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+# Universal Game Updater
+
+A simple, self-hosted updater for distributing game client files. Consists of three parts:
+
+- **`updater.py`** — the client-side app (compiled to `updater.exe`) that players run. Checks the server for changed files and downloads only what's needed.
+- **`server.py`** — a lightweight HTTP server that serves client files and manifests.
+- **`generate_manifest.py`** — a script you run on your build machine to generate the manifest the server distributes.
+- **`generate_key.py`** — a helper to generate access keys (see [Access keys](#access-keys) below).
+
+Works with any game — just fill in the configuration blocks at the top of each script.
+
+## How it works
+
+1. You put your game's files in a folder on the server (e.g. `game_client/`).
+2. You run `generate_manifest.py` on that folder. It walks the folder, hashes every file (MD5), and writes a `manifest.json` listing `relative/path: hash` for every file.
+3. `server.py` serves that folder over HTTP, keyed by an access key defined in `config.json`.
+4. Players run `updater.exe`. It downloads the server's `manifest.json`, compares hashes against their local files, and downloads anything missing or different.
+5. Once everything matches, the "Play" button launches the game executable.
+
+## Setup
+
+### 1. Server
+
+Install Python 3 (no external dependencies needed — everything uses the standard library).
+
+Generate an access key for each client version you want to distribute:
+
+```bash
+python generate_key.py
+```
+
+This prints a random 64-character hex string. Generate one per client (e.g. one for `main`, one for `test`).
+
+Edit `config.json`:
+
+```json
+{
+    "host": "0.0.0.0",
+    "port": 3232,
+    "clients": {
+        "<your-generated-hex-key>": "game_client",
+        "<another-generated-hex-key>": "game_client_test"
+    }
+}
+```
+
+- `host` / `port` — what the server listens on.
+- `clients` — maps an access key to the folder (relative to `server.py`) that key serves.
+
+Put your game files in the folders referenced above (`game_client/`, etc.), then generate the manifest for each:
+
+```bash
+python generate_manifest.py game_client
+python generate_manifest.py game_client_test
+```
+
+Re-run this after every update to the client files, then start (or restart) the server:
+
+```bash
+python server.py
+```
+
+Files become available at `http://<server-address>:<port>/<access-key>/...`.
+
+### 2. Updater (client)
+
+Edit the configuration block at the top of `updater.py`:
+
+```python
+GAME_NAME = "My Game"
+SERVER_ADDRESS = "update.mygame.com"   # domain or IP
+SERVER_PORT = "3232"
+USE_HTTPS = False
+
+CLIENT_KEYS = {
+    "Main": "<same-hex-key-as-in-server-config.json>",
+    "Test": "<same-hex-key-as-in-server-config.json>",
+}
+DEFAULT_CLIENT = "Main"
+
+GAME_EXE_RELATIVE_PATH = os.path.join("system", "game.exe")
+BANNER_RELATIVE_PATH = "banner.png"
+ICON_RELATIVE_PATH = "icon.ico"
+```
+
+- `SERVER_ADDRESS` accepts either a domain name or a raw IP — nothing else needs to change.
+- `CLIENT_KEYS` maps a friendly name shown in the UI to the actual access key sent in the request URL. Keys must match `config.json` on the server exactly.
+- `GAME_EXE_RELATIVE_PATH` is where the updater looks for the game's executable, relative to the folder the updater itself is placed in.
+
+Then compile with your favorite tool, e.g. [PyInstaller](https://pyinstaller.org/):
+
+```bash
+pyinstaller --onefile --noconsole --icon=icon.ico --add-data "banner.png;." --add-data "icon.ico;." updater.py
+```
+
+Ship the resulting `updater.exe` alongside the game folder.
+
+## Access keys
+
+Client folders are addressed by a long random hex key instead of a plain name like `main`, so the update path isn't obvious or easy to stumble on by guessing.
+
+**This is obscurity, not real security.** The key has to live inside `updater.exe` for it to work, and anyone motivated enough to disassemble the executable or inspect network traffic can recover it. Don't rely on it to gate anything sensitive.
+
+If a key leaks and you want to rotate it:
+
+1. Generate a new key with `generate_key.py`.
+2. Update it in the server's `config.json`.
+3. Update it in `updater.py`'s `CLIENT_KEYS`.
+4. Rebuild and redistribute `updater.exe`.
+
+No folder renaming or manifest regeneration needed.
+
+## Ignoring files during manifest generation
+
+Edit the configuration block at the top of `generate_manifest.py`:
+
+```python
+IGNORE_FILES = {
+    MANIFEST_FILENAME,
+    "updater.exe",
+    "Option.ini",
+    "WindowsInfo.ini",
+}
+
+IGNORE_FOLDERS = {
+    "screenshots",
+    "logs",
+    "replays",
+}
+
+IGNORE_EXTENSIONS = {
+    ".log",
+}
+```
+
+Add any player-specific files (settings, saves, screenshots, logs) here so the updater never overwrites or deletes them.
+
+## Notes / limitations
+
+- File integrity is checked with MD5 — fine for detecting changed files, not intended as a cryptographic guarantee.
+- The server has no built-in rate limiting or HTTPS; put it behind a reverse proxy (nginx, Caddy) if you need either.
+- `updater.py` uses Tkinter for the UI, which ships with most standard Python installs on Windows.