GameEx user-friendliness

[EmuFanSince1998]

I paid for GameEx, but, before that, I was trying it out to see if it was worth it. I almost gave up while going through the setup. I've been using emulators since '98, obviously, and have an IT job, but I was having trouble understanding how it was supposed to work. Is an effort under way to make it more user-friendly and/or to eliminate all of the separate .exe's in favor of creating a single stream-lined interface? The only other frontends I've ever used were MAME32, MAMEUI, and Maximus Arcade. GameEx is better than those and has more features, of course, but it's also less user-friendly during setup/configuration. I took a look at HyperSpin videos but was turned off by the wheel and the crazy graphics flying everywhere, so I didn't try it. GameEx is my choice, but I wish it was less cluttered and easier to use.

[Adultery]

That's why we're here!

It's intimidating at first true, but if you ask questions the community has helped far less technically inclined people get it where they want to be.

[Draco1962]

Work is continuing to improve the setup wizard and advanced configuration to streamline some of the core default locations of various emulators and the file paths . As with any program, it continues to evolve and is dependent upon its users to submit Feature Requests to drive features & fixes as is possible. I can tell you that, since it is a front end, you will never get away from separate .exes for each emulator. Those programs are not the author's and, as emulators come and go, this is something I would not expect to change.

The forum is the best place to locate documentation that is not covered by the FAQs. If have any suggestions and examples, please post them in the Feature Requests thread.

[EmuFanSince1998]

Work is continuing to improve the setup wizard and advanced configuration to streamline some of the core default locations of various emulators and the file paths . As with any program, it continues to evolve and is dependent upon its users to submit Feature Requests to drive features & fixes as is possible. I can tell you that, since it is a front end, you will never get away from separate .exes for each emulator. Those programs are not the author's and, as emulators come and go, this is something I would not expect to change.

The forum is the best place to locate documentation that is not covered by the FAQs. If have any suggestions and examples, please post them in the Feature Requests thread.

I didn't mean separate .exes for each emulator. That I understand. I mean the separate .exes in my GameEx folder. There are too many. Ideally, there should be one that handles everything. For instance, one .exe that, once executed, has a different tab for each type of configuration.

[Draco1962]

Again, there are different executable files for different applications that come as part of the whole of GameEx. Not sure where the confusion would be in that. Same applies if you purchase MS Office. There is not one executable you access to load Excel or Word, etc. When you use GameEx, you are using a suite of programs. Sometimes you will invoke them from within GameEx, other times individually outside of it. There are some, such as the Advanced Configuration utility and the Setup Wizard that replicate the same functions, just in a different way.

[Adultery]

The reason for this is that many of the EXEs in question are the work of others, and other entire programs. In some cases the source code is not available. In other cases, the EXEs are standalone programs.

GameEx does what it does and the user should never need to go into the GameEx folder except on rare occasions. The only EXEs that the user would need to access are linked into the start menu.

For example: HiToText is a program written by someone else (over on BYOAC I think), the Config Utility is Headkaze's work, the weather plugin EXE is a plugin and not part of GameEx code. You get the idea.

[nullPointer]

I didn't mean separate .exes for each emulator. That I understand. I mean the separate .exes in my GameEx folder. There are too many. Ideally, there should be one that handles everything. For instance, one .exe that, once executed, has a different tab for each type of configuration.

In regards to some features I can definitely see what you're saying. For instance I've thought for some time that GameEx could probably do away with the Advanced Emulator Config program, since (I think) the exact same functionality is available via the Setup Wizard (and the Setup Wizard is prettier )

In other cases though, I think it's a matter of personal preference. I migrated to GameEx from Maximus Arcade (after a hiatus from the emulation scene). It always drove me bonkers that MA would prompt me to setup non-configured emulators every time I ran the app. I realize that this behavior was configurable in MA, but this was the default behavior. In this case I would have highly preferred that MA had a separate app for this function in order to keep the actual Frontend interface as clean as possible. This may be an invalid example since MA in fact did have a separate app for this function, but the fact is that it was so buggy and unreliable in terms of actually saving your configs that MameSeer himself recommended against its use (Also if a secondary app was included anyway, why the default behavior described above).

For my money I like to keep the actual frontend interface clean and dedicated to it's intended purpose. If this means separate apps are required for configuration, themes, plugins, and utilities I'm pretty much OK with that.

Were there any apps in particular that you think would be good candidates for integration into the main app?

[Adultery]

{OFFTOPIC} I would cry if the Advanced Config Emu was done away with. Us old schoolers still do things the long way.

[nullPointer]

{OFFTOPIC} I would cry if the Advanced Config Emu was done away with. Us old schoolers still do things the long way.

I have a feeling you're not alone there. I see quite a few of the long time users mentioning Advanced Emulator Config a lot more than Setup Wizard. Probably comes down to which ever one you used first. I do wish I could run the Setup Wizard in full screen though. Hmmm . . . [HEADS OVER TO FEATURE REQUESTS]

[Adultery]

I guess for me it's the difference between regular math and "new math". My kids tell me I'm wrong all the time, but no matter the approach the answer is still the same.

[fRequEnCy]

I tend to run both setup applications, depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. The setups are kinda hard to understand at first but once you get the hang of it then it's very easy. For stuff I don't remember, I tend to read the help context a lot. Even so, both apps have their pros and cons. I myself am writing a new setup application for GameEx as a learning process to vb.net. Maybe some day I will release and hope to simplify things for new user. Adultery and Tom are the only ones who are aware of it and Adultery is the only one who has seen a peak screenshot.

[wubble]

{OFFTOPIC} I would cry if the Advanced Config Emu was done away with. Us old schoolers still do things the long way.

But it's not the long way, if you know where to look. I use Advanced Config 95% of the time because I can jump straight to the setting I want to change, save and quit in seconds.

I only use the wizard for a few things, like alphabetising my emulators.

[fRequEnCy]

But it's not the long way, if you know where to look. I use Advanced Config 95% of the time because I can jump straight to the setting I want to change, save and quit in seconds.

I only use the wizard for a few things, like alphabetising my emulators.

Advanced Config alphabetizes emulators for you with a setting found in Enable/Disable Features section on the 3rd page called Sort List of Emulators. Help context on this feature is as followed:

Sort the list of emulators setup by name

[wubble]

Well don't that beat all!

[mesk]

Advanced config all the way! its so much easier to fine tune stuff with it vs the setup wizard

[ehuonder]

If the Advanced Config is Old School, I guess I'm older than dirt... I still prefer 'vi gameex.ini'. (That's a text editor for you young folk! )

[Brian Hoffman]

If the Advanced Config is Old School, I guess I'm older than dirt... I still prefer 'vi gameex.ini'. (That's a text editor for you young folk! )

LOL

The INI has grown alot, I used to edit it manually to allow for more emulator groups and emulated systems.

[Adultery]

^It lives!

[fRequEnCy]

LOL

The INI has grown alot, I used to edit it manually to allow for more emulator groups and emulated systems.

Sure has. In my years here, it's grown ridiculously. Only worth editing by hand if you're familiar with the settings as us senior members are. The setup apps make it easy to deal with. They both offset each other and offer things that the other doesn't. So glad they co-exist. I hope my app that I'm writing will compete and be used.

[fRequEnCy]

^It lives!

It! LOL. Miss ya Brian!

[Adultery]

+1

No one left to keep the peace without ya!

[fRequEnCy]

+1

No one left to keep the peace without ya!

I know Brian! Help me! Help me! I hate these guys! LOL.

[Brian Hoffman]

Ok.. That's it, all you guys are banned..

[fRequEnCy]

Ok.. That's it, all you guys are banned..

Yay! Now I can have a life again! Now you can give the support all by yourself!