JoeViking245

June 30

20 minutes ago, Bobadilla1975 said:

Hi everyone

I have tried to run tsugaru through launchbox with the parameters «E:\Fujitsu - FM Towns Marty\Roms -HOSTSHORTCUT ESC 0 0 FORCEQUIT -GAMEPORT0 PHYS1 -SCALE 200 -FULLSCREEN -FREQ 25 -YESWAIT -CD», when I run the game it only tells me «unable to load rom» does anyone know how to make it work? thanks in advance

Since your path to the Roms folder has spaces in it, try putting that part within quotes.

"E:\Fujitsu - FM Towns Marty\Roms"

June 30

Maybe try the forgot password?

But I suppose it'll try to email you [again] and we know how that went last time. But could still try it.

Otherwise, may need to email support or see if they respond here tomorrow (normal business days). (or both)

June 30

The LaunchBox Games Database site login now uses the same credentials (user name and password) as your Forums login. No need for separate ones. But you do still need login separately.

June 29

Assuming with your premium license you've updated to at least v13.21, you can read about the new locations here:

LaunchBox Media Pack Feature – Version 13.21 - LaunchBox

June 29

Arcade Games Won't Launch (stand-alone MAME) - Troubleshooting

View File

Question: "When I try to launch an Arcade game using stand-alone MAME, all I see is a flicker of a black screen then it goes right back to LaunchBox. Why?"
Answer: "Because something is wrong with your ROMs and/or something is wrong in your settings."

This plugin gathers data and provides checks to help you determine what that something may be.

Features:

Shows the required dependency files needed (if any)
Launches the game in MAME and captures the command window output that you never see. (Potentially useful 'Why the game isn't launching' data)
View the emulators Running Script. (Typically never contains "the issue". But doesn't hurt to look.)
Verifies ROM and dependency (BIOS & Device) file(s) exists and are accessible to the emulator when launching**.
- If found, checks and verifies the zip file contents (all inner files exist and CRC32's match).
- If a CHD is required, this only verifies the file exists and is accessible to the emulator when launching**.

** "accessible to the emulator when launching" The plugin looks for the "rompath" setting per MAME's order of prescience. This dictates which folders MAME will scan for ROMs and dependency files.

This will NOT "fix it" for you. But should tell you everything you need to deduce "why" you can't launch a MAME game via LaunchBox. Once you know why, all you need to do is fix that part of the equation.

Requirements:

Requires LaunchBox 13.19 or newer
Requires the games emulator to be mame.exe
Only works with MAME Arcade machines. No software lists
Only works with ROMs that are .zip (Not .7z)

Since MAME is generally an all-or-nothing type of thing, this is essentially a one-off plugin. But if needed, it should provide sufficient information in a one-stop-shop to resolve your MAME launching issues.

Installing:

Extract the contents of the downloaded zip file into your /LaunchBox/Plugins/ folder.
- e.g. D:\LaunchBox\Plugins\MAMEtroubleshooting\MAMEtroubleshooting.dll

Using:

Start LaunchBox
Right-click an Arcade game and select MAME Troubleshooting.

Read through the Quick Analysis tab
Click Test Game to capture and see MAME's command window Output
- If it indicates the game launches fine and you know it doesn't, click it again to see if it tells you a different story.
- Note: clicking a 3rd time won't change the answer it showed the 2nd time.
Click Running Script to view the emulators Running Script. This usually is never the issue. But doesn't hurt to look.
Click Check ROM(s) to scan the contents of the games ROM and Dependency (if any are required) zip files.
- This verifies the contents of the zip files and cross-checks those contents' CRC32 value against what MAME says they should be.
- (Works with both Merged and Non-Merged sets)
- For games requiring CHD files, it will only check that they are accessible to MAME and provide the files size. It won't do a hash check.
Click Save Report to create a text file of all the produced data that you can share with your friends and family.
- Files are saved to /Plugins/MAMEtroubleshooting/Reports/[rom_name].txt (or /Reports/[rom_name] (Clone of [parent_rom]).txt)
- Once created, 2 icons will appear to open the txt file or open the /Reports/ folder.

Once you've studied all the data and see "the issue", fix it and play games. 😎

Submitter

JoeViking245
Submitted

06/29/2025
Category

Third-party Apps and Plugins

June 29

1 hour ago, zugswang said:

Here is what I tried if anyone knows what/where to add info the ID ? (ID =1 btw for this game)

the {dash}id{equals}1 (-id=1) would go in place of the "full/path/to/rom.zip"

@echo off
echo Starting 3DSen with game...
"D:\Launchbox\Emulators\3dSen\3dSen.exe" -id=1
echo Game loaded.
pause

You might need to add cd "D:\LaunchBox\Emulators\3dSen" before the 3dSen.exe line so that you're starting in that directory. (unless the .bat file is already in the same folder as the exe). Or... you might not need it. Dunno.

If you want to launch this [batch file] from LaunchBox (aka: not have an associated emulator) and have it work with the shutdown screens, you'll want to add a "wait for game to exit before continuing" (/w)

start /w "" "D:\Launchbox\Emulators\3dSen\3dSen.exe" -id=1

(when using this in LaunchBox, you don't want the other lines.)

But doing it this way, you then have a bazillion batch files. But if you insist on doing so, you'll want to hide the command prompt window that pops up. To do that, create a shortcut of the batch file. Right-click the [new] shortcut, select Properties. Change the Run line to Minimized. Click OK to save. Then add the shortcut to LaunchBox. Note: you'll now have a bazillion batch files and another bazillion shortcuts.

June 28

47 minutes ago, TrailerVert said:

it didn't seem to like ActiveGame

That's kind of what I figured.

47 minutes ago, TrailerVert said:

but just adding the "Hms" fixed it.

That's exactly what I hoped.

Glad [in the end] it works.

Be sure to read through all the other cool Data Bindings in The LaunchBox Strategy Guide link I gave above. You might find something you never knew you wanted to add to your theme.

June 28

6 minutes ago, ken1984 said:

Doesn't work after update, error code

The error indicates something is up with your license file. Email support@unbrokensoftware.com and they can sort it out for you.

June 28

It shows using ActiveGame, but it may work for SelectedGame also.

Data Bindings - LaunchBox

ActiveGame.PlayTimeHms
The selected game’s playtime in “##h ##m ##s” format

<TextBlock Text="{Binding Path=ActiveGame.PlayTimeHms}" Foreground="White" />

June 28

17 minutes ago, jardine said:

Hope this is readable for you..

I asked for 4 screenshots. You provided 2. Only 1 of the 2 was 1 of the 4 I asked for. I try not to ask for things unnecessarily in order to best help.

Hopefully, I may still be able to help. In your 1st screenshot under Default Command-line Praameters, add -rompath %romlocation% after what's there.

-keyboardprovider dinput -rompath %romlocation%

June 28

2 hours ago, jardine said:

What do you mean "edit the emulator...

In LaunchBox, go to Tools, Manage, Emulators. Click your MAME emulator and then click Edit.

2 hours ago, jardine said:

What do you mean [...]....and edit a game"

In LaunchBox, select an Arcade game. (aka click on it once). Press Ctrl+E to edit it.

June 28

What platform and emulator? How were the bezels installed (what method did you use)? Can you share some screenshots of the following:

Edit the emulator (in LaunchBox) in question. Share a screenshot of

the main Details section
the Associated Platforms section

Edit a game have this issue. Share a screenshot of

the Launching section
the Emulation section

June 27

According to some recent posts on LaunchBox Discord and a 2 year old post on LaunchBox reddit, you need to add the games to 3dSen itself, 1st.

It then saves game info into a rom.json file. Located somewhere in [%appdata%\..\LocalLow\Geod Studio\3dSen]

After the games have been added, open the json file with any text editor. An example node looks like:

"id": "64",
"romPath": "C:\Nintendo NES (3dSen) Games\\Mega Man 3 (USA).nes",
"title": "Mega Man 3",
"lastTime": 1692883659

Look for the game and get the id number. Edit that game [that you've already imported into LaunchBox] and in the Emulation section, it should already be set to use your 3dSen emulator [that you've already installed into LaunchBox]. Check the box for Use Custom Command-line and in the box below it, put in -id=64 where "64" the id number you found. Save. Close. Play

Yes. You'll have to do it individually, for each game.

For me, this is all hearsay. But @ci2own says it works.

June 26

6 hours ago, damageinc86 said:

It would be great if we could also edit the delay length of the startup screen in the bulk edit window

As Rafiki said to Simba... "Look harder..."

If you need to set it for all games using a certain emulator, you can set it in the emulator.

If the games don't use an emulator, there's the above Bulk Edit option.

If you need more than a 30 second delay for some reason, you can set that per game, multiple games or per emulator using this plugin. But it maxes out at 5 minutes.

June 26

System Menu < Options < General < Skip Game Details Screen

But this way you'll never see the Game Details screen unless you change it back.

Instead, you could also map a button or key to "Play" the selected game (skipping the Game Details).

System Menu < Options < Controller Mappings < Play

June 25

16 minutes ago, JoeViking245 said:

Edit the game

In the Emulation section, un-check Use Custom Command-line Parameters.

In the Launching section, change ROM File to "2" (without quotes)

Click OK to save and close

OPTIONALLY

Edit the game
In the Emulation section
- Leave Use Custom Command-line Parameters checked
- add a {space} and %noromfile% after the 2 you have in there.
  - 2 %noromfile%
You can leave the Launching section as is
Click OK to save and close

June 25

15 minutes ago, Bucky_OHare said:

The sfex section is barebones because after it failed I reinstalled the rom. Once everything is working again I'll re-add the meta data. Here are the screen grabs

Edit the game
In the Emulation section, un-check Use Custom Command-line Parameters.
In the Launching section, change ROM File to "2" (without quotes)
Click OK to save and close

June 25

1 hour ago, Bucky_OHare said:

I removed the bat file and went with your method.

Prove it.

Edit the new emulator you created and share a screenshot of:

The main Details section
The Associated Platforms section

Edit your Street Fighter EX game and share a screenshot of:

The main section
The Launching section
The Emulation section

1 hour ago, Bucky_OHare said:

Where did I go wrong?

Requested screenshots may help determine that.

June 25

This plugin is no longer supported. Please see its replacement:

June 25

Just now, james95t said:

Hello everyone,
I'm switching PCs in my arcade machine and have installed the latest version of Launchbox. 
I followed the procedure to install the "bulk run before-after.dll" DLL file 2.0. I placed the file in the Launchbox plugins subdirectory.
I launch Launchbox, select several games, and right-click. The menu with the "Bulk Run before/After Main Application" command is available. 
I click on it, and nothing happens; nothing appears on the screen, no windows.
The plugin won't run.
What should I do?
This plugin is very useful and saves me a considerable amount of time.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Jean-Marc

Replied to you on the other thread.

June 25

8 minutes ago, james95t said:

Hello everyone,
I'm switching PCs in my arcade machine and have installed the latest version of Launchbox. 
I followed the procedure to install the "bulk run before-after.dll" DLL file 2.0. I placed the file in the Launchbox plugins subdirectory.
I launch Launchbox, select several games, and right-click. The menu with the "Bulk Run before/After Main Application" command is available. 
I click on it, and nothing happens; nothing appears on the screen, no windows.
The plugin won't run.
What should I do?
This plugin is very useful and saves me a considerable amount of time.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Jean-Marc

That plugin is no longer working nor supported (as indicated in its description). It has been replaced with the one below. Delete the one you added, then add this one.

June 25

Assuming you have the games imported into LaunchBox (so they have proper titles, metadata and media), you might be able to:

Add a new emulator to LaunchBox
- Point the app path to your zinc.exe
- Check the boxes:
  - Remove Quotes
  - Remove File Extension...
- Set the Associated Platforms to include your Zinc platform(s) (whatever you've named them)
- Save
Edit your Street Fighter EX game
- In the Emulation section
  - Use an Emulator... should be checked
    - if not, check it and select your new Zinc emulator
- In the Launching section
  - Set the ROM File to "2" (without quotes)
- Click OK to save and close

If not already, set your Zinc platform (whatever you've called it) to Scrape-As "Arcade". Otherwise, when you go to launch a game, it'll tell you something like "Gane ROM not Found".

Wash, rinse and repeat for the other games, changing "2" to the appropriate number.

Delete (or move for backup) all 'those' batch files.

June 24

13 minutes ago, AnonymousMOS said:

I'd like to know if we can delete the old location, too.

From the Strategy Guide: LaunchBox Media Pack Feature – Version 13.21 - LaunchBox

If you don’t plan to revert to an older version, it’s safe to delete the images from the locations listed below.

There's more in this section of that page: https://feedback.launchbox.gg/help/articles/0459065-launchbox-media-pack-feature-version-1321#il0pze2b2mc

June 24

7 minutes ago, KRI$85 said:

for example: I have a teknoparrot platform, and now I created a raw thrills platform and I thought it would detect these image file names

The issue here is it's 2 separate platforms. So it's looking in 2 separate folders.

9 minutes ago, KRI$85 said:

Tell me on what screen size do you use launchbox bigbox?

My cab has a 22" 1680x1050 monitor.

TBH, I don't really fire up Big Box that often. And when I do, it goes to the 65" TV. But I don't really "look at it" because I already know what game I'm going to play. I just find the game, press "X" on the controller and it launches.

June 24

23 minutes ago, fromlostdays said:

What could cause this?

Update your local database

Tools < Download < Force Update Games Database Metadata...

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Posts posted by JoeViking245

Arcade Games Won't Launch (stand-alone MAME) - Troubleshooting