Zombeaver

Ah, okay. That's really good to hear. Honestly, I read that note in the changelog and it didn't even occur to me that it had anything to do with this. I've had the CPS platforms in my library prior to the existence of scrape-as functionality; before the Games DB even existed for that matter. For some reason I interpreted that as an issue affecting new imports to the library. I'm not on the newest beta so I'll update tonight. Thanks for letting me know! This is definitely the source of the OP's problem. chicomandell said I actually got it to work by setting FBA as the default core for Arcade as well. It seems to use that instead of the Capcom CPS1 settings for some reason.

So after doing some testing, I think you've discovered a very real bug @chicomandell. For some reason LB seems to be mixing up cores/configs among CPS1, CPS2, and Arcade. I created a new emulator entry that I just called "Retroarch - Test". I wanted to test some CPS-2 roms with this. So the first thing I did was add associated platforms for only CPS-2 and Arcade: Based on this setup, using this emulator entry for a game that's in the "Capcom CPS-2" platform in my library shouldn't actually do anything at all because I don't have a core associated with that platform in the emulator entry. But... it loads up fba_libretro... which I have as associated with "Arcade". That's... not supposed to happen. So then I tried swapping the core over to CPS-2 and leaving the Arcade one blank. Based on the previous test, I actually expected this scenario to not load at all...but it did load...with fba_libretro. Which...is what's supposed to happen. This left me a little perplexed... So then, just to make absolutely certain something odd was going on, I added in a config modifier specifically for "Arcade" only. I launch the CPS-2 game...and it's using the custom config... So then I swapped the custom config position over to the CPS-2 platform and left the Arcade one as the base core... ...and it didn't load the custom config in Retroarch. Again...not what should be happening. So I went and checked my primary Retroarch entry and looked at the CPS-1, CPS-2, and Arcade entries. They're all using fba_libretro core, but I noticed... The config that it's loading for CPS-2? It's the config that I have associated with CPS-1 in the emulator entry... @Jason, I definitely think you should take a look at this if you get a moment. There's something clearly amiss here... EDIT: Also, @lordmonkus I see them all over that screenshot haha. It is less obvious than with bright color on top of a lot of complete black (like in the Ghouls N' Ghosts screenshots) but all you have to do is look at any areas that are particularly dark and you'll see them. The effect also tends to move/shift in a way that's different from the way graphics on the consoles themselves move...almost like it's too smooth. It's hard to describe. It's especially noticeable when stuff is fading in and out. I know it's picky but it's one of those things where it's like once I've seen it and noticed it, then I look for it, and I can't unsee it and it ends up bugging the crap out of me EDIT 2: Looking at this same image on my work monitor I can barely see it at all. My home monitor is obviously setup with higher contrast because it's really apparent there; it's also about twice the size so there's that too...

lordmonkus said The Ghouls N Ghosts screen I posted in that other thread was from my Mame HLSL setup. Yeah, I know - that's why I posted my MAME HLSL in the last image. lordmonkus said Also a displays colour calibration can effect them a fair amount. True. I use a THX calibration tool for calibrating all of my TVs. I usually spend a couple hours whenever I get a new one tweaking color balance, temperature, contrast etc. lordmonkus said That glow you are talking about with Royale-Kurozumi is really noticeable and offputting on screenshots and even more so when it's on a pure black background like in the screenshot but once you are actually in game with lots of colours in motion and a quick response monitor it becomes unnoticeable. Ehh...less noticeable? Yes. Unnoticeable? No, not for me. It's distracting enough that it made me look for alternatives in the first place. lordmonkus said I do agree with you on the Easymode-Halation though, that does look really good. I will have to give that one another shot for an extended period. Out of everything, I prefer my MAME HLSL settings the most, but Easymode-Halation is actually pretty similar and has been the one that I keep coming back to in Retroarch. Like you said, it's all subjective, but to me it's just the most consistently good looking for all situations (other than vertical shooters of course).

Yeah I like Kurozumi's Royale quite a bit as well, and it does indeed look like complete garbage on vertical shooters :( CRT-Easymode works in any orientation because of how its aperture grill is setup - basically it's squares rather than scanlines so it works either way. CRT-Easymode-Halation is actually my preferred CRT shader overall for Retroarch, even over Kurozumi, but it does not look correct when rotated unfortunately. The thing that's always bugged me about Royale (including the Kurozumi version) is how overblown and generally pretty ugly the glow effect is. It almost looks like an additional sprite or something that's slapped on top. I remember you posting some screenshots from the Ghouls 'N Ghosts menu screen so I'll use that as an example. Obviously these all need to be viewed fullscreen... No shader: CRT Royale: CRT Royale Kurozumi: CRT Easymode Halation: Take a look at the text in the lower portion of the screen in these. Notice the glow? See how garish it is on the two Royale shaders? I generally prefer Kurozumi over normal Royale but for this particular issue it's worse - there's almost no gradation at all and it just looks like somebody opened up photoshop and took a circular brush, white color, and about 10% opacity and just smeared it over the text... Now look at the CRT Easymode Halation screenshot. The glow is still there (compare to the shot with no shader) but it's much more subtle and doesn't look like a photoshop paintbrush. If I were sitting halfway across the room from my monitor, I'd prefer Kurozumi, but I'm using a 40" Vizio TV as my monitor and I sit about 2' away from it so that glow is just so garish and over the top that it bugs the hell out of me. Just for giggles, here's a shot from MAMEUI with my HLSL settings:

@Jason I reported an issue a while back about two emulators (CCS64 and MAMEUI) not closing via the controller automation key combination. I did some experimenting and discovered that they actually do close via that combination if you add in the old autohotkey script for closing on "ESC" into their emulator entries. The problem is, doing so causes other problems for using both of these emulators: In the case of CCS64 you need to have access to ESC for navigating some of its menus. In the case of MAMEUI when you close via the AHK script it doesn't save changes you've made in the MAME UI (like button reassignments, for example). MAMEUI is setup to close normally on ESC anyway (and retains changes you make), but the problem is that for whatever reason that particular emulator doesn't recognize keyboard inputs when played via Steam Link, but controller inputs (including Launchbox controller automation inputs) work just fine. Basically, adding in the AHK script makes the controller automation close function work, but I need to be able to use controller automation without using this script (and least in association with the ESC key) because of other problems that it creates... I thought maybe this information would help narrow things down a bit. I hope so anyway For CCS64 all that's really necessary for it to work is for the existing AHK + Controller Automation functionality to function as-is but be piped to a button other than ESC. Changing the script to "End", for example, makes pressing the End key close the emulator just fine, but then the controller automation close no longer works. For MAMEUI I basically just need the controller automation combination to send an "ESC" input. Sorry for the information overload AHK Script: Also...thank you for all the bug fixes! You definitely knocked out some biggies there. Thanks!

That's generally true, although CRT-Easymode works in either orientation.

Alright, glad to hear it's working. I was just about to post those screenshots but sounds like you've got it under control

I'm running out of ideas at this point, to be honest. This is normally about the point that I start looking at external things like adding Retroarch and Launchbox folders to my AV whitelist, restarting my computer, running as administrator... that kind of thing. I'll post screenshots of every relevant section for this game when I get home tonight. It works fine via LB for me. Basically all LB is is a GUI for organizing a pretty looking collection of shortcuts. There's no reason it shouldn't work through LB if it works through RA by itself. 1. Is LB's path to Retroarch correct? 2. Is the name of the "associated platform" in the Retroarch emulator entry identical to the platform name in your game library? 3. Is the name of the core dll file in the Retroarch emulator entry correct, and formatted as -L "cores\[core name].dll"? 4. Is the path to the rom correct in the launcher tab? That's...about it really. It's just a fancy shortcut.

lordmonkus said Well the "fb_alpha_libretro.dll" core is the core that gets downloaded with the updater when you pick Arcade (FB Alpha) from the list. The "fba_libretro.dll" core is the one you get when you pick Arcade (FB Alpha-SVN). Not sure what the actual difference is between the two. I just know that the system specific core are just streamlined for lower end systems to squeeze out every drop of performance they can. Ahh, okay! I didn't realize there were two different versions. I love Retroarch, but this is the kind of shit that seriously drives me crazy about it @chicomandell, can you post a screenshot of your "Launcher" tab in the game entry? That's the only thing I don't see included above. We're running out of potential points of failure here...

...wouldn't that just be "fba_libretro.dll"? I think one of us is using an older one haha; or one of us has an older formatted name anyway. The non-system-specific FBA core that I have is simply named "fba_libretro.dll"

Ah okay. I thought I'd seen them named like that at some point before but I wasn't sure - I just knew the one I use is simply called "fba_libretro". They can be named whatever you want really, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't using the "fba_libretro" core when he was loading it manually in Retroarch and using "fb_alpha_cps1_libretro" (which he may or may not actually have) in the Retroarch entry in LB.

If you're using FBA, it looks like you're using the wrong (or possibly an old) core. It should just be "fba_libretro.dll". If you actually do have your core file named like that (and it's the correct core), it should be fine regardless, but it's one thing that I see that's a bit odd. I've got a screenshot of my various core settings here although my platform is named "Capcom CPS-1" not "Capcom CPS1" (I'm not sure if this discrepancy is due to a recent format change to the default, or if you manually changed them). CPS-1 and CPS-2 work fine through LB for me. I do have some custom named cores for FBA but they're actually just duplicates of "fba_libretro.dll" with different settings. I don't see anything particularly weird about your settings though.

Most of these take about 30 minutes to an hour to make; some a bit less, some a bit more. This particular one was about four hours... the colors were abnormally difficult to get the way I wanted, primarily because the background is pretty busy which makes things more complicated. I just hope it's sufficiently legible at this point... I made both a normal and a desaturated version. I'm not sure which I like better honestly. Normal: Scanlines: Normal (Desaturated): Scanlines (Desaturated):

Thank you Jason! Thank you for all the hard work you put into making Launchbox and Big Box what they are and for giving us such fun tools to fiddle around with

Happy to help!

Yeah, the short answer is "no". The longer answer is "It depends on the platform, but generally still no". Some platforms like 90's PC were kindof a free-for-all when it comes to form factor, as Jason said. There are also platforms like Playstation and Sega Saturn that went through multiple iterations of their game boxes (long boxes vs standard cd case). Even something like the SNES, while it had predefined box dimensions (barring weird things like Earthbound and Mario Paint) the layout of the covers themselves were somewhat inexact which means there's generally some variance in the dimensions you'll find between covers online (which is exacerbated by the fact that you're dealing with images uploaded by myriad different sources). There's a really interesting article on Gamesradar that shows some of the incremental changes in game packaging and illustrates some of this. All of that said, I wouldn't mind having the option to force covers to set dimensions in LB/BB, by crop and/or resize. It's not a huge deal and it might look bad in certain cases, but it'd help keep things a little more consistent visually as well.

For banners it does work, yes. For clear logos, however, it doesn't - you have to refresh the clear logo image cache for those to change. Glad you like these

I had a bit of trouble making up my mind on this one so I've got a couple options available. Ninja Gaiden was the first attempt; not entirely sure I'm satisfied with it which is what led to the Phantasy Star version. I hope you guys dig one or both; I've been staring at them for too long to be objective. I'm seeing everything in various shades of orange at this point Normal - Ninja Gaiden: Sketch - Ninja Gaiden: Normal - Phantasy Star: Sketch - Phantasy Star:

In Launchbox go to "Manage Platforms". You'll probably see one that's blank. Based on your screenshot it should say that it contains 1 game. Just delete that platform and you should be good to go. I had this happen at one point a while back.

Here's an Amiga banner to go with the clear logo I made recently. I need to make a Master System one as well for that reason. Normal: Sketch:

Jazzphone said I was curious if there was any progress made with Downloading Images and Metadata without changing the Platform the Game is associated with. The weird thing about this is...it's a relatively recent development. It was only a few betas prior to the latest official when it was working correctly. I didn't go all the way through the last batch of betas - I think I was on like 6.5 beta 5 and it was still working normally but when I went to the following official and beyond it started happening. I know this for sure because I was adding a lot of ScummVM games at the time and almost all of them were actually DOS entries in the DB and it remained what I had specified (ScummVM) even after scraping; now though, it overwrites it. @Jason, I don't know if this helps narrow it down much but it seems like it's a pretty recent issue.

Yeah when I got home I checked and I actually don't see such an option anywhere. The only delete option I found related to the web collection was actually on the site itself just by clicking on individual entries. I don't see anything in LB that seems relevant to that.

You can also add additional "emulators" for other cores (for the same platform) if it's something you need to alternate between frequently. If it's really just a one-off, a specific command line parameter like @lordmonkus suggested would probably be the best bet, but I have certain things that I like to alternate between pretty frequently. So, for example, my "Arcade" platform is setup to default to just "Retroarch". I have it setup to use the Final Burn Alpha core for that platform. However, there are instances where FBA isn't the best option or an option at all in the event that the game simply isn't supported. For those, I'll either use MAMEUI or the MAME core of Retroarch. For the latter option, I just created an additional "emulator" entry that only contains "Arcade" as the platform and is directed to the MAME core rather than the FBA one. This way I can quickly switch back and forth whenever I want without having to type anything in - all I have to do is go to the "emulator" used in the game entry and change it from "Retroarch" to "Retroarch - MAME" or vice versa. If it's something you're going to end up using as a variant on a frequent basis, this is what I would recommend. Retroarch: Retroarch - MAME: Emulator drop-down:

No problem! I see what you're saying about the resolution now. I'm not sure why it only has desktop, original and "0x0" in the resolution drop-down (0x0 is actually the same thing as "desktop" as far as DOSBox is concerned). I feel like it used to also have some common resolutions like 640x480, 800x600, etc. but it's been a while since I looked in there. I pretty much always leave it as desktop unless there's a problem like videos playing at the wrong size (small). If you manually edit it though, it'll stay like that for any other games unless you specify otherwise with a unique .conf. Honestly, I use the "create" function for almost every game anyway - I just use the default as a starting point. I've got about 150 DOS games in my library so it's something I'm very familiar with. If you have any more issues I'm happy to help.

In LB you create a base/default profile via the "Edit Dosbox" menu (it has some default settings which you may or may not want to change). After that, any DOS games you add to your library will use those default settings unless you tell it to do otherwise. If you do want to use a unique .conf for a particular game, all you have to do is open the game details section and go to dosbox tab and in the field for specifying a .conf click on "create". This will create a new file that has the default settings that you specified previously but you can change them and it will only affect that specific game.