[Feature Request]: Host the "resources" folder and "patches.zip" file in "Online Updater>Core System Files Downloader>PCEE2"

[matheuswillder]

Description

Hello, first of all, thanks for the work on this core, I discovered it recently and I'm impressed that it already runs so well on my Android!

Initially, I ignored the steps marked as "optional" in the setup section on the Readme, but when trying to run some games, I noticed that some games (but not all) suffered from severe graphical glitches, which were fixed by using both resources folder and patches.zip file, as described to do in the setup: https://github.com/WizzardSK/pcee2-libretro#setup

Some cores, such as LRPS2, PPSSPP and Dolphin, host their compatibility files in the buildbot, which can be easly downloaded by going to Online Updater>Core System Files Downloader. I wonder if the same could be done here too to make the PCEE2 setup easier.

Reason

Although it is easy to do on a desktop/PC, extracting files and moving them to the correct folder can be confusing on Android devices, and the <retroarch system dir>/pcsx2/resources folder and files can even be inaccessible there if the user downloads the RetroArch build from the Play Store.

Examples

LRPS2 used to host the GameIndex.yaml file that way in Online Updater>Core System Files Downloader>LRPS2, it was part of the setup required for the core to work correctly (see here: https://docs.libretro.com/library/lrps2/#setup-required, now the GameIndex.yaml file is embedded in the core).

PPSSPP core also has its compatibility file and other assets (such as fonts) hosted that way, it must be downloaded by going to Online Updater>Core System Files Downloader/PPSSPP, url to the file: https://buildbot.libretro.com/assets/system/ (see the PPSSPP.zip file).

Thank you and keep moving forward!

[SRC267]

I just did this manually, this definitely would be a QoL addition.

[WizzardSK]

Thanks — and the bigger half of this is now fixed in 8c3a63f: GameIndex.yaml is compiled into the core.

That is the file behind the glitches you saw. It carries the per-game fixes, so without it every game runs unfixed, which reads as "this core is broken on this game" rather than as a missing optional file. The shaders and fonts were already embedded for the same reason; the database is worth its ~2.6MB for exactly the reason you give, that on Android the resources directory is awkward to populate and with a Play Store RetroArch sometimes not reachable at all. From the next buildbot build, step 2 of the setup is no longer needed for game fixes. PCEE2_EXTERNAL_RESOURCES=1 still makes an on-disk copy win, which is how you would run a newer database than the core was built with.

patches.zip I deliberately left out. It tracks the pcsx2_patches releases rather than the core, so a copy frozen at build time would go stale — that one really does belong in the Core System Files Downloader.

That part isn't something this repo can do, though: the zips under buildbot.libretro.com/assets/system/ are hosted by the libretro infrastructure, not generated from a core's sources, so it needs a request to the buildbot maintainers. I'll raise it there. Leaving this open to track that half.

[matheuswillder]

Thanks!

When starting the emulation the core issues a warning about the missing patches.zip file, so I thought it might be related to the graphical glitches as well, I don't usually use PCSX2 that much, so I wasn't aware of that.

Thanks again for the work on this core, I'll be keeping an eye on it! :)

Edit: since PS2 emulation seems to be quite popular and this core also runs on Android, it might attract attention from some toxic newcomers, so stay safe and strong.