Installer and launcher builds
Your launcher's name, icon and installer, and how to request a signed build.
Your launcher installs on a player's computer under your studio's own name and icon. That installer is built for your studio by Deltaship, signed, and offered to players as a download on your player portal. You request the build from the dashboard.
Changing your launcher's colors, art, sections or news never needs a new build; publish the design and installed launchers pick it up. Only the items on this page, and new versions of Deltaship's launcher itself, need a build. See The launcher builder for the design and Launcher updates and platforms for how launchers update.
Set up the installer#
Open Launcher in the dashboard and find Installer and app. You need permission to design the launcher to edit it.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Product name | Shown in the Start menu, the installer and Apps & features. |
| Program file name | Letters, digits, - and _, without .exe. The installer is named after it. |
| App ID | Set from your studio name. A custom app ID is available on Enterprise. |
| Licence (optional) | Plain text. Players accept it in the installer. |
Choose Save installer settings. Then upload your files, each with Upload:
| File | Needed | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| App icon | Required | A PNG of exactly 512 x 512 pixels, or an .ico that includes a 256 x 256 image. |
| Installer sidebar | Optional | A BMP of exactly 164 x 314 pixels, 24-bit (8-bit also works). Shown on the installer's welcome and finish pages. |
| Installer header | Optional | A BMP of exactly 150 x 57 pixels, 24-bit (8-bit also works). Shown at the top of the other installer pages. |
The installer only accepts BMP for the sidebar and header, so export them as BMP from your art tool.
Request a build#
- Publish your launcher design first. The installer ships with it.
- Under Launcher builds, choose Build for Windows.
- Wait for the status to reach Published. This usually takes a few minutes.
A build moves through Queued, Building, Signed, Publishing and Published. The installer is signed with Deltaship's code-signing certificate before it is offered, unless the build is marked unsigned pilot build (see below). When it is published, your player portal's Download the launcher button links to the new installer, and the Launcher builds panel lists it under Current downloads. Players who already have your launcher keep it and update it automatically.
Things to know:
- One build runs at a time for each platform. Request another when the first finishes.
- The panel shows Builds this month. The limit is per calendar month (UTC) and depends on your plan:
| Free | Starter | Pro | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launcher builds a month | 2 | 10 | 50 | By contract |
- A build counts once it has started. One that could not be started is marked Not counted.
- If your launcher is already on the newest version of Deltaship's launcher, another build is refused until Deltaship releases the next version. You do not need to rebuild to get new designs.
- A build that stops making progress is marked Failed after 6 hours. Request it again.
- Held means your studio was not active (for example paused or read-only), so nothing was published. Fix the studio's status and request the build again.
macOS#
When macOS is on, it works like Windows: upload a Mac app icon (an .icns file, or a square PNG of 512 x 512 or 1024 x 1024 pixels), then choose Build for macOS. Each platform's build counts once toward your monthly limit, and the portal shows one download button per platform once a macOS build has published.
Who can build#
Roles that can design the launcher can edit the installer settings. Roles that can request launcher builds can start one; see the table on Team and roles.
Unsigned pilot builds#
Some pilot studios may receive a launcher before Deltaship's Windows code-signing certificate is in place. Those builds are marked unsigned pilot build in the dashboard, and the step that normally reads Signed reads Packaged (unsigned pilot build). They are offered only to studios Deltaship has agreed this with.
- Windows shows Windows protected your PC when players run the installer. Players choose More info, then Run anyway. Some antivirus tools may also warn about it, and managed computers may not allow it at all.
- Tell players to download the launcher only from your player portal.
- Launcher updates are still verified: an unsigned pilot launcher installs an update only when Deltaship has signed a record of exactly that installer, and the downloaded file matches it. Anything else is refused and the player keeps the version they have.
- When Deltaship's certificate is in place, your launcher updates to a signed version on its own.
macOS launchers are always signed and notarized; they are never pilot builds.
Sandbox access#
A sandbox shows your studio's real launcher without signing in: the published design, your games, news, art and sound. Use it to check your launcher on another computer, such as a Mac, without a player account.
- It is view only. Nothing can be installed, updated or played.
- Every game is listed, even one with no release for that computer yet.
- It is available on staging only for now.
To create a sandbox key:
- Publish your launcher design first. A sandbox shows the published design.
- Open Launcher, then Installer, and find Sandbox access.
- Enter a label, such as the computer you will use, and choose Create sandbox key.
- Your browser downloads a file named
deltaship-sandbox-followed by your studio's slug and.json. It is shown only once.
Each key works for 30 days. A studio can have up to 10 active keys. Choose Revoke to stop a key; launchers using it stop within 15 minutes.
Keep the file private. Anyone with it can view your launcher until it expires or you revoke it. It cannot download your games.
The file opens in Deltaship's sandbox launcher. During the staging pilot, the sandbox launcher is available to the Deltaship team only.
You need permission to request launcher builds to create or revoke sandbox keys.