[Dev Diary] TypeXtra - A Taito TypeX launcher

[RedDog]

You young whipper-snappers got no respect these days for us elders...why back in my day...something about potatoes and liking it that way...oh, I'm too old to remember....

Sadly, I won't be of much help for at least a few weeks. I am away from home without emus and assets. I wish you luck though.

[stigzler]

no worries. enjoy your trip

[Draco1962]

Emumovies has the HD video themes that will look great with these running via GameEx Arcade Edition. You can find them under /Official/Video Themes (HD)/ArcadePC (Video Themes - Unified)(4x3)(HD)(CriticalCid 1.0) via the FTP.

[Draco1962]

So far the launcher is working well with Arcana Heart 2, BlazBlue Continuum Shift, and Giga Wing Generations. Takes a little bit to get used to where to make the changes, but dammit man it is easier than I recall trying to setup just one game and it still not working!

So how do we set this up in an emulator config to launch via GameEx or AE?

[DazzleHP]

9 minutes ago, Draco1962 said:

So far the launcher is working well with Arcana Heart 2, BlazBlue Continuum Shift, and Giga Wing Generations. Takes a little bit to get used to where to make the changes, but dammit man it is easier than I recall trying to setup just one game and it still not working!

So how do we set this up in an emulator config to launch via GameEx or AE?

OMGZ! Totally forgot bout Giga Wing Gens!! *ahem*

As for commands, does it not work like the original? Set up as PC and create shortcuts to each .exe? i'm sure that's how i did it before but my memory is total shite tbh and may be stigz does have a plan

[stigzler]

Thanks for testing it out, Draco.

Dazzle's part way there. It creates shortcuts to the launch files and then  you boot via:

http://retrorigs.biz/MagoDokuWiki/doku.php?id=software:typextra:start

e.g.s:

TypeXtra.exe -gs "AH3"

or

TypeXtra -gl "Arcana Hearts 3"

Get the game names via using the Create Shortcuts feature + point GE at them for the game names. 

There's help documentation built in off the Settings menu (admittedly, cobbled together - don't like documentation!)

EDIT: Damn - sorry Draco - I gave you a bum steer on the cmd line. Now corrected

 

[Draco1962]

I was only able to generate a few shortcuts using the app. Not a deal breaker as I can create my own. Got both BlazBlues running. Calamity Trigger does seem to be touchy, sometimes "crashing" between "rebels" and sometimes not. I think part of the issue is compatibility mode. 

[stigzler]

Ah. I haven't play tested any of the games. That might be helpful. If it's launching then it's likely the exe and like you say either the compatibility mode or some other gubbins. For example, Battle Gear 4 only runs if you put the exe into compat mode for XP SP3 (this is always a useful compat to try first as this was the OS of the time). 

Working on a "getting started" overlay, Draco following your feedback - you know - the type where it circles a button then says "do this first" then "do that next" etc...

Real men never read instructions so silly of me to think that people would look in the help before getting stuck in!

[Draco1962]

I actually read them. I like the idea of a step by step whenever possible.

[Draco1962]

Justy so you are aware, this is going swimmingly so far. There are a lot of games to acquire but this has been pretty fun. Now working on a few shortcuts and testing the results via AE.

[DazzleHP]

On 8/30/2017 at 5:43 PM, stigzler said:

Real men never read instructions so silly of me to think that people would look in the help before getting stuck in!

HA! So true!

21 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

Justy so you are aware, this is going swimmingly so far. There are a lot of games to acquire but this has been pretty fun. Now working on a few shortcuts and testing the results via AE.

Have you tried the Raiden's yet? I had real trouble with them.

 

EDIT: BEFORE Stigz' venture i should add! I'm talking about two years ago they were trouble

[stigzler]

Both Raidens work fine.

[DazzleHP]

On 31/08/2017 at 8:58 PM, stigzler said:

Both Raidens work fine.

ATI or Nvidia? At the time i had an ATI card an they ran like a dropped curry. No matter what i did. Now i have an Nvidia, so it would be difficult to compare performance, but hey, if you can sort them out you are def a hero of mine

[stigzler]

ATI.

[stigzler]

On 30/08/2017 at 5:37 PM, Draco1962 said:

I was only able to generate a few shortcuts using the app. Not a deal breaker as I can create my own. Got both BlazBlues running. Calamity Trigger does seem to be touchy, sometimes "crashing" between "rebels" and sometimes not. I think part of the issue is compatibility mode. 

As a matter of interest on Calamity Trigger - how are the graphics and are you running NVidea or ATI?

[Draco1962]

Graphics for CT look great. I am running on nvidia. 

[stigzler]

aha. Must be the ati video card issue then

[Draco1962]

A quick update. I am able to launch the games I have setup so far via both the Play button within your app as well as the shortcuts. I am also able to list the games in GameEx AE. I am not able to play the games through GameEx as it acts like it is loading, but then stays at a black screen and I can hear the arcade ambience and selector sounds in the background. I can alt-tab to the launcher generated error box with the error InitRenderer noted. Research online turns up almost nothing that I can find as a solution. Have any of you attempted the same via AE or GameEx?

[stigzler]

No, although command line function was mid-dev. Was working from cmdline console when coded. 

Have you tried via the command line without gameEx?

[Draco1962]

Command line works the same as using the shortcut. Is there a command line switch that may force the games fullscreen windowed?

[Draco1962]

I am going to look through this gem from Adultery... has been a while!

 

[stigzler]

Naw - I wouldn't run via the shortcuts, I'd run via TypeXtra as the launcher. Use the shortcuts to get the "romnames"

Just quickly tried it. Weirdly, runs fine from command line alone, but not from GE. I'll investigate further...

[stigzler]

@Draco1962

OK. Solved it. You have to "show desktop" in advanced emu setup, else it doesn't work (for some reason).

This Setup should work:

Working path: Path of the TypeXtra.exe file.
ROM Path: Path to the shortcuts you have created from TypeXtra.
Command Line: If you created your shortcuts using the Shortnames (e.g. Arcana Heart 3 shortcut is named 'AH3') then use '-gs' instead of '-gl'

Finally:

That should do it.

[Draco1962]

That seems to have done the trick! Calamity Trigger loaded without a hitch. Raiden 3 loaded fine, but that DXWin window would not go away.

[stigzler]