vtroc7
3.0 KiB
Portable Windows folder
Players download iw4l-windows.zip from the GitHub release; it holds the executable.
A server operator hands out the .iw4l-server descriptor separately.
make release packs every .iw4l-server in the root folder unchanged into iw4l-windows-community.zip; make launcher windows writes the same under dist/windows/.
The archive password is t.me/contextrot. Extract into a dedicated writable folder:
IW4L/
├── iw4l.exe
├── Modern Warfare 2.lnk
├── Black Ops.lnk optional
├── Modern Warfare 3.lnk optional
├── community.iw4l-server optional
└── iw4l-artifacts/ created on first launch: saves, caches, demos, logs
iw4l.exe licenses prints the licence and notice texts compiled into the executable.
The runtime reads the installations those shortcuts point to. MW2 multiplayer data
is required for the menu; BO1 and MW3 are optional. For each missing title,
iw4l.exe checks the Steam libraries and creates its shortcut when exactly one
install has supported multiplayer data. Existing shortcuts and titles already
found in the configured folders are preserved. If several installs qualify,
create a shortcut to the one you want. If MW2 is still missing, the launcher shows
the folders it tried and how to add the shortcut: right-click inside the launcher
folder, New > Shortcut, paste the game folder path.
Launch iw4l.exe. Before starting the game or contacting QUIC, it checks its
community's HTTPS manifest. An unchanged executable starts normally. An update
is downloaded, decompressed with a size limit and verified against SHA-256.
A temporary copy of the same executable waits for the original process, replaces
it and restarts with the original arguments. Failed installation or spawning
restores the previous executable. There is no permanent second executable.
The temporary files are iw4l.update.exe, iw4l.previous.exe and a helper in
%TEMP%; the next verified startup removes the backup and helper. The lock file
iw4l.update.lock serializes update checks; iw4l.update-helper records cleanup.
An update error stops startup and reports the failure; a configured community requires a reachable update origin.
Without a community descriptor, local development can launch without checking.
A descriptor pins a public CA and the master's TLS name for both HTTPS and QUIC.
Use a descriptor from a trusted source: its operator can distribute executable
updates. Its settings take precedence over the legacy master environment keys.
One adjacent .iw4l-server is selected automatically. With several, choose under
Options → Community Servers → Apply & Restart; the choice is saved beside the
executable in iw4l.community.json. With no choice, the menu opens offline; IW4L_COMMUNITY overrides the saved choice.
Invalid adjacent descriptors are skipped. See MASTER.md.
On Windows, the executable directory is the working directory; .env and
IW4L_GAMES can override game discovery. Publishing: DEPLOY.md.