason that doesn’t work.
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@Zeus can confirm. I have original disk and windows 10 and no problem installing.
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@Carbide @Zeus
Sometimes, it’s not an issue of Win10/Win11 but rather the physical media degrading through time but the user thinks it’s the OS rather than the CD. I still have my CDs for collection purposes but never really installed through it. Thinking about it, I didn’t have a CD drive on my PCs over the last 12-15 years now! The last time I needed to access data from a CD, I just used one of those external USB-connected drives. -
@Atlas I did not think about the media degrading. It has been since 4.32 that I installed Falcon 4 from my disk. I’m sure I would think it was my system that was the issue and not the disk if I had trouble installing.