Update: Everyone said GameVault's UI was garbage, so we completely overhauled it. reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 01:35 Hey folks, Thank you, everyone, for the feedback and the huge desire for a User Interface overhaul for GameVault on our Discord Poll. In case you're wondering what GameVault is**, i**t's like having your own video gaming platform for games on your server – think Plex, but for video games. If you are a self-hosting gamer, you most likely [want to check this out.](https://gamevau.lt) With the brand new version 1.8, we've taken your feedback to heart and worked hard to give GameVault a fresh coat of paint! [Here are some before/after pics](https://i.imgur.com/kcy2D0W.jpg) of how it used to look versus now so you can see the difference. The UI underwent a complete makeover, and aside from looking pretty awesome, it is much better in terms of usability as well. Just so you know: The first UI was kind of basic and only meant for us two developers, as we didn't initially plan to release this project to the public. Now that the traction is **so huge** and thousands of people are using this software, it would plainly feel wrong not to give it a facelift. So, every button and detail has been thoughtfully placed to make things **way more user-friendly**. If you weren't a fan of the old UI, now's the time to swing by and check out the changes. If you also want to steer the future development of GameVault, make sure to join our [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/NEdNen2dSu). **You can check out GameVault** [**here**](https://gamevau.lt)**.** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- m3shat · 2023-12-29 01:47 I don't mean to be rude, but even after the redesign it still feels quite off-putting, the UI elements appear to be non-uniformly sized? I'm not sure, I'm not a UI designer and truthfully I didn't and am not planning on participating via your discord server or anything like that, as your focus is windows and I'm not using windows (at least not if I can help it) Perhaps some sort of UI library or design template, like Material or some stuff like that would have been useful. Still, props for taking in the initial criticisms and working on it, someone else might have just dropped the project or something Keep up the work! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Substantial_Mistake · 2023-12-29 01:51 I agree, kudos for the team for taking the feedback and continuing their work. It’ll get there day by day :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 01:59 Thanks for your feedback. We use a UI Framework called MahApps.Metro for our WPF app - it's one of the best and only ones actively maintained out there. The market is just not as saturated as, say, in CSS. However, the default look isn't really great or modern anymore, so we've tweaked a lot to make things look better. We know there's more to do, but we've mainly focused on making it easy to use rather than making it look perfect. Thanks though! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- voidsyourwarranties · 2023-12-29 02:55 I like the changes! I was going to test it out but the docker compose page on your docs is missing. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jovialfaction · 2023-12-29 03:00 Good job on the work. But is this something meant to run on a Windows PC? I'd venture to say that most of the self hosted community runs Linux for their servers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- StationVisual · 2023-12-29 03:09 Cool concept. I'd be most interested in using ROMs. Do you expect to have this soon? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Zl0bbby · 2023-12-29 03:15 Look into WPFUI. They just partnered with the WPF dev team to work on making it native. https://github.com/lepoco/wpfui ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings-Commander · 2023-12-29 03:16 Recently started using it and it is quite nice. Honestly the UI isn't really a big concern for me. What I would love is the ability to download additional files, such as updates, zips, exe, etc that are associated with the game. Also integrating a notification system like Discord for when those new files are added or the game itself is updated. Appreciate the work! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 03:31 Will check this out and fix it asap ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 03:32 It's definitely on our roadmap. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 03:35 Of course not. The server runs on anything as it is a docker container. The client app only runs on windows though, as most videogames do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 03:36 At least your extra files request is on our roadmap. But you should definitely create a feature request for your other idea on our github for us to evaluate! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 03:37 Have a look at https://github.com/zurdi15/romm if you haven't done so yet. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LoganJFisher · 2023-12-29 03:47 Can GameVault be run as a plugin for TrueNAS Scale? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- voidsyourwarranties · 2023-12-29 03:49 https://gamevau.lt/docs/server-docs/setup from here, I clicked the docker compose link under Method. Seems to be working now! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- pedrotski · 2023-12-29 03:53 >Here are some before/after pics I was about to say it looks like an older metro app. Here's why. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _3xc41ibur · 2023-12-29 03:54 If UI/UX design is not your team's strong suit, I would check out Flutter in the future. Supports Material 3 out of the box, great multiplatform desktop and mobile support. As a solo dev, and one who is weak at frontend UI design, I've found it incredibly easy to roll out consistent UI's that both look pleasing and function effectively. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- johnerp · 2023-12-29 04:02 The server appears to run on Linux/docker, and the client is supported on Linux through Wine, not a bad place to start at all, especially most games are designed to run on windows first. I’m curious, what do you game in the most? Linux/mac? Op: thank you for putting your time and effort into this, I’ll be checking this out when I get home from the holidays! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Greetings-Commander · 2023-12-29 04:13 Will do, thanks! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- panjadotme · 2023-12-29 04:21 WOW! This would look way better! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- throwawayallmyposts · 2023-12-29 04:23 So it's launchbox? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ASVPcurtis · 2023-12-29 04:51 Rename it back to crackpipe ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AlexKalopsia · 2023-12-29 04:53 Congrats on the iteration! I think you are in desperate need for (among other things) margins and padding. Every single item in the new design is so close to each other, there is basically no breathing space or sense of (coherent) hierarchy (in some cases the old design imho reads as cleaner / more modern). These things take time though, good job on moving the project forward ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TheRealSeeThruHead · 2023-12-29 05:18 You say think plex, but then I go to the site and it says no streaming. So not like plex at all? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- discoshanktank · 2023-12-29 05:23 Whoa this is really cool. Looks like it works well with steam deck ---------------------------------------------------------------------- commitme · 2023-12-29 05:24 Putting this on my radar. I see it's already listed with unRAID. Cool! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- nocsi · 2023-12-29 05:47 Not sure why everyone’s focusing only on UI. There’s not really any substance here, especially if you’re comparing yourself with plex. You have an opportunity it to offer actual value and make things interesting. Implement save state syncing. How about letting users share and download shader caches? Spin up a wine instance and stream gameplay with webrtc. That’s what a game plex would do. Otherwise… right now I think people are more happy to just use lunchbox/hyperspin/steam. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- DogRocketeer · 2023-12-29 05:57 I was thinking the same. Like can my brother stream my copy of the a game I have on my PC using my PC hardware? If not then its not like plex at all. Its more like the "\*darr" apps. Its metadata around my "plex" library but thats about it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kingshawn47 · 2023-12-29 06:31 I thought this was the same project 😂 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- jakerfv · 2023-12-29 07:26 This actually seems pretty cool for a growing list of games I have that are free and don't have launchers. Games like Battle For Middle Earth or Alien Vs Predator 2 or other titles that simply don't have any homes on Steam or GOG that I have just sitting in a folder, to be forgotten about. I know people have already mentioned Launchbox or Steam Rom Manager but Launchbox is a bit more involved and Steam Rom Manager just does what I need it to do for managing all the clients but Alien Vs Predator 2 has no client. Thanks for this! Will check it out tonight! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ParaDescartar123 · 2023-12-29 07:51 Damn you guys are dope. Gonna install this and check it out on my homelab this week during vacation. Thanks. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- noe_rls · 2023-12-29 08:15 Nice app! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 09:01 I meant the media browsing & serving aspect, not the streaming aspect ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 09:02 I changed absolutely nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 09:04 It's not. Launchbox only runs locally. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FuriousRageSE · 2023-12-29 09:17 \*I\* never said that.. mainly because i have never heard of gamevault until now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- FuriousRageSE · 2023-12-29 09:19 I've tried all these packages and stuff.. Never get it to work as promissed and i always end up removing all those features. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Cetically · 2023-12-29 09:40 Congratulations on your new release! Tried it a few months ago but I remember needing to use Wine to install the client and even then it not really working well on Linux; And the server not having any UI (iirc everything was done through the client when logged in as admin and user management was a bit weird?), is that still the same? Either way, don't mean to be discouraging, you can't please everyone ;), keep up the good work! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- joshuaavalon · 2023-12-29 09:51 Is reimplementing rawg api the only way to provide custom metadata? or there will be a plugin system that allow user using custom metadata source? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- natriusaut · 2023-12-29 10:09 So, its just like a selfhosted Good Old Games? Or Steam? I think you better change that wording :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 10:29 It's still the same, we're actively working on it ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 10:30 Currently only Rawg, more providers hopefully in the future, let's see ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 11:08 If it works at all. I didn't enjoy it... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rursache · 2023-12-29 11:15 even after the redesign, it still looks very old and unfriendly. no margins for elements and just looking plain ugly still. i think you can just look at plex and "borrow" that UI if there are no designers on your team. good luck! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 11:18 Question, there's no WEB ui, right ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- b0dyr0ck2006 · 2023-12-29 12:23 Needs: a server/admin backend Option to install server backend on windows Option to install direct from NAS/Storage instead of having to download then install ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Azelphur · 2023-12-29 12:27 Yea this is sadly the one blocker for me too when I tried GameVault. I use a Steam deck a lot, and wine version I believe has no way to execute native applications, so it just makes it pointless as every single game would have to be Windows/Wine only, and in the same bottle. Great to hear it's being actively worked on though, hopefully soon it'll get native Linux support, then I will definitely want to use it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 12:29 Not yet no ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 12:31 No the games it launches can be Linux games that's not an issue. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 12:33 There is a backend. You can install it on almost everything as it runs on docker. There's also easy to setup presets for popular Nas/Storage systems like unraid and truenas ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Azelphur · 2023-12-29 12:45 Thanks, TIL. I think when I tried it a while back it just didn't work on wine at all, I remember talking to some folks on discord but didn't have any luck, ended up giving up. Hopefully one day we'll get a native Linux version anyway, would be nice :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- b0dyr0ck2006 · 2023-12-29 12:46 That’s not really a solution though is it? Perhaps I should have put ‘native windows install’. As far as I can tell from reading through the documentation there isn’t a way to install the server backend on windows, unless you use docker. Docker can only be used if the system supports wsl. I tried running Linux on a spare machine and running up docker and installed the server but it became too complicated getting it communicating to the client. Having to create a dedicated ‘user’ on Linux to run to server and then provide permissions to that user etc. I know my way around windows and am attempting to learn Linux which is a steep learning curve. This package has great potential but setup should be as simple as possible. I gave up in the end after four days of trying to get it to work and moved over to gameyfin, 20 minutes later everything was setup and working ---------------------------------------------------------------------- He_do_be · 2023-12-29 13:02 Does this have a way to tell if there is an update available for the title? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kysfu · 2023-12-29 13:40 https://gamevau.lt/docs/server-docs/docker-compose Not working for me. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kysfu · 2023-12-29 13:42 https://gamevau.lt/docs/server-docs/setup/docker-compose/ This is what you linked above. Just fix the link on your setup page. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Kooshi_Govno · 2023-12-29 13:53 LaunchBox is my platform of choice for that ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 14:08 But that **is** the link I use on the setup page D: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 14:08 No not yet at least ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 14:10 There is the so called "native approach" you need 7zip installed and you need nodejs installed. I run the server on Windows myself for testing purposes. It's JavaScript. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 14:12 I'll may look into something like a bootstrap white glove windows installer executable if that is something that would make you switch over again. Just create a ticket on our GitHub if you want to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- icyhotonmynuts · 2023-12-29 14:50 This is just a cataloger, not something to run it? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- icyhotonmynuts · 2023-12-29 14:50 Never knew this existed. I'll check it out ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MelancholyArtichoke · 2023-12-29 15:18 You should get together with the EmulatorJS team to combine your projects. They have a functional browser based ROM player, but a terrible UI. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 15:23 We already plan contacting them once we start supporting ROMs and Emulation. Stay tuned! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 15:38 There's no direct integration at the moment, but you should be able to load it in the steamdeck browser. If you're using Emudeck or Retrodeck we plan to support sync-with-device (roms, saves and states) in the next few months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 15:39 Sorry to hear that, you're welcome to join the discord (if you haven't done so already) and I'd be happy to help troubleshoot any issues https://discord.gg/Nt3Wqqkv75 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 15:41 At the moment yes just a catalog, but there's ongoing work around running roms in the browser with https://github.com/EmulatorJS/EmulatorJS. We also just merged in an integration with https://play.webrcade.com/ which will be available in the next minor release. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- kysfu · 2023-12-29 16:02 Think like a user. Go to your website and try navigating to setup docker and you will see what I'm talking about. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 16:12 You're the dev ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 16:15 I confirm, the issue is here: https://imgur.com/a/ZFpHxX7 That specific link leats to: https://gamevau.lt/docs/server-docs/docker-compose and not https://gamevau.lt/docs/server-docs/setup/docker-compose/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 16:22 One of them yeah ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PolicyArtistic8545 · 2023-12-29 16:55 You might have known it under its former name, Crackpipe. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- masiuspt · 2023-12-29 16:59 I personally hate this design trend for windows apps.. I feel that what's shown there (and what we see on "modern" windows/wpf apps) is extremely off putting. But I guess that's just an issue with Windows' current design philosophy and not the apps themselves - they're just trying to fit in. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ColtKAZ2Y5 · 2023-12-29 17:09 Been using this for a while now and have enjoyed the regular updates and bug fixes. It suites my needs great, have the backend running on unraid with 300+ games in the library. All meta data worked like a charm with the exception of some covers needing tweaked but that’s to be expected. Downloading, extracting and installation of games is easy and painless. The new UI changes I feel are a great improvement from before. Any time I’ve had a weird bug or an issue with my setup the developers and community on discord have been a great help and resolved any and all problems. I posted some images of the changes to a friend and he liked the look of it. Had it up and running in no time with their Ubuntu install too. Thanks for the effort and I look forward to future updates. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 17:12 I'm sorry... but i really don't do Discord. It's just... too much aggressive and possessive for my own taste. I rather be on other sort of networks. I'm sorry if i came out rude. I tried romm back when it all began, the next batch of updates clearly broke my installation. It's not fair to criticise something without any basis, so, i got the docker-compose again and i'm giving it another go, see how it all goes :) Apologies to you and all the other devs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- arcaneasada_romm · 2023-12-29 17:31 It's all good! We mainly use discord for troubleshooting and open development, issues and features requests are still tracked in github. It's open easier/quicker to troubleshoot issues in a direct chat. You're always also welcome to open an issue on github and we'll have a look at it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- daedric · 2023-12-29 18:18 Oh... i understand. But recently there were some developments with some discord "servers" being shutdown by nintendo for sharing roms... So.. not for me :D ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-29 18:38 You have no idea how much your words made our day! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2023-12-29 18:52 [deleted] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Discommodian · 2023-12-29 23:31 I am struggling to figure out what exactly this is for. Is it just a file browser essentially? So like if someone wanted to install a game I have on my file server they would just use this to download the .zip file and run through the installer like normal on their PC after unzipping? Can someone explain what the quality of life improvement would be over just sharing the files another way? This is not a dig at the project and am actually interested in it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Parking-Cow4107 · 2023-12-30 00:56 Would be cool to be able to add a library in plex linked to it so you can have a list of your games. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-30 02:00 It unzips and installs the game for you, it launches it, it tracks your playtime in that particular game, it manages your overall progress, etc. Think steam, but the games are from your server. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mtfreestyler · 2023-12-30 02:44 I'm sorry for being dumb but why should I use this instead of Steam? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Discommodian · 2023-12-30 04:39 So if I had a entire game installed on my system, could I just zip the folder and the server would do the rest? Or does it need to be the actually installer for the game? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- JoaGamo · 2023-12-30 05:36 Yeah, it was bad wording. It's like a selfhosted Steam ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-30 09:45 I'd recommend the installer ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-30 09:46 Because this is for **your** game files. For example digitized copies of your older Game DVDs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mtfreestyler · 2023-12-30 10:14 Oh I see. Unfortunately I don't have any so I can't really test it out ---------------------------------------------------------------------- commitme · 2023-12-31 19:54 Tried the software, it's dogshit. Fuck off ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Alfagun74 · 2023-12-31 22:22 Glad you liked it