Hi Score plugin?

[kernelpanic]

I read a few threads here where this idea was kicked around. That was a while back, so I'm just curious if anyone has mastered the idea of reading and displaying the hi score for a game when the game is highlighted in MaLa?

[empardopo]

It's a great idea!
Please share if you get the solution.

Greetings!

[loadman]

You would want to use the tools and be part of the HiToTest project right?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=83614.0

[kernelpanic]

you would want to Part of the HiToTest project right?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=83614.0

I dunno - let me read those 12 pages of posts - that's quite a sidetrack 

my prelim look at the hiscore data is that the hi score is easily extracted from the files. I think getting it into MaLa for display is the tricky part.

I've downloaded the plugin SDK - BTW Loadman, the link on that page to download the stub app points to your desktop, not to a real file   

It's been 5 years since I used Delphi for anything, so who knows if I can even get around in it any more - and I have to find that set of CDs, lol.

If we could just write the score info into a %somevar% construct that the Layout Manager could pick up on, then this should be easy enough.

I'll be back after doing some reading/studying.

[kernelpanic]

you would want to Part of the HiToTest project right?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=83614.0

I dunno - let me read those 12 pages of posts - that's quite a sidetrack 

  wow, after reading all that - I really don't know 

[empardopo]

Is it possible then to do?

[kernelpanic]

Is it possible then to do?

Sure, anything is possible. Then you get to the question "is it worth the effort?"

I think there are 2 parts to this task of showing hi scores in the MaLa frontend:

1) obtaining the hi score info
2) getting MaLa to display it

task #1 is fairly straightforward and objective. The link that loadman gave us goes along way towards extracting the info from the files in the hi folder - no sense in reinventing the wheel. Some games only keep a single high score with no initials, Some keep scores with initials - some only the top 5, some the top 10, some keep 50, and I'm sure some don't even keep one, but I haven't encountered one yet.

task #2 OTOH is a bit more subjective - what I want to display may not be what you want to display and where/how I want it displayed may not match your expectations. Do you want a single high score? or the top 5? 10? with intials? Do you think it should be something you can plug into a layout? or should it be something that is accessible via the MaLa Info panel in much the same way the Histroy.dat info is shown?

I haven't figured out a way to get it into MaLa yet, but I'm real new to MaLa and having troubles locating detail instructions on all its capabilities. These forums help a lot - (it's a bit of a pain since the forum's search function requires the page to be refreshed when you click "back" after reading a topic)

I'm still trying to answer all those questions myself. Once I can answer them (for me), then I'm back to the question of "is it worth the effort?"

[kernelpanic]

ok, after further thoughts and discussions with family members, we've decided this is a non issue for us.

For us, choosing a game to play is not driven by what the current high score is, so we see no need to even continue down this path.

For us, attract videos, screen shots, history, etc - which we currently have in MaLa - is all we need.

Sorry to stir this pot again. 

[Fyrecrypts]

I dunno - let me read those 12 pages of posts - that's quite a sidetrack  

Yeah, it's getting to be quite the novel. I think only the first couple, and last couple pages are worthwhile. I try to update the first post when necessary to really explain what the project is all about at this point.

We've probably only got about 1/5 of the games in the hiscore.dat figured out in HiToText so we could use all the help we can get.

Anyway, glad to see it's an interesting project to other people anyway, it's been about 2 years now, and I don't really see an end in sight. =)

[loadman]

I have may still do something when I have time....

Open to ideas

[empardopo]

Loadman,

could MALA read data from a plain text file, called hiscoremala.txt for example? The file would have the following structure:
< namerom >;< record >
For example:
< aerofgt >;< 123000 >
< kungfum >;< 85000 >

These records could be placed in the layouts manually by editing the previous file or using a plugin. While someone makes a plugin, the file may manually edited!

The plugin would extract the records and then write the file hiscoremala.txt.

It's only my idea!

Greetings!

[loadman]

Loadman,

could MALA read data from a plain text file, called hiscoremala.txt for example? The file would have the following structure:
< namerom >;< record >
For example:
< aerofgt >;< 123000 >
< kungfum >;< 85000 >

These records could be placed in the layouts manually by editing the previous file or using a plugin. While someone makes a plugin, the file may manually edited!

The plugin would extract the records and then write the file hiscoremala.txt.

It's only my idea!

Greetings!

I like the idea of a PLugin doing the work to update the text file.

MaLa would read (nativley not a plug) the data if the file existed and the data was there for that game.

[kernelpanic]

my apologies - I have managed to split my thoughts/work on this idea between two threads.

I like the idea of hi scores just being another "info window" - see my post about Info Window issues for more.

[empardopo]

I think both ideas could be compatible.
If you want to see your record as you add to your layout, otherwise no! It's easy!

Greetings!

[loadman]

I've downloaded the plugin SDK - BTW Loadman, the link on that page to download the stub app points to your desktop, not to a real file  

Fixed  

And for others. Hi score support was added to MaLa (nativley not as a plugin). MaLa will now run 'hi.bat' on game quit (if present in the subfolder hi)

Refer to this other thread:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=105664.msg1119973#msg1119973