Convert your MakeCode Arcade games to executables

[MeatballDev]

Can you make this into a website that converts the games into an exe

[UnsignedArduino]

@UnsignedArduino

@BotWarrior

do you think it would be possible to host a website where you could put in the link and get a downloadable executable?

Building executables is computationally expensive, so the hosting would make it really expensive and complicated, especially as there are many different OS and hardware architectures to compile for.

Already responded

[UnsignedArduino]

I have not, mostly because the plan was for people to use an external game launcher like Steam:

@UnsignedArduino

@Vegz78

2. Does this solution also support multiple games in one executable, as was suggested/discussed in the earlier topic for your first solution?

Currently, no. With the executables being “so small”, I imagined people wouldn’t mind creating shortcuts to the game on the desktop, or adding them to an existing launcher like Steam:

(Which launches correctly, although there isn’t any description, art besides the executable icon)

Since the kiosk mode isn’t a single Arcade game I’m not sure what you would need to do, it would proabably be easier to just make a custom kiosk mode by hand with some HTML/CSS/JS that links to games, then compile that all into an executable.

[Reflectfr]

another reason why makecode should just let you download either an exe or a png file

[UnsignedArduino]

Well, you already can download the PNG file to reopen on the MakeCode Arcade website, and as for executable files, they would also run into the same problems of needing engineering time and money to maintain this

[Reflectfr]

i meant exe files to play offline. and for money, i mean microsoft is a multi billion dollar company.

[Kikketer]

@michaelcaplan I have a setup now that I’m about to document that allows you to run a real cabinet using the exported .elf files and a standard linux environment.

The repo I have is here: https://github.com/Kikketer/CreationStationArcade proper tutorial documentation is coming.

To make things easier we are also dependent on the “export as elf” to be a little easier:

feat: export as raw elf and allow 4 player support with GPIO

Kikketer/feat raw elf four player

But basically it’s offline then, the raw elf files are what actually run and use the GPIO pin inputs for the raspberry pi 3 (I use a 3 since it’s less likely to crash/freeze based on the students games, we aren’t at the level yet to worry about optimization).

Side note: I’m actively changing this right now to auto-pull from the repo on boot so changing the active game on the arcade can be as simple as doing a push to this repo + reboot the box. Also adding more “push this button to absolutely kill the current game” safety checks and possibly drop McAirpos completely in an effort to track the PID myself.