BigBox - Select Random Game Feature fixed by "Wheel Spin"

[MayorQwert]

Here's a collection of a few tests:

The Capcom Classics one from before:

Arcade platform:

Favorites Playlist:

 

However, one thing of note. I realize you don't have the option to find a random game out of the entire selection, like you did in V1. All I can find is the play-mode selection. Furthermore, it seems like repeat games come up far quicker than should be expected, especially in my Arcade platform, which has hundreds of games. I think this is because it only looks for games that have the playmodes as explicitly listed in here, so a 2-player simultaneous search only pops up with those games that have no additional playmodes.

Also, still no dice on the game lists themselves, such as 'View All Games', which would be a nifty addition.

[DOS76]

he said view all games wasn't going to work if I recall correctly

[Grila]

Ok, that's better. Send me your Capcom Classics.xml, I think I know what's causing that.

The option for the entire collection isn't there anymore because it's now pulling the playmodes from the xml of the platform/playlist you have selected. Scratch that comment, my mind was on a different subject. I will add that option back.

These playmodes that get listed are taken directly from your games in the xml so yes, if you select 2-player simultaneous it will only find games with that. If you want to find games with say 2-player Simultaneous; Competetive, you have to select that entry. That's how the data is.

It will never work in "View All Games" because you'd have to parse every xml in the Platform and playlist folder, which would most likely crash BigBox.

Edited May 24, 2018 by Grila

[neil9000]

2 minutes ago, Grila said:

It will never work in "View All Games" because you'd have to parse every xml in the Platform and playlist folder, which would most likely crash BigBox.

Ha ha.

[Grila]

And it will work in regular game views.

[MayorQwert]

2 minutes ago, Grila said:

And it will work in regular game views.

I suppose I could make an "All Games" playlist. Haha

[MayorQwert]

9 minutes ago, Grila said:

Ok, that's better. Send me your Capcom Classics.xml, I think I know what's causing that.

The option for the entire collection isn't there anymore because it's now pulling the playmodes from the xml of the platform/playlist you have selected.

These playmodes that get listed are taken directly from your games in the xml so yes, if you select 2-player simultaneous it will only find games with that. If you want to find games with say 2-player Simultaneous; Competetive, you have to select that entry. That's how the data is.

It will never work in "View All Games" because you'd have to parse every xml in the Platform and playlist folder, which would most likely crash BigBox.

Hopefully the plugin will eventually be able to display all 2-Player Simultaneous, Cooperative, Competitive, etc. games when the option is chosen, regardless of whether there are multiple tags, at some point.  Feels somewhat lacking

[MayorQwert]

Also I send you my Capcom Classics file @Grila

[neil9000]

1 minute ago, MayorQwert said:

Hopefully the plugin will eventually be able to display all 2-Player Simultaneous, Cooperative, Competitive, etc. games when the option is chosen, regardless of whether there are multiple tags, at some point.  Feels somewhat lacking

Feel free to code a better version if you want it.

[MayorQwert]

Just now, neil9000 said:

Feel free to code a better version if you want it.

Oh I am by no means complaining, just looking forward to seeing what comes out of this down the line!

[Grila]

5 minutes ago, MayorQwert said:

Feels somewhat lacking

Well, that's not a good way to get me to keep working on it after I literally poured 2 days work into it...

[MayorQwert]

3 minutes ago, Grila said:

Well, that's not a good way to get me to keep working on it after I literally poured 2 days work into it...

I just meant it sucks that you had to sacrifice functionality in the new version, I assure you I certainly appreciate all the work you've done, please don't get the wrong idea!

[FreeSoftwareServers]

3 minutes ago, MayorQwert said:

I just meant it sucks that you had to sacrifice functionality in the new version, I assure you I certainly appreciate all the work you've done, please don't get the wrong idea!

This is why I was a little surprised to see the old version deleted and unavailable. I will be keeping a copy locally but perhaps both should be available. I always like to see older version archived.

 

I'm at work but looking forward to testing this later tonight! Awesome work

[Grila]

@MayorQwert your Capcom Classics.xml doesn't work here either and it looks different from the one on my machine. Try deleting the file, opening up LaunchBox and generate missing arcade playlists to regen it and see if that fixes it.

[Grila]

7 hours ago, MayorQwert said:

Hopefully the plugin will eventually be able to display all 2-Player Simultaneous, Cooperative, Competitive, etc. games when the option is chosen, regardless of whether there are multiple tags, at some point.  Feels somewhat lacking

So what you're saying here is that if you select 2-Player Simultaneous, you want it to choose all 2-Player games, all 2-Player Simultaneous games, and all 2-Player Cooperative games?

If so...then what's the point of even having them categorized like that...just  have them all 2-Players if you don't care about the other tags. 

If I want to play a 2-Player Simultaneous game.....then I don't want the others to show. Defeats the whole purpose IMO and if that's the case then I should just revert it back to simple 1P, 2P, Multiplayer, Coop then.

[wallmachine]

12 minutes ago, Grila said:

choose all 2-Player games, all 2-Player Simultaneous games, and all 2-Player Cooperative games?

you lost me at

Edited May 24, 2018 by wallmachine

[Grila]

7 hours ago, MayorQwert said:

Hopefully the plugin will eventually be able to display all 2-Player Simultaneous, Cooperative, Competitive, etc. games when the option is chosen, regardless of whether there are multiple tags, at some point.

I guess I don't understand what you're stating here...

[Kondorito]

31 minutes ago, Grila said:

I guess I don't understand what you're stating here...

From what I can infer, he just wants the options of single player, 2 players and multiplayer, but then again, if that is the case, is just a matter of bulk modifying the value in LB and thats it. 

[Grila]

OK @MayorQwert, I got some coffee in me this morning and I think I've figured out what you would like implemented. Let me see if I have this right...

Say I choose the Platform Arcade, the menu pops up with these choices (my collection is with the LaunchBox default play modes, but the point is the same):

• 2-Player Alternating
• 2-Player Simultaneous
• 3-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating
• 4-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Simultaneous
• 6-Player Simultaneous
• 8-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• Cooperative; Multiplayer
• Single Player

 

So right now, if I choose option two, which is 2-Player Simultaneous, it will only choose a random game that have that explicit play mode:

• 2-Player Alternating
• 2-Player Simultaneous
• 3-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating
• 4-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Simultaneous
• 6-Player Simultaneous
• 8-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• Cooperative; Multiplayer
• Single Player

 

Now, what I think you are proposing is that if I choose option two, which is 2-Player Simultaneous, you want it to choose a random game from all games that contain 2-Player Simultaneous:

• 2-Player Alternating
• 2-Player Simultaneous
• 3-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating
• 4-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Simultaneous
• 6-Player Simultaneous
• 8-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• Cooperative; Multiplayer
• Single Player

If this is what you are suggesting then you are absolutely right and it should be easy enough to incorporate. Right now, it searches for the exact string but if I change it to string.contains it should solve the problem. Please let me know if I've finally wrapped my head around this and I do apologize for getting frustrated yesterday, I just couldn't understand what was being conveyed.

[MayorQwert]

@Grila I think you're more or less spot on here.

So here's my play-modes for another example:

• 2-Player Alternating
• 2-Player Simultaneous
• 3-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating
• 4-Player Simultaneous
• 6-Player Simultaneous
• 8-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• Competitive
• Cooperative
• Single Player

So if I choose Cooperative, it would search among any games that have Cooperative gameplay, regardless of any additional play mode tags.  Same goes for your example and 2-Player Simultaneous!

 

Oh and I had an interesting idea (though have no idea how difficult this would be). Would it be possible to have a check-box system where you could check any number of play-modes to have it search between? So for example, let's say I wanted any games that were more than 2 players in my specific example, I could check the play modes highlighted here, and it would include all games with those respective play modes in the game selection:

• 2-Player Alternating
• 2-Player Simultaneous
• 3-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• 4-Player Alternating
• 4-Player Simultaneous
• 6-Player Simultaneous
• 8-Player Alternating / 2-Player Simultaneous
• Competitive
• Cooperative
• Single Player

 

Sorry if this isn't possible, I just had the idea when I woke up this morning, but I realize I have no idea how easy or difficult such an implementation would be! ?