Updated EmulationStation for Windows

hawkli

Hi, @jdrassa :
I've read @Nismo comment: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/5202/step-by-step-how-to-build-emulationstation-on-windows/71
I've downloaded the source(http://www.mediafire.com/file/18wup39qx35x1ht/build.7z) and libs(http://www.mediafire.com/file/7nzb0820w24is4a/lib_folder_for_ES_build.7z), and tried to build in vs2017, but got the error as "missing CMakeLists.txt".

Then I've tried the source you provided(https://github.com/jrassa/EmulationStation), and using cmake-gui to build, still get error as below:

Looking for FreeImage...
Could NOT find PkgConfig (missing:  PKG_CONFIG_EXECUTABLE) 
Found FreeImage: optimized;C:/src/lib/FreeImage/Win32/Release/FreeImage.obj;debug;C:/src/lib/FreeImage/Win32/Debug/FreeImage.obj
CMake Error at CMake/Packages/FindVLC.cmake:33 (macro_ensure_version):
  MACRO_ENSURE_VERSION Macro invoked with incorrect arguments for macro
  named: MACRO_ENSURE_VERSION
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  CMakeLists.txt:59 (find_package)


CMake Error at CMake/Packages/FindVLC.cmake:39 (message):
  VLC library not found
Call Stack (most recent call first):
  CMakeLists.txt:59 (find_package)

Configuring incomplete, errors occurred!

Could you please provide your build step details? And is there any possibilty to attach your lib folder?

My environment is windows 10, vs enterprise and community 2017, cmake3.7
source directory is

c:\src\EmulationStation-master

libs is:

c:\src\lib\boost_1_61_0
c:\src\lib\curl-7.50.3
c:\src\lib\eigen
c:\src\lib\FreeImage
c:\src\lib\freetype-2.7
c:\src\lib\freetype-windows-binaries-master
c:\src\lib\libvlc-2.2.2
c:\src\lib\SDL2-2.0.5

Thank you!!!

jdrassa

@hawkli It been a long while since I have actually built it locally so I don't have a lib directory to share. I have automated builds setup via Appveyor. You can read the build script to get an idea of how the build is configured. It is failing to find VLC, so I would pay extra attention to the VLC arguments in the cmake command.

hawkli

@jdrassa I tried appveyor.yml , It's works!!
thanks a lot.

jero

How can I do in cfg using several emulators for a folder

for example i use

<system>
	<name>Arcade</name>
	<fullname>ARCADE</fullname>
	<path>~\.emulationstation\roms\mame</path>
	<extension>.zip .ZIP</extension>
	<command>%HOME%\.emulationstation\systems\retroarch\retroarch.exe -L %HOME%\.emulationstation\systems\retroarch\cores\mame2003_libretro.dll "%ROM_RAW%"</command>
	<platform>arcade</platform>
	<theme>mame</theme>
</system>

I only use mame2003 and I would like to use at least 3 more, this is possible. Thanks

mitu

@jero I don't think that's possible without an additional helper or re-using the same folder to add a different emulator. On RetroPie, there's Runcommand that takes care of using multiple emulators, but Emulationstation doesn't have this capability built-in.

jero

Thank you for responding, I saw that possibility in retropie and I thought that Windows ES could also. You know where to find information on how to install ES with retroarch all from 0 in windows.

mitu

@jero said in Updated EmulationStation for Windows:

You know where to find information on how to install ES with retroarch all from 0 in windows.

I'm not aware of such installer and the RetroPie project does not provide one.

EctoOne

@jero There is an old version of the Portable Version in the Links Section of the Theme Tutorial here. You just need to download the latest Windows ES Build from this threat and the latest RetroArch Version from their website. Then you probably could just replace the respective folders.

Although you probably need to backup the old es_systems.cfg first.

rand0m

@jero gamestation got most systems configured with retroarch buts its portable. If you want portable then:

1- Download gamestation: https://github.com/HerbFargus/Portable-Game-Station
2- Download ES win latest release from: https://github.com/jrassa/EmulationStation/releases/
3- Unzip gamestation
4- Unzip and paste ES win latest on top of gamestation folder, press ok for overwrite
5- Use portable.bat to run ES, directly running ES will throw an error.
6- You'll have to config the controller, plus may have to add a rom in one of the system (you can make a dummy/empty rom with same extension as that required for emulator)

If you don't want portable then:
1- download latest win es
2- copy the es_system file from gamestation and place in /.emulationstation
3- Modify the paths as you deem fit.

jero

Or thanks guys for all it's information, I've seen some of that already, but thanks. Amazing this forum.
I think I'm already making progress by going from retropie to ES windows. I think what I need is pretty good. I already handle Overlays, spaps, boxart.
Although there is something that I would like very much and I do not know if it is possible, use game loading image as in retropie, to not see the XD background windows. In addition it would be incredible to create a system that was multi-system as in retropie. With those things ES in window would grow a lot, for me ES is the prettiest system

ppuspfc

@jero I recommend taking a look into this: https://github.com/PRElias/win10_emulation_station

jero

Thank you, use that, what a good job you did. With this I already have something more advanced running to ful, boxart, xml video .........
but something that would be very good are launching images so you do not see the wallpaper of windows hehehehe, I think with that and sounds in the main meeenu, I would not need anything else, but I imagine that it can not be implemented

ppuspfc

@jero Thanks. Yes, it would be great.

jero

to see if there is a solution, I have retro games on the pc that I start with bat files, perfectly. also are games with the ability to close with the controller. All right then closed my game and returned to ES without problem, until I added snaps of videos and then I realized that ES was not paused as it does when it boots an exe, then it had the sound of the videos in the background. There is a way to solve this without removing the audio from the videos

otaolafr

@Unoptimal hello! i loved the modification you have done to the recalbox theme with videos previews, it would be possible to upload so we cand use it too :) ?

A Former User

I have been having an issue where entries are just disappearing from my gamelist.xml files. Just single entries here and there. Anyone else experiencing anything similar?

hargon

@LiveFastCyYoung

Yes, I have suffered from the same problem, the only sollution I found was to put the gamelist files in read mode only.

A Former User

@hargon Yeah, just did that. Not a big problem as I edit my gamelist outside of Emulation Station. Just don't get a play count anymore. No biggie.

isblagi

Hi,
First things first, thanks to jdrassa for the ES windows updated version. I've been using it for some years and I think is the best frontend for keeping all your games in the same place.

But I got to the point I had to switch to another frontend since I could'nt make it with ES and Cemu (WiiU emulator). I managed to run Cemu games (not directly but through an .exe file which includes configuration per game, something Cemu doesn't support yet) but the problem is that ES stays on top of the clipboard/screen while Cemu runs on the back. No problem if you have keyboard and mouse at hand but very annoying if you have it set for big screen and gamepad, like me. Don't know if that's because Cemu takes its time to load and in the meantime ES jumps back to the front. Rest of emulators and .exe files work fine, just Cemu give me this issue.

Tried this solution (https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/11016/emulation-station-launch-windows-game-additional-exe), thanks herb_fargus. Works fine if I run any .bat, .exe or .lnk from windows but still get the same problem when calling it through ES.

If you could give a solution or could make ES to stay on the back while running the emulators/games I'm sure I'll be coming back. Meanwhile I'll guess I'll have to do it with another frontend.

Thanks again for all your work.

beastmode

I've had trouble loading Slang shader presets under the new OpenGL driver (glcore) for RetroArch when starting the game directly from the latest EmulationStation Continuous build for windows. The presets seems to be completely ignored once the game is loaded and have to be manually applied each time.

The shader presets saved per system/content directory open just fine when started directly from RetroArch.

This issue does not affect any of the other RetroArch video drivers.