eXoDOS/Win3Xo, MEAGER export and LB 6.x

[MattM1121]

Greetings,

I'm evaluating moving from D-Fend 1.4.4 to LaunchBox/BigBox to manage all my games. With my recent discovery of eXoDOS/Win3Xo game management is much more involved now. 

I found the threads where MEAGRE exports data to LB and updates images. However, that info is for LB version 5.x. I currently have 6.2 and the method outlined in the specific thread does not work.

Since the "LaunchBox.xml" file no longer exists and appears to be replaced by "settings.xml" in the data folder, the method above won't work. I did find a workaround where I create a single xml file and point MEAGRE to that. It creates two new Platforms - DOS and PC Loader - and all the files and metadata are imported correctly. It seems though that there's no way to get the images added except to manually copy them. 

So I guess there are a few ways to do this;

1. Have LB 5.x available for d/l for users that need to export 6,000+ records from MEAGRE and use the above method.

2. After the successful export upgrade to the latest and greatest version.

3. Work with LB support to get this working for version 6.x

4. ...or create a Powershell script that will scrap and create the necessary image files.

I'm hoping that perhaps I just missed something and there's an easy way to get the images copied to LB. I really like this application. However, I'm not quite ready to plunk down half a c note if it's going to require a lot of work for me. 

I appreciate any constructive feedback about this.

Thanks,

-Matt

[SentaiBrad]

 

[SentaiBrad]

I also didn't mention this in that post, but eXo is working on his collection working directly in LaunchBox. He wants to move on from MEAGRE.

[MattM1121]

That's really good news. I guess I'll pull that $50 note out of my wallet now...

[MattM1121]

3 hours ago, SentaiBrad said:

 

Ok, so I've been working on a Powershell script that would apply existing eXoDos images that MEAGRE doesn't work with. If you think this would be a benefit to the community I'll finish it, clean it up, comment it and send it to your for review if you like. Something to pass on if you think there's value.  

[SentaiBrad]

6 hours ago, MattM1121 said:

That's really good news. I guess I'll pull that $50 note out of my wallet now...

Well, if this is what is putting you over the ledge to buy Premium, I feel I must clarify that it is all up to @eXo who isn't working on this full time, so while we certainly appreciate the love and purchase, I do want to throw out there that there is no time frame on anything.

6 hours ago, MattM1121 said:

Ok, so I've been working on a Powershell script that would apply existing eXoDos images that MEAGRE doesn't work with. If you think this would be a benefit to the community I'll finish it, clean it up, comment it and send it to your for review if you like. Something to pass on if you think there's value.  

The biggest thing, to be honest, is getting the conf files properly assigned. I am not worried about the images, because they can be plugged in very easily in to the proper location by a simple copy and paste. We'd also, obviously, also would want to get our database images up to par as well. So really, I can just take all the front box art, drop it in to the Images/DOS/Front Box Art/ folder and be done with it; the names of the images just need to match the games and a simple cache refresh makes them all appear. I do appreciate the hard work though, something like this could be very helpful in the meantime.

[eXo]

The current project is to release an eXoDOS\Win3xO update with Launchbox packed in. It will be the included launcher going forward. I have no ETA on the process, as it requires some work on both ends to get it to that point, as well as actually finishing up work on the new games to be added to the collections.

[spektor56]

Is there a way to mass install all the games? Every time i try to open a new game in launchbox it asks me to install it.

[SentaiBrad]

No, unfortunately. Some games should work fairly easily without needing to run their set ups, some might just to generate some config files, others may need to be almost fully installed, but that is the nature of DOS unfortunately. Even if there was a method or something easier to do on an actual system that could accept DOS applications, now DOSBox needs to be used and that will create an extra disconnect for certain things. For the most part, when I try to play a DOS Game I just change the exe or bat if the one LB chose didn't work, and if that didn't I then just change to the setup, run that, then change back to the exe or bat that launches it and it usually works. Rarely did I need to actually mount a games image (if it had one). I know it's a pain in the butt, but I try not to worry about everything, just what I want to play when I do want to play it.

[eXo]

Is it possible to install all the games at once. That depends on how you are accessing them through launchbox.

 

In pure exodos, yes, you can - provided you have a terrabyte of free space =)

Simply go to the games folder, hit ctrl-A to select all the game zip files, left click, and select "extract all". Then come back in a day or so, depending on how fast your machine is. This unpacks all the games.

To run any game at this point, you can either run it from meagre, run the batch file in the games launch folder, or instead of using launchbox to try to run them as dos games, point launchbox to the games bat files (this probably isn't as easy as it could be).

This sort of crosses over with the work that is currently being done to make exodos more compatible with launchbox. Treating exodos games as pure "dos" games isn't a great idea. It doesn't use my custom conf files, which do everything from setting to cycles, to setting the proper paths, to launching to proper executable. While educated guesses will get the mid life cycle dos games to run a decent amount of the time, the early and late DOS games are much pickier. 

When the next version of exodos is released, it will address all these issues, and launchbox will use exodos's existing conf files and know how to launch the games as intended. Essentially, exodos games will be treated as their own genre, instead as generic dos games.

[SentaiBrad]

Wait, we may have our definitions of install wrong here. Are we talking about installing the dos game in dos or simply getting your collection from the zipped up state to fully ready to go?

Also, I do agree that by no means is generally running the games is the best solution, it is simply an in the mean time solution for myself, but an integrated solution is very very much eagerly anticipated.

[eXo]

Indeed, there are two definitions of "install" here. I am working off of the assumption the the poster in question is asking how to install exodos games, rather than standard DOS games, as that is the thread we are in.

The games in exodos are individually zipped. When you run the launch batch file, it will see if the game has been decompressed. If it has, it launches. If it has not, it will ask if you want to "install" the game. In this case, install means, decompress the games zipped files.

There is no such thing as a traditional install with exodos, as the games have already all been installed. exodos wouldn't be able to run them out of the box if they had not already been installed.

I understand launchbox attempts to install games by actually finding the setup files and running them. Not all exodos games include setup files. Or, if they do, they are on the original media (floppy/cd), and are accessed by being mounted in my included conf file. 

Trying to install eXoDOS games by running their setup media would be a very poor choice. Someone interested in this approach is better off going out and finding an uninstalled copy of the games; such as Total DOS Collection, (TDC). TDC is the better choice for someone who just wants raw data files and wants to setup the games themselves or use the front ends features to "install" the game. eXoDOS is the choice for someone who wants the game pre-installed, setup, optimized, and running. Out of the 5,000+ games in exodos, there are custom patches I've written or found to get several hundred of them running. Another several hundred rely on oddball conf settings, such as setting the CPU type to 486_prefetch, pentium, or some other option beyond the standard "auto". Or they require pcjr\tandy cpu's, or they require a hercules graphics card, or a special SVGA adapter (such as the tseng 4000) to run properly. Or they use a special cycle setting, etc etc etc.

When my exodos collection was converted to power the dos arcade's online emulation browser (hosted over at the Internet Archive), the guys over there attempted to automate the launching of the games rather than using my included conf files. This led to just about half the games in the collection being broken (2,600+ broken games). So I would expect similar results, if not worse, by trying to use the built in dos games installer provided by launchbox.

 

[SentaiBrad]

It only installs the game if you choose that route, there is just the regular importer which doesn't do any installing, but just chooses a best guess bat or exe and provides that in LaunchBox. It's inherently no different than running a rom importer, except obviously it's much more complicated than that. Also yea, looking back maybe they may be talking about your collection, but lots of questions get asked all the time so I answered based on the info provided.

[eXo]

Ya, the direct "importer" option would be comparable to the approach taken at the internet archive where approx half the games didn't work. Half working is still a significant amount, so it's not something to discount out of hand, but it still leads to lots of problems and it turns running the collection into a crapshoot.

I mainly typed all that up to give fair warning to anyone trying to run exodos with launchbox using the existing methods. I believe the best approach currently is using the launchbox exporter that David built into meagre. It's not perfect, but it's by far the best option out there at the moment.

[spektor56]

57 minutes ago, eXo said:

Is it possible to install all the games at once. That depends on how you are accessing them through launchbox.

 

In pure exodos, yes, you can - provided you have a terrabyte of free space =)

Simply go to the games folder, hit ctrl-A to select all the game zip files, left click, and select "extract all". Then come back in a day or so, depending on how fast your machine is. This unpacks all the games.

To run any game at this point, you can either run it from meagre, run the batch file in the games launch folder, or instead of using launchbox to try to run them as dos games, point launchbox to the games bat files (this probably isn't as easy as it could be).

This sort of crosses over with the work that is currently being done to make exodos more compatible with launchbox. Treating exodos games as pure "dos" games isn't a great idea. It doesn't use my custom conf files, which do everything from setting to cycles, to setting the proper paths, to launching to proper executable. While educated guesses will get the mid life cycle dos games to run a decent amount of the time, the early and late DOS games are much pickier. 

When the next version of exodos is released, it will address all these issues, and launchbox will use exodos's existing conf files and know how to launch the games as intended. Essentially, exodos games will be treated as their own genre, instead as generic dos games.

I just bought three 4 terabyte drives for my emulation system so i should have the space :).  I used the meagre export to get them into launchbox, if there's no built in way to mass install all the games i'll just make a batch file that runs all the batch files i guess.  I noticed some games get exported as the wrong games in launchbox.  Defense (1994) comes up as X-Com UFO defense for example

[eXo]

If you want to mass install the games, having already exported them from meagre, then you simply need to extract the zip files. Which you can do all at once.

You don't want to run a batch file that runs all the batch files, because that would require user input (do you wish to install? Y, and you have to do that several thousand times....)

Even if you bypassed the basic launch and directly called my install.bat files, you still get questions asked - such as do you want to use fullscreen or windowed, etc...

Just extract the games zip files in the games folder, and your games will run directly.

[cleverest]

First of all, thank you EXO - you are a legend.  Such a fantastic collection and effort, and it's appreciated!!

Second, what is the total game count (zip files in the games folder) to be expected  in the games folder after "installing" the eXoDOS 2.0 collection AND the Win3x0 collection (all on the same folder/path)?

I know it's 6k something, but I may have lost a few during a stupid move issue between drives, and want to make sure I have every one...

Thank you so much!

[eXo]

=) Glad you are enjoying it!

Unfortunately, I may not be able to answer your question.

Why, you might ask, does eXo not know how many games are in his collections? Why can't he simply check? Well.... I don't actually have them anymore. Not in that particular state, anyways. Once I release a pack, I immediately begin work on the next update. As I find new DOS games, I file them in. As I find patches, new versions, extras, etc... I update the base files. So if I were to count the number of games I currently have in any particular collection, it wouldn't match what I released previously.

Your best bet would be to redownload the collections on top of your existing files. Assuming you are using the torrent version of my collection and not the ftp version (eg: Internet Archive), it will run a hash check prior to downloading a single kb. Ultimately, if you have all the games, it will eventually pop up and tell you you have 100% of the collection. If anything is missing or damaged, it should only grab those differences. That said, this only works if you have the collection in the same folder structure and such as my original release. If you have deconstructed it to fit a different front end, or something along those lines, then unfortunately my advice is pretty useless.

However, there may be another way to find the final tally. I believe each collection has a readme file. And the top paragraph of that readme file has the total number of games in that pack. If you were to reference these 6 files (dos 1-5 and Win3xo), then you would have the number of released games for your collections.  I would offer to do this for you, but I edit my readme files as I make changes... so those counts are already off on my side.

I hope a bit of that rambling helps.

[cleverest]

I appreciate the response eXo.  I like your rambling!

I was able to find from the game count on various sites (including archive.org for the eXodos 2.0 set) that I should have 6,291 games (after adding the 1089) from the Win3xo collection...I have to check tonight and see what the total is, but I suspect I may be missing a few...what a pain...I think what I'm missing will be from the Win3xo side, not the eXodos side, because that is the transfer that got partially messed up...

I also still have the giant 375GB zip from the exodos, but not the file from the win3xo....I need to be way more careful!!

- Brett

Edited November 21, 2016 by cleverest

[Retrofrogg]

Any updates on the integration agenda here? Been 5 months since the last post. Great work eXo BTW.