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GameLauncher CLI & Standalone Runner

GameLauncher (de.gurkenlabs.litiengine.launch.GameLauncher) is LITIENGINE's standalone CLI launcher. It boots and runs .litidata resource bundles without requiring you to compile a custom public static void main class.

Quick Start

Run any .litidata game or project directory directly:

# Pass the project bundle or directory as an argument
java -cp litiengine.jar de.gurkenlabs.litiengine.launch.GameLauncher game.litidata

# Or use explicit CLI options
java -cp litiengine.jar de.gurkenlabs.litiengine.launch.GameLauncher -p ./mygame --map overworld --scale 2.0

CLI Options

Usage: java -jar litiengine.jar [OPTIONS] [PROJECT_DIR_OR_LITIDATA]
Option Argument Description
-p, --project <path> Path to the game project root folder or .litidata bundle.
-s, --startup-script <name> Specify the initial GameScript definition to execute on boot.
-m, --map <name> Specify the initial map/environment to load.
-t, --title <title> Custom game window title.
--scale <float> Set base render scale factor (e.g. --scale 2.0 for pixel art).
--gravity <int> Set global physics gravity in pixels/sec (default: 0).
--release <int> Java language level for runtime script compilation (e.g. --release 25).
-h, --help None Display command-line usage and available options.
-v, --version None Display engine version information.

Auto-Detection & Fallback Rules

When executing GameLauncher:

  1. Startup Script: If --startup-script is not specified, GameLauncher inspects the project's bound GameScripts and boots the first active one. If none are bound, it searches for any registered GameScript definition.
  2. Initial Map: If --map is not specified, GameLauncher checks if the active GameScript loaded a map in its onStarted() hook. If no map was loaded, it loads the first map found in .litidata.
  3. Audio & Physics: Audio and physics engines are automatically initialized before any scripts are attached.