4. FAQ - zach-morris/plugin.program.iagl GitHub Wiki

It's an addon for your HTPC running Kodi, so that you can play retro games....

IAGL uses a temporary cache folder in the Kodi userdata folder by default (folder is named game_cache). ..path_to_userdata/addon_data/plugin.program.iagl/game_cache

You can change the cache folder size in the addon settings.

The cache size is by default set to Zero, meaning the addon will not keep the files. You can increase the cache size to something bigger. What you choose depends on what kind of games you play and how often you play them. Atari games for example are just a few kb. CD based systems are easily over 500MB per game.

If you don't want the files for a particular game to be deleted and want them available for 'instant launching', you can change the download location. You can mix and match which games are cached and which are saved to alternate locations on a per-archive basis.

See here for instructions.

No problemo, IAGL is setup to support external emulators. By default, IAGL is shipped with external commands to support Retroarch and a few choice others. If your emulator of choice isn't listed, you can provide your own command line. To do that:

• Highlight the game archive of interest
• Bring up the context menu (right click or press c)
• Choose Update Launch Command
• Choose the option Manually enter launch command. Then simply enter the command into the prompt just as you would on the command line. You can also use the variables in your command. The variables you can use to support launching:

XXROM_PATHXX:  The full path to the file.  i.e.  'C:/Downloads/my cool file (USA).nes'
XXROM_NAMEXX:  Just the filename of the file.  i.e. 'my cool file (USA).nes'
XXROM_NAME_QUOTEDXX:  The filename url quoted.  i.e.  'my%20cool%20file%20%28USA%29.nes'
XXROM_NAME_QUOTESPACEXX:  The filename spaces quoted.  i.e.  'my%20cool%20file%20(USA).nes'
XXROM_STEMXX:  Just the file stem of the file.  i.e. 'my cool file (USA)'
XXROM_STEM_QUOTEDXX:  The filestem url quoted.  i.e.  'my%20cool%20file%20%28USA%29'
XXROM_STEM_QUOTESPACEXX:  The filestem spaces quoted.  i.e.  'my%20cool%20file%20(USA)'
XXNETPLAY_COMMANDXX:  An IAGL appended netplay command (i.e. --nick="Zach Morris" --host)

If you've got a common launcher command you would like included, let me know so I can add it to the default list provided in the next update.

OK. Go here here, and include a note with some info on what you are interested in, along with an essay and TPS report in triplicate. There are no guarantees that I'll add it.

No problem. Just select the archive you don't want to see, then bring up the context menu (right click or press C) and select Hide Game List

Make up your mind! OK. Now go to IAGL settings Context Menu / Settings / Views and Navigation / (Advance Level Setting) Unhide Game Lists

IAGL v4.0+ has changed from using xml files to using a sqlite database. This makes it way faster, but more difficult to edit. However, a standard sql editor can edit the database file. I recommend dBeaver Community Edition.

Hold on there tiger. This addon is a game LAUNCHER. Not an emulator. I'm no where near an expert on all the in's and out's of Retroarch (or whatever you're favorite emulator is). I suggest taking a look here. Or, head on over to the libretro forum or the libretro wiki.

The error you got is due to dependencies that did not install for some reason (which should auto install if you install IAGL by zip or by my repo, you likely copied the files manually so the dependencies weren't installed). To avoid this, install the addon using the repository as discussed on the install page.

To fix this, you can manually install the dependencies by searching for them. The dependancies are listed here.

Yes, thats by design. This addon will show up as both a game addon and video addon. Kodi skins tend to have more views available for video addons rather than game addons. Most skins in Kodi are desined around making video's pretty. You can also change what media is presented as in IAGL settings Context Menu / Settings / Views and Navigation / (Advance Level Setting) Games are Presented As

Maybe. But probably not...

If the game launches, then IAGL is no longer "in the loop". The addon did its job. The game launched (or was at least told to). Done.

After that, it's up to whatever is emulating the game. So if the game launches, but has some sort of issue, then I suggest you google search for the specific issue you are experiencing along with the emulator being used (the retroarch core, or Retroplayer addon, etc), look at your settings, etc.

Maybe. But probably not...

In a nutshell this is how IAGL works:

1. Downloads the required files you requested from the archive
2. Processes those files (if necessary) to get them ready to launch (unzip for example, some others have config files automatically generated).
3. (In the case of external launching) Executes a command line command to launch the game. This would in theory be the same exact command you would use to launch the game from the command line.

Most likely causes that game XYZ does not work are (in no particular order):

• You did not setup your emulator exactly as required for the game to work
• The settings for your emulator need to be tweaked for the game to work
• The game is not supported / is not compatible yet with the emulator you tried
• IAGL did not send the right launch command or did not provide (all) the required files
• IAGL did not download the file, or all the files required, or they're no longer available, or... you're not connected to the internet (did you try this)

For troubleshooting purposes, I suggest the following:

1. Review the launch commands for the archive you're having trouble with. You can do this by selecting the archive list in IAGL, then bringing up the context menu and selecting "View List Settings". Ensure the launch command looks correct for the emulator / core you're using. Note that the wizard is not 100% correct, and Retroarch / core functionality changes often so it could require the command be tweaked to work. See here on info on tweaking.

2. Assuming the game downloads from IAGL correctly. Start Retroarch and launch the game directly from the emulator (i.e. start retroarch and try and launch the game file that IAGL downloaded). If that doesn't work, then the problem lies with your setup or the emulator (hint: It's probably a BIOS file issue).

3. You can turn on debug logging in Kodi, attempt to launch your game, it will still fail, but then you can review the log and see what command is sent. Review the command, or even better, copy and paste the command into the command line for your computer and see what error you get.

If you believe you found a bug, let me know and I'll see if I can fix it. You must provide a debug log so I can follow what the issue is.

You are probably using a Raspberry Pi. Am I right? Per the libreelec builds page All the emulators use ALSA by default. Some times there are more than one sound card or more than one output and the sound will go to the wrong place by default. In this case you should have a look at /storage/.config/asound.conf.sample. Use it as a template and save the edited one as /storage/.config/asound.conf. When done correctly the command "speaker-test" should output noise. If it doesn't you need to fix your asound.conf

Some archives on archive.org are only available after you login to the site. Enter your user EMAIL and password for archive.org in the addon settings. You can also check your login in addon settings.

If you did enter your email and password and it still gives you this message, it's entirely possible archive.org no longer provides the file(s). If this is the case, submit an issue with 1-2 examples of failed games, along with a debug log showing the failure.

If you have no input from any of your controllers (buttons not working) when launching games from within Kodi using IAGL but you do when launching from Retroarch standalone then change the Poll Type Behavior under the Retroarch Settings / Input to Early.

The addon isn't perfect, but it's close! Here are the current known issues

To the best of my knowledge, in cases where DMCA applies, Internet Archive follows the DMCA requirements. The Internet Archive has an exception to the standard DMCA-related copyright rules found in the United States.

Reference this wikipedia entry, summarized below:

The Internet Archive has created an archive of what it describes as 'vintage software', as a way to preserve them... the exemption is 'for the purpose of preservation or archival reproduction of published digital works by a library or archive.' ... the exemption was renewed in 2006, and in 2009 was indefinitely extended pending further rulemakings... In 2013, the Internet Archive began to provide abandonware video games browser-playable emulators such as MESS...

Further documentation of the exemption can be found here, and here, and here.

This addon accesses archive.org data and web pages. Review the terms of use for archive.org here. Specifically archive.org states:

Some of the content available through the Archive may be governed by local, national, and/or international laws and regulations, and your use of such content is solely at your own risk

In addition to the terms on the website, the addon presents these same terms to users prior to using this addon.

• I've made this addon for the fun of it, so personally not looking for any donations. BUT, I highly recommend a small donation to the internet archive to support their cause and their bandwidth.

Please donate here: https://archive.org/donate/