Main > Software Forum
Controls Database (FE programmers inside, please)
potatojin:
Hello everybody. I've been lurking here at BYOAC for a while now as I've been getting my cabinet built. It's pretty much all done and I'll post pictures soon.
As I've been researching FE's and thinking about making my own or trying to contribute to an existing one, I got an idea that I was wondering if the community would be into (or that might have already been done).
I've been spending lots of time figuring out or explaining to friends what buttons do what in various games and have really been itching to have some quick way to communicate which buttons do what in all my games.
So I was wondering if there already is, or if we should try to build, a database somewhere that contains all the button mappings for every emulated game. I'm imagining an end product that looks something like a big xml file that contains the rom name and then mappings (with descriptive names) of each of the game's controls to the mame virtual buttons (Player 1 Button 1, etc). Something like this:
<MAMECONTROLS>
<ROM NAME="mslug3">
<BUTTON NAME="Player1Button1" DESCRIPTION="Shoot">
</ROM>
</MAMECONTROLS>
That's just off the top of my head, but you should get the idea. The file would be available to FE authors and could be tied into your favorite image generation software to output control panel diagrams for every game and display them in the FE. This would go great with something like ArcadeFX's flash-based control layout app, so FE users could configure the generated diagrams to look exactly like their own control panel.
Alternatively, this could just be maintained as a separate application that would be distributed with FE's and would populate another folder like /controlsnaps that FE authors could just pull PNG files from.
I'm imagining the population part of this project, where we actually get all the information about what button does what would involve a moderated database-driven website. Volunteers could come to the site and see which games still need control information and fill it in. FE authors or whoever could download the latest version of the control database xml doc.
What does everybody think? Sorry about the long first post, but I had one of those taking-a-shower epiphanies and I wanted to see if what people thought.
potatojin
Dr. Jay:
Not a programmer, but it sounds nice.
This is what I did though. I made a nice looking graphic of my keyboard layout, and I display it in my frontend instead of having a flyer pic. I've got the marquee at the top, screen shot next, and the control layout on the bottom. Once the template was done, I just edited the text for each button. Having a universal sounds nice, but what about everybody's crazy control panel layouts, and different keymappings? Like I said, I'm not a programmer, but it sounds interesting.
potatojin:
I got started thinking about this by looking at building a system for myself that would add control panel information to snaps, but I think the universal system would not be that much more work and would be something everybody could use.
--- Quote ---
As far as crazy control panel layouts go, I was thinking that the client-side application would come with a template builder, like what you did for your layout. Then the app could just pull in the info from the universal file and change the text under each of the custom-placed buttons. Keymappings may be something I underestimated though. I might have to go back to the drawing board on that.
--- End quote ---
u_rebelscum:
I like the idea, but would like some more info added to it (or parallel to it).
Joystick/spinner/pedal information. Mame already has the bases for this with "mame -listinfo", but only list the primary input.
Examples:
1. a racing game might list a spinner ("dial") for input with "mame -listinfo", but doesn't list wheather it has one or two pedals.
2. DOTron doesn't list that it needs both a spinner and an 8way joystick, but instead lists a trackball as the input!
I'm just too lazy and unknowledgable to do it myself.;D
simpleman46:
Sounds like a great idea. Could be very useful inside a FE. If this ever gets off the ground, I would be more than willing to help assemble data from games.