Include DX9 files in game install

Sorry if this has been asked before..

Is there any way you could put the DX9 .dll files in the game install option, so it wouldn't ask for DX9 when running the game?

I've seen people making games and including DX9 .dll files in them.. would that be possible? What if I just put some DX9 .dll files toghether with the game when .zipping it?

If so, which files should I add?

you should only include the DX9 redistributable.

This has ben discussed a lot, search the forums.

This would be a useful feature, so I'll see if I can squeeze it in before 1.0. However the DLLs will add a few megabytes to the file size, they're not that small.

You can try it manually by putting the following DLLs in the same directory as the game EXE:

DINPUT8.DLL

D3DX9_39.DLL

XAPOFX1_1.DLL if you use XAudio2. (There might be another one I missed but that's the only one showing up in dependency viewer)

All of them are installed by the August 2008 DirectX update.

I suppose it would be possible to make an app-runtime launcher for your game that checks the version of the existing .dll's and informs the user politely that they're missing? Or maybe even offers to download them.

Hell, if someone had some dedicated web space to host the .dll's then I suppose someone could even make a generic launcher .cap for anyone to use that has all the checking and download functionality built in, and people could just type in their game's "name.exe" into the .cap file, build it, and bundle it with their game in an installer. This would save on filesize for users who have the updates already, and offer a relatively painless way to get the files if they don't.

Ash, I'm not sure the DX license allows you to place loose .dll's like that. You probably can bundle the redistributable though.

Or just provide a link to the August 2008 redistributable. Everyone should be updating their DX9, but Microsoft screwed this up big time.

Ash, I'm not sure the DX license allows you to place loose .dll's like that. You probably can bundle the redistributable though.

That's often the case, but I think I read otherwise somewhere. I'll err on the side of caution and make sure I get a solid reference that that's allowed before I implement it. Some of those DLLs are from different components though, so it may be the case that it only applies to some of them.

If you add that in i take it that it will be optional?

Like click a checkbox if you want them included?

Of course.

Sweet!