How can I import (non Steam, non Epic, non GOG) PC games to Launchbox?

[vince16]

Hi everyone,

I've been trying to import PC games to Launchbox, but they're not the games distributed by platforms like Steam or Epic or GOG or whatever. I'm talking games like AM2R (that fan-made Metroid 2 remake), or The House of the Dead 3 and Outrun 2006 Coast to Coast PC. They're not Windows games I believe, just PC games (not sure though, I'm a complete Philistine when it comes to PC gaming, aside from emulators, I've always been a console gamer, lol).

So, if I click on "Tools", "Import", I'm given plenty of choice, but if I remove "Epic Games", "Steam Games" etc from the equation, I'm left with only 2 that seem to be aimed at this: "MS-DOS Games" and "Windows Games". If I select Windows games, the import wizard tells me it's going to look for games stored in my Windows Start menu... but I have no PC games stored there. Games like AM2R for example, are not installed on the PC, I just unzipped them in a folder and I play them et voila. House of the Dead 3 is installed on the PC, it's listed in the programs installed on the PC, but Launchbox doesn't see it. The only game listed in my Start menu is Silent Hill the Arcade, which I believe is not even a PC game, I'm not sure what kind of game it is, I just know I downloaded it to play it in Teknoparrot... but anyway Launchbox doesn't see it either when it scans my Start menu.

 

I tried importing AM2R by selecting "import MS-DOS Games", but the result was that I got the message that this game was not supported by DOS... which even I could have guessed, lol, but had to give it a try anyway.

I'm a a loss for a solution here. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Lordmonkus]

Drag the shortcut or the exe for the game into LB to start the importer and on the first screen pick the None of the Above option.

[vince16]

Thanks for your reply man. 

OK, so I did, and I do get that screen, but when I'm told to specify what platform it is for in the drop-down menu, I look for "PC", but it's nowhere to be found. There's Windows, but AM2R isn't a Windows game, is it?

[Lordmonkus]

If you have the Windows version it is, there are other platform ports of it as well.

[vince16]

It worked! And looks neat too, with all the artwork and stuff! Thanks a lot!

Still, isn't it a bit strange the devs did not think about adding an option for this case in "Tools" and "Import"? It feels a bit strange to have to do this, minimize the Launchbox window and make sure we have the other window with the folder right next to it I mean... For a few seconds I thought Launchbox had crashed trying to import it that way. 

Edited July 30, 2021 by vince16

[Lordmonkus]

Well the other way is to right click on an empty space in the platform where you want to import a game to and select Add but the drag and drop method is the easiest. I've always just did the drag and drop method for everything going back to my first time using LB. I never used the Tools > Import method, too clumsy and slow.

[vince16]

Right click on an empty space and "Add". All right, duly noted. Never thought about that option.

Now I have another problem with the house of the dead III, it's that I initially get a tiny screen and I have to select start game with a mouse before it switches to full screen and I get to play with my DualShock 4, which won't look too cool on the fancy arcade cabinet I plan on making someday, but this is an entirely different subject I suppose.

[Rlad]

27 minutes ago, vince16 said:

Right click on an empty space and "Add". All right, duly noted. Never thought about that option.

Now I have another problem with the house of the dead III, it's that I initially get a tiny screen and I have to select start game with a mouse before it switches to full screen and I get to play with my DualShock 4, which won't look too cool on the fancy arcade cabinet I plan on making someday, but this is an entirely different subject I suppose.

You're pointing to the wrong exe. You want the one in the exe folder' hotd3pc'

[vince16]

I do have something called "hod3pc" in a folder named "exe", but when I click on it it tells me "you can only start this game from the launcher"...

[Rlad]

15 minutes ago, vince16 said:

I do have something called "hod3pc" in a folder named "exe", but when I click on it it tells me "you can only start this game from the launcher"...

Yeah, i spoke too soon, i had mine set to hotd.exe then changed to hotdpc.exe and it booted, now its giving me the same message?

[Rlad]

Okay, i cant launch it straight through the launcher either, the only way is click play game in the launcher then start the hotdpc.exe, i give up.?

[vince16]

You also have to use hod3launch you mean? The square icon with a green zombie on it?

I wonder if there's the possibility to make a script for that, to launch in full screen and DS4 controller support from the get-go. If not oh well, at least it works, unlike some of my other emulating endeavors, like the Wii U or Teknoparrot.

[vince16]

Lordmonkus has to tell me how he installed Brutal Doom on his PC and Launchbox as shown on that pic, I've been dreaming to do that for ages. Right now I just have a folder with the PS1 music & sounds waiting alone, lol

Edited July 31, 2021 by vince16

[vince16]

Thank you guys, both of you Lordmonkus & Rlad for your help!

[Kiinkyfoxx]

9 hours ago, Rlad said:

Okay, i cant launch it straight through the launcher either, the only way is click play game in the launcher then start the hotdpc.exe, i give up.?

 

11 hours ago, vince16 said:

Right click on an empty space and "Add". All right, duly noted. Never thought about that option.

Now I have another problem with the house of the dead III, it's that I initially get a tiny screen and I have to select start game with a mouse before it switches to full screen and I get to play with my DualShock 4, which won't look too cool on the fancy arcade cabinet I plan on making someday, but this is an entirely different subject I suppose.

You can launch straight into the game using hotd3pc.exe but you need to make some changes to the registry each time you load the game which is what the bat file below does for you.

Download the bat file attached, create a shortcut to it, make that shortcut launch as an admin and then add it as an additional app that launches before the game and tick wait for exit.

Then change the exe that LaunchBox is loading to hotd3pc.exe and it should work.

You might need to change the pathway in the bat file but it should be good to go.

Just to clarify I don't do it this way myself - but thats because I need to load other bits and bobs up, but the theory of this way should work.

Cheers

 

HOTD3.bat

Edited July 31, 2021 by Kiinkyfoxx
Extra info

[vince16]

Oh, wow, I hadn't seen your reply, sorry. Thanks for the .bat file, kinkyfoxx. Where am I supposed to place it, and how do I make it an additional app, please?

[Kiinkyfoxx]

@Vince16

Where am I supposed to place it?

Doesn't matter depends how OCD you are really - I like things tidy so I have a separate folder that has bat files and AHK's and such in platform specific folders broken down into game specific folders as well if needed, but if you only have this one then maybe pop it with the hod3pc.exe just so you know where it is.

 

How do I make it an additional app

Once you have it wherever you decide to keep it then do the following:

1)Right click on HOTD3.bat and make a shortcut

2a)Right click on the newly made shortcut file, click on properties at the bottom

2b)On the shortcut tab of the new window that opens change the Run box to be MINIMISED by clicking on the arrow.

2c) Click on the advanced button and then tick the run as administrator check box

2d) Click Ok, Apply, Ok

3a)In LaunchBox navigate to the game and highlight it, right click on the game and choose Edit

3b)In the Edit Game box click on additional apps in the left hand panel (mine is going to look different as I do things in a different way to this because of my set up) - if you cannot see additional apps click on the little arrow by metadata to expand it

3c)Click on Add Application, give it a name of your choice 

3d)Click on Browse and navigate to wherever you save the bat file shortcut and choose the SHORTCUT this is important otherwise it won't work

3e)Tick the Automatically run before main application and the Wait for Exit check boxes, then OK

4)Click on Launching in the left hand panel and make sure to change the pathway to the hod3pc.exe inside the exe folder of the game

5)Ok out of that edit game screen, and launch the game - it should in theory work for you now

Good luck

[vince16]

Change the pathway to the hod3pc.exe? I followed everything you said up until now, but you've lost me there, lol. My executable is called hod3launch, it's a green zombie head. This is where my pathway leads to, as I think it's the only one I've got to launch the game. Does it matter that it's not the same name?

[vince16]

OK, there was actually a folder with a file called hod3pc, i'm sorry, but when I click on it it says I can only start this game from the launcher, and it's the same from Launchbox so, yeah... Thanks a lot anyway. It doesn't matter all that much in the end.

 

Say, since you seem to be so savvy with this kind of stuff, and since we're talking HOTD, you wouldn't happen to know why I can't move the crosshair with my DualShock 4 in House of the Dead 2 (on Naomi, emulated with Flycast) by any chance?

[Belgarath]

As I posted on another thread here, for HOTD 3, just google for HotD_3_AutoStart.