Listing MAME "console" games

[Douglas Lassance]

Since MESS was merged into the MAME project, it's possible to play console games using commands such as `mame megadriv sor2`. Does LaunchBox currently support this feature and the listing of these roms?

[JoeViking245]

12 hours ago, Douglas Lassance said:

it's possible to play console games using commands such as `mame megadriv sor2`

Yes.  You'd set this up in your Emulator settings for MAME under Associated Platforms - Default Command-Line Parameters

Note: I've only just recently learned that the media flag ["-cart"], in most cases isn't necessary.  So the Default Parameter could be just "megadriv".

Make sure the Associated Platform is named the exact same as your actual Platform's name.

12 hours ago, Douglas Lassance said:

Does LaunchBox currently support this feature and the listing of these roms?

LaunchBox [in part] doesn't currently support the importing of MAME's softlists (consoles, computers etc... aka: non-Arcade Machines).  It'll import the roms without issue, but it won't give them their proper names.  So sor2.zip will import as "sor2", vs. "Streets of Rage II".

There is a plugin that can import MAME's softlist roms into LaunchBox, apply their proper game Titles and also set it (them) up as an Associated Platform with the corresponding Default Command-Line Parameters.

 

[Retro_Rage]

I just figured I would tack on some useful information I recently learned about soft lists in Lunchbox. First of I highly recommend the above plugin, makes life so much easter but it doesn't automatically scrape the media, you would need to do that yourself. Under platform options make sure you check that the scrape as setting is correct for the system you want to scrape. If you don't check it first it would be the wrong media for the games. Also, if it isn't one of the stock systems supported in Lunchbox, I would NOT recommend scraping the media. You would get a whole bunch of garbage for everything else.

Also, in the plugin there is a page on the wizard where it asks for two paths, I set them both to the same directory where your soft list roms are installed. For example, I have them in /Emulators/MAME/software and then they are in the short name for the system that MAME reads ie. Nintendo is nes etc. If you do that than it's not necessary to copy the files. Just hit import only. Saves space on your drive. If you set the second field to (for example) your launchbox/games/nes directory and the games aren't there, then it may cause problems when you do things like scan for removed roms (LB will remove them because it doesn't see them).

Also, a simple third one is that if you try to use soft lists and have them in a different folder than your roms, make sure a rom path is set to that folder in MAME.

I also learned that if a few occasions the parameter aren't correct and don't seem to load the game. For most of them if I just removed the parameter completely like Joe said above they worked. Thats just strange but whatever.

I hope that helps... and makes sense and isn't to confusing lol.

[Douglas Lassance]

Thanks guys, it all worked as you explained. The only thing I did not figure out is how to get the box images to download and display. Maybe this isn't possible at this stage?

[JoeViking245]

4 hours ago, Douglas Lassance said:

how to get the box images to download

Make sure your 'new' Platform is set to Scrape As the actual platform.  Tools, Options, Manage Emulators  Edit your emulator and change Scrape As if needed. Save

Select all the games in your new Platform (click on one, then hit Ctrl+A).  Tools, Download, Update Metadata and Media for All Games.

...follow the prompts.

[Douglas Lassance]

The "Scrape As" section was setup properly by the plugin. I just needed to "Update Metadata and Media" manually.
Thanks again for the help.