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Gamebrowser Guide


shaefurr

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shaefurr

Gamebrowser

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The Gamebrowser plugin brings game support to your living room, GameBrowser fetches game art and metadata automatically, and launches games using supported Emby clients.

 

Get started with the correct folder structure

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The first thing you will want to do is make sure your games have the ideal folder structure, Start with a ROOT Games folder, then each game console should be in its own folder, with each game in their own subfolders.

Games > ATARI > Asteroids > Asteroids.a26
              > Pitfall   > Pitfall.a26
      > SNES  > Donkey Kong Country > Donkeykongcountry.smc
              > Super Mario World   > Supermarioworld.smc

MAME is the one exception to this structure, as you can have all the game .zip files in the same folder

Games > MAME > Aliens.zip
             > Btoads.zip
             > Dkong.zip

Setting Up the Gamebrowser Plugin on the Server

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Gamebrowser is added to the server via the plugins tab on the server dashboard by navigating to Plugins > Plugin Catalog > Server > Gamebrowser and then clicking Install.

Once it completes restart the server.

 

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Platform Configuration
Continue setup on the server dashboard by navigating to Plugins > My Plugins > Gamebrowser  and click + Add next to  Game Systems,
This page is where the game systems are configured. Start by choosing the path to one of your game folders, and then choosing the appropriate platform from the drop-down box. Then click Save.

 

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A UNC path is recommended if you plan to stream games over LAN/WAN connections. More info on using UNC paths //here
 

Repeat this process for each game platform.

Adding games to your Library

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Games are added to your library on the server dashboard by navigating to Library > and clicking + Add Media Library, choose Games from the drop-down box and name your game library, then click + Add next to Folders. Choose the path to the ROOT of your games folder.

 

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After the automatic library scan completes, your games should show up in the web client.

 

Setting up Clients to Launch Games

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Emby Theater

 

Launching games from Emby theater only requires a simple setup of external players.

 

Open EmbyTheater, in the top right corner click on your profile icon in the top right corner, then navigate to Settings > External Players > Add Player

Change the Media Type to Game, and the Game system to whatever system you would like to setup.

In the Player Path type or paste the location of your emulator.

Enter the correct command line argument for your emulator (listed at the bottom of this guide)

Click save, and repeat for each game platform

 

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Emby Classic

 

In order for games to be recognized in Emby Classic, you will need to install the GameBrowser-Classic plug-in in that app.

 

GameBrowser-Classic can be installed from inside the Emby-Classic config pages by navigating to Plug-ins tab > Plug-in Catalog > GameBrowser-Classic.

 

The plugin is free but requires the server to have a valid supporter key.

 

After the plugin is installed, navigate to Emby Classic Configurator > Plug-ins tab > GameBrowser-Classic > Configure

Select the game system you would like to setup, using the 54a2479fc2729_gameclassicdots.jpg button on the right next to executable location, select the location of your emulator.

Repeat for each game platform.

 

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For the switches section, most emulators will work using "{rom}", other emulators will require special switches, which will be listed at the end of this tutorial.

 

 

Extra Setup

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Windows and DOS Games (Emby Classic only)

 

Due to the client-server nature of Emby, to get Windows and DOS games to be visible to the server, you will need to follow this guide.

 

Navigate to your ROOT Games folder, then create folders for Windows and/or DOS, with each game in their own subfolders.

If it's a windows game place a game.gbwin file within each game directory. If its a DOS game place a game.gbdos file within each game directory.

This file can be anything such as a blank text document or zip file. Just make sure to change the name to game and the extension to gbwin / gbdos.

Games > WINDOWS > Baldur's Gate > game.gbwin
                > Borderlands > game.gbwin
      > DOS     > Zork > game.gbdos
                > Wing Commander > game.gbdos

After this step navigate to Emby Classic Configurator > Plug-ins tab > GameBrowser-Classic > Configure > Windows Games tab

Select a game you wish to setup on the left, then click the 54a24d1bcac96_gameclassicdots.jpg button on the right next to Local Executable and select the .exe of the game.

Repeat for each game.

 

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The setup for DOS games is the same as it is for Windows games.

Navigate to Emby Classic Configurator > Plug-ins tab > GameBrowser-Classic > Configure > DOS Games tab

Select a game you wish to setup on the left, then click the 54a24d1bcac96_gameclassicdots.jpg button on the right next to Local Executable and select the .exe of the game.

Repeat for each game.

 

 

Most DOS games don't run well in modern windows PC's. DOSBox is a great tool to overcome that. If DOSBox is configured in GameBrowser-Classic, then any games with a game.gbdos file will be launched through DOSBox. To use DOSBox follow this extra step.

 

Navigate to Emby Classic Configurator > Plug-ins tab > GameBrowser-Classic > Configure > Miscellaneous tab

Click the 54a24d1bcac96_gameclassicdots.jpg button on the right next to DOSBox and select the DOSBox.exe

 

 

 

Emulator Command Line Arguments

EMBY CLASSIC USAGE

Atari               > Stella                    > "{rom}"
Nintendo 64         > Project64 v1.6 or earlier > {rom}
                    > Project64 v1.7 or newer   > "{rom}"
Nintendo DS         > DeSmuME                   > "{rom}"
Nintendo Gamecube   > Dolphin                   > --execute="{rom}"
Nintendo GBA        > VisualBoyAdvance          > "{rom}"
Nintendo NES        > VirtuaNES                 > "{rom}"
                    > NEStopia                  > "{rom}"
Nintendo SNES       > ZSNES                     > -m "{rom}"
                    > snes9x                    > "{rom}"
Nintendo Wii        > Dolphin                   > --execute="{rom}"
Sega Genesis        > Fusion                    > -fullscreen "{rom}"
Sega Dreamcast      > NullDC                    > -config ImageReader:DefaultImage="{rom}"
Sega Saturn         > Yabause                   > -a -f -i "{rom}
Sony PS1            > ePSXe                     > -nogui -loadbin "{rom}"
Sony PS2            > PCSX2                     > --nogui --fullscreen "{rom}"
Sony PSP            > PPSSPP                    > "{rom}"
EMBY THEATER USAGE

NOTE: Each argument needs to be on its own line, so for instance for SNES/zsnes, -m and {path} should be on 2 seperate lines. Like so:

-m
{path}

Atari               > Stella                    > {PATH}
Nintendo 64         > Project64                 > [PATH]
Nintendo DS         > DeSmuME                   > {PATH}
Nintendo Gamecube   > Dolphin                   > --execute={PATH}
Nintendo GBA        > VisualBoyAdvance          > {PATH}
Nintendo NES        > VirtuaNES                 > {PATH}
                    > NEStopia                  > {PATH}
Nintendo SNES       > ZSNES                     > -m {PATH}
                    > snes9x                    > {PATH}
Nintendo Wii        > Dolphin                   > --execute={PATH}
Nintendo Wii U      > Cemu                      > --rom {PATH}
Sega Genesis        > Fusion                    > -fullscreen {PATH}
Sega Dreamcast      > NullDC                    > -config ImageReader:DefaultImage={PATH}
Sega Saturn         > Yabause                   > -a -f -i {PATH}
Sony PS1            > ePSXe                     > -nogui -loadbin {PATH}
Sony PS2            > PCSX2                     > --nogui --fullscreen {PATH}
Sony PSP            > PPSSPP                    > {PATH}

With ePSXE if you get an error "PSX Bios not found", use this switch to specify the location of the bios, just change the path to where your bios is located.

EMBY CLASSIC USAGE

Sony PS1          > ePSXe bios error           > -nogui -bios "C:\Program Files\ePSXe 1.8\bios\scph1001.bin" -loadbin "{rom}"

EMBY THEATER USAGE

Sony PS1          > ePSXe bios error           > -nogui -bios "C:\Program Files\ePSXe 1.8\bios\scph1001.bin" -loadbin {PATH}
Edited by shaefurr
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  • 4 years later...

First of all, cheers and a big thanks for the amazing guide! :)

 

Do you know if I can get GamesDB to scrap the missing metadata for me (pics, overview, manufacturer, etc)?

 

As for now EmuMovies aint working/totally broken for me and the "search Internet" alternative is not avaible.

I've got an API-key for GamesDB, however I have no clue how I get the gamesdb channel/plugin to pop up in my embyserver "Choose metadata provider list" :/

Im running Emby Windows Server, Version 4.0.1.0.

 

Any help is highly appreciated!

 

Kind regards /Amadeyo

 

Edit: Attached files so you can visualize it

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Edited by Amadeyo
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There is no internet metadata in the plugin right now, so it will all have to be manual.

 

Oh, I see.

 

Ive got an idea:

 

Why not just make it avaible and then tell people they need to obtain their own key, I would say thats no different from; "the need to create a Google acc in order for Gdrive to work" or create+configure ann acc in order to get Pushnotifications up and running? :)

 

Thanks for the fast reply!

 

Kind regards

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's possible for the future, but unlikely in the short term as it will require significant changes. thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've been trying to get this to work with PPSSPP and it is just not working. I am getting a "Error loading game file" error in the emulator.

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shaefurr

I've been trying to get this to work with PPSSPP and it is just not working. I am getting a "Error loading game file" error in the emulator.

It should work with just {PATH} as the argument, what version of PPSSPP are you running?

 

You could also try launching a PSP game with RetroArch.

 

Do you have other game systems set up that work?

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  • 8 months later...
shadowfire36

im using the latest version of emby and the game browser , and  i do not have the options for this part of the guide 

 

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Setting up Clients to Launch Games

549b0e936121f_break.jpg

Emby Theater

 

Launching games from Emby theater only requires a simple setup of external players.

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Open EmbyTheater, in the top right corner click on your profile icon in the top right corner, then navigate to Settings > External Players > Add Player

Change the Media Type to Game, and the Game system to whatever system you would like to setup.

In the Player Path type or paste the location of your emulator.

Enter the correct command line argument for your emulator (listed at the bottom of this guide)

Click save, and repeat for each game platform

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do not have this option nor the classic option . Only thing  I can do is setup the 1st two steps of this guide . 

Any guidance would really help i have been stuck on this for 3 days and cant seem to figure out why i cannot add my games .They dont seem to scan and i have placed them all in there own folder 

 

 

 

version: 4.2.1.0 emby

version: 3.2.5  game browser 

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  • 1 month later...
lunadmin

Hi @@ebr

(im using the latest version of Emby and GameBrowser)

According to this Guide, i wanted to try the Games Browser Classic for Emby Classic --> but i can't install this Plugin. The Plugin is listed in the Windows Media Plugins Tab not in the normal Plugins Tab and there is also no install Button.

 

So i was thinking maybe i have installed it a long time ago, but there is also no plugin in the Installed Plugins.

Can you guide me how i can Install this Plugin?

 

Thx

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Hi @@ebr

(im using the latest version of Emby and GameBrowser)

According to this Guide, i wanted to try the Games Browser Classic for Emby Classic --> but i can't install this Plugin. The Plugin is listed in the Windows Media Plugins Tab not in the normal Plugins Tab and there is also no install Button.

 

So i was thinking maybe i have installed it a long time ago, but there is also no plugin in the Installed Plugins.

 

Can you guide me how i can Install this Plugin?

 

Thx

 

@@jachin99 did you ever get this working?

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jachin99

I got the plugin to install, and show games a while back but I never got it to launch games.  I never finished trying to tweak the command line arguments.  I'm pretty sure it requires premier to use.  I don't have any win 7 machines at the moment, and I'm looking for something to run a Win 7 VM on that will give me all of the video memory I need so I'm not much help at the moment.  

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Okay.  lunadmin, we'll have to look into this and remove it from the catalog if it isn't compatible anymore.

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Spaceboy

I had/have it set up using theatre on a laptop. Let me give it a try at the weekend

Edited by Spaceboy
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lunadmin

Thanks for the feedback! 

 

@@lunadmin, have you tried games with Emby Theater?

 

https://emby.media/emby-theater.html

 

No, not really, because of the guide i wanted to try this solution first - would be a better solution for me. 

 

I didn't try the plugin because i can't download and install it - thats seems to be easy to fix i think?, wanted to try first this solution like the guide describe it.

 

thx

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No, not really, because of the guide i wanted to try this solution first - would be a better solution for me. 

 

I didn't try the plugin because i can't download and install it - thats seems to be easy to fix i think?, wanted to try first this solution like the guide describe it.

 

thx

 

Can you show us a screenshot of what you see in EMC?

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lunadmin

Well i can send you just a screenshot of the plugins, there is no Game Browser Classic plugin to install under the normal Plugins.

 

I can see only on the Windows Media Center Plugins Tab - The Game Browser Classic - but this is not what we want to use and is described here, or not?

 

5e1b50cd8bf28_screen1.png

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Okay, you cannot install EMC plug-ins from the server.  They are there for display only - and, actually, to provide a way for 3rd parties to be able to charge for them.

 

If you want game browser in EMC, you have to install and configure the server plug-in and then also install the EMC plug-in from within EMC.

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lunadmin

Okay, you cannot install EMC plug-ins from the server.  They are there for display only - and, actually, to provide a way for 3rd parties to be able to charge for them.

 

If you want game browser in EMC, you have to install and configure the server plug-in and then also install the EMC plug-in from within EMC.

 

So Emby Classic (EMC) is a synonym for the emby frontend in media player classic. I was thinking it means the classical frontend with browser. 

 

Now i get it. thx

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