Opinions on *Best front end*

[UncleMame]

To the group: I know it is somewhat a matter of opinion, but I was curious as to what people's opinions/thoughts are on the best front end out there.

I have been tinkering with Mala, but it is rather finicky/tempermental and still appears to be buggy even with the most recent install.

Any thoughts ?

[Dazz]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=84933.0

[jtslade]

Best looking and most wow factor when friends play your cab... Hyperspin, no contest.

Easiest to setup I guess would be like Maximus..

One that will run on a low spec pc..

[Hoopz]

Command line.   

[Thenasty]

AdvMenu

click below for the menu action.

[Cakemeister]

Dazz said it all.

end thread.

[abispac]

Hyperspin,and dont try to get that cheap and ugly copy called atomicfe.....it simply sucks....not to mention they stole HS artwor to make,it look the same....

[Dazz]

Hyperspin,and dont try to get that cheap and ugly copy called atomicfe.....it simply sucks....not to mention they stole HS artwor to make,it look the same....

Bah, that's not necessary nor nice...

[Necro]

I'm using Max because it mirror flips.  Would use Hyperspin if it was an option, however. 

Also, I thought Atomic existed way before Hyperspin came on the scene?

[Dazz]

I'm using Max because it mirror flips.  Would use Hyperspin if it was an option, however. 

Also, I thought Atomic existed way before Hyperspin came on the scene?

Atomic did exist long before HyperSpin. 

[jtslade]

I was pissed about the Atomic FE thing and was going to drive to France and put a Powered by Hyperspin Artwork lawn sign in his yard. Ok so it is like a 4 hour drive and a tad bit psycho. But Atomic FE is designed for use on low end PCs, or to say that a low spec PC can run it well.

[TopJimmyCooks]

Gotta throw in for Mala here:

I chose it because:
-low system requirements
-for me, integrating video was not needed (although it's available in Mala and plenty do it, just HS has more video juice)
-High level of layout customization.  HS looks really great but its also instantly recognizable as HS.
-Critical for me, Vertical layout and the ability to switch, making it a fave w/the rotating monitor crowd. 
-Free to good home.
-great support by the dev and user base right here on byoac.

If I ever do a horizontal only project with a fast PC I would look at HS too, its very cool, esp. to arcade civilians.

[Necro]

Hehe...gotcha...so he used some of the HyperSpin art for a layout.  Understood!  

[Ginsu Victim]

I'm a fan of a more simple looking FE, so here's a vote for MameWah. Very easy to use once you read the docs.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Lately, if I'm by myself and I just want to play some games, I just use MameUI. (**GASP!**) Utilitarian, OS-based frontend. Runs the games, makes the lists, and that's about it.

For public consumption, I've used Mala for years. Loadman is really responsive to input and is working out the kinks on the new build.  It is a highly flexible, though not overly fancy (unless you do your own layout graphics) workhorse front-end.  I think of it as a more-complex successor to Mamewah.

I've played with Atomic (once or twice) and found its' layout editor sort of counter-intuitive for me (not nearly as bad as 3DArcade!)  That said, it is functional and does have some flair.  I hadn't heard about any graphics swiping until this thread... I mean, it wouldn't bother me if someone swiped and used it privately, but I'm guessing he must've turned around and published it as his own. Not the smartest choice.

Last week I started tinkering with HyperSpin, and I will say HS is by far the most flashy front-end, but in its' current state, it's not quite as flexible as I would personally like.  Version 2 of HS looks like it will solve the vast majority of those issues, though, while adding a bunch of other functionality - you just have to wait until it comes out.

So today: Mala. Tomorrow... ?

[Dan_Dan_91_07]

If you want customizability then I recommend GameEx.

It can do SO SO much, it'll leave you feeling amazed.

[yotsuya]

Hyperspin,and dont try to get that cheap and ugly copy called atomicfe.....it simply sucks....not to mention they stole HS artwor to make,it look the same....

I'll have to disagree with you on AtomicFE. It's highly customizable and you can get it to do a lot. It's not a flashy as Hyperspin, but I prefer it.

[abispac]

Hyperspin,and dont try to get that cheap and ugly copy called atomicfe.....it simply sucks....not to mention they stole HS artwor to make,it look the same....

I'll have to disagree with you on AtomicFE. It's highly customizable and you can get it to do a lot. It's not a flashy as Hyperspin, but I prefer it.

But they had to stole hyperspin member forums artwork to make'it look  nicer or close to HS...Bad and also, a decent computer to run HS coast no more the 50dlls at a thrift store or in craigslist so that shoudnt be a problem , i use p4 computers for hyperspin all the time.

[jtslade]

Good point, two years ago there was a lot of groaning about the specs needed to run HS but there is many tweaks for it to run smooth on p4's which can be found cheap. If you had less than a P4 or similar low end AMD proc then you should consider something else.

Hyperspin 2.0 is right around the corner and according to BBB it will be even more optimized..

Man I sound like such a HS fanboy..

Maybe it is not so much of a question of PC power but a question of time?

How much time do you have to work on your cab?

For this I have developed a simple math problem for figuring put which front end to use...


T = Time you have every week to devote to your arcade cab. 112 hours of awake time per week

M = if you are married (  number of wives multiplied by maintenance factor and then added to original wife number) for high low or min maintenance  woman use a factor of 1,2 or 3, zero does not exist)

S = if you have some kind of significant other in your life use the 1,2,3 maintenance figure only.

K= if you have kids (multiply by number of kids)

D= if they are in diapers (use 2 as your figure per baby and multiple the product of all other values)

School full time or work subtract 40 from time

Part time school or work subtract respective hours

Arcade time per week = ATpW

So my time per week is now that school is part time but I am also taking CLEP/DANTES testing so my time subtracting is still 40 given the taking care of house and yard and other crap.


ATpW= Time - 40 / (1 wife + (1*M3) + K1) (D2) = 7.2 hours per week

Now this is only absolute time not including arcade playing (once it is operational the final figure should be divided by 3)

Mine is operational so I have about 2.4 hours per week that I could spend on my cab upgrading or tweaking.  

Hope this helps. If your total time is:

Above 8 then HS is Ok

Below that I would say used a canned program like maximus or mala, anything higher than 12 you may need to find a girlfriend or a job or a drug habit to balance out your life.. If someone who uses Atomic FE could plug their numbers in to check my work and see where it ranks.

Hope this helps.

[Corbo]

Hyperspin for me, but only with a well managed set of ROMs.  If you throw 40,000 roms at it it can look just as ugly as any other FE and take an age to find the game you want.

At the moment I've made donations to Emumovies and Hyperspin to get access to the themes and movies.  I'm slowly building up the Hyperspin games list and limiting it to only those I have themes and movies for.  The result makes me smile everytime.

[UncleMame]

JTslade - LOL with your calculations for time !  +1

It sounds to me like hyperspin is a great FE.  I'm using Mala right now, I like it - but its still a little too buggy for my taste. 

[emphatic]

I might be "out of the loop", but +1 for GameEx.

[Dazz]

Hyperspin 2.0 is right around the corner and according to BBB it will be even more optimized..

2.0 is quite a bit further out than "right around the corner", but yes it will be a bit more optimized and extremely feature rich.  As far as the required time to setup HyperSpin.  It really isn't any greater than other FE's.  If you know how to use a ROM auditor such as CLRMAMEPro and know how file paths work then you shouldn't have any issues at all.

Personally, I can have HyperSpin setup and running the default systems in just a matter of hours. 

[Corbo]

When HS 2.0 arrives will we be able to drop it in and use our existing setup for a seamless upgrade, or will we have to set everything up again?

[jtslade]

Dazz is right on about the HS setup for default systems. Stick to No-Intro compliant roms and video snaps for a quick and easy setup. The setup application for HS makes everything somewhat painless.

But by far the biggest resource is the HS forums, so that when you get past the basics and want to start running custom new emulators.

[zorrobandito]

I've been considering this question and have just run through setup and install for Hyperspin, Mala, GameEx, Maximus & AtomicFE. You might be interested in my notes. For more details, hyperlinks, etc, check out my blog post.

I'm planning on migrating to new hardware for the Arcade machine in the next 6-18 months and I need to consider whether my current front-end is up to the job. I use MAMEWah and continue to be impressed and satisfied by its simplicity and flexibility. Trouble is, it doesn't look as hot as it used to. Much like myself, MAMEWah got old.

I will still have the 640x480 requirement for the arcade monitor (even if the recently installed Catalyst drivers might allow higher, it won't be much). So additional bells and whistles will have to be non-resolution dependent. It is also being considered for both the stick and the Virtua Racing cab.

I am configuring as many emulators as is reasonable (approx 26). Also installing everything onto a 16Gb USB stick.

So, the new contenders are: GameEx, Mala, Maximus Arcade, Atomic FE and Hyperspin


GameEX - costs $15 and is very popular. Extensive feature list and fully configured, tool-tip replete setup. Resented because it is not free. Nice, built-in ArcadeVGA options. Over-zealous feature set. The in-built emulator set-up is amazing. Virtually every combination of system and emulator is catered for. Run Atari 2600 with Z26 but Atari 5200 and 7800 from MESS, no problem (though no Intellivision + MESS selection) - built-in DOSBox is now de rigeur I see.

Everything nice I said about this front-end was spoilt during setup by being asked to select every emulator I wished catered for and then having to do it again in the Emulator Selection section and so clunky!  Verify setup a good idea but all was lost by this stage. OK, I chose the Advanced setup mode but if I had know this meant specifying every possible menu setting in GameEX, I would have gone for Basic.


Mala (105) - I had already installed Mala to use on my laptop and this is what I should go with, at least for ease of transition. It's a smooth, accessible front-end and behaves much like MAMEWah. Menu-driven and with some decent layout options (per emulator, per game list) - even limited animation! It also has a standalone game list editor, making that task less of a chore and therefore more likely to be used. The problem is that it is only a slight visual update from MAMEWah. In fact, many of the themes used in MAMEWah have been converted for use in Mala.


AtomicFE (v0.020 BETA) - a low-spec version of Hyperspin with much the same flashy, animated themes. Clunky, no in-GUI options (one has to exit the program to change anything). The config program is incredibly clunky and laboured and confuses example configs with ease-of-use. For example, I want to run Atari 2600 with MESS instead of Z26, a simple enough request, but I must select emulator type = Other and from then on I risk wiping my config every time I switch screens. However, I may persist because I can see the potential and my current spec machine, it might give a facelift without sacrificing performance.


Hyperspin (1.2) - if you're running a dual-core machine then this will turn your front-end into something more than a PC in an arcade machine. Individual themes for specific games.

No built-in configs for popular emulators, seems to assume that you will want to use HyperLaunch (which is Hyperspin + Auto Hotkey) for every emulator. On my current setup I have about 1/30 setup with Auto Hotkey. This is a major shortfall - I cannot configure even the most basic of emulators with the most basic command-line format e.g.

emu.exe <options> romname

I'm about ready to give up on this. It seems that unless you have complete no-intro rom sets for all emulators, you have to jump through a load of hoops - ahk scripts for each emulator,  HyperROM2XML generations for each emulator to build the wheels to reflect your sets. Basically, it's for rom hoarders. It looks so nice but would require me to basically start from scratch with my setups.


Maximus Arcade (2.10) costs about $25 and is a time-limited demo, though 30 days should be enough to make a decision.

The setup drops two exe files in the main directory after install but don't run preferences.exe, it will not save any of the 20+ emulators you set up and must be launched from within Maximus with ctrl-P. Frustrating? You've no idea.

Preferences are dense but clear. Simple enough with drop-down menus for each format and simple dialog boxes to specify command parameters, snaps, etc. Folder names are not proprietary. Startup takes a long time (importing skin). I was able to get this up and running in about the same length of time as Mala.

Great main menu - it starts you in a tree selection with big, clean images of the consoles set up with a flick-screen transition between each. Looks super-schmick. I'm sure there's an option to start in a format's game list but for now, it looks sufficiently different to my current setup and I like it.



It looks like a tie between Maximus Arcade and Mala. I'll try again with Hyperspin / Atomic FE when they have newer versions, hopefully with full configurable command line options.

I now need to test both of these setups on my Win XP arcade machine. I will post the results.

[abispac]

It looks like a tie between Maximus Arcade and Mala. I'll try again with Hyperspin / Atomic FE when they have newer versions, hopefully with full configurable command line options.

You are given Hyperspin a poor review, as simple as its opening the HQ setup program located at the hyperspin folder, you can choose betwen using hyperlaunch or regular method option , wich is as simple as in mame. no need for hyperlaunch, i believe and i might be wrong ,hyperlaunch its used on advance emus and stand alone pc games or isos...

[Dazz]

Hyperspin (1.2) - if you're running a dual-core machine then this will turn your front-end into something more than a PC in an arcade machine. Individual themes for specific games.

No built-in configs for popular emulators, seems to assume that you will want to use HyperLaunch (which is Hyperspin + Auto Hotkey) for every emulator. On my current setup I have about 1/30 setup with Auto Hotkey. This is a major shortfall - I cannot configure even the most basic of emulators with the most basic command-line format e.g.

emu.exe <options> romname

I'm about ready to give up on this. It seems that unless you have complete no-intro rom sets for all emulators, you have to jump through a load of hoops - ahk scripts for each emulator,  HyperROM2XML generations for each emulator to build the wheels to reflect your sets. Basically, it's for rom hoarders. It looks so nice but would require me to basically start from scratch with my setups.

For a command line based emulator in HyperSpin; you don't have to do anything at all.  You simply use HyperHQ, point to the exe, point to the ROM folder, do not use HyperLaunch.  You can then add additional switches to the command line if necessary.  For other emulators; we have HyperLaunch 2.0 which is module based.  You simply download the config for what emulator you want to use, drop into the modules folder, set exe path, set ROM path and ENABLE HyperLaunch.  If there isn't a config module for the emulator you need then feel free to request it.

To give you an idea; HyperLaunch is used for emulators that are not command line and don't close natively by using ESC.  HyperLaunch is scripted so you don't have to open the emulator, click file, click open, select the ROM, click run. Honestly, I think our HyperLaunch is by far the most robust launching system out of any frontend and with our HyperLaunch 2.0 it makes it even easier since no script compiling is necessary.  Try adding a newer emulator to Maximus Arcade...  it can't be done easily since the launching is hard coded into the app.  

ROM management is key to setting up any frontend.  Sure, some frontends dumb it down for you and really have stupified and spoiled people quite a bit. You don't have to be a "rom hoarder" to take a few minutes and familiarize your self with using CLRMAMEPro to rename your ROMs.  I personally think that knowing how to audit your ROMsets is KEY to this hobby.

Yes, our databases are based off of No-Intro.  BUT, why not use no-intro ROMsets especially if you are NOT a "rom hoarder".  A "rom hoarder" would indicate that the person collects any and every ROM.  This would include bad dumps, over dumps, under dumps or ROMhacks.  In the end you only want the most playable ROMs available, right?  The no-intro sets do not contain any bad dumps, over dumps, under dumps or hacks.  The no-intro sets are the closest ROM's that you can get aside from having the real carts.

[zorrobandito]

For a command line based emulator in HyperSpin; you don't have to do anything at all.  You simply use HyperHQ, point to the exe, point to the ROM folder, do not use HyperLaunch.  You can then add additional switches to the command line if necessary.  For other emulators; we have HyperLaunch 2.0 which is module based.  You simply download the config for what emulator you want to use, drop into the modules folder, set exe path, set ROM path and ENABLE HyperLaunch.  If there isn't a config module for the emulator you need then feel free to request it.

I did not find that to be the case. e.g. I wanted to set up MESS to run Atari 2600 with the usual command lines. I couldn't get HS to put the command line switches in front of the rom name. Some googling and I found a post that acknowledged this issue and basically said "use Hyperlaunch for emulators like this". Trouble is, almost all emulators are like this.

I did not know about the modules, that sounds pretty cool but I only have a fraction of my emulators needing AHK scripts (Vivanonno and ZXSpin).

ROM management is key to setting up any frontend.  Sure, some frontends dumb it down for you and really have stupified and spoiled people quite a bit. You don't have to be a "rom hoarder" to take a few minutes and familiarize your self with using CLRMAMEPro to rename your ROMs.  I personally think that knowing how to audit your ROMsets is KEY to this hobby.

I've heard this argument from you before and I don't agree but I also see that you are totally convinced that this is the case. So let's agree to disagree. I shouldn't have said "rom hoarders" in my post but "people with CLRMAMEPro-compliant romsets", my apologies. I have some roms for various emulators and I want my front-end to read the rom directory and display them, then pass that romname to a command line and run the bloody thing.

Yes, our databases are based off of No-Intro.  BUT, why not use no-intro ROMsets especially if you are NOT a "rom hoarder".  A "rom hoarder" would indicate that the person collects any and every ROM.  This would include bad dumps, over dumps, under dumps or ROMhacks.  In the end you only want the most playable ROMs available, right?  The no-intro sets do not contain any bad dumps, over dumps, under dumps or hacks.  The no-intro sets are the closest ROM's that you can get aside from having the real carts.

What can I say? Your argument is totally reasonable but I've spent years trimming and sorting my collection until I now have a lean set of working roms, some of which are named by hand so they look nice in a front-end. My download capacity is limited (bandwidth and limit) and I would only be downloading the no-intro sets so that I could use Hyperspin - which seems a bit daft.

[Havok]

All the hate for ONE theme on AtomicFE for stealing artwork? Do you have similar issues for the 100+ other themes available? Youki did that theme at the request of a user that had a slow pc back when Hyperspin just couldn't run on a slow pc, and to showcase that even though his front end was a bit older, it still had quite a bit of untapped potential.

In regards to HS's artwork, where did the original artwork come from that they created their nifty little themes from?

Pot meet kettle...

[lastrega]

well, my choice , is hyperspin, let me tell you why, (I was gonna anyway)...... Hyperspin just works, and looks like tha bomb doing it....... I bought maximus arcade, only to find out that the verticle resolution is always facing the left.... there is no ccw option, you can't edit(or trick ) a ccw orientation..... (and if you can no one will tell me how)..... Maximus thinks all cocktails face left.... well all the cocktails I have played the player one side is on the right.....INCLUDING MINE......in fact when I was toying with Mala, its default verticle was on the right.... So I thought I would ask for help on the maximus forum right? WRONG after almost a month , I still don't have any permissions to even post a question or even reply on his forum.... I have contacted him directly multiple times, NO RESPONCE...... secondly he states full support full ledblinky.......well it supports it if you like windows popups breaking through your FE all the time, with error messages, like launch.bat and other various goodies..... Arzoo states that he is NOT supporting it, and Arzoo has done all he can do on his end to resolve the issue, I believe him too, after all, he at least has tried to help me..... So now I have a PAID version of maximus just sitting there ....... So I switched back to hyperspin...... it looks great on my verticle monitor.......(I had to rotate myself, but still looks way cool, and gives you huge video) Dazz has always answed question.... (props to him for the great support) .... while hyperspin is missing some of the features I bought maximus for......... Mainly launching games as a screensaver..... the support I get on this forum and the hyperspin forum, make hyperspin the best choice...... Please don't take this as a slam session for maximus, but I hope mameseeer.... reads this this.......and I hope others take heed before throwing money away for maximus, cause if it works , then great, however if you plan on haveing rgb , or led buttons, think twice, and if you need help with any of  it, the only help you get is on here, not from that guy........ so props for hyperspin......SHAME for maximus..........(ps I have tried to get my money back..... He would not answer cries for help, so what type of reply do you think I got when I asked for my money back.......? The same as I got when I asked for help.............NOTHING....

[TopJimmyCooks]

Lastrega - do you have any screenshots of hyperspin running in vertical orientation?  I understood it was horizontal only until maybe the upcoming 2.0 version supports vertical?  How did you do it?

I would like to give Hyperspin a "spin" on my upcoming Wheel of Fortune themed mahjong/slot machine cab.   

All joking aside, would love to see what you're doing. 

[lastrega]

sure I would love to , What I did is I rotated my whole screen to ccw or 90, using the basic nvidia control panel, my graphic card is a geforce 9600 gt an older but powerful card, Hyperpin thinks it is running at 800x600 horizontal.... My driver fits it into my native verticle 768x1360  gives a strethy effect but on the 32" led, it looks rather impressive........ Mame has no issue with at all, old school like, pac-man and dig-dug ect.. fill the screen with only a 1" gap top and bottom and rotate accordanly, if dipped correctly... other newer games I run in cocktail mode, and gives you two brilliant 15.2" screens........ the first couple screens here are just captures in my native resolution, and the other is an outter view of mari , I have posted a few of these before, anyway , even when 2.0 comes out I plan on using it just as I am now so my juke box still works correctly.......... Enjoy

[Cakemeister]

The only frontend I know of that has automatic emulator configuration is Maximo G+.... not sure where the idea came from that any other front end application was self-configuring.

[TopJimmyCooks]

@Lastrega- cool, thanks for the photos.  I really like the horizontal games showing 2 up on the cocktail. 

[Hoopz]

The only frontend I know of that has automatic emulator configuration is Maximo G+.... not sure where the idea came from that any other front end application was self-configuring.

Always good for a laugh. 

[nickynooch]

The only frontend I know of that has automatic emulator configuration is Maximo G+.... not sure where the idea came from that any other front end application was self-configuring.

Always good for a laugh. 

You have no idea how long it took me to figure out Maximo G+ was a joke.