How to make an affiliate version of a game?

[amaranth]

Hi, I'm a newbie when it comes to shareware... Can someone tell me how to make an affiliate version of a game? Is there a generic way to do this?

For example, how do you dynamically attach an affiliate ID to your game without creating a hundred different demos for various affiliates? I also don't want to have to use the RegNow setup or mess with the registry...

Thanks!! :D

[Pallav Nawani]

Hi, I'm a newbie when it comes to shareware... Can someone tell me how to make an affiliate version of a game? Is there a generic way to do this?

For example, how do you dynamically attach an affiliate ID to your game without creating a hundred different demos for various affiliates? I also don't want to have to use the RegNow setup or mess with the registry...

Thanks!! :D


My games call ShellExecute on windows to open a internet shortcut. Everywhere in the game, when the buy button is pressed, the same internet shortcut is opened. When I give the game to an affiliate, I add the affiliate ID in the shortcut file. The shortcut file is created automatically by the installer. So what I do is to change the affiliate id in the install maker script, create the install, and I am done.

I have not tried it, but maybe you could set up a system where you say


make 1234

And some perl script or something else injects the affliate id into the installer script, and then install maker (such as Nsis installer or the Inno Setup) would do the rest. I think both the installers have a command line version of the install compiler.

Edit: Oh, you are the same people who made Ahriman's Prophecy. I hope you have success with your new game. Don't forget to submit it to the portals!

hth,
Pallav

[soniCron]

I created an NSIS script to take bytes added on to the end of the installer (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?p=51168#post51168) and use those for identification.

In addition, there's a whole thread about affiliate versions (http://forums.indiegamer.com/showthread.php?t=3825).

[Sharkbait]

If you plan to use a DRM wrapper, an easy way out to handle affiliate versions is to strip any URL links from the main game executable and simply configure the Buy link of the wrapped application with the appropriate affiliate URL.

In short, one common unprotected exe, and multiple wrapped versions with different affiliate links.

[amaranth]

Thank you very much everyone! I'll try these ideas this week.

Pallav, you will be happy to know that Aveyond has been gobbled up by it's first portal! Thanks to Joe Lieberman at VGSmart.com, the game is going to be on ArcadeTown soon. Joe rocks at game marketing!