Hello everyone,

I would like to know if there is a more user friendly way to publish XNA games. I am currently just going to build -> Publish (Project Name), but this creates a cryptic system of .DEPLOY and application manifest files. Is there a way to publish it without that so the user can click a .exe with a recognizable icon to play the game?

You can do the old way, package as an XNA Creators Club Game, Unpack it on your system, then zip everything up that way.

Where does this publish the files to? When I click on it, it sais that it is publishing it and then that it has finished but nothing else. Do I need a XNA subscription to do this, or does it just put it in a weird place?

It will show you the full location in the Output window (View - Output)

Its usually ProjectLocation\bin\x86\Debug\Project.ccgame

You wont need the subscription, you just need the XNA Game Studio installed

Making a .ccgame will only work if you give it to other developers with XNA Game Studio installed

Using a .exe will not work becuase you also need all the data files.

Copying the \bin\x86\release directory will work *IF* the destination machine has .Net, XNA and DirectX redists installed. Copying the XNA/DirectX files breaks the EULA agreement and you can't coy deploy the .Net framework at all.

Using publish or making your own installed is the only correct way to give your game to a friend who has nothing installed. See http://forums.xna.com/forums/t/1988.aspx and http://forums.xna.com/forums/t/1989.aspx for more information

Thanks guys, now I have a pretty good idea on how to publish it properly. I will probably put the XNA and other needed installers in a final folder with my game in it so the users don't have to download those.

If you want to create an installer, you can follow the second link that The ZMan has.  My way only works if the user has the dependencies as copying the installers in a zip is not legal.

So you can either:
A)  Extract the .ccgame yourself and zip up everything inside there (do not include the installers!), only your game and personal content like readmes and such.  Then tell people what they need to run the game.
B)  Use the ClickOnce technique
C)  Create your own installer through the link The ZMan provided.

The Publish command creates a ClickOnce package, and one of the output files is a setup.exe file that the user can run to invoke the installation on their system.  Would that setup.exe work in your scenario?

Thanks!