Cant use switches in cmd and how to have surrounds for handhelds

RetroArch Windows devices
#1

Hi Folks,

I’ve recently started getting the basics of RA up and running on my server2008r2/kodi media machine - it’s great, really good work. I have a couple of questions/problems though:

I’m having trouble running it from Kodi/Rom Collection Browser. This lead me to try running it from the command line…

Running Retroarch.exe opens RA just fine (double clicking in explorer or from cmd), but as soon as I add any switch(s) to load a core or rom, absolutely nothing happens. There’s no message at the command line, it just goes to a fresh line ready for another command. I can’t find any log that mentions what’s happening. Retroarch.exe --verbose does the same, as does Retroarch.exe --help.

I’m hoping to end up able to run something like this, as it’s how RomCollectionBrowser would run RA (I think): c:\Retroarch\retroarch.exe -f -L genesis_plus_gx_libretro.dll “c:\ROMs\Lotus Turbo Challenge (UE).zip”

UAC’s dissabled and the user I’m running as has full rights to both c:\retroarch\ and c:\roms. How can I find what’s wrong?

How should I go about having the nice surrounds, for at least the hand-held systems like gameboys? I’ve used the updater to download them, and am sure I found a setting to enable them somewhere, but I see no sign of them when running a game.

Thanks in advance,

James

#2

Try using the retroarch_debug executable with the --verbose switch. It will give you more meaningful information.

For the borders, you can either do overlays using the onscreen overlay system or border shaders. Most of the fancy ones you probably see floating around are in shader form, in handheld/console-border. You can either make a config override that uses your desired border with just that single core or you can create an entirely different config file and load it with -c /path/to/config.cfg (each method has its own pros and cons).

#3

Thanks. Sorry, I should have mentioned: I get the same when trying retroarch_debug --anything.

I’m at work atm, I’ll retry the borders when I get home tonight.

#4

Maybe I didn’t experiment with retroarch_debug as much as I thought last night, it was late. I’ve been able to have a quick play remotely., over remote desktop (I dont expect to be able to run everything like this, but hope to see RA at least trying)

If I run retroarch_debug.exe -f -L cores\genesis_plus_gx_libretro.dll “c:\ROMs\Lotus Turbo Challenge (UE).gen” -verbose I can see RA try to open, then ‘stop working’. The cmd window stops at RetroArch [ERROR] :: Failed to load content. RetroArch [INFO] :: Does not have enough samples for monitor refresh rate estima tion. Requires to run for at least 4096 frames. I’m hoping this would work when at the PC, but might be failing because I’m running it over RDP.

Running this though: retroarch_debug.exe -f -L cores\genesis_plus_gx_libretro.dll “c:\ROMs\Lotus Turbo Challenge (UE).zip” -verbose I end up with this: retro_read_file: Failed to open c:\ROMs\Lotus Turbo Challenge (UE).srm: No such file or directory.

Why would it be looking for a .srm for a megadrive/genesis game (especially when I’ve specified a genesis core)? (.srm is a snes saved game, right?)

Both the .zip and extracted .gen are in the ROMs folder. I’d like to be able to run these roms as they are, .ZIPped. Lotus Turbo Challenge (UE).zip can be run just fine (when at the PC) if I start retroarch.exe with no switches, and then choose the ROM and Core from within RA.

I may just be confusing the issue trying to look at it remotely though… I’ll double-check once I’m hope. I’d still appreciate and comments/advice though.

#5

Yeah, I don’t think it works over RDP.

#6

I’m really not execting it to…

I was hoping to see it fail because of the remote connection, rather than seeing nothing as I was before. (and I may have, I’ve at least had some feedback!) That’s as close as I might be able to get to seeing it run before I get home tonight. I’ll forget trying to make progress remotely now though.

I’d still like to undestand why it’d be looking for a .srm though… It’d be pretty strange if that were down to me being remote wouldn’t it?

I’ll re-try what’s in my last post once I’m back in front of it all

#7

RetroArch puts most saves into SRM files just to avoid a million different extensions. It’s one of the holdovers from our SSNES days, along with our face button naming scheme.

#8

That explains it, thanks.

#9

The face button layout scheme also applies to the most popular series of retro-style gaming platforms of all time: Famicom/NES, GB, SFC/SNES, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS. To use any other face button layout scheme would be daft. Those companies like Sega and Microsoft that mixed up the button layouts destroyed a huge potential customer base with that one decision. RetroArch aims to please the biggest crowd of retro gamers.

#10

I’ve just been able to open one of my favourite childhood games (truxton), from both the command line and then from within RCB!

I think it’s fair to say it was down to me both copying things that were incorrect (path to core seems relative to RA, absolute isn’t necessary-but the cores folder is. using ‘cores\DLLName.dll’ did the trick), and me having miss-typed the genesis core .dll name at some point (I’d been trying ‘genesis_plus_gx_libreto.dll’, but the file’s ‘genesis_plus_gx_libretro.dll’. I’m not sure when I introduced this problem)

I’m not sure how I didn’t find both things using retroarch_debug last night. I still swear I tried and didn’t get anywhere.

Just in case it helps anyone else who might read this, that makes the final command that works (from a cmd command prompt, CDd to the retroarch folder): [B]retroarch.exe -f -L cores\DLLName.DLL “FullPathToROMs\RomFileName.zip”

[/B]In RomCollectionBrowser, setting Emulator Command to: RetroarchPath[B]retroarch.exe [/B]and Emulator Params to: -f -L cores[B]DLLName.DLL "FullPathToROMs\RomFileName.zip" [/B]works a treat for my Megadrive/Genesis ROMs… now it’s working, I’m suprised I didn’t get it going last night. Easy once you know how, eh!

I’ve since moved the Retroarch folder into c:\Program Files\ and changed paths to suit and everything still runs nicely.

my next job’s to make other systems ROMs work in RCB (hopefully just duplicating things’ll work out), then to getting the overlays/borders working for the handhelds.

Thanks for all your help so far hunterk.

#11

Glad you got it working :slight_smile:

Be careful with it in Program Files, as it won’t be able to do certain things properly due to permissions.

#12

I’ve got all my other systems set up and running great now, with one minor exception: Dreamcast A handful of the .CDIs I’ve got start up just fine. Every bleedin one asks me to set the time/date every time I start them though. Anyone know how to set it and it stay set pls?

Also, in crazy taxi, the right triggers working but its like pulling the trigger all the way equates to not even half way in the game. Thr car goes, but really slowly. I can’t see any mapping options that might help.

And how’s saving work with the DC? TIA!