bd00

scree said Hi realbout WinKawaks will not work in LaunchBox if you use the Emulator tab method. You need to treat WinKawaks as an application. To add a game: Select the Launcher tab. Set the path to the WinKawaks executable in the Application Path box. Put the game's name in the Application Command-Line Parameters box. I can offer you an easier way to set WinKawaks up in LB and any other emu that works in a similar fashion (e.g. Final Burn Alpha, Supermodel, etc.) I will create a post...

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ps4isthefuture said Just to let you know I get this sometimes. I have tried 1024MB and 1536MB and still happens but it's erratic, just random. Sometimes a few days and it's ok and other time within minutes. Also sometimes LB will for no reason use 25 - 30% of my CPU until I close it, but that is even more rare, I've seen that 3 times. I'm running AMD 3.6GHz Quad-core 5600K APU, 8GB 1600MHz RAM, and AMD HD 6670 2GB DDR3. Not sure if any of that is of use to you guys. Yeah, I get the issue with LB using the CPU for no apparent reason. I load all my emulators from scripts, so I ended up editing them to kill LB before the emulator is launched, then restart it when the emulator is closed. However it seems to corrupt the xml file every now and then, so thank god for the backups. Dirty hack i know, but will suffice until the issue is fixed. It is a nightly after all.

I will have a tinker with it later.

I figured as much. No, not an external.

When scrolling fast, dragging the scroll bar on the right, i get this error: System.InvalidOperationException: Collection was modified; enumeration operation may not execute. at System.ThrowHelper.ThrowInvalidOperationException(ExceptionResource resource) at System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2.ValueCollection.Enumerator.MoveNext() at LaunchBox.Caching.ImageCacheList.ClearOldest() at LaunchBox.Caching.ImageCache.DisposeOldImages() at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state) at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()

if brad can re-post this list, I will remove this duplicate thread.

Let us know how you get on

Jason Carr said Good call on this, bd. I guess I hadn't really thought about that (Brad probably brought it to my attention but I must not have understood it or something). I did come up with a list of platform names that is supposed to help resolve this issue (for example, for Super Nintendo, I look for Super Nintendo, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES, etc.). I then make sure I'm searching TheGamesDB with the right platform. What platform(s) are you seeing the issue on (what did you have in your platform field when adding ROMs)? I might be able to add it to the list. I'll post my current list below and add whatever you guys can think of that is missing. Beyond that, you're right, probably shouldn't rename the platform from the results on TheGamesDB. I'll add an item to get that fixed. No, my problem was with a platform that was not in TGDB, so even if you put it on your list TGDB will still not recognize it, and attempt to find the game under another platform. I only had a quick scan of your list but maybe add abbreviations for every platform (e.g. Sega Mega Drive - SMD) and the Atari's you have 2600, 5200, etc, maybe add A2600, A5200, etc. too. Intellivision you probably should add Mattel Intellivision. I will examine the list further, later and drop some more suggestions. Maybe you could have LB check what the user entered against your list first and if a platform is not recognized then activate a popup saying "The platform has not being found in TGDB... please check your spelling... blah, blah, blah..." add a text box where they can try again and a button to continue without referencing TGDB. Or rather than a text box, a drop list with the platforms that do reside in TGDB. Just a thought.

On vacation, but I'll check it out.

mawby said I get this too. Being a software engineer myself, I'd hazard a guess it's a date conversion problem. All the ones which work can be interpreted as either a DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY date format (although obviously the former would result in an incorrect date conversion), whereas the failing 09/19/2005 example can only be interpreted using a MM/DD/YYYY format. I doubt this is the problem, because TGDB uses a drop-down calendar when inputting the release date, keeping it uniform across all the games in the database.

Thanks for the offer Jason, it is appreciated. It was never my intention when writing the first post regarding this issue, to take the lead on the forum post or a wiki or whatever. It was just a suggestion, I figured it would be a good idea to start collecting data now, so it was there when you were ready. I made the offer to manage it later because I knew it was something you didn't need on your plate right now. I forgot about Brad. Truth be told, I can't offer you the time or consistency that Brad does, he is a far better choice for this project and since he will be creating a majority of the videos, it will be much easier to manage in his hands. I realized this after he replied to the post and from that point it is exactly what I had in mind, he is perfect for this. I had no problem with it. I felt his approach was a little gung-ho and I don't have the authority to tell him to slow down a little and consider all factors. I ended up getting a little sharp, so sorry for that Brad. Brad will be great, just let him loose on this and let him do his thing. He will be in his element.

It doesn't recognize the platform, so it searches for the games titles in other platforms until it finds a hit, then renames the platform accordingly. This is probably by design because people enter platform names differently. Probably no fix on this end. Would have to create a solution on this end, where LB does the work figuring out which platform the user entered before submitting it to TGDB. If that platform is not in TGDB you could even skip the search all together. But I doubt anything like this will be on the cards anytime soon.

I don't know why you feel the need to carry this on. I made a suggestion, basically, get people in the forums to start creating content. That is the main goal. I then suggested doing this in the forums where everything is familiar, nobody has to sign up at other sites, etc. Just temporary, until Jason got a wiki/faqs/troubleshooting/walk-through/whatever area going on the site, at which time, hopefully most of the content would be ready just to port over. Just a suggestion. That's it. 1 minute after I post, you jump in, take over and create an external wiki. Not what I suggested. I didn't tell you to make a wiki. I mentioned wiki like i mentioned FAQs, etc. I don't know what Jason want's I was just guessing. Due to the "keep everything clean, keep everything simple" approach that Jason seems to favor, I assumed he would want everything within the bounds of the LB website. I was wrong, so i left it at that. LaunchBox now has a wiki, now you need to get users signed up and creating content. That is the main goal. You have it under control, just get on with it.

When you 'Import ROM Files' from a platform that is not in TheGamesDB and you don't un-tick the "Search for and download game information from TheGamesDB.net" box, LB changes the platform of some games leaving them scattered around and mixed-up with other platforms. Luckily I was able to filter out these with the "Added: Today" filter, but others might not be so lucky. I suppose you could just go into the xml and remove the last lot of entries, that would be a quick way to find them, but some people won't like or know how to do that. Not allowing LB to change the platform the user entered would be a better approach.

SentaiBrad said bd00 said Yeah that would work I guess. I would consider keeping everything under one roof though, meaning on the actual LaunchBox site. It's your call I guess. Well no its Jason's call ultimately. This way though there is a centralized place for how to do things. You can create pages for any topic, you can add images and videos where you need them. I think its perfect. You said Wiki and I literally thought... why not just make one. Forums are awesome but they're not exactly the greatest with organization. Yeah I realize that, but if you read my post again I was suggesting the forums only as somewhere to start, somewhere to start gathering the information, so it is there when Jason adds an in-house wiki/faq/troubleshooting/whatever area to the site. However, I am by no means right, I just like everything in a singular place, it was just a suggestion. Many, many people will disagree with me I am sure. If Jason give you the go ahead to create a wiki page, then he obviously has no problem with it, so there is no point in... this. So carry on, don't mind me. Get started on those videos and add a list of what you want other users to add.

Yeah that would work I guess. I would consider keeping everything under one roof though, meaning on the actual LaunchBox site. It's your call I guess.

SentaiBrad said How about this. I just made it... but screw it, it will go a long way right? http://launchbox.wikia.com Wow OK. I'll check it out.

SentaiBrad said... Wait... did I just get volunteered. xD I can pretty much do what ever is needed actually. I'm already trying to monitor the forums best I can. Videos are literally my forte how ever. Wow you read quick! Lol. Please disregard my last edit! There we go again, posting at the same time! Or, if you want to take the lead on the videos, I will happily maintain the thread to reduce your workload.

Jason Carr said pogowolf said Observations, Thoughts, Comments, and Ideas: Version: Launchbox - 3.3 - Beta 1 General: 1) Need a test script to explain what we should see. If we don't know there should be a list of Platforms when you import your first game, how would we know it's an error? 2) Need pages with screen shots as walkthroughs along with the how to.. movies. I know, personally, I hate "how to" videos because I need to wade though the movie to get to the information I want unstead of being able to skim a page of text/screen shots. ?? Agreed, test scripts would be nice, I'm sure. I try to explain what's necessary for testing but of course sometimes I don't explain enough. And better documentation is planned as well, of course. I have to pick and choose my battles for the moment though, and for the most part actual development has been the priority (and probably will be for a long while). So at this point I'm shying away from much else that takes too much time. Regarding a wiki or faq's or walkthroughs or whatever, have you considered outsourcing in to the community? Not to a single person, but rather create a list of the things you want documenting, and ask users to choose one and create the documentation for it. What I mean is break it down into digestible "bitesize" chunks, list what is needed and users can pick something from the list and create a walkthrough or a how-to for it. You (or a user) can then take all these user created documents and organize them in a logical and uniform manner on your site. Basically a Wiki, but use the forum to advertise what is needed and allow users to start creating the documentation and posting it here. List everything twice, one for written documentation with screenshots and one for a video version. Even if you don't get it up right away on the site, at least a bulk of the documentation will be here ready for when you are and will also be available for users who need it now (via the thread). You could even use this list as a contents page with links to each specific post, this would suffice until the site wiki is created. Example: Documentation needed: Adding a game. (Doc) Adding a game. (Video) [Done!] Importing Steam Games. (Doc) - Thanks pogowolf! Importing Steam Games. (Video) Changing the background image. (Doc) Changing the background image. (Video) [Done!] Importing ROMs. (Doc) - Thanks SentaiBrad! [Done!] Importing ROMs. (Video) - Thanks SentaiBrad! [Outdated] Adding additional apps. (Docs) - Thanks nmc! (Needs Updating!) [Done!] Adding additional apps. (Video) - Thanks Vinicius256! etc. (Doc) etc. (Video) etc. (Doc) etc. (Video) Each completed item can be turned into a link and pointed at the relevant post in the thread. The users can do this however they want, for example, in a post in the thread or create a word document or create a web page, etc. This way anyone can help out regardless of their technical capabilities. All the documentation will be organized and ported later anyway. Although it might be better to keep everything as forum posts period. Maybe keep everything inside spoiler tags except the title of the documentation created, just to keep things tidy. The main post will need to be maintained and updated regularly, but it shouldn't be too much work. *EDIT* Heck, I will maintain the main post for you if you want, that way all you need to do is give me a list of the documentation you need.

Jason Carr said Agreed, bd, I've actually planned on adding that but it kept slipping (and I don't think it made it onto the list). It absolutely does make sense to allow darkening the background; thanks for the reminder. I've added it to my list. I like the default background with the image thing too, that's neat. Might be a performance issue though, not sure. Yeah I was thinking the same thing. You could probably reduce the quality of the default image quite significantly for the overlay, without affecting the overall quality (since it is only partly visible) which may help. Is it a tile?

Ah OK, I didn't realize you were doing that, I got the impression full sized box art were being cached. Also, if a user starts with a filter, does LB only cache the filtered content?

SentaiBrad said I like the darken option a lot actually. I'm not sure about the blur honestly. Maybe we can test a few settings but I don't think it should be another setting. Unless Jason were to create a new UI section, especially when themeing becomes an option, I can see it being worked in to that but otherwise... No need to create a whole new menu section, that is a little extreme. I was thinking just a text box labeled something like 'Tint (0 - 100%)', next to the two tick boxes for 'use fan art' and 'use clear logo'. The user enters a percentage. Default zero (no tint). Simple, obvious and effective. I know your trying to cut down on options, but this would really need an option anyway and you also need to be careful not to go too far towards the opposite extreme and have almost zero configurability, especially when it comes to the "look and feel" elements. Besides your looking into themeing which will be way more complex for the user to set up than what we are talking about here. I am all for the KISS (keep it simple stupid) approach your taking here, but I also think you can take it too far. Vinicius256 said I think this is a important feature to implement, pretty useful and looks great, it could even make the blown-up boxart option look better, as there are various games on thegamesdb that have blocky/low quality/small resolution front covers I agree, I think this is an important one too. Without it, it renders the fan arts almost useless or a, "oh cool, I can do that! ... OK I can't deal with this I'm going to turn it off, nice that its an option though. Even though I will never use it." type feature. I see where your going with box arts, nice idea.

How about adding a tint to background (fan art) images? I can't use fan art images as a backgrounds because the screen is just too difficult to look at when full of games. Adding a black tint makes it much easier on the eyes. It makes them less distracting while retaining the immersive experience. Examples: Original (How it looks now) Black Tint (Maybe too dark in this example. You would probably need to let the user set the opacity anyway) Blur (a blur improves it too) Tint & Blur Combo (A combination of both allows a lower opacity) LaunchBox Default Overlay (using the default LB background image as an overlay, gives a nice effect while also serving a purpose)

SentaiBrad said Were you downloading game data by any chance? Not intentionally. But I may of scrolled the mouse wheel while the window was still active by mistake, so the drop down menu was activated, so a connection may have been there (to bring up the list of possible matches). But I don't think I was actually downloading anything. But I was focused on a different display thinking I had the active window, I only glanced at LB once the error popped up and caught my attention.