Creating alternate lists of games

[jeffjohnvol]

I have a collection of ROMs, some of which are the japanese mature variety. They aren't too offensive if you don't mind nudity, but they are not ones I would want my kids to see. But if I have some guys over for poker, it would be nice to have them available.

I have found how I can disable the mature section and run "update list" to remove them, but is there a way I can capture an update such that I don't have to run through the whole update a second time? I have a lot of ROMs and it takes awhile to do.

Perhaps there's a config file that gets created that I can swap out?

Thanks.

[bkenobi]

You can have two different configs of GameEx and launch them depending on which list you want. I think the easiest way to do this would be to install GameEx and configure it one way. Then, copy it to another location and modify the config of one or the other to the second setup. You would then launch whichever you need to get the list you desire.

There is one other semi undocumented way. If you use the admin key combo, you can enable everything quickly. I don't think this requires updating the list, but I could be wrong. Also, I don't remember what the combo is...

There was a feature request several people made way back when to have password protected lists for just such a reason (inappropriate games, rated movies, explicit music, etc.). I don't think it was interesting to Tom, so it's unlikely it will be incorporated.

[jeffjohnvol]

You can have two different configs of GameEx and launch them depending on which list you want. I think the easiest way to do this would be to install GameEx and configure it one way. Then, copy it to another location and modify the config of one or the other to the second setup. You would then launch whichever you need to get the list you desire.

So would that basically mean copying the GX folder to GX2 and then launching a different shortcut from the GX2 directory?

Thanks.

[bkenobi]

That would be the easiest way to go. As far as I know, there's no reason it wouldn't work having 2 copies installed as I don't believe the registry entries point to a specific install location. You can try by just renaming the GameEx directory and giving it a try. As long as it works (it should), you should be able to have 2 copies and change the config for the second.

Yes, you just have 2 links, one for each one.

1) GameEx

2) GameEx (Mature)

for example...

[Tempest]

That would be the easiest way to go. As far as I know, there's no reason it wouldn't work having 2 copies installed as I don't believe the registry entries point to a specific install location. You can try by just renaming the GameEx directory and giving it a try. As long as it works (it should), you should be able to have 2 copies and change the config for the second.

Yes, you just have 2 links, one for each one.

1) GameEx

2) GameEx (Mature)

for example...

You can do this with command line options in Gameex. No need for two different Gameex directories.

Q: Are there any command line options for GameEx.exe

A: Yes, you can specify a different configuration file to use by using config=

eg. gameex.exe config="c:\program files\gameex\config\myconfig.ini"

-quick has the same affect as setting gameex to not play the startup video, intro animation and intro sound. e.g. C:\program files\gameex\gameex.exe -quick

-listupdate makes GameEx update the MAME game list then exit. e.g. gameex.exe -listupdate.

-dvd launches GameEx as a stand alone DVD player, and starts playing an inserted disc.

[bkenobi]

No, you can't do what he's asking via the command line. The command line options will allow you to launch GameEx and update a list or use a different config, but you are still using the same set of database files that are stored in the same location in the GameEx directory structure. To accomplish having multiple lists without having to change settings and rebuild your list each time, you need to have different locations for those databases. That CANNOT be changed and so it is impossible to do.

You need two installs to do this ATM...

[Tempest]

No, you can't do what he's asking via the command line. The command line options will allow you to launch GameEx and update a list or use a different config, but you are still using the same set of database files that are stored in the same location in the GameEx directory structure. To accomplish having multiple lists without having to change settings and rebuild your list each time, you need to have different locations for those databases. That CANNOT be changed and so it is impossible to do.

You need two installs to do this ATM...

Damn! I thought I was on to something too!

[bkenobi]

I was just thinking about this problem this morning and had a thought...

What if you set up an application in each copy of GameEx that just ran a registry file to change the shelled application? That way, you could switch between versions very easily if you are shelled out. I'm thinking you might want to have access to the mature games for whatever reason. Maybe you have a version that's kid friendly as far as look and feel and a more complicated one for adults. Maybe you have a party setup and an HTPC setup. In any case, you might want more than one style of GameEx setup but still want things to boot straight to GameEx.

Here's my thought:

1) Create 2 .reg files that sets the shell location to the alternate versions of GameEx.

2) Create an application item in the normal version of GameEx that launches the registry file to switch to the mature version. Call this application "Switch to Mature GameEx" for example.

3) Create the same setup in the other copy but point to the non-mature version of the .reg file.

When you reboot the machine, you will be switched to the other copy of GameEx. So you basically just have to wait for the machine to reload rather than changing settings and rebuilding your list.

Another option I was thinking about was writing a somewhat more complicated switching script for going to the Mature version. I was thinking it would be good to have a password of some kind. Basically, you would use AHK to prompt the user to enter a key/joystick combo. If it matched, it would prompt the user that Mature GameEx would launch next time and run the .reg file. If it didn't, it would prompt the user that the password didn't match and maybe even add an entry to an access log file of some kind. This script would be *relatively* easy to put together, so if there's any interest, I might play with it this weekend if I have time...

[jeffjohnvol]

Although I'm a programmer by trade, I'm not familiar enough with windows scripting to know how to do that.

Sounds like an interesting solution, but may be a little complicated for me.

I think I'm leaning towards the dual directory solution that was discussed earlier.

What if I used a USB flash drive as a "key" instead of a password?

What would be interesting is if there was a way to have the GX data on a shared directory, say G: drive which maps to a certain directory on C:. Then if there was a script that could check for the existance of a file on say a USB jump drive, and then set the G: share accordingly (to either C:\GX\ or C:\GX_MATURE\, that might work. Then, I wouldn't need to worry about a password, I could use the USB flash drive as a "key". I could probably get a 256K version nowadays for under $5.

Or for that matter, I suppose I could have two flash drives, each with 1GB one that has the normal configuration, and the other that has the MATURE configuration, and then just swap those out. Would that work?

[bkenobi]

The flash drive key would be interesting. I was thinking that AHK would be a good candidate for the scripting language, but you could use anything you want really. It would be a matter of checking for the existence of a file and maybe doing a hash check if you wanted to go that far. Then, have the script map a drive to a certain location. You might find that subst would be a good command for this. Then, you just have it setup so that GameEx always starts out of the "G:\program files" directory (for example). That would work and would allow for a switch at startup rather than launching prior to the switch.

OHHH, you could also have a check at startup that asked for a password (key/joystick combo) and if wrong, it would boot standard GameEx. If you got it right, it would map the Mature directory to the target location.

That's a pretty interesting idea....

[Tempest]

Maybe Tom could add password protection to the adult games. Key combo? Just a thought....

[bkenobi]

A password has been requested in the past, but has not been interesting enough for incorporation. It would require a way to say what is and what is not considered mature. Maybe it could be done fore MAME, but perhaps the same thing is needed for emulators too. What about videos and/or movies? I personally think a mature content password would be awesome, but potentially a big PITA! Also, what about previews? If it's mature, do you get to see a preview? I mean, either it's displayed in the main list and you have to take care of it, or it's only listed in an alternate "mature content" rom list.