FE question/idea...

[radiator]

first, sorry if this is a dumb question, I have no idea when it comes to programming/FE creation;

basically, what I'm wondering is, when a FE displays details about a selected game (joystick type, year, screen type etc) where does it get this info from?  Is it taken from the actual ROM file (the header...or something).
Well, wherever it gets the info from, is there anything in the same place that says how many buttons a game uses?

If so, could a FE be re-written, with a function allowing it to look at how many buttons a game uses, then display a picture for each combination (1, 2, 3, 6 etc etc)??

ie:

would be displayed if the game uses 4 buttons


would be displayed for 6 button games...

etc etc.

...with the end-user being able to create his/her own pictures in place of the originals (obviously, everyone uses different joysticks, the above pics show drawings of my setup (j-stick, 8 button layout))

Howard? Minwah?
any ideas?

I'd love this feature, if there's a way of doing it (other than going through every game to find out how many buttons it uses, then editing the screenshot/marquee (or whatever), and inserting your joy/button pic below......too time consuming)

[DinoRoger]

I am about to build my led control for lighting the buttons on my control panel and was thinking the same think.  I use GLaunch as my front end and it has an option to run a file before loading the rom.  I am going to try and build a code index that wil lactivate certain LED lights on my led control board when a batch file is ran.  This may take allot of work but I enjoy this kind of stuff.  You can use the same think to run an program that will show a picture on the CP when a rom is launched.  There are utilities that will even convert bitmaps into EXE for easy viewing.  Other front ends may have the same option to lauch apps before running rom to. With GLauch u have the abaility to specify all these details per rom.

[radiator]

the LED thing sounds great! how are you wiring it up, through the parallel port?

www.bit-tech.net has a really great Electronics section in it's forum just in case you run into any problems...there's a guy there called ZapWizard, he's bound to be able to help you out (he works for AMD, and is an electronic genius!)

 

[Tiger-Heli]

U mean like this?  

http://www.mameworld.net/emuadvice/controls/controls.html

[Tiger-Heli]

In case my earlier reply didn't do what you were looking for . . .

first, sorry if this is a dumb question, I have no idea when it comes to programming/FE creation;

Me either, but I've used EmuLoader extensively.

basically, what I'm wondering is, when a FE displays details about a selected game (joystick type, year, screen type etc) where does it get this info from? Well, wherever it gets the info from, is there anything in the same place that says how many buttons a game uses?

Generally, it gets it from parsing the MAME listinfo file.  I think (often inaccurate) button info is in there, but most FE's don't use it.

If so, could a FE be re-written, with a function allowing it to look at how many buttons a game uses, then display a picture for each combination (1, 2, 3, 6 etc etc)??

Could be done.  Problem is number of buttons is only half the story, you need to know what each button does, whether you are used in combination or not, etc., but it's a start.

I'd love this feature, if there's a way of doing it (other than going through every game to find out how many buttons it uses, then editing the screenshot/marquee (or whatever), and inserting your joy/button pic below......too time consuming)

It's pretty much a manual process at this point.  EL will use the same image for clones, so once you had all the parent games covered, you would be complete except for unique clones, and you could just rename images once the basic was defined (for example, 2-buttons punch, kick, and 2-buttons fire, bomb).

The controls.dat file will help whenever it's released as well.

[radiator]

yes, but, to work with MAMEwah...

and allow you to use your own pics (I know you can, but I'd take a long time to setup every game - no offence, but I didn't like the look of any of them on that page)

[ErikRuud]

DinoRoger,

There is an easier way to display a picture in Game Launcher.  Use the Screen Shot function.

I am replacing all my screen shots with a screen that lookes like this one:



When you stop on a rom name, you can see the screen shot behind the rom list, just hit space to see the image clearly, hit space bar agin to go back to the list

[DinoRoger]

ErikRuud thanks I actualy never knew about the space bar thing.  Thats allot of work you have to do for all those roms.  GL.  Still going to work on the led button light idea.  Im building my regular LED board this weekend and when I get time will try and program interface with my computer.  Will keep updates on this forum.

[paigeoliver]

DinoRoger,

There is an easier way to display a picture in Game Launcher.  Use the Screen Shot function.

I am replacing all my screen shots with a screen that lookes like this one:



When you stop on a rom name, you can see the screen shot behind the rom list, just hit space to see the image clearly, hit space bar agin to go back to the list

Eeeek. Your buttons are on the left of your joysticks?

[Howard_Casto]

Question:  Do any of you guys ever follow the developments on the software board?  

This issue has already been covered and is being worked on via sirp and my contol.dat project.  

A interface will not be finished until we have reliable data to feed it.  It's my little way of encouraging others to volunteer to help.  

fe.donkeyfly.com

[cdbrown]

A interface will not be finished until we have reliable data to feed it.

Hope that wasn't a little dig at my submissions .  I guess it probably was considering I was the only one to provide data (that I know of).  Are you and SirP still trying to work out how all the info will be submitted, or is it on the backburner till your new FE comes out (can't wait ).  Just wondering as nothing has been said on the matter for over 2 months  

Cheers
-cdbrown

[ErikRuud]

Howard, I spend a lot of time on the software forum. I already knew about the project, but I did not know it was still being worked on.

DinoRoger, The "screen shot" instructions are not that hard to do.  Once I had the first one completed, it was not hard to do more of them.  Until something better comes (Sir Poonga's and Howard's project) along, this works for me.

PaigeOliver, My buttons are on the left because I like them that way.  As I explained to someone else last week, I've answered this many times already.

The "sort of standard" stick on the left, buttons on the right arrangement did not become common, until long after I stopped going to arcades. My arcade days were from 1978 to about 1982. Games had many different layouts then.  Also the Atari 2600 and Odyssey2 console systems had the button on the left.

So far only one person out of twenty had a problem using my control panel, and I showed him that he could use the player 2 buttons with the player 1 joystick for one player games.

I'm going to have to put this explanation on my website.

[Aceldamor]

Howard,

I'm not a programmer by any means, but I would like to volunteer where I can....

What exactly do you need?

[radiator]

ditto, i'd love to help too...

[cdbrown]

radiator and Aceldamor,

Go along to that link that Howard provided and sign up.  Posting on that board might get things moved along a bit quicker.

Cheers
-cdbrown

[SirPoonga]

A interface will not be finished until we have reliable data to feed it.

Hope that wasn't a little dig at my submissions .  I guess it probably was considering I was the only one to provide data (that I know of).  Are you and SirP still trying to work out how all the info will be submitted, or is it on the backburner till your new FE comes out (can't wait ).  Just wondering as nothing has been said on the matter for over 2 months  

Cheers
-cdbrown

No cdbrown, just little mistakes and such.  I'm working on it, this month is a busy month.  I have my second PC up, I just need to mirror fe.donkeyfly.com on it so I can start development of the submissions system.  L8, ya out there, can you help me on that again?  

Howard,

I'm not a programmer by any means, but I would like to volunteer where I can....

What exactly do you need?

Right now you guys have to sit tight.  Until I get a reliable submission system going to regulate the data nothing is going to happen right now.  Just watch fe.donkeyfly.com for any changes.