What is rocket launcher? Should I be using it?

[bundangdon]

47 minutes ago, Newlander said:

It would be cool if Launchbox/Bogbox incorporated some of the features of RocketLauncher so there would be no need to use it and add more iceing to the cake (not sure how hard that would be) 

@Jason Carr

Perhaps one day (soon?) this could be done with the new plugins system. Maybe not all at once, but little by little you could get each of the features available in RocketLauncher such as the fades, pause screens, built in bezels, and so on. However, I'm no programmer and I have no idea what the plugins are capable of doing, and I can only hope that someone out there is already working on these ideas

[damageinc86]

Exactly.  If the core features that most of us need from rocket launcher (fades, bezels, joy2key mapping per database name) could ever be infused into launchbox/bb somehow, this would be the end of discussion and complete success + world domination! Lol

Edited June 30, 2017 by damageinc86

[UnderwoodNC]

Bezels would probably appeal to me if I had a cabinet, but for a TV or monitor setup, it either distracts too much from the game, or wasn't there when I originally played those games as a kid and takes away from how I enjoy re-living those experiences.

That said, there is one feature from RocketLauncher that I do use and haven't seen mentioned -- additional apps probably provides the same solution, but I haven't quite figured it out yet -- and that is disc swapping for Sega CD and PSX.

Still, in that brief use of RocketLauncher, for me it was not a clear path to set up and get everything recognized.  Navigating the tabs and learning what the concept of "modules" had to do with anything took a little time (I remember wondering what modules were, how they differed from emulators, why they were needed, how I needed to configure them, and where they fit in the process overall), as well as figuring out what data the forms were asking for once I eventually found the right place.  

Note:  when I was setting things up, your platform needed to be the name expected by RocketLauncher, so you may need to go back into LaunchBox, rename the platform to the RocketLauncher-friendly name and "Scrape As" to both have LaunchBox pick up the metadata and RocketLauncher recognize the game.  I forget which platform led to this issue, but I had to search around for a while to find the fix, so if it's still an issue during setup, I hope it helps someone.

While RocketLauncher provides some features that people *love* for further enhancing their experience, and rightly so, the UX was cumbersome for me, having simply walked into it for the first time after watching a number of tutorials on YouTube.  

* Insert "One does not simply walk into RocketLauncher" meme here. *

I'm sure it gets easy after a while, but as others have said, it's a relatively steep learning curve with what seems a busy, intimidating interface to novice users.

If it's possible, I'd be interested in automating the configuration of RocketLauncher to help users take advantage of the added features unless/until they're implemented directly in LaunchBox, but I don't know how to use RocketLauncher well enough to write any such thing as yet.

If any of the RocketLauncher wizards would be willing to write up a detailed tutorial or two for the community, it would be a big help to those asking for those features.

They both have an audience and a lot of people have put a lot of work into supporting both, and while I may have poked at the complexity of RocketLauncher setup a little bit, I hope it doesn't become an argument of this is better than that.  Not my intention.  All their work is appreciated by those that use each system, and currently, if you want those features unique to RocketLauncher, you should consider adding RocketLauncher integration to your setup.  If you're not interested in those features, then I don't see any necessity behind duplicating the standard LaunchBox configuration in RocketLauncher.

Edited June 30, 2017 by UnderwoodNC

[Lordmonkus]

1 minute ago, UnderwoodNC said:

additional apps probably provides the same solution, but I haven't quite figured it out yet -- and that is disc swapping for Sega CD and PSX.

The additional apps can handle this if need be. I believe (I say believe because I use m3u files) when you import multiple CDs of the same game Launchbox automatically compacts the disks into a single entry with their additional app for each disk.

Another way to handle disk swapping for PSX or Sega CD is to use m3u playlist files for emulators that support it (ePSXe does not) like Retroarch or Mednafen. You can then swap the disk in the RA UI or use of hotkeys.

[angelobodetti]

1 hour ago, UnderwoodNC said:

If it's possible, I'd be interested in automating the configuration of RocketLauncher to help users take advantage of the added features unless/until they're implemented directly in LaunchBox, but I don't know how to use RocketLauncher well enough to write any such thing as yet.

What you can do is share configuration files. For example, I use @RetroHumanoid's RocketLauncher Experience (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeP60Vc-kRYCiJ1y2PvxryA) media and i used his fade settings and pause settings by copying his settings file and putting it into my folder.

For basic settinsg in RL like getting a platform to run with the right emulator, watch @JaysArcade video - thats how i learned:

I agree, its hard at first, but its easy when it comes to the emulators themselves. LaunchBox relies on you to know what command lines to use to get the emulator to do what it needs to (load a game, play a game, go fullscreen, etc...) but the RL modules (pre- set configurations for every supported emulator) already have that stuff worked out. MESS for example... I use the MESS module in RocketLauncher with the standalone MAME emulator. If I didn't use RocketLauncher i would need to know the individual command lines for 40+ systems, but in RL i just say use the MESS module and it works for every platform i throw at it - Future Pinball is the same way and so is Daphne, just use the module and it works - Here i see a long threads on how to get them to work with LB directly.

So i agree RL is a nice to have and not a requirement, but i would say the complicated UI pays off when you get to complicated platforms and emulators because the RL team already did all of the hard work. I see it as a perfect marriage between the two and I have only used RocketLauncher for a few months.

If LaunchBox had a similar setup where it had preset command lines per emulator or platform - that would be a gigantic step in the "easy" direction. But if it weren't for @SentaiBrad intial RetroArch tutorials i would have zero clue what command lines to use or how to get RA setup. 

[SentaiBrad]

LB does auto-fill in command lines for the emulators it suggests, but it's wildly out of date. I do have an updated list, but it hasn't been implemented yet.

[mothergoose729]

6 hours ago, lordmonkus said:

The additional apps can handle this if need be. I believe (I say believe because I use m3u files) when you import multiple CDs of the same game Launchbox automatically compacts the disks into a single entry with their additional app for each disk.

Another way to handle disk swapping for PSX or Sega CD is to use m3u playlist files for emulators that support it (ePSXe does not) like Retroarch or Mednafen. You can then swap the disk in the RA UI or use of hotkeys.

Launchbox will attempt to create an alternate profile for each disk automatically. It is how I prefer to deal with multi disc games, as I find M3U files really cumbersome. 

RL can launch controller profiles for each game though, and some other stuff that is pretty cool, and not super easy to do in LB at the moment. 

[damageinc86]

Speaking of swapping disks, I wish emulators could just simply start doing this automatically, I'm sure it's a beast to code that functionality, but still some genius must know enough to make that a reality.  That would be the best way to have it dealt with imo.

[Truest1]

Hy guys i have a laynchbox big box setup all up and running great. How can I add rocketlauncer just for the game startups and game exits screens? Any step by step tutorial put there i can see ? 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

[C-Beats]

Why not just use LaunchBox startup screen feature?

[Truest1]

9 minutes ago, C-Beats said:

Why not just use LaunchBox startup screen feature?

I like how Rocket launcher loads the games. The animation of the startups and hearing the loading as well. It's pretty nice.