Gameimage Updater - A tool to update gameimages without rebuilding them

[ruanformigoni]

I'm working on a tool to update the flatimages generated by gameimage without having to rebuild the image with the wizard. I'd appreciate suggestions and/or feedback on this. Here's what it would do:

• Update flatimage itself.
• Update wine or emulators to the latest ones.
• Generate a new image as the result (it could be in-place, without generating a new one, but if it breaks there would be no backup).

[Tell-Sackett]

Just some thoughts that may or may not even be useful:

• You mentioned generating a "new image" as opposed to an "in-place" one. This sounds like the safer option (as opposed to manipulating the only image). Creating a backup before editing the original, creating a copy and editing that one, or (if possible) making some kind of restorative state to the image being manipulated (which the tool could fall-back to if an error occurs) might all be viable options.
• Perhaps adding functionality to update GOG games via backup installer patch files (which are released by GOG after a recent update for a game). That said, I've personally never actually attempted to use this patching functionality (so maybe such is not possible, or even desirable), but it's a thought.
• Perhaps having the ability to add or remove a game from a flatimage with multiple games packed inside would be desirable.
• As a matter of future-proofing, if modding becomes something of a future priority, leaving open the ability / possibility for such an updater to allow the user to directly manipulate mod files which they were installed manually.
• Perhaps adding some of the functionality mentioned in Convert old appimages to the new flatimage #57 as well. That is: (1) being able to convert old appimages to new flatimages and (2) being able to extract flatimages. That said, such functionality might be outside the scope of an "updater tool" and, thus, more appropriate for its own separate tool.

Again, most of these are just thoughts that came to the top of my head, whether useful / practical or not.