Software project proposal, need feedback

[Gatt]

Hi all,

I'm going to start work next week on a software project;  displaying instruction cards on a second screen.  I need feedback from the community,  critique and/or feature suggestions.  One caveat I should mention now,  I'm new to my CS honors,  so I'm not the most experienced yet.

Features
-User selectable monitor to display on.
-Language preference
-XML based "database" for easy updating as more cards become available

Current target is MameUI,  as I have the source for that and it'll be easier for me to tell my program when the user has chosen a different game,  so my program can update properly.  Eventually,  I'd like to add support for Mala and Hyperspin as well.

Future targets
-Expand functionality to include instruction booklets for console/computer emulators as well

-Include some manner of "flipping pages"

My plan is to hopefully create a program that allows us a much closer to "Real" experience with full cabs,  giving us the ability to have digital instruction cards and perhaps one day extras as well(I'm sure it won't be long before someone starts doing "Cards that show special moves for fighters" and such.

So....thoughts?

[transfan]

Sounds great!  I would request that the program be able to display any image that you want for the given rom name.  So if you want instructions to display, awesome, but if someone else wants a marquee, control panel, etc, they can have that too. 

I'm still waiting on a hyperspin version of this for my two monitor cab set up.  It can't be that difficult since hyperPIN already does this natively.

[Turnarcades]

Doesn't CPViewer already do this?

[transfan]

Doesn't CPViewer already do this?

not in hyperspin, it don't!

[Gatt]

Sounds great!  I would request that the program be able to display any image that you want for the given rom name.  So if you want instructions to display, awesome, but if someone else wants a marquee, control panel, etc, they can have that too. 

I'm still waiting on a hyperspin version of this for my two monitor cab set up.  It can't be that difficult since hyperPIN already does this natively.

That's part of the idea behind using xml,  as I'm currently envisioning it,  it'd just need added to the xml,  no reason why this couldn't be pregenerated as well.

[markronz]

See this thread for a little talk about second screens...
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=102440.msg1086881#msg1086881

It looks like at least someone has been able to get an image to display on a different monitor.

Looks to me like they used CPViewer to export all the control pictures (although you could do this with any picture you wanted).
Then they (they being Ginsu) used a free program called Irfanview to set the image size, and display location.
Then within their front end, he uses a pre emulator command line command to have it launch the desired picture right as the game is loaded.

Just thought I'd post this for what it's worth, that it is at least possible to display images on a second screen now. With some elbow grease anyway.

[Dazz]

Doesn't CPViewer already do this?

not in hyperspin, it don't!

Sure, it can.  You would just need to modify the launch scripts to include what you want to pass a long with it.  I've had CPWizard and Marquee Magician setup and running on my cabinet via HyperSpin just fine.  I've since re-done my cabinet and haven't gotten around to setting them back up yet.

However, I do think a project like this would be great to have done.  I know many people, including myself, that have added a second monitor to their cabinet setup.  I have a 7" LCD installed below my main 24" LCD screen.  I'd love to be able to display information such as move lists for fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, etc.

We've been tossing around the idea of doing something like this for a while now.  Our primary concern is, how would you control/navigate the second screen while a game is in play?  With MAME you can simply compile a version with code to map buttons, like CPWizard does, but for other emulators it wouldn't be quite as simple.

[transfan]

Doesn't CPViewer already do this?

not in hyperspin, it don't!

Sure, it can. 

We're talking specifically to have hyperspin display the control panel on the second screen as soon as you "hover" over it, before clicking to launch, ALA hyperPIN.  I really really want this feature to display a marquee or a screenshot.


Otherwise cpviewer and cpwizard are fine to do the job. 

[Gatt]

However, I do think a project like this would be great to have done.  I know many people, including myself, that have added a second monitor to their cabinet setup.  I have a 7" LCD installed below my main 24" LCD screen.  I'd love to be able to display information such as move lists for fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Killer Instinct, etc.

We've been tossing around the idea of doing something like this for a while now.  Our primary concern is, how would you control/navigate the second screen while a game is in play?  With MAME you can simply compile a version with code to map buttons, like CPWizard does, but for other emulators it wouldn't be quite as simple.

That's actually my main motivation,  the 7" LCD you describe,  to show relevant game information like the original instruction cards from the artwork packs or third-party created info like the move lists for fighters.

Having seen the link where GGG did a virtual Marquee,  that's what prompted me to the idea of a virtual instruction card.  Theoretically though,  I suppose it would be possible to evolve the general idea to handling both of those things or either of those things with only a little work.

Other emulators are a secondary target for me,  I'd like to find some manner of supporting documentation on a secondary display for those as well.  As you note though,  it won't be easy.

[SavannahLion]

We've been tossing around the idea of doing something like this for a while now.  Our primary concern is, how would you control/navigate the second screen while a game is in play?  With MAME you can simply compile a version with code to map buttons, like CPWizard does, but for other emulators it wouldn't be quite as simple.

Hooks.

[drventure]

With Mala, that'd probably be pretty simple. With Engine18 (shameless plug for an as yet only partially existent project, see my sig line) it'd likely be very simple, assuming you don't mind coding in something .net.

Hmmm, May have to look at a quick and dirty implementation of that as a good exercise for Engine18.

It's a cool idea. As for navigation, if it's an instruction card, is there really any need for ANY navigation on the second screen.

If so, I could see using a touchscreen overlay or a MIMO USB touchscreen monitor for the second one.

Interesting...