Opening one game straight from a shortcut in Games by Zaweba

Most people open Games by Zaweba, look at the library and pick a game. That is the right way in when you want to browse. But if you play the same game nearly every day, there is a quicker route. The app can open straight into one game when you start it with that game's id.

The program is ZawebaGames.exe. Put a game id after it, such as slither or draughts, and the app starts with that game ready to play, skipping the library. The ids are the short lower-case names used for each game, for example hidden-mines or broken-hearts.

Why you would want this

The obvious use is a desktop shortcut to one favourite game. Imagine you play Draughts every evening. Rather than opening the app, finding the Board games shelf and clicking the tile, you can make a shortcut that takes you straight to the board. One double-click and you are playing.

It is also handy on a shared computer. A child who only ever plays one game can have a shortcut named after that game: click it and the game is there. An older relative who likes a particular card game can have the same. Each person gets a door straight to their own game, and the full library is still there for anyone who wants it.

Making a shortcut to one game

You make a shortcut like this in the usual Windows way. Create a shortcut to ZawebaGames.exe, then open its properties and add the game id to the end of the target, after a space. Give the shortcut a name that says which game it opens, so you can tell your shortcuts apart if you make more than one.

If the game does not open as you expect, check the id first. It needs to be the game's short lower-case name, spelled just as the app uses it. A capital letter or a missing hyphen is the usual culprit.

What happens once the game is open

Opening a game this way is no different from opening it from the library. The game still starts on its title card with its rules, controls and any modes it has. The slim bar is still above it, so you can pause with Esc, read the rules with F1 or go full screen with F11. Your plays, wins and best score are still recorded on the game's tile.

And All games on the bar still takes you to the library. A shortcut to one game is a quick way in, not a locked room. If you start with Draughts and fancy a round of patience afterwards, you can go back to the library and choose one.

The testing option

There is also a separate smoke option. It exists for testing the app and is not meant for normal use, so there is no reason to add it to a shortcut. The game ids are the part that matters for everyday play.

Where this fits

Games by Zaweba already makes it easy to get back to a game you love, with Favourites, Recently played and a search box over the library. The command line goes one step further for the game you play most. It suits people who like their desktop arranged just so, and it suits households where different people each have one game they always reach for.

Pick the game you open most often, make one shortcut, and see whether you miss the library on the way in. You may find you only visit it when you feel like something new.