[RELEASE] Rom Collection Browser - Browse and launch emulator game ROMs - Printable Version

[RELEASE] Rom Collection Browser - Browse and launch emulator game ROMs - Printable Version

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- malte - 2011-05-18

New test version available: 0.8.6

This version will automatically update your config.xml to the new structure if you used a version < 0.8.5 before. No manual changes needed anymore to get it working.

General:

rework of dialog "Edit Rom Collection": access all settings via UI (see screenshots below)
new dialog "Edit Offline Scrapers": Add and edit local scrapers (see screenshot below)
new option "Delete Rom Collection"
new option "Clean database"
bugfix: fixed "autoexec.py not found" error
bugfix: set correct MAME properties when RC is created in local data mode

Game Import:

bugfix: using offline scrapers for MAME did not work

I guess most of the features should be self explanating. "Delete Rom Collection" has two modes: "Delete games and configuration" or "Delete games only". "Clean database" will check if you have deleted a rom file outside of RCB and will delete the game entry in database.

Screenshots (Edit Rom Collection)

Screenshots (Edit Offline Scraper)

This version fixes most of the bugs that have been discussed in the last days/weeks. But there are still some inconsistencies especially when it comes to mixing online and offline scrapers. I will address these issues with the next version.

More details about previous test version (0.8.5) can be found here.

- cewlout - 2011-05-18

malte Wrote:You could also just try to install a window manager instead of moving to windows.

Fortunately I made it, here is how in case someone else has the same setup/problem that I had:

I installed xboxdrv-stable (0.6.6 in my case). Checked in the shell to see if everything works (xboxdrv gives output to shell in response of buttonclicks).

Then I created a script with the following contents and used instead of calling zsnes directly out of rcb:

#!/bin/bash

# Start xboxdrv for Joypad 1
sudo xboxdrv-stable --daemon --trigger-as-button -l 2 --silent

# Start Emulator
zsnes "$1"

# Stop xboxdrv for Joypad 1
sudo kill -9 $(pgrep xboxdrv)

Very easy explanation: the first line actives the joypad on demand (in my case when i selected a rom by remote controller or wireless keyboard)

The second line starts the emu

and after you quitted the emu the xboxdrv-process is killed again.

No windows needed ! YAY :-D

- ALNiKO - 2011-05-20

In Rom Collection Browser/Configuration/Launch Games/Emulator Params %ROM% is used to send filename to emulator as a parameter. Can I use only filename without an extensions as a parameter to emulator? Nebula (Neo-Geo emul) works in commandline like this "nebula.exe mslug3" if used like "nebula.exe mslug3.zip" it doesn't work. If I rename mslug3.zip to mslug3 then it doesn't work also.

P.S. If I change value imageplacing in addons - nothing happens in neon, confluence etc.

- malte - 2011-05-21

Since version 0.8.5 you can use %ROMNAME% as placeholder. It does what you are looking for. All options are explained in the 0.8.5 release post (will be added to the wiki soon).

ImagePlacing should work with the default Confluence skin of RCB. But it is configured per Rom Collection. So you must take care that you test the new setting with games from the Rom Collection that you did edit in config dialog. And it will only apply for newly selected games, it will not change the view of the currently selected game.

- mullcom - 2011-05-21

Hello

When i install this.... that say script filen broken :S

- Invincer - 2011-05-21

Downloaded another nightly and have it working, but is it unable to see .png files? I have cabinets for the mame roms to scroll across the bottom, and it doesn't want to recognize the images at all. It just uses the title images. Tried replacing title for cabinets in the config, then it shows no artwork down there at all... snaps, titles, marquees, even the flvs in video view work, just not the cabinets

- malte - 2011-05-21

mullcom Wrote:When i install this.... that say script filen broken :S

What did you install? 0.8.6? Does it say this when you try to install or when you try to launch it? What system are you on (Windows, Linux, Dharma, Eden)?
Can you show me the error message in xbmc.log file?

Invincer Wrote:Downloaded another nightly and have it working, but is it unable to see .png files? I have cabinets for the mame roms to scroll across the bottom, and it doesn't want to recognize the images at all. It just uses the title images. Tried replacing title for cabinets in the config, then it shows no artwork down there at all... snaps, titles, marquees, even the flvs in video view work, just not the cabinets

It is able to show .png files. But cabinet files will only be shown with ImagePlacing option "gameinfomamecabinet" or "gameinfomamemarquee". With gameinfomamecabinet they should be shown in Info or Thumbs view in the game list and with gameinfomamemarquee they should be shown in Info or Info2 view in the upper left corner:

ImagePlacing gameinfomamecabinet in Info view:

ImagePlacing gameinfomamemarquee in Info view:

Can you show me your config file and xbmc.log (after you tried to import the cabinet files)?

Unfortunately there is no ImagePlacing option available atm that combines the mame images (cabinet, marquee) with a video view. You need to build it on your own if you understand how ImagePlacing works. I also started to play with the emumovies download utility (looks like what you are using, too?) and want to add more options to fully support it. But this will take some more time to be finished.

- ALNiKO - 2011-05-21

Malte, thanks for new options but still can't get to work Nebula emulator.

Here's part of my log:
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008851968 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: Begin launcher.launchEmu
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008856064 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: files for current game: [(u'D:\\XBMC\\Emulators\\#Neo-Geo\\Roms\\diggerma.zip',)]
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008856064 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: launcher.buildCmd
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008856064 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: emuCommandLine: D:\XBMC\Emulators\#Neo-Geo\nebula.exe
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008856064 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: emuParams: %ROMNAME%
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008856064 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: rom: D:\XBMC\Emulators\#Neo-Geo\Roms\diggerma.zip
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008860160 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: cmd: call "D:\XBMC\Emulators\#Neo-Geo\nebula.exe" diggerma
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008860160 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: launchEmu on non-xbox
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008860160 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: screenMode: 1920x1080 @ 60.00 - Full Screen
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3008860160 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: Toggle to Windowed mode
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3011862528 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: launch emu
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3004690432 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: launch emu done
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3004866560 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: Toggle to Full Screen mode
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3007074304 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: End launcher.launchEmu
05:31:12 T:6488 M:3007074304 NOTICE: RCB_INFO: End launchEmu

I found out nebula only works when launched in same folder e.g.
cmd
d:
cd xbmc
cd emulators
cd #neo-geo

and then

nebula.exe mslug3

But if let's say I'm on drive C and try to launch like this:
"D:\XBMC\Emulators\#Neo-Geo\nebula.exe" mslug (the way RCB works) it doesn't work.
What to do?
Use different emulator for neo-geo, or is there other way?

- malte - 2011-05-21

I don't know Nebula. But maybe there is a setting that you can point it your rom folders like you do it with MAME?

Another idea would be to make a little batch script:

Code:
d:

cd xbmc

cd emulators

cd #neo-geo

nebula.exe %1

Then launch this batch script instead of nebula.exe as emucmd and %ROMNAME% as emuparams.

- ALNiKO - 2011-05-22

malte
Thanks to your help, I've added all emulators with correct parameters and now all works!
Still have couple questions:
1) In any skin, any view- all fields, such as Year, Genre, Publisher, Developer: Not Available.
2) Some imported images (boxart) cannot be displayed e.g. blank. In explorer all those images can be easily opened and don't have any significant differences such as size, compression, resolution etc with "proper" ones.
3) When scraping offline only boxart can be imported?

- r3h4b - 2011-05-22

ALNiKO Wrote:I found out nebula only works when launched in same folder e.g.
cmd
d:
cd xbmc
cd emulators
cd #neo-geo

and then

nebula.exe mslug3

But if let's say I'm on drive C and try to launch like this:
"D:\XBMC\Emulators\#Neo-Geo\nebula.exe" mslug (the way RCB works) it doesn't work.
What to do?
Use different emulator for neo-geo, or is there other way?

I had the same issue with the Dolphin emu some days ago. This worked for me:

1. create a .bat file called "launcher.bat" and place it in your Nebula folder
2. edit it and put the following in it:

Code:
@echo off

cd /d %~dp0

nebula.exe %1

Save and close
3. in RCB, point to this .bat file instead of the Nebula.exe and use just "%ROM%" as parameter

I don't use Nebula either (I use Final Burn Alpha), but I guess it should work. This .bat can be copied for other emus without changing much..

Good luck!

- ALNiKO - 2011-05-22

r3h4b
Thanks, but malte's way also worked fine. Any ideas about my questions above?

- malte - 2011-05-22

ALNiKO Wrote:1) In any skin, any view- all fields, such as Year, Genre, Publisher, Developer: Not Available.

What scraper did you use? Do you have any entries in the filter boxes?

Did you try to navigate around, set some filter settings and switch to another game?

ALNiKO Wrote:2) Some imported images (boxart) cannot be displayed e.g. blank. In explorer all those images can be easily opened and don't have any significant differences such as size, compression, resolution etc with "proper" ones.

Again, what scraper? Is it local available content or did you use an online scraper? Maybe the images did not get imported correctly?

ALNiKO Wrote:3) When scraping offline only boxart can be imported?

No, you can add as many types as you like with the wizard (boxfront, boxback, screenshot, ...). Just say "Yes" when it asks if you want to add another artwork type.

In the "Edit Rom Collection" dialog you can change the artwork type with the "Media type" box.

- Tomkun - 2011-05-23

ALNiKO Wrote:malte
1) In any skin, any view- all fields, such as Year, Genre, Publisher, Developer: Not Available.

I had this issue when I used the option "CACHESELECTION". When I changed it to "CACHEALL", it solved the problem.

- KaizenYY - 2011-05-24

hello!
i have a question: does the VisualBoyAdvance emulator work ? I'm asking because I can't run my gb, gbc and gba roms via RCB.

greetings