New AtomicFE user having a few issues..

[Extreme8]

I've decided to change my FE from old reliable Mamewah to Atomic so I can take advantage of it's amazing features, but I've run into a couple problems and I'm hoping someone here can help me resolve them.

First, and most annoying, is a terribly slow scroll speed. If I use the joystick up and down from game to game it operates at an acceptable rate.
I have the left/right positions set to jump one letter, and this is where the problem shows itself. It can take up to 30 seconds of hard drive grinding before the list is refreshed.
Is there a setting or a switch I'm missing that will correct this?
I'm using the default layouts and I've tried both the standard and the one for slower computers.
The machine is an Athlon 64 2800 (1.8ghz) w/ 512  meg ram if it matters. I'm driving a television via the S-video port on an Nvidia card.

The second problem appears to be a Codec issue.
I couldn't see the intro video or any of the emumovie videos in the snaps window. I installed the techsmith codec that was packaged with the FE and got the intro video to work, and now the snap videos play but they are really snowy/grainy.

I appreciate any suggestions.
I look forward to getting this running and creating a nice layout for my cab. I figure that if I can get Mamewah working Atomic should be a snap once I get by these little glitches.

[Havok]

First, and most annoying, is a terribly slow scroll speed

Did you enable Turbo Browse? You can do this by opening AtomicManager.exe. Load your config file, and check-mark Advanced Options. Click on the Options tab. Check-mark Turbo Browse in List. Click Save, and see if that is better.

The second problem appears to be a Codec issue

The snap videos are encoded with the Xvid codec, so make sure you have that installed...

[youki]

It can take up to 30 seconds of hard drive grinding before the list is refreshed.

Is your game list is sorted or not?  On the general tab of AtomicManager what sort options did you check?  How many roms you have in your list?



For the Video Snap ,  i don't know from where you took it , but generally the codec used is XvID.    Be sure that the XvID codec is the first in your codec list in Windows.

In case, just try to un-install the DivX codec  , and install the XvID one and try , it should work better.

[Dariusz]

Has any one tried Atomic on vista? I has atomic running on xp fine and simple, and since the installation of vista oner the weekend I canot get atomic to eork. I also applied the additional support files (ie. script...) and still with no luck. Any help appreciated.
Dariusz

[Extreme8]

Reinstalling the lateste Xvid driver took care of the video issues.
It was obviously a Codec problem but I couldn't understand why it just suddenly stopped working. I've been in the IT field long enough that I no longer care why something quit working, only that it's up and running again.

Now to the slow scroll issue.
To address your questions;

Havok,
Did you enable Turbo Browse?....
I didn't before but I did after you suggested it and noticed no difference.

Youki,
Is your game list is sorted or not?  On the general tab of AtomicManager what sort options did you check?  How many roms you have in your list?

I've tried it both sorted and unsorted. Unsorted the scroll seems fine, but the display appears to be based on the ROM name so it's difficult to find anything.
It's currently sorted by Game Name and it slows down to the point that it's basically unusable when switching between letters. Up and down one line at a time is fine.
Since I'm really just at the beginning of the configuration & testing phase I have AtomicFE pointed at the entire 104 rom set, no specific game list has been created. In excess of 5K roms I suppose.

Is this beyond the ability of the FE & my hardware to run smoothly, or is it just not the way the FE was designed to be setup?

I guess I'll have to get into the games list features a bit deeper and see what's available.

Thanks for your help, It's appreciated more than you probably realize.

[youki]

Is this beyond the ability of the FE & my hardware to run smoothly, or is it just not the way the FE was designed to be setup?

Atomic should run smoothly on your hardware.  And i think your configuration is OK.

The pagedown to next letter should run smoothly.  Ok , i didn't really optimize that feature , but when you say it can take 30 seconds, it is incredibly too much...  it should take in the worst case 1 or 2 seconds ..and even it woulld be too much.

I'm going to modify Atomic for you, to try to figure out what happend on your machine. i will contact you by Private Message here, when i have something for you.

Has any one tried Atomic on vista? I has atomic running on xp fine and simple, and since the installation of vista oner the weekend I canot get atomic to eork. I also applied the additional support files (ie. script...) and still with no luck. Any help appreciated.
Dariusz

I never tried on Vista. What kind of behavior you have?  Error message or something?
I think vista is provided with DirectX 10 which is not compatible with previous version.
May be try to install a DirectX 9  ....

[youki]

I just found the problem, i'm making a Patch.

Sorry...

[youki]

The patch is online on my website.

Thanks to have hightlighted me this problem.   

[Extreme8]

The patch solved it.
What an amazing difference that made. Even the single title up/down is smoother and faster.
Thanks for the incredible support.

[Kilroy01]

Don't mean to jack the thread or anything, but I'm also a new user that is having a problem, so in a way... it fits.

Has anyone else had issues downloading the latest version?  I have downloaded the installer numerous times (from 2 different computer)s and allways get errors saying the file is corrupt when I try to install.  I managed to get an installer for v18 and then run the updates and patches.  (They downloaded fine first try.)  I'm currently testing the software on my laptop and don't want to really go thru all of this when I install to my arcade cab.  Is there a mirror of the installer elsewhere that I might try to download?

[youki]

Nobody noticed me some problems of this kind with the installation. i had until now 920 download of Atomic 0.19 full install and about about  200 of the update version ,  i think someone else would have the problem.

May you get the version just at the exact moment i was updating it... retry one more time.

[Kilroy01]

Just tried it again and it worked fine.  Doubt that it was a matter of downloading at the same time you were uploading.  I had tried several times over 2 different days.  I suspect that my ISP was caching the first downloaded file in the servers and it was just feeding me the same corrupted file each time I tried.  Guess it's been long enough now that the cache expired. 

Thanks for the help.  Looks to be a great program.  Can't wait to try it out.

[Dariusz]

Youki, I get the dialog box message 'Init Error - if you are using 98, tyr to change the colour depth to ....' when running atomic on vista? Has any one else got atomic running on vista and how?

Thanks,

Dariusz

[youki]

I think it is a directX problem. Try to check what version are installed on vista.

[Havok]

Atomic 19 works fine on Vista. I am running a desktop with Vista Business (6.06, Build 6000), and Atomic works great. I didn't need to do anything special to get it working. I am running DirectX 10. What version of Vista do you have?

[Dariusz]

Thanks for the update. Currently I'm runing v18 of atomic. I'll upgrade and see how it goes. I'm using vista utlimate. hanks Dariusz

[Dariusz]

Hi Youki,
I finally got around to install 0.19 of attomic, but still having the same provlem as described earlier. Any ideas on assisting me to get atomic running wit the vista I have? Is there debug data that I can send you some how, if the data is available.

AAnother question, for once Atomic is running:

Can a xbox controller (I have a xbox arcade joystick) with use of an converter connect to the PC USB port work with Atomic to play Arcade games? If so is there any speciat configuration required to be used with Atomic and how?

Thanks,

Dariusz

[youki]

Hi,
For the vista issue i really don't know.  I'm pretty sure it should be a DirectX issue.
Did you try to change your  windows Display setting to 16bit/color mode? (65535 color)
Just in case.

there is a log file AtomicLog.txt in Atomic Folder. But it should be very short. Let me know that there is inside.

For your XBOX controller on USB port , i think you will have to use Joy2Key utility to use it with Atomic. Then it should work.    Joy2Key is a kind of driver that convert Joystick input to Keyboard input.  Do a google search you will find it i easly i guess .

[Dariusz]

Thanks for the quick youki.

Unfortunatly I still have the issue after changing to 16 bit.

I have adjusted the colour so that on vista under sidplay settings the colour optun is set at 'Medium (16 bit). The resolution setting is 1280x800 using an nvidia geforce 6600gt card.

The atomic log file only has the following in it: 'InitOK' which to me does not sound right.

Any new thoughts,

Thanks

Dariusz

[Dariusz]

Just another question....

now related to layouts for when I get atomin running on my PC

If it possible to have a layout similar to the classic from end gamelauncher BUT able to have the background (complete full screen) in video format rather then screenshot using emumovies videos, also haveing the ability to set the transperancy of the video background to custom settings like wise the menu transparancy independently?

Thanks again,

Draiusz

[youki]

For the vista problem you have , for now i have no more idea. But i will check tonight in my source code to see if i find something that could help to understand that could happen here.

For the layout  question,  yes you can.
Atomic Layouts can support up to 10 videos playing the same time, the size you want , with the transparency you want (including Gradual transparency)  and also mirrored or Flipped.

I don't know how looks gameLaucher.   But if you can show me a picture or describe me precily what you want obtain , i can guide you.

[Dariusz]

Thanks Youki, Let me know if you want me to run any test on vista.Re the Gamelancher theme, I believe you have the theme available on you web site which I believe I saw a while back. I'm hoping it an easy adjustment to the existing theme you have available that I can adapt. Thanks,
Dariusz

[youki]

Did you receive my Private Message about Vista?

[Dariusz]

Youki, Thanks did not realise the PM message. Will attempt tomorrow to have the details for you. Dariusz

[shorthair]

Slight intercession, here, but for me the fe always stuck on the copyright screen.  Found out by trial-n-error that I had to press 'ctrl' to get it to continue, and then it would always say something like, 'loading game list - this will not happen next time' or whatever....excpet it always happened.

[youki]

Add 

TESTFOLDERTIME=NO 

in your .CFG file,  it should not generate the list anymore.

But if you add new roms or remove some from your Rom folder, you will have to "purge" the list from AtomicManager to force the regeneration.

[shorthair]

weird.  Okay, thanks.

[shorthair]

Okay, yeah, that keeps it from generating the list....but it still gives me that 'splash screen' where it says what version of atomic it is, etc.  And that just sticks there until I press 'ctrl'.

[youki]

For that problem, i really don't know what happens.

The "splash" screen you are speaking about, is just the black screen with one line in white at the top saying the version?

There is absolutly nothing in my code that could need you have to press control key. this screen just stay here 1seconde.

Can you try this :

Change you windows desktop color depth in 65535 color (16 bit / pixel)

And in your config file , locate the row :  WINDOWMODE=NO  , and change it to WINDOWMODE=YES   ,  and run Atomic again. 

Atomic will start windowed ,  but if another popup or application  or dialog appear in windows that could stuck Atomic waiting a CTRL key, it will appear i think.   Let me know , if you see something.

thanks

[Havok]

It's probably not this, but on a long shot - have you run the codec_tscc.exe in the Atomic directory? The intro video is the only thing that I see would require a Ctrl to interrupt, and the intro video won't display if you don't have the correct codec - you'll just get a black screen.

[youki]

Wouuah...  i'm impressed Havok... it seems you master Atomic better than me!!!

Effectivly  it could be the cause.

So as i said Havok , try to install the codec.

and if it didn't work , disable the intro video from AtomicManager.

[shorthair]

The cfg didn't even have 'windowmode=yes' in it...but that didn't seem to work.  It was the codec that did the trick.  Had no idea.  And I was missin out on the whole intro video.  Thank you, Havok.

[Dariusz]

youki.. I have atomic running now. The actual problem was when I installed a new harddrive drive under vista where I now use atomic, the user premissions assigned to the drive were only for read and noit write. What had happen was when using attomic manager, the configured settings were never saved, hence for the earlier earror I was experiancing. Now all is OK. Thanks for your assiatance.

BTW how do I add gemes from one games list to the faverots games list, and how can I switch to the faverots games list?

Dariusz

[shorthair]

I thought maybe it would use your mame folders.....try this:

http://www.atomicfe.com/Downloads/ReadMe.pdf

[youki]

BTW how do I add gemes from one games list to the faverots games list, and how can I switch to the faverots games list?

Open you .cfg with AtomicManager, go on the "options" tab  , on the "option 1" subtab.

Check the check box "Enable Favorite's list"  , save and exit.

then if you didn't do specific key setting by default :

PLAYER1 BUTTON 1   add  the select game to the favorite list

PLAYER1 BUTTON 2  Remove game from the favorite list

PLAYER1 BUTTON 3  switch to normal list to favorite  and inversly.


If you want manage multiple favorite list, there is a plug'ins that allows that, but you will have for now to have precreate your favorites list.