PRELOAD as Global Option?

[Amiga1992]

I dunno if this is the right place to post wishlist items but here goes:

Is it possible to make it so one can override the slave option of PRELOAD with a global option on whdload.prefs?

I notice I have a bunch of games that don't have PRELOAD on their .info and I have SO many it'd be a pain to try to change the .info for each. Having PRELOAD on whdload.prefs means that by default all games will try to PRELOAD, and only if there isn't enough RAM revert to NO PRELOAD.

It would be really cool to have that!

(Unless I am being mistaken, I thought PRELOAD cannot be set globally)

[daxb]

Normally each icon should contain PRELOAD as tooltype. If PRELOAD works in whdload.prefs then it should already do what you want. Never tried it but you test it by trying.

To change/add tooltypes for all your installs you can use a simple ARexx script using rexxtricks.library. It has a gettooltypes() and settooltypes() function. I would first check with getdefaulttool() for "whdload" to make sure to alter only WHDLoad installs. Then read the tooltypes and check for "PRELOAD". If not present set it.

[StingRay]

Originally Posted by daxb

If PRELOAD works in whdload.prefs then it should already do what you want. Never tried it but you test it by trying.

PRELOAD is a local option. It doesn't work in the WHDLoad.prefs file.

[daxb]

Thanks. I didn't found that information in docs usage part.

[DamienD]

Have a look at the table here daxb

... Usage and Options

[daxb]

I was quick searching for local/global but only in the description. Thanks DamienD, now I will (hopefully) remember that next time.

[Amiga1992]

Yeah this is why I asked.
It turns out these games have PRELOAD on their icons, but mother effing XBench is ignoring the tooltypes and launching WHDLoad without the Preload option

Yeah so it's an XBench bug, but if Preload was set globally, it would override this problem.
I don't get why it can't be global, because the way it works now, even if the slave says PRELOAD, if you don't have enough memory, it reverts to non-Preload mode. So if you had it set globally to preload except in the case there's not enough RAM, it would work the same way.

[daxb]

Add a feature request on http://mantis.whdload.de/main_page.php for project WHDLoad or ask wepl if he isn't reading this.

[Amiga1992]

I might, but I don't want to bother Wepl much, since the main problem here is X-Bench.
Although I have a feeling there's a very good reason for PRELOAD not to be a global option.

[malko]

Originally Posted by daxb

[...] To change/add tooltypes for all your installs you can use a simple ARexx script using rexxtricks.library. It has a gettooltypes() and settooltypes() function. I would first check with getdefaulttool() for "whdload" to make sure to alter only WHDLoad installs. Then read the tooltypes and check for "PRELOAD". If not present set it.

As I have no ARexx knowledge, would you mind providing such script if you already have one ready ?

[daxb]

@Akira:
Bugreport to X-Bench author?

@malko:
I've only a GetIconInfo.rexx and changeIconType.rexx script ready what is already really simple. So it would need to be expanded/merged but the problem is that I cannot transfer data from/to my miggy. I've no delight to copy it by hand. Maybe others can help.

[Wepl]

As already written PreLoad is a local option only.
The decision for this was probably that if globally set you cannot disable it for specific installs and I didn't want to introduce another option.
If there is a meaningful scenario I can make it global too (it's only a bit to add).

[Turran]

Doesnt x-bench have WHDLOAD options? I seem to remember a preload checkbox there...

[Retro-Nerd]

It has. You should also read the white text regarding tooltypes. Preload (if set in the icons) works fine for me in Xbench.



Tried it also in WinUAE with a CD32 pad setting (pressing the button longer than one second) to start a game. Removed the "PRELOAD" entry from game icon of course. This works too. Do you use Scalos or a real WB? Scalos has some problems with tooltypes in Tinylauncher too.

[Amiga1992]

I don't use Scalos or WB, I am booting straight into X-Bench.

Is that the latest version of XBench? (xmas release). The program is ignoring whatever that is used in that options screen, checking or unchecking preload does not matter. Also those options only are valid if you start with GREEN button. Of course I also tried that, and it never preloads.

I already wrote on the XBench thread but Jim Neray doens't really seem to update this much, I don't even know if he reads the thread, he never replies, or rarely.

Originally Posted by Wepl

If there is a meaningful scenario I can make it global too (it's only a bit to add).

I think the only scenario is for when you just want to do write commandline "whdload whatever.slave" and it would default to preload. It could be handy, less stuff to type :P

[Retro-Nerd]

Can Xbench really detect and scan the tooltypes from game icons if you boot straight into it? (Tinylauncher e.g. needs NewIcons or it can't read the tooltypes). From WB Xbench works fine though.

[Amiga1992]

Originally Posted by Retro-Nerd

Can Xbench really detect and scan the tooltypes from game icons if you boot straight into it? (Tinylauncher e.g. needs NewIcons or it can't read the tooltypes).

I have no idea, nothing in the measle docs say otherwise. But the info tooltypes are before any type of newicon data.
Perhaps if I change the icons to standard ones, it might work, but I'd like confirmation from Jim Neray before I approach such a gargantuan task.

However, even if it wasn't reading the info from the .info file, the green button tooltypes should work, and they are not working. I have PRELOAD set to YES on those options, and if I press the green button, the game still boots without preload.

Let's start with the fact that XBench isn't the best thing out there :/ But this seems like a bug/huge oversight.

Maybe it's best to split this thread at this point, this is too much XBench talk and not enough WHDLoad talk. I would still appreciate a global PRELOAD toggle, then I can get rid of all game icons!

[Retro-Nerd]

Never liked it anyway. All this loading times and menues. I prefer it plain and simple. Tinylaucher does this job fine for me. Though the CD32 pad control for browsing the games list is nice in Xbench. Couldn't convince Gibs to add it though.

[Amiga1992]

There's not a single decent launcher to be fair and XBench is spiritually the closest but ridden with performance issues and bloat. For the time being I will deal with it, until something better turns up.
I might even use that workbench-based one,m iGame was it? I'm that desperate
But it's nice to have a solution that doesn't need anything from Workbench at all.

[jotd]

another tooltype could be added: NOPRELOAD to counter the effect of a global preload.

In JST, "preload" is default.

yeah the game launchers are a very poor lot. I like AGS but there's this damn image not displaying/stuck bug which happens on real HW/HD images but not in HD folder (WinUAE) !!!