cammelspit

Hi, I am new to using LB and I have decided to use this app to migrate away from EmuLoader to LB for use with my MAME collection. I like that LB can import directly but I missed the filtering options and such from more dedicated MAME frontends. I saw this app as a link in LB before my MAME import and decided to give it a go. I am not sure if this is a bug or I might be completely stupid and have no idea what I am doing but I can't seem to get the output list to generate anything at all when I hit the filter button. 0 games and 0 clones. I have even tried making a clean MAME and clean MAME\roms directory with all of the assets and list XML, the whole nine. LB sees my roms and so does Emulaoader and 2-3 other front ends I have tried just to make sure my collection was usable. All of my roms are T7Z merged sets and work just fine when I play them through LB directly, other front ends and directly through the command line. I could use a hand if anyone is more knowledgeable about this thing. If I am posting in the wrong place, please, let me know where to go and I will go there. Thank you in advance

At least today was the first day I actually tried using that version of proxy since it was the only version that we had at that time. I will likely have to go and make a clean install of LB, RA and proxy in its own location so I don't have any similar mishaps happen in the future. Heh, as smart as I think I am, I can be really dumb sometimes.

@Nielk1 The one in the LB folder is but the one in the RA folder is still 0.0.1.3 and I completely missed that. I am a complete tard on that. I had only put it in the RA folder before 0.0.2.0 and never bothered to update it because I wasn't using it. Entirely my fault. Either way, 0.0.2.0 seems to be doing it correctly when using the per system arguments so that is a BIG plus. EDIT: See, this is why I need to be more organized....

@Nielk1 I'm sorry, I assumed because when it works, the log represents the quotes. When it doesn't work they are missing, I thought it was losing them at some point along the process.

I had already tried this before but I did again to get a fresh log. This is what was returned. c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [0] -steamproxysetup c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [1] 2b61fe2f c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [2] -steamproxyname c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [3] FDS [%cleanromname%] c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [4] E:\Emulation\Emulators\MultiPlatform\RetroArch\retroarch.exe c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [5] -L c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [6] cores\nestopia_libretro.dll c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 [7] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo - FamicomDiskSysytem (FDS)\Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b].zip c5f0ddbd-f451-468f-89b1-f9bc20dc8301 End It drops the quotes around the cores/whatever.dll and the paths. I am beginning to think that this is Launchbox itself stripping these but if it does, then why would it work at all even without the proxy? For completeness sake, I just tried using the proxy inside the launchbox folder and it DID work! Holy hell, I swear this was not working before. It was throwing an error telling me that proxy was already in start mode or something like that. I know I posted about it earlier in this thread. Frankly, I am stumped. No idea why it would be working all of a sudden unless your code refactoring fixed a bug somewhere and I hadn't tested in this very specific scenario in a while. Again, just for completeness sake here is the successful log for Proxy being in the LB folder using RA in another folder and ALL command line switches being added right to the system specific command line and literally nothing in the main command line. 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 Start 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 Raw Command Line "E:\LaunchBox\GameLaunchProxy.exe" -steamproxysetup 2b61fe2f -steamproxyname "FDS [%cleanromname%]" "E:\Emulation\Emulators\MultiPlatform\RetroArch\retroarch.exe" -L "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo - FamicomDiskSysytem (FDS)\Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b].zip" 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 Mode SteamProxySetup 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 -steamproxyname Contains %cleanromname% 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 New -steamproxyname FDS [Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b]] 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 Looking for shortcut in database that ends with -steamproxyactivate 2b61fe2f 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 Found Shortcut 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 set shortcut name FDS [Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b]] 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 steamproxy.json contents 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 {"Program":"E:\\Emulation\\Emulators\\MultiPlatform\\RetroArch\\retroarch.exe","Args":"-L \"cores\\nestopia_libretro.dll\" \"E:\\Emulation\\Roms\\Nintendo - FamicomDiskSysytem (FDS)\\Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b].zip\"","ShortcutID":10470880777326297088} 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 start steam://rungameid/10470880777326297088 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Start 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Raw Command Line "E:\LaunchBox\GameLaunchProxy.exe" -steamproxyactivate 2b61fe2f 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Start Mode SteamProxyActivate 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 steamproxy.json 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 {"Program":"E:\\Emulation\\Emulators\\MultiPlatform\\RetroArch\\retroarch.exe","Args":"-L \"cores\\nestopia_libretro.dll\" \"E:\\Emulation\\Roms\\Nintendo - FamicomDiskSysytem (FDS)\\Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b].zip\"","ShortcutID":10470880777326297088} 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Starting Program 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 FileName: E:\Emulation\Emulators\MultiPlatform\RetroArch\retroarch.exe 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Arguments: -L "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo - FamicomDiskSysytem (FDS)\Yume Koujou Doki Doki Panic (Japan) [b].zip" 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 WorkingDirectory: E:\Emulation\Emulators\MultiPlatform\RetroArch 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 found process to wait on retroarch 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 Ended Program Normally 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 End Mode SteamProxyActivate 5b82d00e-f2e9-4b7b-9de4-8bd60a9c9c96 End 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 ended steam://rungameid/10470880777326297088 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 set shortcut name RetroArch 1c31a908-2beb-457d-b18d-6a0a186ca783 End Then again, LB just had an update so maybe there has been some changes to the way it is handling the command lines in some way that is passing it through properly now when it wasn't before. I have no idea but now it will be easier to make only ONE Retroarch emulator entry and use the per system command line to do all the special stuff. Of course, now that I have already made a separate entry for every system I have roms added to LB with so far AND have migrated my whole RA install into my LB folder. Gonna need to do some major directory cleanup now.

@Nielk1 Alright, I have done the testing I promised and here are the logs exactly as they appear. I will sort these by what the situation is so you can have an idea of what the heck I am doing. c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 Start c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 Raw Command Line "E:\LaunchBox\GameLaunchProxy.exe" -L "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\1942 (Japan, USA).zip" c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 Start Mode GenericProxy c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 Program -L c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 Args "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\1942 (Japan, USA).zip" c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 End Mode GenericProxy c8347800-553d-4d2a-8ae5-bd82cf833e51 End 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f Start 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f Raw Command Line "E:\LaunchBox\GameLaunchProxy.exe" -L "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\Abadox - The Deadly Inner War (USA).zip" 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f Start Mode GenericProxy 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f Program -L 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f Args "cores\nestopia_libretro.dll" "E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\Abadox - The Deadly Inner War (USA).zip" 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f End Mode GenericProxy 8e11eb74-044a-4ce8-a024-14080baf505f End Above is the log that happens when I load a game from Proxy while both proxy AND Retroarch are both in the same folder as Launchbox but I use the per system command lines for the -L "cores\whatever.dll" argument. ddbe1426-3477-4501-be1e-d5156c97fcc0 Start ddbe1426-3477-4501-be1e-d5156c97fcc0 Raw Command Line "E:\LaunchBox\GameLaunchProxy.exe" ddbe1426-3477-4501-be1e-d5156c97fcc0 Start GUI ddbe1426-3477-4501-be1e-d5156c97fcc0 End GUI ddbe1426-3477-4501-be1e-d5156c97fcc0 End Above is the log that happens when I load a game from Proxy while Retroarch is NOT in the same folder as Launchbox and I use the per system command lines for the -L "cores\whatever.dll" argument. I also tried loading two games and this is all that was written in the log. 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d Start 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d Args[3] 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d [0] -L 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d [1] cores\nestopia_libretro.dll 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d [2] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\Adventure Island 3 (USA).zip 5ff249a3-b531-4a3b-b1df-fdd85429ae1d End 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a Start 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a Args[3] 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a [0] -L 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a [1] cores\nestopia_libretro.dll 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a [2] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\Adventures of Lolo (Europe).zip 6ec00440-361c-42ba-b56b-081672fb722a End 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c Start 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c Args[3] 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c [0] -L 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c [1] cores\nestopia_libretro.dll 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c [2] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)\Adventures of Lolo (Europe).zip 0067944f-6440-4e90-93a1-c15683e4fa0c End Above is the log that happens when I load a game from Proxy while Proxy AND Retroarch are NOT in the same folder as Launchbox and I do NOT per system command lines for the -L "cores\whatever.dll" argument. When both RA and Proxy are both in the same folder as Launchbox and I do not use the per system command lines, as in putting the -L "cores\whatever.dll" in the main command line instead, it will work and it works quite well too. This has the side effect of me needing to make a new entry for RA through the proxy for each system and remove the per system command lines while adding it all to the main command line window. I mean, for me as of right now it is at least doing what I want with RA. I also haven't found any other emulators, so far that is, that exhibit similar behavior. If I do, I will surely let you know. IF that does happen, I can see a point where having more than one emulator embedded into my Launchbox folder could cause some real havoc with conflicting file names or directory structures. Thankfully, RA can emulate a good variety of systems so I haven't run across this yet. This having been said, I also haven't done as much "testing :D" as I could or should have because of my HDD shenanigans but I hope this is enough for you to see what is happening. If you would like me to test a specific scenario, please, let me know. I will do anything I can. Thanks again for this awesome little program, I am having a blast setting things up. I am one of the only people I have seen that actually considers setting up frontends and making steam controller configs therapeutic. *Double Thumbs Up*

@Nielk1 Sorry, I haven't had a lot of time to do much of testing in the last day or so because I had a massive HDD crash. I had one of those 3TB Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 drives and I just started getting the dreaded click of death. My emulation drive is safe since it is an HGST 4TB NAS drive but my whole Steam library is completely gone, not to mention the stability problems a dying drive that can't access data makes when steam keeps trying to access it. I will try and find some time here today or tomorrow to get all the logs I promised you.

@Nielk1 That would be of huge benefit for the Launchbox users. If I may be so bold as to make a suggestion, however. Since other users may not necessarily be using launchbox and might be using some other front end, you may still wish to have the roms filename still be usable if the user wishes it, maybe yet another command line switch, or have Proxy fallback on the roms filename if the launchbox XML is not found. About the logging, I will find some time to puts about with the logging in 0.0.2.0 and make a few logs in a few different scenarios so you can have some more useful information. Since I have found some way to get RA to launch and work, I have been adding systems one by one and playing around with it and I must say, when this thing is more ready for prime time, I am gonna be having a blast! The ROM name function is SUPER cool, to say the least as it allows per emulated game configs that are persistent for the Steam controller. It is like, this Proxy app has opened up a whole new world of many novel and interesting things to do. I have already had a steam friend message me and ask about how I am able to have the game I am playing show up like that if not with ICE, which is terrible IMHO. In the interests of ease of use, I would like to make another suggestion. This would obviously go FAR down the list of things to do but... Since we know now how ICE adds steam shortcuts and that it is possible to do programmatically, perhaps a feature for having Proxy add the steam shortcut itself instead of manually since that is quite a cumbersome process. Of course, this is early days when it comes to this app but I can absolutely see it becoming a must-have tool in the bullpen of an emulation enthusiast that also uses steam. Just something to chew on.

@Nielk1 Hey buddy, I did a little more poking about and I finally found a way to get Retroarch to launch properly. Doing the same thing as I did before that causes the steamproxy.data error only, this time, I tried copying my entire Retroarch install right into the launchbox folder and it does work. I still have to have the system command line -L "cores\whatever.dll" in the main command line and not the system specific command line but this is a good workaround to get it going in the mean time. Thought I would mention this in case it helps you track down whatever it is you need to.

3b931387-da79-4a4c-8359-562b24c41e1f Start 3b931387-da79-4a4c-8359-562b24c41e1f Start GUI 3b931387-da79-4a4c-8359-562b24c41e1f End GUI 3b931387-da79-4a4c-8359-562b24c41e1f End 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 Start 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 Args[3] 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 [0] -L 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 [1] cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 [2] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo 64 (N64)\Banjo-Kazooie (USA) (Rev A).zip 411daec1-9a49-4c5c-8e1b-ad4dfeda6fc7 End This is what it looks like when I attempt a launch via the platform specific command line. Arg 1 does not have quotes as it should and it abruptly stops, I assume this is because Retroarch just closes itself the moment it sees that the command line it is receiving is improper.

@Nielk1 Ok, so I think I have found a way to get RetroArch to load up, only it is still not working but for a completely different reason. The command line -L "cores\whatever.dll" won't work at all when it is used in LB platforms command line area. What I did to fix this made another entry for Retroarch just for N64 and added that command line directly to the main command line instead of the platforms area and now Proxy is seeing it, with quotes and the log looks correct. I also needed to make a new copy of Proxy directly in the Retroarch folder since it seems that RA requires a relative path. When I did this,though, it threw and error and told me that steamproxy.data could not be found even though the log looked correct and the command line being passed through also looked correct. Any ideas?

@Nielk1 You know, i was actually just thinking this last night. I mean, I added the hold argument to an EMU that didn't need it and it still worked fine. I haven't done an insane amount of testing with 0.0.1.3 yet, so I am not sure if there are any major incompatibilities with using that function on a given emulator. Perhaps replacing it with "-steamproxyrelease" to return to the current behavior just in case of a compatibility issue, later on, would be prudent. I have errands to run today so I can't really do much testing until this evening but I will try to find any major issues with the hold command in case you want to be sure there aren't any problems making this the default behavior. I also have a theory regarding RetroArch but I can't test now. I think it may have something to do with the fact that the default command line for loading cores is relative and is looking based on starting in my LB folder, where Proxy is installed and not from within the RetroArch folder. If it works when I do use an explicit path then fine, if not I will try making a second copy of Proxy in the RA folder itself so it starts in the same place and the relative path might work. This is all a stab in the dark from an uneducated emulation enthusiast here but it made sense to me while I was laying in bed thinking of possible reasons it might not work. I will look into it and report back what I find.

@Nielk1 As I am sure you are loving me finding stuff to report to you by now and speaking of renaming I have found a curiosity/bug. I launch a game in Dolphin, it renames the shortcut perfectly, I then close the emulator by hitting escape on my KB it renames it back to Dolphin. If I close Dolphin using the BPM 'close shortcut' option it does not rename the shortcut back to "Dolphin" and instead it leaves the shortcut with the games name and so it fails to launch a second game without manually renaming the shortcut back to "Dolphin". DeSmuME will not rename the shortcut back to DeSmuME at all even if I use the file/exit option. I assume something to do with a graceful or non-graceful shutdown of the emulator? With me around, there isn't a single thing that's going to get past.

@Nielk1 That is actually what I WAS using before when I couldn't get it to work at all a few days ago. I stopped using the launch options and instead, only use the target now and all is well. No idea if it would work from the launch options now, though. Either way, that is not the intended setup method and so should be considered improper. Also, whatever the steam launch options say, it seems to not change the ID# in a desktop shortcut. Forgive a stupid question from a plebeian but is this table in a place where you can detect it or read it? Is this something you can change at runtime of Proxy? I ask because even if it only does this when the app is launched by hand and the interface is opened or even a specific button press, it may be a way to ensure at least a modicum of 'future proofing' as I know this is one of your chief concerns.

@Nielk1 Ah, the big picture toggle is a great idea. Unnecessary with the steam controller since while the controller is on, steam will automatically use the BPM overlay instead, even when launched from the desktop UI since that is where all the SC configuration takes place. For those who want to use a traditional controller, in the same way, BPM is still nice and controller friendly. I especially like how it has a way to, through the steam BPM overlay interface, close out the app, in this case, emulator. This just pops me right back to Launchbox, kicks to the desktop config for the SC and I can browse the collection and just launch another game so seamlessly. I also just tested the rename function with the game name and it works beautifully. That really is a nice touch and I am VERY tempted to make a template for systems and start using per game configs. What I usually do right now, like with Dolphin and DeSmuME, is make some complicated touch menus that switch action sets and load the per game configs. This is especially necessary with Wii and DS stuff since they all can play so differently and require specialized configs to perform certain actions with button presses. I also wouldn't worry too much about the renaming function not working later on. I don't think the calls you are using can really do any harm so it is not likely that Valve would take the time or put in the energy to make these not work. I mean, it took nine months for them to fix the steam controllers completely bugged and 100% non-functional turbo fire and we are STILL waiting for Half-Life 3. I am glad to hear that you have an idea for a workaround in case they do decide to disable those calls. It may be a good idea to start work on that feature before they do make a change and have both options available until they do as a fallback scenario. Though, obviously not anytime soon since there is likely a lot more to do before you can't think of anything to add or fix, like RetroArch not launching correctly. (Just poking fun)

@Nielk1 My god man, you are a BEAST! Just tearing this thing up right now. So you know, you NEVER need to apologize for anything. I am just so amazed you have taken this stupid idea from a nitpicky steam controller obsessive and ran with it. I mean, I am honored to be able to help with the testing and that I can be useful, even in my extremely limited capacity. I am already thinking of how I am going to start making a steam community guide in the Steam Controller HUB because I know for a fact that everyone who uses an SC with emulators is going to want to use this thing as soon as a little spit and polish goes on. BIG thumbs up from me dude!

HAHA! It works now with the compressed roms! WOOT! I have found a handful of new things to fill you in on. b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe Start b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe Args[6] b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [0] -steamproxysetup b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [1] 1c3d4e34 b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [2] -steamproxyname b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [3] DeSmuME (%cleanromname%) b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [4] E:\Emulation\Emulators\DS\DeSmuME\DeSmuME_r5526_x64.exe b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe [5] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo - DualScreen(NDS)\Metroid Prime Pinball (USA).7z b6271bce-47f7-40d3-b9f8-c404e8ec86fe SteamProxySetup Mutex Aquisition Failed This is when I tried to use the rom name feature. My command line that generated this was this... -steamproxysetup 1c3d4e34 -steamproxyname "DeSmuME (%cleanromname%)" "E:\Emulation\Emulators\DS\DeSmuME\DeSmuME_r5526_x64.exe" With quotes, around %cleanromname% it also generated the same result and it threw and error at me saying that steam proxy was already in proxy setup mode. I have also noticed that when it threw this error at me, it never closed out steamproxy at all and it had to be terminated via the task manager. When I remove the %cleanromname% altogether it works just fine and loads the rom as you would expect it to. Also, it seems that the automatic insertion of the steamID# isn't working quite right. I still had to make a shortcut and manually paste it in because the number proxy generated was completely wrong. What metric does the proxy use to detect this? I would have assumed it would be just the name of the shortcut in Proxy but if I change anything in the target field within Steam Proxy it would change the number. My guess is it isn't supposed to do this because the number is based on the name of the shortcut and not the target if I understand it properly. When attempting a launch of Retroarch, it returns the same result as the previous version. Not sure if you had a chance to look at it yet but I figured it was worth mentioning. Oh, BTW, thanks for the logging checkbox. I like it! This is coming right along here my friend. and as soon as I can get RetroArch loading up properly, this should be able to launch my whole library in every way the way I want it to. The rom name thing is just a neat idea I want to play around with, even though I am not sure if that is how I want to do it or not. Again, you rule! EDIT: Forgot to mention that in Proxy, the target field and the emulator command line field both use just -steamproxy and dont reflect the activate or setup additions, this is how I discovered the steam ID# stuff because I tried changing it myself for the sake of copy pasting the whole target. Just thought I would mention it.

@Nielk1 I agree completely with everything you are planning to do with this app. Do you know what method utilities like ICE use for adding steam shortcuts? If the name of the shortcuts are API functions, could be a more or less failsafe way to future proof the renaming functions. Then, if steam renames files or moves them around, a simple update to the app could be used to deal with those changes instead so if they do remove said functions, no hard done. I also have found that the proxy app, when using launchbox to call Retroarch, it is not sending the quotes around the -L "cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll". Instead, it is sending -L cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll so the emulator fails to launch and the log looks like this. Start Args[3] [0] -L [1] cores\mupen64plus_libretro.dll [2] E:\Emulation\Roms\Nintendo -Nintendo 64 (N64)\Banjo-Tooie (USA).zip End Yes, this is also the entire log. Sometimes it seems to try doing this a second time and will just have two duplicates of the same entries. Another little happy discovery I found is DeSmuME, when launched from Launchbox having, in turn, been launched from steam always slowed down to about a third the performance it should be getting. Even after using system explorer to make it a high priority, it would still be that way. When steam launched DeSmuME using the proxy app, not only do my SC configs stick around but also the performance seems to round off right back to where it was when I use it by itself! If you do want me to lend my writing skills to the readme at any point, please, just let me know and I will be more than happy to do it as a thank you for making this app. I have quite enjoyed the testing and bug hunting here. For the time being, when you make a newer version of this app, it may be beneficial to either include the logging as a checkbox in the app itself or include a "debug" exe for the app itself in the archive. At least so I can get an idea of what is happening and so I can report anything to you in a more useful way. Thanks again for this awesome thing!

@Nielk1 Since swearing and cursing with electric delight is likely not allowed here on a forum for the civilized I will refrain. I finally figured it out! The logging version really helped me nail it down what I was doing wrong. In the steam shortcut, I didn't put anything on the target but I pressed the launch options button and added it there, apparently, that was the wrong way to do it, at least this was my only initial problem. I had tried this before but it was before I watched ur video and I simply hadn't tried it again. Another thing that was not super crystal clear was the -steamproxy VS. -steamproxystart. steam proxy start was what I had put on the target when I tried it before, which is wrong. -steamproxy is meant for the target in the steam shortcut itself and NOT the command line but -steamproxystart is what you use for the command line and not the shortcut. It tipped me off I was doing something wrong when I had steamproxystart in both places and I had triggered and infinite loop where steam proxy was triggering itself to start over and over again forever, requiring a hasty reboot to stop it. From there I just watched that part of the video for the 100th time and it clicked. I changed it around to the way it is supposed to be and BAM worked like a charm. Compressed ISOs that are uncompressed by Launch box still do not work and Dolphin opens blank. I have a theory on this, though. I think, when steamproxy closes, LB is thinking the emulator closed and then it deletes the ISO in the temp directory. Below is the log from the last time I launched a game. it not only looks entirely different but it seems to have made two attempts. Start Args[8] [0] -steamproxystart [1] 1b86a02f [2] -steamproxyname [3] Dolphin [4] E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe [5] -b [6] -e [7] E:\LaunchBox\7-Zip\Temp\Gauntlet - Dark Legacy (USA).iso set shortcut name Dolphin steamproxy.data contents program: E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe arguments: -b -e "E:\LaunchBox\7-Zip\Temp\Gauntlet - Dark Legacy (USA).iso" steamid: 14478098407094222848 oldname: STEAM PROXY start steam://rungameid/14478098407094222848 End Start Args[4] [0] -steamproxy [1] 1b86a02f [2] -steamproxy [3] 1b86a02f steamproxy.data [4] [0] E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe [1] -b -e "E:\LaunchBox\7-Zip\Temp\Gauntlet - Dark Legacy (USA).iso" [2] 14478098407094222848 [3] STEAM PROXY Starting Program FileName: E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe Arguments: -b -e "E:\LaunchBox\7-Zip\Temp\Gauntlet - Dark Legacy (USA).iso" WorkingDirectory: E:\Dolphin Ended Program set shortcut name STEAM PROXY End Looks like I may be forced to use a similar RocketLauncher setup similar to the one you used in your video, see if Rocket Launcher can cope with steam proxy closing and not delete the iso before Dolphin has a chance to pick it up. Not sure if there is anything you can even do on that one or some workaround can be made that will work but otherwise, this is still a good tool and I will be reforming all of my shortcuts to work in this way for better steam controller config management. I also like the idea of using RL to make the rom name and the system name appear. Try game by game steam controller configs without the HORRID ICE tool would be great. Then I will have to go and muck about with learning a brand new launcher step so, who knows? I moonlight as a freelance writer and have worked for PCGamer in the past and if you would like me to, I would be more than happy to write out a readme with more explicit instructions on exactly how it should be configured for normal front end operation. Another suggestion is you may want to put something in there to detect if someone does it wrong like I did, and triggers a loop so it can gracefully shut itself down and display a message warning about the target in the steam shortcut. So you know, The shortcut for me is now named "STEAM PROXY" and it renamed itself perfectly while launching and my whole Dolphin Steam Controller configs were perfectly intact. Thanks again!

Just ran it and I live the log, VERY easy to read. Start Args[6] [0] -steamproxystart [1] 1b86a02f [2] E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe [3] -b [4] -e [5] E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero GX NTSC-U.gcz steamproxy.data contents program: E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe arguments: -b -e "E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero GX NTSC-U.gcz" steamid: 0 oldname: start steam://rungameid/0 End So, it seems it is not picking up the steam ID... This makes no sense because it was working this morning, not properly but it was at least launching Dolphin.

-steamproxystart 1b86a02f "E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe" -b -e "E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero GX NTSC-U.gcz" will not open Dolphin at all so I have no way to know what command line it is using. -steamproxy 1b86a02f "E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe" -b -e "E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero GX NTSC-U.gcz" DOES work. But if the game is decompressed by LaunchBox then absolutely nothing occurs. -steamproxyname "Dolphin" If I add this, again, nothing occurs even if I am using the uncompressed version that works without it. UPDATE: I just tested this with both launchbox and Steam.exe as admin and it did load the game properly but the shortcut was not renamed and for some reason the overlay has stopped working when it was working this morning and yesterday during my fiddling. Literally no idea why... EDIT: I did reboot once since it was working so, maybe?!

Sure, -steamproxystart 1b86a02f "E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe" -b -e "FULL\PATH\TO\ROM\FILE" was what got me the closest so far. In this example, the desired output would be E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe -b -e "E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero GX NTSC-U.gcz" but I would be willing to bet that it isn't sending the quotes or more likely sending two sets of quotes on to Dolphin for the rom path. I say this because when the game is unpacked and the path has no spaces AND I disable quotes in LB it loads the rom just fine but when the game is extracted at runtime it fails. Without quotes, from the command line, it simply doesn't work so from LB it shouldn't work, but it does. So I think the proxy is adding quotes and if the path is too long or has spaces, it will add the quotes in the wrong place because I was able to get Dolphin to tell me GX in not a valid command line option. My assumption as to what the proxy is actually sending is something like this E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe -b -e "E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero" GX NTSC-U.gcz when quotes are disabled or E:\Dolphin\Dolphin.exe -b -e ""E:\Dolphin\CSO\F-Zero" GX NTSC-U.gcz" when they are enabled, both of which would not work stemming from extra quotes. I also tested these exact command from the command line and it seemed, to me that is, that it behaved the same. I did notice that with quotes it seems to flash the black frame in Dolphin as if it were trying to open a rom but it immediately closes which would be expected if it tried to load a rom that was not there or perhaps it could have something to do with the attempt to keep the emulator on top and in focus upon launch? I will try and find a minute or two this afternoon to maybe do some more testing, maybe even spend a minute or two and make a video of precisely the scenarios I have encountered so far. The kind of bug testing is kinda fun! Maybe I should do this stuff more often.

What exactly is the command line syntax for launching a rom? I ask because the proxy is not passing along the rom path. The rom path must have quotes in it or Dolphin will not see it. You describe pretty much exclusively how to do it via RL but what I need is a specific example of the command line exactly as the proxy needs to load a rom. Otherwise, I got it to pass along the other command line switches and load the emulator. My guess is, since you are only using RL to launch your roms, RL is what is actually sending the rom path to the emulator and the proxy can't do that itself yet. Almost there!

@Nielk1 So, it worked to some degree. It launched Dolphin from launchbox through steam, the hard part works! 0.0.1.1 doesn't seem to want to pass along the command line arguments so I literally can NOT wait till you put up the 0.0.2.0 version to try out. The steam controller works and it saw my Dolphin config exactly as I wanted it to so it is super close! Cannot tell you how excited I am with this. This is just plain perfect for my needs. Just followed the GitHUB and the 3rd party sub-forum post you made so I can keep up to date. Anything, anything at all you need me to try I am there buddy, you rock!

Wow, dude! Super cool you already have something that more or less works! I would be MORE than happy to give it a go if you think it is even close to usable yet. I can do any bug testing you would like. I do have one question, though. When you have the shortcut rename itself, what exactly does the shortcut use to do the renaming? My assumption is, just the name of the exe without the .exe file extension? This is the default behavior in steam when adding a non-steam shortcut. The majority of people will just leave it that way so that is sufficient. A more robust way would be to somehow rename it to whatever LaunchBox has as the emulator name or even the system name but I am not sure if that is revealed in a way you can easily access it. Still, SUPER cool!