MaLa v1.0 RC9 available

[swindus]

Improvements

• Smooth display fade out/fade in when switching the layout (emulator/gamelist/orientation switch, MaLa start and quit).
• Command line arguments of LNK files are now recognized for proper execution of pc games or other apps.
• Screensaver enhancements: Send plugin event only, use snap and video path of selected gamelist/emulator for the screensaver display.
• Ability to use a watermark image on the videos in the screensaver for every emulator/video folder.
• Placeholder for the external application command line: rom path, rom name, rom parent name, rom extension and emu name (%path%, %rom%, %parent%, %ext%, %emu%).
• Different command lines for the external applications for MAME, other emus and the jukebox.
• Ability to configure the info window. Add/remove pages, reorder pages, edit page title.
• Additional MAME command line parameter added to the cocktail mapping.
• New placeholder ~g_capital added to the layout text objects which shows the first two letters of the game name (good for fast scrolling).
• Option to replace the right mouse button for opening the popup menu/options dialog with a definable keystroke. This disables the right mouse button in MaLa.
• Joystick polling is not disabled anymore when no joystick is connected. Automatic recallibration when a joystick is plugged again.
• New plugin event: MaLaOrientationSwitch. This event provides the orientation of MaLa in degrees (0, 90, 180, 270).
• New plugin event: MaLaScreensaverSwitch. This event provides the the full path of the displayed image/video of the screensaver.
• New plugin events: MaLaTreeUp and MaLaTreeDown. This event is triggered when using a tree navigation.
• New frontend sound: Tree Up/Down.
• Added messages next to the events in the Plugin SDK which makes it possible to trigger things within MaLa from a plugin dll or another application. Please refer to the SDK documentation to get more information on this.

Bugfixes
• Crash on displaying the recommended games in the info dialog for some games fixed.
• The video display now works flawless. No stuttering anymore in the layout and the starting video.
• MalaLayout: Marquee and control panel default image not saved in layout file.
• Wrong text size for the Info window lines. Menu text size was used.
• Fixed the annoying 'Soundcard installation is corrupted' bug.

Download MaLa here: http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/download.html
Download the Plugin SDK here: http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/plugins.html

Have fun and please report bugs here: http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/bugreport.html

[acevedor2]

Does this provide the ability to skip the disclaimer for the games?  I tried it with .113 and RC8 and it didn't work.  Thanks.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

swindus... you are a god among men.  Fantastic work.

 

[SGT]

Does this provide the ability to skip the disclaimer for the games?  I tried it with .113 and RC8 and it didn't work.  Thanks.

I may be wrong, but I don't think Mame supports skipping the disclaimer anymore.  As such its not a Mala problem.  If you want to skip the disclaimer, compile the mame source with the hi_score patch.  Its so easy, a caveman could do it.  It removes the disclaimer along with adding high score support.

-SGT

[swindus]

Does this provide the ability to skip the disclaimer for the games?  I tried it with .113 and RC8 and it didn't work.  Thanks.

No. This is not a MaLa issue, its a MAME issue. Compile your own MAME or skip the disclaimer ONCE for every game and then never again.

[SGT]

Swindus:

  Thanks for the improvements. Great work.

-SGT

[acevedor2]

I am still confused.  If this is a MAME issue, how come it works with GameEx?  It would stand to reason that if .113 MAME allows GameEx settigns to skip the disclaimer, then MaLa should be able to do the same thing.  I am not trying to be dense, but I have not found a good explanation as to why it works with one FE an not the other using the SAME version of MAME.

[acevedor2]

Swindus,
  Saw your post in my other thread.  That makes perfect sense.  Based on that, is there any way to get MaLa to send the left right cursor so it is seamless to the user and appears as if it is skipping the disclaimer?  Thanks again.

[Organic Jerk]

 

Awesome and consistently good work as usual, Swindus.  You the man.

The new fade effects are tantalizing my taste buds... the new tree sound is giving me goosebumps..  the right click disable is renewing my faith in god...

I'm a believer!

[acevedor2]

How do I upgrade but keep my favorites list I have going?  Is it saved to a certain file I need to make sure i put in the new Mala directory?

[Organic Jerk]

AFAIK You can just take the contents of the new Mala version and paste it right on top of your current MaLa directory, and it keeps all your settings and such (as long as your last version is later than 1.0 RC3).

If anything I would make a backup of your Mala directory before doing so to be sure, but I don't forsee any problems.

EDIT: Just re-checked to make sure:
http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/download.html

How to update?

Please perform a fresh install due to some file format changes (emulators, game lists) if you use a MaLa version prior v1.0 RC3.  If you are using v1.0 RC3 or greater just replace all files with the RC9 files.

[loadman]

mmmm More 'tasty' plug-in options   

[loadman]

Swindus,
  Saw your post in my other thread.  That makes perfect sense.  Based on that, is there any way to get MaLa to send the left right cursor so it is seamless to the user and appears as if it is skipping the disclaimer?  Thanks again.

If it's technically possible I will create a MaLa 'plug-in' to do what you ask 
I need to find out if it can be done (EG a delayed simulated keypress) 

[acevedor2]

Thanks Loadman!  I apprecite it.  Will what Organic says work with regards to upgrading to RC9.  Can I just extract it over the RC8 folder? 

[loadman]

Thanks Loadman!  I apprecite it.  Will what Organic says work with regards to upgrading to RC9.  Can I just extract it over the RC8 folder? 

You question OrganicJerk ?  He knows his stuff 

anyway...I just did it twice (2 machines)..

The file you download is self extracting (just double click on it). 
Don't run mala yet just Copy the files from the folder it extracts (eg mala.exe, malatree.exe etc etc) into your existing mala folder and say 'yes' to windows when it ask you if you wish to replace these files 

 A quote from the MaLa Website download page:

How to update?
Please perform a fresh install due to some file format changes (emulators, game lists) if you use a MaLa version prior v1.0 RC3.  If you are using v1.0 RC3 or greater just replace all files with the RC9 files.

[acevedor2]

Thanks loadman and I would never question organic....again...

 

[Aurich]

Always good to backup, I did, but I had no issues putting RC9 over RC8.

[loadman]

Always good to backup

Absolutely

Thanks loadman and I would never question organic....again...

 

It's lord SWINDUS you should be praising 

On second thought (rather than making a plug-in) I will take SGT's suggestion and try to compile the mame source with the hi_score patch and see how easy it is.. That may be a better option

[acevedor2]

Swindus is the man.  I just upgraded to RC9.  It's working great!  Thanks.
Cheers,
Ray

[Organic Jerk]

Yeah I'm nothing but a slave to the information in front of me..

take away that info and I'm a blind as a bat! 

[SGT]

... compile the mame source with the hi_score patch.  Its so easy, a caveman could do it.

I just realized my caveman quote probably didn't make a whole lot of sense to those outside of the US as you probably haven't seen the GEICO commericials.

[loadman]

... compile the mame source with the hi_score patch.  Its so easy, a caveman could do it.

I just realized my caveman quote probably didn't make a whole lot of sense to those outside of the US as you probably haven't seen the GEICO commericials.

Your right.. 

Hey but if would be so kind as to send me a link to the mame compile patch info that would be great

[Extreme8]

Hey but if would be so kind as to send me a link to the mame compile patch info that would be great

http://www.mameworld.net/mrdo/compile.html

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64298.0

I finally started compiling my own Mame just this week, right around the same time I began walking upright.
MUCH easier than expected. I'm sure you'll find it incredibly simple.

[SGT]

Hey but if would be so kind as to send me a link to the mame compile patch info that would be great

The link that Extreme8 posted for Mr. Do's site was what I used. Just make sure that your hi_score patch is the correct version for the source that you are compiling. 

For example, if its the hi_score patch for 0113u2 then you will need to apply the 0113u1.diff  and 0113u2.diff to the Mame 0113 source code before applying the hi_score patch. Then compile everything.

-SGT

[SGT]

I finally started compiling my own Mame just this week, right around the same time I began walking upright.

 

[loadman]

Thanks Guys!

There you go acevedor2!!

It is easy..........

Go for it!!!!

[joebells]

Thanks for the controller fix swindus I can't use it though as the skin I designed has a bit of frosted glass that mala can't seem to handle it looks like maximusarcade is the only one that can handle it. 

Thanks again

[JoyMonkey]

 
Do the new bugfixes allow images to be displayed on top of videos without problems? Previously I had issues if I tried to put the video preview anywhere but on the very top layer.

I'll give it a try later, but figured I'd ask anyway.

[Organic Jerk]

Thanks for the controller fix swindus I can't use it though as the skin I designed has a bit of frosted glass that mala can't seem to handle it looks like maximusarcade is the only one that can handle it. 

Thanks again

Yeah I would imagine that, from your description, MaLa's lack of 24bit PNG support is the culprit.  I've been able to dodge this problem as I integrated my background into my snaps that are supposed to be "transparent", but I would love the support for that myself.. 

[joebells]

thats an idea I thought about but with several thousand pictures it would be a time and space hog. I'm actually looking into vista media center(as I want something to do my dvd upscaling and tv upscaling and such also from a nice interface(vista's media center has some nice interface elements like for the tv part, not dvd's but tv, it will based on the listings from the guide show you all the dvd covers to the movies that are on tv for the next two weeks for making recordings and such a picture showing this is here http://www.consumerelectronicsnet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=109008-0 the second picture shows what I'm talking about its all automatic))
.

Look at the screenshots from this sample application
http://blog.mediacentersandbox.com/PermaLink,guid,b04ae01a-19a6-496a-8812-117ef6ff7e71.aspx
If someone could modify that a bit it would be really nice for browsing roms I think( I may even poke around a bit but I haven't programmed in years) or even an interface like they use for the tv movies shown above would be nice.

[outofline]

First of all, MaLa rocks! 

I just installed RC9 and decided to try the screensaver using Mame snaps. However, when the screensaver kicks in, I see a quick flash of what appears to be one of the snaps and then the screen goes black and says "No files found!". It should work to use the snaps right? Anyone have this problem?

Tom

[fatfingers]

Yes, I use snaps for my screensaver.  I would have to believe that your path is incorrect.  Of course, I am still using RC8, so I cannot speak to whether there is a bug in RC9 or not.

[edge]

Nice job, swindus.  Can't wait to try it out this weekend.  Thanks for the updates!

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Yeah I would imagine that, from your description, MaLa's lack of 24bit PNG support is the culprit.  I've been able to dodge this problem as I integrated my background into my snaps that are supposed to be "transparent", but I would love the support for that myself.. 

Is it too early to ask for 24bit PNG/full alpha transparency support in the next MaLa release?   

I know I shouldn't do it, especially considering I got everything I asked for (and more!) this last time around... but I can't help myself!  MaLa is my favorite frontend by far!  swindus is the man.  (followed quickly by loadman.) 

... tangentially, how's the emuwave plugin coming along? 

[loadman]

when the screensaver kicks in, I see a quick flash of what appears to be one of the snaps and then the screen goes black and says "No files found!". It should work to use the snaps right? Anyone have this problem?

It could be a bug affecting some systems, Swindus has had one other report of it but can't replicate it on my or Swindus machines. 
Could you do Swindus a favour a PM him you PC details. (eg Video card/ OS/etc) so he can squash this ASAP
Thanks 

I got everything I asked for (and more!) this last time around... but I can't help myself!  MaLa is my favorite frontend by far!  swindus is the man.  (followed quickly by loadman.) 

Hey, Maybe you could click on his paypal donate button on the website to buy him lunch 

... tangentially, how's the emuwave plugin coming along? 

After Easter I have two weeks Holiday.  I will update my Plugins (Emu-Wave and Speech) then as well as updating the Led-Wiz one to use the dll.
I am not a good coder yet so I work very inefficiently when I stop and start coding, so it's best for me to wait until then.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

Hey, Maybe you could click on his paypal donate button on the website to buy him lunch 

I had thought of that as I was writing the previous post, but didn't immediately have the time to see if he had a donation option.  Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I'm still at work, I would do it right now.  Lunch is a small price to pay for having your software tailored to suit your needs!

That said ... the swiftness of your suggestion makes me wonder if you aren't getting a percentage of the donations, loadman...   

[squirrellydw]

Nice work, just installed it and works great.  Now to configure everything

[loadman]

That said ... the swiftness of your suggestion makes me wonder if you aren't getting a percentage of the donations, loadman...   

He he not at all  I did get a bit of MaLa Hardware once  , I have made donations when I first started. It's up to you as MaLa is free.    But from my personal point of view I want MaLa to keep being developed/supported,. it's fun to make Plug-ins for MaLa. My comment was made in jest 

[Extreme8]

My comment was made in jest 

We all know that!

I have a few auctions on Ebay that are about to end and as soon as I get a few $$$ in the Paypal account I will be making a contribution. MALA does all I need it to do and more (well, maybe I do have a few feature requests)
I will send a few $$ to Youki as well. I dont use his FE but he was more helpful than necessary while I was trying to configure his software. A blend of Atomic & MALA would be the perfect solution!

We should all support the people that make this "hobby" possible.

[RyoriNoTetsujin]

[ My comment was made in jest 

No worries friend, my comment too was made purely in jest.     Actually, I really appreciate the fact that the usual MaLa folks on this forum are always helpful.  I've noticed that's not always the case elsewhere. 

EDIT: now that I'm home, I just donated a little bit to "the cause!"  Now where's my alpha transparency??  Just kidding!