Video Pinball backdrop doesn't show in MAME

[jasonbar]

Howdy-

I'm running MAME .115 & Atari Video Pinball (rom name videopin) doesn't show the backdrop.  All I get is the white graphics (flipper, ball, & a couple of other items).  Pretty hard to play!

My snapshot shows the backdrop overlaid behind the B&W graphics.

I have mame/artwork/videopin.zip, which has a ton of LED masks & a videopin.png which is the backdrop file.  Other games (like Asteroids Deluxe) use their backdrops just fine on my setup, so I'm not sure why this game isn't...

I toggled Hide/Show Backdrops in the MAME menu, but that didn't make it appear...

Any ideas?

Thanks,
-Jason

[jasonbar]

Bump.  No love for Atari Video Pinball?

Or no love for Jasonbar?   

-Jason

[Thenasty]

Bump.  No love for Atari Video Pinball?

Or no love for Jasonbar?   

-Jason

BOTH 



Seems like this game is not very well known. I have it in my cab, and that probably bump the count to 2 ppl playing the game. I use Advmame 106 and artwork displays (not accurate).
Better try the other pinball games, much better.

[jasonbar]

Thanks      

I *do* have a few other revs of MAME.  Shame on me for not trying those first.  Jasonbar doesn't even love Jasonbar, it seems...

Here's what I found:

Didn't work right in 63 (with rotary stick hack patch)
Backdrop shows up fine in 82
Backdrop shows up fine in 105 (with processor optimization patch & dial hack patch)
Backdrop missing in 108 (with processor optimization patch)
Backdrop missing in 115 (with processor optimization patch)
Backdrop missing in 115u2 (with processor optimization patch)

So, the backdrop appears to have been broken between 105 & 108, so I'm using 105 for Atari Video Pinball on my cab.


I actually kinda like the game--it has some charm.  Sure, there are fancier video pinball games out there, but this game is really neat, at least from a nostalgia/innovation standpoint, if not from a pure gameplay standpoint...

Thanks,
-Jason

[Tafoid]

I have to assume you are holding on to a pre-0.107 artwork pack.  Artwork for all version 0.107 or later require a different type of (.LAY)out file - so older artwork .ART files will no longer work.

http://mrdo.mameworld.info/mame_artwork_ingame.html

That location houses all the Artwork Project's work which is on so many levels better than original packages.  While there isn't yet an official 'worthy' version of Video Pinball... someone did, however, convert the older package to the newer .LAY method.  I've attached the artwork for that.

[BobA]

If you like pinball go for future pinball or visual pinball.    Video game pinball pales beside these pinball emulators.

[jasonbar]

Howdy-

Thanks for the recommendation, but if I'm playing 2-D pinball on a video screen, it has to be a "fantasy" pinball machine, rather than being an attempt at recreating a real pinball machine.

In other words, I can't stand playing "fake" pinball, because I love real pinball so much.  Exceptions are few: Alien Crush & Devil's Crush on the Turbo Grafx console are neat, because they have all sorts of impossible features, like changing playfields, different playfields, characters running around the playfield, etc.

 

Thanks,
-Jason

[Encryptor]

I have to assume you are holding on to a pre-0.107 artwork pack.  Artwork for all version 0.107 or later require a different type of (.LAY)out file - so older artwork .ART files will no longer work.

http://mrdo.mameworld.info/mame_artwork_ingame.html

That location houses all the Artwork Project's work which is on so many levels better than original packages.  While there isn't yet an official 'worthy' version of Video Pinball... someone did, however, convert the older package to the newer .LAY method.  I've attached the artwork for that.

I just tried to download the zip file you posted but apparantly they haven't fixed the issue with downloading files yet. 

Encryptor

[jasonbar]

I have to assume you are holding on to a pre-0.107 artwork pack.  Artwork for all version 0.107 or later require a different type of (.LAY)out file - so older artwork .ART files will no longer work.

Whoops, missed this post.  Thanks for the input.  My artwork pack is 115, as far as I know.

Only videopin exhibits this weirdness.  Other gmes w/ backdrops (like Asteroids Deluxe) display fine on 115 for me...

Thanks,
-Jason

[Tafoid]

I put the artwork I have which works with the latest MAME on my webspace.  I had assumed the include file function worked here 
 
http://mameload.mameworld.info/videopin.zip

If you are still having trouble with this pack, make sure you don't have any videopin.CFG or videopin.INI files giving conflicting settings and shutting the artwork off on you.

[jasonbar]

Tafoid!

Thank you!

I have no videopin.ini, & my videopin.cfg just had key assignments.

I swapped in your zip file to replace my existing videopin.zip in my artwork directory & it fired up just great in 115.  Thanks!!!   

-Jason

[Encryptor]

I put the artwork I have which works with the latest MAME on my webspace.  I had assumed the include file function worked here 
 
http://mameload.mameworld.info/videopin.zip

If you are still having trouble with this pack, make sure you don't have any videopin.CFG or videopin.INI files giving conflicting settings and shutting the artwork off on you.

Thank you. There has been an issue with downloading anything here for a few months now. Has something to do with the version of the forum software or the new server it was moved to. Thanks again.

Encryptor

[jasonbar]

I have to assume you are holding on to a pre-0.107 artwork pack.  Artwork for all version 0.107 or later require a different type of (.LAY)out file - so older artwork .ART files will no longer work.

*bing!*

A light bulb just went on above my head.  That's why, when running Asteroids on spinner-hacked 105, my bezel artwork doesn't show!

Is there a source for the pre-107-flavored artwork pack?  I have a handful of games for which I'd like to yoink said artwork.

Thanks!
-Jason

[Tafoid]

Well, there are a number of old sites out there that still have the older artwork.  A simple google search for : "videopin.zip artwork" should yield a few possibilities.

[jasonbar]

These 2 sites seem to have a handful of pre-107 art.  It got me 3 of the 6that I was looking for (got Asteroids, Time Pilot, & Gyruss, but not Galaga, Galaxian, or Phoenix).  ***EDIT***already had Galaxian--it was the POST-107 artwork for Galaxian that I'm missing, strangely...***

http://mirrors.xmission.com/mame/artwork/
http://www.hellspark.com/dm/mame/software/mame/artwork/?C=N;O=D

Thanks for the prodding.  :]

-Jason

[Johnpannu]

Thanks for this information !