Stars Launcher Path
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Version 2020.325 http://guerilla.bplaced.net All Stars Launcher ( ASL ) is a graphical frontend to launch classic console games using an emulator or a virtual machine of your choice, to start games, applications, documents for various systems from a list of files in a fast and furious way. Without any overloaded GUI and senseless gimmicks, for the players. :-) ASL executes: - Classic game images using a console emulator of your choice: Amiga, Amstrad, Atari, C64, Nintendo, Playstation, Sega, ZX Spectrum... - Linux images using Qemu or another virtual machine - Native Windows Programs for your current Windows OS - Legacy Windows OS using Qemu and a bootable OS HDD image - DOSBox games, Documents, Images ... The emulator / application / virtual machine must (!) support command line arguments. You should read the emulator manual which command line arguments are supported. ASL comes with predefined command line parameter for the included emulators. You can specify all the options parameter with ASL using variables. 1 Overview: - No installation required, no registry entries, removable drives ( USB-Stick, SD-Card... ) supported - Supports game images / cover art, individual startup images - Execute button to start and configure the emulator - Help button, configurable, to view the emulator documentation - Command line parameter for every emulator, using variables ( case sensitive ) - Loading multiple game rom images at once supported - Loading documents, images... with a specified or with the associated application - Searching for files in a list of files, letters or free text search - Separate screen / cover art directory for every emulator - Separate directory list for every emulator - Adding and removing directories from the list - Adding and removing systems - Adding and removing emulators - Editable notes for every emulator - Load, save and view the database with the option to reactivate deleted entries on runtime - Option to specify the file extensions to filter the filelist - Launch games, apps, documents, images... from a filelist with a doubleclick - Popup menu with suggestions if ASL can not locate the correct file - Option to expand folders, for special cases (a few Windows games, all Nintendo Wii U games) - Lists 2000 files in a second (in one directory without subfolder), using a SSD on a dual core CPU 2 Preface: Emulating a legacy Windows OS or a Linux OS needs a bootable image of the operating system and a virtual machine, in example Qemu. Emulating a classic game console system needs an emulator, in example "Mednafen" for Sega Mega Drive or Playstation 1 consoles. The original OS BIOS / ROM / FIRMWARE files are required ( not included ). Game ROM's are also required, CD / Disk / Tape / Bootable Linux / Legacy Windows images. To execute DOSBox games copy all "*.conf" files in a directory and point to that directory as the game directory. D-Fend Reloaded user can export all "*.conf" files at once. The first action you should perform after downloading and installing a classic game console emulator and fetching the original OS ROM files is to configure the emulator, which can be done from inside ASL. Using the emulator GUI, sometimes ( Mednafen ) the command line. Set the path to the BIOS / ROM / FIRMWARE files. Configure the input device, the key mapping. In some cases the available disk drives ( C64 emulator VICE ). Do not mess around with graphic and sound details, you can do that later. The first goal is to get that thing working! It is recommended to read the emulator manuals. Whatever, emulator options in the database, included in this download, are preconfigured. Try to start emulation with the predefined command line parameter configuration. 3 All Stars Launcher startup scenarios ASL detects if it was executed from a fixed drive, a removable drive, a ramdisk, a CD-ROM or a network drive. The startup mode is displayed on top of the Service dropdown box ( Intern, Extern, Ramdisk, Disc, Network ). Backups of the database files, with timestamps, are available in the backup folder. On startup ASL autoloads the database file "asl.idat" or "asl.edat". While terminating ASL autosaves the database file "asl.idat" or "asl.edat", overwriting existing file. 1. Executing ASL from a internal fixed drive ( default mode ): On startup the database file "asl.idat" will be loaded from the ASL program directory. Without any modifications to the loaded data. The copy and move to favorites function is available. Terminating ASL the database file "asl.idat" will be saved to the ASL program directory. 2. Executing ASL from a network drive: Same startup procedure as point 1. 3. Executing ASL from a ramdisk drive: Same startup procedure as point 1, except that the move to favorites function is not available. Keep in mind that all datas, the database file, on the ramdisk drive may be lost while terminating windows! 4. Executing ASL from an external removable drive: Games, emulators, documentations... all datas must be available on the removable drive! On startup a messagebox appears to confirm external removable drive mode. If external mode is enabled the database file "asl.edat" will be loaded from the ASL program directory. All drive letters in the datas are modified to match the drive letter ASL was executed from. The copy and move to favorites function is available. Terminating ASL the database file "asl.edat" will be saved to the ASL program directory. 4 5. Executing ASL from a CD-ROM: Games, emulators, documentations... all datas must be available on the CD-ROM / BD-ROM drive! On startup the database file "asl.edat" will be loaded from the ASL program directory. Drive letters in the datas are modified to match the CD-ROM / BD -ROM drive letter ASL was executed from. The copy and move to favorites functions are not available. Terminating ASL the database file "asl.edat" will be saved to the Users Documents directory. Displaying "Unknown" or "Root Error" on top of the service dropdown box: Drive detection failure on startup All Stars Launcher. Should not occur. To avoid wrong detection same procedure as point 1, but keep that error in mind. How to setup All Stars Launcher on a external removable drive ( i.e. USB-Stick or SD-Card ): - Extract the All Stars Launcher archiv to the external removable drive - Copy the emulators / games / applications / images... all datas to the removable drive - Execute All Stars Launcher from the removable drive ( autoloads the database file "asl.edat" ) - Confirm external / removable drive mode - The Service dropdown box should display "Extern" - Setup the emulator options, the folders and the directory list, pointing to the removable drive folders - Terminate ASL ( autosaves the database file "asl.edat" ) You can go to a friend and plugin the USB-Stick / SD-Card, containing ASL and all datas, in his computer. Even if another drive letter will be assigned, which is very likely, ASL should work well. 5 Quick start example ( fixed drive ) with a predefined system and an included emulator: - On main screen select a system ATARI XL - On main screen select an emulator ALTIRRA64 - Click the Button OPTION - Select the emulator / application documentation file, click the button DOCU > Drive:\ All Stars Launcher Path \Emulator\Altirra\Altirra.chm - Select the emulator / application executable file, click the button OPEN > Drive:\ All Stars Launcher Path \Emulator\Altirra\Altirra64.exe - The command line parameter are predefined for the included emulators, don't touch - Select the screen directory, the location of the game images files, click the button OPEN > Drive:\ All Stars Launcher Path \Screen\Atari XL - Click the button CLOSE, the big X - Back on main screen select the game directory, click the button ADD FOLDER > Drive:\ All Stars Launcher Path \Game\Atari XL - Notice the predefined filter bar with the file extensions listed in the filelist, don't touch - Doubleclick an item in the filelist to execute the game using the selected emulator All that must only specified once for a system / emulator combination. The complete configuration will be saved while terminating All Stars Launcher. The filename of the game image must match the filename / foldername of the game. Notice the FOLDER box, click SHOW ( Windows games ) and EXPAND ( Wii U games ). A right click on a folder item in the filelist creates a popup menu with suggestions, if possible. 6 Startup Screen: Default startup screen image, the left one: Default startup logo image, the right one: Directory : All Stars Launcher Path \ Directory : All Stars Launcher Path \ Filename : screen Filename : logo Extension : bmp, gif, jpg, png Extension : bmp, gif, jpg, png Example : ASL\screen.png Example : ASL\logo.jpg To customize the startup screen copy the images ( 800 x 720 px, aspect = 800 / 720 ) into the ASL directory. The default system entry "None" and the default emulator entry "Testarea" can not removed. 7 Main Screen: Game / Application image: Default system image ( no game image found ): Directory : The directory specified under option Directory : The directory specified under option All Stars Launcher Path \Screen\SystemName\ All Stars Launcher Path \Screen\SystemName\ All Stars Launcher Path \Screen\ All Stars Launcher Path \Screen\ The game directory All Stars Launcher Path \ Filename : Same File-/Directory name as the game/app Filename : System Name you specified adding the system Extension : bmp, gif, jpg, png Extension : bmp, gif, jpg, png Example : ASL\Screen\Atari XL\Bounty Bob strikes back.gif Example : ASL\Screen\Amiga\Amiga.bmp Select the "Expand Folder" button if the executable file is located in a subfolder depth level > 1. 8 Option Screen: Executable Filepath - Vars (without Quotes): Screen Directory - Vars (without Quotes): Checkmarks in the filelist ignored. Checkmarks in the filelist ignored. |P| - Path of the selected item in the filelist. |P| - Path of the selected item in the filelist. |F| - Folder of the selected item in the filelist without |F| - Folder of the selected item in the filelist without the filename, if one.