Distributing games for Windows

summary

Learn how to distribute your game for Windows.

Operating environment

Prerequisites

||| |-|=| | Supported XNA Versions | 4.0 | | Supported Platforms |

• Windows XP SP3 or later
• Windows Vista SP2 or later
• Windows 7

Operating environment

substance

When distributing a game for Windows, there is no particular problem in creating distribution data, but the distribution environment to run the created game must meet the following conditions or specifications.

• The OS is Windows XP SP3 or later, Windows Vista SP1 or later, or Windows 7
• A video card or chipset that supports shader model version 2.0 or higher
• CPU, Memory, HDD, Video Card depending on the content of the game

In addition to meeting these requirements, you must also install the following components:

• Microsoft .NET Framework 4 (Client Profile only)
• Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0
• Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0 (if distributed in a game package)

There are several distribution patterns for games for Windows, so choose the method you prefer.

Distribute executable files and other content as they are

Distribute the created game (file) as it is. Even if it is said as it is, it is usually ". zip file or self-extracting . exe". It is up to the user to decide where to extract the files.

First, open the project for the game you want to distribute.

Let's switch "Debug" to "Release" in the toolbar. This way, you can eliminate debugging information that you don't need for your game and optimize your game to build.

Of course, it's also a good idea to test in Release mode beforehand.

Select "Rebuild Solution" from the Build menu to discard the build information so far and build from scratch.

I don't think there is a problem with a normal build, but in rare cases, there may be files that are not built in their previous state, so it is recommended to rebuild just before distribution.

Then, the files necessary for the game will be created in the following folder in the project folder.

• [Project Folder Name] [project folder name]\bin\x86\Release

In this folder, you will find the ". .exe file and . xnb" and other content files, folder structures created in the project, etc. All you have to do is distribute these files as they are. However, the . Don't include "pdb" alone as it has nothing to do with the game.

By the way, the executable file name is the file name set in the project. In the figure, it is created in a project called "WindowsGame1", and since the name has not been changed, the file name is "WindowsGame1.exe".

If you want to take the created file directly to another computer, you can take it as it is, but when distributing it on the web, it is normal to compress the file in the sense of consolidating the file or reducing its size.

By default, Windows XP and later have a single file called ". There is a feature that allows you to compress into "zip", so it is better to use it.

It's easy to do, just select all the files you need, right-click on it, and select the "Compressed (zipped) folder" item in the "Send to" menu.

Then, as shown in the figure, a zip file will be created, so it is a good idea to put it on your site and register it on the download site. (Depending on the size of the file, it may take some time to create the zip file.)

By the way, if you distribute the executable file to other computers as it is, you can use the . If you double-click the ".exe" file as it is, you can play the game, but you can play the . If you distribute it as a compressed file such as "zip", you will not be able to execute it unless you decompress the file (undo the compression).

Decompressing compressed files, but using the . In the case of a "zip" file, if you have Windows XP or later OS, you can unzip it with the standard function. First, use the . Once you have the "zip" file, you can double-click on it to browse the compressed files. Among them, " . .exe file, but this is still in a compressed state, so you can't run it.

With all of these files selected, copy the files and paste them into any folder, and they will be automatically unzipped, so all you have to do is launch the executable file and play the game.

It's a good idea to explain to the user how to do this in some way.

Distributed in game packages

XNA version 4.0 includes the Game Package feature. You will be able to easily distribute your game, and you will be able to compress, decompress, and package files automatically. Of course, the target computer must have the necessary components installed.

Please note that in order to deploy the game package, "XNA Game Studio 4.0" must also be installed on the computer to which it is distributed. (Game packages are intended to be distributed and played by XNA creators only.) However, I don't know if this system will change in the future)

First, you need to rebuild the project and create an executable file, but it is the same as the method described in "Distributing executable files and other content as is", so I will omit the explanation.

Once the project has been rebuilt, select "Package XXXXX as XNA Creators Club Game" from the Build menu. (XXXXX is the project name)

Then, you can see that a file called "XXXXX.ccgame" has been created in the following folder.

• [Project Folder Name] [project folder name]\bin\x86\Release

This is the game package for XNA, and you can distribute it as-is. (However, depending on the site, the extension ".ccgame" is not recognized, so you may have to put it in a separate ".zip" file, so please check it yourself.)

If you want to play the game at the distribution destination, you can use the . Double-click the "ccgame" file. Then, a dialog like the one shown in the figure will be displayed, so press the "Unpack" button to expand the package.

Then, the file will be extracted to the following folder, and all you have to do is run the game as it is.

For Windows XP (default)

• C:\Documents and Settings[user directory]\Local Settings\Application Data\XNA Creators Club Games

For Windows Vista, Windows 7 (default)

• C:\Users\[user directory]\AppData\Local\XNA Creators Club Games