JoeViking245

The code you're copying and pasting is most likely AutoHotkey scripts or batch file [commands]. I'd start with those. And depending on what [type of] task you're wanting to perform, one maybe easier to make work that the other. For learning AutoHotkey (AHK), probably best to start with their tutorial. Beginner Tutorial | AutoHotkey v1 Once you get going with your scripts, Google is your friend for finding solutions. Preface the search with "ahk". i.e. ahk check if application is running Answers found on StackOverflow and on AutoHotkey sites seem to yield the best results. There's probably a tutorial site for batch files (Command Prompt commands put into a .bat file) too. Something like: Batch File Programming - (Introduction and Programming Tutorial) (trytoprogram.com) Another (but a little more involved) is PowerShell. Like batch files, the language is essentially built into Windows.

That should work for most every, if not all games. And for the one's it doesn't work, either you'll never know (because you may never play it) or the 1 maybe 2 that it does mess it up, you know the fix. Ah ya. That'll mess things up. Maybe backup as previously discussed, do the reimport "NOT setting it to prefer US versions", exit LB. Then do the regex thing on the playlist(s?). Save then start LB. Worse case, you can restore the backup. Best case, I can stop grasping at straws. 🙃

Depends on how your playlists are setup. If they're all set to Auto-Populate, then they should be OK. If you don't already have Backups turned on, turn that on (Tools - Options - Data - Backups). Maybe exit and restart a couple times so that there's more than one. You never know. Then if it does mess them up, you can restore the backups. If you're leery about that (though no reason to be), you can always create your own backup of /LaunchBox/Data/Playlists/. But NOT in that folder. Save if somewhere outside of /LaunchBox/.

BezelLauncher View File What is it? Use this plugin to display bezels for emulators that don't natively support them. What does it do? It displays a bezel and resizes the emulator window to fit within the bezels transparent area. What's required to make this plugin work? LaunchBox v13.3 (or newer), the plugin file, bezel images and some minor setup. No more. No less. (See Setting up) Do I need to provide my own bezel images? Yes. (See Setting up for where to place them) Will it work with game specific bezels? Yes. Will this work with all emulators? Yes, with exception. RetroArch and MAME emulators will not show in the list of emulators and cannot be used with this plugin. The emulators that have been tested so far all work. Some adjustments may be necessary. (see Emulator Settings) Will this work with storefront games or Windows games? No. Can I use my existing RocketLauncher bezel configuration files?You can use the existing platform.png and platform.ini files from RL. These existing files should be located under: /RocketLauncher/Media/Bezels/platform_name/_default/something.ini (and something.png) (See Setting up [step #3]) What are the .ini files for? The .ini (configuration) files tell the plugin how to resize and move the emulator window to fit within the bezel. (See .ini (configuration) Files for more info and Testing for creating and saving them) Can this plugin add shaders as well? No. Yes. See Using Shaders (new v2.1.0) Disclaimer This works on my test PC. I didn’t test it on my cab because I didn’t want to change my emulator settings to not use fullscreen (see Emulator Settings). Outside of RetroArch and MAME, I don’t use bezels, so didn’t want to mess-up-a-good-thing. There are no guarantees, express or implied… blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. There is no risk. This plugin makes no changes to LaunchBox or your emulators. If you decide this isn’t for you, simply undo any fullscreen changes you made and (with LB/BB not running) delete the BezelLauncher folder. Special Thanks Special thanks to @MadK9 for the idea, direction and help with testing! Without him, I would have never contemplated starting this project. Also a big thanks to @Sbaby for testing un-tested emulators with the plugin. Installing With LaunchBox/BigBox not running... Download the plugin .zip file "Unblock" the file Right-click the file, select Properties, check the box "Unblock", click OK. Or better yet, just use 7-zip to open the file Copy the contents (a folder called "BezelLauncher") into your \LaunchBox\Plugins\ folder Start LaunchBox Setting up Start BezelLauncher Setup from the LaunchBox Tools menu, then click Close This will create the \Plugins\BezelLauncher\Bezels\platform_name\ subfolders Copy your bezel images into their respective platform_name subfolders See Bezel Images for more information (optional) If you have existing RL platform_name.ini files, copy those alongside the image files See .ini (configuration) Files for more information Restart BezelLauncher Setup Select a platform Choose an emulator you wish to use for that platform. Check Disabled to enable it Click Test Adjust (Move/resize) the orange frame to fit within the view area of the bezel (See Testing) Click Shaders to enable, adjust and change shader (see Using Shaders) (new v2.1.0) Click Save [to save the .ini file] Click Save on the main setup screen to add the emulator to the list of Enabled platform emulators Repeat for other platforms and emulators you wish to add You must click "Save" for each emulator you've enabled, separately. Maintenance After adding/removing platforms or emulators Run BezelLauncher Setup Click Refresh Continue with Setting up, step #5 Testing To configure the placement of the emulator window within the bezel (Requires an existing bezel image): Run BezelLauncher Setup Select a platform and an emulator Enable it (if it's not already) Click Test Move and resize the frame Click [and hold] the left or right side of the frame to move it around Click [and hold] the bottom right corner to resize Use the on-screen buttons to fine-tune the adjustments The on-screen display will show information about the emulator window. (You can click and drag the OSD to move it around as needed) x, y = upper left monitor-coordinates of the emulator window w, h = width and height of the emulator window x, y = lower right monitor-coordinates of the emulator window If any of the values are red, they are off the screen The OUTSIDE edge of the frame is the emulator window extents After adjusting, click Save. This will overwrite any existing configuration file. Using Shaders (new v2.1.0) First you need some shaders. Place the .png images in the /Bezels/Shaders/ folder (Scanline.png 'shader' is included) Start BezelLauncher Setup Select your platform and emulator and click Test Click Shaders Check the box to turn shader on Use the slider to adjust the shader Adjust the opacity down to lighten the shader Use the drop-down box to select a different shader Click Save to save your settings Parameters Depending on the emulator and the bezel, you may need to check 1 or more of the following parameters: (h) hideStuff Check this if you see the desktop behind bezel while the game is loading. This adds a black background during the startup process. (s) startupSleeper “Hide stuff” for a little longer during startup (3 seconds) (l) longerSleep Same as above (4 seconds) (g) hideGameStartup Check this if LB Game Startup screen is showing behind the bezel at game startup When selecting a platform, if the plugin detects an emulator that has been tested, “suggested” parameters will be shown. Your mileage may vary. Emulator Settings For the plugin to move/resize the emulators’ window, you will need to disable fullscreen in the emulator(s). This may be as easy as removing "-f" or "-fullscreen" from the Default Command-line Parameters (depending on the emulator). Beyond that, of the emulators I've tested, the only one that needs to have its Default Command-line Parameters altered is SuperModel. You will need to manually set the resolution. Start BezelLauncher Setup Select your Super Model 3 platform and Enable it Click Test and after adjusting the frame to where you want it, make note of the W(idth) and H(eight) #'s shown in the OSD. Save and Close. (Be sure to click Save on the main Setup screen to save Enabled as well.) Edit your SuperModel emulator (in LaunchBox) and set the Default Command-line Parameters to "-res=W,H" (no quotes, no spaces and replacing W & H with the #'s noted above) Example: -res=1420,1076 Bezel Images When you run BezelLauncher Setup for the 1st time, the plugin creates subfolders for each of your eligible platforms. They are created in: \LaunchBox\Plugins\BezelLauncher\Bezels\[platform_name]\ The platform image file needs to be in the [platform_name] folder and must be named the exact same as the platform. \BezelLauncher\Bezels\Sony PSP\Sony PSP.png Game-specific bezel files Game-specific bezel folders (or files) can be named after the games ROM filename or the games Title. Using the games Title: If the Title has 'invalid file name characters', those characters will need to be replaced with _ (underscore). The exact same way LaunchBox does with its image files (but without the -01 suffix). Example: Title = Disney-Pixar's Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! Bezel = Disney-Pixar_s Toy Story 2_ Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!.png NOTE: Additional Apps game Titles are (i.e.) "Play USA Version...". So the bezel would be "Play USA Version....png". Same rules apply with 'invalid file name characters'. Invalid characters are: < (less than) > (greater than) : (colon) " (double quote) / (forward slash) \ (backslash) | (vertical bar or pipe) ? (question mark) * (asterisk) ' (single quote) Not technically invalid (post-DOS), but consistent with LaunchBox character replacement Storing game-specific bezels: Option 1: Place your game bezel images directly inside their respective \[platform_name]\ folder. Game-specific image files must be named the exact same as the games ROM file or the games Title (accounting for invalid characters). example: \BezelLauncher\Bezels\Sony PSP\After Burner - Black Falcon (USA) (En,Fr,Es,It,Nl) (PSP) (PSN).png Option 2: Place your game-specific bezel image folders under the \[platform_name]\ folder. The subfolder must be named the exact same as the games ROM file or Title (barring invalid characters). The .png and .ini files in the subfolder can be any filename. example: \BezelLauncher\Bezels\Sony PSP\After Burner - Black Falcon (USA) (En,Fr,Es,It,Nl) (PSP) (PSN)\thisIsAnyFileName.png See Launching different game versions for information about bezel requirements for games that are combined as Additional Apps. ScummVM Setting up ScummVM for use with this plugin: In LaunchBox, Edit games using ScummVM. In the ScummVM section, have both checkboxes un-checked. (Fullscreen and Aspect Correction). This cannot be done using the Bulk Edit Wizard, so will need to be done on a per-game basis. One-at-a-time. If it's not displaying correctly with just the above, try the (optional) following: Navigate to /LaunchBox/Third Party/SummVM/ and start ScummVM.exe. On the Graphics tab, set Graphics Mode to opengl. Leave the other 2 as default and the check box's un-checked. Click OK and Exit. ScummVM Bezel Files: To use bezels with games using LB's integrated ScummVM, you will need to set them up manually. It will not appear in BezelLauncher Setup. Navigate to the plugins Bezels subfolder and add your platform folder. i.e. \LaunchBox\Plugins\BezelLauncher\Bezels\ScummVM\ Add your platform default png and ini files to this folder. i.e. ScummVM.png ScummVM.ini Game specific bezels for ScummVM must be named the same as the Game Data Folder. i.e. D:\LaunchBox\Games\ScummVM\King's Quest 1 - Quest for the Crown\[game files] use: "King's Quest 1 - Quest for the Crown.png" DOSBox The integrated version of DOSBox is NOT supported by this plugin. I couldn’t get it to cooperate 100% of the time. So going with plan “B”. To use DOSBox with this plugin, you will need to install and set up DOSBox-X. Setting up DOSBox for use with this plugin: Note: BezelLauncher Setup will NOT show your DOSBox platform ('MS-DOS') as an available platform. So don't bother looking for it. Download DOSBox-X DOSBox-X releases can be found here: https://github.com/joncampbell123/dosbox-x/releases Download the vsbuild-win64 version. (direct link for the download file) Create a new folder under \LaunchBox\ThirdParty\ and name it DOSBox-X Extract the contents of the downloads "\bin\x64\Release\" folder into the new folder Be sure to unblock the zip file before extracting (unless you’re using 7-Zip) Configuring DOSBox-X In Windows Explorer, navigate to \LaunchBox\ThirdParty\DOSBox-X\. Make a copy of dosbox-x.conf. Rename the copy to [something like] "BL-dosbox-x.conf" Right-click the new 'BL-dosbox-x.conf' file and select edit (Notepad++ works great for this. But any text editor (Notepad) will work) Look for the following keys and change their Values as shown: (starting on approximately line 78) fullresolution = 1400x1080 windowresolution = 1400x1080 windowposition = 260,0 output = ttf showmenu = false "1400x1080" (2 locations) is the dimension of the transparent area of your bezel. Adjust as necessary. From your MS-DOS.ini file, use [Right X]-[Left X] for the 1st value (1400) and [Right Y]-[Left Y] for the 2nd (1080) "260,0" is the upper-left coordinate of the transparent area. Use the Left-X value for the 1st number and Left-Y for the 2nd. Save the changes and close the editor. Configure games to use DOSBox-X The following assumes your MS-DOS platform games are already setup to use the integrated version of DOSBox. In LaunchBox, select all your DOSBox games and press Ctrl+E to start the Bulk Edit Wizard. (Select 1 game in the MS-DOS platform, then press Ctrl+A to select all) On the 2nd screen select the Field Custom DOSBox Version EXE Path for Value, Browse to and select dosbox-x.exe Click Next, Next Click “Yes, I would like to make more changes” select the Field DOSBox Configuration File for Value, Browse to and select the new file you created (BL-dosbox-x.conf) Click Next. Next (again). Click "No, I would not like to make more changes" MS-DOS Bezel Files: This assumes your DOSBox platform is called "MS-DOS". In the Bezels subfolder under the plugin folder, create a new folder called 'MS-DOS'. In \LaunchBox\Plugins\BezelLauncher\Bezels\MS-DOS\, add your bezel files (MS-DOS.png and MS-DOS.ini). Game specific bezels for DOSBox need to be named the same as the Game Data Folder i.e. D:\LaunchBox\Games\MS-DOS\Cosmos Cosmic Adventure\COSMO1.EXE use "Cosmos Cosmic Adventure.png" .ini (configuration) Files The .ini files contain the monitors' coordinates for placing the emulator window. The Upper Left x,y coordinate and the Lower Right x,y coordinate Example: Upper Left X Coordinate=240 Upper Left Y Coordinate=100 Lower Right X Coordinate=1680 Lower Right Y Coordinate=1080 The platform ini file must be named the exact same as the platform. If copied from RocketLauncher, you may need to rename it (removing any under_scores). i.e. \BezelLauncher\Bezels\Sony PSP\Sony PSP.ini For game-specific ini files, if they are located in a subfolder below /[platform_name]/ (see Bezel Images, Option 2, above), they can have any filename. If they are inside the /[platform_name]/ folder (Option 1), then they must be named the exact same as the games ROM file or Title. If a game-specific .ini file doesn’t exist, the plugin will use the games platform.ini file. Launching different game versions Also known as Additional Apps, when right-clicking a game and selecting Play Version, the Additional App is not required to have its own bezel files. If the Additional App doesn't have its own bezel, the plugin will look for the Default Games' bezel. If neither of those exist, it will use the platforms’ bezel. This eliminates the need to have a separate set of bezel files for each version of the game. Useful since they most likely all use the same image. This only works for games that are Additional Apps. Plugin Folder Structure As always, any thoughts, views, opinions, [constructive] criticism, comments and suggestions are welcome. Submitter JoeViking245 Submitted 12/02/2023 Category Third-party Apps and Plugins

Of course it can. Well, after a tenure of ten years of working with it, figuring it out and getting it to work, I'd probably stick with it too. My issue was (granted this was about 5-ish years ago) I spent about 3-4 days attempting to set it up. I gave up, deciding "I don't need no stinking bezels." lol Then someone came to me 6 months ago asking about creating a plugin to show bezels on emulators (other than MAME and RetroArch). [For me,] that was way easier than I recall how setting up RL was. But you're most likely correct in that with end-user support, it's become a lot easier. BTW, I still don't use bezels for anything other RA and MAME). Whether one uses RocketLauncher, ReShade (and the ReShade plugin) or my plugin above, if they get bezels to show the way they like and they're happy with it, then we're all happy.

The issue with integrating something like that into LaunchBox is in your preceding sentence. However, I think you downplayed it a little [a lot?] when you said "It may take some tweaking." Really, there's no way to just say "Ok bezel program, here's the path to the emulator and here's the path to the bezels. Make it work." Even with the plugin that @bundangdon recommends, there's some manual setup that needs to take place. Though from what I've seen compared to RL, it's a walk-in-the-park. My guess it that the LaunchBox team doesn't want to integrate something that, for a new user, will never work. At least not until they (the new user) get some working knowledge of how to do 'some tweaking'. For and about each and every emulator they wish to use this on. There's just too many logistics involved with making it end-user friendly in a plug-and-play world. But again, this is just my guess.

Addometer Calculator may not be the best example to share. It's neither a game nor is it in the database. But I understand it's just an example. Sounds like you used Tools - Download - Update Metadata... for scraping the one of the blank games. Instead, (for now, to do some checking) try editing the game and click Search for Metadata. (assuming there isn't a LaunchBox DB ID # there already) Once there's an ID # there, go to the Images section (lower down on the left panel), then click Download Media. In the window that opens up will be the checkboxes for the available images for that game. If no checkboxes appear, then there're no images for it in the database. If you have an EmuMovies account and set it up in LaunchBox, you can click the EmuMovies tab (near the top) and get images from there as well.

When editing RetroArch in LaunchBox, look at the Command-line Parameters in the Associated Platforms section. Those will take precedence over the command-line parameters in the Details section. Specifically, you're looking for -f

That tells me you have something mapped in BigBox to "Button 0 + Button 3". (at least mine calls them "Button". vs "Joy") Look for Close the Active Window under Controller Mappings. Though if it were there, the same thing would happen in other emulators as well. At least it's a starting point. Note: BigBox and LaunchBox have separate controller mappings. Also, 0 [zero] might not appear as 0. It may be 1 [one] (or even something else). i.e. Button 1.

Does it do this when starting a game via stand-alone MAME (start MAME, start a game, press 0+3)? That, vs. launching a game via LaunchBox.

If all is set up correctly, you shouldn't need to have-to reload the ROM (F3). If you find you need to [still] do that often, something [else] is not right. Using the above command-line parameters should be all you need. You can disable the pause screen by editing the emulator in LaunchBox (Tools - Manage - Emulators) and in the Pause Screen section, un-check Enable Game Pause Screen. Or play it like a real pinball table and don't press pause.

There is the option to do it platform-by-platform. Select a platform then select all games in that platform. Then... Tools - File Management - Change ROMs Folder Path for Selected Games... But don't think it'll work if the ROMs (games) for the given platform are in separate subfolders i.e. F:\Roms\my1stPlatform\gameA\rom.ext F:\Roms\my1stPlatform\gameB\rom.ext

Be sure to look in Associated Platforms and make sure you don't have --fullscreen in the Custom Command-line Parameters there either.

I've seen this happen when the window you're trying to record is full screen (vs windowed full screen). I don't recall if OBS has that issue or if it was a different software I saw that in.

Try pressing ScrollLock (to get into keyboard mode) then press F2 (to 'run' the tape). Wait for the screeching to stop (when the tape has fully loaded). You may need to press ScrollLock again to get back into Lynx keyboard mode to use it. Not tested. But those are the typical steps to Run a cassette tape in MAME.

Visual Pinball is proprietary as to running tables made for it. From the immortal words of Highlander, "There can be only one." There are other pinball emulators like Future Pinball and Pinball FX/FX2/FX3... if you prefer the 'eye candy'. But no tables are interchangeable between different pinball emulators. Any program you can run from the Windows command prompt can be ran from, and added to LaunchBox. Visual Pinball included. Probably what you've seen when adding a platform to LB is that it has some preconfigured settings to help with getting them setup. Including download links to the emulators and filling in the default command line parameters for you. It obviously can't include every possible emulator. But it doesn't stop you from adding in your own. Tools - Manage - Emulators - Add New Emulator then just fill in the blanks. The reason Visual Pinball isn't listed with preconfigured settings is because the full and proper setup is not an easy process to automate. It's not difficult to do. Just a pita to programmatically automate a proper installation. There are 'extras' (though not required) that are necessary to have it work 'like you think it should work'. Also, the emulator can require some manual setup depending on your system. Lastly, the LB developers believe that "every" table has to be customized (individually) before they can even run. This is only true in part. But all these are a drawback when wanting to provide something usable out-of-the-box. Bottom line, there are a lot of nuances to doing a complete and proper setup. That said, I have Visual Pinball (VPX) installed on my cab and running through LaunchBox, without issue. If that is your goal, like ALL emulators, make sure things work to your liking BEFORE you bring it into LaunchBox. By the way, VPX is my go-to when wanting to play anything on the cab. 😎

Getting a little off topic here. But if Demul can play the sequel, chances are it can play the 1st one too. I haven't tried either one. Different emulators are going to have different, the same (or similar) or no command line parameters. Will depend on the specific emulator. Not that I mind helping, but I think it's time you go into research mode. Try a Google search for LaunchBox Demul (keeping the search terms simple). For this inquiry, I'd start with the YouTube results that are from Unbroken Software, LLC (aka: the people that brought you LaunchBox). Next would be to only click results from the LaunchBox forums (depending on what it is you're searching for/about). In the link I gave, there are tons of "videos to eat breakfast by". You'll find how-to videos for setting, using and navigating LaunchBox/BigBox as well as a plethora of videos for installing emulators to use in LaunchBox. Once you've exhausted your research and get stuck on something specific, add a reply on that [related] forum thread (keeping things on the same topic) or start a new thread. Probably don't post a question on a YouTube video page. That'll get lost real fast.

Not really. It was more of a "just-because, proof-of-concept" thing. There are a couple of other plugins out there that do the same thing, but better. Pretty much anything's possible. But I can only think of one person who would want to have a marquee displayed on the top portion of their monitor and the game displayed (albeit, squished) below that on the same monitor. Or maybe you're talking about somehow having the marquee floating in space above the game while using a VR headset? That would actually make sense. At least from all the sci-fi movies I've seen. So it may be pushing the technology a bit. But I'd have nofa king idea, as I've never even touched a VR headset. You could try creating a new post requesting a plugin that does what you're wanting.

The sound is glitchy probably because the BIOS holds the emulation status of "preliminary". Hence my comment "if it'll even run well". Shikigami no Shiro II / The Castle of Shikigami II Since this game uses Sega NAOMI GD-ROM, you might be able to run it[?] [better?] with Demul.

Does the game work when you launch it directly from MAME? ALWAYS check that 1st. As far as importing it into LB, Tools - Import - Manually Add Game. Type in the name "Castle Shikigami 2" and search the database. When found, you can look in the Alternate Names section and (if you want to) change the name as you want to see it in LaunchBox (select one if the options listed and click "Set Selected Name..."). In the Launching section, point directly to the ROM file. To run the game (if it'll even run well) you'll also need the BIOS and 3 Device files. NAOMIGD.ZIP BIOS MIE.ZIP DEVICE JVS13551.ZIP DEVICE SEGADIMM.ZIP DEVICE

Glad you got it working. By default, your mouse (and arrow keys [ugh]) should work as [aiming] a light gun in MAME. I've never even seen in real life a VR headset. Not even in a box, at the store. Though I do have some red and blue lens 'glasses'.

Don't combine the ROM and the CHD into 1 zip file. Don't put the ROM and CHD inside the same folder. Don't tell LaunchBox to launch the CHD file. (You can, but then you'd have to change your MAME emulator settings in LaunchBox and it will screw up the rest of the [non-CHD] Arcade games) Using Big Buck Hunter as an example: In the folder that you have all your MAME Arcade ROMs (all the .zip files for the Arcade games you're using to launch from LaunchBox) there should a file named "bbh.zip" (the ROM file). (this file is included with your MAME full set ROMs) You also need to have in this folder "iteagle.zip" which is the BIOS file required for all the Big Buck Hunter series games. (this file is included with your MAME full set ROMs) In this same folder, you should have placed the (sub)folder for the CHD. This subfolder should be named "bbh" and contains the (one) file "bbh_v1.00.14.chd" Direct LaunchBox to the ROM file Make sure these are in place and try launching it again. If it still doesn't work, please provide the following: In LaunchBox, Edit your MAME emulator and share a screenshot of the Default section. Edit the game in question and share a screenshot of the Launching section.