Some questions from a new user

[Lordmonkus]

Well for just going through Launchbox you really do not have to go through all those steps to get things working. All that stuff is just for using Retroarch's UI as your main emulation launcher.

As far as the half black screen goes, is it half black in full screen mode as well ? I have seen that glitch before but I can't remember the exact cause but switching to full screen fixed it or maybe it's another video setting that is messing it up.

[legolas119]

Yes, i'm using Blarg_NTSC_SNES_RGB because it is the unique RGB filter. And the RGB signal usually is the better choice in order to emulate crt.

Am i wrong?

[Lordmonkus]

Try without any shaders and see if that fixes the half black screen.

As far as better choices it really is a case of personal preference but the better ones to look at (in my opinion of course) would be CRT-Easymode in the CRT folder or if you got the graphics card to drive it the CRT-Royale-Kurozumi one in the CGP folder. Start with he Easymode first though.

[legolas119]

yeah! the roms work correctly! I have changed the filter, using now for example Super2xSal  (in any case i'm downloading the newest romset of FB Alpha 0.2.97.38).  I'm really satisfied!  Many thanks guys!

So, now it is sure that if I need different video filter (or shaders) for different emulator, and in addition different control mapping for different emulator, it is necessary to have different .cfg files.

Well, i have to find the easiest way in order to have different configurations.

If I save different .cfg files, every time that i load a core, i need to load manually its .cfg files.  For example, now I create a default retroarch.cfg file, with my default settings (control mapping for the XMB, video filter, shader, resolutions). Well, I have 2 emualtors now (and i will new emulators in the next days) and for sure:

1) bsnes_accuracy core has its own video filter = Blarg_NTSC_SNES_RGB and control mapping (under Quick menu of the emulator).  So, i will push SAVE NEW CONFIG and Retroarch creates a bsnes_accuracy_libretro.cfg file. I put this file in config\bsnes_accuracy folder.  Every time that I want to use this core, I load the core and then i have to load manually its own .cfg file.  Am I right?  And can i create only a bsnes_accuracy_libretro.cfg file that includes also control mapping? I'm searching in the file, but i don't find the rows of the mapping of this emulator...is it necessary to save, in addition, a bsnes.rmp file for the control mapping? Oh my god...2 files for every core..?

2) fbalpha_libretro  core has its own video filter = Super2xSal and control mapping: but for this core it isn't available in the  Quick menu of the core. Why? does it means that for this core I can't set its own control mapping, if different from the global mapping of the XMB??

And, every time that I need to modify a global parameter in Retroarch.cfg, I have to load Retroarch.cfg, modify that parameter, and save this new version of Retroarch.cfg. Then, I have to create again, manually, every cfg file of every core.

 

it is heavy...:(

 

thanks!

[Lordmonkus]

For controller settings you do not need custom configs. Retroarch has "remap" files that you can set per core and even per game. A core remap file will auto load on a core basis and the game remap files will remap per game. Plus you can load a remap file in other games and if I remember correctly it will remember to auto load that game remap file.

For example with the Street Fighter games the core default controls are pretty much shit. So I loaded up a Street Fighter game and remapped my controls to a more sensible layout for an Xbox 360 controller, then Save Game Remap and it will save the file with the name matching the rom name. Now when I got load up another 6 button fighter like another Street Fighter or Darkstalkers instead of remapping that game all over again just open the quick menu and go to options then go to load remap file and FB Alpha folder and you will find the remap file you saved before in there. That game should remember to use that remap file the next time it loads.

Edit:
I'm not quite sure I understand everything you are trying to say but it seems like you are making things much more difficult and complicated than it needs to be. If you set "Configuration Per-Core" to "On" in the Configuration menu then all the core changes and shaders you set will be saved for that core automatically. Then you can do your controller remaps which for the most part should be good out of the box aside for the 6 button fighters which you can handle like I outlined above.

[legolas119]

thank you.

Yes, you are right, the controller setting wors exactly as you described. It is clear.

Speaking about Per Core config: i set this option = ON and now my Config options in retroarch.cfg are: http://it.tinypic.com/r/11u9r3m/9

Then:

1) I loaded bsnes_accuracy core, I set Video filter = Blarg_NTSC_SNES_RGB and then I push Save New Config. Retroarch creates the bsnes_accuracy_libretro.cfg file

2) I loaded fbalpha_libretro core, I set Video filter = 2xSal and then I push Save New Config. Retroarch creates the fbalpha_libretro.cfg file

Now, this is my folder: http://it.tinypic.com/r/6glrwy/9 

Now, if I enter in retroarch, and i Load Snes emulator, Retroarch doesn't automatically load the .cfg file of the system. So, i try to load it manually (Load Configuration --> bsnes_accuracy_libretro.cfg), but if i do it, Retroarch creashes!  Same thing if I try to load the Fba emulator: when i try to load manually its .cfg file, Retroarch crashes  

I don't know why, i'm trying to do a lot of test..

[Lordmonkus]

Ok, with the per core config turned on you do not need to save a new config at all, RA will automatically save out your config files in the config folder and will load them when you load a core. You should probably delete the cfg files in the config folder and let RA generate new ones.

Are you setting Video filter = Blarg_NTSC_SNES_RGB  in the main video settings of Retroarch ? If you are I wouldn't worry about doing it that way. What I do is with the per core settings on I load up a game for a core like the SNES for example and then bring up the quick menu and then I set a shader preset I like. Then I exit out and Ratroarch will save that config out and remember to use that same config and shader preset for every other SNES game. I do that for all my systems.

Here is a pic of my config folder and I did not generate any of these at all manually. These were all generated by RA automatically and they all have different settings for things like shaders, audio and video settings.

[legolas119]

yessssssssssssssssss!!! thank you very much!!!!! Now it works!! With Configuration per Core, every time I load a core, RA automaticaly loads its .cfg file (created previously automatically when I exit from RA).  And BigBox and LaunchBow will load these .cfg file automatically too, is it correct?

I have only few issues:

1) Using PAL roms of Super Nintendo, with bsnes_accuracy, the games runs at original framerate (50Hz): is it possible to force them at 60Hz? I think so, but i don't know how..

2) I think that there is a bug in the rom list. I have 4 games correctly loaded in bsnes and, after downloading thumbsnail, i can see their box cover. Good. Then I tried to change the name of one of the 4 roms, in particular Actraiser (USA).zip to Actraiser.zip in order to see if RA is able to detect in any case its box cover file. Well, even if I have change again the rom name in Actraiser (USA).zip, now after Add Content --> Scan Directory, i still continue to see Actraiser game 2 times with its box! See my picture: http://it.tinypic.com/r/sgofo9/9     Is it a bug? I also tried to delete the rom and again Add Content --> Scan Directory, but the romlist still is the same, i continue to see 2 times Actraiser (but of course if i try to run it, RA says that the rom isn't available). For example every time that i delete a rom or add a new rom, which is the rigth way to update the romlist for that core?

3) How can I delete a core that I have dowloaded but that now I want to delete from my core list?

4) using the same method described in the post above:

1. Main Menu → Add Content
2. Scan Directory → Scan This Directory (Checksums must match or games won't appear)
3. Go back to Home Screen
4. Settings → Playlists → Set each Playlist's Default Core
5. In the Main Menu you will now see a Playlist for each console.

I added a new emualtor, Nestopia.  But now, at step 4, in Playlist, I can't find the System so I can't set the default core for NES (see my picture: http://it.tinypic.com/r/1124qr5/9 ). And, in this case, i'm not able to see the Nes icon with its romlist...see here, i only have FBA and Snes icons/romlists: http://it.tinypic.com/r/2lsd0dk/9 

The roms works because if i go in Load Content --> Load File and detect Core, I'm able to load the roms. But in any case there is something wrong...:(

thank you very much!

Edited August 20, 2016 by legolas119

[Lordmonkus]

Awesome, glad you got it working

1) I don't think / know if you can do this through the emulator itself. I think this needs to be done through a rom patch / hack. For example Rockman World / Megaman Wily Wars never had a physical North American release, just the Japanese NTSC and a European PAL release but I have an NTSC patched PAL rom that plays at 60 Hz NTSC speed.

2) I don't use the RA playlists so my knowledge here is limited but if you go into the the "playlists" folder and look for  the playlist appropriate to the system like the SNES. Open the playlist file in notepad and edit out the line for the entry you don't want.

3) To delete a core from your computer just go into the the "cores" folder in your Retroarch folder and delete the file. Not exactly sure what you were asking here.

4) Again I have very little experience with playlists since I have no need for them using Launchbox for loading games. The whole point of Launchbox is to bypass the need to use Retroarchs UI to load games. For playlist issues you may want to check over on the Retroarch forums.

[legolas119]

thanks!

1) ok, probably bsnes doesn't allow this option (Znes do it). I will download the USA version of the rom, problem solved

2) done! Editing manually the file, now the playlist is correct

3) done! solved!

4) well, it is strange, i remember that in my first RetroArch installation I was able to see the Nes icon and its playlist...now I downloaded 2 Nes cores (bnes and FCEU) but they aren't available in the XMB of RA...I can in any case load the Nes games via Load Content -->Select File and Detect core, but in this way when I run a Nes Game, if I push Menù Toggle, I can't manage and set up emulator controls because the voice "Controls"  is missing! See here please: http://it.tinypic.com/r/207rdbd/9

Istead, if i Load a game from the playlist of the emualator (FBA or Snes), I can manage controls of that emulator: http://it.tinypic.com/r/2ujjjue/9 

I think that Big Box can't solve this problem because i have to set the emualtor control mapping in RA, not in LaunchBox/Big Box.  Ok i will ask in RetroArch forum too, i hope they can help me 

 

thank you very much!

[Lordmonkus]

You have 2 different versions of BSnes being loaded. In the screen shot with the box art and the controls option it is version 0.94. In the one without the boxart and no controls its version 0.83.

You probably have your Launchbox setup to load a different core that you have downloaded in your cores folder.

Here's mine. Edit your Retroarch Associated Platforms list to load the proper core. I'm just using the mercury core at the moment but you can use the normal bsnes accuracy core.

 

[legolas119]

I solved the problem of the NES!!! I have used a new installation of RA.  Then I installed the bsnes core, and it was all right.

Then i insalled Nestopia core and I loaded the rom folder with only 2 roms (i'm sure that these roms works correctly with every emulator!) and this time too the nes icon with its romlist was not present. Then i added a new rom (metroid) to the folder and I scan again the folder and now the Nes icon is present!! But only with Metroid: so it means that for some reason RA doesn't recognize the other 2 roms     See this: http://it.tinypic.com/r/2uokk9k/9

Do you think that it could be a poblem for LaunchBox/Big Box too? If so, I have to be sure that EVERY game/roms is correctly recognized from RA (or other emulator) in order to appear in Launchbox and then download extafiles from launchobx database and from EmuMovies. Are you agree?

 

many thanks

Edited August 21, 2016 by legolas119

[Lordmonkus]

You are talking about RA and it's ui and playlists and how it handles them. For those types of issues you are better off asking on the Retroarch forums. I'm not sure why you really care so much about those playlists when using Launchbox. The whole point of Launchbox is to avoid the RA ui outside of its setup and settings tweaking.

But from some stuff I have read from time to time on the RA forums is that Retroarchs playlist generator requires certain specific rom files matching up with some database, they recommend the "No-Intro" rom sets. It could just be possible that the rom you got doesn't match up with their internal list.

Here is a response on a thread I found over on their forums in response to a similar issue someone else had. They even link a tool to help generate playlist files if you really want to have that.

"If it's not scanning something it means either 1. there is no database for that system yet or 2. the files you're scanning do not match the system database. Most systems use a no-intro database so you want your roms to be no-intro too. Unfortunately this excludes any roms that have hacks on them. Since you're on Windows I recommend just using this utility here for playlist generation."

Try importing your game that RA isn't recognizing and loading them through Launchbox.

[legolas119]

aaaah ok!!!!!! You are right, for sure!  ok many thansk i will try both that tool but i will try LaunchBox/Big Box in the next days!

i will rkeep you upfdated, many thanks!

[legolas119]

yess. with that tool now the roms are correctly recognized in RA!

 

I have just bought a forever licence of Big Box    Tomorrow I will start to configure it!!  I'm looking the Tutorial page in youtube of Lauchnhbox channel. For a beginner, do you think that this video is the best? 

 

Emulating the SNES - How to Set Up Retroarch for Beginners - LaunchBox Tutorials [Updated Tutorial]   or for example this LaunchBox Tutorials - Emulating NES & Famicom Disk System

Or in addition this is a good video i think:  

 

[Lordmonkus]

Austins videos are very good to watch but I would probably start with Brads tutorial videos first.