Console emulation: Shared save states across multiple machines.

[deevergote]

I have an idea that is beyond my abilities. This probably isn't the best place for it, but I'd rather talk it out with a few knowledgeable CB7tuners before I take it to a bunch of strangers on an emulation/programming forum!

I've been playing games on my Raspberry Pi for a couple months now, and it works like a charm. I love it. I learned that save states (at least SNES states) can be transferred from my PC to my Raspberry Pi, and vice versa... allowing me to play a game on the Pi, continue it on my PC, and transfer it back to the Pi. It's neat-o! But to do so, I have to either remove the SD card from the Pi and put it in my PC, or fire up my FTP client to do a remote transfer to the powered Pi. Not a major hassle, but I'm trying to make it even better!
I also hope to pick up an inexpensive Android tablet one of these days, which I also hope to use for retro gaming purposes.

My idea is this: to build a remote file server, possibly using a second Raspberry Pi (perhaps the new Pi Zero), or just my PC (since it's on most of the time anyway.)
The tricky part is figuring out a way to make the emulators load from and save to the remote server. The idea is to have things set up in a way that I could pick up from where I left off using any device.


This is a fairly new idea, and I'm very much a noob in regards to these things... so I have no idea how to implement it, if it's even possible!
I'd love to hear additional thoughts, suggestions, or experiences with such a thing (if it actually exists... I'm sure I'm not the first to have this idea!)

[lbus9168]

You're way overcomplicating it. Its easy.

Setup your Samba server on raspberry pi. This allows you easy access via PC to your raspberry pi files, through file explorer in windows. Save RPI save files in standard storage location. Point save location on PC to samba share.

Done.

Assuming you use windows, that is

[deevergote]

That sounds easy enough!

I'm running RetroPie on the Raspberry Pi, though. I'm not sure how to set up the server on that. That's worth looking into, though! Googling now.

edit: apparently RetroPie has Samba already included. Time to go digging through some settings!

[lbus9168]

Mike, samba is enabled by default. Just type \\Retropie into windows explorer and you'll be there.

[deevergote]

Holy crap.

[lbus9168]

Hahaha!

Technology, right?

Now all you need to do is navigate to your saves on the pi, and set that as your default location on your emulator and you're done! No requirement to sync anything as its all saved to the same location.

Just, if you leave your network obviously saves won't work any more.

[deevergote]

Now if I could just figure out how to make the stupid emulators save to and load from the Pi...

[lbus9168]

What emu's are you using?

Also if you set this up on android as well it might take a little more work

If you aren't, I'd reccomend this for windoze

http://lifehacker.com/how-to-set-up-...-re-1745863517

[deevergote]

Right now, I'm messing with ZSNES and SNES9X for SNES, and ePSXe for Playstation (not sure what emulators I'll be using for other systems yet.)

None of them seem to have an option for changing the save state location. ZSNES has a "paths" option, but it didn't seem to do anything when I tried to set it to //Retropie/roms/snes

[lbus9168]

Try opening your ROMs directly from the samba share, go to a ROM on the share, right click, open with, select your oreffered emu.

[deevergote]

I wonder if that'll overheat the Pi if I'm running the rom over wireless... if it'll even run (probably won't work well for Playstation... SNES and lesser systems it probably would.)

[lbus9168]

Its just file transfer, it should not be a problem. The reason why you'd do that is because saves are located with the ROMS, so that's probably the best way to do it.

[deevergote]

It works! I managed to do it with the SNES games via ZSNES. Seems to load and save flawlessly.

I'll have to try with the Playstation. Though the RetroPie (well, Emulation Station really) saves .srm files, and I don't have a Playstation emulator that does that, I don't think... so I'll need a workaround.

But if the SNES (and hopefully lesser) all work that way, I'm happy. Those are the games I want to play the most!

Thanks, Lachlan. I didn't actually expect to get any sort of answer with this post!
The Android compatibility might be an issue, but that's probably a long way off. I don't even own an Android device yet. That would really just be so I can keep playing Final Fantasy while I'm dropping a deuce, though.

[lbus9168]

Haha I'm glad you got it sorted.

You can do it with an android device, some people say you may need to root the device, but i think it should work if you set it up the same way, and just use ES file explorer, and it should work.

[HappyGilmore]

Well if it's a Samba Share, then all you have to do is right click on it and map network drive. That gives it a letter in Windows you can just do that way too!