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Button Mapping Graphic Display
SteveJ:
--- Quote ---Anyone start anything yet?
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Being the "starter of this thread" which has generated quite a bit of enthusiasm/following in combination with my offer to put up a web which will host the collection of information and provide a playground for us all to work in as we mold this along, I believe everyone is "waiting" on me.
I have organized the full contents of this thread, had some email exchanges with varying individuals offering different areas of talent, assembled a list of those participants, assembled some notes and outlines regarding data/graphics, how we might use them based on different input, and that's about where it sits.
I am more than happy to spend some $ to host a web and I think from the materials I have put together from the crowd, we have a good starting point. We have several programmers in the group, some wishing to support the web, some willing to support the graphics, some willing to support the "front end graphics generation", many that will support the data collection process, etc etc.
Being a single dad with three kids out of school for the summer and going in three different directions at the same time, what I have lacked is available time to pull all these pieces together.
I had hoped to find time to at least get this "off the ground" during the month of June and get a basic web up but it is now almost July.
I believe its important that the person(s) who will aid the actual game front end and/or graphics generation application from the data assembled be a part of the early database design. I think we have a very good outline which gets us about 90-95% of where we need to be to "get started".
From here we need to put up a web access to the shell database that will allow multiple people to update data for each game.
Once we have a small sample of data assembled and we can agree on the graphics that will be incorporated, someone can begin work on that.
My thought would be that we would first design an app that would take the assembled data, some graphics, and generate graphic files so that in this way the resulting control panel graphic for each game could be incorporated into any front end that supports a graphic display associated with a game.
From this point, we might take it a step further and customize an actual front end ourselves but there are several good ones out there that each individual has their own preference for.
I will say this: If one or more of you has more available time than I and wishes to "be the leader" on this project, I will be happy to fund the web space. Just because I posted the idea and have assembled some of the starting points of data and interest, I have no problem passing the reigns over to someone else.
I will be happy to support the project and provide other resources as we collectively deem them necessary.
Sorry for the long winded post but that's an overview of "what I have done" over the last couple of weeks to at least try and move the process along.
I have a high level of interest in supporting this project and look forward to taking next steps.
Steve
jeremu:
--- Quote ---Check out http://www.mameworld.net/emuadvice/controls/controls.html
I don't know if it's still being worked on, but it's a project on displaying the layout of control panels.
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StephenH:
What about building a dual-monitor cab (or buying one like Punch Out!!!, Playchoice-10, Sega Mega Tech, etc)?
I like the idea of "graphical" instructions. This is a great idea. However, to make it look authentic is another matter.
My idea for this is a dual monitor cab, and the top monitor displays the instructions. The way to accomplish this would be to write a frontend that supports dual monitors, and incorporates a Bitmap, GIF, PNG, or other image format (I do not recommend JPEG, because of Lossy compression).
Basically, when a game is launched, an image for that game is sent to the top monitor, while the monitor at eye level is cleared, and MAME takes over with the game.