Runcommand launch images automatically chosen for ROM-specific emulatorchoices

AndersHP

So, with this new runcommand-onstart file, I'm afraid, still no launch images shows :(

What can I do to help? Could it be because my games are run off USB?

meleu

@andershp said in Runcommand launch images automatically chosen for ROM-specific emulatorchoices:

Could it be because my games are run off USB?

Ouch!!! You can't create symbolic links on FAT partitions!

EDIT: yes. That's the cause.
Can you please launch an arcade game and then check what's in the /dev/shm/runcommand.log (post it on pastebin)?

AndersHP

Absolutely, good sir. Here's one for fba and one for mame2003:

fba 1942
mame-libretro 005

Should I also mention that I moved my artwork from roms/arcade/images to the default emulationstation/downloaded_images? Don't know if that's relevant.

cyperghost

@andershp That's relevant!
If this fileformat is ext3/4 then this script should work!
Change path in line 9 and test it!

@meleu I think define a new parameter with path were the images are stored!
[ -z "$4" ] && local arcade_imgs_dir="$HOME/RetroPie/roms/arcade/images" || local arcade_imgs_dir="$4"

I assume that the script should work even with changed pathes ;)

meleu

I feel like in a RPG. Each step taken results in a new little bit of information. :D

I'm currently enjoying the brazilian carnival. Will be able to take a look at it next week. ;)

AndersHP

Sorry man, I wasn't planning the move of files until lately, but the USB thing I did actually mention earlier...

Enjoy yourself, sounds awesome!

AndersHP

Hey @meleu hope you had a blast in Brazil?

Just wanted to check up on the status of this little script? I'm still really interested in getting it up and running, especially since I have the feeling that you've almost got it?

meleu

@andershp said in Runcommand launch images automatically chosen for ROM-specific emulatorchoices:

Should I also mention that I moved my artwork from roms/arcade/images to the default emulationstation/downloaded_images? Don't know if that's relevant.

Tell me the full path of that "default emulationstation/downloaded_images".

AndersHP

@meleu the full paths to the three system-launch images is listed here, and the full path to the artwork for the games I will give you tonight.

Though I don't understand why this is important. This folder only contains video previews, logos (wheelart) and boxart. Not launching images. If I remember correctly.

AndersHP

Allright the games art (videos, wheellogo and boxart) is found at /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/downloaded_images/arcade

As stated above, the 3 launching images are not here though. I don't really know the default place for game-specific launching images, is this not the roms folder?

akafox

@andershp yes that is where the scraper puts them by default...
however other scrapers will put them in an "images" folder in the rom (arcade) folder

Thus .../arcade/images/ (or in linux ./images)
each type of media is tagged depending on what type it is
-marquee marquees
-image flyers/boxart
-video videos

You can put the media anywhere you want..but you have to edit the gamelist.xml to point to the correct path (easy to do with a find and replace)

okay you are talking about a default image then...

I was gonna say I have all my roms (mame2000, mame 2003, mame2010, Final Burn Alpha, Advmame and Daphne) all in the "arcade" folder and I use the flyer (or screenshot to use as my launch image.

A default image would make is easier though....there is a script that will do that..however the theme has to have launching images to go with it..err i think

Easier for me to just use the flyer/boxart/screenshot as a launch image I guess shrugs

AndersHP

@akafox I don't understand your post, TBH :)

We're discussing a little script that uses launchimages dependable on what emulator the ROM is using. This is a spinoff thought from the thread MAME vs FBA, where we set up an Arcade folder that runs MAME2003, FBA and ADVMAME games using the best core for the individual game.

However, geek as I am, I thought it would be really cool if I still knew which emulator was running when I launched the game. So instead of having a generic "Arcade" launch image, I wanted to use the different MAME / FBA launch images, and @meleu got it working in his setup. But because I run games off USB, it still doesn't work for me.

And since I'm no coder, I just live with the ugly runcommand window for now...

akafox

@andershp
try this:

(this I think is what you are looking for)

or

go to the "retropie" menu from the main screen of emulationstation ..then choose "run command configuration"...now ENABLE launch menu art (second option)...then exit back out to emulations station
note that you have to have your flyers/boxart scraped to be able to see anything

you can DISABLE the launch menu from the same menu..this keeps others from getting in there and maybe screwing things up.

this method just shows the boxart/flyers not a system image

AndersHP

@akafox What I am looking for is a way to launch a system-specific image, depending on the emulator I'm using. In my arcade folder, I have MAME, FBA and ADVMAME emulated games side by side, but instead of using the same generic arcade launch image, or the boxart, I want the script to detect what emulator is being used, and show a corresponding photo.

AndersHP

Sooo... @meleu I don't want to be a high maintenance user, but this little script is really still something that I'd love to get working - and since it seems you got it working on your test setup, I felt like we were almost there..

Have you got time to take a final look at it? The above posts should contain all relevant infos..

That'd be very cool.

Edit: Just to recap:
The 3 launching images are placed here:
/opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/launching.png
/opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/launching.png
/opt/retropie/configs/fba/launching.png

My Roms folder are placed on a USB though (something about symlinks not working). This means that game-specific launching images should point to the USB, but @meleu please, if you say "move this here and do that" I am totally going to - no need to write a very advanced script if something could be solved with me just placing launching images someplace else..?

meleu

@andershp said in Runcommand launch images automatically chosen for ROM-specific emulatorchoices:

@meleu please, if you say "move this here and do that" I am totally going to

I think that if you place your arcade ROMs on a partition that accepts symbolic links the script will just works.

AndersHP

@meleu so e.g. by formatting my USB to NTFS instead of FAT?

meleu

@andershp said in Runcommand launch images automatically chosen for ROM-specific emulatorchoices:

@meleu so e.g. by formatting my USB to NTFS instead of FAT?

EDITED
~~Yep.~~

I'm assuming you're aware that you need to make a backup before formatting.

UPDATE: Ouch! I misread your question! I thought you were refering to ext2 file system or something similar.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think NTFS does NOT support symbolic links either.

AndersHP

@meleu I just read this, so thought NTFS would be ok?

Only problem for me is that my primary computer is a Mac, and hence I wouldn't be able to write to the USB after a format.
Do you know if I could format the USB from a Mac to make symlinks work?

AndersHP

Sorry to be so awfully slow, but I have had my arcade put aside for quite some time, but @meleu I now reformatted my ROMS USB to NTFS format and now your script works!

Well done and thanks!

Merry christmas to you all!