Request: Using Retroarch to run various systems in a main system.

[aorin1]

I'm creating a main system called Hacked Games, it houses the best hacks for NES, Master System, Genesis/Mega Drive,32X, Sega CD SNES, N64, NDS, GB, GBC and GBA.

Here is the thread in Hyperspin forums where I posted some videos and pictures:

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/topic/22200-main-hack-wheel/page-4

To make it a easier system to use, I imagine we can use retroarch to open all these systems based on the rom extensions. Can retroarch "guess" what core it should open based on the rom extension?
For example, if I have folders for each system under Roms/Hacked Games/Mega Drive and there I have all roms unzipped in ".md" extension, and .nds for NDS games and so on, can this be done?

Also, can this system be added to Retroarch so it can be officially supported? Rocket Launcher tells that Retroarch module doesn't support "Hacked Games" as it doesn't exist in the module.

Thanks for your support!

Here I'm posting some screenshots so you can better visualize my goal:

Here we have, among other systems a Genesis game, with enhanced colors:


Killer Instinct for SNES with Eyedol unlocked:


Chrono Trigger for SNES using the MSU-1 technology, now SNES can have what it lacked from Nintendo, CD quality music and soundtrack, and FMV cut-scenes (these mods can be played in the real SNES using the flash card adapter, something similar to the Everdrive:


Final Fight CD with enhanced colors:


In this video I show a little more how it will look like in the complete project:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kSeicXUBI0

Thanks again!

 

[lennon51]

Nice job.

 

[djvj]

I'm not interested in adding something like this but if someone else would want to put the work into it and submit it for approval as an option that can be turned on/off I would consider it.

 

[spotUP]

Why not just use the alternate emulator option?
I have a lot of wheels with mixed emulators.

 

[aorin1]

Why not just use the alternate emulator option?
I have a lot of wheels with mixed emulators.

Yeah I believe it can be done, I never did though. For this, should it be pointed game by game or can we work with note++ for each system?
For example, before I merge all systems into a Hacked Game.xml, I work in a system alone so I still have Genesis.xml, SNES.xml, Nintendo 64.xml and so on.
So can the database be used to point, for example, Mega Drive games to use picodrive core in retroarch, SNES using Bsnes core and etc.?

 

[djvj]

I don't think alternate emulators would do what he wants spotup. He wants something automatic based on extension. First thought is that's out of the scope of what alternate emulators does.

It might be able to work, but would be a bit of work by duplicating retroarch emulators, adding one emu for each extension, and having them linked to the system you want. Then setting up alternate emulators. This is just theory, so don't quote me.

 

[warham]

I cant look now because im at work but I was wondering do the hyperspin xml's list what system each game is from, per game? I don't remember them having that off hand.

Rocketlauncher could possibly look at an xml where each game line also had a system line and know what module to use and which emulator/core to use for a mixed game system wheel?

 

[aorin1]

I just thought that maybe Retroarch could "guess" what core it needed to load depending on on the game extension, since most extensions are exclusive to each console or system, it was just an idea though, nothing definitive at all.
I never used multi systems under one system, so maybe the spotUP suggestion is valid for this in particular.
I wonder if there's a possibility for you guys to help me creating a module for a Hacked Games system, since Rocket Launcher won't recognize it as a supported system.

Thank you guys for your feedback!

 

[Rick74]

You should be able to define which core is used per game once you set up the .xml with RocketLauncherUI. I have my Famicom .xml using multiple RetroArch cores... I can't see why this wouldn't work with another system.

 

[aorin1]

You should be able to define which core is used per game once you set up the .xml with RocketLauncherUI. I have my Famicom .xml using multiple RetroArch cores... I can't see why this wouldn't work with another system.

How do you do that? How do you use a given core for different games?

 

[Rick74]

How do you do that? How do you use a given core for different games?

In RocketLauncher, select the 'system' (in your case, it'll be called "Hacked Games") in the left hand window, click the 'Modules' tab, select 'RetroArch.ahk', right above select 'edit global module settings', then click the 4th tab 'Rom Settings'.

Now, click the green + add button and all the games for your system should populate. Then, underneath you'll see 'general' and 'videoOptions' tab. The 'general' tab has a 'LibRetro_Core' core field which you can use to define which game will use which core.

Hope this helps!

 

[aorin1]

I'm going to try this tomorrow and I'll let you know how it goes, thanks in advance for your help man!

I'm afraid that for this to work, I'll have to edit the Retroarch module in order to have Hacked Games as a supported system since Rocket Launcher won't let me launch games in the official module, can you guys add it as a supported system?
There are lots of people interested in using this system in Hyperspin.

 

[Rick74]

I'm afraid that for this to work, I'll have to edit the Retroarch module in order to have Hacked Games as a supported system since Rocket Launcher won't let me launch games in the official module, can you guys add it as a supported system?
There are lots of people interested in using this system in Hyperspin.

I would think that you could use any system that the RetroArch module supports that you aren't using, and it'll work from there... It just won't be called 'Hacked Systems'...

 

[aorin1]

I would think that you could use any system that the RetroArch module supports that you aren't using, and it'll work from there... It just won't be called 'Hacked Systems'...

It seems that RL forces me that the module has a Hacked Games system in order to launch these games, though I still didn't try your suggestion, I'll have more time tomorrow, I'll let you know if it works.

 

[agent47]

In RocketLauncher, select the 'system' (in your case, it'll be called "Hacked Games") in the left hand window, click the 'Modules' tab, select 'RetroArch.ahk', right above select 'edit global module settings', then click the 4th tab 'Rom Settings'.

Now, click the green + add button and all the games for your system should populate. Then, underneath you'll see 'general' and 'videoOptions' tab. The 'general' tab has a 'LibRetro_Core' core field which you can use to define which game will use which core.

Hope this helps!

This will work, but I believe you would first have to edit the module to add the system and default core. The reason being is that the module checks the system name to make sure it's in the list and has a default core associated with it. If either of those are missing it will throw an error. So you would need to have an entry in the module like this:

Hacked Games|LibRetro_HACK|genesis_plus_gx_libretro

 

[aorin1]

This will work, but I believe you would first have to edit the module to add the system and default core. The reason being is that the module checks the system name to make sure it's in the list and has a default core associated with it. If either of those are missing it will throw an error. So you would need to have an entry in the module like this:

Hacked Games|LibRetro_HACK|genesis_plus_gx_libretro

Nice Agent, I'll bring news as soon as I test them, really appreciate all help from you guys!

 

[aorin1]

Ricky74 and Agent74, I'm assuming you're a team, right?
Anyways, I tried your suggestions, Ricky's suggestion worked flawlessly, I managed to make even the MSU-1 SNES games to work without any problem, and the Agent's line for Retroarch's module was added, it also worked, I chose picodrive core default for this system since I believe Genesis/32X/SCD/GG and SMS altogether has more games than other systems, so I can take advantage of this core to emulate all these systems without having to edit game by game.

The only issue I'll have to face in the near future will be to always remember to backup my edited Retroarch module or to edit the future updated ones in order to keep this system working.
But I also believe that Rocket Launcher staff will give me a definitive solution for it since you always helped us with this.

 

[djvj]

You don't need to backup anything, just rename your customized module something else and add an entry to it in your emulators list. RLUI only overwrites official-named modules.

 

[aorin1]

That's good to know, I renamed it to Retroarch (Hacked Games), this system will use this module from now on and I can now update the official Retroarch module without any concern.
I can only say thanks to you guys, I'll soon post a video of this system working thanks to your help!

 

[djvj]

You're welcome. What can I say, we try to think of everything ☺.

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