diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 6157176..e69de29 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-[submodule "engine"]
-	path = engine
-	url = https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/
-	branch = bleed
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index cb66d4b..467a851 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -19,11 +19,14 @@
 #   make check
 #
 
-.PHONY: utility fetch-engine build build-engine clean clean-engine version check-scripts check test
+.PHONY: utility build clean engine version check-scripts check test
 .DEFAULT_GOAL := build
 
 VERSION = $(shell git name-rev --name-only --tags --no-undefined HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo git-`git rev-parse --short HEAD`)
 MOD_ID = $(shell awk -F= '/MOD_ID/ { print $$2 }' mod.config)
+ENGINE_DIRECTORY = $(shell awk -F= '/ENGINE_DIRECTORY/ { print $$2 }' mod.config)
+AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT = $(shell awk -F= '/AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT/ { print $$2 }' mod.config)
+
 INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS = $(shell awk -F= '/INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS/ { print $$2 }' mod.config)
 
 MOD_SEARCH_PATHS = "$(shell python -c "import os; print(os.path.realpath('.'))")/mods"
@@ -37,13 +40,14 @@ HAS_MSBUILD = $(shell command -v msbuild 2> /dev/null)
 HAS_LUAC = $(shell command -v luac 2> /dev/null)
 LUA_FILES = $(shell find mods/*/maps/* -iname '*.lua')
 
-utility:
-	@test -f engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe || (printf "OpenRA.Utility.exe not found! Build the engine first.\n"; exit 1)
+engine:
+	@./fetch-engine.sh || (printf "Unable to continue without engine files\n"; exit 1)
+	@cd $(ENGINE_DIRECTORY) && make core
 
-fetch-engine:
-	@test -f engine/OpenRA.sln || git submodule update --init
+utility: engine
+	@test -f "$(ENGINE_DIRECTORY)/OpenRA.Utility.exe" || (printf "OpenRA.Utility.exe not found!\n"; exit 1)
 
-build: build-engine
+build: engine
 ifeq ("$(HAS_MSBUILD)","")
 	@xbuild /nologo /verbosity:quiet /p:TreatWarningsAsErrors=true
 else
@@ -51,21 +55,15 @@ else
 endif
 	@printf "The mod logic has been built.\n"
 
-build-engine: fetch-engine
-	@cd engine && make
-	@printf "The engine has been built.\n"
-
-clean: clean-engine
+clean: engine
 ifeq ("$(HAS_MSBUILD)","")
 	@xbuild /nologo /verbosity:quiet /p:TreatWarningsAsErrors=true /t:Clean
 else
 	@msbuild /t:Clean /nr:false
 endif
-	@printf "The mod logic been cleaned.\n"
-
-clean-engine:
-	@cd engine && make clean
-	@printf "The engine directory has been cleaned.\n"
+	@printf "The mod logic has been cleaned.\n"
+	@cd $(ENGINE_DIRECTORY) && make clean
+	@printf "The engine has been cleaned.\n"
 
 version:
 	@awk '{sub("Version:.*$$","Version: $(VERSION)"); print $0}' $(MANIFEST_PATH) > $(MANIFEST_PATH).tmp && \
@@ -84,14 +82,11 @@ ifneq ("$(LUA_FILES)","")
 endif
 
 check: utility
-	@echo
 	@echo "Checking for explicit interface violations..."
-	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" mono --debug engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $(MOD_ID) --check-explicit-interfaces
-	@echo
+	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="$(MOD_SEARCH_PATHS)" mono --debug "$(ENGINE_DIRECTORY)/OpenRA.Utility.exe" $(MOD_ID) --check-explicit-interfaces
 	@echo "Checking for code style violations in OpenRA.Mods.$(MOD_ID)..."
-	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" mono --debug engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $(MOD_ID) --check-code-style OpenRA.Mods.$(MOD_ID)
+	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="$(MOD_SEARCH_PATHS)" mono --debug "$(ENGINE_DIRECTORY)/OpenRA.Utility.exe" $(MOD_ID) --check-code-style OpenRA.Mods.$(MOD_ID)
 
 test: utility
-	@echo
 	@echo "Testing $(MOD_ID) mod MiniYAML..."
-	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" mono --debug engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $(MOD_ID) --check-yaml
\ No newline at end of file
+	@MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="$(MOD_SEARCH_PATHS)" mono --debug "$(ENGINE_DIRECTORY)/OpenRA.Utility.exe" $(MOD_ID) --check-yaml
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/engine b/engine
deleted file mode 160000
index 60bc114..0000000
--- a/engine
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 60bc114e391dea7a3e0525b73182b6ece5921de6
diff --git a/fetch-engine.sh b/fetch-engine.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..4ad5fe4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fetch-engine.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# Helper script used to check and update engine dependencies
+# This should not be called manually
+
+command -v curl >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires curl."; exit 1; }
+command -v python >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires python."; exit 1; }
+
+TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER=$(python -c "import os; print(os.path.realpath('$0'))")
+TEMPLATE_ROOT=$(dirname "${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}")
+
+# shellcheck source=mod.config
+. "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mod.config"
+
+CURRENT_ENGINE_VERSION=$(cat "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}/VERSION" 2> /dev/null)
+
+if [ -f "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}/VERSION" ] && [ "${CURRENT_ENGINE_VERSION}" = "${ENGINE_VERSION}" ]; then
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+if [ "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT}" = "True" ]; then
+	echo "OpenRA engine version ${ENGINE_VERSION} is required."
+
+	if [ -d "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}" ]; then
+		if [ "${CURRENT_ENGINE_VERSION}" != "" ]; then
+			echo "Deleting engine version ${CURRENT_ENGINE_VERSION}."
+		else
+			echo "Deleting existing engine (unknown version)."
+		fi
+
+		rm -rf "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}"
+	fi
+
+	echo "Downloading engine..."
+	curl -s -L -o "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME}" -O "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE}" || exit 3
+
+	# Github zipballs package code with a top level directory named based on the refspec
+	# Extract to a temporary directory and then move the subdir to our target location
+	REFNAME=$(unzip -qql "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME}" | head -n1 | tr -s ' ' | cut -d' ' -f5-)
+
+	rm -rf "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY}"
+	mkdir "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY}"
+	unzip -qq -d "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY}" "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME}"
+	mv "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY}/${REFNAME}" "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}"
+	rmdir "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY}"
+	rm "${AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME}"
+
+	echo "Compiling engine..."
+	cd "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}" || exit 1
+	make version VERSION="${ENGINE_VERSION}"
+	exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Automatic engine management is disabled."
+echo "Please manually update the engine to version ${ENGINE_VERSION}."
+exit 1
+
diff --git a/launch-dedicated.cmd b/launch-dedicated.cmd
index 2109b33..1a5ef05 100644
--- a/launch-dedicated.cmd
+++ b/launch-dedicated.cmd
@@ -19,9 +19,15 @@ if %INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS% neq "True" goto start
 set MOD_SEARCH_PATHS=%MOD_SEARCH_PATHS%,./mods
 
 :start
-cd engine
+if not exist %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%\OpenRA.Game.exe goto noengine
+cd %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%
 
 :loop
 OpenRA.Server.exe Game.Mod=%MOD_ID% Server.Name=%Name% Server.ListenPort=%ListenPort% Server.ExternalPort=%ExternalPort% Server.AdvertiseOnline=%AdvertiseOnline% Server.EnableSingleplayer=%EnableSingleplayer% Server.Password=%Password%
+goto loop
 
-goto loop
\ No newline at end of file
+:noengine
+echo Required engine files not found.
+echo Run `make all` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.
+pause
+exit /b
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/launch-dedicated.sh b/launch-dedicated.sh
index de427d4..781ab95 100755
--- a/launch-dedicated.sh
+++ b/launch-dedicated.sh
@@ -1,13 +1,18 @@
 #!/bin/sh
-# example launch script, see https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Dedicated for details
-
 # Usage:
 #  $ ./launch-dedicated.sh # Launch a dedicated server with default settings
-#  $ Mod="d2k" ./launch-dedicated.sh # Launch a dedicated server with default settings but override the Mod
+#  $ Mod="<mod id>" ./launch-dedicated.sh # Launch a dedicated server with default settings but override the Mod
 #  Read the file to see which settings you can override
 
+set -e
+command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires make."; exit 1; }
+command -v python >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires python."; exit 1; }
+command -v mono >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires mono."; exit 1; }
+
 TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER=$(python -c "import os; print(os.path.realpath('$0'))")
 TEMPLATE_ROOT=$(dirname "${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}")
+
+# shellcheck source=mod.config
 . "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mod.config"
 
 MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mods"
@@ -23,7 +28,14 @@ ADVERTISE_ONLINE="${AdvertiseOnline:-"True"}"
 ENABLE_SINGLE_PLAYER="${EnableSingleplayer:-"False"}"
 PASSWORD="${Password:-""}"
 
-cd engine
+cd "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}"
+if [ ! -f "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}/OpenRA.Game.exe" ]; then
+	echo "Required engine files not found."
+	echo "Run \`make\` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.";
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+cd "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}"
 
 while true; do
      MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" mono --debug OpenRA.Server.exe Game.Mod="${LAUNCH_MOD}" \
diff --git a/launch-game.cmd b/launch-game.cmd
index cca4f5b..2b1aef0 100644
--- a/launch-game.cmd
+++ b/launch-game.cmd
@@ -8,15 +8,27 @@ if %INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS% neq "True" goto launch
 set MOD_SEARCH_PATHS=%MOD_SEARCH_PATHS%,./mods
 
 :launch
-cd engine
+set TEMPLATE_DIR=%CD%
+if not exist %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%\OpenRA.Game.exe goto noengine
+
+cd %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%
 OpenRA.Game.exe Game.Mod=%MOD_ID% Engine.LaunchPath="%TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER%" "Engine.ModSearchPaths=%MOD_SEARCH_PATHS%"  "%*"
-if %errorlevel% neq 0 goto crashdialog
-cd ..
+set ERROR=%errorlevel%
+cd %TEMPLATE_DIR%
+
+if ERROR neq 0 goto crashdialog
 exit /b
+
+:noengine
+echo Required engine files not found.
+echo Run `make all` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.
+pause
+exit /b
+
 :crashdialog
 echo ----------------------------------------
 echo OpenRA has encountered a fatal error.
 echo   * Log Files are available in Documents\OpenRA\Logs
 echo   * FAQ is available at https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/FAQ
 echo ----------------------------------------
-pause
\ No newline at end of file
+pause
diff --git a/launch-game.sh b/launch-game.sh
index 760116d..545808b 100755
--- a/launch-game.sh
+++ b/launch-game.sh
@@ -1,7 +1,14 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 
+set -e
+command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires make."; exit 1; }
+command -v python >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires python."; exit 1; }
+command -v mono >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires mono."; exit 1; }
+
 TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER=$(python -c "import os; print(os.path.realpath('$0'))")
 TEMPLATE_ROOT=$(dirname "${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}")
+
+# shellcheck source=mod.config
 . "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mod.config"
 
 MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mods"
@@ -9,5 +16,12 @@ if [ "${INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS}" = "True" ]; then
 	MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${TEMPLATE_PATHS},./mods"
 fi
 
-cd engine
-mono OpenRA.Game.exe Engine.LaunchPath="${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}" "Engine.ModSearchPaths=${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" Game.Mod=${MOD_ID} "$@"
+cd "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}"
+if [ ! -f "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}/OpenRA.Game.exe" ]; then
+	echo "Required engine files not found."
+	echo "Run \`make\` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.";
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+cd "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}"
+mono OpenRA.Game.exe Engine.LaunchPath="${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}" "Engine.ModSearchPaths=${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" Game.Mod="${MOD_ID}" "$@"
diff --git a/make.ps1 b/make.ps1
index 0c502fb..6e21792 100644
--- a/make.ps1
+++ b/make.ps1
@@ -95,11 +95,10 @@ function Version-Command
 
 function Test-Command
 {
-	if (Test-Path ./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe)
+	if (Test-Path $utilityPath)
 	{
-		$msg = "Testing " + $modID + " mod MiniYAML"
-		echo $msg
-		./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $modID --check-yaml
+		echo "Testing $modID mod MiniYAML"
+		Invoke-Expression "$utilityPath $modID --check-yaml"
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -109,14 +108,13 @@ function Test-Command
 
 function Check-Command
 {
-	if (Test-Path ./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe)
+	if (Test-Path $utilityPath)
 	{
 		echo "Checking for explicit interface violations..."
-		./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $modID --check-explicit-interfaces
+		Invoke-Expression "$utilityPath $modID --check-explicit-interfaces"
 
-		$msg = "Checking for code style violations in OpenRA.Mods." + $modID + "..."
-		echo $msg
-		./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $modID --check-code-style OpenRA.Mods.$modID
+		echo "Checking for code style violations in OpenRA.Mods.$modID..."
+		Invoke-Expression "$utilityPath $modID --check-code-style OpenRA.Mods.$modID"
 	}
 	else
 	{
@@ -143,10 +141,10 @@ function Check-Scripts-Command
 
 function Docs-Command
 {
-	if (Test-Path ./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe)
+	if (Test-Path $utilityPath)
 	{
-		./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $modID --docs | Out-File -Encoding "UTF8" DOCUMENTATION.md
-		./engine/OpenRA.Utility.exe $modID --lua-docs | Out-File -Encoding "UTF8" Lua-API.md
+		Invoke-Expression "$utilityPath $modID --docs | Out-File -Encoding 'UTF8' DOCUMENTATION.md"
+		Invoke-Expression "$utilityPath $modID --lua-docs | Out-File -Encoding 'UTF8' Lua-API.md"
 		echo "Docs generated."
 	}
 	else
@@ -230,6 +228,36 @@ while($null -ne ($line = $reader.ReadLine()))
 	{
 		$env:INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS = $line.Replace('INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS=', '').Replace('"', '')
 	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("ENGINE_VERSION"))
+	{
+		$env:ENGINE_VERSION = $line.Replace('ENGINE_VERSION=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT"))
+	{
+		$env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT = $line.Replace('AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE"))
+	{
+		$env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE = $line.Replace('AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY"))
+	{
+		$env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY = $line.Replace('AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME"))
+	{
+		$env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME = $line.Replace('AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
+
+	if ($line.StartsWith("ENGINE_DIRECTORY"))
+	{
+		$env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY = $line.Replace('ENGINE_DIRECTORY=', '').Replace('"', '')
+	}
 }
 
 $env:MOD_SEARCH_PATHS = (Get-Item -Path ".\" -Verbose).FullName + "\mods"
@@ -241,51 +269,76 @@ if ($env:INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS -eq "True")
 # Run the same command on the engine's make file
 if ($command -eq "all" -or $command -eq "clean")
 {
-	if (Test-Path ./engine/OpenRA.sln)
+	$templateDir = $pwd.Path
+	$versionFile = $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY + "/VERSION"
+	if ((Test-Path $versionFile) -and [System.IO.File]::OpenText($versionFile).ReadLine() -eq $env:ENGINE_VERSION)
 	{
-		cd ".\engine\"
-		$exp = ".\make.cmd " + $command
-		Invoke-Expression $exp
+		cd $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY
+		Invoke-Expression ".\make.cmd $command"
 		echo ""
-		cd ..
+		cd $templateDir
+	}
+	elseif ($env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT -ne "True")
+	{
+		echo "Automatic engine management is disabled."
+		echo "Please manually update the engine to version $env:ENGINE_VERSION."
+		WaitForInput
 	}
 	else
 	{
-		if (Get-Command 'git' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
-		{
-			$gitRepo = git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
-			if ($gitRepo)
-			{
-				git submodule update --init
+		echo "OpenRA engine version $env:ENGINE_VERSION is required."
 
-				if (Test-Path ./engine/OpenRA.sln)
-				{
-					cd ".\engine\"
-					$exp = ".\make.cmd " + $command
-					Invoke-Expression $exp
-					echo ""
-					cd ..
-				}
-				else
-				{
-					echo "Failed to initialize the submodule. You need to download the engine by hand."
-					WaitForInput
-				}
+		if (Test-Path $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY)
+		{
+			if ((Test-Path $versionFile) -and [System.IO.File]::OpenText($versionFile).ReadLine() -ne "")
+			{
+				echo "Deleting engine version $currentEngine."
 			}
 			else
 			{
-				echo "Not a git repository. You need to download the engine by hand."
-				WaitForInput
+				echo "Deleting existing engine (unknown version)."
 			}
+
+			rm $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY -r
 		}
-		else
+
+		echo "Downloading engine..."
+
+		if (Test-Path $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY)
 		{
-			echo "Unable to locate Git. You need to download the engine by hand."
-			WaitForInput
+			rm $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY -r
 		}
+
+		$url = $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE
+		$url = $url.Replace("$", "").Replace("{ENGINE_VERSION}", $env:ENGINE_VERSION)
+
+		mkdir $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY > $null
+		$dlPath = Join-Path $pwd (Split-Path -leaf $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY)
+		$dlPath = Join-Path $dlPath (Split-Path -leaf $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME)
+
+		$client = new-object System.Net.WebClient 
+		$client.DownloadFile($url, $dlPath)
+
+		Add-Type -assembly "system.io.compression.filesystem"
+		[io.compression.zipfile]::ExtractToDirectory($dlPath, $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY)
+		rm $dlPath
+
+		$extractedDir = Get-ChildItem -Recurse | ?{ $_.ToString().StartsWith("OpenRA-") -and $_.PSIsContainer }
+		Move-Item $extractedDir.FullName -Destination $templateDir
+		Rename-Item $extractedDir.Name (Split-Path -leaf $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY)
+
+		rm $env:AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY -r
+
+		cd $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY
+		Invoke-Expression ".\make.cmd version $env:ENGINE_VERSION"
+		Invoke-Expression ".\make.cmd $command"
+		echo ""
+		cd $templateDir
 	}
 }
 
+$utilityPath = $env:ENGINE_DIRECTORY + "/OpenRA.Utility.exe"
+
 $execute = $command
 if ($command.Length -gt 1)
 {
diff --git a/mod.config b/mod.config
index a46a545..4d07ca5 100644
--- a/mod.config
+++ b/mod.config
@@ -1,8 +1,20 @@
 # The id of the mod to launch by default.  This must exist as a directory in the mods directory
 MOD_ID="example"
 
+ENGINE_VERSION="3e5c211"
+
 # Import the default OpenRA mods for use as external mod references
 # in your mod.yaml. Accepts values "True" or "False".
 # WARNING: This setting is provided to simplify early mod development
 # and must be disabled before installers can be generated
 INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS="False"
+
+# Automatically manage engine dependencies
+AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_MANAGEMENT="True"
+AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_SOURCE="https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/archive/${ENGINE_VERSION}.zip"
+
+# Temporary file/directory names used when automatically downloading the engine
+AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_EXTRACT_DIRECTORY="./engine_temp"
+AUTOMATIC_ENGINE_TEMP_ARCHIVE_NAME="engine.zip"
+
+ENGINE_DIRECTORY="./engine"
diff --git a/utility.cmd b/utility.cmd
index 1e098d8..69fbead 100644
--- a/utility.cmd
+++ b/utility.cmd
@@ -9,7 +9,9 @@ if %INCLUDE_DEFAULT_MODS% neq "True" goto start
 set MOD_SEARCH_PATHS=%MOD_SEARCH_PATHS%,./mods
 
 :start
-cd engine
+set TEMPLATE_DIR=%CD%
+if not exist %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%\OpenRA.Game.exe goto noengine
+cd %ENGINE_DIRECTORY%
 
 :loop
 echo.
@@ -20,10 +22,16 @@ echo Press enter to view a list of valid utility commands.
 echo.
 
 set /P command=Please enter a command: OpenRA.Utility.exe %MOD_ID% 
-if /I "%command%" EQU "--exit" (cd .. & exit /b)
+if /I "%command%" EQU "--exit" (cd %TEMPLATE_DIR% & exit /b)
 echo.
 echo ----------------------------------------
 echo.
 echo OpenRA.Utility.exe %MOD_ID% %command%
 call OpenRA.Utility.exe %MOD_ID% %command%
-goto loop
\ No newline at end of file
+goto loop
+
+:noengine
+echo Required engine files not found.
+echo Run `make all` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.
+pause
+exit /b
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/utility.sh b/utility.sh
index 6ca7b3a..84b0a88 100755
--- a/utility.sh
+++ b/utility.sh
@@ -1,10 +1,17 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 # Usage:
 #  $ ./utility.sh # Launch the OpenRA.Utility with the default mod
-#  $ Mod="d2k" ./launch-utility.sh # Launch a dedicated server with a specific mod
+#  $ Mod="<mod id>" ./launch-utility.sh # Launch the OpenRA.Utility with a specific mod
+
+set -e
+command -v make >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires make."; exit 1; }
+command -v python >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires python."; exit 1; }
+command -v mono >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo >&2 "The OpenRA mod template requires mono."; exit 1; }
 
 TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER=$(python -c "import os; print(os.path.realpath('$0'))")
 TEMPLATE_ROOT=$(dirname "${TEMPLATE_LAUNCHER}")
+
+# shellcheck source=mod.config
 . "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mod.config"
 
 MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${TEMPLATE_ROOT}/mods"
@@ -14,5 +21,12 @@ fi
 
 LAUNCH_MOD="${Mod:-"${MOD_ID}"}"
 
-cd engine
+cd "${TEMPLATE_ROOT}"
+if [ ! -f "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}/OpenRA.Game.exe" ]; then
+	echo "Required engine files not found."
+	echo "Run \`make\` in the mod directory to fetch and build the required files, then try again.";
+	exit 1
+fi
+
+cd "${ENGINE_DIRECTORY}"
 MOD_SEARCH_PATHS="${MOD_SEARCH_PATHS}" mono --debug OpenRA.Utility.exe "${LAUNCH_MOD}" "$@"