PS2 PSBBN: Great job CosmicScale!

[Jake Tails]

Hello everyone! This is my first thread, and I wanted to congratulate CosmicScale on the great work they're doing with PSBBN! But I also wanted to ask them about a few things...
1. I wanted to know if it was possible to modify the covers and/or fill in the missing ones somehow.
2. Is there a way to access the partition where the PS1 games are installed from a Windows/Linux PC?
3. Is there a way to install the hugopocked Fixes?
I'm hoping CosmicScale or someone else can give me some answers... I tried searching the forum but couldn't find anything about this.

 

[bucanero]

@CosmicScale is around this forum so hopefully he can answer your questions.

1. I wanted to know if it was possible to modify the covers and/or fill in the missing ones somehow.

Oh, totally, I'd like to know how to manually create covers and missing art too. I know that the Game installer script has some scripted code that tries to fetch and download covers if possible, but in some cases even those scripts couldn't get the covers for PSBBN.

From what I checked:
- images must be PNG (8-bit, 256 colors), 256x256 pixels
- images should be stored under the " icons/art " folder.

2. Is there a way to access the partition where the PS1 games are installed from a Windows/Linux PC?

PS1 .VCD files are stored on the APA partition (not the exFat OPL partition).

No idea about Windows, but on Linux you can use the "PFS Shell.elf" that is included in the PSBBN English Patch. Keep in mind this is an advanced command line tool . For example, listing the current VCD files using PFS Shell:

device /dev/your-disk-id
mount __.POPS
ls
umount
exit

3. Is there a way to install the hugopocked Fixes?
I'm hoping CosmicScale or someone else can give me some answers... I tried searching the forum but couldn't find anything about this.

No idea about how to install those fixes. Hopefully CosmicScale will be able to give you some info

 

[ShaolinAssassin]

3. Is there a way to install the hugopocked Fixes?

What I would do is to copy all hugopocked fixes in a dedicated folder in __.POPS.
When you install a game that had a fix for it, just use uLE to copy the fix from __.POPS/hugopocked_fixes to game VMC folder.
Easier that going back and forth for fixes from mass to hdd or to try to batch install all those fixes for VCD that doesn't exist

 

[Jake Tails]

Thanks bucanero and ShaolinAssassin for your reply. I do some tests and i'll tell you my results.

 

[Jake Tails]

@CosmicScale is around this forum so hopefully he can answer your questions.

Oh, totally, I'd like to know how to manually create covers and missing art too. I know that the Game installer script has some scripted code that tries to fetch and download covers if possible, but in some cases even those scripts couldn't get the covers for PSBBN.

From what I checked:
- images must be PNG (8-bit, 256 colors), 256x256 pixels
- images should be stored under the " icons/art " folder.

Okay, I checked too and noticed that, as you said, it creates a sort of local cache of downloaded covers in the "icons/art" path.
Therefore, if it finds them there and we replace them with something custom, it should automatically add them to the PFS section in the correct position.
The only limitation is the 256x256 size, which is difficult to find... I find many online databases of PS1 covers, but they're all 500x500... if they were 512x512, I would have reduced them by 50% somehow.
I hope they'll be supported at 512x512 or 500x500 in the future.

 

[bucanero]

I bet the 256x256 / 8-bit limitation comes from PSBBN and how the app was created by Sony.

So don't expect that PSBBN will support any other format, size or resolution in a near future. Your best option is to resize and adjust the images you want to the supported format.

 

[CosmicScale]

Hello everyone! This is my first thread, and I wanted to congratulate CosmicScale on the great work they're doing with PSBBN!

Thanks!

1. I wanted to know if it was possible to modify the covers and/or fill in the missing ones somehow.

Yes, just place a PNG named after the game's ID in the icons/art folder. Other resolutions and color depths are supported, but PSBBN will need to scale them, which tanks performance when scrolling through your game collection. It's best to stick with the Sony recommended 256×256 8-bit color.

If a game has missing artwork, you can submit a square image in any format and resolution, as long as it is 256×256 or larger, to the PSBBN Art Database. Submissions are converted to the correct format and uploaded so everyone can use them.

2. Is there a way to access the partition where the PS1 games are installed from a Windows/Linux PC?

Yes, but I do not recommend managing your PS1 games this way, as it will mess up the game installer. To add PS1 games, place them in the games/POPS folder on your PC. If you want to remove games manually, use wLaunchELF.

3. Is there a way to install the hugopocked Fixes?

Yes, just install them in the standard way, copy the patches to the correct VMC.