Possible to run without installing JRE? Any chance we could get a .jar file instead Mr. Dev?

[Special]

So I am unable to install JavaRE, no way around this, but I have been able to get around this need in the past in order to run .jar applications by just pointing them to the JRE folder I copy over, a portable version of Java basically, an example of this would be;

SomeFolder\Java\jre6\bin\javaw.exe -jar SomeApp.jar

They've always ran just fine without actually needing to install Java, unfortunately you supply a .exe file instead of a typical .jar file, which puts a dent in my normal work around here.

I've tried digging through the Voyage.exe for a .jar file or .ini file I could config, but no luck there, is there a work around here Mr. Dev? You know your work better then I do, obviously.

Is there any chance you can compile a .jar file in replacement for the .exe file, in a Steam beta branch perhaps for those of us that would like to play your game in a "Java portable" solution?

I'm 99% sure it will run as a .jar file using a command similar to the one above. And I really want to scratch my Mystery Dungeon itch.

[artcepse]

Hey Special,

I wonder if you can download the Linux or Mac build of the game, extract it and use that .jar (Windows is the only platform I've packaged it as an .exe).

I'll get in touch with you via email and try to set you up.

Sorry for the trouble!

[Special]

Tried the jar file from the Mac and Linux build and it's a no go, I might just need to tinker with it a little bit (I'm no brain surgeon at this stuff :P)

I also got your e-mail with a little more detail put into it. Also it's no trouble, literally nothing to be sorry for.

[artcepse]

Another possible workaround is to use a Launch4j config file.

Launch4j is the software I use to wrap the game and make the jar into an exe for Windows. I did some quick testing and it seems I was able to get it to launch with an alternate install of the JRE (Java 8 64bit as opposed to a 32bit version I normally build with).

I'll get in touch via email.

But basically you make a file called "Voyage.l4j.ini" in the same directory as the exe and specify the JRE directory you want with one of Java's -D options, something like:

# Launch4j runtime config for Voyage to Farland
-DJAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_102"

[Special]

I haven't had a chance to try Launch4j out yet, but would it be possible for Steam to pick this up? Ideally I'd like to run Voyage to Farland through Steam for Stats & Achievements.

[artcepse]

It'll run through Steam. Same as usual.

Launch4j is already wrapped around Voyage.exe (or technically, it's the software I use to wrap the jar into a Windows exe).

All you have to do (hopefully) is add that two-line file to the Voyage install directory and when you run the game, it'll read that config file and use the JRE you tell it to.

All the regular Steam functionality should be in place.

I assume it will also work when you use the Steam app to launch the game, since all it does is invoke the .exe (which should look at the config file).

[Special]

Almost a year later and that Mystery Dungeon itch comes crawling back, so I tried once again to make this portable, but have had no luck. Not sure why as I've made other Program.jar files to work but this one just seems stubborn to all my techniques.

The Dream is that one day Artcepse will get this to run portable for us Windows users. Does he have a sequel in t he works? I hope that will at least be.

[artcepse]

Hi Special,

Sorry I didn't get back sooner!

Did you ever try creating that short config file in the game's directory? Looks like Steam installs the game in

c:/Program Files (x86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/Voyage to Farland/

for me. If you create a file called

Voyage.l4j.ini

in that directory with notepad or any other text editor, and paste in the lines

# Launch4j runtime config for Voyage to Farland
-DJAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0_102"

I got that to work before. You would of course change the JAVA_HOME part to point to your particular jre location and version.

[Special]

Thanks for getting back! It's been awhile since I played around with this, to try and make it work, back then I has done all the little tricks that I know and it would just popup an error message... I even had some suggestions/help from you back then too.

I was playing Slay the Spire recently and that game just has a "portable" jre 1.8.0_144 folder inside its install directory that it points too, which made me reminded of this game and how I tried to get it to work.

I'll give this another tinker tomorrow, because I really do want to get this game to work! I always get this unscratchable Shiren itch, like how are there not more of these types on Steam?

[Special]

Trip report! Nope. :(

https://i.imgur.com/6GWJ82D.png

[MayMasque]

I know this thread's a couple years old, but after a bit of tinkering I just got Voyage to Farland running with a bundled JRE by the "simple" method of ripping it out of the wrapper and re-wrapping it with Launch4j. I thought I'd document what I did in case the OP or anyone else finds this useful for whatever reason.

Software used:

• Launch4j 3.12[sourceforge.net], or a later version if available. Grab the zip archive, unpack it, run launch4j.jar.
  
• 7-zip[www.7-zip.org] or similar archive software. The zip feature built into Windows won't work.
  
• OpenJDK, via the AdoptOpenJDK project[adoptopenjdk.net]. That releases page has a lot of choices but you're looking for Windows, x86, JRE, in a zip archive. Unzip that archive to the Voyage to Farland install folder.

---

• Open Voyage.exe as an archive in 7-zip and extract the contents to a new folder. Then rename Voyage.exe to something else, as a backup.
  
• Open the folder you extracted the files to, select everything, and use 7-zip to create a new zip file with those contents. Rename the new zip file to Voyage.jar and place it in the Voyage to Farland install folder. (At this point you have a valid jar file, and with a few extra command-line options you can run it directly. I chose to go the extra mile and wrap it in Launch4j for the convenience of playing via Steam.)
  
• In Launch4j, create a new configuration. In the basic tab, choose your newly-created Voyage.jar in the "Jar" field and Voyage.exe in the VtF install folder as the "Output file".
  
• In the JRE tab, under "Bundled JRE path", enter the name of the folder containing the local JRE you want to use. In my case that's "jdk-11.0.8+10-jre". Then enter the following single line in the "JVM options" field:

-Djava.library.path=lib -Djna.library.path=lib -Dfile.encoding="UTF-8"

• Save the configuration file you've just created anywhere you'd like, then click the gear button to build.
  
• If everything went right, you should have a working standalone installation of Voyage to Farland, so try to run it.