Ghostlines

I havent kept up with Launchbox and Retroarch as much over the past couple years so I'm a little bit out of the loop. I see there's the Bezel Project, Mame bezels, and Launchbox integration for downloading and such but I'm still kinda lost. My original set up has Launchbox launching a config file when it opens Retroarch and it displays my overlays fine. So after updating everything, I tried out MegaBezel with some CRT shaders and I really like how that looks. I want to make this my standard going forward So two questions; 1) are the config files no longer necessary if you save your overlay and shader settings for the core? When I took out my config file, I noticed it launches Retroarch with my overlays and shaders with no problem. Which is cool, except I dont want the same overlay for every system that uses that core. For example, I have Genesis and Mega Drive overlays but since I saved the Genesis one to the core, it'll only use that one for everything that uses that core. That's where the config files came in handy. 2) Can you use config files like I was previously doing for the overlays and also have it launch my shader settings that I have saved to the core as well? If so, how do I achieve this? I'm ok with leaving the settings in Retroarch if there's a way to have different overlays for the same core. Bonus question, can I set up a core with my overlay and shaders and export the config to have Launchbox use that? I tried googling old threads, youtube vids, and searched the forum to see if I could find anything helpful and I've come up empty handed. I honestly dont remember how I did those original config files since I used a tutorial years ago. So I'm more or less starting over from scratch. Any help is appreciated.

Love the update. One slight issue though. Game Gear videos dont seem to fit the overlay. What am I doing wrong?

So I was batting this idea around in my head and I wasn't sure how this would work or if it's even possible. Here's a brief explanation that lead me to come up with this idea. We emulate games and consume old media because it's nostalgic. Not only do we emulate games but we emulate how games looked on a CRT TV, we use bezels, etc to take that extra step for authenticity. I was wondering if that would be possible for mediums outside of games? For example, my Big Box launches all sorts of media besides just games. So I was looking to tailor fit some features to really immerse the user. Like old game related TV shows. Instead of just having a 22min show without interruptions, I wanted to know if there's a program out there that would make it possible to splice in retro commercials on the fly and emulate how that show would have aired on cable without having to alter the original files. I tried google to see if there was maybe a more in depth playlist app but I wasn't able to find anything. And it's completely possible, I'm just using the wrong search terms because I'm not sure how to ask for what I want outside of explaining it in depth. This is what I was looking to achieve: TV Show - 22min 10 retro commercials - 30sec each as 10 individual files. Is there a playlist app or program out there that will begin playing the TV Show, then let me insert a break/pause of that file, then cue up any 3 commercial videos (ideally random but ok if it's not), and then after the last commercial, unpause the original video until where the next natural break would occur. You guys know of anything? Or think something like this is possible? Launchbox will load simple playlist files for music but I feel like every playlist app is basic and designed for music specifically.

Thanks @Retro808 and @CriticalCid! That helps a lot. I was looking to translate the Sega Genesis Mini theme from retropie to Big Box. I'll refer back to those links and give it a shot.

I mean like port it over so it works like it did in retropie. Not for like a platform video. I guess what I'm asking is, are the xml files structured similarly that I could copy/paste it into a way that it will work and display the same in Big Box?

I'm just curious but how easy would it be to translate a theme from retropie to format for Big Box? I've never made a theme before so my experience is minimal. However, I'd be interested in learning. Thanks in advance.

I've been searching google for the past couple days but I havent found anything conclusive on how to do this. I'm looking to make roms bootable on a GBA emulator from the mini games released on Gamecube games that were only playable with a link cable. The issue I'm running into is there doesnt seem to be any updated methods of achieving this. All of the information I've found is nearly ten years old and the methods arent really practical anymore nor is the availability of the hardware. Basically, I have my plastic disc to make an ISO and some odds and ends accessories. To be more specific, I'm trying to rip the mini games off of the Gamecube versions of Crash Wrath of Cortex, Crash Nitro Kart, and Rayman 3. There's a little rhythm mini game for Crash Nitro Kart, A tetris style game on Rayman, and Crash Blast was on Wrath of Cortex. The only way to play these games was to hook up a link cable and download them to a GBA. Is there a tool out there that would allow me to extract those individual games off of the disc? Or does Dolphin play nice with any GBA emulators that could simulate a link cable and maybe try to dump the memory? I'm kinda grasping at straws on that last one. I'm hoping someone with more knowledge than me on doing this kind of stuff can point me in the right direction.

I would assume the warning is because if there's nothing currently sitting in the platform category, it might not show up in Launchbox despite actually being there. It wont physically show until you put a file into it. But I have my content tree'd out by several tiers. It hasnt hurt anything yet.

You would need to create another platform category within the platform category. It'll look something like this: Movies (Platform Category) > Game of Thrones (Platform Category) > GOT Season 1 (Platform) > s01e01.mp4 (File) x10 Movies (Platform Category) > Game of Thrones (Platform Category) > GOT Season 2 (Platform) > s02e01.mp4 (File) x10 Or you can import all the files, highlight the episodes from each season and combine them. It'll default with episode one and when you right click on the episode, you can select the next one via the additional apps section. I personally dont like that method but I do use it occasionally.

Hey guys, missed the stream due to work. I understand the polls are closed but if Jason is still reading.., I'd like to see the ability to use specific sound packs for specific platforms. I thought I saw this on the previous poll but I dont remember if it was implemented. If so, my bad lol.

Thanks Retro808! I didnt think to check the image priority and that was the problem. I had 3D box checked under "carts" further down the list and it was preventing the default image from displaying. Now everything is displaying properly.

I have my default images set up and they display fine as long as the game has NO other images already set to it. Which is fine except for let's say you have box art but you dont have cart art. It wont pick up the default cart art if you have a specific box art assigned to the game. Not sure if this is a bug or not but I just thought I'd post it here just in case. If it's not a bug, is there a way to have Launchbox blanket any missing fields with default images? Or will having any images assigned to a game disqualify it from the default images by design?

This is my second attempt at making a platform video. Hope you guys find it useful. Credit to whoever made that bezel I found on google! Sega_Pico.mp4

Love it! Would it be possible to make the same video or a similar video that says "Collections" instead of "Playlists" though?

Yes. Just drop the image into the video folder. Make sure it's named appropriately. I'm not very talented at making videos so I've done that in the past. Actually now that I think about it, @Jason Carr would it be possible for Big Box to play an mp3 and display an image when browsing through platforms in a future update? Like when you stop on the NES platform, a png will load in place of an mp4 but an mp3 will play music at the same time as displaying the still image until you move off of that platform. I feel like I've asked you that question before but I dont remember the answer lol. I know you can do background music but I wouldnt want that playing full time and clashing with the other platform video audio.

Thanks RH! That's exactly what the problem was. I'm using Queso and my renaming stuff through it off.

Hey RH, I had to rename a couple of files to match what I had in Launchbox and everything displays properly until I go into the actual game screen. Then it looks like this. I've renamed all images and refreshed the cache. Any ideas as to what's happening here? Thanks!

Loving this condensed version. It'll definitely make additions easier to keep track of before I upload!

While RH is working on start up screens and moving, I figured now would be a good time to upload more of my additions to his theme to keep the content coming. Included are the original v1.0 themes along with 8 additional arcade themes and 14 new themes and variations for v2.0. Enjoy! Unified_Refried_-_Ghostlines_Additions_-_v2.0.zip

I believe that's working as intended. I've created a few additions to this theme for the community and I've always made both versions under the impression this was how it's supposed to look. RH would have to give you a definitive answer though since he's the theme creator. I personally like the different views this way. Each screen gives you something new to look at. I find that those other views tend to be too busy with art and effects like clear logos fading and boxes sliding in. This keeps a complex, artistic aesthetic, while also keeping it simplistic. First screen shows the logos, a piece of art, and the controllers and the second game screen gives you a better look at the system itself, the game boxes, and carts (If you use those). For me, it comes off way less crowded. I also like that if you dont have the game box or cart, it's way less noticeable since it isnt the first thing you see, nor is it the focal point of the view.

Here's another batch of addon themes. I added a folder named the same as the default Unified Refried folder with the same structure that includes the background and video border as well. You'll have to move those two files into the base theme. Unified Refried - Blizzard.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo DSiWare.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo e-shop.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo Wii Virtual Console.zip Unified Refried - Sony PlayStation 4.zip

Alright, here's the reworked themes to your specifications @RetroHumanoid. I also included a general Unified Refried folder with the default theme art and background as well. The only theme that does not include that is the Game Boy Player theme. Mostly because that's a playlist and the background and default art will reference back to the GB, GBC, and GBA themes. I'll PM you the art assets for the unified vids too. I suck at making videos lol. Unified Refried - Nintendo e-Reader.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo Game Boy Player.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo GBA Video.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo iQue.zip Unified Refried - Super Nintendo (PAL).zip

I'm currently using 2.8.18 and my default drop shadow is settings are different. Aight, now I'm motivated. I think I'm going to rebuild those themes from the ground up with this new information. Also, on a somewhat different note, do you have a png file of the black transparency overlay that you use across the background that highlights the clear logo instead of using the pointer? I'm honestly not a fan of the blurred backgrounds for the collections theme so I was going to make my own. I've replicated it pretty faithfully but you have like a white fade effect on the top and bottom that I havent figured out how to achieve yet. I'll move on to making some of those for the community here soon too but I want to keep it consistent with your work. Thanks!

I appreciate the feedback! I noticed a couple of the things you mentioned while I was converting my themes over to this one (Namely the Wario thing and the drop shadow). I kinda put the cart in front of the horse and went to see how accurately I could replicate your work so these were all made early on. I'll be perfectly honest with you, I'm a novice when it comes to graphic arts and I'm using Gimp so I'm just kinda learning as I go. I was on the fence about sharing them but I figured what the hell? If anything, people could use them as placeholders or someone with more experience will make better ones lol. I'm just happy to be able to help contribute. With that said, I assume Photoshop and Gimp are mostly interchangeable in terms of settings? For instance, 50% drop shadow will have the same visual effect on both programs? I used a drop shadow on those but I didnt do it enough. What value did you input for the drop shadows? Also, any other advice, tips, or tricks that could help me make these closer to your work? I'll take some time over the next couple days and see if I can rework those some more. I'll reupload them when I finish them.

@RetroHumanoid I hope you dont mind but I reworked a couple of existing themes to create new ones for this setup. I figured you made most of the major stuff so I'd work on a couple of nuanced themes. Mostly a SNES (PAL) theme that I saw someone request in this thread. I also did ones for the Nintendo Game Boy Player, GBA Video, and Nintendo iQue. Feel free to add those to your download list if you approve of them! Also, if you or anyone else would like to create any, I'm still looking for themes to go with the Philips Videopac G7000, Philips Videopac+ G7400, Mattel Hyperscan, Capcom CPS Changer, Neo Geo X, Neo Geo Mini, N-Gage, NEC Turbo Express, PC Engine GT, and Sony PlayStation 4 (More of just a placeholder). I will eventually get around to making them myself but with my work schedule right now, it makes it pretty difficult to find time. Hope you guys find these useful! Unified Refried - Nintendo Game Boy Player.zip Unified_Refried_-_Nintendo_GBA_Video.zip Unified Refried - Nintendo iQue.zip Unified Refried - Super Nintendo (PAL).zip