c64 / VICE / Snapshots / Command Line problems ?

[Tate]

Hi Folks,

I'm using LaunchBox with VICE 3.4 for Commodore 64 games and trying to have my games launch directly into saved Snaphots that I have previously made.

I seem to be hitting a problem where the Command Line Parameters I set in LB per individual game are not saving?

Here is my procedure:
- Right Click game - Edit.
- Emulation - (temporarily disable emulation here).
- Launching - Application Command-Line Parameters - (here I enter my Snaphot file name. eg. cauldron1FULL.vsf)
- Emulation - (re-enable emulation here).
- OK

Now launching the specific game just loads it as per normal and does not load the Snaphot.
If I Right Click - Edit game again. The information I entered previously in the Launching - Application Command-Line Parameters field is no longer there?

Would anybody happen to know why the Command Line Parameters are not saving ?

Thanks for any help.

[Headrush69]

Well if you are using emulation, application command line arguments are no longer used, so it would make sense they are deleted,

I think what you want to edit is the custom command line arguments on the Emulation section instead. (I don't know if Vice requires a command line option before the snapshot name though)

[Tate]

Thanks for the reply.

Just tried your suggestion but it resulted in the emulation not starting at all when I try to run the game.

Regarding your mention of using a command line option before the Snapshot.vsf.
If I run VICE from just a Command Prompt window, I can enter x64sc cauldron1FULL.vsf which works fine.

Additionally, If I add x64sc as a custom game in Steam and use cauldron1FULL.vsf in Steam's Launch Options, it also works.

I figure it will work?, I'm just not sure where exactly in LaunchBox I have to drop in the cauldron1FULL.vsf part of it?
Thanks.

 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Tate
bit more info

[Headrush69]

If that is how WinVice works, then the vsf file should be the file specified for the game rom.

 

[Tate]

Thank You!! That works!!
Now I feel a bit stoopid for not thinking of that myself.
 

Really appreciate you taking the time to solve this for me

[Headrush69]

1 minute ago, Tate said:

Thank You!! That works!!
Now I feel a bit stoopid for not thinking of that myself.
 

Really appreciate you taking the time to solve this for me

I use the Retroarch WinVice core, but you got me thinking maybe I want to use some state loading to skip some game trainers, hack screens etc and add a few more C64 games to my cabinet. 

[Tate]

2 minutes ago, Headrush69 said:

I want to use some state loading to skip some game trainers, hack screens etc

That's exactly what I am doing as well for certain favourite games. My bigger end goal, is adding LB to launch from my Steam Library like this...

- In Big Picture mode using a Controller
- Launch from Steam to LB
- Select C64 game with controller - loading a save state automatically. Play game etc.
- Quit game and bounce back to Steam Big Picture.

My 7 year old is on the cusp of playing some video games and so far we have been having some fun with the old C64 games.
So I'm trying to sneak a few C64 favourites into the mix that are accessible from Steam and using a controller.

I just downloaded RetroArch for the first time as well, it's pretty slick but I have zero experience with it.

[Zombeaver]

23 minutes ago, Headrush69 said:

I use the Retroarch WinVice core, but you got me thinking maybe I want to use some state loading to skip some game trainers, hack screens etc and add a few more C64 games to my cabinet. 

I do this in C64 Dreams in cases where a game requires TrueDrive to work correctly or where there's a particularly obnoxious cracktro. You just save a savestate like normal and then add .auto to the end of it and it'll boot automatically when you start the game.

[Headrush69]

1 hour ago, Zombeaver said:

I do this in C64 Dreams in cases where a game requires TrueDrive to work correctly or where there's a particularly obnoxious cracktro. You just save a savestate like normal and then add .auto to the end of it and it'll boot automatically when you start the game.

Thanks, knew how to do it, just never crossed my mind to use it. ?

Just a heads up to anyone trying, do as Zombeaver mentioned above, but you have to enable autoloading in Retroarch and save your configuration file. It's not enabled by default.