Launchbox Please Enter At Least One Applicable Platform In The Grid

[John]

SoI installed some game roms, created a folder under Launchbox named Emulators (I think this is where they should go?), and installed the CCS64 Emulator for the Commodore 64 in that folder. Using the Import Roms tool, I picked my rom path and chose the Commodore 64 platform. So far so good, but when it comes to the next step of selecting emulators no emulators at all show in the drop down menu. So, I clicked on the ADD button and the drop down window for Emulator Name won't show CCS64 as an option. In fact, far as I can tell, all the emulator names it lists don't seem to be any kind of emulator for the Commodore 64.

I don't seem to be able to find the emulators it does show as options in any of LB's folders, because I was thinking perhaps I've put CCS64 in the wrong folder and it should go elsewhere. What am I missing here, and where are those emulators it lists hidden, because I suspect that's where CCS64 should go?

Bit of prior info- Before this I had tried to use LB Import Roms to download the emulator through it's system, thinking it wouldn't recognize it done manually, but that little blue Text link to surf the web does not show up when using Commodore 64 as the platform setting. It did before when I chose Arcade as the platform when first attempting to set up MAME (which I've aborted doing for now but that's a different problem).

While I love what I see so far in potential having paid for Bigbox, it's been several days and I've yet to set up my first game platform on this thing, having run into several roadblocks. I'm mainly shooting for C64, Amiga, and 1980's to early 90's MAME stuff. It was easy as "pie" on the Retropie. Everything I've read says LB is so easy to use. I'm sure that's true. Just having some bad luck in my particular wants and needs of platforms and corresponding emulators I guess.

So I installed some game roms, created a folder under Launchbox named Emulators (I think this is where they should go?), and installed the CCS64 Emulator for the Commodore 64 in that folder. Using the Import Roms tool, I picked my rom path and chose the Commodore 64 platform. So far so good, but when it comes to the next step of selecting emulator no emulators at all show in the drop down menu. So, I clicked on the ADD button and the drop down window for Emulator Name won't show CCS64 as an option. In fact, far as I can tell, all the emulator names it lists don't seem to be any kind of emulator for the Commodore 64.

I've been told LB is so easy to use, and while I love what I see so far in potential having paid for Bigbox, it's been several days and I've yet to set up my first game platform on this thing, having run into several roadblocks. I'm mainly shooting for C64, Amiga, and 1980's to early 90's MAME stuff. It was easy as "pie" on the Retropie. Everything I've read says LB is so easy to use. I'm sure that's true. Just having some bad luck in my particular wants and needs of platforms and corresponding emulators I guess.

Compared to other frontends, Launchbox is MUCH easier to use. However, it does require a few settings 'tweaks' with some emulators, especially the ones for computers, arcades, and other various machines. And first of all, (i'm assuming) you'll need to download the emulators separately. They aren't included with launchbox, as it is a retail program, and I'm sure that would cause some major copyright/trademark issues, while also making the emulator authors quite unhappy at the same time. Download the emulators and for the sake of convenience, unzip their contents into your "Emulators" folder. For the Commodore 64, I highly recommend trying the emulator VICE, as it's a little easier to set up than CCS64 and you can grab the latest version here Hope this helps

I'll check out the C64 Setup video hoping it provides some answers, but when I launched LB for the first time and chose Import Roms it automatically launched a video by ETA Prime, which was related to installing the SNES but obviously is a How To Video on Importing Roms. Great video, but it didn't address the issues I'm running into. First, he was able to click on the little blue link to surf the web for his emulator of choice. Doesn't show on mime having picked Commodore 64 for platform, so I installed CCS64 manually. Second, he was able to find the emulator in the Name Emulator drop down. Doesn't show in mine, and I even tried placing the CCS64 emulator in the exact same folder he used. As said, when following his instructions but using ARCADE as the platform, I was able to find a mame emulator via the little blue link, installed it, and then found it in the NAME EMULATOR drop down menu. That has since been aborted due to other issues (outdated MAME I installed that won't run on Windows 10), so I figured I'd tackle the 64 first. My best guess right now is that the little blue link puts the emulator in a place LB will see as options and that I'm mistakenly putting in the Emulators folder I created, or that somehow LB is made aware of only emulators imported via that little blue link. Shot in the dark right now. Will watch the above video and hope it sorts it out.

@C64Crazy You can put the emulator wherever you want, but you'll need to create an emulator entry for it in Launchbox. It doesn't have to be one "known" to Launchbox beforehand. Some emulators have some default parameters if it's one that's already known but, if not, you can still add it anyway. Just name it whatever you want, add whatever parameters you want, and direct it to the emulator .exe.

I use CCS64 myself. My entry for it looks like this in Launchbox:

You don't have to add anything to the AutoHotkey Script page, but I've added some commands to allow certain CCS64 functions to be mapped to a 360/Xbone controller:

It's not complicated. Make a new emulator entry in LB, browse to CCS64's exe, name it CCS64, add Commodore 64 as the associated platform. That's it. You're getting hung up on the fact that it's an emulator that LB isn't already aware of and doesn't have a link to download the emulator or default parameters to go with it - this is true for plenty of emulators. There are certain ones that are already known/suggested in LB and plenty of others that aren't. If they aren't, there's nothing stopping you from adding them by hand.

Thanks will try all that. You're the reason I'm using CCS64, having dug up a lot of old posts on Commodore 64 emulators. Sounds like a great one. I was leaning towards Winvice until I saw your remarks about the fast auto loader that automatically activates when it senses drive activity, and deactivates automatically avoiding compatibility issues. Seems like a major drawback to vice having to manually turn it off after each load, and from what I've read doesn't seem as compatible to some games.

It's really not bad to setup. Don't get hung up on having to place the emulator in a specific place or having it show up automatically in a list - one of the great things about Launchbox is how flexible it is. You can put your emulators wherever you want and name them whatever you want when you make an emulator entry for them in Launchbox. Launchbox just has a list of known emulators that it kindof auto-fills parameters for, but this isn't a be-all-end-all. If it's an emulator that isn't one of these previously known ones, you can still add it manually. All you have to do is browse to the emulator's exe, add any default command-line parameters if necessary (none are necessary in the case of CCS64), and add in the relevant platform to the associated platforms tab (Commodore 64 in this case). You can also check the box to make it the default emulator for that platform in the associated platform tab.

No dice on trying what you said. I named the Emulator CCS64, chose the pathway to the exact file, and when I try to proceed further in Import a error popup window appears and says "Please enter at least one applicable platform in grid". I'm guessing it's wanting me to pick from one of the options it offers in the NAME EMULATOR drop down menu. Time for a smoke, I'm getting frustrated!

BTW don't know if it matters, but my unzipped CCS64 folder does not show the program with an exe extension. It just describes it in the folder as an application. I assume this is no biggie? But when I chose it as the application path launchbox lists it with an exe extension. I'm guessing this is completely unrelated to the NAME EMULATOR error issue I'm having.

The Choose Platform drop down menu was prior to this. I've already selected Commodore 64 in that. The next step being Chose Emulator, which nothing shows in the drop down, so I clicked on ADD...which brings me to naming the emulator drop down, and none of the emulators listed are related to the CCS64. I then just typed in that for the name, and chose the Emulator Application Path to the emulator, but if I try to proceed with Import an error popup window says "Please enter at least one applicable platform in grid". So back to square one. It seems to want me to pick an emulator name in the drop down that it offers, none of which are remotely related.

No, as I said, it does not matter if it's in the list or not. All those are are suggestions. The error you're receiving is because you're not specifying an associated platform in the associated platform tab. You need to add Commodore 64 and check the box for the default emulator. This is shown in my screenshots above.

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