- [Installation](#-installation)
- [Support](#-support)
- [Supported Games](#-supported-games)
- [Command line arguments](#%EF%B8%8F-command-line-arguments)
- [Config file](#-config-file-alterware-launcherjson)
- [Building from Source](#-building-from-source)
---
## 📦 Installation
[**Windows**](#-windows) | [**Debian/Ubuntu**](#-debianubuntu-amd64arm64) | [**Other Linux OS**](#-other-linux-os) | [**macOS**](#-macos)
---
### 🪟 Windows
1. Download the game from [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/).
2. Download the appropriate version of the AlterWare launcher:
- **Windows 64-bit**: Download the [latest alterware-launcher.exe](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/latest/download/alterware-launcher.exe).
- **Windows 32-bit**: Download the [latest alterware-launcher-x86.exe](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/latest/download/alterware-launcher-x86.exe).
3. Place the `alterware-launcher.exe` in the game directory.
4. Run `alterware-launcher.exe`. After updating, the game will launch automatically.
> [!NOTE]
> Windows 7 is no longer supported. [v0.6.12](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/tag/v0.6.12) is the last version that will run on Windows 7.
> To keep using it set `"skip_self_update": true` in the `alterware-launcher.json` config file.
> [!IMPORTANT]
> ### Information for server owners:
> On Windows the launcher self-updates and restarts by spawning a new console.
> For automated processes, use `--skip-launcher-update` and manually download the latest launcher from [here](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/latest/download/alterware-launcher.exe).
---
### 🐧 Debian/Ubuntu (amd64/arm64)
1. You can download the game from Steam using either [SteamCMD](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD) or the official Steam desktop app.
2. Follow the instructions provided in this [forum post](https://forum.alterware.dev/t/linux-debian-ubuntu-amd64-arm64-install-the-alterware-launcher-using-our-apt-repository/1117) to install the alterware-launcher using our self-hosted APT repository.
3. Once installed, run the launcher from your game directory to download the client files automatically. For updates, use the launcher from the terminal with the `--update` command-line argument as explained in [this guide](https://forum.alterware.dev/t/all-clients-useful-info-for-running-our-mods-under-linux/343).
> [!NOTE]
> The steps above can be used for any Debian-based distribution that uses the APT package manager.
---
### 🐧 Other Linux OS
1. Consult the Steam documentation to learn how to download the game from their servers.
2. Visit the [latest release](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/latest) page for the AlterWare launcher and choose the release that matches your system requirements.
3. Once installed, run the launcher from your game directory to download the client files automatically. For updates, use the launcher from the terminal with the `--update` command-line argument as explained in [this guide](https://forum.alterware.dev/t/all-clients-useful-info-for-running-our-mods-under-linux/343).
---
### 🍎 macOS
1. You can download the game from Steam using either [SteamCMD](https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SteamCMD) or the official Steam desktop app.
2. Download the [latest alterware-launcher](https://github.com/mxve/alterware-launcher/releases/latest/download/alterware-launcher-universal-apple-darwin.tar.gz).
3. Once installed, run the launcher from your game directory to download the client files automatically. For updates, use the launcher from the terminal with the `--update` command-line argument as explained in [this guide](https://forum.alterware.dev/t/all-clients-useful-info-for-running-our-mods-under-linux/343).
> [!WARNING]
> Running the AlterWare launcher on macOS has not been officially tested. However, since WINE has a macOS port, it should theoretically be possible to run our clients on this platform.
---
## ❓ Support
Need help or have questions? We're here to help you!
- **AlterWare Forum**: Visit our [official forum](https://forum.alterware.dev/) for in-depth discussions, troubleshooting, and community support.
- **Discord Community**: Join our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/2ETE8engZM) for real-time chat, quick questions, and to connect with other users.
---
## 🎮 Supported Games
> [!IMPORTANT]
> **Only legitimate copies of the games are supported. If you don't own the game, please buy it.**
> **IW4x**
> Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Multiplayer
> **IW4-SP**
> Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Singeplayer
> **IW5-Mod**
> Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 - Singleplayer, SpecOps
> **IW6-Mod**
> Call of Duty: Ghosts
> **S1-Mod**
> Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
---
## ⚙️ Command line arguments
- ```iw4-sp```, ```iw4x```, ```iw5-mod```, ```iw6-mod```, ```s1-mod```
- Skip automatic detection and launch the specified game
- Must be the first argument if used
- ```--help```
- Print help
- ```--update```, ```-u```
- Update the game without launching it
- ```--skip-launcher-update```
- Skip updating the launcher
- ```--bonus```
- Download bonus content
- ```--force```, ```-f```
- Force file hash recheck
- ```--path```, ```-p```
- Set the game installation path
- Do not include a trailing backslash in the path
- ```--pass```
- Pass additional arguments to the game
- See [client-args.md](client-args.md) for more details
- ```--version```, ```-v```
- Print the launcher version
- ```--ignore-required-files```
- Install client even if required files are missing
- ```--skip-redist```
- Skip installing redistributables
- ```--redist```
- Install or reinstall redistributables
##### Example:
```shell
alterware-launcher.exe iw4x --bonus -u --path "C:\Games\IW4x" --pass "-console"
```
> [!TIP]
> Some arguments can be set in alterware-launcher.json, args generally override the values of the config.
---
## 🔧 Config file `alterware-launcher.json`
- `update_only`: Set to true to only update the game. Default: `false`.
- `skip_self_update`: Skip launcher updates. Default: `false`.
- `download_bonus_content`: Automatically download bonus content. Default: `false`.
- `ask_download_bonus_content`: Ask before downloading bonus content. Default: `false`.
- `force_update`: Force file recheck. Default: `false`.
- `args`: Pass additional arguments to the game. Default: `""`.
- `use_https`: Use HTTPS for downloads. Default: `true`.
- `skip_redist`: Skip redistributable installations. Default: `false`.
---
## 🔨 Building from Source
- [Install Rust](https://rustup.rs/)
- [Linux/unix] Make sure perl is installed1
- Clone the repository
- Run ```cargo build --release```
- The executable will be located in ```target/release```
---
1 [Required for OpenSSL](https://docs.rs/openssl/latest/openssl/#vendored)