Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game)

Reechard

I plan on using a retropie setup in an arcade cabinet, and would like it to launch the last game played on startup, or choose a game and have that start automatically on every boot. I see this getting requested a LOT and there has never been any real dev feedback as to why it isn't implemented. Seems like a no-brainer kind of feature.

Alturis

@reechard said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

I plan on using a retropie setup in an arcade cabinet, and would like it to launch the last game played on startup, or choose a game and have that start automatically on every boot. I see this getting requested a LOT and there has never been any real dev feedback as to why it isn't implemented. Seems like a no-brainer kind of feature.

Not to hijack this thread but I was actually also interested in the exact opposite of this request. I dont like leaving a game running indefinitely as I dont want to risk burning an image into the display. I would like to have the ability for it to drop back out of a game after 5 minutes of inactivity and go back to ES where it would then kick in the video screensavers after another 5 minutes.

mitu

@reechard said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

I see this getting requested a LOT

Where ?

Reechard

@mitu

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/27429

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/114644

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/issues/1648

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/35503

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/67713

https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/21788

Yes, some (most) of these are solved with rc.local scripts and editing scripts, but this is something that could easily be integrated into the actual frontend and not require manual intervention. I glossed over the literally dozens of "how do I auto launch Kodi" threads.

mitu

@reechard said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

I glossed over the literally dozens of "how do I auto launch Kodi" threads

This is already implemented - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/FAQ/#how-do-i-boot-to-the-desktop-or-kodi.

As for all the other threads, they're really seem more in the vein of 'I want to launch one emulator/rom only', which is perfectly reasonable, but for this you don't need to install RetroPie or Emulationstation. RetroPie provides this - modify the auto-start script and use the Runcommand to start your particular game.
There was another request - also now implemented - to have ES start on a particular system, if you all you need is one system.

I don't see in the threads you linked any specific request for 'start ES with the last ROM played'. What's your use case ?

Reechard

@mitu said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/FAQ/#how-do-i-boot-to-the-desktop-or-kodi

"manually edit this bash script to do what you want to do" is a bit in-depth for something that is requested this much. I'm putting in a feature request because it is requested often enough that it should be a gui-selectable feature, not something that requires google and a text editor. That's what "feature requests" are for....

Use case is "be as user friendly as possible without on-boot intervention". If you've ever dropped a non-nerd in front of any type of gaming machine that requires you to make a choice of any kind, whether it be a Pandora's Box multiboard, a 60in1 multiboard, or even a regular-old NeoGeo 4-slot, the end-user immediately gets totally and completely lost and frustrated and either plays what's on the screen or walks away. Having a game auto-start and the system be running a single game, with the option for a technical moderator to change the game if requested, is preferable to having an end-user make any decisions at all, ever.

Having the system boot and immediately look inviting and ready to go provides a better end-user experience than a menu. The worst thing about arcade multi-boards is that they boot into menus.

mitu

@reechard said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

"manually edit this bash script to do what you want to do" is a bit in-depth for something that is requested this much. I'm putting in a feature request because it is requested often enough that it should be a gui-selectable feature, not something that requires google and a text editor. That's what "feature requests" are for....

Sure, but make an argument for your use case. Other people have requested:

Boot to Kodi - already implemented through a selection
Boot on emulator - that's not supported without scripting.
Boot on Game/ROM - that's not supported without scripting.

Having a game auto-start and the system be running a single game, with the option for a technical moderator to change the game if requested, is preferable to having an end-user make any decisions at all, ever.

I respectfully disagree. Choice does not make an end-user immediately gets totally and completely lost and frustrated.

Regardless, you seem to want a setting for the system to be locked to one game, am I correct ?

You can do from ES right now - mark one game as a Kid game, set the system to enter the game's system, then set the ES to work in Kid mode.
The system will only show 1 system/game that you can start.

Reechard

@mitu

No... I don't want it locked to one game. I want it to boot up and automatically start a game so that it boots and is immediately playable without touching buttons. Then you can still hit Start+Select to back out to ES and pick another game. I'm not sure what about this is difficult to understand, or what other "argument" is necessary for my case. I've already shown that it is requested pretty frequently... This is what feature requests are for. You see a gap in functionality and you ask to have it filled. I feel like you're being intentionally obtuse. Is there someone who understands what a User Interface is for that I can talk to?

mitu

@reechard said in Automatically Launch Last Played Game (or a specific game):

I feel like you're being intentionally obtuse

No, I'm just trying to understand what's your use case here. As you referenced the other posts for users asking for Kodi to be started on boot, this might already be there, but you might not be aware about it.
Your topic is in the right place (RetroPie forums), so your audience is here.

Alturis

FWIW I can see how someone might like to have it boot right to a game when you turn it on but still allow you to choose other games.

Also FWIW I don't see that getting defensive and aggressive in your request for support is going to speed such a feature along. ;)

Just my 2 cents.

pjft

Also, just to share some perspective:

the code is open. If anyone feels strongly about such use cases, they can certainly go ahead and implement them. Even if they don't end up on the main branch, they'll exist in a separate repository.
the fact that a handful of people ask about something that seems similar to what you think is an idea, but somehow hasn't been implemented yet, should also suggest that either the use case isn't that common, that the existing people are comfortable with the workaround, or that that specific solution doesn't seem to be one that people feel it's the best one.

I personally don't feel that that should be part of EmulationStation, but more of a RetroPie Setup thing, similar to launching Kodi.

But that's just my opinion.

Alturis

@Reechard I totally get what you are saying. You want EmulationStation and all if its normal functionality. But you just want it so that when people are walking by a game is up and running when you first boot it up. (without having to do that yourself each time). Either a specific game or just the last game that someone was playing. (problem with the latter scenario is that I don't think EmulationStation writes any metadata out until it quits, so it would have to be the last game played when it was properly shut down not just the power shut off)

Totally makes sense and I can also see why you would want EmulationStation running in the background and ready to be dropped back into as normal.

Something akin to the "Start in System" option but a "Start in Game" option as well.

Probably not a common thing it seems but I can see how one might like it that way.