Is it possible to have Launchbox have a separate playlist for Cocktail table MAME roms, that will start the ROM in cocktail mode?

[rick_donculus]

I'd like the ability to launch a cocktail-compatible MAME rom in either cocktail or standup cabinet mode. For example, I'd like to have in Launchbox a "Pacman - Standup" and "Pacman - Cocktail", which uses the same ROM, hi-scores, etc, but just changes the dip switch setting on startup.

I was thinking I could have a separate MAME cfg file location for cocktail cabinets, and then create a "Cocktail Cabinet" playlist in Launchbox, and have it start the ROM and specify the cocktail cfg folder. Then if you wanted to play the same game in standup configuration, you would start the game in the standard playlist. 

Is this a good way to go about doing that, or is there a better way?

Thanks

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, rick_donculus said:

I'd like the ability to launch a cocktail-compatible MAME rom in either cocktail or standup cabinet mode. For example, I'd like to have in Launchbox a "Pacman - Standup" and "Pacman - Cocktail", which uses the same ROM, hi-scores, etc, but just changes the dip switch setting on startup.

I was thinking I could have a separate MAME cfg file location for cocktail cabinets, and then create a "Cocktail Cabinet" playlist in Launchbox, and have it start the ROM and specify the cocktail cfg folder. Then if you wanted to play the same game in standup configuration, you would start the game in the standard playlist. 

Is this a good way to go about doing that, or is there a better way?

Thanks

To get a game to launch in cocktail mode, simply add to the command-line parameters -view cocktail.

The problem is that you can't assign a custom command-line parameter to a game in a playlist.  Well, you can. But that command sticks with the game itself.  Whether viewing it in a playlist or in a platform view, or otherwise.

 

One solution is:

• Create a new emulator in LaunchBox
• Call the new emulator something like "MAME Cocktail Mode"
• Point to the same mame.exe file [as your original] for the executable. 
• In the Default Command-line Parameters, add the end "-view cocktail" (without quotes)
• In the Associated Platforms section, add your 'Arcade' platform.
  • Keep Default Emulator un-checked
• Click OK to save and close

To launch a game in cocktail mode, right-click the game and select "Launch With", then select "MAME Cocktail Mode".

 

A second solution is:

• to import (again) the games you want to have the option to play in cocktail mode (aka, you'll have 2 'copies' of the same game visible in LaunchBox). 
  • Make sure to have Allow Duplicates checked when importing them.
• [Somehow] put those [duplicated] games into an "Arcade Cocktail Games" playlist (or whatever you want to call it).
  • When viewing the Arcade platform, you can select sort by Date Imported and then be able to select the games under 'todays date'.
• In the new playlist, edit those games and in the Emulation section,
  • Check Use Custom Command-line Parameters
  • In the field below that, add your regular parameters along with -view cocktail.

That's a lot of games to be edited.  So instead, install the Bulk Custom Command-line Editor plugin.  Then simply select all the games in that playlist and run the plugin per the instructions.  This will do them all-in-one-shot.

[rick_donculus]

6 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

To get a game to launch in cocktail mode, simply add to the command-line parameters -view cocktail.

The problem is that you can't assign a custom command-line parameter to a game in a playlist.  Well, you can. But that command sticks with the game itself.  Whether viewing it in a playlist or in a platform view, or otherwise.

 

One solution is:

• Create a new emulator in LaunchBox
• Call the new emulator something like "MAME Cocktail Mode"
• Point to the same mame.exe file [as your original] for the executable. 
• In the Default Command-line Parameters, add the end "-view cocktail" (without quotes)
• In the Associated Platforms section, add your 'Arcade' platform.
  • Keep Default Emulator un-checked
• Click OK to save and close

To launch a game in cocktail mode, right-click the game and select "Launch With", then select "MAME Cocktail Mode".

 

 

Thanks for the response. 

-view cocktail doesn't quite give me what i want, since that mirrors the screen. But I was able to specify "-cfg_directory" to point to a different directory for cocktail game configs. I have to go into each game and switch the setting to Cocktail, which is tedious, but i only have to do it the first time I play each game in cocktail mode.

I'd still like to figure out a way to get a playlist or category that is just these "cocktail mode" games, but this solves the biggest issue. Thanks!

[JoeViking245]

44 minutes ago, rick_donculus said:

Thanks for the response. 

-view cocktail doesn't quite give me what i want, since that mirrors the screen. But I was able to specify "-cfg_directory" to point to a different directory for cocktail game configs. I have to go into each game and switch the setting to Cocktail, which is tedious, but i only have to do it the first time I play each game in cocktail mode.

I'd still like to figure out a way to get a playlist or category that is just these "cocktail mode" games, but this solves the biggest issue. Thanks!

Well, I tried. 😊  I guess we have different ideas on what is meant by cocktail mode.  But glad you solved the biggest issue.

[damageinc86]

2 hours ago, rick_donculus said:

Thanks for the response. 

-view cocktail doesn't quite give me what i want, since that mirrors the screen. But I was able to specify "-cfg_directory" to point to a different directory for cocktail game configs. I have to go into each game and switch the setting to Cocktail, which is tedious, but i only have to do it the first time I play each game in cocktail mode.

I'd still like to figure out a way to get a playlist or category that is just these "cocktail mode" games, but this solves the biggest issue. Thanks!

since you figured out how to point to your -cfg directory cocktail game configs, maybe you could still make a separate mame install with all of that, and a corresponding platform?  Then the cocktail mode playlist would really just be your copy of mame with cocktail configs platform.