New RocketLauncher update contains LaunchBox Plugin

[SentaiBrad]

Yea I said nothing negative about it. Don't get me wrong, I really don't think it's a requirement for LaunchBox. Everything works fine otherwise, but that doesn't mean that some people don't want to use it or I have any room to tell them they can't use it. It's fact that it takes a long time for people to set it up, they've told us as much. If someone thinks the features they get from it are worth it, then by all means should they use it.

[Beatlemaniac19]

I have a question about RocketLauncher. Since it allows you the ability to save and load states from within the application, does that mean that you can transfer save states between different emulators since it's being loaded from RocketLauncher and not the emulator? Maybe an example would help. We all know that RetroArch is strict about its save files and save states. The save files are .srm and the save states are .state extensions. I don't know what the RocketLauncher extensions are, but let's say for example you play A Link to the Past on the standalone Snes9x emulator (not the RetroArch core) and save your progress as a save state in RocketLauncher. Does that mean that if you download the bsnes (Accuracy) core in RetroArch, that you could load the save state that you previously saved when using Snes9x standalone now in the bsnes (Accuracy) core since you'd be loading the state from RocketLauncher, not RetroArch assuming you have RocketLauncher set up with RetroArch? I just want clarity on if this is possible. If this is possible, and it works in all cases for all emulator conversions, then we may have found a way to create a save database that we've all been craving. We'd just make it a save state format for RocketLauncher that people could share and backup on the cloud (if possible). Crossing my fingers

[SentaiBrad]

.srm files are almost a constant in most rom based emulators, but save states are not. Sometimes they're simply using a different file extension, sometimes they're using a completely different internal format. So the short answer is, sort of. If you let RetroArch take control of save states (which is why I believe it's using .state), then you will have a better time going between the same systems cores, but it's not certain or probably even supported. If you want to take the save state outside of RetroArch, chances are it probably wont work. The .srm file has a better chance of working though. Once you get to Disc based emulators, everything gets more specific.

[CriticalCid]

Rocketlauncher doesn’t create its own savestates. It still uses the normal savestate function of the emulator you are currently running. It’s just a comfortable way to load and create savestates with your controller instead of needing to use keyboard hotkeys.

[Beatlemaniac19]

@CriticalCid. I see now. Dang. It was worth asking :P

[SentaiBrad]

You can also create and load save states from your controller in RetroArch too if anyone is curious (along with most of it's other features).

[Beatlemaniac19]

@SentaiBrad. I'm familiar with those features and the input hotkeys. It's what makes RetroArch awesome. However, if someone made a save converter program between all emulators, that supports all file formats, then it would be amazing. I know it would be quite an undertaking though, so I understand that. As it stands now, managing save files is very fractured because of the incompatibilities of save extensions between different emulators. I was just looking for a shortcut around that

[SentaiBrad]

There are save state convertors for Zsnes and Snes9x, but both emulators have long been outclassed and it's a lot harder than even I had assumed at first. Some exist, but if something existed for every console that would be awesome. Especially considering there are a lot of NES, SNES, GB, GBC, and GBA emulators / cores out there.

[Beatlemaniac19]

@SentaiBrad. I agree. There needs to a futureproof software that converts and save file to .srm and savestate to .state and vice versa in all cases. I say future proof because in five years, there probably will be a dolphin and pcsx2 core in retroarch, and it'd be nice if we could convert all of our saves to RetroArch from these emulators. I'm not well connected in the community, but if anyone knows someone who is willing to do this, maybe an admin from the Libretro forums, or any software developer at all, that can create this type of software, please let us know.

[SentaiBrad]

If you let the core handle saves, you should already be able to utilize your saves and save states. If RetroArch handles this that's a different story.