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JoeViking245

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Files posted by JoeViking245

  1. GameBase database Importer

    GameBase database Importer
    Import games and metadata from GameBase database file(s) into LaunchBox.
    Based on information in your GameBase database file(s), this plugin will:
    Create a new Platform Add games to the new Platform Add game “Extras” as Additional Applications Add available information to each game: Metadata Title Release Date Genre Developer Play Mode Max Players Platform Publisher Favorite (check box) Media Game Manual Path Image Game Screenshot Launching Full Application Path to files  
    If you’re not familiar with GameBase, you can check it out here: https://www.bu22.com   Also check out their forums for more complete and updated databases.
     
    Installing the plugin
    Download the plugin Unblock “ImportGameBase.zip” by right clicking the file and checking “Unblock” and clicking “OK” Open the zip file and copy the folder (containing 3 files) into /LaunchBox/Plugins/  (For those who braved testing the beta release, delete that copy of the plugin first.)
     
    Using the plugin*
    Start LaunchBox Select Tools, Import GameBase Click Browse and navigate to your GameBase database folder and select the database file (i.e. “Amstrad CPC.mdb”) Click Convert to xml (may take a couple seconds) (Optional) rename the Platform to be added (Optional, but recommended) Select an emulator to use with the games being imported** Click Import to LB Once you’ve clicked Import, you’re stuck until it’s done importing! This will 1st import the games and Extras into the Platform then copy Screenshot images (if they exist) When importing, DO NOT attempt to multi-task in LaunchBox!!  Just sit back and let it do its thing. Once it’s done, close the plugin window.  * If you plan to use an emulator already setup in GameBase, setup the “GBLaunch” emulator in LaunchBox BEFORE running the plugin. (See Using GameBase Emulators below). 
     
    Some kind of important stuff:
    You need to have your own GameBase database file(s), ROMs, images and manuals. You need to have your databases setup in GameBase BEFORE attempting to import.  Namely setting up the Paths to the ROMs, Screenshots and Extras.  To make use of the emulators through GameBase, those need to be already setup AND working. You can only import into a new Platform. The Platform will not be setup to “Scrape As...”, so you’ll need to set that yourself for when you use LaunchBox to import images***. If a database you plan to import into LaunchBox doesn’t work in GameBase, it WILL NOT magically work in LaunchBox. No files will be moved, copied (except Screenshots***) or altered in your existing GameBase installation folder(s). All games and Extras imported will point to their current location in your GameBase directory.  
     **Setting up an emulator
    Since GameBase pretty much sets up the emulators for you through exhaustive scripts they’ve created, it makes sense to use those.  This is easily done by using GBLauncher.exe (included with GameBase).  However to access game ROMs that are located in game “Extras”, you’ll need to have GBLauncher2.exe.
    The other option is to setup and use your own emulator in LaunchBox.  Example: RetroArch for SuperNESBase.
    Using GameBase Emulators
    You need to add 2 files to your GameBase root folder.  GBLauncher2.exe and GBLaunch.ahk.
    Download and unzip GBLauncher2.exe and place it in your GameBase root folder.  “Unblock” the file the same way as in step 2 - Installing the plugin.  You can download it from here: http://www.gb64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5653.  UPDATE Oct. 22, 2023 The file in the above link appears to now be corrupt (bad CRC). An archived version of the file can be found here.  Thanks @GreatGuy for the heads up! Copy (or move) GBLaunch.ahk (included with the plugin) into your GameBase root folder. In LaunchBox,
    1.     Click Tools, Manage, Emulators…
    2.     Click Add
    3.     Give it an Emulator Name:  Example: GBLaunch (But can be any name you want)
    4.     In Application Path:  Click Browse and navigate to /LaunchBox/ThirdParty/AutoHotkey/ and select AutoHotkey.exe
    5.     In Default Command-Line Parameters:, type in GBLaunch.ahk

    6.     Now go to Associated Platforms and select an existing Platform (i.e. Atari 2600).  It doesn’t matter which one.  But DO NOT check Default Emulator!!  You can also just type in a name like “airplane”.  It doesn’t matter, as long as something is in there.

    7.     Click OK to save and exit.
    When you run the plugin, check Use Existing Emulator.  "GBLaunch" (or whatever you ended up naming it in step #3) will automatically be selected.
     
    Using your own Emulator(s)
    These do not necessarily need to be setup in LaunchBox prior to importing.
    If using emulators you already have setup in LaunchBox, in the plugin, check Use Existing Emulator and select it from the dropdown list.  This will automatically assign the Associated Platform to that emulator and set it as the Default Emulator for this platform.
    In either case, you may need to edit the emulator and assign any Default Command-Line Parameters: and in the case of RetroArch, you will need to assign the Core and Extra Command-Line Parameters (if needed).
     
     
    ***GameBase Images
    The only game images this plugin will touch are game Screenshots.  The available Screenshots will be copied into the Platforms’ "Screenshot - Gameplay" folder.
    Any other images (box art, flyers etc.) that a database may have will not be handled by this plugin in any way, shape or form.  These other images are stored too inconsistently among the various databases with respect to the folders they reside in.
    To add other images from the database into LaunchBox, you’ll need to copy them from the respective database folder to the corresponding LaunchBox/Images folder.
    For example, Box – Front images (as LaunchBox sees them) would come from:
    Vic20_v03        \Extras\Cover\Cart Box\Front\
    Amiga 2.3         \Extras\Cover Scans\[letter or number]\
    SuperNESBase  \Extras\Boxart - Front\[country]\[letter or number]\
    …and copied into /LaunchBox/Images/platform_name/Box – Front/
    (It’s recommended you close LaunchBox prior to copying the images)
     
     
    Disclaimer
    I don’t use GameBase myself.  I only know how to get the database to Import into LaunchBox.  So that part I know works. 😎
    If you need any help getting GameBase setup with databases and emulators they use, or setting up your own emulator(s) in LaunchBox for use with the database ROMs, ask somewhere else.  These go far beyond the scope of this plugin and my personal knowledgebase.
    Only a select few databases have been tested.  So I imagine some refinements will need to be made to accommodate other databases.  Accommodations considered will be in the form of ROMs that are listed as a games “Extras”.  Examples:  Extras using “WHDLoad” in Amiga 2.3.  And “TAP” and “Cart” in Vic20_v03.
     
    Special Thanks
    Huge thanks goes to @dillonm for all your time and patience.  Dillon was instrumental in teaching me how GameBase works and without hesitation, took time to do testing, retesting and testing once again.  Without Dillon’s guidance, contributions and willingness to help, this plugin would still be sitting in beta collecting dust.  Thanks Dillon!!
     
    As always, any and all comments and suggestions are welcomed.  All reasonable requests (‘reasonable’ as determined by management) will be considered.

    435 downloads

       (0 reviews)

    7 comments

    Updated

  2. (Bulk) Remove Additional Applications

    (Bulk) Remove Additional Applications
     
    (July 10, 2023)
    This plugin is no longer supported. But [for now] still works.
    Please see its successor: Bulk Add/Remove Additional Applications
     
     
     
     
    The intent of this plugin is to Remove the same** Additional Application for all games in a given Platform, all at one time.
    **Same is determined by the Additional Applications Application Name and Application Path.  If they match exactly, they are the ‘same’.
    Why use this?   Quite possibly because you used the Bulk Add Additional Applications plugin and you clicked “OK” before realizing you forgot to add in the Command-Line Parameters or it's simply not needed anymore.
    Setup:
    Download and extract "BulkRemoveAdditionalApps.dll" from the zip file and place it in your Plugins subfolder of LaunchBox.
    Right click the dll file, select Properties, and click "Unblock" (if it's there) and click OK.

     
    Using the plugin:
    -  Click Tools and select "Bulk Remove Additional Apps".
    -  Click the dropdown box and select a Platform.
    -  Click Get to show the Additional Apps for that Platform.***
    -  Check the Remove box(s) for the Additional Apps you wish to delete.
    -  Click Remove to delete/remove all occurrences of those selected Additional Apps.****
    *** The plugin will 'combine' any Additional Apps that have the exact same Name AND App Path, and only display one of those.  When you remove that "one", all occurrences (having the same Name and Path) will be removed.
    ***Example:  You used the Bulk Add Additional Applications plugin to add an Additional App to 245 different games.  You named it “My Run-Before App” and set the Application Path to “D:\MyApps\RunBefore.exe”.  This plugin will only display it in the list once, instead of 245 times.  (Because they all “have the exact same Name AND App Path”.)

    **** Once you click Remove, the apps you had selected will get removed/deleted forever.  There is no undoing this once OK is clicked! (unless of course you have your backup file that was created with the LaunchBox built-in Automatic Backup feature.)

    301 downloads

       (1 review)

    15 comments

    Updated

  3. (Bulk) Add Additional Applications

    (Bulk) Add Additional Applications    A.K.A.    (Bulk) Add Run Before/After Main Application
     
     
    (July 10, 2023)
    This plugin is no longer supported. But [for now] still works.
    Please see its successor: Bulk Add/Remove Additional Applications
     
     
     
    The intent of this plugin to add the same Additional Application to more than one game, all at one time.  More specifically, it is to add an Additional Application you want to run Before and/or After the selected games.
    *Works with LaunchBox versions 10.14 and newer.*
    Setup:
    Download and extract "Bulk Run Before-After.dll" from the zip file and place it in your Plugins subfolder of LaunchBox. Right click the dll file, select Properties, and click "Unblock" (if it's there) and click OK.
    Using the plugin:
    Select more than one game (or all of them) in your Platform. Right click on one of the selected games and select "Bulk Run Before/After Main Application". Fill in the Application Name, Path to the program, any necessary Command Line Parameters and then check the appropriate box if you want it to run Before or After (or both or none) the Main Application.  Click OK You should probably test this on only 2 or 3 games first BEFORE you decide to do your entire Platform.  There is no [bulk] undo (See Additional Notes).
     
         
    Additional Notes:
    Once you click "OK", the Additional Application is added to each game you had selected.  There is no Bulk Edit or Bulk Remove**Additional Application(s). (at least by me)
    It does require that you give it an Application Name and an Application Path. 
    It will verify that your Application Path points to an existing file but it will not check if there's an existing Additional Application with the same Name.
    **If you clicked OK when you should have clicked Cancel, you can remove them with this plugin: (Bulk) Remove Additional Applications
     
     

    788 downloads

       (2 reviews)

    20 comments

    Updated

  4. Copy Metadata (plugin): Apply metadata from someone else's XML file to your own.

    Scenario:
    "I have a build where I'm manually changing every game genre to a single genre/subgenre value and would love to share it, but without a tool to apply my metadata to their own it's kinda pointless."
    Solution:
    Copy Metadata plugin.

    Purpose:
    Import selected metadata from someone else's platform_name.xml file into one of your existing Platforms.
    This will scan a LaunchBox platform_name.xml file and compare it your existing platform.  For all matching games*, it will update the metadata you chose to have imported.  
    (*See Finding Matching Games for how games are matched up.)
     
    Metadata fields to import (can select one or more):
    Genre Series Developer Publisher Notes ReleaseDate DatabaseID VideoUrl WikipediaURL CustomField (up to 3)  
    Warning:
    This will REPLACE any existing metadata for the fields you've selected. There is no un-do button. The exception is Custom Field(s).  This will add new Custom Fields. If an existing Custom Field with the same Name as one be imported is found, you have the option to Overwrite your existing Custom Field Add a new Custom Field (creating 2 with the same Name but different Values)  
    How to:
    Requires LaunchBox 13.3 or newer
    Download, unblock the zip file, copy the contents of the zip to ..\LaunchBox\Plugins\ i.e. D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\CopyMetadata\CopyMetadata.dll Start LaunchBox Click Tools Select "Copy Metadata" Click Browse to locate and select the xml file you want to import from (optional) Drag & Drop the file onto the TextBlock (directly above the Browse button) Select your platform you want the metadata imported to (The plugin will attempt to 'select' the appropriate one for you) Check the metadata items you want imported To import a Custom Field Click "Include Custom Field(s)" Click the dropdown box and select the one you want imported Check the box next to it to have it imported (optional: you can select up to 2 others to be imported) Click Import  
    Finding Matching Games:
    Every effort is made to properly match games in your existing platform to an external platform_name.xml.
    It will first use the games LBDatabaseID # to ensure an exact match. If there are no matching database ID #'s, it will compare the games file_name.ext. If there are still no matches, it will look for a matching game Title.  
    Concept for this plugin was inspired by @C-Beats who caught me when I was bored and looking for a plugin idea.  

    262 downloads

       (1 review)

    3 comments

    Submitted

  5. Bulk Convert .cue/.bin (or files other than .bin) to .chd

    Bulk Convert .cue/.bin (or files other than .bin) to .chd
    Using MAME’s chdman.exe (“Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) Manager”, included with MAME), this plugin will convert CD based game files to a single .chd file in your selected Platform.  Example:
    Before    Loom (USA).cue     Loom (USA).ccd     Loom (USA).img     Loom (USA).sub
    After       Loom (USA).chd
    Before    Arctic Thunder.cue     Arctic Thunder.bin
    After       Arctic Thunder.chd
     
    If you are looking to convert gdi or iso files (as well as cue) to CHD, see this plugin instead.
    Bulk Convert cue/gdi/iso files to CHD - Third-party Apps and Plugins - LaunchBox Community Forums (launchbox-app.com)
     
    Why convert?
     
    You end up with just a single file per game A CHD file is, well… compressed. Resulting in less storage space requirements Arctic Thunder.cue + .bin = 601MB    Arctic Thunder.chd = 466MB Spider-Man 2: Enter Electro = 684MB    CHD format = 318MB Because we can and it's easy to do
    Requirements
    This plugin file chdman.exe (included with MAME) Game rom-sets that include a .cue file. (Loom (USA).cue, Arctic Thunder.cue etc.)  
    What happens after converting?
    After successfully creating a CHD Image, the games application path will be changed to the new .chd file.
    Also, after the files have been converted you have the option to 
    Leave the old files in place (default) Move the old files to a separate [backup] folder Delete the old files
       
    Installing the plugin
    Download the plugin Unblock “cue2chd (v1.00).zip” by right clicking the file and checking “Unblock” and clicking “OK”. Open the zip file and copy the contents (1 folder containing 1 file) into /LaunchBox/Plugins/ i.e. G:/LaunchBox/Plugins/cue2chd/cue2chd.dll
     
    Using the plugin
    Start LaunchBox Select Tools, Convert cue to chd Select a Platform Click Convert (Optional) Check Delete old files when complete  This will permanently delete the old files (.cue, .bin, .img etc) after successfully converting them to .chd. Check Move old files when complete This will move the old files (.cue, .bin, .img etc) after successfully converting them to .chd to a folder you specify [for ‘backup’].
      If you do not select Delete or Move, all files will remain in their current location along with the newly created .chd file. 
     
     If you opt to delete the old files and later want/need to convert the CHD files back to .cue etc., you can use chdman.exe to "reverse the process".  The command line is:
    chdman.exe extractcd -i “file_name.chd” -o “file_name.cue”  
     
    Special thanks to @faeran for coming up with the idea for this plugin and his support and testing.
     As always, all comments and suggestions are welcome.

    3,069 downloads

       (6 reviews)

    61 comments

    Updated

  6. Bulk Convert cue/gdi/iso files to CHD

    Bulk Convert cue, gdi or iso ROMs to chd
    This plugin expands the capabilities of the existing Bulk Convert .cue to .chd plugin by adding the options to also convert gdi and iso formats to CHD.  (For cue/bin files, the process is the exact same between the 2 plugins.)
    Using MAME’s chdman.exe (“Compressed Hunks of Data (CHD) Manager”, included with MAME), this plugin will convert CD based game files to a single .chd file in your selected Platform.

    Why convert?
    •    You end up with just a single file per game
    •    A CHD file is, well… compressed. Resulting in less storage space requirements
    •    Most, if not all emulators now support .chd format
    •    chdman applies lossless compression so there should no noticeable difference in load time.

    Requirements
    This plugin file chdman.exe (included with MAME) ROM sets that are in a .cue, .gdi or .iso format
    What happens after converting?
    After successfully creating a CHD Image, the games application path in LaunchBox will be redirected to the new .chd file.
    Also, after the files have been converted you have the option to
    •    Leave the old files in place (default)
    •    Move the old files to a separate [backup] folder
    •    Delete the old files

    Installing the plugin
    1.    Download the plugin
    2.    Unblock “BulkConvert2CHD (v1.00).zip” by right clicking the file and checking “Unblock” and clicking “OK”.
                     
    3.    Open the zip file and copy the contents (1 folder containing 1 file) into /LaunchBox/Plugins/
                   ../LaunchBox/Plugins/BulkConvert2CHD/BulkConvert2CHD.dll

    Using the plugin
    1.    Start LaunchBox
    2.    Select Tools, Bulk Convert To CHD
    3.    Select a Platform
    4.    Select the file format you’re converting from
    5.    Click Convert
    6.    (Optional)
                   Check Delete old files when complete 
                          This will permanently delete the old files after successfully converting them to .chd.
                   Check Move old files when complete
                          This will move the old files after successfully converting them to .chd to the folder you specify.
     
    Troubleshooting:
    If you are getting errors while attempting to convert the files, make sure you are using chdman.exe that comes with the latest release of MAME.
    If you use multiple versions of MAME in LaunchBox, copy chdman,exe from your latest MAME release folder into the ../LaunchBox/Plugins/BulkConvert2CHD/ folder
     
     
    Special thanks to @faeran for the idea of the original Bulk Convert cue to chd.  Without that, I probably never would have made this.
     
    As always, all comments and suggestions are welcome.
     

    1,500 downloads

       (2 reviews)

    33 comments

    Submitted

  7. Create Playlists from MAME category ini files

    Create Playlists from MAME category ini files for your Arcade Platform.
    This plugin allows you to generate Playlists in LaunchBox from .ini files.  The same ones MAME uses in its UI to apply filters used to categorize viewing of your games.
    To be clear:
    This doesn't really expand much on the already available Arcade/MAME Playlist building feature in LaunchBox.   But if there's a rare instance you come across a MAME category ini file that has a 'pre-built' "filter" list and isn't already available in LB, well here you go.   Regardless, this was actually a just-for-fun, 'let's see if I can' type of thing.  And figured I'd just put it out here for whatever reason.
    ..now on with the show..
    Only games that actually exist in your Arcade Platform will be added to the created Playlist.  So say you choose “Control.ini” and Select “Joystick 8-way”, there are 6827 roms listed with that ‘filter’.  If your Arcade Platform only has 1007 of those 6827, only 1007 will be imported into the new Playlist.  
    Many of these files can be found at www.progettosnaps.net.  (Specifically here)  And several more at https://mameinfo.mameworld.info/ (Look for the “MAMEUI 0.2xx Category-, Version and Alltime inifiles” link).  There’s probably other sources available out there too.
    These files are typically (and should be) stored in the  ../MAME/ini/folders/  folder.
    Requirements:
    This plugin file.  Place it inside the ../LaunchBox/Plugins/  folder. Your MAME/Arcade Platform MUST be named “Arcade”.  v3.0 A valid .ini file (or set of files) to read from. (see possible sources above) (sample from “Controls.ini”)
    [FOLDER_SETTINGS] RootFolderIcon mame SubFolderIcon folder [ROOT_FOLDER] [Dial] 2mindril 720 720g 720gr1 ..... [Joystick 8-way] 10yard 10yard85 10yardj 1941 ..... How to use:
    First download and unzip the file.  Copy “Create Arcade Playlists.dll” to you LaunchBox/Plugins folder. Right click the file and select Properties. Check the box to “Unblock” (if present) then click OK.  Now start LaunchBox.
    In LaunchBox, select “Tools”, then “Arcade Playlists from ini” (near the very bottom). [not to confused with "Create Missing Arcade/MAME Playlists.."] When the plugin loads, it will attempt to automatically locate your ../ini/folders/  location and populate the “Available ini files” section.  If it wasn’t able to find it or you want to look in a different location, click “Browse” and navigate to the folder you want to use. Click on the ini file you want to use.  This will populate the “Available sections/filters”. If there are no ‘[Sections]’ below “[ROOT_FOLDER]”, that means there are only rom names listed, and those will be added to the “List of roms to add” area. Click on one the “Available sections/filters” you want to use.  This will add all the roms for that selection to the “List of roms to add” area. Select the Platform that has all your Arcade games.  If it's called "Arcade", it will be selected automatically.  (new v3.0) Click “Create Playlist” to create the playlist.  Click Exit or create more. (new look v3.0)

    Once Exited, select Playlist or Platform Category and expand Arcade to see the new Playlist.

     
    Notes:
    This does not work with Additional Apps (mainly clones).
    This adds “Arcade” to the beginning of the selected section/filter for its “Unique Name:” (to maintain consistency).  The “Nested Name” will be the same as selected section/filter.
    The Playlist will be added to the “Arcade (Category)” of the Platform Categories list.
    If you click Create Playlist and you don’t have any existing games that match, an empty Playlist will not be created.
    If a Playlist of the same name already exists, either delete your existing Playlist or edit it and change the name.  It will not be overwritten nor modified.

    1,092 downloads

       (0 reviews)

    8 comments

    Updated

  8. View MAME High scores in Game Details - A plugin for LaunchBox/BigBox

    View MAME High scores in Game Details - A plugin for LaunchBox/BigBox
    Use this plugin to see a games top 3 high scores in the Game Details.
     
    Features
    Shows high scores for most games in your Arcade platform in the Game Details. After playing a MAME Arcade game that saves its' high scores [and is supported by the included hi2txt program], this adds a Custom Field called "Hi-Scores" to the game.  It will store 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and appear in the Game Details when the game is selected.
     
    What's needed
    (3) files that are included in the downloaded zip file (the plugin) One file that is included in the Version 3.0 downloaded zip file MAME configured to save high scores Saved high score files (These are automatically generated by MAME [once configured to save them] in the "hi" and/or “nvram” subfolders of your MAME emulator)  
    What it won't do
    Show high scores for games using emulators other than MAME. MAME does not save high scores for all arcade machines, so not all games are supported by this plugin.  
    Contributors
    @jayjay and @JoeViking245
     
    A HUGE Special Thanks goes to GreatStone’s utility “hi2txt”.  This utility converts MAME’s high score files into a readable format which ultimately makes this plugin possible!!
    http://greatstone.free.fr/hi2txt/index.html

    Installation and setup instructions:
    Step 1: Installing the Plugin
    Step 2: Making sure MAME is set up to save high scores
     
    Installing the Plugin:
    Download the plugin, LB-BB_Hi_Scores_v1.0.zip, from the LaunchBox download section After you’ve downloaded the zip file, be sure to unblock it in Windows by right clicking it, selecting Properties, and clicking Unblock
    Open the zip file and extract/copy the "Hi_Scores" folder into ..\LaunchBox\Plugins            e.g  D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\
    If you have previously installed “MAME Hi-Score Display - A plugin for BigBox”, you will only to copy the “HiScoreCustomField.dll” file into that same folder.  Otherwise all 3 files are required.  (Only one file is required with version 3.0) The 2 plugins will not conflict with each other.
     
    Setting up MAME to save high scores:
    Using a recent official MAME release –
    By default, plugins are enabled in MAME.  You can verify this by looking at the “mame.ini” file located in the root MAME install folder. Open “mame.ini” and scroll down to (or press Control + F and search for) “Scripting Options”.   “plugins” should be set to 1.  If it’s 0 (zero), change it to 1.
    Next, open “plugin.ini” also located in MAME’s root directory and change “hiscore” to 1.
     
    If you have an older release of MAME, you may need to do the following steps.
    Go to this website: http://www.mameworld.info/highscore/download.htm and download a copy of the file hiscore.dat that corresponds to your version of MAME. The file (hiscoredat.zip) will need to be unzipped. Place the file hiscore.dat in your MAME/Plugins folder Open up your MAME.ini file in a text editor. In newer versions, this file will be in the same directory as the MAME.exe Press control + F and search for “Scripting Options” Next to the word Plugins, type “1” no quotes Next to the word Plugin, type “hiscore” no quotes It will look like this:
     
    How to use:
    Start LaunchBox or BigBox Go into the "Arcade" Platform Select a game, run it, then close it Now select a different game, then go back (poor man’s version to refresh the Game Details) If the game has saved high scores, they will now appear in that game’s Detail pane Depending on the BigBox theme you use, the amount of data shown in the Game Details may be limited.  So you might need to go into Options, Game Details and deselect some of the Details.
    Be sure that “Custom Fields” is checked.

    466 downloads

       (2 reviews)

    17 comments

    Updated

  9. Create marquee images from Clear Logos (for use with Pixelcade™ LED Marquee displays)

    Create marquee images from Clear Logos (for use with Pixelcade™ LED Marquee displays)
    Pixelcade already provides numerous marquee images for many Platforms. But you may come across one or more that are missing.
    This plugin will create 128x32 marquee-resolution png images using your games existing Clear Logo and place them in your Pixelcade directory**, under the corresponding Platform folder.
     
    What’s needed:
    The plugin files Pixelcade software installed (including LEDBlinky)  [https://pixelcade.org] ffmpeg.exe (used to convert/create the marquee images) [https://ffmpeg.org] (included) (optional) An actual Pixelcade™ Marquee display  
    Installing:
    Download and unblock the plugin zip file (Right-click the zip file, select Properties and check UnBlock) Copy the contents of the zip file into your ../LaunchBox/Plugins/ folder i.e.  D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\PixelcadeMarquees\  
    Setting up the plugin:
    The default install location for Pixelcade is “C:\Program Files (x86)\Pixelcade”**.   If you installed it somewhere else, edit “pixSettings.xml” located in the Plugin folder. (Notepad can be used to edit it)  Change the path (line #3) to match your install location.  Save and close.
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <settings>      <pixCadePath>C:\Program Files (x86)\Pixelcade</pixCadePath> </settings>  
    **Note:
    If your Pixelcade installation is located under “C:\Program Files (x86)”, you will need to have Access Permission to be able to save the images there.  The plugin will check for permissions when launched.  If it doesn’t have the proper permission, images will be saved to the "Completed" subfolder.
    i.e.  D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\PixelcadeMarquees\Completed\
    You will then need to copy them manually when done.  The images will be saved to their own Platform subfolder as Pixelcade sees them.  (Pixelcade Platform naming conversions are taken from "console.csv" located in your Pixelcade directory.)   Example: if your Platform is called "Arcade", images will be saved in the folder "mame".
     
    Using the plugin:
    Start LaunchBox. Select one or more games. Right Click and select Generate Pixelcade Marquee Image Click Create Marquee  
    Game Title vs. ROM name:
    In most cases LaunchBox passes the games ROM name to LEDBlinky (which in turn passes it to Pixelcade).  But for certain games (namely Steam games [and others?]), LaunchBox will pass the games Title.  For these, you’ll want to check the box Use game Title for marquee image.
    If the games Title contains illegal characters (such as : [semicolon]), the image will not be created.
    When selecting multiple games, if you check Use game Title for marquee image and click Create Marquees, if the game Title contains illegal characters, a message will popup indicating that game will be skipped.  You can bypass these messages by checking Skip warnings about Titles with invalid characters.
     
     
    Special thanks to @megashub for coming up with the idea for this plugin and for figuring out how to manipulate and convert the images to make them suitable for Pixelcade™ displays.
     
    As always, questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome.

    156 downloads

       (5 reviews)

    5 comments

    Updated

  10. Visual Pinball X VideoSnap Creator

    Visual Pinball X VideoSnap Creator (Playfield Recorder)
     
    Use this plugin to create videosnaps of the Visual Pinball X tables on your PC/Cab.
    This will record any VPX table at any orientation and from any monitor.
    Why record your own?
    There already exists a lot of video snaps of most every Visual Pinball Table. You can even find vertically oriented (portrait) ones for your pincab. The issue is they may not be recordings of the actual version of the table you use. Or you simply can’t find one for a particular Original. Or you just don’t like the one(s) you found.
    Features:
    This will automatically ‘find’ your table’s playfield view so there’s no need to set up which monitor to look at or set any scale, resolution or aspect ratio. Your VPX default monitor settings will be displayed for your reference.  (new v2.0) Record the backglass at the same time as the playfield. (optional) (new v2.0) Record the DMD (3rd screen) at the same time as the playfield. (optional) (new v2.0) Record the tables gameplay sounds along with the playfield video. (optional) (new v2.1) Add the tables Clear Logo to the end of the video. (optional) Included is an AutoHotkey script that the plugin uses to quickly bypass the VPinMAME window when loading a table. (Should reduce loading time by approximately 4 seconds per table)  (This also works well if added to your Running AutoHotkey Script tab for your VPX emulator ) Record durations can be set between 5 seconds and 3 minutes. If your playfield is in portrait mode, the saved output video can be rotated for proper viewing. (Options are 0º (default), 90º, 180º, -90º) You can set the video to record at 60 FPS  (Depreciated v2.1)  All video will be recorded at 30 FPS Videos are automatically saved to the default folder (/Plugins/VPXVideoCreator/CreatedVideos/) or you can change it to be placed directly into your /LaunchBox/Videos/Visual Pinball/ folder. Installing:
    Download and unblock the zip file. (right click the file, select properties and check the Unblock check box and click OK) Copy the VPXVideoCreator folder (from inside the zip) into your /LaunchBox/Plugins/ folder. If updating to 2.0, overwrite the existing file. Quick Start:
    Start LaunchBox (always a good place to start) Right click one of the tables in your Visual Pinball platform and select Create VPX video. Set how long you want your final recording to be. Click Capture Video. The default save location is in the plugins’ subfolder, “CreatedVideos”.
     
    Setting up to record audio: (new v2.0) (optional)
    You will need to register “audio_sniffer-x64.dll”** (included with the plugin) with Windows.  Basically what this does is makes all your audio output accessible in one place.  Think of it as a Frontend for all your audio output devices.  This “frontend” will be labeled “virtual-audio-capturer”.
    2 ways to register/unregister audio_sniffer are:
    The easy way: Run the included batch file (located in the plugins AudioSniffer subfolder).  You need to run this as administrator.  The batch file can also be used to unregister it.  Follow the prompts.

    Old school:  Open the command prompt [as administrator] in the “AudioSniffer” subfolder.
               To Register: type in then press enter:
    regsvr32 audio_sniffer-x64.dll.1            To Unregister: type in then press enter:
    regsvr32 /u audio_sniffer-x64.dll.1 **NOTE: The file is named "audio_sniffer-x64.dll.1" (with a “.1” at the end).  Otherwise LaunchBox will try to load it as a plugin, which will cause errors.  Source code for audio_sniffer can be found here:  https://github.com/rdp/virtual-audio-capture-grabber-device
     
    Using the plugin:
    Set Delay:
    This is the delay time between clicking Capture Video and the video actually starting to record. Set to bypass (in the recording) the VPX editor loading the table. Default is 12 seconds. Options are from 5 to 30 seconds.
    Record Duration:
    Set to how long you want your video snaps to be. Default is 30 seconds. Options are from 5 to 180 seconds (3 minutes).
    Video Rotation:
    If you play on a rotated monitor (or TV), you will want to set this to the direction your monitor/TV is rotated. Default is 0º. Options are 0º, 90º, 180º and -90º.
    Include Audio: (new v2.0)
    Check this box to include the tables playfield sounds with the recording (needs to be configured).
    Record Backglass: (new v2.0)
    Check this box to record the Backglass at the same time as recording the Playfield.  This will be saved to a separate file that is saved in the “/VPXVideoCreator/CreatedVideos/Backglass/” folder.  
    The backglass is typically on a 2nd monitor, but (if setup) will get recorded separately no matter which monitor it’s on (single or otherwise).  The file will be saved as [the-games_Title]_BG.mp4
    Record DMD: (new v2.0)
    Check this box to record the Dot Matrix Display (DMD) at the same time as recording the Playfield.  This will be saved to a separate file that is saved in the “/VPXVideoCreator/CreatedVideos/Backglass/” folder alongside the backglass video.
    The DMD is typically on a 3nd monitor, but (if setup) will get recorded separately no matter which monitor it’s on (single or otherwise). The file will be saved as [the-games_Title]_DMD.mp4
    Add Clear Logo to the end of the video: (new v2.1)
    Check this box to add the tables Clear Logo (if one exists) to the end of the video.  The logo will fade in as the video fades out during the last 2 seconds of the recording.  This feature is automatically disabled if no Clear Logo for that table exists.
    60 FPS  Option removed (v2.1)
    Experimental. Check this box to record at 60 frames per second. Default is 30 FPS (un-checked).  Depending on your video card (and probably some other factors too), this may or may not even be worthwhile.
    Change Save Location:
    The default save location is in /LaunchBox/Plugins/VPXVideoCreator/CreatedVideos/.  The video filename will be saved as the ‘games’ Title in LaunchBox with .mp4 file extension. You can save them anywhere you want.
    Reset to Default:
    This will reset the Save Location, Delay, Duration and Rotation to their default values.
    Save Settings:
    This will save the Save Location, Delay, Duration and Rotation values you set and will load these next time you run the plugin.
    Save settings before video capture
    This is checked by default and will save any changes made when you click Capture Video and before launching VPX.
    Capture Video:
    This will launch the table you selected to open the plugin with. At the same time, the AutoHotkey script “vpxBypassPinMAME.ahk” will start. This runs in the background and waits for the VPinMAME popup window to appear and then ‘hits the spacebar’ to make it go away (sooner). The script will exit after it see the popup, or 15 seconds. Whichever comes first.
    After the amount of Delay time has passed, recording will begin and will continue for the set Duration. When done, VPX closes and the video gets converted.
    The video is saved to “_tempVideo.mkv” (in the CreatedVideos subfolder) and then gets converted to an mp4 file. After conversion, _tempVideo.mkv will be deleted.
    Keep temp video when done:
    By default, “_tempVideo.mkv” will be deleted after the video has been converted. If you want to see what the video looks like before converting, check this box. After your video is complete, go to the CreatedVideos folder to view it. Note: this file gets overwritten each time you click Create Video if you have the checkbox checked.
    View Saved Video
    Click this to view the converted video. This is the video file shown in Saved Video Location.
    VPX Playfield
    This shows the default playfield monitor settings you have setup for your Visual Pinball installation. These get read from your Registry settings:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Visual Pinball\VP10\Player\Display
    The Monitor # listed may not be the same as what your Windows Display Settings says. So if it’s “wrong”, ignore it. The Image Scale (W and H) shown will be correct.
    If the VPX display settings cannot be retrieved from the registry, monitor #1’s information will be displayed with an asterisk (*) after the monitor number.  (Monitor #: 1*)
     
    Some notes:
    When you click Capture Video, probably don’t click anything else until recording is complete. However once the table is loaded, feel free to drop in a coin, hit start and play until ‘your time is up’. Just don’t click on another window.
    Backglass and DMD recordings only work with B2S Backglass Server (which is what most of them are).  PinUPPlayer windows are not supported.
    Designed for LaunchBox v11.3 and higher.
    Special Thanks!
    Special thanks to gtxjoe’s PBX Recorder on VPForums and Carny_Priest’s post on GameEx Forum for paving the way to figuring out an excellent approach to creating your own Visual Pinball table videosnaps.
    Huge thanks to @sundogak for convincing me (though it didn't take much once I saw it in action) and showing me how to add video fade and attaching Clear Logos to the videos.  Also for all the testing done and invaluable insight! 
     
    Future releases and enhancements:
    If there’s enough interest in this plugin (as in, it’s actually useful and would get used), I will look at adding:
    Option to record the table’s audio in with the video. (added v2.0) Ability to select multiple tables for ‘bulk recording’. Record backglass videos??? (added v2.0) Any REASONABLE request.  
    As always, any and all feedback is welcome!

    244 downloads

       (0 reviews)

    26 comments

    Updated

  11. Sega Model 3 Game Importer

    The intent of this plugin is to import MAME's Sega Model 3 roms that are supported in the Supermodel emulator.  
    Sega Model 3 machines are not playable in MAME, but a MAME full romset does contain the roms for it.  This is where Supermodel ["A Sega Model 3 Arcade Emulator"] comes into 'play'.  And quite literally.  There are currently 60 machines supported, of which 38 are clones.
    The plugin uses "Games.xml" to get the rom names, proper Titles and versions for the SM3 machines that Supermodel supports.  This file is located inside the "Config"  folder of your Supermodel installation.
    Required Files:
    This downloaded plugin Games.xml  Not required for importing, but highly recommended:
    All Supermodel files (you know, like supermodel.exe, etc.) A MAME romset containing the necessary SM3 roms Using the plugin:
    Download and unblock the zip file. Copy the folder (which includes 1 file)  inside the zip into your ../LaunchBox/Plugins folder.        i.e.   D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\ImportSegaModel3\ImportSegaModel3.dll Start LaunchBox. Select Tools,  Import Supermodel Games.xml v1.00  
    The process from here should be fairly intuitive by just following the steps in the Import Wizard. 
    Select the folder where Supermodel's Games.xml file is located (if not automatically selected). Select Games.xml. (if not automatically selected) Choose a Platform to import the games into (You can create a new one or use existing). If you choose an existing Platform, the imported games will be set to Emulator selected in the next step and will not affect any of the existing game's emulator. Select your Emulator. (I strongly recommend Supermodel. But you can choose any emu [and change it later]) Filter the clones (Options are to Import:  All games individually, clones as additional apps, no clones). Select the roms’ source folder (Only required if you plan to copy them from their current location). Select the roms’ destination folder (This is required to set the Application Path for the games). Select Copy & Import or Import Only.
    Downloading Metadata:
    If you selected an existing Platform to import the roms into, Right click that Platform and select “Edit”. Make sure the Scrape As: is set to “Arcade” and then click “OK”.
    Click on one of the games, then press CTRL+A to select all games.  Now click Tools and select Download Metadata and Media and follow the prompts.  Be sure to check the box for:  Search for game information and media from the LaunchBox Games Database (recommended).
    Check or un-check the media images/videos you wish to download. (You can also click "None" and download these at a later time)
    Click Yes, download and replace all existing metadata and media. Then click Finish.
     
    This plugin was "designed" to account for subsequent Supermodel updates.  After a Supermodel update (which should include an updated Games.xml file), rerunning this plugin "should" account for any new additions, renamed roms and renamed titles/versions.  Adding/changing those respectively in your Platform.  It won't, however, account for any games that were completely removed. But I really don't think this will be an issue.
    If you're having issues getting Supermodel setup and running your games, a quick Goggle search will usually get you what you need.  i.e. "LaunchBox Supermodel", "Supermodel <insert game title here>".  For general (and some somewhat specific) information/help regarding Supermodel, see here: Installation - Supermodel: A Sega Model 3 Arcade Emulator (supermodel3.com).  
     
    List of currently supported games per Games.xml (Aug 31, 2021):
    bassdx Sega Bass Fishing (USA, Deluxe) getbassdx Get Bass: Sega Bass Fishing (Japan, Deluxe) getbassur Get Bass: Sega Bass Fishing (Japan, Upright) getbass Get Bass: Sega Bass Fishing (Japan, Standard) daytona2 Daytona USA 2 - Battle on the Edge (Japan, Revision A) dayto2pe Daytona USA 2 - Power Edition (Japan) dirtdvls Dirt Devils (Export, Revision A) dirtdvlsu Dirt Devils (USA, Revision A) dirtdvlsau Dirt Devils (Australia, Revision A) dirtdvlsj Dirt Devils (Japan, Revision A) dirtdvlsg Dirt Devils (Export, Ver. G?) eca Emergency Call Ambulance (Export) ecap Emergency Call Ambulance (US location test?) ecau Emergency Call Ambulance (USA) ecaj Emergency Call Ambulance (Japan) fvipers2 Fighting Vipers 2 (Japan, Revision A) fvipers2o Fighting Vipers 2 (?) harley Harley-Davidson and L.A. Riders (Revision B) harleya Harley-Davidson and L.A. Riders (Revision A) lamachin L.A. Machineguns: Rage of the Machines (Japan) lemans24 Le Mans 24 (Japan, Revision B) lostwsga The Lost World (Japan, Revision A) lostwsgp The Lost World (Location Test) magtruck Magical Truck Adventure (Japan) oceanhun The Ocean Hunter (Japan) scud Scud Race (Export, Twin/DX) scudau Scud Race (Australia, Twin/DX) scuddx Scud Race (Export, Deluxe) scudplus Scud Race Plus (Export, Twin/DX, Revision A) scudplusa Scud Race Plus (Export, Twin/DX) skichamp Ski Champ (Japan) spikeofe Spikeout Final Edition (Export) spikeout Spikeout (Export, Revision C) srally2 Sega Rally 2 (Export) srally2p Sega Rally 2 (Prototype) srally2pa Sega Rally 2 (Prototype Version A) srally2dx Sega Rally 2 (Export, Deluxe) swtrilgy Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (Export, Revision A) swtrilgya Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (Export) swtrilgyp Star Wars Trilogy Arcade (Location Test, 16.09.98) vf3 Virtua Fighter 3 (Revision D) vf3a Virtua Fighter 3 (Revision A) vf3c Virtua Fighter 3 (Revision C) vf3tb Virtua Fighter 3 Team Battle (?) von2 Virtual On 2: Oratorio Tangram (Revision B) von254g Virtual On 2: Oratorio Tangram (Ver 5.4g) von2a Virtual On 2: Oratorio Tangram (Revision A) von2o Virtual On 2: Oratorio Tangram (?) vs2 Virtua Striker 2 (Step 2.0) vs215 Virtua Striker 2 (Step 1.5) vs215o Virtua Striker 2 (Step 1.5, older) vs298 Virtua Striker 2 '98 (Step 2.0) vs29815 Virtua Striker 2 '98 (Step 1.5) vs2v991 Virtua Striker 2 '99.1 (Revision B) vs299 Virtua Striker 2 '99 (?) vs29915 Virtua Striker 2 '99 (Step 1.5) vs299a Virtua Striker 2 '99 (Revision A) vs299b Virtua Striker 2 '99 (Revision B) As always, I'm open to any and all comments and suggestions regarding this plugin you may have. 

    224 downloads

       (0 reviews)

    0 comments

    Updated

  12. Reset Play Count to zero - Plugin

    Edit:
    This is now a builtin LaunchBox feature as of release 10.7-beta-1.
     
    Resets a games Play Count to 0 (zero).
    Place the "ResetPlayCount.dll" file into your     ..\LaunchBox\Plugins\     folder.
    *edit* Right click ResetPlayCount.dll, select Properties and click "Unblock".  
    Start LaunchBox.
    Select just one, multiple or all (Ctrl+A) games.  Right-click and then click on "Reset Play Count" located at (or near) the bottom of the popup menu.
    There is no "Please Confirm" nor "Play Counts have been reset to 0 (zero)" message boxes.  It just does it as soon as you click it. (V1.0)
    *edit* Version 1.1 adds a confirmation message box.
    ResetPlayCount.dll - 6KB

    92 downloads

       (2 reviews)

    0 comments

    Updated

  13. Bulk Custom Command-Line Editor - plugin

    Bulk Custom Command-Line Editor
    Use this to set (or clear) the Custom Command-Line Parameter for the selected games.
    The would be the same as selecting a game, click Edit, go to the Emulation tab and check "Use Custom Command-Line Parameters:" and entering in a command line.  But for multiple games all at once.
    This will not change anything for the Emulator itself (i.e. Edit Emulator). This is only for the selected games' Custom Command-Line.
     
    Setting up:
    1) Copy "BulkEditCommandLine.dll" into your LaunchBox\Plugin folder.
    2) Navigate to the folder, right click the dll file, click Properties then click Unblock.Using:
    3) Start LaunchBox
    4) Select a game (or games), right click and choose "Bulk Command Line Editor"
         - Type in the command line and click "Finish" (or hit Enter)
         - To clear the Command-Line for the selected game(s), leave blank and click "Finish"
         - To exit without making changes, click "Cancel"

    373 downloads

       (5 reviews)

    5 comments

    Updated

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