Launcher Settings

Configure launcher behavior and advanced options

Fine-tune your launcher's behavior, features, and performance. ⚙️

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General Settings

Control Panel

Launcher Status Control

Manage your launcher's availability and communicate status to players.

Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Enable Launcher	Enable or disable the launcher completely	✅ true
Maintenance Mode	Put launcher in maintenance mode	❌ false
Alert Message	Display custom message for you as a developer, useful for teams	Empty

How It Works:

• Enabled (Enable Launcher: enabled) - Launcher functions normally, users can access all features
• Maintenance Mode (Maintenance Mode: enabled) - Launcher shows maintenance notice to users
• Disabled (Enable Launcher: disabled) - Launcher access is blocked completely
• Alert Message - Custom banner message displayed to developers, useful for teams

Use Cases:

• Maintenance Mode - Display "Server under maintenance" during backend updates
• Alert Message - Announce "Launcher maintenance, do not enable"
• Disabled State - Temporarily block access during critical infrastructure work

Impact: When disabled, users cannot access the launcher. Use maintenance mode for scheduled downtime with user communication.

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Platform Settings

Windows Configuration

Configure platform-specific settings for the Windows launcher build.

Basic Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Enable Launcher	Enable Windows platform	✅ true
Executable Name	Name of the launcher .exe file	Empty
Maintenance Mode	Platform-specific maintenance	❌ false
Link Only Mode	Button opens URL instead of launching game	❌ false
Link URL	URL to open when "Link Only" is enabled	Empty

Link Only Mode:

When enabled, the launcher button opens a website instead of the launcher executable.

Use Cases:

• Redirect users to a download page
• Link to external platforms
• Redirect to new launcher version

Launch Arguments:

Setting	Description	Default
Enable Custom Launch Arguments	Enable custom launch arguments	❌ false
Launch Arguments	Arguments passed to launcher executable	--windowed --debug
Enable Global Games Launch Arguments	Enable global arguments for all apps	❌ false
Global Games Launch Arguments	Arguments applied to ALL apps in launcher	--language=en

Launch Arguments Priority:

Final Arguments = [Global Launch Arguments] + [Custom Launch Arguments]

Examples:

# Custom Launch Arguments (launcher-specific)
launchArguments: "--windowed --resolution=1280x720"

# Global Launch Arguments (applied to all apps)
globalLaunchArguments: "--language=en --log-level=info"

# Combined Result
--language=en --log-level=info --windowed --resolution=1280x720

Tip: Use Global Arguments for launcher-wide settings and Custom Arguments for launcher-specific configurations.

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Advanced Settings

Advanced Configuration Options

Configure advanced launcher behavior and features.

Directory Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Main App Subdirectory	Name of the apps root directory	Apps

How Directory Structure Works:

The mainAppSubdirectoryName defines where apps are installed:

Launcher Directory/
└── Apps/                  ← mainAppSubdirectoryName
    ├── Game1/
    │   ├── Game1.exe
    │   └── Data/
    └── Game2/
        ├── Game2.exe
        └── Assets/

Custom Examples:

mainAppSubdirectoryName: "Apps"     →  Launcher/Apps/Game/
mainAppSubdirectoryName: "Games"    →  Launcher/Games/Game/
mainAppSubdirectoryName: "Content"  →  Launcher/Content/Game/

Coordination: This should match the rootName setting in each app's advanced settings for consistency.

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Launch Arguments:

Setting	Description	Default
Global Games Launch Arguments	Global arguments applied to all apps	Empty

Installer Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Deploy with Installer	Include installer in launcher deployments	✅ true

Update & Verification Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Check for Updates Interval	How often to check for updates (seconds)	3600 (1h)
Verify Files at Launcher Start	Verify launcher files on start	✅ true
Verify Files at App Start	Verify app files before launching	❌ false

UI Settings:

Setting	Description	Default
Slideshow Interval	Slideshow image interval (seconds)	5
Play Slideshow on Start	Auto-play slideshow when launcher starts	✅ true
Show Server Status	Display server status indicator	✅ true

Forced Updates:

Setting	Description	Default
Minimum Required Build Version	Minimum launcher build ID required to access	null

How Forced Updates Work:

When set, players must update to at least this build version before accessing the platform.

minimumRequiredBuildId: null     → No forced updates
minimumRequiredBuildId: 42       → Players must have build #42 or higher
minimumRequiredBuildId: 100      → Players must have build #100 or higher

Use Cases:

• Critical security patches
• Breaking changes in game protocol
• Major feature updates
• Deprecation of old launcher versions

Impact: Players with older versions will be required to update before they can use the launcher.

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Custom Paths

Override default installation paths:

Game Install Path:
  Default: C:\Games\GameLauncherCloud\{appname}\
  Custom:  D:\MyGames\{appname}\

Launcher Data:
  Default: %APPDATA%\GameLauncherCloud\
  Custom:  C:\LauncherData\

Cache Directory:
  Default: %TEMP%\GameLauncherCloud\
  Custom:  E:\Cache\

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Security Settings

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Advanced Settings

Update & Deploy Settings

Setting	Description	Default
Check for Updates Interval	How often to check for launcher updates (seconds)	60 seconds
Deploy with Installer	Build Windows installer (.exe) in addition to ZIP	✅ Enabled

News & Slideshow Settings

Setting	Description	Default
Slideshow Interval	Seconds between slideshow images
Play Slideshow on Start	Auto-start slideshow when launcher opens	✅ Enabled

Server & Verification

Setting	Description	Default
Show Server Status	Display server status indicator
Verify Files at Launcher Start	Check file integrity when launcher starts	✅ Enabled
Verify Files at App Start	Check file integrity before launching game	File Verification Impact:

• At Launcher Start - Slower startup, ensures all files are valid
• At App Start - Verifies only the game about to launch
• Both Disabled - Fastest, but no integrity checks

Performance: Enabling "Verify Files at App Start" may cause 1-5 second delay before game launches, depending on game size.

Forced Updates

Setting	Description	Default
Minimum Required Build ID	Force users to update to specific build	None

How It Works:

1. Select a build ID from completed builds dropdown
2. Users with older versions must update before accessing the launcher
3. Set to "No minimum" to make updates optional

Use Cases:

• Critical security patches
• Breaking changes in launcher functionality
• New required features
• Major platform updates

Important: Setting a minimum required build will block all users with older versions. Use carefully and communicate updates to your users.

Example:

Minimum Required Build: Build #42 (v2.5.0)

User with Build #41 → Must update to #42+ to access launcher
User with Build #42 → Can access normally
User with Build #43 → Can access normally

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Best Practices

✅ Test Changes

Test settings before pushing to production

✅ Document Changes

Keep changelog of setting modifications

✅ Backup Config

Export settings regularly as backup

✅ Use Presets

Start with presets then customize

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Next Steps

📰 Create News

Engage players with updates

📊 Analytics

Track launcher performance

📚 API Reference

Integrate with custom systems

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Need Help? Check our troubleshooting guide or join Discord!