NesterDC SE plain rom browser

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Strapping Scherzo
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NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Strapping Scherzo »

Hey all. It's been a long time. I just wanted to let you guys know that I managed to add ability to browse for files on the CD. Ok, I'm lying... I didn't add it... because it had been there all along and I totally forgot!

Here's the deal. During development I did make a simple browser, but after I came up with the fancy jukebox-style browser I just completed forgot about the former. The fuctionality is still there. In fact, the executable doesn't even need to be recomplied to get it.

Remember that the whole NesterDC SE graphical interface was written using my prototype "Dreamscript" engine. All you have to do to you get the old style browser is change one line in one script. That's it!

Here's how...

1. After extracting the zip, navigate to the pre_cd folder.
2. You'll see a lot of .js files. The one we care about is main2.js. Open it in a text editor.
3. On line number 15, you'll see:

Code: Select all

g_settings.romBrowseMode = 'SE';
Remove the SE so it becomes:

Code: Select all

g_settings.romBrowseMode = '';
4. Create a folder in pre_cd called something like "myroms".
5. Copy your roms there.
6. Build a CD using the builder program. DONT point it to the same directory where you just put your roms. What you want to do is point it to a folder that contains only a few roms. I would be inclined to suggest pointing it to a folder that has no roms, but I don't know how the thing will work with an empty db. With my luck (and coding) it'll probably just choke.

Burn the CD and pop it in. When you go to the "library" you should instead be taken to a plain text-based browser. Locate your game and play!

I know a lot of you had been asking the right from the beginning and I put it off because I thought it would be a lot of work. On the contrary it's so easy a task that anyone can do it.
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by emptythought »

:o haha after all this time. Geeze!
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Thank you so much! :worship:
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Juan »

Good thing you remembered :lol: Thanks!
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Strapping Scherzo wrote:4. Create a folder in pre_cd called something like "myroms".
Just to clarify: This is optional. The file browser allows you to freely browse the content of the disc, so you can put your ROMs wherever you want (it has to be somewhere in pre_cd tho).
Strapping Scherzo wrote:6. Build a CD using the builder program.
...or BootDreams to enable support for Rock Ridge and long file names. :)
Strapping Scherzo wrote:I would be inclined to suggest pointing it to a folder that has no roms, but I don't know how the thing will work with an empty db. With my luck (and coding) it'll probably just choke.
Nope, I pointed it to an empty folder and it worked :)







Edit #1 - Here are the controls for the browser:


A - selects game, opens directory
X - goes up a directory
B - goes back to the main menu
L/R - scrolls faster through the listed items



Edit #2 - Answered my own question: Do you think there is a way to tell the browser to start in a certain folder, e.g. \pre_cd\Games\ or \pre_cd\NES\ ?

In "main2.js", you have to edit the following line:
g_settings.normalBrowseDir = '/cd/myroms';
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Maturion »

Wow, that's really nice! Thank you!
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Strapping Scherzo »

Thanks for testing this out for me, Christuserloeser. Some adventurous person could probably figure out how to add a toggle in the options menu to change the browsing mode. Actually, this weekend I'll try to make an official edit and a re-release. Time to dust off the old Dreamcast.
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Oh, yes, that'd be sweet! - Check your PMs. I had some things that should make browsing the GUI easier.
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Strapping Scherzo »

OMG, I have another discovery of code that already exists but is unused. God, how could I do this? It must have been the rushed release.

Anyway, add this line after line 15 in optionsScreen.js:

Code: Select all

		{name : "Misc", func : miscOptions},
This will unlock the ability to toggle between SE browsing mode and FILE browsing mode. This change actually makes my original post almost unnecessary. You still have to put your roms somewhere in pre_cd, but that's it. One line of code.

Sorry for overlooking this for more that two years. :oops:
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Hey, better late than never. It's not like you owe us something.

This is just great actually. It couldn't come at a better time. I really enjoy playing around with SE atm. :D
Strapping Scherzo wrote:This change actually makes my original post almost unnecessary.
I wouldn't say that. At least I finally sat down and tried to wade through the scripts. It's still mostly gibberish to me but I am actually starting to make out some things here and there.

- You did a fantastic job on DreamScript and the GUI for SE!
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Strapping Scherzo wrote:Anyway, add this line after line 15 in optionsScreen.js:

Code: Select all

		{name : "Misc", func : miscOptions},
This will unlock the ability to toggle between SE browsing mode and FILE browsing mode.
I couldn't get this to work, but it could be because I booted SE with the old file browser activated.

It wouldn't be of much use anyway, since the files are either numbered (without any indication of what the games are about) for the SE browser, or simply named "My Game (JUE) [!]" (without being indexed) for the file browser. - There got to be a way to use both browsers with one set of files.
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by emptythought »

Strapping Scherzo wrote:Actually, this weekend I'll try to make an official edit and a re-release. Time to dust off the old Dreamcast.

Woot!
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by U-said-it »

I know this is a tad late, but does this mean that there is a way to circumvent using the online database using the builder application?

Specifically:
...or BootDreams to enable support for Rock Ridge and long file names. :)
Does this mean I can somehow use Bootdreams to burn this emu? Or besides the plain rom browser support, has it been figured out how to build the database locally on say...your own PC?
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

U-said-it wrote:I know this is a tad late, but does this mean that there is a way to circumvent using the online database using the builder application?

Does this mean I can somehow use Bootdreams to burn this emu?
Yes and Yes.

U-said-it wrote:Or besides the plain rom browser support, has it been figured out how to build the database locally on say...your own PC?
That's one of the ideas I proposed in one of my recent PMs to Scherzo. Sadly, I haven't heard him in a while but maybe he reads this and got time to reply ?
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by Christuserloeser »

Got a pm from Scherzo:
Strapping Scherzo wrote:No, I don't plan on doing any work or making any releases for NesterDC SE in the near future. The desire just isn't there. Maybe one day I'll again feel inspired to continue where I left off, but not right now. If you want to make your own changes or releases, that's fine with me.
:(



- I decided to release a version with the modified GUI I sent him: viewtopic.php?f=72&t=98192
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Re: NesterDC SE plain rom browser

Post by weebeegeebee »

Strapping Scherzo, man I wish you had gotten around to remaking a version of Nester for PC with that awesome NotSoFatso sound output support.... :(
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