frinky-engine

Exporting & Packaging

Use this guide when you want to run the game outside the editor or prepare a build for distribution.

Use This When

Come here for:

running the runtime in dev mode
creating a packaged exported build
validating the files needed to ship the game

Runtime Modes

Dev Mode (`.fproject`)

Use this while iterating on a project from source or local build outputs.

dotnet run --project src/FrinkyEngine.Runtime -- path/to/MyGame.fproject

This mode:

loads the .fproject
resolves assetsPath, defaultScene, and gameAssembly
applies runtime settings from project_settings.json

Exported Mode (`.fasset`)

Use this for packaged distribution.

The runtime looks for a .fasset file next to the executable, extracts it to a temp folder, loads assets and shaders, then runs the packaged startup scene.

Export from the Editor

Use File -> Export Game... or Ctrl+Shift+E.

The export flow:

builds game scripts in Release
publishes the runtime
packs assets, shaders, manifest, and game assembly into .fasset
outputs <OutputName>.exe and <OutputName>.fasset

OutputName and BuildVersion come from project_settings.json.

Prepare an Export Safely

Before exporting:

build scripts successfully
confirm the correct startup scene opens in the editor
confirm project_settings.json has the output name you want
run the project once in play mode

Validate the Exported Build

After exporting, check all of these:

the executable exists
a .fasset archive exists beside it
the exported runtime starts
the startup scene loads
assets and shaders render correctly
audio plays

If the runtime fails immediately, first make sure there is a .fasset file beside the executable. The exporter writes matching names by convention, but the runtime looks for the first .fasset next to the executable rather than enforcing a name match.

Scripted Packaging

`package-game.bat`

.\package-game.bat path\to\Game.fproject [outDir] [rid]

Use this when you want a scripted packaging path outside the editor.

What it currently copies:

the runtime publish output
the .fproject
the game assembly
the Assets/ folder
the Scenes/ folder if one exists

It does not currently copy project_settings.json, so packaged dev-mode runs from this script can fall back to default runtime settings.

`release-local.bat`

.\release-local.bat v0.1.0

Use this when you want local release artifacts and versioned zip outputs from the repository itself.

Runtime Overlay Controls

Available in both standalone runtime and editor play/simulate mode:

F3 cycles stats overlay modes
` toggles the developer console

Common console use:

help to list commands and CVars
r_postprocess 0 or 1 to toggle post-processing