TinyLauncher 3+ released

[thyslo]

I searched this thread but didn't find it:

Is it / how is it possible to manually add a EXE of an installed game (Non WHDLoad) to TinyLaucher games list?

[paul1981]

Yes it's possible, quite easy in fact. WHDLoad has this ability built in! I don't know how to do it via TinyLauncher's 'method', but to do it with any whdless-game so it will work with any game launcher (including TinyLauncher) you do this:

(Bridge Strike as an example)

1. Create a drawer called 'BridgeStrike' in the same place as all your other WHDLoad games are kept (in TinyLauncher's scan path of course)

2. Create an empty file inside your new 'BridgeStrike' drawer (doesn't have to be empty but why waste space) called 'BridgeStrike.slave'

3. Create a project icon called 'BridgeStrike' inside your new 'BridgeStrike' drawer

4. From the Workbench Icon menu, bring up the new project icon to edit its parameters:

Set 'Default Tool' to WHDLoad
Add a Tool Type: SLAVE=BridgeStrike.slave
Add a Tool Type: ExecuteStartup=SYS:PathToMyNon-WHDLoad-Game/BridgeStrike/bs
Add a Tool Type: NoReq

5. Re-scan your TinyLauncher games. That's it.

Some games may have a project script that launchers the game, in which case you can use C:WBRun or C:Execute as a command before the path. I recommend WBRun from the ParM package on aminet if using older AmigaOS (anything up to 3.1). Personally, I like to keep my WHDLoad games separate from my other HD-installed games, but to each his own.

[thyslo]

This is great, thanks a lot

[paul1981]

You're very welcome. One thing I forgot to mention is that Tool Types have to be enabled in TinyLauncher (by pressing the 'T' key on the home screen).
Another thing I forgot to mention is that when using this method, the WHDLoad-Startup file will not get executed. This shouldn't matter though because the network wouldn't need to be shut down or anything (as we're not using WHDLoad) - but, if you use it for something else that you need when playing any game (Workbench or WHDLoad) then you'd have to make another script that executes the WHDLoad-Startup and then afterwards runs the game. In this case you might need to CD into the game directory in the script if needed, so it can see its game files. You get the idea I'm sure.

[thyslo]

Now I have tried the way you recommended with four games, including Ambermoon. And it works great with every game. (Tinylauncher not used yet).

But always after quitting the games a WHDLoad error message appears:

DOS-Error #235 (Invalid hunk in file to load) on loading Ambermoon.slave

I'm using WHDLoad version 18.7.

Do you maybe have an idea what the problem is?

[paul1981]

Yes. The NoReq option disables error requesters but this option only works when WHDLoad is ran via the Shell (not from WB). You see, TinyLauncher reads the ToolTypes and it runs WHDLoad via the Shell with arguments from the ToolTypes and so it works...no error requester comes up at all with TinyLauncher.
Other game launchers must run the icon as if double-clicked via WB and thus the NoReq option does nothing; hence the error requester. So, either use TinyLauncher or, try something else. I just tried something else and it worked from the WB. I just changed the default tool from WHDLoad to the actual path of the game executable:

Default Tool: SYS:PathToMyNon-WHDLoad-Game/BridgeStrike/bs

If your game doesn't like that you'll probably have to make an IconX script that loads the game, and of course your Default Tool then would be IconX. It's all worth a try...or use TinyLauncher.

[thyslo]

Thanks for the explanation and also for pointing out the other method!

I intend to use these WHDLoad slaves mainly from TinyLauncher, since it is loaded by default from the startup-sequence of my CD32/TF330. Will check it later, but now I think it probably works already:-)

[Steffest]

Originally Posted by spannernick

I start to scan the games,path 1 and its closes the TL and says File Not Found..?

For the sake of Google and someone like me trying to find a solution for this:
If TinyLauncher crashes while scanning a dir with exit code 20 and a "File Not Found" error message, make sure your path does NOT include a trailing slash ...

[mcbpete]

I seem to have troubles adding 'Star Ways' ( http://www.whdload.de/games/StarWays.html ) to my collection in Tinylauncher (v3.55) - When scanning it fails with 'Illegal function call' and then the application quits.

Previously I'd fixed such issues by updating tinylauncher to a more recent build but I believe I'm currently running the latest one, also tried updating WHDLoad to the latest beta (18.9) but with no luck. The game runs in Workbench (albeit at in insane speed even when slowing the CPU to approx A500 speed!) so the install seems OK, but Tinylauncher seems to have troubles with it.

Anyone got any hints ?

[paul1981]

Works fine on my setup. Have you tried looking in the Starways drawer to check everything looks okay? Should be a Starways.slave, Starways.info and a Disk.1 file. TinyLauncher can be a bit flaky at times when scanning however!

[mcbpete]

Thanks for the assistance - Yeah the game runs ok if I load Workbench and launch it via double clicking the game icon, but Tinylauncher just isn't liking it for some reason

[paul1981]

The latest version is 3.56, not 3.55. It's on aminet here:

http://aminet.net/package/util/misc/TinyLauncher

It's a bit confusing as it says it's 3.55 on aminet, but if you download and extract it you'll see it's 3.56.

You can also find out what version you are running by going to the Info panel in TinyLauncher (shortcut 'I').

[Gaula92]

I know it has been asked a lot of times on this thread, but what's wrong with the TOOLTYPES?

For example, if I launch "Chip's Challenge NTSC" from WB, it launches in NTSC mode because it has the NTSC tooltype activated (I can clearly see it on the .info!)
...But in TinyLauncher, the TOOLTYPE is simply ignored. Any idea on why?
In the TinyLauncher main menu, I have activated them with T. So they should work...

I am on a 68000 sytem with ECS and 8MB FastRAM, running a WB3.1 fresh install on a 3.1KS.

EDIT: I read I have to install NewIcons for TOOLTYPES to work in TinyLauncher, so I installed it, and still TOOLTYPES don't work at all.

[paul1981]

Are you sure you have loaded the NTSC driver first? I ask this because you haven't mentioned whether you are loading TinyLauncher from Workbench or not and I assume you have the NTSC driver in Devs:Monitors. Then again, WHDLoad should tell you if this is the case.

When you press 'I' from the space invaders screen does it show up as Tooltypes enabled?

Are you using another icon.library besides newicon.library? Is NewIcons being run before TinyLauncher with 'Run <>NIL: C:NewIcons' ? You see, an icon.library that can read NewIcons (the actual game icons are 99.9% in NewIcon format) is required because of all those 'IMG=...' entries in the game icons which screw up the Tooltype interpreter in TinyLauncher (this ought to be fixed TBH).

Last time I checked (nearly 3 years ago), PeterK's icon.library worked fine if Workbench is already loaded and you use Tooltypes in TinyLauncher. In this case, the NewIcons package is not required. However, if Workbench isn't loaded, such as loading TinyLauncher early in Startup-sequence...then Peter K's icon.library doesn't work (well, not for me - I admit to not loading it resident though) and the NewIcons command has to be run first (make sure you have the newicon.library in Libs: too).

Chip's Challenge works for me with the NTSC Tooltype BTW. There isn't any reason why it couldn't on yours too.

[paul1981]

Originally Posted by Gaula92

I know it has been asked a lot of times on this thread, but what's wrong with the TOOLTYPES?

For example, if I launch "Chip's Challenge NTSC" from WB, it launches in NTSC mode because it has the NTSC tooltype activated (I can clearly see it on the .info!)
...But in TinyLauncher, the TOOLTYPE is simply ignored. Any idea on why?
In the TinyLauncher main menu, I have activated them with T. So they should work...

I am on a 68000 sytem with ECS and 8MB FastRAM, running a WB3.1 fresh install on a 3.1KS.

EDIT: I read I have to install NewIcons for TOOLTYPES to work in TinyLauncher, so I installed it, and still TOOLTYPES don't work at all.

For some reason, last time I did not notice that you had renamed the game from 'ChipsChallengeNTSC' to 'Chip's Challenge NTSC'. Or should I say you have renamed the icon.
When TinyLauncher scans your games, it looks for .slave files only, and it assumes that the game icon (what you renamed in Workbench) is named the same as the .slave file. In this case, it is looking for 'ChipsChallengeNTSC.info' and it can't find it because you renamed it, hence it can't read your NTSC ToolType.

What you need to do is to rename the slave file to 'Chip'sChallengeNTSC.slave' and the icon (what you can see) to 'Chip'sChallengeNTSC'. Then you need to edit the ToolTypes in the icon so that the slave points to 'Chip'sChallengeNTSC.slave' (SLAVE TOOLTYPE=...)

I have got rid of the spaces because they are a waste of space!