LaunchBox thinks every file is a game...

[treyzle]

Hi all, I'm exploring LaunchBox, primarily because RetroArch has only nascent PS2 support, and PCSX2 itself is not navigable with a controller.

So I installed LaunchBox 11.10, watched a few videos, and started importing Dreamcast and PS2 games to test the waters. My immediate complaint is that it thinks every file in the rom path is a game, so I end up with a screen littered with non-game files. The option to use folder names instead of filenames did not help.

Also, this process seems way too manual for software that is trying to get me to pay $30.

I want to like LaunchBox, and I see lots of features that look great. Maybe I'm missing something here: can I
1) easily auto-filter non-game files, and
2) have LaunchBox recursively search my root rom directory and auto-sort games against its database?
This is what RetroArch does, and it made importing my collection a total breeze...and is FOSS.

Attached is a screenshot of what my Dreamcast "games" look like after an import. These "track*" files are .raw files associated with the game "Cyber Troopers".

Hoping I'm just missing something obvious.

[neil9000]

Launchbox is importing EXACTLY what you told it to, no more, no less. In the case of disc systems all that needs importing to Launchbox is the .cue/.gdi file. So go to your rom folder and in the windows explorer search bar put *.cue, or *.gdi, highlight the results and drag and drop to Launchbox. Launchbox is completely file agnostic, it has no built in database dictating what you can import, it will accept absolutely any file type. So if you have file types imported that you didnt want, you need to exclude those files prior to import.

[DeadVoivod]

Don't understand what you're trying to import, just import the .iso or .chd file, not the whole folder. LB doesn't recognize the single tracks to be part of the game.

Use CDmage to merge it into one single file, that's anyway easier. 

[treyzle]

I have thousands of roms across many systems. Are y'all seriously saying the only way to do this in a way that results in an organized collection is to identify all the individual files myself? That seems...kind of ridiculous, but thank you for letting me know!

[Lordmonkus]

40 minutes ago, treyzle said:

That seems...kind of ridiculous

Why is this ridiculous ? It's pretty simple to know what file an emulator needs and using the search function like @neil9000 said works easily.

[DOS76]

yeah its extremely easy just type in *.cue (or whatever your file extension is) and drag it into LB beside typing said extension clicking ctrl+a to select all the results and dragging it into LB there is absolutely no work involved in it

[treyzle]

As I said, RetroArch makes this a couple-click process. You give it the root directory, and its analysis against its database takes care of the rest, and you end up with all your games divided by platform. It seems reasonable that if free and open-source software can get it done, so can the product that's asking for a $30 upgrade. That's all. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind here. I'm just not interested in going this path. I appreciate the responses.

[neil9000]

8 hours ago, treyzle said:

As I said, RetroArch makes this a couple-click process. You give it the root directory, and its analysis against its database takes care of the rest, and you end up with all your games divided by platform.

You also end up with games it missed as they may be named slightly differently to what is in their database or the roms are a file type it is not expecting or supports, so the games are ignored completely, due to there arbitrary "we only list the file types we have decided to list" which is the opposite of what launchbox does as it will accept anything, any file type, any naming. So you have one way of doing things that is limited, relies on them maintaining their database files and that your roms are name EXACTLY as they require, or the other way that Launchbox uses that DOES NOT dictate to you the file type or naming you are using for your files. Also Launchbox is a launcher/frontend it is not a emulator, there is zero reason for us to keep and maintain databases for roms (thats for the emulators themselves to do), not only is it not needed, it also creates extra work for no reason.

Typing *.cue, then using CTRL A, and dragging those files onto a window is about as easy as this stuff gets, i mean just look at Hyperspin with Rocketlauncher to see how tedious and aggravating it is to be forced into doing things a very specific way as it complicates matters for absolutely no benefit in the end.

[Ixquaty]

When one uses Tools --> Scan --> For added ROMs..., LB lists EVERY file it finds in the relevant rom directory(ies), which may leave the user to have to uncheck hundreds if not thousands of checkboxes so as to not have them imported by LB. And if the amount of Added games found to be imported is approximately the same as the number of non-games found not to be imported, doing a 'uncheck all' then checking what you want imported doesn't save any time.

This would be at least 1 example that I can think of as to why you would want some kind of filtering when importing games, which was one of the OP's complaints. Your method of searching only for *.cue files and doing a drag & drop fails to remedy this complaint.

***EDIT: After some extra thought, there is an option to avoid this. If LB happens to find a significant amount of Added games that aren't in the library, simply do a second bulk importing of games by doing the *.cue/drag & drop method, but be sure to have the "Do not import duplicate games" option checked. This method should keep your library up to date & accurate while having to avoid clicking hundreds of checkboxes.***

Edited June 30 by Ixquaty