What versions emu to use with GameEx

[TitanKing]

Hi guys,

I am considering buying GameEx, I have a very well setup XBMC media center. However, emulators (which I run individually through advance launcher) seems to be my hardest challange setting each one up perfectly, from controls to how they quit. I got snes9x to work nicely with most ROMS at least.

Before I invest into GameEx, could a willing person please help me with a few questions?

1. What versions emulators should one use with GameEx, is there a recommendation somewhere?
   
2. For instance, I downloaded MAME 0.147, but for the life of me, I hardly got 3 games to work, the rest available on ROM sites are always missing files or something, is this because the mame version is too new?
   
3. What is a good resource website for ROMS with GameEx?
   

I would appreciate any help or guidance greatly.

[Draco1962]

Welcome to the GameEx forums. I will be glad to address your questions as follows:

1. What versions emulators should one use with GameEx, is there a recommendation somewhere?

This all depends on what you are wanting to emulate. GameEx is compatible with almost all emulators and especially those that offer command line options.

2.For instance, I downloaded MAME 0.147, but for the life of me, I hardly got 3 games to work, the rest available on ROM sites are always missing files or something, is this because the mame version is too new?

Whenever you update to a new version of MAME, you should use a ROM manager such as ClearMAME Pro to manage and upgrade your ROMS to the latest version.

3.What is a good resource website for ROMS with GameEx?

You will need to use your favorite search engine for that. We do not provide ROMS, links to ROMS or ROM sites nor discuss such here as it is against forum rules.

Hope this is of help!

[TitanKing]

Wow thanks Draco, I did not expect a reply this fast! I love an active community. Sorry about point 3, I should have read the rules.

I appreciate your feedback, do you think for a person like myself who is fairly new to emulators that something like GameEx is a better option than setting up multiple emulators?

[Draco1962]

Keep in mind that GameEx is a front-end, which means you will need to download,install, and configure an emulator for each system you hope to employ outside of GameEx first. Next, you will need to tell GameEx where to find the ROMS, snaps, etc. I have played with ROMCenter and Advanced Launcher via XBMC and, to be honest, it is a royal pain in comparison to setting them up to run through GameEx.

[TitanKing]

Keep in mind that GameEx is a front-end, which means you will need to download,install, and configure an emulator for each system you hope to employ outside of GameEx first. Next, you will need to tell GameEx where to find the ROMS, snaps, etc. I have played with ROMLister via XBMC and, to be honest, it is a royal pain in comparison to setting them up to run through GameEx.

Oooh, I though GameEx was a way to generally configure controls and screen-resolution for the multitude of emulators, if you have to fine tune all the emulators anyhow, I think XBMC as a standalone would be fine then.

Thank you very much for your help!

[Draco1962]

GameEx will download the emulators for you. XBMC is an HTPC solution and can be used as a front-end through the use of plugins. Not sure how you can get away with not setting up the emulators to work through XBMC without some work on the outside within the emulators themeselves. In either case, you have to do some fine -tuning and tweaking as neither XBMC or GameEx do so "automagically" so I guess I am not quite understanding of what you are attempting to do.

[Kustom Kid]

The way I see it, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, XBMC is a media centric program in which you can launch and play emulators through. GameEx is a emulator centric program in which you can play media through. They both have their learning curves, pros, and cons. Personally I use Windows Media Center and launch GameEx through WMC. I've also dabbled with XBMC, but I've found that the combination of WMC and GameEx, and a few other add-ins and tweaks, give me exactally the experience I want out of my HTPC. Oh, and you don't have to buy GameEx right out. Download it and give it a whirl. You do lose some functionality (still better than most, if not all, paid programs though), and you have to sit through a nag screen, but you'll have a really good idea of wether it's the right program for you or not.

[TitanKing]

Well guys you have been a great help! Yes, I guess tweaking emulators is all part of the fun right. XBMC AdvanceLauncher is a great, it lets you download the artwork of each game, it is a bit of a tedious task if you have a few hundred games but I have been tweaking them to perfection even my xbox 360 controller can exit, add coins etc.

Currently I only have SNES and MAME games, I think this is where my childhood ended. I am not sure if there are any other emulations people would highly recommend. Note that I am heavy into gaming from PC to Mame, I am really after the entertainment aspect of it all and not so much the childhood memories. I find SNES and MAME very entertaining, can anyone recommend anything else?

[smd111]

nes,atari2600,saga genisus,saga saturn,n64,playstation,GBA,GBx,etc

[Stu1983]

I've been using both XBMC and GameEx for years and although I've played with Advance Launcher in XBMC I've never gotten half my emulators working correctly. GameEx provides much more control over launching the emulator as you can also kick off additional processes to help more awkward emulators get up and running. It also provides the option for nice extras like a video for each game rather than just a screenshot.

For my current HTPC build I'm using XBMC but I have added a Games item to the main menu which then kicks off GameEx so the 2 can happily live in harmony

[TitanKing]

I've been using both XBMC and GameEx for years and although I've played with Advance Launcher in XBMC I've never gotten half my emulators working correctly. GameEx provides much more control over launching the emulator as you can also kick off additional processes to help more awkward emulators get up and running. It also provides the option for nice extras like a video for each game rather than just a screenshot.

For my current HTPC build I'm using XBMC but I have added a Games item to the main menu which then kicks off GameEx so the 2 can happily live in harmony

Mmm... this sounds like a good idea... maybe I should go this route.

[Stu1983]

Yeah it works great and I think you'll find a lot more support from people here on getting your emulators up and running in GameEx

Now all I need is for Chazz to release his Confulence:GEX theme and I'll have the perfect setup

[Draco1962]

I second Stu's recommendation. GameEx development continues to gain steam (pun intended as we just added Steam integration!). Using GameEx with MCE or XBMC can only be a win-win for anyone inclined to do so.

[nullPointer]

Yep, I completely agree with Stu and Draco on this one. I’m also launching GameEx via XBMC. Two great tastes that go great together, as they say.

Also if I may be candid for a moment, I’m always a bit astounded by the volume of bad emulation advice I see on forums not specifically dedicated to the hobby (although this is completely relative I suppose). It would be like if this forum decided to start giving XBMC advice. While I’m sure we’ve got members knowledgeable in XBMC, our knowledge base would run nowhere near as deep as the more official outlets.

Edited October 1, 2012 by Draco1962
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