Making ScummVM portable

[InfinityFox]

I run my LB install from an external drive and connect it sometimes to another computer. Following the Tutorials on the Launchbox YouTube channel it seems that the ScummVM ini is created in your roaming/appdata folder on your system drive, or something like that. Any ideas how to make the ini populate in the ScummVM folder within the LB root directory.

I’ve found some sort of answer at the ScummVM forum but it a bit over my head and there is no feedback so thought I’d ask here

Thanks guys

 

[Klopjero]

3 hours ago, InfinityFox said:

I run my LB install from an external drive and connect it sometimes to another computer. Following the Tutorials on the Launchbox YouTube channel it seems that the ScummVM ini is created in your roaming/appdata folder on your system drive, or something like that. Any ideas how to make the ini populate in the ScummVM folder within the LB root directory.

I’ve found some sort of answer at the ScummVM forum but it a bit over my head and there is no feedback so thought I’d ask here

Thanks guys

 

you can start scummvm with a commandline parameter.  scummvm -c %your launchbox folder location%\scummvm.ini. basically you can place the scummvm.ini in location you want, even the folder of scummvm it self. 
the commandline would then look like scummvm.exe -c .\scummvm.ini .

does that make sense to you ? 

[InfinityFox]

Thank you for the reply!

i’ll be following the Launchbox tutorial for setting up ScummVM with Retroarch or possibly the standalone tutorial and as far as I can gather you add the games to ScummVM first the ini is created on the C drive and then you use epic fails ScummVM program to create all the files needed to import that will launch the games. 

‘I assume you are saying when I setup ScummVM that once the games are imported I need to copy the created ini to the place of my choice and reflect that in the command line parameters for  ScummVM. Then any changes that are made within ScummVM will be saved to the ini in the new location?

I hope I got the gist of it? I’ll be adding the games in the next couple of day so perhaps I’ll PM you if possible, if I run into difficulties

Thank you for the help so far

[Klopjero]

16 hours ago, InfinityFox said:

Thank you for the reply!

i’ll be following the Launchbox tutorial for setting up ScummVM with Retroarch or possibly the standalone tutorial and as far as I can gather you add the games to ScummVM first the ini is created on the C drive and then you use epic fails ScummVM program to create all the files needed to import that will launch the games. 

‘I assume you are saying when I setup ScummVM that once the games are imported I need to copy the created ini to the place of my choice and reflect that in the command line parameters for  ScummVM. Then any changes that are made within ScummVM will be saved to the ini in the new location?

I hope I got the gist of it? I’ll be adding the games in the next couple of day so perhaps I’ll PM you if possible, if I run into difficulties

Thank you for the help so far

yes all changes will be written to that specific ini file. 

adding games is easy, if you hold shift in the scummvm menu you can bulk import, so point it at the folder where you store your games and it will scan the underlying folders recursivly. it will add everything you have stored there. 

btw, if you are using retroarch, I ended up renaming all the .epicfail file extensions to .scummvm, the epicfail files were not taken for some reason. I used powershell to make it easier. 
from the root folder where you store your games, open a powershell command box and feed it the following command. 

Get-ChildItem -Filter "*epicfail*" -Recurse | Rename-Item -NewName {$_.name -replace 'epicfail','scummvm' } -verbose

 

Edited December 7, 2018 by Klopjero

[InfinityFox]

Was my original assumption correct with regards to the ini? Eg going through the tutorial and then moving the ini and then adding the above line into the command line parameters?

scummvm -c %G:\ Launchbox\ScummVM%\scummvm.ini.

would this be correct for the command line and do I include the period at the end of the lone?

Edited December 7, 2018 by InfinityFox

[Klopjero]

1 hour ago, InfinityFox said:

Was my original assumption correct with regards to the ini? Eg going through the tutorial and then moving the ini and then adding the above line into the command line parameters?

scummvm -c %G:\ Launchbox\ScummVM%\scummvm.ini.

would this be correct for the command line and do I include the period at the end of the lone?

no no lose both the % and don't put . at the end of the ini file. 

it should read scummvm -c G:\ Launchbox\ScummVM\scummvm.ini

Edited December 7, 2018 by Klopjero

[InfinityFox]

Thanks again! Silly me I see you gave an example a couple of posts back, missed that

cheers for the help, really looking forward to getting this one up and running 

[InfinityFox]

Just want to clarify where I'm putting this command line. I've added ScummVM games and created the .bat files for the ScummVM Standalone and pointed to EpicFails launcher. I've also set the save game folder location to the ScummVM folder. I need to move the ini file now to the ScummVM folder.

I see that there is a logs file, I assume that will populate in the ScummVM directory once I change the ini location with the command line.

You gave me this below to put in, does the begining part need to be changed to scummvm.exe -c OR ScummVMLauncher.exe -c  ??

scummvm -c G:\ Launchbox\ScummVM\scummvm.ini

Can you just tell me where I need to put this ? I marked where I think you meant in the pictures below, but I'm sure it's one or the other

Thanks in advance for the help and sorry to ask so many questions but I just want to get it right

[PurpleTentacle]

So I'm trying to figure this out for myself. I already have a standalone copy of ScummVM installed, and when I launch the Launchbox version, it refers to the standalone version's of the ini file, so it populates Launchbox's ScummVM with the standalone version. This is handy, but like InfinityFox, I want to make it portable, and I also don't want it to interfere with my standalone version of ScummVM (there are some games on the standalone version that are too big for me to want to include in a portable version of Launchbox).

 

Do I have to specify the full path or is there a way to have it look in its own directory? In other words, my username folder is a different name on my laptop than my PC, which is where Launchbox is installed on both my desktop & laptop. So using scummvm  -c C:\Users\MyDesktopUserNameHere\ Launchbox\ScummVM \scummvm.ini would only work for my desktop, but not my laptop. Obviously, I could just change that on my laptop, but I want a truly portable version of Launchbox where I can just drag & drop, and have everything all preconfigured so that I don't forget each time I do it.

 

Any idea if there's a command line parameter that looks in Launchbox's version's directory?

[Klopjero]

I don't use the summvmlauncher. I use scummvm.exe. 

scummvm.exe takes command lines as input so in order for you to understand what does what and when, you could pop open a commandbox in the scummvm folder and ask scummvm for help. Scummvm.exe --help it will give you all the commands it knows with a description. 

scummvm.exe -c will allow you give an alternate ini path. to configure the emulator in launchbox, you should point it to scummvm.exe and as a default commandline you give it the -c .\scummvm.ini , make sure your scummvm.ini is in the scummvm folder. this will make it "portable". in the sense that you have devorced scummvm from your userprofile folder. 

 

[InfinityFox]

Thank you sir, I’m now sorted

Thank you for the help and useful tips, most appreciated

[Klopjero]

Sure what version of scumvm are you running?

[PurpleTentacle]

Thanks @Klopjero, it's all setup now. I'm using ScummVM 2.0. Even have the Roland roms installed for Rolland emulation. Really makes the games sound richer.

Now I'm debating if & how I want to go about having the game manuals/copyright cheat sheets load with games like King's Quest IV (which has a manual based copyright protection), and the manual for King's Quest III, which is required for typing in the spells when you cast them. For normal Launch Box, I have the manual linked up in the info, and for King's Quest IV, I have the cheat sheet pdf (which came with my GOG version of the game) launched as an additional app. Is there a way to have the cheat sheet display automatically on the other monitor when I launch the game? I could just tell Launch Box that the image of the cheat sheet is the box cover, but that would mess up the box art.

Edit: I need to rewatch the video about adding additional apps. I remember there was some details in it that would help me figure that out.

Edited December 10, 2018 by PurpleTentacle

[Klopjero]

while you're doing that allow me to just blatantly recommend my own 3d box set  
 

 

[PurpleTentacle]

ha, I love the "ScummVM Backup Disc"!

 

I'm thinking about making my own videos for the ScummVM games I have. Kind of unfortunate that Emu Movies doesn't have many associated (at least for the one I own). I saw the Snap Packs, but I think I have some specific things in mind, like using the Roland intro music for King's Quest III.

[Klopjero]

cool , yeah emumovies is quite behind. I still need to get started on the set. just can't find the time

 

[PurpleTentacle]

Are there are guidelines for making movies for EmuMovies? I.E. specific settings that's recommended (1080p mp4 format, etc...)? I have Sony Vegas Pro 14.0, so I don't think it should be hard to get the right settings, but I want to make sure I get it right.

[PurpleTentacle]

Just made a clear logo for Sierra games based off of what I assume is the Apple IIe logo for a bit of an old school feel.

[Klopjero]

11 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Are there are guidelines for making movies for EmuMovies? I.E. specific settings that's recommended (1080p mp4 format, etc...)? I have Sony Vegas Pro 14.0, so I don't think it should be hard to get the right settings, but I want to make sure I get it right.

Circo should have a FAQ for submissions I think

 

Quote

Posted February 14, 2011

I intend to expand this over time, but as I go through the F.T.P. I thought a thread like this would be helpful. I want to make it as easy as possible to submit videos to the project while ensuring good quality control.

Preferred (Basic) Submissions Guidelines:

 

• 2 videos per game (Title, Game play)
• Title sequences should be 4 to 20 seconds (7 seconds should be average)
• Game play sequences should be 30 seconds on average
• Do not use any video filters or effects
• TSCC encoded - Better Compression Setting (Lossless format)
• XviD level 1 or 2 also accepted (Much smaller file sizes)
• [Audio] PCM (audio) (other lossless formats ok)

 

Tools Needed:

 

• Beepa Fraps (Direct3D/OpenGL Captures)
• Camtasia Studio (Non-Direct3D Captures)
• VirtualDub (Video Editing Software)
• TSCC Codec

 

Step 1 - Capture Video

 

• I suggest that you use FRAPS whenever possible, it typically captures at a higher frame rate and is easy to use. Support is limited to games and emulators that utilize Direct3D or OpenGL.
• When FRAPS does not work, or if you are getting clicks in the audio when using FRAPS the Camtasia Studio is recommended for capturing video.
• Run emulator or program in a window when possible, try to keep maximum resolution at or below 800x600, while 640x480 is preferred, native resolution is also acceptable as the bit-rate is so high.
• When capturing video I suggest starting the capture software when you first load up the game, let it run until the title screen, for gameplay captures try to capture at least a good 30 seconds of gameplay. I usually record about 2 to 4 min and then cut it down in the editing process.
• When setting up the emulator for capturing be sure that no video effects or filters are enabled and that proper aspect ratio is used for the given game...do not force an unnatural aspect ratio. Exception: resolution multipliers are acceptable so long as they don't alter the pixels...in other words no HQ4x or SAI.
• Defragment your Capture hard-drive before attempting to capture video to help with consistent frame-rates.
• Use a 7200 RPM hard drive or better, 5400 RPM laptop drives, 5900 RPM "Green" drives, or USB 2.0 drives are not recommended.

 

Step 2 - Edit Video

 

• VirtualDub is a fairly easy to use video editing application and it's FREE.
• STEP BY STEP VIDEO TUTORIAL
• If the system has an overscan issue or black bars in the video you can crop those out if desired [Advanced]

 

Step 3 - Upload Videos

Create a folder in the Upload Area of the F.T.P. (Site Username)

Create a Sub-Folder with the System you are uploading video for (ie:\Upload Here\username\Sega Genesis

Upload video files to folder

What Happens to your Submission

Videos will be cropped, sized and edited together with transitions

Audio will be normalized

Final FLV and AVI versions will be encoded

Naming will be audited and it will be added to Official Set

Credit will be given in Download Listing

That's it, hopefully this will allow more Members to submit videos that we can use for the Project.

 

[Klopjero]

11 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Just made a clear logo for Sierra games based off of what I assume is the Apple IIe logo for a bit of an old school feel.

That's a nice idea, btw.