Feature & Enhancement Requests

[nullPointer]

If I understand what Nullpointer is suggesting, by using a symbolic link, you can keep them in separate directories (I believe that Windows 7 calls these "Libraries" but I may be wrong). Not sure how that all works.

Hi guys. Sorry for the late response, I spent the weekend with my family in Fairmont Hot Springs. Our two year old twins had a blast in the pools (and were exhausted at the end of the day). Any hoo, figured I'd clarify a bit regarding symbolic links. Basically they're like windows shortcuts on steroids. The symbolic link sort of funnels everything into the directory it points at. You can also think of it as a redirect.

You can treat a symbolic link as itâ??s own directory (i.e. it shows up separately in Windows Explorer), but it simply points at its target directory. You end up with two 'logical' directories, but only one 'physical' directory. In short you still have only one directory that contains both videos and snaps, but you have two directories that point at it:

E:\Emulation\Assets\System\Snaps >>>> Same physical directory with Snaps and Vids

E:\Emulation\Assets\System\Videos >>> Same physical directory with Snaps and Vids

This solution doesn't help keep everything organized by type, but it does save some overhead so that when the Emumovies Download service looks for its default directory names it will automatically download content into the correct GameEx friendly directory (via the symbolic link).

Wow, that was sort of a long winded response.

tl;dr: If youâ??re into Windows geekery and donâ??t mind using the command line, symbolic links provide a temporary workaround for a minor problem that may or may not go away in the near future.

[hansolo77]

Just re-pasting this from the other thread:

Also, is there any planned functionality to have a setup somewhat like X-Box Live's messaging service? I think it'd be really cool if you could press a button, and have it pop up a window that displays information, like what friends are online, what they're currently playing, an ability to join them, an internal messaging system, etc. Just think, I load up GameEx, and it alerts me that Adultery has sent me a message. Then I can read it, reply back, and go on my way. Then while navigating around in the menus, it can pop up an alert that he's online. Then later that he wants to play a game with me, which would then have the ability to link right to that game so I don't have to find it. What would REALLY make this shine is if there was a way to have it popup during a game, but probably MAME would be the only possible option for this. UNLESS you could have an audio alert that GameEx plays regardless of what emulator is running. Then when you return to GameEx you could see the indication.

[permag02]

Hello, Ive recently bought this program and one of the selling points for me aside from it being amazing and all; is the ability to decompress a file. I just want to add some feature request in addition to the ones in the first page (compression/decompression):

1.) The ability to kind of like "cache" a file. The program unzips the file to a temporary folder and then deletes it when done. What if we can select 1,5 or 10 recent file to not be deleted and whenever the program unzips a file, it checks whether it is already there with a simple filename/size or hash check?

2.) Also decompression again, can we have like an option to choose a target folder from where all our unzip roms will be stored/cached? This is I think similar to the request in the first page but I'll add another reasoning on why we need it. Performance related, we can put the unzipped files to a faster harddrive like an ssd(expensive but...).

3.) A simple progress bar when a file is being unzipped. I was waiting for a large file to be unzipped and I thought that GameEx just froze.

Thanks for this amazing program and hoping for more features in the future.

[hansolo77]

GameBase extras....

Currently GameEx links to all the extras available for a given game, like Snaps, Titles, Box, etc when available. I'd like to see another ability to have VIDEOS, and be able to use Circo's EmuMovies. Right now, there's no direct (or indirect?) way to map a Video Snap path through GameEx since it is just using the GameBase frontend database.

Also, a feature to have a controller's image appear when loading a game, similar to other emulators. I'd like to be able to know what key's I've mapped to my gamepad for options like (On the Atari 800) System Reset, Option, Select, Start, etc.

[dukeofarcadia]

A simple and essential new feature would

have to be the ability to let any individual menu have it's own music score..

and not just emulator menus... it's also weird to have the option to put music

to any emulator.. and yet you can't even give mame it's own score different from

the general music or other emulators.

Otherwise very happy with the purchase..

It's awesome!

[AlphaUMi]

Recently I thought about three new simple features that would made us even happier navigating GameEx.

1- Tell me if I'm wrong, but we don't have the ability to scroll the lists one page at a time using the joypad. I mean the same functionality you have in GameLauncher, or in any word processor using the PageUp and PageDown keys. I know I can use the keyboard to jump directly to a certain letter or file, but using the joypad would be better...

When you have to scroll through a list of 900, 1000 or even more roms, the process could be very slow, mostly if you are using GameEx with a cab and don't have the keyboard at hand.

We should be able, for example, to set a certain joypad button in Setup Wizard, and when in a list, we could press and hold that button and, with the up and down directional key, jump through the list one page at a time. Very useful in my opinion.

In short: joybad button + up or down: scroll list one page at a time.

2- Ability to save the search we made for future reference. GameEx could keep track automatically of our searches and save them in case we need to consult the results again. For example, put the case I search for Mario Bros Games, I get a long list of games. A can't remember all of them. Consulting the search entries without repeating the search would be useful. Obviously, we should be able to delete the entries we don't wont anymore (maybe using the CANC button, like in the rom list?).

3- Ability to customize the theme at 100%, including the AutoUpdate1.png and the Bezels used in game, accordingly with the theme's style. This way, when we change a theme we have pictures that match with the theme, varying according to the theme's style.

In short, my opinion is to bundle AutoUpdate1.png in the theme package, and make GameEx able to read the \THEMES\YourTheme\Autoupdate1.png, according to our current theme, instead of having only one update screen.

And as Adultery suggested in another thread, Bezels should be there, too.

What do you thing about these suggestions guys?

[hansolo77]

Recently I thought about three new simple features that would made us even happier navigating GameEx.

1- Tell me if I'm wrong, but we don't have the ability to scroll the lists one page at a time using the joypad. I mean the same functionality you have in GameLauncher, or in any word processor using the PageUp and PageDown keys. I know I can use the keyboard to jump directly to a certain letter or file, but using the joypad would be better...

When you have to scroll through a list of 900, 1000 or even more roms, the process could be very slow, mostly if you are using GameEx with a cab and don't have the keyboard at hand.

We should be able, for example, to set a certain joypad button in Setup Wizard, and when in a list, we could press and hold that button and, with the up and down directional key, jump through the list one page at a time. Very useful in my opinion.

In short: joybad button + up or down: scroll list one page at a time.

2- Ability to save the search we made for future reference. GameEx could keep track automatically of our searches and save them in case we need to consult the results again. For example, put the case I search for Mario Bros Games, I get a long list of games. A can't remember all of them. Consulting the search entries without repeating the search would be useful. Obviously, we should be able to delete the entries we don't wont anymore (maybe using the CANC button, like in the rom list?).

3- Ability to customize the theme at 100%, including the AutoUpdate1.png and the Bezels used in game, accordingly with the theme's style. This way, when we change a theme we have pictures that match with the theme, varying according to the theme's style.

In short, my opinion is to bundle AutoUpdate1.png in the theme package, and make GameEx able to read the \THEMES\YourTheme\Autoupdate1.png, according to our current theme, instead of having only one update screen.

And as Adultery suggested in another thread, Bezels should be there, too.

What do you thing about these suggestions guys?

#1 - You can! Not sure what the mapping would be in your specific case, but for me, it's button #1 (the top left button on the controller).

#2 - Good point. It already remembers the last played games, there should be another menu option for Last Searched games.

#3 - Theme modifications are always being worked on, and the last flux of new updates is proof of this. Give Tom time to work out all the bugs, I'm sure anything you want will eventually be worked out!

[AlphaUMi]

Forget request #1. Thank you hansolo for letting me know. I missed that option!

[Draco1962]

Enhancement request - Add Theme Used and Resolution details to Statistics - individual and on GameEx Live.

[starbuck]

Posted Yesterday, 11:33 AM

When ever I start up GameEx I have to wait while it loads various settings and Databases for systems that I'm not going to be playing. Since we are picking a system from a list, why not only load the settings and database for the selected system at the time I select it. Seems like this would reduce the cpu time and memory useage. I known it only loads up a handfull of the settings and databases, but why load setings and databases for these others systems that I'm not going to play. When we escape from that system and go back to the list GameEx could remove that database and setting from memory.

[hansolo77]

Posted Yesterday, 11:33 AM

When ever I start up GameEx I have to wait while it loads various settings and Databases for systems that I'm not going to be playing. Since we are picking a system from a list, why not only load the settings and database for the selected system at the time I select it. Seems like this would reduce the cpu time and memory useage. I known it only loads up a handfull of the settings and databases, but why load setings and databases for these others systems that I'm not going to play. When we escape from that system and go back to the list GameEx could remove that database and setting from memory.

Just to re-iterate, he's referring to this thread: http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=10249 which suggests having 2 databases. 1 database that stores the names/emulators for matching a game with another emulator, and 1 database for each system that contains the details about the game. This would cut load times by not loading the "details" for each emulator, but rather only when that system is accessed.

[mundane]

Hi,

I'd like to request a feature please. If possible, in the PDF view in GameEx could an alternate "Fit to Page" view be added (meaning the entire current page would be shown on the screen) in addition to the current "Fit to Width" view it has.

Many Thanks,

Stefan

[Draco1962]

Enhancement Request - Display - Would like to see more options for displaying Dates within Themes. Currently it will only display the Month and Day (September 10 for example). Examples of aditional formatting options would be as follows:

mm/dd/yyyy - 09/10/2011

mm/dd/yy - 09/10/11

mm/dd - 09/10

yyyy/mm/dd - 2011/09/11

yy/mm/dd - 11/09/10

This is just a sampling of the various date formats used as there are quite a few depending on country/region. This would be extremely helpful in theme design as the spelled-out month takes up considerable space in comparison to a numeric date. I think being able to set this via Display Features in the Setup Wizard would allow for greater flexibility in changing the dates to fit within country or cultural standards.

[AlphaUMi]

Enhancement request for PDF viewing:

Hallo Tom!

I know, we just had the great "fit page to screen" feature, and did you notice how many good comments it has received?

Maybe I'm an hassle, but in the end this is only a request.

What about to further improve the PDF viewing mode, adding a fantastic "two page at a glance" feature? I mean viewing two whole pages side by side, fitting the screen, without scrolling.

I have scans of many old videogame magazines, but this mode would be perfect for comics or manuals, too. Magazines, comic books and manuals often are supposed to be read with the book "open", i.e. viewing both the pages in front of you. Mainly this is the case when an imagine stands half in the left page and half in the right page, or when an article has a particular pagination.

I think this could be the perfect and final completion for the PDF feature in GameEx.

Hope this is technically doable.

Cheers,

Alpha.

[Draco1962]

+1 to Alpha's suggestion. If the Select feature could toggle the views from standard, to fit page, to display two pages side-by-side (not unlike the Change View toggle in GameEx), then I would think it to be doable.

[Adultery]

I thought it did this already?

/me confused

[AlphaUMi]

I thought it did this already?

/me confused

Please, how? Maybe I'm missing something and now I'm more confused than you...

[Adultery]

Nope I misunderstood what the update was for. I can't really test until I figure out an issue I'm having. Sorry for that.

[Sliver X]

I was wondering if you would consider adding file manager functionality to GameEx.

Perhaps something similar to the Library function, but could browse drives on the system (Instead of predefined media folders) with a context menu for things like Copy, Cut, Paste, Delete, etc.

I currently have a file manager called NexusFile V set up on my media PC, but having basic file management would be very nice to have within GameEx itself.

[Draco1962]

I was wondering if you would consider adding file manager functionality to GameEx.

Perhaps something similar to the Library function, but could browse drives on the system (Instead of predefined media folders) with a context menu for things like Copy, Cut, Paste, Delete, etc.

I currently have a file manager called NexusFile V set up on my media PC, but having basic file management would be very nice to have within GameEx itself.

While GameEx does not have that, you could load your program as a separate application via the Setup Wizard.

[Adultery]

^+1 on that, although a right-click menu within GameEx isn't a half bad idea.

[Sliver X]

^+1 on that, although a right-click menu within GameEx isn't a half bad idea.

I do. However, it kind of sucks having the Jukebox cut off, the jarring switch from GameEx and having to use mouse emulation for an onscreen keyboard.

[AlphaUMi]

I would like to suggest another thing.

At the moment, when you are in a specific game menu and scroll through titles, manual, cartridges, an so on, when you highlight the game music or the manual, you get the game snap in the preview panel. It would be better if, instead of that snap, we could have the default image for Jukebox and for e-books, respectively for game music and game manuals. I said the default image: what I mean is the pre-defined image that comes with your current theme.

This would make more sense, in my humble opinion.

Cheers,

Alpha.

[T. Goodchild]

I'd like to suggest a numbered second delay and disable fade button for the pop-up descriptions for games. As it is, you have to keep the selection over the game for a few seconds before the info is displayed. I'd personally like the pop-up to be instantaneous as it is with the artwork and videos with no fade-in as soon as it is selected.

[Hunk_4TH]

Would it be possible to update the casino,majhog,other card related type games? I've manually deleted a lot of them but I noticed some still load up in attract mode