how to change Installation folder of Frontier's launcher and log file folder

CMDR Darth Vater

CMDR Darth Vater
Hi all,

I've recognised that the standard folder for installation of the Frontier launcher is C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Frontier_Developments\Products\elite-dangerous-64\ - as I have also the Steam Installation for a second commander, I'd like to use the same folder to save HD space.

For making sure, that both commanders are separated I need a different game log folder for the player journal. Currently both are using C:\Users\%username%\Saved Games\Frontier Developments\Elite Dangerous

Does anyone know how to solve both issues?
 

robbyp

robbyp
Game log folder is hard coded, but that's no problem, as the files will be kept separate using file time in the names.

For me, with two commander, but both using Frontier launcher not steam, the game was installed in c:\games\Elite, and then a Mklink /J C:\games\AnotherCommander c:\Game\Elite

I think with steam you can direct the install to a specific folder (and move it if required) so the process should be the same.
 

Codger

Codger
All I can tell you is my own experience. I use the Frontier Launcher only, no Steam.

I have just one installation, and 3 CMDRs.

I can log into any of them as needed, and the player journals are all in the same (default) location.

They work fine like that.

I use EDDiscovery and it can read the journals for any of my CMDRs.

So I haven't separated them into different folders. I'm not sure the game can even do that.
 

robbyp

robbyp
The advantage of using the mklink system is that it keeps your commanders login details separate. When you launch the launcher, it looks at the launch path (including the name of the executable), and then computes a hash on it. This points to this set of folders:

1688560519906.png


Each of these has your login details in user.config.

But you still have only 1 installation to keep updated.

Edit: The copy the laucher method uses exactly the same idea, as the hash is based on the full path of the launcher. My method just saves the launcher copy size which is negliable as people say.
 
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Ashnak

Ashnak
🤔
looks interesting - sort of. Also FD launcher here. I just created copies of the FD launcher (ok, that's 4 meg a pop), renamed them to my CMDR names and put aliases of them onto the desktop. All three launchers still use the same installation and the same logfiles. EDD automagically collects whichever CMDR I select from the logfiles.

The only slight issue I have with this is that all accounts have my real name on the FD server, so I can't see just from the Launcher window which CMDR I'm running right now 🤷‍♂️.
 

Fixitman

F
Just use Minimal ED Launcher. The setup is a bit of a learning experience, but it's better than the mess symbolic links can create (if you mess up). Once you have it all set, you just click the shortcut (that you create) for the commander you want to play. No slow launcher, just straight into the game.

Don't worry about journal locations. They're already separated based on unique commander ID's timestamps. I currently have 2 Live Frontier commanders, 2 Legacy Frontier commanders, and a Live Steam commander. They never get mixed up, and they all share the same settings.
 
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Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
Robert Maynard said:
Each copy of the launcher has its own login details - so multiple CMDRs can be run from a single installation folder using unique copies of the launcher executable.
Click to expand...
That is quite the data storage bloat for such a basic functionality. Wouldn't it be sensible to instead insert the corresponding login details?
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Navigare Necesse Est said:
That is quite the data storage bloat for such a basic functionality. Wouldn't it be sensible to instead insert the corresponding login details?
Click to expand...
Not exactly sure why less than four additional megabytes, for a game install in the region of 20GB or 51GB (depending on version), would constitute bloat.

For the convenience of not having to log out of the launcher, login using the e-mail / password pair for the desired CMDR, wait for and insert verification code from e-mail as required, 4MB is of no real consequence.
 

robbyp

robbyp
The mklink method requires no extra launcher, nothing, except one single copy of the game. And you can have as many commanders as you need. You launch the game using a shortcut to edlaunch each folder for the commander and the login details are remembered. There is no need to use an external program.
 

Fixitman

F
robbyp said:
The mklink method requires no extra launcher, nothing, except one single copy of the game. And you can have as many commanders as you need. You launch the game using a shortcut to edlaunch each folder for the commander and the login details are remembered. There is no need to use an external program.
Click to expand...
Mklink and Minimal launcher both have their positives and negatives. I prefer the minimal launcher because it works for my needs. My attempt at trying mklink turned into a mess. That doesn't mean I think it's a bad option, it's just a bad option for me. OP should look into both, and decide which works for them. It's nice to have options.

robbyp said:
Journals are separated by creation time, a unique timestamp in the filename for each game session.

The file itself has the commander name in it
Click to expand...
I thought they were separated based on file content alone. I see now that the timestamp separates them, and they are identified by commander name. I've edited my previous reply accordingly. I really need to stop posting while at work. Our management seems to enjoy keeping us confused :LOL:
 

CMDR Darth Vater

CMDR Darth Vater
I will have a look. What always made me wonder why the default installation path for the launcher was the user profile. That is especially for profile backup tasks not very helpful.

That one I can't change, can I?
 

Navigare Necesse Est

Navigare Necesse Est
Robert Maynard said:
Not exactly sure why less than four additional megabytes, for a game install in the region of 20GB or 51GB (depending on version), would constitute bloat.

For the convenience of not having to log out of the launcher, login using the e-mail / password pair for the desired CMDR, wait for and insert verification code from e-mail as required, 4MB is of no real consequence.
Click to expand...
The launcher install works with just 4 MB? OK, I thought it was a full copy with tens of GB.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
CMDR Darth Vater said:
I will have a look. What always made me wonder why the default installation path for the launcher was the user profile. That is especially for profile backup tasks not very helpful.

That one I can't change, can I?
Click to expand...
The launcher installation executable gives the user the option to change the installation directory from the default.

One way to move the game without downloading the game itself again is to install the launcher to another location then move the "Products" directory and contents from the existing EDLaunch directory to the new one, then remove the old copy of the launcher.
 

CMDR Darth Vater

CMDR Darth Vater
now with the new launcher incoming I had a look what is going on. I can chose a different harddisk, but I can't chose an install folder for the game files itself. The installer for the launcher tells me if the launcher isn't run as admin the files will be installed under program folder otherwise (if run as admin) into appdata folder for the current user.
1690217575818.png


And now guess what. After I start installing Elite Dangerous Odyssey the launcher starts to install EDO under my app folder. Because my main user has admin rights.

I can't tell how much I hate all this extra launchers which are just a pain in the Uranus.
 
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