Command Line Parameters¶

Common command line parameters for GeneralsX (Generals) and GeneralsXZH (Zero Hour).

Window & Display¶

Parameter	Description	Example
`-win`	Forces windowed mode	`./GeneralsXZH -win`
`-fullscreen`	Forces fullscreen mode	`./GeneralsXZH -fullscreen`
`-xres <width>`	Sets horizontal resolution	`./GeneralsXZH -xres 1920`
`-yres <height>`	Sets vertical resolution	`./GeneralsXZH -yres 1080`

Development & Testing¶

Parameter	Description	Example
`-noshellmap`	Disables the shell map (skip intro)	`./GeneralsXZH -noshellmap`
`-quickstart`	Quick launch (skip movies + shell)	`./GeneralsXZH -quickstart`
`-debug`	Enable debug mode	`./GeneralsXZH -debug`
`-logToCon`	Enables legacy debug-log console routing (`DEBUG_LOG`). Debug builds only (`ALLOW_DEBUG_UTILS` / `RTS_BUILD_OPTION_DEBUG=ON`); ignored in release builds.	`./GeneralsXZH -logToCon`

Mods & Content¶

Parameter	Description	Example
`-mod <path>`	Loads a mod from directory or .big file	`./GeneralsXZH -mod /path/to/mod.big`

Replay & Multiplayer¶

Parameter	Description	Example
`-replay <file>`	Play a replay file	`./GeneralsXZH -replay match.rep`
`-jobs <count>`	Number of parallel replay jobs	`./GeneralsXZH -jobs 4 -replay *.rep`
`-headless`	Run without graphics (replay testing)	`./GeneralsXZH -headless -replay *.rep`

Common Combinations¶

Quick Testing¶

./GeneralsXZH -win -noshellmap

Launch in windowed mode, skip intro.

Replay Compatibility Testing¶

./GeneralsXZH -jobs 4 -headless -replay subfolder/*.rep

Test multiple replays in parallel without graphics (requires optimized VC6 build with RTS_BUILD_OPTION_DEBUG=OFF).

High Resolution Testing¶

./GeneralsXZH -win -xres 2560 -yres 1440

Test in windowed mode at 1440p resolution.

Platform-Specific Notes¶

Windows¶

Parameters can use / or - prefix (both work)
Paths can use backslashes

Linux¶

Must use - prefix
Paths must use forward slashes
Some parameters may not work until Linux port is complete
-logToCon sets a debug flag, but many Linux diagnostics still require explicit fprintf(stderr, ...) instrumentation because OutputDebugString paths are stubbed/non-visible on this platform.
-logToCon is only available in debug builds (RTS_BUILD_OPTION_DEBUG=ON / ALLOW_DEBUG_UTILS defined). It is unrecognized and has no effect in release builds.

Logging Diagnostics Recipe¶

Use this when investigating runtime behavior (example: skirmish startup flow):

cd ~/GeneralsX/GeneralsZH
./run.sh -win -logToCon 2>&1 | grep -v "D3DRS_PATCHSEGMENTS" | tee ~/Projects/GeneralsX/logs/manual_run.log

Legacy fallback during migration:

cd ~/GeneralsX/GeneralsMD
./run.sh -win -logToCon 2>&1 | grep -v "D3DRS_PATCHSEGMENTS" | tee ~/Projects/GeneralsX/logs/manual_run.log

Then filter the generated log for targeted markers:

grep -n "SKIRMISH_DIAG\|ScoreScreen\|SkirmishGameOptionsMenu" ~/Projects/GeneralsX/logs/manual_run.log

Source Code Reference¶

Command line parsing is implemented in: - Core/GameEngine/Source/gameclient.cpp - Client-side parameters - GeneralsMD/Code/Main/WinMain.cpp - Entry point and initial parsing