Skip to content

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 directly:

java -cp litiengine.jar de.gurkenlabs.litiengine.launch.GameLauncher --project game.litidata

CLI Options

Option Argument Description
--project <path> Path to the .litidata resource bundle file (e.g. --project mygame.litidata).
--startup-script <id> ID or class of the primary GameScript to execute on boot. If omitted, the first bound GameScript is run automatically.
--map <name> Initial map to load. If omitted, the first map in the project bundle is loaded.
--scale <float> Default render scale factor (e.g. --scale 2.0 for pixel art).
--title <string> Custom window title text.
--gravity <int> 2D physics gravity value (default: 0).
--release None Run in production release mode (disables debug overlays).
--help, -h None Print command line usage and available flags.
--version, -v 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.