Redistributable support

[DecDuck]

A redistributable is a package the Drop server admin can setup, and then mark as required for certain games. We should have templates/defaults for stuff like Unreal games and emulators, which download and configure the redistributable for a Drop server.

[Giggitybyte]

It would be neat if Drop used Steam to do this automatically, with a manual flow as a backup. SteamCMD could be used to download the Steamworks Common Redistributables (which includes almost everything). Alternatively, the SteamDB API could be used to query the available depots for a game and then download the specific redistributables required using SteamCMD.

[binarygeek119]

this might help
https://github.com/[MisterCoderman/Game-Application-Component-Setup-Assistant](https://github.com/MisterCoderman/Game-Application-Component-Setup-Assistant)

[Jeansy91]

I would like to propose an enhancement to the Redistributables management by introducing support for installscript.vdf files. Being able to utilize an included Valve Data Format script as the primary basis for the installation would significantly improve the accuracy and automation of the setup process. By parsing these scripts, Drop could natively handle the specific execution parameters, silent install flags, and registry modifications defined within the file, ensuring that these system components are configured exactly as intended without requiring manual configuration or custom installation routines.

This could also be the basis for @Giggitybyte proposal.

[DecDuck]

I'm thinking potentially we have a open-source repository with the scripts pre-configured in an easy-to-parse format, instead of pulling directly from Steam.

[Giggitybyte]

That honestly sounds like a lot of effort to maintain for every PC game.

[DecDuck]

We'd officially maintain just the Steam redistributables, and rely on the community to generate setup scripts for specific games (vetted by us for security issues/malware, though).