Editing Mame Nag Screen to Display Image

[888gameover888]

Hi All,

Can anyone advise me on how to edit mame's nag screen(the one that displays disclaimer) to instead show an image eg. xxxx.png, so i would be able to change the image every now and then, just renaming the new image to xxxx.png.

If the above is possible, then I would like to change the "press any button to continue" to automatically disappear in 5 seconds.(no. of seconds able to be edited)

Thanks in advance!  

[Havok]

Not sure you can do a png instead of text, but I just compile Mame to not display the nag screen at all.

See this thread for instructions:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64298.0

[garnerb350]

+1 on what Havok said...its best to just compile it and get rid of it...

[888gameover888]

Thanks guys for the input 

But i really need to display an image/s.

maybe i should try editing a front-end then?

[Ginsu Victim]

What sort of image are you wanting to display? That info would help us to help you. I doubt you could load it where you're wanting to, but maybe we can help another way.

[888gameover888]

I want to display a splash screen, displaying my company logo etc.

[Ginsu Victim]

Ok, I think you may have just opened a huge can of worms.

[888gameover888]

NO... I've made a mame arcade cab for my gameroom, but i want to put it in my office. I've printed my company's logo and "branded" my cabinet but I think it would be Really cool to display it onscreen too.

This is not for commercial use etc.

 

[ImBerzerk2]

NO... I've made a mame arcade cab for my gameroom, but i want to put it in my office. I've printed my company's logo and "branded" my cabinet but I think it would be Really cool to display it onscreen too.

This is not for commercial use etc.

 

Then look-up HeadKaze's MAME compiler and recompile MAME, removing the nag screen, adding in the Hi-Score saver.  Then run Mame under GameEx, or whatever front end you want, and add in the company logo there.

It's basically impossible to do what you want with MAME as the nag screen is not a PNG, it's hardcoded text and can only be removed.   You might be able to edit it, but I have no idea how.

IMB

[Ginsu Victim]

NO... I've made a mame arcade cab for my gameroom, but i want to put it in my office. I've printed my company's logo and "branded" my cabinet but I think it would be Really cool to display it onscreen too.

This is not for commercial use etc.

 

Just use a frontend and give it your company's logo as a theme, I suppose.

[888gameover888]

Thanks Guys.

I think that would be the best and easiest option.

@ImBerzerk2: thx will check it out

Much apperciated!

[ark_ader]

How can you put a MAME cab in your office at work, and have company images being displayed prior to having MAME games running?

I thought that would be against MAME licensing?

Gameroom maybe...

[Ginsu Victim]

How can you put a MAME cab in your office at work, and have company images being displayed prior to having MAME games running?

I thought that would be against MAME licensing?

Gameroom maybe...

Hence, the can of worms I mentioned.

[ImBerzerk2]

How can you put a MAME cab in your office at work, and have company images being displayed prior to having MAME games running?

I thought that would be against MAME licensing?

Gameroom maybe...

Dude.. you're avatar is completely insane.

[Ginsu Victim]

Dude.. you're avatar is completely insane.

[garnerb350]

You could also use your company logo for the boot screen...(whenever the cab is turned on)

[ark_ader]

How can you put a MAME cab in your office at work, and have company images being displayed prior to having MAME games running?

I thought that would be against MAME licensing?

Gameroom maybe...

Dude.. you're avatar is completely insane.

Thanks! 

[ImBerzerk2]

Thanks! 

Well ... that video was completely INSANE!!!   

[888gameover888]

@garnerb350: Thanks...thats a good idea.

[garnerb350]

(custom bootscreen) Look up a program called BootSkin (depends on what os you have) there is one for XP & also Vista...do some looking and you can find a tutorial on how to make a "Bootskin"...use your logo and you are good to go!

[massive88]

You could use a program like CPViewer to do what you are originally asking - http://www.emuchrist.org/cpviewer/

Basically in your front end, you tell it to run CPV first, which displays a picture of your choosing, then upon any button press, the picture goes away and the game launches.

[Haze]

How can you put a MAME cab in your office at work, and have company images being displayed prior to having MAME games running?

I thought that would be against MAME licensing?

Gameroom maybe...

Yeah, you might want to check company policy, running a copy of MAME with unlicensed roms in the workplace, even if set to free play is a potential legal problem for the company and may end up being picked up in various software audits etc.  Your boss, or his boss, might not be too happy if that happens and you might find yourself out of a job (or if it's your company, with a hefty fine)

[Alpha17X]

NO... I've made a mame arcade cab for my gameroom, but i want to put it in my office. I've printed my company's logo and "branded" my cabinet but I think it would be Really cool to display it onscreen too.

This is not for commercial use etc.

 

Just use a frontend and give it your company's logo as a theme, I suppose.

This would potentially be the easiest and the most.. 'modest' choice.  Having your company's logo prominantly displayed on the screen between game selections as part of a skin makes it clear that it's provided by your business to your employees for their enjoyment and well-being. Inserting it as a splash before every single game launched on the system would almost imply that your company had something to do with the game's production.   Though most people would easily be able to tell you simply branded the system to fit in with the corporate image and/or culture.

I've set up 4 cabinets at my office, the nag screen is removed and there isn't any real side-art on them other than stickers employees put on them from time to time. Just the company logo replacing the hyperspin intro sequence (HS is the front end on all of them) and the nag screens are removed so it just goes as seamlessly as possible into the games.

I also made it a point to include a 'Powered by MAME(tm) and Hyperspin' textline at the bottom of the screen during game selection. I've always felt it important that if you were using something created by someone else in a degree such as having an arcade cabinet outside a home, that it was important that people using it would know full well that while you did some of the work to get it all together, you didn't do it alone.

Epic rambling aside, Just remove the nag screen and put your company's branding on the front-end's skin.

[BamBam]

I didn't scroll through all of the replies to see if this was covered or not, but could he have his front end launch the .png from an external application at the launch of each game with a batch file?

[DeLuSioNal29]

Wouldn't a home office count as personal use and not commercial?  Dunno.

As for the logo suggestion, +1 on adding it to your BIOS boot up (if it supports it).  But CP viewer sounds like it will fit the bill nicely, although it may be more difficult to implement.

D

[Zebidee]

You could use a program like CPViewer to do what you are originally asking - http://www.emuchrist.org/cpviewer/

Basically in your front end, you tell it to run CPV first, which displays a picture of your choosing, then upon any button press, the picture goes away and the game launches.

CPViewer, or a similar program, is the simply the best and easiest way to do it. I can't imagine why you would want to hack MAME to get the same result.

[RobbyMac]

I'm no legaleze expert.
But I would guess that mame in a commercial setting might be allowed if it were not available to the purchasing public?
Like in a break room or private office? Where no obvious commercial gain is obtained? Other than happy employees which in turn get happy customers or something.

I could definately see not allowing its use in a lobby or public area where it could be used to entice customers.

My kids dentist has several upright arcades in the waiting room for kids to play. I could understand not having a mame machine in there. But if the dentist wanted to have a mame in his private office or in the break room to let off a little steam, would that not be allowed?
fyi, I have no intention of moving my heavy $%^&$ cabinet to my workplace!

[Space Fractal]

as long no credits is used, or dont plans to sell cabs, I can't see any problems at all to changing the startup sequence.

I guess you could do a autohotkey or such wrapper to been run from your frontend, instead of directly run mame.exe, which so can show the logo while the wrapper run mame? That would works with any frontend as long all args is passed to the mame.

I think this is a idea I could include in my frontend, so it show any loading or logo screen when run a game (since it allways take some secs to start it).... But better to do a wrapper for that.