Zombeaver

DOS76 said Zombeaver you don't play around with Model 3? I haven't thus far, no; not out of a lack of interest - I just haven't gotten around to it. Is Supermodel the best emulator for that? That's the only one I've read about but I don't know if there are better (or any) alternatives. Do things run reliably/accurately and at a good speed?

Yeah, this is definitely an issue. I think the main difficulty is that some of these games never got a true poster (or they're so obscure that you just can't find them anywhere). The Games DB is something that's constantly being improved upon, but arcade games in particular could use some work and often need manual intervention. My advice is to use a combination of The Arcade Flyer Archive, Mobygames, and Google Images (and for that I suggest starting your search with a modifier of search tools -> change "any size" to "large" and then move to "medium" if necessary). I usually start with those other two first. It's time consuming, unfortunately. 40 games honestly isn't a bad number to audit at all though. That shouldn't take that long really. I take a curated quality over quantity approach to my library but even then it's typically a couple hundred games per platform. I have platforms for "CPS-1", "CPS-2", "NeoGeo", "Sega Model 2", and "Arcade" (everything that doesn't fall into those first four) and the Arcade one alone is 300+ titles. Just throw on some good music (or a podcast) and go. It's kindof zen actually haha

My original plan was to do an M2 logo with Daytona USA but I couldn't really find an image that was satisfactory. I already used Motor Raid for the banner I made so I wanted to go for something else. Luckily, Dynamite Cop has one hell of a cover. It looks like a poster for a Charles Band flick from the 80's. Badass. I just have a couple more of these that I want to do before the first release of the pack. @Jason, if possible, could I get "trusted" status or whatever it's called so that I can edit my original post? I believe Brad mentioned it to you previously. I think it would make it easier for people that come across this thread and don't want to dig through several pages to get a link. That would also allow me to update the download as I add more stuff over time. Normal: Scanlines:

Aaaaand one more before I go to sleep. I know I know... Big Whoop. Normal: Scanlines:

Okay, so after updating to the newest beta, clear logo visual fidelity is noticeable better, to the point that the 150% scale scanlines are actually visible in Big Box. Unfortunately, at that scale it would seem that they're still a bit too dense to look right. At 250%, however, they look pretty good. So I've already gone back and created new scanline versions at 250% scale for everything I've done so far, as well as reworked/improved/fixed a number of things in some of them. When I release these in a packed download (should be very soon, probably tomorrow), it's going to have "Normal", "Scanline" (these will just be the 250% versions), and an "Alternate" folder for a few variants that I've made, like for the Saturn and Playstation logos. You can see some examples of how the scanline versions look in Big Box here (view in fullsceeen): And now, for some tactical GBA goodness: Normal: Scanlines:

Oh wow, I hadn't heard that. I saw where @DOS76 mentioned that in the OP but I wasn't actually sure what it was in reference to. That's actually super exciting! Better late than never!

Dipso said launch box needs options for alternate emulators for dos games. I've never messed with the RA version of Dosbox, but I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this. Why would it be any different from any other game that you're piping into RA through LB? Wouldn't you just unselect "Use Dosbox" in the game entry in LB, and then select Retroarch as your emulator? As long as you have the Dosbox core added to your Retroarch -> associated platforms (MS-DOS) it should be fine unless I'm missing something. I mean this is how you setup anything for Launchbox -> Retroarch (including cores that aren't in the default list that's populated by Launchbox).

DOS76 said That's weird, I don't recall having any issues with these in SSF. I'll double check tonight. They always run super slow and choppy for me unplayable on all of my machines and I have a few that can handle just about anything you throw at them. You know what... I just realized that I think I have these for Sega CD not Saturn. That's probably why. I'll double check but I'm almost positive that's what it is. DOS76 said Is there any particular reason not to just play the PSX version? No I just like to have everything working everywhere when I can. I most likely will never end up playing either version. Haha, fair enough! Croc actually isn't too bad. It's no Super Mario 64, of course, but it's decent. Jumping Flash 2 would probably be my pick for best PSX platformer that's 3D. It'd probably be a toss up between that and the Spyro series. There's a lot of other goodies too though - Gex: Enter the Gecko, the Crash Bandicoot series, Tail Concerto... actually come to think of it I'd put all of these above Croc haha. You could do worse though. I'm looking at you Bubsy 3D.

I love Jim Sterling, so I'll definitely give this a watch. lordmonkus said My big thing with emulation and debating its legality is the more often than not the very people who bitch and cry about it being illegal are the same people who buy repro carts and think those are perfectly fine when the vast majority of those are illegally using fan translations to profit from while the translators see nothing. But oh look we put a nice sticker on it and put it in a nice box, pay us 40-60 bucks for something we stole. The people who complain about emulator illegality are either the corporations or some jerk off who thinks their physical retro collection is gonna pay for their kids college in 20 years. It's like the comic book and sports card people back in the early 90s when everyone jumped on that bandwagon. These people out there now jumping into the retro collecting are just dumping all their money into something that is only going to lose value. Now having said all that if people are buying because they genuinely want to have and play these games that's great. But if they think they are making an "investment" they are making a huge mistake. I'm actually a big collector of retro games - it makes me happy and it's a genuinely fun pass time and I've met and become friends with a lot of cool people because of it. With that said, I'm also a huge advocate of emulation. I find it hilarious that people would find any disparity/conflict between these two statements. I frequent a subreddit called /r/gamecollecting and I was a little dumbstruck by how completely and insanely negative people are there about this perspective when I tried to explain it. If you mention emulation and the merits thereof, people will lose their shit over there. Here's what people need to understand - emulation is the only, and I do mean only, way to reliably preserve the art that all of us are so passionate about for future generations. All the physical media that we collectors are accumulating will eventually and inevitably fail, period. It may (and probably will) be after my lifetime, but it will happen. And when it does, then what? It's just gone forever because emulation is so bloody evil? Are you people insane? I'll make this comparison. The Mona Lisa was completed in 1506. The photographic process as we now know it was in its infancy in the early 1820s with the earliest surviving photograph dated 1826 or 1827. Let's say that in 1825 there was a tragic fire and the Mona Lisa was reduced to ash. Barring forgeries, without the photographic process, that piece of artwork would be lost forever. Would the world be better off if that were the case? I think few would argue that it would be. So why in the shit do people act as though emulation is high treason? I love video games. I love them as much as any other form of art; perhaps in different ways and for different reasons, but just as much. I love the history of them. I love seeing where they've come from and how that's affected what's come afterwards. I think that's a history that's worth preserving. Emulation is the way to do that. I think that, in their heart of hearts, most of the people that are so adamant about physical media wouldn't even disagree with that if they allowed themselves to think for two seconds. People need to grow up, think further than 15 minutes in front of their face, and chill the hell out. /drop mic EDIT: Watched the video. Not the same focus that I would have taken (obviously, based on the above), but he does make some valid points; and it's hilarious as always I think the issue of value is a very real one - it's certainly at the forefront of my mind whenever I'm debating picking up a retro title, especially if it's higher end. I think there's definitely some merit to what he's saying, and it's part of the reason I love GOG. I do think that if some of this stuff was at a more reasonable price point, people would go for it more; but I think a distinction should be made between digital and physical for that discussion - physical copies are a finite commodity, so it's reasonable that the prices of those would increase over time as the supply does nothing but diminish; all you can do in that regard is ask yourself "Is this worth it to me?" My guiding rule is that I won't pay more than the original retail of the game and that's never served me wrong. I've literally only broken that rule once, and that was for Suikoden 2 - I bought a disc-only copy about 10 years ago for $60 and just last year bought a case and manual for $40, which still puts it below fair market value but above original retail. That game is... special for me though so I'm willing to make an exception. It is worth the price point for me. For digital though? Yeah, more than say $5 for a 20 year old game is pretty outrageous as far as I'm concerned. It's not necessarily a statement on the quality of the game itself (though it could be, like he said in the video) but more of a "Why am I paying $30 for a digital version on a proprietary storefront for a 20 year old game again?"

Thanks @alec100_94! I actually missed your reply from earlier so I'm excited to test this out! I'll report back once I've done some testing.

Kristijan1001 said the comparison u did with adobe was just stupid Adobe has a line of software products that people can use, some of which are free (Adobe Reader, Photoshop Express, Flash Player, Air, Shockwave, etc.) and some of which require a premium to access (Photoshop, In Design, etc.). If you were to have access to Photoshop, a premium product in their line, without paying for it, it would be piracy. Launchbox has certain modules/features that people can use, some of which are free (base Launchbox without premium features) and some which require a premium to access (Big Box, and premium features). If you were to have access to Big Box, a premium feature, without paying for it, it would be piracy. Not only is it not a stupid comparison, it's about as close as you could get. Kristijan1001 said most of programs have drm and have support for like 3pcs(so u can't actually do that if its not drm free also im pritty sure even if it was possible the lincence would get terminated really quickly) Yep. Which is precisely why I differentiated between whether or not you can and whether or not you should for Launchbox. It is DRM free, which means there isn't anything systemically (to my knowledge) that would stop you from doing what you're suggesting. But you shouldn't. I'm sorry you didn't get the answer you were hoping for. Launchbox will still take care of your basic needs until you can save up to purchase a license yourself. The extra bells and whistles are neat, but not essential.

DOS76 said Corpse Killer and Double Switch both of which run like dog shit in SSF. That's weird, I don't recall having any issues with these in SSF. I'll double check tonight. DOS76 said It plays Croc which for SSF you need like a beta 10 or 11 version in order to not get the black screen with sound. Is there any particular reason not to just play the PSX version? DOS76 said It handles AMOK which SSF won't (This one works in RA) play. It's funny, I actually just picked up a big box PC copy of this a couple days ago. I haven't tried the Saturn version.

How is it out of context? You're asking if you can have access to a product/level of service that you're required to pay for without paying for it. What other context is there? To have X you must pay Y. Did you pay Y for X? No? Then it's piracy. Pretty straightforward. If your friend has a Playstation game and he lends you the disc, and you take it home, and play it on your Playstation, and then a couple days later you give it back to him - that's not piracy, that's basically the same thing as renting it. If your friend has a Playstation game and he lends you the disc, and you rip that disc to your computer, and then give him back the disc and continue to play the rip... that is piracy. What you're asking for is the latter, not the former. Unless of course you're planning on deleting the license a couple days later I guess, which you gave no indication of. Again, when you buy a license, you are buying a license to use on your computer(s). Not for you and whoever else you decide to give your license to. The fact that it's DRM free means that you can do that on as many of your computers as you choose; it also means that if you choose to give your license to someone else, there's nothing systemically stopping you from doing so... but you shouldn't because that is the same thing as piracy, whether you realize/want to admit it or not. @SentaiBrad feel free to jump in here and correct me if I'm wrong on the spirit or logistics of any of this.

SentaiBrad said You can drag and drop the exe, import it as MS-DOS (doesn't require you to specify an emulator, but that also works), then edit the game to take away the need for it to use MS-DOS. Jason is aware that importing shortcuts or drag and dropping windows games to specifically import them is a complete work around and he has expressed intrest in fixing that so you can more easily import PC game exe's or shortcuts without workarounds. One other thing I would add to this is that there are instances where some Steam games actually won't run if launched by their standalone exe's because of Steam DRM. Not all of them, of course, but some (often newer titles). The way to get around this is to go to your start menu -> steam -> find the shortcut to the game and right-click and go to properties. The way steam game shortcuts are setup in the start menu is to a url, that will look something like "steam://rungameid/#####". All you have to do is copy that url into the "application path" in your Launchbox entry and you'll be good to go. This is functionally identical to just pressing the "play game" button in Steam.

DOS76 said SSF has test builds on EmuCR I just can't get Daemon tools to work on the latest preview build of Windows o_O Dear god... I'd freak out if I didn't have access to DT. I probably use it more than my physical disc drives. Like I said, I'm all for moving away from SSF if there's actually a viable alternative. How many games did you test? Any notable issues (other than Die Hard Trilogy and Darius Gaiden)?

Jason Carr said Thanks all. I agree from a technical perspective, but users have come to know about "fanart" from Kodi, etc., so they know that it should be used as a background, and it has other meaning behind it. I'm afraid that "artwork" would be too generic. In that case, why not just call them "Backgrounds"? I mean, I like that less than "Art" or "Artwork" but I had the same thought about the term "fanart" being rather dubious a few days ago - I've been going through and auditing my DOS entries which tend to be lacking in this department, so my only real option is to use a screenshot from the game (which isn't great, but still better than a boring gray background). When I hear "fanart" I'm thinking something cobbled together and posted on DeviantArt haha. As much as you do or don't like that kind of thing, chances are most of what's currently being categorized under that moniker in the DB doesn't fit that description. This is basically all just semantics and is comparatively low in terms of importance... but it is a bit odd

SSF actually got an update not that long ago as well, weirdly enough - v0.12 beta r4. The settings have gotten even more bloated than they (already) were, but it seems to work pretty well with some tweaking. I haven't revisited Yabause in a while (probably about a year) because it was just so trash the last time I tried it. SSF is a convoluted, unwieldy monster but it's always provided the best results in my experience. If the newest incarnation of Yabause is actually on the same level as SSF in terms of compatibility/accuracy, I'm all for it; I would just be amazed if that were the case. My real hope for the future of Saturn emulation is in Mednafen, just because it has such a proven track record. I have the feeling it's still a ways off though

Can you? Technically, yeah. There's nothing stopping you, to my knowledge. Should you? ...no? Why would you think otherwise? When you buy a license, you are buying a license for use on as many of your computers as you wish - not you and your buddies (or vice versa). I mean, you do realize you're basically asking if it's okay to pirate a product on the forums of that product right? "Hey Adobe, I found a licensed version of Photoshop on The Pirate Bay. Somebody bought the license for it at some point I'm sure; I didn't, but someone did. Can I go ahead and use it? Is that cool with you?" Just save a bit and bite the bullet, it's worth it. Launchbox is still at your disposal, for free, until then. If you appreciate the benefits that Launchbox is providing you, chances are high that you'll appreciate those granted by a premium license as well. And if turns out you don't, or you have some problem that the community here isn't able to help you resolve, I believe Jason has always been good about granting refunds when necessary. I'm really not trying to be jerk, so don't take it that way, but come on man

Thanks a ton @Jason! I can totally notice the difference on the clear logos. I think that even the 150% scale scanline versions of the logos I made are just a touch small to achieve the effect I'm going for, but 250% looks pretty decent with the new resolution; and as an added benefit the normal versions look better too! Thanks again!

Well, I had intended to get more of these done today but I ended up binge watching the entire first season of Stranger Things on Netflix... Ordinarily I don't use fanart for these but I came across this one by Ivan Flores while looking for Metroid Prime images and said "Yep, that's the one." I tip my proverbial hat to him. Normal: Scanline: Scanline (150% Scale):

Well, I already used Snatcher for the Sega CD console banner that I made so I went with another excellent title which is also an adventure game and is also cyberpunk - Rise of the Dragon. I do love me some cyberpunk. Normal: Scanline: Scanline (150% Scale):

Excuse me. Do you know any places where sailors like to hang out around here? Normal: Scanline: Scanline (150% Scale):

Pants-err...dragon? Huh? I made two color variants for this one and I honestly can't decide which one I like more... Normal: Normal (Alternate): Scanline: Scanline (Alternate): Scanline (150% Scale): Scanline (150% Scale) (Alternate):

Hybrid Heaven may not be the most amazing game ever... but you can suplex lizard monsters so it gets my vote. Boston crab-boston crab-boston crab... A lot of artistic license was necessary considering this was the highest quality image I could find... it actually turned out better than I expected though haha. Normal: Scanline: Scanline (150% Scale):

lordmonkus said Dude for DOS it has to be Doom :) There's always room for alternate versions of these! My plan is to get through everything that I need for my collection and then start doing requests and alternate versions of the ones I've already done. Quake was actually one of my first choices but I couldn't find anything that would really work I'm finishing up N64 now.