GameEx ini for thousands of old DOS games

[incubus158]

Hey guys. My gameex is getting sooo huge now. I am perfecting it soo much. Now I am wanting to take 2000 DOS games and put them in my system too. All of them are in separate folders named by game name and year. (found at LINK REMOVED torrent site)

This task seemed too daunting so I created a script in Macro Express that will loop through each directory and wait for me to find the "working" .com .bat or .exe file that will actually launch the game. Once that is done, it will launch DOSBOX (dos emulator) and will launch it through there waiting for you to press SPACE BAR. Once you press that, it will take a screen shot of the game and it will save it off to C:\Program Files\GameEx\THEMES\Default - Default\MEDIA\LOGOS\.

The reason that I used DOSBOX, was because I found out that you cant take screen shots of full screen dos windows. (WHAT A HASTLE!)

After it saves off the shot. It will then reference the exe used to run the game and all the working paths and pictures and will write them off to a temporary gameex.ini file like this.

[Emulator_167]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=3d Table Sports (1995)(Time Warner Interactive)

TITLETEXT=3d Table Sports (1995)(Time Warner Interactive)

StartPageLogo=3d Table Sports (1995)(Time Warner Interactive)

ROMFilter=

RomsInFolders=False

RomPath=E:\Games\[Killer Instinct]\KI1

SnapPath=E:\Games\[Killer Instinct]\KI1

WorkingPath=E:\Games\[More Great Computer Games ]\3d Table Sports (1995)(Time Warner Interactive)

MapKeys=True

WaitBeforeKeys=

SendKeys=

ReplaceDash=True

ReplaceUnder=True

Capitals=True

RemoveBrackets=False

ShowDesktop=True

Debug=False

MAPFile=E:\Games\[gameexprograms]\generic_game.map

AlsoLaunch=

Command=ts.bat

OLDatZip=

TitlePath=

LaunchBefore=E:\Games\[gameexprograms]\kill_in_between.bat

LaunchBefore=E:\Games\[gameexprograms]\launch_in_between.bat

Its frickin sweet! Keep in mind I use a generic map file that has one entry in it so that the program can launch properly.

Would anyone find this useful... I would gladly post the MXE scripts and any other information.

Check out http://macroexpress.com/. You can download a free trial of this amazing software.

Tom, this would be a cool idea to possibly impliment too, for all the DOS game lovers.

[cracksloth]

i would be very interested. would you consider making the screenshots available for download? if you don't have a host, perhaps you could use:

http://www.sendthisfile.com/

or something similar?

[incubus158]

Yeah..... I am currently running the scripts to acquire the screenshots. And it will totally take a lot of time. Maybe a month or a few weeks! Theres 2400 DOS games. I am deleting games that dont work on windows XP as well. It would be great if you could get this working on your PC and maybe we can split up the screenshot work.

It will take a few script changes to get it up and running on your machine. If you have the exact torrent i mentioned, you need to replace all folder name spaces with underscores so DOSBOX can work properly. But I am sure I can guide you on what you would need to change, the script has comments on the dependencies. I set up the file to be fairly dynamic so you can just point your directories and such. There is also a dependent executable that will take a screenshot (built in autohotkey)(you might not have to install ahk if you just use the EXE)

I will attach the files now. Talk to me more on here on what you think of the script and let me know if you get it up and running. Maybe we can break up the work if you have the same download.

Heres my first version for everyone

http://www.boydpotions.net/davidrenne.com/..._Dos_Script.zip

[incubus158]

Has anyone attempted to use the link on there yet? Also just yesterday I created a macro express script that will renumber all of your emulators and then allow your to specify and "insert" a new emulator inbetween. So lets say you have 200 emulators and you want to insert a new one inbetween your nintendo 64 and your playstation.

For my example, I wanted to insert nintendo 64 game manuals in between my nintendo 64 favorites list and my playstation emulator.

I run the first part of my script which will delete the "_#]" after the Emulator. Then part two of the script will then re-number all of the emulators. And part three will then insert and adjust all your emulators to accomodate the new one you want to insert.

Tom.... as peoples gameex ini files get more and more complicated and organized.... you might want to consider this as some kind of addition. What do you think?

Regardless I am essentially creating a supporting gameex library of functions that people can use with macroexpress and gameex. One of my scripts takes a screenshot of the actual game manual pdf, so users can get a screenshot of what the manual looks like when browsing that section. The script opens up adobe acrobat and then exports a photo with the name of the file. I will post all of the screens soon once I am done.

I will post these, if people are interested as well.

[incubus158]

Anyone get this working?? I do need some help with the screenshots. I need someone to split up the work or something.

I will just let this post die into the black hole that is pages 2 and 3 if I dont get a response.

Why dont you guys check out this script, to see I am a serious macro express programmer and a serious gameex lover. This script is sooo useful to the community. It will renumber and then insert a new space so you can have all your emulators in the order you want.

Try cutting out and reordering the emulators the way you want them ordered. Alphabettically, by genre, or whatever. Then run the "GameEx -> Delete all numbers" script. This script then calls the next script which will insert a new emulator. But if you are just reorganizing, you can just cancel when it tries to run the insert script. It really makes a lot of sense to organize your emulators more using this script.

If it works for everyone I will post it to the downloads thread.

http://www.bodypotions.net/davidrenne.com/...Manipulator.mex

If someone likes the script PM me or please respond to the post. It seems like no one is interested in this stuff.

If you dont yet have Marco Express, come get a trial at http://www.macroexpress.com. It is a really powerful tool.

[headkaze]

I think the problem is Macro Express itself. If you could compile the scripts into an executable then they could be alot more worthwhile. If you have to install Macro Express they will only be useful to people who purchase Macro Express. Money that really should be going to Tom.

Trial versions usually expire, so it will only work for a while. Nice idea though, have you tried writing this in C? I could write something like this in C in no time at all.

[incubus158]

Yeah I think you are right. Really I can create the same thing using autohotkey and I can compile that into an EXE.

Because yea you are right, you would want to use this thing every so often to get your emulators organized.

I guess I would suggest to still use the script with the trial version. But if you just use it with a trial version when you are ready to re-organize your emulators, then you might never have to use it again.

Cause once my emulators are organized the way I want them to be, I probably wouldnt have a need for such a script.

I will look into compiling an EXE though. The algorithm is simple enough. And autohotkey is FREE!

Thats probably why people havent said much about the scripts.... they would work great if the software was free. Yeah the money should go to Tom instead of some f'ing corporation.

[Tom Speirs]

Please don't condone cracking software on this forum. It ends up costing people like me just trying to make ends meat as well as corporations, besides that it breaks the forum rules.

Take this as warning #1 but no hard feelings.

Tom

[incubus158]

Please don't condone cracking software on this forum. It ends up costing people like me just trying to make ends meat as well as corporations, besides that it breaks the forum rules.

Take this as warning #1 but no hard feelings.

Tom

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry bout that Tom.... I edited it out. Not that I want to be a jerk or anything either, I just want to bring up the obvious contradictory thought of how gameex actually does promote piracy as well. You know I love the software, but it has increased my love for emulation.... increasing my desire to collect and organize games.... you know?

I know that GameEx can be used entirely legal if you used strictly public domain roms, but wheres the fun in that?

I write software 50 hours a week as well. I want to keep my job too and do not want people stealing my software. But video games are a type of software too and having one commercial rom on your hard drive is technically a copyright infringement. I mean, in order for you to write the code for GameEx, you did technically have to have illegal roms to unit test your code. Theres just a fine line is all I am saying. Just curious of your thoughts on the subject.