Bsnes v091 rom path problems

[shanti]

ok, so been trying all night long with no luck

My SNES romset is in SMC, so I used purify wich comes with bsnes and it converts my roms to SFC, the problem is that it puts each rom into a separate folder (and the file is named program.rom and a manifest.xml) and gameEx does not seem to work with this way, it shows "no games"...

so my question is, has anyone gotten bsnes v091 to work with gameex? or is there a program that will convert my smc files to sfc in one go and that outputs actual sfc files?

Thanks in advance!

[shanti]

well... it was a pain, but I managed to make a workaround... for anyone interested,

1.- if you have all your roms in SMC firsrt "purify" them with the included tool in bsnes, you will get a lot of folders named {rom}.sfc

2.- rename all of your smc files to sfc.

3.- move your newly renamed files to the Roms path set in GameEx for SNES

4.- open GameEx and it will find all of your roms, but they won't work, exit GameEX

5.- delete all of your .sfc files and move the folders to the same path, now you should have basically the same "files" but they will be folders

6.- open GameEx and your games should work

[fRequEnCy]

If converting your roms and they are being put in their own folders than you can just set it to search roms in folders. There is a setting in Setup Wizard for this and then just set your filters to filter out just the games.

[Stu1983]

You can launch roms through purify.exe that comes with bsnes

I haven't set it up in GameEx but if you just have your roms all in 1 folder then just tell GameEx to launch

purify.exe "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]

"

You also need to use the 'Keys To Send' to send 'F11' to go fullscreen

You don't even have to convert the roms first as purify will convert them before passing them to bsnes

What I don't like about this method is that purify will take a copy of your converted rom and store it in the bsnes directory structure. So this means you'll actually end up with 2 copies of each rom

[Stu1983]

If converting your roms and they are being put in their own folders than you can just set it to search roms in folders. There is a setting in Setup Wizard for this and then just set your filters to filter out just the games.

The problem with search roms in folders for this is that it needs to take the name from the folder name e.g.

After conversion you end up with:

Roms\Super Mario World\program.rom
Roms\Super Mario World\manifest.xml
Roms\Super Mario Kart\program.rom
Roms\Super Mario Kart\manifest.xml

[fRequEnCy]

The problem with search roms in folders for this is that it needs to take the name from the folder name e.g.

After conversion you end up with:

Roms\Super Mario World\program.rom
Roms\Super Mario World\manifest.xml
Roms\Super Mario Kart\program.rom
Roms\Super Mario Kart\manifest.xml

Ahhhh ok. A simple solution for that would be to use search & replace in the map file that is generated and just rename everything to the left of the delimiter to "program.rom". Would take seconds if went that route. I'm not familiar with how these roms are affected since I leave mine intact. But that would be one solution to I'm sure many.

[shanti]

You can launch roms through purify.exe that comes with bsnes

I haven't set it up in GameEx but if you just have your roms all in 1 folder then just tell GameEx to launch

purify.exe "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]

"

You also need to use the 'Keys To Send' to send 'F11' to go fullscreen

You don't even have to convert the roms first as purify will convert them before passing them to bsnes

What I don't like about this method is that purify will take a copy of your converted rom and store it in the bsnes directory structure. So this means you'll actually end up with 2 copies of each rom

ahh this is a great solution, not perfect yet (because of the double roms :S) but its easier than my solution

[shanti]

Ahhhh ok. A simple solution for that would be to use search & replace in the map file that is generated and just rename everything to the left of the delimiter to "program.rom". Would take seconds if went that route. I'm not familiar with how these roms are affected since I leave mine intact. But that would be one solution to I'm sure many.

by "map file" you mean the one GameEx generates? this could probably work, but who knows, I am starting to find out bsnes is a PITA when used with a FE

[fRequEnCy]

by "map file" you mean the one GameEx generates? this could probably work, but who knows, I am starting to find out bsnes is a PITA when used with a FE

Yes. The one that is generated by GameEx based on settings and filters. Simply edit the file and then save as an alternate file since it will be overwritten by GameEx if there are ever changes. Then just call on the map file in Setup Wizard. That's one easy fix for this. If I knew more details on how this worked, I could suggest more but this is something that could be done very quickly since this is how you have your roms.

[shanti]

Yes. The one that is generated by GameEx based on settings and filters. Simply edit the file and then save as an alternate file since it will be overwritten by GameEx if there are ever changes. Then just call on the map file in Setup Wizard. That's one easy fix for this. If I knew more details on how this worked, I could suggest more but this is something that could be done very quickly since this is how you have your roms.

thanks, I am going to try it when I get home

[shanti]

thanks, I am going to try it when I get home

no, this didn't worked, it seems that bsnes loads the "folder" rather than the program.rom

so if I use my method it works, but I still find it far from perfect, unless you never update your roms :/

I guess Stu1983's method would be the best one, except for the double roms... :S

[Adultery]

Taken from BSNES's homepage:

Not sold on game folders? Then use purify's play game option instead. In this mode, you can choose a game file, and purify will make a game folder copy and begin playing it. Even better, purify supports incorrect extensions (like SMC), copier headers, compressed archives, and so on and so forth!

Don't want to use the purify GUI to launch bsnes? Again, you're in luck! You can associate either bsnes or purify with your ROM images, so that when you double-click them, purify will convert them and open up bsnes for you automatically.

Best of all, you can do this every time. Your saves will be copied over on the first game folder conversion, and kept intact on every subsequent run. So you can treat the game image as the game itself, and not even concern yourself with the existence of game folders. In much the same way that you don't concern yourself now with the existence of save RAM files or cheat code files. They just work behind the scenes.

The only limitation at this time is that the bsnes GUI does not have a file browser. So you will have to close the emulator and load another game. I'm currently working through ideas on how to address this, so please be patient.

In a nutshell, why are you using purify at all? you can just launch the game the same way you always did, regardless of extension.

[Stu1983]

In a nutshell, why are you using purify at all? you can just launch the game the same way you always did, regardless of extension.

As far as I'm away if you use bsnes.exe the rom just gets sent to purify.exe, converted, stored in bsnes' structure and launched through bsnes.exe... you still end up with 2 rom sets.

bsnes really is a pain in the ass... I gave up on it very quickly... what real benefit does it offer? I know it's the most accurate but what games does it really play so much better than the likes of SNES9x? I'm not a huge SNES gamer but I've played tons over the years and never noticed any problems.

Stu

[fRequEnCy]

no, this didn't worked, it seems that bsnes loads the "folder" rather than the program.rom

so if I use my method it works, but I still find it far from perfect, unless you never update your roms :/

I guess Stu1983's method would be the best one, except for the double roms... :S

I guess I'd have to download this to troubleshoot. Sorry! What is your current command-line?

[shanti]

Taken from BSNES's homepage:

Not sold on game folders? Then use purify's play game option instead. In this mode, you can choose a game file, and purify will make a game folder copy and begin playing it. Even better, purify supports incorrect extensions (like SMC), copier headers, compressed archives, and so on and so forth!

Don't want to use the purify GUI to launch bsnes? Again, you're in luck! You can associate either bsnes or purify with your ROM images, so that when you double-click them, purify will convert them and open up bsnes for you automatically.

Best of all, you can do this every time. Your saves will be copied over on the first game folder conversion, and kept intact on every subsequent run. So you can treat the game image as the game itself, and not even concern yourself with the existence of game folders. In much the same way that you don't concern yourself now with the existence of save RAM files or cheat code files. They just work behind the scenes.

The only limitation at this time is that the bsnes GUI does not have a file browser. So you will have to close the emulator and load another game. I'm currently working through ideas on how to address this, so please be patient.

In a nutshell, why are you using purify at all? you can just launch the game the same way you always did, regardless of extension.

this is what Stu1983 said, and it works but you end up with 2 copies of the same rom, so much hassle for an emulator... I might just give up bsnes after all and just go with Snes9x

and btw, it does not work as he says it does... specially not with gameEx, if you drag a file (or open one trough the comand line) nothing happens, you have to actually click the "play game" button and then select the file, and even that it only worked 50% of the time...

[shanti]

As far as I'm away if you use bsnes.exe the rom just gets sent to purify.exe, converted, stored in bsnes' structure and launched through bsnes.exe... you still end up with 2 rom sets.

bsnes really is a pain in the ass... I gave up on it very quickly... what real benefit does it offer? I know it's the most accurate but what games does it really play so much better than the likes of SNES9x? I'm not a huge SNES gamer but I've played tons over the years and never noticed any problems.

Stu

yeah, I am about to do the same... I have it working with my workaround, but I do not know if it was worth all of the hassle, besides it seems to run about 30% slower than Snes9x (I know, accuracy, but still).

[shanti]

I guess I'd have to download this to troubleshoot. Sorry! What is your current command-line?

this is the current command line in gameex.ini

Command=bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]"

the problem seems to be that GameEx does not see the roms, since they are folders, because if I use my workaround, it works perfectly if there was a way to make GameEx treath the folders as roms then it might work

Thanks for your time!

[fRequEnCy]

this is the current command line in gameex.ini

Command=bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]"

the problem seems to be that GameEx does not see the roms, since they are folders, because if I use my workaround, it works perfectly if there was a way to make GameEx treath the folders as roms then it might work

Thanks for your time!

Then why not change command-line to:

bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]"

[Adultery]

Well the other problem you're gonna have is that they get renamed when you put them in folders. Here's an example of Final Fight 3 for SNES:

You see the folder structure? All your games are gonna have the same name ... program.rom ... since the game name is the folder and the extension is also in the folder name. Then the solution is map files that need to be made for all the systems it supports to ix that. Then it slowly becomes more and more of a PITA, especially to get it humming just right. Then there's the fullscreen issue (although you can make it launch full screen by changing the setting in the XML which is located in USER > AppData > Roaming or some ass-hat-ish place like that.

I only use this emulator for BS Zelda. Still love me some ZSNES.

[shanti]

Then why not change command-line to:

bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]"

tried that, doesn't work

I am just going to forget this Emulator, going to use Snes9x or Zsnes

Thanks for the time!

[fRequEnCy]

tried that, doesn't work

I am just going to forget this Emulator, going to use Snes9x or Zsnes

Thanks for the time!

Don't give up quite yet as it would benefit all to figure this out since bsnes is rated high for this console. We can try some real-time support to figure things out if interested.

Edit: I just tried what I suggested from command-line and it worked for me so in turn should work in GameEx. So perhaps could give more info like exporting your config so we can have a look see.

[shanti]

Don't give up quite yet as it would benefit all to figure this out since bsnes is rated high for this console. We can try some real-time support to figure things out if interested.

Edit: I just tried what I suggested from command-line and it worked for me so in turn should work in GameEx. So perhaps could give more info like exporting your config so we can have a look see.

I am up for it if you are

when I changed what you suggested bsnes loaded, but it said "no cartridge loaded"

I changed this

Command=bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]"

for this

Command=bsnes.exe "[ROMPATH]"

the problem is that GameEx does not see the folder structure that bsnes requires as "roms", see my workaround, that works perfectly, but this assumes you will never add/remove rom files or you will have to do it all over again :S

I can have bsnes open sfc files directly, and gameex sees them, but bsnes will create a copy of the rom which translates in unnecessary files, I guess we could just delete this files when we exit, but bsnes saves everything within the folder (gamesaves, bat, etc, etc) so you won't be able to save anything :S

and btw this creates another problem, this is how it works... bsnes.exe calls purify.exe, then it converts the sfc to the required format, then it calls bsnes again, since gameex monitors the files running it will think bsnes has ended (on the first call to purify) so it goes back to the menu, and bsnes then launcheson the background...

the only solution I can think of is have gameex read the folders as roms only for bsnes...

Like I said before bsnes is a big PITA

[fRequEnCy]

Please export your config so that I can see what settings you have so that I can figure out a way to tweak to get it to work. It's easily done in command-line. Now we just need to translate it to do as you mentioned (read the folders instead of roms).

[shanti]

Please export your config so that I can see what settings you have so that I can figure out a way to tweak to get it to work. It's easily done in command-line. Now we just need to translate it to do as you mentioned (read the folders instead of roms).

if you tell me a way to do that I will

but I just added bsnes directly from GameEx then replaced the files in c:\emulators\bsnes with the 091 ones and did the changes you suggested, other than that I didn't do anything to the ini

[Draco1962]

This link will give you the instructions you need to post your emulator config via Setup Wizard. Whenever dealing with issues for a specific emulator problem, it is best to provide the emulator config from GameEx in addition to the gameex.ini and log.txt file generated after the issue occurs when attempting to play a game from within that emulator. Thanks!