Keyboard Encoders and LB/Standalone, my goal, your suggestions

[Rhetro]

Hello all. 

I’m looking for some guidance/options on the best possible way to configure a 4 player emulator cabinet, and make it as user friendly as possible. The goal is mainly Mame games and older; but I would like to be able to sample and try out newer ones if I choose. Really an arcade museum so to speak.

Disclaimer: I tend to be either too detailed or too brief in describing my intentions and have yet to master the art of being clear and concise. I figure some back history may clear up where I’m coming from. If you could please just humor me for a moment:

  When I first put this thing together back in 04 there wasn’t any front end approximating what exists today. The idea was to have people just select a game via some menu and play it. Obviously the game was shelled in its respective emulator, and a batch file would run configuring the game/emulator for the control panel (via the keyboard encoder). I had experimented with macros (Win XP) that ostensibly would run the encoder batchfile for the game/emulator and seamlessly run everything together. Unfortunately it didn’t really work; it would hang, quit, etc. If people wanted to switch platform/emulators I’d have to chaperone their gaming experience by running the batchfile. It worked, but I had to be standing near by to facilitate all this (not exactly the worst thing in the world). Once inside a certain emulator, no problem; of course, some emus were more user friendly than others. The Atari 800 emulator required quite a bit of tweaking where Mame, or Stella were fairly easy to use. The hitch was in switching platforms with the encoder.

My 15 year old gaming computer and 27” Wells Gardner monitor finally gave out; this forced me out of hiding and I have to put a new system together (in progress -i7/2600 running win 7 (feel free to comment)). Since I’m revamping everything I figured there had to be some sort of frontend that had accomplished what I could not with the macros in XP. 

I came across Launchbox and was blown away; the interactive interface is absolutely incredible. I have many questions. However, rather than annoying this community I’d figure to do some research before posting.

ADDENDUM

Well, from the reading I’ve done so far, unfortunately there really isn’t ONE frontend that will launch EVERY game ever made across EVERY emulator ever invented; apparently, some emulators are still better in standalone, where others run extremely well in LB. That said it looks like the dreaded icon-laden windows desktop is unavoidable (actually it’s not that bad), and I have to continue using the keyboard encoder for stand alone emulators.

I figure experimentation is key, and I’m using another Win7 system while continuing to research all of this. 

With this I welcome any input/suggestions/insults/advice -you get the picture. I figure people have already come across pitfalls I’m trying to avoid. 

SO:

1) Do I need to continue using my encoder?

2) What are the necessary standalone emulators?

I know what you’re thinking: All this for two questions?? -yes (remember my disclaimer)

Thanks for reading, but more importantly for your patience.

Cheers!