New FE Suggestions

[PacManFan]

Hey Everyone,
I'm coding a new Front End called "EmuTron". It's fully scriptable, highly configurable, and looks great

I'm in the process of testing and I want to know what sort of features everyone would like to see in it.

A brief list of the major features are:

Built - in scripting language
Supports multiple EMU's
png/bmp/wav support
avi - mpg and mp3 are on the way
multiple catagories
multiple skins
You can skin a catagory , an emu, or even a game if you want
Event-based routines triggered by key sequences

Currently, I'm working on a simple vb program that configures variables in the script so someone can set it up by clicking on a few directorys in a dir list box, and by setting some options.
This vb program "ETConfig", can also create catagory files for you by querying your mame.exe file and reading in the catver.ini file.

So what's it going to be everyone? What would you like to see in a new Front End for a cabinet?

I'll be making an announcement soon and posting a web address for download.

[CM]

OK you asked for it  

- fullscreen (i.e. non-windowy-gui look)
- completely usable with control panel and joystick
- configurable and skinnable screen to show control panel layout before a selected game launches
- 3d cabinet views
- setup and config within FE (i.e.  some people love ini's .. but if I running this in a cabinet with TV these are painful to edit.)
- make setup plug-ins available for the most common emulators for download or provide with FE(and allow users to submit working versions for lesser-used emus in some sort of archive)
- integrated jukebox
- ability to automatically download missing marquees/flyers/snaps/cabinets/etc  
-  scroll through gamelist with trackball feature
- a way to tag a game as a favorite from the selection menu, then go to a favorite menu to see only those.
-  no bugs
-  fast
-  free
- by tomorrow  

Good luck !

[Howard_Casto]

OK you asked for it  

- fullscreen (i.e. non-windowy-gui look)
- completely usable with control panel and joystick
- configurable and skinnable screen to show control panel layout before a selected game launches
- 3d cabinet views
- setup and config within FE (i.e.  some people love ini's .. but if I running this in a cabinet with TV these are painful to edit.)
- make setup plug-ins available for the most common emulators for download or provide with FE(and allow users to submit working versions for lesser-used emus in some sort of archive)
- integrated jukebox
- ability to automatically download missing marquees/flyers/snaps/cabinets/etc  
-  scroll through gamelist with trackball feature
- a way to tag a game as a favorite from the selection menu, then go to a favorite menu to see only those.
-  no bugs
-  fast
-  free
- by tomorrow  

Good luck !

hmm a lot of those features sound familiar

[PacManFan]

Let's see...

- fullscreen (i.e. non-windowy-gui look)
*Done

- completely usable with control panel and joystick
*Done

- configurable and skinnable screen to show control panel layout before a selected game launches
*Sure, where are the bitmaps for the control panel layout?

- 3d cabinet views
*I could do that, look for version 2

- setup and config within FE (i.e.  some people love ini's .. but if I running this in a cabinet with TV these are painful to edit.)
*Not going to happen, I don't want to have script editing going on in the program.

- make setup plug-ins available for the most common emulators for download or provide with FE(and allow users to submit working versions for lesser-used emus in some sort of archive)
*These are incorporated in the script.

- integrated jukebox
*You can set up your own jukebox through a script.

- ability to automatically download missing marquees/flyers/snaps/cabinets/etc  
* Not going to happen anytime  soon.

-  scroll through gamelist with trackball feature
* OK

- a way to tag a game as a favorite from the selection menu, then go to a favorite menu to see only those.
* You can set up you own game lists of favorites through the confin program.

-  no bugs
*I'll do my best

-  fast
*yup

-  free
*OK

- by tomorrow  
*yeah right...

[Howard_Casto]

- configurable and skinnable screen to show control panel layout before a selected game launches
*Sure, where are the bitmaps for the control panel layout?

Actually I am heading up a project for a universal controller.dat and a stand alone app that will display the control panel layout and descriptions for hte game you call.  

It's on hold until after the holidays but feel free to check it out at fe.donkeyfly.com.  Also if you want to help it would be extremely nice.  We still have a TON of work to do and few few people that have the time to help.  

All kidding aside good luck with your fe!  

[SirPoonga]

- configurable and skinnable screen to show control panel layout before a selected game launches
*Sure, where are the bitmaps for the control panel layout?

Actually I am heading up a project for a universal controller.dat and a stand alone app that will display the control panel layout and descriptions for hte game you call.  

It's on hold until after the holidays but feel free to check it out at fe.donkeyfly.com.  Also if you want to help it would be extremely nice.  We still have a TON of work to do and few few people that have the time to help.  

All kidding aside good luck with your fe!  

I would reply with the same thing.  Go to that forum, register, pm me to get access to the programmers area.  HC and I will be working on the controls.dat after christmas.  Will gladly tkae help in verifying controls:)

[SirPoonga]

- ability to automatically download missing marquees/flyers/snaps/cabinets/etc  
* Not going to happen anytime  soon.

Just as a note, not a good idea, especailly as there are many places to get these, and not one place has them all or the same pic quality of the same marquee.  (marquee is an example, but the best example of this)

Best place to get all the snaps.  (your choice of ingame and title screen snaps too!)
http://crashtest.retrogames.com/

- a way to tag a game as a favorite from the selection menu, then go to a favorite menu to see only those.
* You can set up you own game lists of favorites through the confin program.

Hehe,  hope I get time to finish mine, mine will have unlimited amounts of favorite lists (as I plan friends will want their own lists too) in which you can edit them from within the FE.  Works pretty slick.  I'd get screenshots up but the working version of that was in an old version of my FE.  I am doing a complete rewrite of the it as I found a better way to do something which requires a complete rewrite.

But yeah, having at least one favorites lists that is easy to edit is something I look for in an FE too

[)p(]

- 3d cabinet views
*I could do that, look for version 2

You could try the shockwave active-x plugin Howard uses to display the models from 3darcade. It will be a bit tricky to setup...ask Howard  

peter

[Richy]

I don't know. It should be able to run on slow PCs.
I'd also like to see Support for more than one screenshot to be shown in the menu. Subcatagories for games would be cool. Like racing, maze etc. And adult if you know the password.
But it should be easy to set up. With a good help file.

[AGarv]

My biggest request would be to make it completely idiot-proof, able to be set up and maintained entirely through wizards and windows-esque menus.  If you can set up multiple emus and specify their command line parameters without ever touching the keyboard, it's a winner.

[Mike]

What I'd say is to not worry about the bells and whistles on the first pass and make sure it functions well and is easily navigatable and usable with basic mame key strokes. Like for instance I love arcadefx because it looks so clean and for the most part works good for my needs, but it stinks because ed didn't make a way to shut down the computer without a mouse. So personal I use lazarus and I took Ed's nice screen for arcadefx and set it up for use in lazarus.