Standard interfaces.

[vadsamoht]

Can't the emulator authors make some sort of setting in their config menu/ini file to let us select the default location for it to automatically look for roms first? Or, at the very least, remember the last folder used to load from - this is what Picodrive does, and it's very handy instead of having to navigate through a whole stack of folders every single time I want to load something.

Searching for roms would increase the startup time for the emulators considerably, however the option to remember the last location or at least set the default directory is a sensible one. It is, however, something that would need to be taken up with (as a request of) each author individually, it cannot really be enforced for various reasons.

 

[Blue Protoman]

I think things are fine the way they are; I don't mind different interfaces with my emulators.

 

[dannyowelch]

After some thought and checking out the other threads, I think I'd like this:


Menu In-Emulator/Game/App: Press Pandora button


Quick Quit: Press Pandora button and Start


Force Quit: Hold Pandora button for * seconds

I really like these buttons as a standard for menu and quit.

 

[Nintendo]

I'm thinking (slight modification of -Tj-'s idea) more along the lines of...





Menu In-Emulator/Game/App: Press Pandora button


Quick Quit: FN + Pandora button


Force Quit: Hold Pandora button for 10 seconds

 

[-Tj-]

Holding a button for 10 seconds would be an extraordinarily long time for any type of kill switch. Lest my memory fails me, I don't think I've ever had to hold any kill switch for longer than 5 seconds (even PCs force power down is about 3-5 seconds, I think?).


My thinking for having the quick quit buttons being Start and Pandora was based on a number of things. For starters, ergonomics: they're in an ambidextrous placement (unless you're missing a thumb) being right in the middle, and no contortions are necessary for either hand. It's also difficult to press both buttons at the same time with the same finger, minimizing accidental presses. And it's easy to remember.


I'd thought about using something like the Fn key in combination with something else, but where the Fn key is placed is rather inconvenient or uncomfortable.

 

[White Demon]

My pet peeve with most of the emulators is that they expect you to put all your roms/disk images in a specific folder within their specific appdata folder. I like to store all my roms in one place - a 'roms' folder, which I have made and then put all the different emulator formats in there under their own folder - C64, Amiga, Megadrive, SNES etc. I like to do this so I don't have roms scattered all over the SD card and making them hard to find - instead everything is in one single place and I know exactly where to look/what for when housekeeping, adding/removing roms etc. (BIOS files, where required, are fine though - I am OK with them going in the appdata folder)


Some of the emulators allow me to navigate to where my roms are stored, sure, but I have to do this every single time I select a new rom to load, even if I have not exited the emulator after already playing a game.


Then there's the few that don't even allow this - they expect the roms to be in their own appdata folder and nowhere else. What's even more confusing in this situation is that this 'roms' folder isn't made until after the emulator is run the first time.


Can't the emulator authors make some sort of setting in their config menu/ini file to let us select the default location for it to automatically look for roms first? Or, at the very least, remember the last folder used to load from - this is what Picodrive does, and it's very handy instead of having to navigate through a whole stack of folders every single time I want to load something.

Huh? You can put ROMS anywhere though?

Try reading my WHOLE POST before replying next time.

 

[Nintendo]

Blah blah blah

 

[White Demon]

Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see the sign as I came in.

 

[mjohansson]

Well, playing Super Metroid in the dark, having a great time, was gonna press select to get a weapon activated... But accidentally pressed the home button and emulator quits immidiatly... ((((((


PLEASE make a document or something detailing what is preferable for programs to use, and make the home button only bring up the menu or something, you shouldnt be able to exit the program by misstake, just have a window pop up and ask if you wish to quit - yes/no.


Luckily I wont have to replay all to much, but in games were you get random drops of items or its very long inbetween saves, it can be absolutly devastating! :/

 

[Prometheus]

The Pandora button only does that if you're using Minimenu, as far as I'm aware.


That's not an issue relating to standards for software - try pressing it in any application if you're using Minimenu, then try the same in Xfce...

 

[mjohansson]

I didnt know that! Ill try the full OS from now on then, thx!

 

[Prometheus]

Don't ditch Minimenu if you prefer it, by any means!


I just wanted to point out that this particular thing isn't a standards issue, that's all.

 

[Fworg64]

However, I know for a fact that the pandora button is force quit in Mupen, regardless if your in Xfce or minimenu. Alhough I've never actually hit it by mistake, probably cause select isnt used for anything...

 

[Blue Protoman]

You can configure it, though. My quit button in Mupen is Q.


And I care more about standard controls for key components (menu, quit, etc.) than key interfaces; for instance, I ALWAYS like having Space as the Menu button.

 

[mjohansson]

How come home button always exits programs in minimenu? Is that something to do with the OS and not up to the programs to do anything about? If I ever do any programs the home button will bring up an option menu to quit and not just exit immidiatly without asking. It makes sens to me that the home button should return to OS but since its easy to press by misstake it should have a confirm selection.


Mayby in Pandora 2 we can have backlighted keyboard?

 

[Prometheus]

How come home button always exits programs in minimenu? Is that something to do with the OS and not up to the programs to do anything about?

I'm guessing it was done that way because Minimenu was originally meant for quick game console-style usage. I don't *think* that programs can override that in Minimenu, but I could well be wrong!

 

[Dark_Link]

so the question is can we eddit that to 3 seconds? i keep on pressing it when playing zelda on gbc :s