📋 Summary
Allow users to discover, install, update, and launch community-built ports, recompilations, and decompilation projects directly through LaunchBox.
❗ Problem
Playable community projects are increasingly distributed through GitHub and similar services, but managing them currently involves:
Finding the correct project and release
Identifying the correct download
Extracting and organizing its files
Supplying original game data where required
Manually adding the executable to LaunchBox
Returning to the project page to check for updates
This makes community ports difficult to discover and maintain, particularly as more projects become available.
💡 Proposal
Add a curated Community Projects catalog to LaunchBox.
From a game’s details, users could view compatible community versions and:
Read information about the project
Install the latest supported release
Provide their legally obtained ROM or game data when required
Launch the installed project
Check for and install updates
Open its installation folder
Uninstall it safely
Installed projects could be attached to the original game as additional launchable versions. For example, Ship of Harkinian could appear as a playable version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time without creating an unrelated duplicate entry.
🧩 Use Cases
Discover that a game in the library has a native community port
Install a recompilation without manually navigating GitHub releases
Choose between the emulated original and an installed native version
Receive an update notification when a project publishes a new release
Keep community projects organized alongside their original games
📦 Benefits
Makes community ports and recompilations more accessible
Reduces manual downloading and configuration
Keeps related versions organized under the appropriate game
Provides a consistent installation and update experience
Helps users discover new ways to play games already in their library
⚠️ Considerations
Version 1 should focus on:
Windows-compatible packaged releases
Stable releases from a trusted, curated catalog
User-initiated installation and updates
Projects that can be matched reliably to existing games
Preserving saves and configuration files during updates
Clear links to each project’s official repository
LaunchBox should only download community project files. It should never distribute copyrighted ROMs or game data, and users should be prompted to provide their own files when a project requires them.
Support for custom repositories, mods, prereleases, automatic updates, Linux, Android, and projects that require compilation could be considered later.
