How do you Emu?

[doctor_x]

For once a question that doesnt revolve around phreaking or BBS programs.. At least not directly lol..

 

How do all of you handle multiple emulation's? i.e. if you emulate c64, atari (various), etc.. Do you just have all of the emu's installed with game filename extensions associated with said emulator? Or is there an app that ya'll are using that handles catalogging of roms and also keeps track of what app needs to execute which file type?

 

Or is it a bit of both? I assume fort hose who only emulate the 8 bit atari file extensions or even just loading Altirra and then loading "disks" from there would be fine.. 

 

Just curious.. Thanks for your input!

[+slx]

I have an Emulators folder with subfolders for various systems and further subfolders for software, divided roughly between executables, disc images, ROM files, OSes (Kernals in Com-speak) and various other categories such as DOSes, High Score Club Games, Tenliners, etc.

In reality it‘s a bit less organized than it might sound as this has grown over decades and moved from its origins on an Atari TT emulating 8-bits via two PCs to two generations of Macs, so there are various Atari .PRGs and Windows .exes lurking in some utility subdirectories.

I don‘t use associations but just open all those files from within the emulators, sometimes using the Mac‘s search function in the open dialog.

I mainly use the Atari800MacX and Altirra with very occasional use of Vice for C64 stuff and Stella (which has its own built-in file manager). I have lots more but rarely use them as I never played much on the ST/TT and have few fond gaming memories from that era. With the consoles I am usually too lazy to set up a multibutton controller.

I used to use MAME but all that updating of ROMs drives me crazy and I don’t currently have a working installation.


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[scotty]

I got bit by the emulation bug using PC-Ditto and Magic Sac on the Atari ST back in the day.   When I finally DID bite the bullet and move into the Windows world during the 3.11 days, it was still in my blood.   There were a lot of single arcade game emulators like a Pac-Man emulator and a Space Invaders emulator.  Then some guy named Niclola Salmoria came up with what he called a Multi-Pac emulator that did Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Hangly-Man and one or two more.   After a few revisions, he branched out a little further and added Donkey Kong and Frogger and changed the name of it.   Some program you may, or may not have heard of...  He called it Mame.        There was a web page called the Emulation Repository or something similar.   It hosted it as well as the other emulators of the day.   There were a couple WIPs of a Donkey Kong Emulator.   One was called The 'Kongulator' and the other was the 'Donkulator'  Funny, I know.

 

I was hooked on emulation from the beginning.    Today I emulate anything and everything.   Mame, Altria, Stella, Daphne, Gameboy on a 55" TV, you name it!!  Even the obscure stuff like Virtual Boy using 3D glasses and Action Max.   I love emulation.  As you can see below, I love real hardware as well.   

 

As far as **HOW** I emulate...  Altira I have ATR, ATX, CAR and a few others set up where I can just click on the filename and it loads Altira automatically.  Mame, I use Mame64UI.  I like the UI.   Daphne, I use Daphneloader.  Most of the others I just open the emulator and use it's default UI.   Just discovered EmuHawk recently that does a lot of consoles.  I really like it, but some of the cores need work.  Ms. Pac-Man on the 2600 sounds like crap.

 

For MS-Dos games I use the new 4.0 release of ExoDos.   This thing is AWESOME!!  Handles all the Infocom and Scumm games as well.   I do have a Hackintosh to run modern Mac and a several Raspberry Pi's, one of which is connected the above mentioned 55" TV. 

 

For controllers, I have 2 X-Arcades, a dual and a Tankstick, as well as the original BlissBox and a BlissBox 4-Play.   THIS THING ROCKS!!!  Basically it is an anything -to-USB converter.   X-Arcades, I have one set with 4-ways and the other with 8-ways for whatever game I want to play, but I still use a keyboard quite a bit.

 

[SS]

I have an "Emulators" folder on my C drive with a bunch of separate sub-folders located inside.  Some of the sub-folders are for a specific emulator and some are general for a system with further sub-folders inside.  "ROM" folders are on a separate harddrive, usually linked to within the emulator program itself.  It all makes sense to me but maybe wouldn't so much to someone else.

[+Stephen]

5 minutes ago, SS said:

I have an "Emulators" folder on my C drive with a bunch of separate sub-folders located inside.  Some of the sub-folders are for a specific emulator and some are general for a system with further sub-folders inside.  "ROM" folders are on a separate harddrive, usually linked to within the emulator program itself.  It all makes sense to me but maybe wouldn't so much to someone else.

Hell yeah - someone that does it properly!

[777ismyname]

I wish I kept my house as organized as I did my Emulators folders

 

A couple or three years ago I bought ~100 Dell E6230, E6330, M4700, and M6700 laptops for $1,000 and refurbished and flipped them. I kept three for myself (one each E6230, E6330, and M4700) and use them all for mostly emulator stuff at different locations. I setup a master Emulator folder, then subdirectories with brand name, subdirectories inside those with systems, subdirectories  within those with various files and tools, etc. Emulator >> Atari >> Atari 8 Bit >> ATRs, Demos, Host Drives, OS ROMs, Floppy Drives, BASIC Languages, Non-Basic Languages, etc. within each of those are subdirectories as needed. I recently started using a mapped Microsoft One Drive as a secondary Altirra Host Drive on each machine. It was getting tedious working on stuff on different machines in different locations. 
 

For the Atari 8 bits, I mostly use several portable instances of Altirra, all without associating files. The machines are almost always just put to sleep with a couple of file explorer windows open. I do keep Atari800Win Plus, Atari++, and PC XFormer installed, but rarely use them. Altirra is an absolute elite piece of software and has deprecated the rest, IMO.

 

 

[doctor_x]

Great answers and mostly revolving around what i was looking for..

 

Had no clue the TT did 8 bit emulation.. thats pretty wild.

 

For this hacking/phreaking software archive thing I’m working on I was just trying to find an easy way to do things .. I think just because of the breadth of what a I’m doing its going to be tedious no matter what.

[+slx]

I hate keyboard joystick emulation and usually either use a cheap digital-direction-only USB gamepad or Stella-daptor with an old stick to play. 

 

Remember those one-game emulators, still have one for Phoenix and one for Miner 2949er. 

[+gnusto]

 

I use LaunchBox when not using hardware. You can use Launchbox for free, but I found it so useful and liked the features enough to pay for it (not affiliated in any way, just a user). If you look on the left you'll see a lot of emulated platforms, the middle is part of my A8 collection, right is details on the game selected.

 

For many simple systems it's completely automated, has scrapers to find all the box covers/data from filenames. Since the Atari is more rare than say Nintendo systems I had to fill in a lot of data myself - I updated the Launchbox automated database for all the best/highest rated stuff, but I'm waiting until they build a feature that allows me to hoover up everything I've entered automatically as it's a pain to submit each game individually. The online database isn't as good as say Atarimania when it comes to high detail, history of the games and the like - but it has many more platforms to worry about, and gets the basics of images and descriptions right.

 

It's Windows only in terms of computer platforms, but has an Android version as well.

 

For Altirra I had to write a small launch utility that did some housework. Launchbox is biased to emulators that take single files (emulated roms) and have common settings for most games within a platform. Since Atari games vary based on a lot of cumulative settings, and often come in multi-disk format, I wrote a little C# utility that will parse from the filename and set obvious flags (like looking for (GB) or (PL) and setting /pal), then sort the disks and add them in the right order as /disk parameters. You can also do this by just adding settings on a per game basis, but that's a lot of work - even with single file games like XEXs you sometimes have to deal with PAL only, or OSB, etc.

 

Much like other people in the thread, having been doing emulation for a long time, I also have a database of sorts in the way I even lay out the files. Emulators themselves in one area, "Content" in another, sorted by platform, then by major type.

[Mclaneinc]

As an emulation super god  I have drives set just for emulation, in fact apart from net use that is all my machine is for, good old emulation..

 

File types are useful with files that are only known to a system like CAR and ATR etc but bin and rom files are just used all over the place so file association becomes less useful. For some I use custom written scripts by me under directory opus on Windows, its a BRILLIANT replacement for explorer and can act as a front end, its a little pricey at 50.00 UK but it actually is worth it and one of my rare software purchases (usually I use free stuff).

 

For most stuff I use a gamebase, a wonderful frontend of sorts where people have collected and databased games with screen shots, covers, user manuals etc etc all under one program, dead easy to use and if you use the Atari Gamepack I'm associated with then its basically the same thing. Using one frontend for becomes all systems can be awkward and confusing hence I used indidual games bases mostly. Things like RetroArch are nice but overly cumbersome to use initially, for someone new to emulators I'd suggest just compartmentalising your emulators with the games, applications etc in their own folders with a suitable emulator and then if things like gamebases take your fancy then move on to them.

 

ALso things like Launchbox rely on command line interface use which not all emulators fully support for some needed settings, obviously Altirra thanks to Avery is perfect if a frontend is needed as over the years he's added little command line stuff especially for gamepacks etc. I'm not saying Launchbox is bad but its a payable item and there's stuff out there which are free and more lightweight on resources.

 

Hopefully that answers some stuff Dr X, if you need anything else just ask, emulation is my thing, from Atari to colecovision to consoles, handheld etc etc I'm in that mix..

[TGB1718]

I use a specific drive for my emulators, it was my main SSD until I upgraded, so its plenty big enough.

My emulators sit in their own installation directories with shortcuts to them, but all my .ATR's , ROM's etc are

in one folder on the same drive. I have a seperate folder with Books, Diagrams etc, too.

 

 

 

[Mclaneinc]

SSD's are a must if you emulate things like WiiU or big disk games, normally the emulators in tandem with a powerful PC are enough but SSD'd take a few of the lags out of the disk emulation....Shame about the cost of the bigger drives

[Mr Robot]

I use RetroPie for all gaming emulation with a custom emulationstation theme in the living room on a big tv with PS3 controllers. 

 

For computer emulation on my mac I have an automator action for each computer that runs a custom python script that knows how to launch files based on custom tags that I put in the file names (similar to TOSEC). I associate the files with the automator action so they get a correct custom icon and a double click will run the file correctly. If I just want to power up an emulated computer, the python scripts know how to launch into a known config when there is no file being passed, so I have custom Icons for each computer in the mac dock linked to them.

 

File and ROM storage is similar to @SS

 

[MrMaddog]

Like some here I started emulation on the ST from the 8-bit emulators, like ST Xformer, to ST emulators on the PC's which made going to WintelLand easier to stomach.

 

For Atari computer emualtion I just run the emus themselves and use the file selector.  I group each ROM cart, disk and executable files in a subdirectory.  On the ST emulators like Steem I not only have a directory for disk images but also a mounted folder to use as a hard drive for stuff I can run from the GEM desktop.

 

On arcade & console stuff I do use frontends.  I still use HyperSpin and RocketLauncher for MAME games even though it's getting long in the tooth. LaunchBox is great for organizing games by system and whatever catagory you want to make.  I also use it for keeping all my DOS based games I bought from digital storefronts (ie. Steam, GOG, Origin...) in one place.  For console games I use that to either run in RetroArch or dedicated emulators via RocketLauncher so I can have bezels & CRT shaders.

 

 

[zzip]

19 hours ago, doctor_x said:

For once a question that doesnt revolve around phreaking or BBS programs.. At least not directly lol..

 

How do all of you handle multiple emulation's? i.e. if you emulate c64, atari (various), etc.. Do you just have all of the emu's installed with game filename extensions associated with said emulator? Or is there an app that ya'll are using that handles catalogging of roms and also keeps track of what app needs to execute which file type?

 

Or is it a bit of both? I assume fort hose who only emulate the 8 bit atari file extensions or even just loading Altirra and then loading "disks" from there would be fine.. 

 

Just curious.. Thanks for your input!

I wrote a front-end where I select the system and the game from menus.   The roms are stored hierarchically like /Brand/System/roms.   My front-end knows that certain file extensions mean disk images, others mean cartridge image and still others mean tape image,  so it sends the appropriate flags to the emulator when it launches them.

 

Each emulator has a config file that tells it what maps to what, and what flags need to be sent to handle it, so that new emulators can be added without writing new code.

[TGB1718]

21 hours ago, Mr Robot said:

I use RetroPie for all gaming emulation with a custom emulationstation theme in the living room on a big tv with PS3 controllers. 

 

For computer emulation on my mac I have an automator action for each computer that runs a custom python script that knows how to launch files based on custom tags that I put in the file names (similar to TOSEC). I associate the files with the automator action so they get a correct custom icon and a double click will run the file correctly. If I just want to power up an emulated computer, the python scripts know how to launch into a known config when there is no file being passed, so I have custom Icons for each computer in the mac dock linked to them.

 

File and ROM storage is similar to @SS

 

I tried RetroPi and found it to be a bit hit and miss, the 2600 emulation is good, the 800 not so good and most other systems I could only get a couple of games running

so gave it up as something just not worth the effort

[Mr Robot]

2 hours ago, TGB1718 said:

I tried RetroPi and found it to be a bit hit and miss, the 2600 emulation is good, the 800 not so good and most other systems I could only get a couple of games running

so gave it up as something just not worth the effort

You were doing it wrong.

 

RetroPie relies heavily on RetroArch and RetroArch runs almost everything from the 2600 to the SNES/PSX almost perfectly (you'd have to be a real expert in a particular system to see any issues), it struggles with N64 and Dreamcast but some titles are playable. Saturn, Jaguar and anything newer are unplayable. Aside from RetorArch there are a lot of other emulators supported, the quality of those varies but most are 'very good'. This is all with a Raspberry Pi 3, I haven't tried it on a Pi4 yet. If you run RetroPie on a decent PC you can also do all the newer systems.

 

 

[Ute]

I had an empty Vader 2600 so I put a Raspberry Pi on the inside and modified the case a little bit. I can play 2600, 5200, 7800, NES, SNES, Sega, Arcade, and as Mr Robot mentioned some N64.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2019 by Ute
Additional photo

[Mclaneinc]

I was given a Pi (older one) in a trade a couple of years ago but never thought of using it for emulation as I knew some stuff would struggle on it...Its a nice idea and ideal for the less demanding systems and great to give the kids asan all in one box, mind you, they would probably want Fortnite of GTAV instead, blood thirsty little sods

 

My old heap of a PC runs most stuff ok, even Breath of the Wild in Cemu but as I own a switch (shared with my daughter) I'd play it on that instead. Cemu is a great feat tho, some nice stuff on it...

[+Larry]

I took the easy route: C64 Forever and Amiga Forever and also (SID) Music Star under Vice II, but I only use them occasionally.  SID more than anything. They all work great.  The issue that I have with all emulators (no matter how faithful) is the irritating keyboard transposing. Of course for playing games, that's not much of a problem. (And I guess that EclaireXL must be classified as an emulator, so I have that too.)

 

So here is a question -- is the 1088XL an emulator?  From my limited knowledge, I'd say not, but it does use a foreign keyboard, and the motherboard is quite different. If we get to the point of having replacement chips (Antic, etc.) from FPGA, will those machines be emulators? 

 

[Mr Robot]

The whole "is FPGA emulation" argument rages on. It's more accurately described as hardware simulation, not software emulation. Depending on the metrics you use to measure it it can pass the 'emulation' test, the difference is subtle and extra tests need to be included to differentiate it from emulation. 

 

If your only metric is "does it use the same keyboard", there are some Atari 400's with aftermarket keyboard addons that pass your emulation test. If you want to take the time to design a PS2 keyboard with keys in the right places you can have a matching layout on your XEL/XLD.

[Mclaneinc]

My only question would be, is it 100% compatible...If not then I'd class it as emulation until it rectified that..