Using Shortcuts?

[uberpubert69]

Did a quick search and didn't see anything, but can I use shortcuts that lead to my Roms in my setup?

What I want to do is create separate "best of" lists for all my consoles since 90% of them have fullsets. It gets overwhelming for my friends to have to sift through all the poop to get to the good games. So I was thinking about making separate folders and putting shortcut files to all the best games in them that way I don't have to physically copy my games to another folder and double my space taken.

Just don't know exactly how I'd set that up in the configuration.

[Evilforces]

Hi uberpubert!!!

Seeing your problem , I think it would be a good idea to make lists of favorite games for each system ( and not just a general) . I would also like to do this you say to find my "best" games for all my systems.

Hopefully Evolution can do this.

[uberpubert69]

Hi uberpubert!!!

Seeing your problem , I think it would be a good idea to make lists of favorite games for each system ( and not just a general) . I would also like to do this you say to find my "best" games for all my systems.

Hopefully Evolution can do this.

Hey man!

Yeah the general favorites is cool and all, but individual favorites lists would be sweeter and less cluttered imo. That's why I'm just gonna set up new "systems" in my menus that just contain the best of each regular (fullset) system I have set up already. Just want to know if there are any specific commands that are necessary for shortcut files.

[nullPointer]

I would recommend using a map file for this purpose, rather than using shortcuts. You can definitely create a game list of shortcuts (using *.lnk as your ROM filter), but the question is, will each individual emulator honor the shortcut file as a ROM file? I would guess that in most cases it will not. Alternately you can configure each game shortcut to actually be a shortcut to the emulator executable and enter the individual ROM parameters as part of each Target path, but ... ugh ... that would be time consuming and miserable (IMO).

Long story short, a map file will do what you're trying to accomplish with a minimum of fuss.

[Draco1962]

And Adultery has a handy dandy Mapfile Maker app! There ya go!

[uberpubert69]

well wait a minute. I have zero experience with MAP files and regarding their place in the config do I just make a duplicate of each system and just use the map file on each duplicate? I thought MAP files only renamed files, not make like an ignore list though. I also can't see which plugin allows me to make map files though I remember messing with it a long time ago.

[RedDog]

Howdy Uber,

Map files are actually quite easy to use and create. You are correct in that they can be used to display a cleaner game name, but one of the other features of using MAP files is that only those entries in the MAP file will be displayed in your game list. I actually use MAP files for all of my emulators so that I can control the games that are listed as well as use nicely formatted titles.

If I understand how you want to set up your favorites, you are going to set up each emulator a second time and that second iteration of each is going to be for the favorites. If that is correct, when you set up an emulator a second time, make the settings (except perhaps the emulator name, NES Favorites?) exactly the same...except that you will assign a MAP file.

How do you create MAP Files?

Use a text editor to create a .txt file. Then, add a line for each game like this:

rom name "display name"

For example:

1943 - The Battle of Midway (U) [!].nes "1943 - The Battle of Midway"

720 (U) [!].nes "720 Degrees"
8 Eyes (U) [!].nes "8 Eyes"

When you are done, save the file as a .txt file using whatever name you like. You can save the file where ever you want. You will then need to browse to that file and change the extension from .txt to .map. Lastly, assign the path to the file in the Emulator setup. That's it. For that emulator, only those entries will be listed.

There is a little program called Map File Maker that you can use to make MAP files and it's ok. I ended up using Excel and Notepad++ to create all my map files. Since you are only dong a favorites list for each emulator, the number of entries will probably be pretty low for each, so I would think that doing it manually should not be too bad.

[Evilforces]

First of all thanks all of you for your replys and help.

I have a question just for curiosity....

Is it difficult to implement a list of bookmarks for each emulator as is done with the list of general favorites? Technically it would be possible ?

The truth is that the MAP files is a good solution, but the convenience of being able to go through your list of games and press a single button to add or remove your favorite is a blast.

I would like to create from the GameEx config different lists with their respective names IE ( Favorites SEGA , Nintendo Favorites , Favorites Master System, etc ... ) . then go to a game and press the button " add to favorites " and show a list asking what favorites list want to add your game. This would be awesome !!!

It is surely very difficult to implement it and for this reason has not been implemented . I will try to set a MAP file to view the result , but having to configure each emulator by hand is a bit tedious. I prefear a more visual/direct way!!!!

However , GameEx still the best frontend in my opinion!!! God Save the King of Frontends!!!

[nullPointer]

Historically the ability to add multiple favorites lists is probably one of if not the most popular GameEx feature request. I think it would be awesome as well! It would help to prevent using up multiple emulator slots for the purpose of manually constructing favorites lists. I think it's definitely something that's on Tom's radar, but not likely something that we'll be seeing in current-gen GameEx. I'm right there with you though, I'd love to have this ability! One thing I've always dreamed about is the ability to create "series lists' to encapsulate entire series of games. Imagine a "Super Mario Brothers list" which contains every game in the SMB series across all platforms. Awesome!

[uberpubert69]

I have often wanted to do a series list as well! But yeah, I doubt a multi favorite list would get added to the current GameEx.

@RedDog Thanks for the super easy to understand instructions, you hit it right on the money as that's exactly what I'm gonna do. Gonna be a bit tedious still but worth it in the end!

[RedDog]

Glad I could help.

[DazzleHP]

Map files are actually quite easy to use and create. You are correct in that they can be used to display a cleaner game name, but one of the other features of using MAP files is that only those entries in the MAP file will be displayed in your game list. I actually use MAP files for all of my emulators so that I can control the games that are listed as well as use nicely formatted titles.

If I understand how you want to set up your favorites, you are going to set up each emulator a second time and that second iteration of each is going to be for the favorites. If that is correct, when you set up an emulator a second time, make the settings (except perhaps the emulator name, NES Favorites?) exactly the same...except that you will assign a MAP file.

How do you create MAP Files?

Use a text editor to create a .txt file. Then, add a line for each game like this:

rom name "display name"

For example:

1943 - The Battle of Midway (U) [!].nes "1943 - The Battle of Midway"

720 (U) [!].nes "720 Degrees"

8 Eyes (U) [!].nes "8 Eyes"

When you are done, save the file as a .txt file using whatever name you like. You can save the file where ever you want. You will then need to browse to that file and change the extension from .txt to .map. Lastly, assign the path to the file in the Emulator setup. That's it. For that emulator, only those entries will be listed.

There is a little program called Map File Maker that you can use to make MAP files and it's ok. I ended up using Excel and Notepad++ to create all my map files. Since you are only dong a favorites list for each emulator, the number of entries will probably be pretty low for each, so I would think that doing it manually should not be too bad.

Absolutely awesome post RedDog! Couldn't have put it better myself

Historically the ability to add multiple favorites lists is probably one of if not the most popular GameEx feature request. I think it would be awesome as well! It would help to prevent using up multiple emulator slots for the purpose of manually constructing favorites lists.

Amen to that! It's so often requested i'd be quite surprised if it wasn't implemented in Evo in some way. I personally dream of having "genre lists" that will let me choose all fighters from all systems, or all shmups from all systems etc. Also the "series link" idea if feasible would be phenomenal!.

Of course these things would need some quite thorough and intricate databases to pull off... If only we had a DB Guru on our side...

[uberpubert69]

^ I want it all!

I realized a negative thing from creating duplicate systems. Now when I play a game like SMW on SNES it says "Other Systems" SNES....

[uberpubert69]

Just realized as well how ASStronomically long it takes for GameEx to actually load up my lists/databases now. :/