About This File
COVERBOX FRAGMENTS VIDEOS: By DonellHD
DESCRIPTION:
I am quite possibly the biggest Coverbox fan in these forums, I've loved it since the first day I used it. It was my go to for over a year of retro gaming. After using it for a while I started to notice areas that could be improved upon, eventually leading to me wanting to do something about it. After getting permission from Faeran I started adding in all the stuff I wished Coverbox had. Its got all the flashy stuff of a modern theme but still retains that sweet warm glow of Coverbox. After a couple of years I started to feel the same way about my old fragments, all the new stuff Dave was adding to the CTC was missing from those old fragments. Now, here I am again doing that same thing. Redoing the coverbox views, its become my 2nd hobby. I also have an obsession with adding more and more to my gaming library, sometimes I just sit and look through it for hours and never play anything. I like to tinker endlessly with the games, this entire theme from the beginning was designed around my obsessive compulsive habits. You might notice that I take it way too far with the small details, this is because of my ocd, and will likely never change as it's part of who I am. I spent many months listening to what you guys wanted from the previous themes, I took all that information and mashed it together into what you see here. Something for everybody. It's been a long road, I've learned alot over the years and finally feel like I can bring my vision to life. Please keep in mind this is still a very early version of the theme, stick with me while I polish up and add more game list views.
To any newcomers, do not be scared off by the massive overload of information in this thread! It works out of the box with no extra work required. It works without installing any of the addons, or adding any custom options. It adapts to what you have installed and it adapts to what media you have. This will only improve as time goes by and people help me test the logic, eventually it will adapt to anything you throw at it. If you want to use all the custom options it can "seem" complex when in fact it's very simple. Making it was not, but using it should be. The custom options are for advanced users that want more out of their game lists. Give it a try, it might be your new go-to theme.
Be sure to read the guides I wrote below. Especially the one about how to change global settings within the theme.
FEATURES:
- Totally Re-Remastered Coverbox views
- Even more details
- Insane amount of logic added
- View box back when in game details in 2D or 3D mode!
- On-the-fly region changes to UI, cases, logos, buttons, icons, even the background!
- Many many custom options, so many options.
- Cart & Disc animations! Can turn them on/off now with the global settings!
- Working battery levels for portable bigbox users, for all views. Handheld's in game list view even reflect real charge levels!
- Now with a set of Global Settings so you can get your Coverbox just right
- Seamless game details menu (just like CoverBox!)
- Absolutely ridiculous amount of ways to customize this theme. Like seriously man, you won't find anything with more options.
- Extend your gaming library even further with detailed information on the cover and icon dock, via metadata and custom fields. The tinkering continues well after your setup is complete.
- Easy to modify! Almost all assets are layered for added flexibility! Don't like a logo I added? root around in the media folder and delete it, edit it, change the color, modify anything you want!
- EXTREMELY detailed box art options
- More than just a Cover! Under the hood each Cover is a fully constructed box. Complete with inlay, disc, cart, wrapper, everything. When missing media happens, what you see underneath feels authentic.
- Custom startup & pause themes (still working on them for v2)
- Tremendous amount of hidden detail, some of which you won't even notice until you use it for a while, or add certain games to your collection.
- Now with Addon Support! Adapts immediately to what you have installed, and what you don't.
- Background Videos are now installed as a addon! for those who prefer them off. The theme adapts and switches to static bg views.
- Holiday Events Addon! New Holiday stuff added for those who enjoy a decent jump scare and good ol saint nick. (4th of July, Christmas, Halloween)
- Now with proper Retroachievements Support! Get them cheevs (Thanks Dave!)
- Background Music Addon! Listen to some sweet synth beats when you browse the platform list (can be turned off in global settings)
- Now with Game Save/State Support! IDK what it even is, or how to even activate it, but it's in there.
VIEWS:
- Platform View 1 (WIP)
- Settings View
- 12 Remastered Coverbox Views
- Default View (for platforms with no theme yet)
More platform/game list views on the way
REQUIREMENTS:
This theme no longer has many requirements! If the theme is running slow just disable some of the features until it's smooth as butter
- BigBox Version: 13 or later
- Region Metadata Filled Out
- Gameplay Videos (Its Coverbox after all)
- Platforms MUST be named using official Launchbox names, listed below.
SUPPORTED PLATFORM/PLAYLIST NAMES:
- Nintendo Game Boy
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
- Nintendo Game Boy Advance
- Nintendo Super Game Boy
- Nintendo DS
- Nintendo DSi
- Nintendo 3DS
- Sega Game Gear
- Sony Net Yaroze
- Sony Playstation
- Sony Playstation 2
- Sony Pocketstation
If you do not wish to change your platform names you can rename the view files to match your platform/playlist names.
EXTRAS: (OLD STARTUP/PAUSE STUFF) NEW ONES NOT READY YET
These are the OLD startup/pause themes from Coverbox Fragments, they work but won't match the new Coverbox Remastered version. I'm still working on them and I'm way behind on it, I only have maybe 2 finished. I'll get to these at some point they are a big part of the theme, and wont be forgotten.
Coverbox - Fragments Startup Themes
Coverbox - Fragments Pause Themes
*Installing these old versions will NOT reflect the install status on the Settings View like the new versions.
REMASTERED PLATFORMS: 12
- Nintendo
- Super Nintendo
- Super Famicom
- Nintendo 64
- Nintendo 64DD
- Nintendo Gamecube
- Nintendo Wii
- Nintendo WiiU
- Nintendo Switch
- Nintendo Gameboy (Remastered)
- Nintendo Gameboy Color (Remastered)
- Nintendo Gameboy Advance (Remastered)
- Nintendo Super Gameboy
-
Nintendo DS (Remastered)
-
Nintendo DSi
-
Nintendo 3DS (Remastered)
- Sony Playstation (Remastered)
- Sony PocketStation
-
Sony Net Yaroze
-
Sony Playstation 2 (Remastered)
- Sony Playstation 3
- Sony PSP
- Sega Game Gear
- Sega Master System
- Sega Genesis
- Sega Saturn
- Sega Dreamcast
- MS-DOS
- Microsoft XBox
- Microsoft Xbox 360
- and more...once I get all caught up.
Any platform in red has not been ported to the new system yet, trying to enter the game list for any platform in red will fallback to the default theme.
GUIDES: READ THEM!!!!
INSTALL GUIDE:
INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Download Coverbox Remastered and copy its contents to the usual "Launchbox\Themes " folder.
2) Done
*If you plan on deleting the theme when updating and have modified files or added custom assets (icons, etc) make sure you backup the theme BEFORE deleting it.
INSTALLING ADDONS:
1) Download the addon you want to install and copy its contents to "Launchbox\Themes " folder. Check the settings page to verify it was installed properly.
UPDATING ADDONS:
Updating addons does NOT require updating of the main theme, or deleting the old version of the addon (you CAN delete it, but dont HAVE to unless i specify to do so)
Updating is the same as installing, copy the addons contents to "Launchbox\Themes " folder, overwrite the old version. Check the settings and verify that the version number increased.
INSTALLING STARTUP/PAUSE THEMES: (NOT FINISHED YET)
Install startup/pause themes to their normal locations. They need to be downloaded and installed separately if you wish to use them.
Coverbox - Fragments Startup Themes
Coverbox - Fragments Pause Themes
SUGGESTED BIGBOX SETTINGS:
This theme works best if you use the recommended BigBox settings. Of course these are all optional but they match up with the menus and give the intended experience.
-
VIEW > default startup > set to "platforms"
-
VIEW > enable "remember separate view for each platform"
-
GENERAL > enable "skip game details screen"
-
GENERAL > enable "hold b to enter settings"
-
CONTROLLERS MAPPINGS > show game details screen > map to "start button"
CUSTOM OPTIONS GUIDE:
Almost every game list view in this theme has a hidden set of custom options to further extend the Coverbox experience. These options vary from platform to platform, and are optional. Each option is listed in the "_CUSTOM FIELDS.txt" file included in the themes folder (and also available for download). Enabling custom options is very easy, they are applied on a per-game basis. You can select multiple games and bulk edit as well.
Custom Fields txt file can be found in:
LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\_CUSTOM FIELDS.txt
1) Let's start by adding 1 custom option to a PSX game. I want to use the greatest hits label for "Jurassic Park" because that's the box art I have for it.
2) First thing you wanna do is refer to the "_CUSTOM FIELDS.txt" file to get the needed info to add the custom option. Look for your platform in the list, in this case "PLAYSTATION".
3) Once you have found your platform, look for the option you want to add. In this example we want Greatest Hits. Says we need to add the NAME "Greatest Hits", with a VALUE of "Yes".
4) Now we go back to Launchbox and edit the game(s) metadata. Right click on the game and select "Edit Metadata/Media".
5) Next we need to select "Custom Fields" tab to the left, then input the option from the themes "Custom Fields.txt". It said we need to add the name Greatest Hits with a value of Yes
6) Click on the empty space at the bottom to add a new option
7) Enter Greatest Hits into the NAME section
😎 Enter Yes in the VALUE section
9) Click OK
10) Thats it! Your good to go. Load up BigBox and you will see the custom options are applied automatically now.
Repeat steps 1-9 for any other options you want to add.
GLOBAL SETTINGS GUIDE: READ THIS!
You can now customize a few global options to Customize Coverbox even further! I tried to make it as easy as possible to turn things on and off.
First, lets enter the Coverbox Remastered theme folder. Find the "Media" folder, and enter it.
Launchbox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media
Inside the Media folder is ALOT of other folders, don't worry, the ones we use are right at the top! Find the "_SETTINGS" folder and enter it.
Inside the "_SETTINGS" folder are several .png files. These png files are named after the global setting they apply to.
If you want to disable any of the features simply just rename it to OFF instead of ON.
*BigBox must be closed when renaming the files
example: BG VIDEO - OFF.png
rename to > BG VIDEO - ON.png
That's it! The setting has been changed and BigBox will reflect the changes on the next boot.
Alternatively, you can name it whatever you want. It disables it as soon as its renamed to anything but what I have them set to. All pngs that are labeled as ON will enable the associated setting
automatically. These settings are global. A quick rundown of what the features actually do is listed below:
3D BOX BACK - Uses the 3D box model for game details. When off it uses 2D version.
BG MUSIC - Enable/Disable background music in settings menu, and platform views.
BG VIDEO - Enables/Disable the background video used in some themes. Theme will use static BG instead.
CART ANIMATION - Enable/Disable the cartridge animations
COVER STATIC - Enable/Disable the static thats displayed when browsing the game list.
DISC ANIMATIONS - Enable/Disable the disc move/spin animations
HOLIDAY EVENTS - Enable/Disable the holiday events
UNPLAYED WRAPPER - Enable/Disable the wrapper overlay for unplayed games.
UNKNOWN PLATFORM ALERTS - Enable/Disable the Unknown platform alerts on the default game list theme.
Enabling some options may havea performance impact, depending on how fast your PC is. I made the global settings in a attempt to counter this. If you find that the views are running sluggish on your pc try disabling a few features. I would start by disabling the BG Videos, theme still looks sweet even without them. Second, the cover static. Third, the cart/disc animations. Each one you disable should speed up the views a bit. Not adding colorfuls videos helps as well for platform views. I used his device images so it still looks similar even without the videos.
Have Fun! I know all these words sound confusing, but I promise it's easier than it looks! I spent a GREAT deal of time making this so flexible. There is alot of logic and moving parts, i may have missed something because of that. If something is out of place don't be afraid to let me know so i can fix it.
ON-THE-FLY REGION CHANGES GUIDE:
The on-the-fly region changes will only work if a region has been specified in the games metadata. Luckily, Launchbox does a good job of filling in that metadata when adding games to your library, no work required. On the off chance lb didn't specify a region, just add one manually. It will work automatically after specifying a supported region in the metadata, no more input required. Default is USA, if no region is specified it will always fallback to USA (Merica Baby!) I will list the supported regions below:
- North America
- United States
- Japan
- Europe
- United Kingdom
*These need to be spelled EXACTLY as I spelled them above.
BONUS MEDIA GUIDE: NEW INFO ADDED!
COLORFUL PLATFORM VIDEOS:
All my Platform views (right now just the one im still working on) supports Viking's awesome platform videos. Clean, centered, uniformed....perfect. You can find them here. These are secondary to your primary platform videos, and play alongside it in Platform View 1. In order to use them with this theme they need to be copied to the correct location. First download the videos and make sure to rename the videos to just the platform name.
example: Colorful_4K_-_Nintendo_DS_-_(1.0)_by_Viking.mp4
rename to: Nintendo DS.mp4
Place all your "renamed" colorful videos into:
"LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_COLORFUL VIDEOS"
They will load automatically on next boot of BigBox.
Alternatively, you can add any video and it will play in place of the colorful videos.
SUPER GAMEBOY BORDERS:
The Super Gameboy game list theme supports Super Gameboy borders on a per game basis. There are over 800 of them over at vgmuseum.
I don't have the time to crop and rename 800 borders but maybe somebody else does. If your looking for some of your own just get the ones you need for your games until somebody uploads a full
set to the launchbox forums. These need to be named exactly as the name of the game and copied to:
"LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_SGB BORDERS"
If they are named properly they will load automatically on next boot of the Super Gameboy when highlighting said game.
PS: You will notice I already have some default super gameboy borders in there, those are loaded randomly when no game border is found. delete any you dont like.
NINTENDO DS GAME ICONS:
The Nintendo DS/DSi game list themes support official game icons on a per game basis. There are hundreds of them over at vgmuseum:
I don't have the time to gather and rename all of those, but maybe somebody else does. Finding the game you need in that sea of icons is
most def annoying. It's made EVEN more pleasant by the fact that every icon is named randomly. For those that power through it, the icons
need to be named exactly as the name of the game and copied to:
"LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_NDS ICONS"
f they are named properly they will load automatically on next boot of the Nintendo DS game list when highlighting said game.
I know that nobody wants to make a proper set out of all those icons, but it would be alot cooler if you did.
NINTENDO DSI ICONS:
The Nintendo DSi game list theme supports animated game icons, and nds icons on a per game basis. There are some animated icons over at skins.ds:
Maybe somebody will put all these in a nice neat pack and upload it. The gifs need to be named exactly as the game and copied to:
"LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_DSI ANIMATED ICONS"
If they are named properly they will load automatically on next boot of the Nintendo DSi game list when highlighting said game.
NINTENDO 3DS ICONS:
The Nintendo 3DS game list themes support official game icons on a per game basis. There are hundreds of them over at vgmuseum:
I don't have the time to gather rename all of those, but maybe somebody else does. Finding the game you need in that sea of icons is
most def annoying. For those that power through it, the icons need to be named exactly as the name of the game and copied to:
"LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_3DS ICONS"
If they are named properly they will load automatically on next boot of the Nintendo 3DS game list when highlighting said game.
NINTENDO 3DS CUSTOM THEME:
The Nintendo 3DS game list theme supports the use of custom themes designed for the handheld. There are thousands to choose from over at themeplaza:
Right now, it supports the use of only one theme. If people enjoy the themes I can make it "per game" with a bit of effort. Just let me know.
Start by downloading the theme you want. Inside every theme zip is a folder named "ext_previews", inside of that folder are the theme files we will be copying.
They vary from theme to theme, but you only need these files:
pt_top.png
pt_bottom.png
Copy both of those files into:
LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_3DS THEME
you should be left with:
LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_3DS THEME\pt_top.png
LaunchBox\Themes\Coverbox Remastered\Media\_3DS THEME\pt_bottom.png
If they are named properly the theme will load automatically on next boot of the Nintendo 3DS game list.
if no theme files are present it uses default 3DS theme
EDITING THE THEME:
I forgot to document alot of stuff last time. I guess now is a good time to get this thread full of proper information, with a small dash of backstory. Last time I did these, I modified how I added alot of the assets. When I first started I wanted it to run super fast, so I flattened alot of images, cut down on elements, to save space and keep it fast. I did this for a few platforms and found it really difficult to go back and make small changes to things because of that. It also felt, idk, not flashy enough for me.
When i first got permission from faeran to do my edits, I chose to scrap what i had done so far and start over using extra elements, adding extra flair, and layering most of the assets. I did this at first just for me, to make my life easier. This time I did it for ANY person that wants to root around in the media folder. I spent extra time making sure most things are in their own layer. you can replace backgrounds, fanarts, buttons, menu elements, pointers, almost EVERYTHING in the media folder. Obviously editing some things take a small amount of skill, but most you can just overwrite with your own image. The theme will show every edit, without affecting any other moving parts, or the logic inside them. Perfect for those that want to mod it in their own image, without ever using the CTC. If you mess something up, just replace it with the one from the zip, easy peezy.
I left alot of txt files everywhere to help people find their way, hope they are helpful.
Hopefully this helps further extend the flexibility of this theme, and brings somebody out there (besides me) some satisfaction.
PATREON:
Become a member of my Patreon, a place where you can help keep me up late by buying me Starbucks. It's no longer a place of paywall, I don't even spend alot of time there it's just a place for people to donate to my long nights of theming. I spend alot of time in my gaming room making these themes, if you feel that using these themes has brought you $3 worth of joy, please consider donating to my coffee pot. Any person that donates (even just once) will get their name permanently listed in the "Supporter" section on the settings page of this theme. You can subscribe then immediately unsubscribe, it doesn't hurt my feelings. As a added bonus you can make requests and let me know how you feel about anything really. Guide me in the right direction because lord knows I need it. If you decide to become a member of my super secret club, I will listen to your stories, requests, and criticism. Your voices will be heard, and I will do my best to make the magic happen.
CREDITS:
ASSETS:
Coverbox - By Faeran
Photoreal Controller Vectors - By Pineapple Graphics
Platform Backgrounds from Unified - By CriticalCid
COLORFUL Hardware PNG media - By viking
COLORFUL platform video set - By viking
LaunchBox Logos - By Dan Patrick
Default assets - By dragon57
Color Logos Wallpaper - By dragon57
Blank Box art - By Pyrometheous
SNES Console Front Face - By BMovieBen
Super Gameboy Cartridges - By Duimon
HD PS1 BIOS Theme - By mrgonaka
Retroarch PSX Bios Theme - By Sir5ur
Super Gameboy Borders - By ruckage
Platform Fanart - By BlazingRyuu
Cart and Case Borders - By ABeezy1388
Gameboy Kiosk Overlay - By p3st
HyperSpin Platform Pointers - By thatman84
Unified Pointers - By CriticalCid
PS2 5K Wallpaper - By adamlbiscuit
Sega Game Gear/MS Sound Pack - By drmalouf
PS2 Soundpack - By Jodanzuki
Classic DS Menu - By Gemdation
DSi Sprites - By Citra
Nintendo 3DS - By reon
3DS Theme - By Malixx
MUSIC:
RetroSynth - By Bastien Agussol
This is Halloween - By Universfield
Tetris Theme - By SpookyDave
Flower Garden Remix - By Qumu
Super Mario Land Remix - By Qumu
Holly Jolly Christmas - By Don Salmon Music
Star Spangled Banner - By Music Unlimited
PS1 Startup Song Remix - By IAmReegz
Underground Remastered 80s Style - By Aqua MIDI
Focused - By 8-BrickDMG
Pokemon Synthwave - By Chillboy Beats
Somebody's Watching Me - By Rockwell
Emerald Hill Zone Remix - By Player2
Astro Advancement - By Sponzi
Castle Theme Remix - By PIXELIZER
GTA Retrowave Remix - By RetroCiri
Yoshi's Island - Underground - By JuunJuubei
Rainbow Road 80's Synthwave - By Chillboy Beats
DSi Shop Theme - By mfgecko
3DS Theme Shop - By Player2
Chemical Plant Zone - By Xennon
VIDEO:
Rainbow Neon Stairs - By Anton Nikolaienko
PS2 Game List Video - By DonellHD
Futuristic Pixel Neon - By Siam Ahmad
Halloween Festival - By Potjanun Surirug
Christmas Scene - By Cahya Sunandar
Digital LCD Pattern - By Ponravin Phom-in
Merry Christmas - By Black Spade Design
Happy Independence Day - By Saad Ur Rehman
American Flag Wave - By Dwi Rustiyanto
3D Grid Tunnel - By Paduret Dan Cristian
Abstract Radiating Lightburst - By Ibna Foysal
Abstract Geometric Shapes - By Pipat Sungwises
Elegant Moving Shapes - By Chandresh Uike
White Color Grid - By Digital Background
Gray Grid - By Syahrul Iman
Colorful Lines - By Herlangga Perkasa
Abstract Lighting - By Shajahan Ali
Lens Flare - By Herlangga Perkasa
Pink Curved Lines - By Happy Dwi Sulaspriyono
Abstract Brick Wall - By Okan Akdeniz
Red and White Endless Sci-Fi Corridor - By Iryna Nikolaienko
White Squares - By Chandresh Uike
Elegant White - By Chandresh Uike
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Faeran - For making Coverbox, letting me use your assets, helping me when I get stuck, making all the CTC videos, your like a mentor to me.
y2guru - For making Community Theme Creator, none of this would be possible without it! Also thank you for all the instructional videos!
Cnells2000 - For helping me make some videos, making some assets and helping me test
Patreon Supporters - For keeping the coffee comin' and helping me with the themes.
REPORT BUGS IN THE COMMENTS (OR DM ME) I'LL GET THEM FIXED ASAP
If you like this theme, please leave a review and tell me about it! It keeps me motivated!
*_CUSTOM FIELDS.txt is included in the theme, and also available for download in a separate zip above.
FEED ME TASTY MUSHROOM!
Edited by KingSlayer420
finished writing the guides
What's New in Version v2.11.1 - Early Access See changelog
Released
Playstation 2:
- changed platform bg
- fixed video lag when entering game details
- fixed case border not collapsing when in game details
- fixed browse text not displaying when in details menu
- fixed bg video going invisible when region set to europe/united kingdom
- lowered wrapper opacity
- colored case inlays were misspelled, causing them to not display
Nintendo DS:
- wheel arrow was to far to the left
- star rating should be set to low render quality.
- fixed cart flying off screen on the bottom
- cover static & box front wasn't lined up with case border
- enlarged 3d back case
- highlighted game should go active AFTER cart insert animation is finished.
- fix for video snaps not showing on some pcs
Nintendo DSi:
- fixed cart flying off screen on the bottom
- wheel was cutting off some text
- enlarged 3d back case
- wheel pointer was too small.
- nintendo selects should be collapsed unless custom options are specified, or game is favorited.
- fix for video snaps not showing on some pcs
Nintendo 3DS:
- eshop custom option features were broken
- fixed 2d box back
- fixed case border overlap in game details
- enlarged 3d back case
- fixed cart flying off screen on the bottom
- fix for video snaps not showing on some pcs
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