LaunchBox 13.12 - Beta Thread

[faeran]

Hi Everyone,

The first beta for LaunchBox 13.12 has been released. The big new feature is the introduction of an automatic ROM import system. At its core it's essentially two pieces.

The first piece allows us to scan your game folders for any file changes within. Game folders are set on a platform level, and can be found in your Edit Platform section, under the Folders tab. If we notice any new files on startup within those folders, you'll see us automatically import those ROMs. We also keep an active monitor on those folders while LaunchBox is open, and if we notice any new files, we will start the import process immediately. The process will import the games, download metadata, and import a small subset of media.

The second piece allows you to place ROMs into the LaunchBox\Games folder. While the feature is enabled, you'll find folders for platforms in there. Place ROMs inside of any of those folders, and we will automatically import those ROMs based on the rules of the first piece of this feature. If new platforms are imported via this method that don't already have a default emulator, you will be asked to set one up when you try and launch a game.

For existing users this feature will be off by default. For new users, it will be on. The toggle for this feature will be found under Tools > Options > General > Automated Imports

We've also begun an overhaul of our search in both LaunchBox and Big Box. It will now search by title (and alt title) by default, with the ability to add filter switches into the mix (eg. genre: adventure). The default theme has a small hint popup that shows the available filter switches (the popup is fully themeable so any theme dev can add it to their theme).

These are big changes to core functionality of the app, so any help with beta testing them is much appreciated.

As always, below will list the full changelog for this beta cycle.

Beta 1:

• New Feature: LaunchBox can now automatically import ROM files that are placed inside of a platform folder located in LaunchBox\Games. To enable it for existing LaunchBox installations, go to Tools > Options > General > Automated Imports
• New Feature: LaunchBox will now actively monitor your platform Game folder (found in the Edit Platform window) and import any new ROM files it finds automatically while the program is open and during startup. To enable it for existing LaunchBox installations, go to Tools > Options > General > Automated Imports
• New Feature: LaunchBox and Big Box's search has now been upgraded. It will now search by title (and alternate title) by default, with advanced options to search for other types of metadata.
• Improvement: A dynamic list for Games with Achievements has been added to the Games Discovery Center
• Improvement: The MAME Arcade Full Set Wizard file requirement has been reduced to accommodate HBMAME full sets
• Improvement: Support for PICO-8 game files has been added into our import processes
• Improvement: Clear Logos and Icons have been added for the following platforms: PICO-8, Microsoft Series X/S, VTech V.Smile
• Improvement: RAHasher has been updated to version 1.7
• Improvement: The Scan for Added ROMs tool will now import new versions of games you already have in your library

Beta 2:

• Fixed: The ROM Auto-import feature will no longer monitor platforms with a "Scrape As" value of ScummVM
• Fixed: Changing a game's emulator from the Edit Game window causing a crash
• Fixed: Rare dictionary error on LaunchBox startup

Beta 3:

• Improvement: Added logic to improve the ability to import SNES MSU-1 ROMs
• Improvement: A limited file extension blacklist was added to the auto-scan process to help with some common file types
• Improvement: The auto-scan ROM import notification now includes an action button that directly opens a window displaying the list of imported ROMs. Additionally, imported ROMs are saved within your log files (if enabled).
• Fixed: Potential issue with adding new platforms to LaunchBox using the ROM auto-import feature
• Fixed: Problem where Image Types weren't downloaded when removed from all Image Groups while the Media Limit option was enabled
• Fixed: RAHasher 1.7 has been replaced with its x86 counterpart to remove debug dependencies that the x64 version incorrectly included
• Fixed: Javascript error that some users encountered during the Epic Games login process

Beta 4:

• Fixed: The auto-import feature unintentionally being used for games that fall under one of the Arcade platforms
• Fixed: Epic Games Store login will now work with SSO services like Google

[Fursphere]

12 minutes ago, faeran said:

For existing users this feature will be off by default.

Just updated two installs, option is ON by default. 

I was surprised when it said it found new games to import, but didn't give me any indication of what it had found....  

Edited February 20 by Fursphere

[faeran]

6 minutes ago, Fursphere said:

Just updated two installs, option is ON by default. 

I was surprised when it said it found new games to import, but didn't give me any indication of what it had found....  

This means it's working as intended. You would only see that prompt if the setting was off by default. For existing users we included this prompt to indicate to them that the feature found some games within one of your game folders and it allows you to quickly turn on the feature if you wish. It's a prompt that you would only see once per build.

[Fursphere]

Just now, faeran said:

This means it's working as intended. You would only see that prompt if the setting was off by default. For existing users we included this prompt to indicate to them that the feature found some games within one of your game folders and it allows you to quickly turn on the feature if you wish. It's a prompt that you would only see once per build.

That's confusing logic.

If setting is OFF = Search the folders anyway, and tell the user if you find something. 

I would expect OFF is 100% OFF and no searching occurs until the setting is turned ON. 

If I go ahead and turn the setting back off, and then throw a new file in one of the folders, would it alert me again?

[faeran]

6 minutes ago, Fursphere said:

That's confusing logic.

If setting is OFF = Search the folders anyway, and tell the user if you find something. 

I would expect OFF is 100% OFF and no searching occurs until the setting is turned ON. 

If I go ahead and turn the setting back off, and then throw a new file in one of the folders, would it alert me again?

It's a first time use prompt that informs existing users that update from a build below 13.12 that if they were to use the feature, some games were found and can be imported automatically.

It will only happen once, and never again once you see the prompt. It will not continue to scan your folders. However, test it out and let us know if it does prompt you again, as it should not.

[rexryan]

is the media download something we can turn off...

 

[Undertherainbow]

Hello! I am experiencing problem with changing emulator in game options.

LB freezes and eventually crashes.

I tried multiple systems. 

Click to open list , select new emulator and LB just freeze.

[Fursphere]

Now that you mention it, I had it crash on me while downloading media.    Froze up completely.  Had to alt-f4 it.

[JoeViking245]

I'm seeing the same issue (LB 13.12-beata-1): when editing a game and attempting to change the emulator, Lb freezes and then shuts down. 

[christhed]

I'm also getting this issue. I noticed that it doesn't happen when adding an emulator to a game that doesn't already have one, only when actually changing emulator

[dbalcar]

I am getting this error page every time I run the beta.  LB still runs in the background and will close upon closing the crash dialog. looks like the key name is changing on each launch of LB

[betikito84]

Hello. I have installed the latest beta version and the Retroarchivements achievements are not shown on the PSP platform, I have them in CHD format, can someone help me. Thank you

 

[SatorSquare]

15 hours ago, faeran said:

If we notice any new files on startup within those folders, you'll see us automatically import those ROMs.

To clarify, what is the definition of "new" for the auto importer? Is it any ROM that does not currently have an entry in LB or does it "remember" the directory's contents from its last scan? Also, can we turn this feature on or off on a per-platform basis, or is it all or nothing?

[Retro808]

2 minutes ago, SatorSquare said:

To clarify, what is the definition of "new" for the auto importer? Is it any ROM that does not currently have an entry in LB or does it "remember" the directory's contents from its last scan? Also, can we turn this feature on or off on a per-platform basis, or is it all or nothing?

For now it is global. So you cannot turn on or off by platform. "New" would be anything not imported into a LB platform. 

[SatorSquare]

Thank you for clarifying. Follow-up question, how does the importer treat subdirectories in a platform game folder?

[JoeViking245]

16 hours ago, faeran said:

New Feature: LaunchBox can now automatically import ROM files that are placed inside of a platform folder

ScummVM platform:
I have 1 game (King's Quest) in this platform that uses the built-in ScummVM.  "Use an emulator..." is unchecked under Emulation.

Upon LB restart, Auto-Import imported 7 of the 9 the files from its Data Folder (that aren't their own games).  The 2 not imported did not show up as Additional Apps for any of the "games".

[Fursphere]

Ran into another interesting scenario last night.   I'm using the default theme.   Using the menus in BigBox, I could not change the 'games list view' (options - views - games list view).   No matter what I set it to, nothing would actually take effect.

I ended up using the hotkey I had assigned, and that successfully changed the view. 

[dbalcar]

Every time I start LB it is still finding more and more games to import even though there is no changes.  anyone else seeing that?  at first it was a few games like 7-10 the last 2 launches it was over 3000.  very strange.

 

[christhed]

@dbalcar It is happening to me too. I have a pretty big collection so it's hard to tell what exactly is being imported. I had about 4000 new games imported.

After auditing it seems like most of them are duplicates that were not imported before. I'm not sure why they were imported in batches instead of all at once

[faeran]

19 hours ago, rexryan said:

is the media download something we can turn off...

 

For the auto-import feature, not at the moment.  In the future, we may introduce a management system where users can better fine-tune certain aspects of this.

5 hours ago, SatorSquare said:

Thank you for clarifying. Follow-up question, how does the importer treat subdirectories in a platform game folder?

I believe it will scan items within one sub-folder, although best practice would be to keep your ROM folders clean.

4 hours ago, dbalcar said:

Every time I start LB it is still finding more and more games to import even though there is no changes.  anyone else seeing that?  at first it was a few games like 7-10 the last 2 launches it was over 3000.  very strange.

 

3 hours ago, christhed said:

@dbalcar It is happening to me too. I have a pretty big collection so it's hard to tell what exactly is being imported. I had about 4000 new games imported.

After auditing it seems like most of them are duplicates that were not imported before. I'm not sure why they were imported in batches instead of all at once

Are you guys able to filter by all your games and arrange by Date Added. That should give you some clarity as to the files that were added. Some examples would be helpful to determine if the files were within one of your game folders and were not yet imported.