Any way to skip the launcher?

[Freaky Drunk]

I tend to play in big picture mode. Are there any startup flags or any other way to stop the launcher from popping up?

[XeeB]

Автор сообщения: Andrew8Kavanagh

Use AutoHotkey

#SingleInstance force
Run, "D:\PC\Hitman Absolution\HMA.exe"
WinWait, Hitman: Absolution
sleep, 10
send {Enter}
ExitApp

Save as Hitman Absolution no Launcher.ahk
and get your Frontend to launch this script insted of game
no need to press anything launcher flickers for a millisecond
this process works on most games

I have zero knowledge about script.
I still struggling creating this.
I want to try this with Final Fantasy 13 & The Forest (since it's launcher is able to use enter. But how about launcher that not support hotkey like Elite Dangerous / The Witcher 2? Any workaround/solution?

[gameSTICKER]

Автор сообщения: Andrew8Kavanagh

Use AutoHotkey

#SingleInstance force
Run, "D:\PC\Hitman Absolution\HMA.exe"
WinWait, Hitman: Absolution
sleep, 10
send {Enter}
ExitApp

Save as Hitman Absolution no Launcher.ahk
and get your Frontend to launch this script insted of game
no need to press anything launcher flickers for a millisecond
this process works on most games

Thanks a lot for the original script.

However, the original script did not work with Playnite as Playnite was stealing focus as soon as the script exits. Here is an updated version of the script which fixes that. Tested to be working with Playnite and latest AHK:

#NoEnv  ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
; #Warn  ; Enable warnings to assist with detecting common errors.
SendMode Input  ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir%  ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.

#SingleInstance force
Run, "D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Hitman Absolution\HMA.exe" ; NOTE: Change this as per your install location

WinWaitActive, Hitman: Absolution
sleep, 10
send {Enter}
WinWaitClose, Hitman: Absolution

WinWaitActive, Hitman: Absolution
WinWaitClose, Hitman: Absolution

ExitApp

How to use:

• Install latest AutoHotKey
  
• Create an ".ahk" file with above code
  
• Change the path in line "Run, ...\HMA.exe" as per your install location
  
• In Playnite, goto "Hitman > Edit > Actions"
  
• Uncheck "Managed by library plugin"
  
• Change "Type" to "Executable"
  
• Set "Path" to above ".ahk" file

[gameSTICKER]

Автор сообщения: XeeB

I have zero knowledge about script.
I still struggling creating this.
I want to try this with Final Fantasy 13 & The Forest (since it's launcher is able to use enter. But how about launcher that not support hotkey like Elite Dangerous / The Witcher 2? Any workaround/solution?

You do not need a "launcher" AutoHotKey (AHK) support. AHK is a very generic utility to simulate user inputs, programmatically. So any action which you can perform with your keyboard and mouse (actually, much more) can be emulated through AHK.

Essentially what you need to do in your AHK script is:

1. Run your game (which shows a launcher)
   
2. Wait for launcher window to open
   
3. Press enter (or any other set of mouse/key actions required to start the game from launcher)

[gameSTICKER]

Автор сообщения: XeeB

I have zero knowledge about script.
I still struggling creating this.
I want to try this with Final Fantasy 13 & The Forest (since it's launcher is able to use enter. But how about launcher that not support hotkey like Elite Dangerous / The Witcher 2? Any workaround/solution?

You do not need a "launcher" with AutoHotKey (AHK) support. AHK is a very generic utility to simulate user inputs, programmatically. So any action which you can perform with your keyboard and mouse (actually, much more) can be emulated through AHK. Hence, AHK can work with most launchers without any issues.

Essentially what you need to do in your AHK script is:

1. Run your game (which shows a launcher)
   
2. Wait for launcher window to open
   
3. Press enter (or any other set of mouse/key actions required to start the game from launcher)

[XeeB]

Автор сообщения: gameSTICKER

Автор сообщения: gameSTICKER

You do not need a "launcher" with AutoHotKey (AHK) support. AHK is a very generic utility to simulate user inputs, programmatically. So any action which you can perform with your keyboard and mouse (actually, much more) can be emulated through AHK. Hence, AHK can work with most launchers without any issues.

Essentially what you need to do in your AHK script is:

1. Run your game (which shows a launcher)
   
2. Wait for launcher window to open
   
3. Press enter (or any other set of mouse/key actions required to start the game from launcher)

I use Big Picture mode most of the times. It would be nice if i could bypass the launcher.

[gameSTICKER]

Автор сообщения: XeeB

I use Big Picture mode most of the times. It would be nice if i could bypass the launcher.

SOLUTION 1 (looks ugly, but simpler):

1. Launch the "convert .ahk to .exe" utility which comes with AHK Software
2. Convert above AHK file to EXE file
3. Start Steam in normal mode (yes, you read it right)
4. Goto Library > Add a game (bottom left) > Add a non-steam game
5. Click on Browse and select the EXE file you have just created
6. It should appear in your library, however without any metadata and will look ugly. But it will work.
7. Test by launching the game from Steam normal mode. It should launch without showing launcher.
8. Launch Steam Big Picture mode and run the newly added game.

SOLUTION 2 (looks better, but tedious):

Essentially what you're trying to do here is to replace the launcher "HMA.exe" with your own script. Bear in mind that your custom launcher will be replaced on game update and you'll have to redo the steps:

1. Modify the script that I have provided in an earlier post and rename the hitman executable to "HMA_ORG.exe"
2. Goto Hitman folder (path is described in earlier post) and rename "HMA.exe" to "HMA_ORG.exe"
3. Launch the "convert .ahk to .exe" utility which comes with AHK Software
4. Convert above AHK file to EXE file, name it as "HMA.exe" and save it in Hitman installation folder
5. Test by launching the game from Steam normal mode. It should launch without showing launcher.
6. Launch Steam Big Picture mode and run the game as usual.