Can it make a console?

[Guest]

I am just wondering if gamebase could be used as a frontend for a homebrew console...
It would need the following:
-User interface fully controlled by joystick/gamepad
-NO windows/fully customisable GUI (fullscreen)
-bootable or able to launch on startup
-no use of the keyboard or mouse required (except for initial configuration)

Just wondering.
I've being looking for a suitable frontend for ages.

Kudos!
Jez

[J2003C]

It is definitely possible. One thing for C64 games is that nearly all cracked games require the spacebar and usually more keys to be emulated. That makes it hard to use the GameBase Collection without one. A custom database and games is more practical.

[Guest]

But then again the commodore 64 had a keyboard! (atleast i think it did :s)
So it would be an authentic console experience even with the keyboard. But for say, NES games, would it be possible to start up the machine and use nothing but the NES controller? (Which can easily be set up to work with a pc using directpadpro)
I guess i must stop bothering you guys with stupid questions and just download it myself!
Cheers!
Jez

[mike_tcis]

I am just wondering if gamebase could be used as a frontend for a homebrew console...
It would need the following:
-User interface fully controlled by joystick/gamepad
-NO windows/fully customisable GUI (fullscreen)
-bootable or able to launch on startup
-no use of the keyboard or mouse required (except for initial configuration)

Just wondering.
I've being looking for a suitable frontend for ages.

Kudos!
Jez

I've been wondering the same thing. This project might be able to help:

http://tomspeirs.com/gameEx/

[Asphyx]

I've done something similar with Mame and PCAtari.
the hardest part was creating a menu to select which one to launch.
What I did was find a macro key program to launch the programs.

a C64 really needs a keyboard (yes it had one in fact that was all it appeared to be! LOL)

You could use a controller to run the whole box but it really is complicated to set up.

You would have to map buttons to keyboard keys which might mess up the buttons for use in games.

You could just as easily go get one of those mini keyboards and mice to hook up to it that won't take up a lot of space to run the system. And remember a PC really requires a keyboard to work anyway. mouse you can get away with but the keyboard is essential.

especially considering how many times emulators crash.

IF you were really interested in creating a console type emulator simply go and get one of those small form factor PCs, throw something simple like Win9x on it and get an adaptor for the original controller of the console you want to run.
I found playing Atari was a lot more fun with the original controllers! It enhances the nostalgic feel! LOL

If your only going to emulate one type of console you can then simply place a shortcut in the startup folder for the frontend and it will launch with your OS.

But I wouldn't go out of my way to eliminate the keyboard. Remember you will eventually want to go on the net with the box to download updates and game files....
Just get a small keyboard you can place out of the way and can pull out when you need it!

[tspeirs]

Hi,

I am the author of GameEx (http://gameex.net), and would really like to implement the GameBase database in the front end. I think this would allow GameBase to be accessed on an arcade cabinet or build your own console type machine.

Ive looked at the FE software and database. It is very impressive. An incredible amount of diligent work has gone into it, and thank you all so much for taking the time and effoty.

I was in the scene for a while in the UK in the demo group Relax Designs when I was a teenager (not the other later group). I went under the name of Kojak. One of our demos got featured in ZZAP (at least I think it was ZZAP), when they were looking at releases on Compunet for a while.

As I said I would like to make Gamebase 64 available to cabinet and PC console enthusiasts. I checked out the license and I obviously need permission to use the Access file. I hope this is possible. I would have sent a private message, but could not see a way to.

Thank you for your time.

Tom Speirs.
http://tomspeirs.com/gameex

[Matt]

As I said I would like to make Gamebase 64 available to cabinet and PC console enthusiasts.

fick imagine one cabinet with all the c64 games!
I'm on the motherficker!!

[J2003C]

It is definitely possible. You just need to download the Access Database and use it however you like.

I was under the impression that most cabinets have no keyboard. I would also like to see a future version of GB be controllable via the joystick, so you could select games without a keyboard. It is definitely doable, but wether it will be done is another issue.

[Guest]

Thanks so much for the permission.

I am not suggesting that every game is going to work perfectly with a Gamepad or Arcade Controls, but I would like to do a full implementation including the scripting language, which i'll most likely rewrite rather than use the existing code. Inititally my aim is to be able to navigate the Gamebase database itself without having to rely on a windows gui.

This all probably wont happen like in 5 minutes, and will go through several versions before anywhere near perfect, but Id definitly like to have a go.

Thanks again.
Tom.

[J2003C]

I am not giving permission at all. If you are doing it for you and only you, then who can stop you? I did not go to your site before I posted, so I did not realize that you have a project that you plan to share. If you are going to use the database in a spread project, then there are definite limitations and you cannot freely do so.

If you want to use GameBase (i.e. the GameBase frontend) as a console frontend, then go ahead, but ripping the games and database info for a non-reciprocal project is not what I had in mind.

Please do NOT use the database for your project without following the GNU license fully.

[Guest]

I dont want to rip, hack or modify anything at all. What I am requesting is to have permission to link to an unmodified version of the Access Database itself, and just read from it.

The license when you install the database from your download section does not talk about GPL, but if you want to access the database in a shared project, and I mean just connect and read from it, you need to ask permission.

I dont want to use any code from the GameBase front end, and dont want to include the access database with the install.

I was asking persmission for my software to 'connect' to the 'unmodified' access database, and just 'read' records from it. As requested in the license when you install the database.

I hope that makes sense, sorry for the confusion.

Is that something we could talk about more? I really do hope so.

Thanks,
Tom

[Guest]

If there are limitations or conditions to its use then lets please talk about them. I am a nice guy!

If you want to take this offline my contact details are here:

http://tomspeirs.com

I am certainly not going to do anything without permission. Once everything is considered and if the answer is then no way! Then I will certainly understand, and that's the end of it.

Thanks,
Tom

[J2003C]

The limitations are fairly simple for a freeware General Public License (GPL). Basically you need to keep the GPL in your version, not charge for profit (can charge a distribution/shipping fee), make the source code available if requested, and include a notice of changes you've made. An acknowledgement to GB in your docs or readme would be nice too! Please read the GNU GPL v2 for more specific details.

I believe that this isn't a big deal in your case, as you just want the database, but I needed to change my statement to make sure people didn't think there were no limitations of GameBase usage. For example, you can't repackaging it and sell it for a profit on eBay.

[Guest]

Guys,

I believe Tom just wants permission to read the GB64 data from the Access database, and show it in another ( his ) frontend. He's not interested in the GB Frontend or it's sourcecode so the GPL has nothing to do with it. It's the GB64 license he's refering to.

Tom, I've posted to our private GB64 Team forum about your request. Hopefully you'll receive an answer soon.

[J2003C]

Isn't the GPL applicable to the database too? Especially if it is modified? Maybe I'm wrong here, but the database is distributed as part of GB and can't be extracted without the minor restrictions of the GPL.

I agreed that it really doesn't seem to be a big deal for Tom, but making an exception for one person makes the GPL invalid.