Asaki wrote on 2022-07-31, 15:14:

Any chance for a 320x200 graphic mode? (mode 13h?)

Not for now at least, for a simple reason. Both in text and graphics mode I use the graphics card character generator.

A 320x200 mode require the implementation of a custom font rendering with maximum 4x8 pixels char size to maintain the same 80 columns obtained at 640x480 or in text mode.

I'm having an issue where if rloader is started from outside it's directory it can't load ui.exe

for example if I do

C:\cd \utils\rloader
C:\UTILS\RLOADER\>rloader.exe

works fine

if I do

C:\>c:\utils\rloader\rloader.exe

I get "error running: ui.exe"

this happens usually when a game runs via a batch file and quits out to a random directory... I tried adding the RLoader directory to the PATH and that didn't help...

I could edit the batch files for each game but there's a LOT of them so was wondering if this would be possible to fix, if not I understand...

also for whatever it's worth I found another slight issue that probably isn't an issue but if you have ANY blank lines in the LIST.TXT the program will not parse it and just error out, this isn't really an issue but it should be documented somewhere so idiots like me don't go insane trying to figure out what's going on hehe

either way it's a really nice program and thank you for sharing it with us!

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-08-04, 21:06:

A 320x200 mode require the implementation of a custom font rendering with maximum 4x8 pixels char size to maintain the same 80 columns obtained at 640x480 or in text mode.

I would've left it at 8x8 chars, maybe sacrificing the box art window, but that's just me. 4x8 would be cool, but not a dealbreaker IMO.
I threw a BAT file together, and that's working out pretty well so far. But not everyone has that know-how, or the inclination to put in the time.

flecom wrote on 2022-10-17, 21:26:

I'm having an issue where if rloader is started from outside it's directory it can't load ui.exe […]
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I'm having an issue where if rloader is started from outside it's directory it can't load ui.exe

for example if I do

C:\cd \utils\rloader
C:\UTILS\RLOADER\>rloader.exe

works fine

if I do

C:\>c:\utils\rloader\rloader.exe

I get "error running: ui.exe"

I hadn't thought about this way of running rloader.

The easiest way I can think of to solve would be for rloader.exe to check for the presence of an environment variable set by the user eg:

1RLOADER_PATH=[path to rloader]

and change the current directory automatically.

In the source of rloader.exe (main.asm) I already check for the presence of the COMSPEC variable, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll open an issue on github.

flecom wrote on 2022-10-17, 21:26:

this happens usually when a game runs via a batch file and quits out to a random directory... I tried adding the RLoader directory to the PATH and that didn't help...

I could edit the batch files for each game but there's a LOT of them so was wondering if this would be possible to fix, if not I understand...

This is always due to the above problem, it is not due to running batch files (I have many batch files in my list and they are handled correctly). As you can see here, I check if the one specified in the list is a .bat file in order to call it correctly and allow the current directory to be restored.

Rloader is designed to avoid the need to modify individual program batch files.

flecom wrote on 2022-10-17, 21:26:

also for whatever it's worth I found another slight issue that probably isn't an issue but if you have ANY blank lines in the LIST.TXT the program will not parse it and just error out, this isn't really an issue but it should be documented somewhere so idiots like me don't go insane trying to figure out what's going on hehe

Well this is a bug instead, you didn't find anything in the readme file because it doesn't have to be a problem to have empty lines in the list file. I will also create an issue for this.

flecom wrote on 2022-10-17, 21:26:

either way it's a really nice program and thank you for sharing it with us!

Thanks a lot 😀

Asaki wrote on 2022-10-19, 03:24:

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-08-04, 21:06:

A 320x200 mode require the implementation of a custom font rendering with maximum 4x8 pixels char size to maintain the same 80 columns obtained at 640x480 or in text mode.

I would've left it at 8x8 chars, maybe sacrificing the box art window, but that's just me. 4x8 would be cool, but not a dealbreaker IMO.
I threw a BAT file together, and that's working out pretty well so far. But not everyone has that know-how, or the inclination to put in the time.

In fact I could only display the list with a width of 40 characters, always using the character generator of the video card. After all, in the thumbnail view mode the list is already 40 characters wide.

But I have to be careful not to create dialogs (for the new UI) no wider than 40 characters so that there are no problems.

What video mode did you think?
CGA 320x200 4-colors
MCGA / VGA 320x200 256-colors

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-10-22, 11:27:

What video mode did you think?
CGA 320x200 4-colors
MCGA / VGA 320x200 256-colors

Why not both? My current BAT file setup is just using EGA...I don't know what others would be using the program for, but I suppose there are some situations where CGA might be useful.

I think a program like that would be pretty handy for things like running DOS or DOS emulation on a lower-resolution screen, especially something where keyboard functionality is more limited. I was surprised something like that didn't exist already (or maybe I just didn't look hard enough?).

Asaki wrote on 2022-10-24, 03:05:

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-10-22, 11:27:

What video mode did you think?
CGA 320x200 4-colors
MCGA / VGA 320x200 256-colors

Why not both? My current BAT file setup is just using EGA...I don't know what others would be using the program for, but I suppose there are some situations where CGA might be useful.

I think a program like that would be pretty handy for things like running DOS or DOS emulation on a lower-resolution screen, especially something where keyboard functionality is more limited. I was surprised something like that didn't exist already (or maybe I just didn't look hard enough?).

Asaki, you previously asked me:

Asaki wrote on 2022-07-31, 15:14:

Any chance for a 320x200 graphic mode? (mode 13h?)

Graphics mode means that you need to display graphics, such as thumbnails, but above you asked me to remove the thumbnail display in these low resolution modes, this does not require a graphics mode but a text mode.

Rloader already supports text mode especially for CGA cards (and in general for low-end systems) and there is no need to reduce the number of characters per line to 40, since in text mode a CGA card can display a grid of 80x25 characters, in 16 colors.

Try the /textmode switch, which you can find in the readme.

If you are limited by monitor, monochrome or 40x25 character grid, let me know, it may be possible to implement another text mode without the text logo on the right.

If you have an EGA graphics card, however, I need to check compatibility for graphics mode, text mode is definitely supported.

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-10-24, 10:18:

Rloader already supports text mode especially for CGA cards (and in general for low-end systems) and there is no need to reduce the number of characters per line to 40, since in text mode a CGA card can display a grid of 80x25 characters, in 16 colors.

Oh yes, I see what you mean.
I will check it out later, but I'm pretty sure I've tried this before with other applications, and IIRC, you can change the columns to 40 in DOS, but you can't change the rows or the row height, so it still wouldn't fit 320x200.

Very good project! Now I need to write some directory scanner and generate metadata and download screenshots via script on second computerr.

A new release (1.0.3) of RLoader is available here https://github.com/marco-sacchi/RLoader/releases/tag/v1.0.3.
Please see the changelog.md for details about implemented features.

@flecom now you can run RLoader form any position, I also fixed the empty lines handling bug on list files.
Let me know if it solves your problems.

A new release (1.0.4) of RLoader is available here https://github.com/marco-sacchi/RLoader/releases/tag/v1.0.4.
Please see the chglog.md for details about implemented features.

I received and fixed an issue (#34) for which RLoader do not work correctly on CGA on some emulators and real hardware.
Now RLoader works correctly even on CGA mono and composite, tandy, pcjr, amstrad, mcga, mda machines.

marcus-magister wrote on 2022-10-29, 16:30:

A new release (1.0.3) of RLoader is available here https://github.com/marco-sacchi/RLoader/releases/tag/v1.0.3. Please see the c […]
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A new release (1.0.3) of RLoader is available here https://github.com/marco-sacchi/RLoader/releases/tag/v1.0.3.
Please see the changelog.md for details about implemented features.

@flecom now you can run RLoader form any position, I also fixed the empty lines handling bug on list files.
Let me know if it solves your problems.

awesome I'll check it out! the onboard video on my 486 machine decided to just die on me so putting a new machine together, hopefully the bits will arrive this week and I can have some fun next weekend 😁

just as an update got my machine put back together and updated to 1.0.4

I added RLOADER_PATH=C:\UTILS\RLOADER

to my autoexec.bat

so both

1C:\
2cd \utils\rloader
3C:\UTILS\RLOADER\>rloader.exe

and

1C:\>c:\utils\rloader\rloader.exe

now work fine

BUT when I quit out of a game that runs a batch on a different drive I still get

"error running: ui.exe"

could it be because the batch file is dumping me out on a different drive? I am running DOS 6.22 so I have several partitions since some of the games and their ISOs are quite large (C&C, WAR2 etc)

flecom wrote on 2022-11-04, 21:18:

just as an update got my machine put back together and updated to 1.0.4 […]
Show full quote

just as an update got my machine put back together and updated to 1.0.4

I added RLOADER_PATH=C:\UTILS\RLOADER

to my autoexec.bat

so both

Copy code to clipboard

1C:\
2cd \utils\rloader
3C:\UTILS\RLOADER\>rloader.exe

and

Copy code to clipboard

1C:\>c:\utils\rloader\rloader.exe

now work fine

BUT when I quit out of a game that runs a batch on a different drive I still get

"error running: ui.exe"

It's really strange. I also have multiple partitions (letter C to F, with RLoader in drive D), and I have tried to run some games that are on different drives, launched via bat files, and they all return correctly to the RLoader UI on exit.

Can you attach a batch file that is not working properly so that I can check what happens?

flecom wrote on 2022-11-04, 21:18:

could it be because the batch file is dumping me out on a different drive? I am running DOS 6.22 so I have several partitions since some of the games and their ISOs are quite large (C&C, WAR2 etc)

No, the batch file generated by RLoader to launch the game take care of it. The batch of the game can exit on any drive. Even a batch file interrupted by an error would still revert to the one generated by RLoader.

Can you run RLoader with /batchpause and/or /batchmemfree arguments to see if it's any error on game exit?

One last important thing, when this problem occurs, in the path where you have installed RLoader there is by chance an rloadrun.bat file?
If yes, please attach that too, maybe there is a problem generating this batch file.

I like Rloader, but the work is to get all the content/metadata. Has someone made a package with a metadata like description, screenshots etc for a bunch of games?

Jinxter wrote on 2023-03-12, 17:06:

I like Rloader, but the work is to get all the content/metadata. Has someone made a package with a metadata like description, screenshots etc for a bunch of games?

I talked about something like this with two other users here https://github.com/marco-sacchi/RLoader/issues/35 and I'm trying to find a step-by-step solution.

An excellent source of metadata is MobyGames, which also implements APIs, the problem is that there is still no parameter that can correctly match a binary to the respective game, regardless of the name of the executable.

Over time, it would be necessary to create a database such as the xml file that can be generated by MAME, where each program has registered its binary with size and hash (such as md5, sha1, etc.). In this way it would be possible to securely link each binary to its metadata that could be retrieved. Rloader users should be able to contribute to this database.

This is obviously the ideal solution, and it is far from being achieved.

I'm currently working on an Electron based UI client that generates a set consisting of list.txt file and related folders, ready to be used in DOSBox or similar, or on real hardware.

Source LFN (long filename) directories represent the title, and contain the games/programs. The client translates these directories into DOS compatible names, resolving collisions when possible.

The user will be able to finalize the details of each list entry and manipulate its screenshots. Fixed all collisions that can't be resolved automatically, the client will generate the set in the specified output directory.

This client will be the starting point for allowing a user to download the metadata he needs, contribute to the database, and so on.

Notes: I'm talking something like months if not years of development, so... step by step.

marcus-magister wrote on 2023-03-19, 17:25:

Notes: I'm talking something like months if not years of development, so... step by step.

Have you considered building on REMOVED/LaunchBox/LaunchBox for MS-DOS?