New Layout -- Lego (Need Help)

[system01]

I've been playing with this for a while, and I'm starting to think its not presently possible.

I'm making a Lego layout for the PC games.  Each game has its own screen.  Each screen is a full-screen video.  I have set up new emus and using the .lnk method for PC games.  Everything has the same filename (Lego_SW.xxx).

So far, I can not even get the video to play in a "video" box.  Since theres no gamelist or legitimate ROMs, I don't think MaLa knows what to look for.  I got nuthin'.

Also, since theres no gamelists, I can't get just one game per list (per screen).  I don't know if this is necessary, but I was planning on having a one-row listbox on the FE with black text on a black BG - with video covering it.  I figure this is what is needed to start the game.  Right now I get all 4 games in the list and can't separate them out.

Can I get a witness?

[system01]

No dice, eh?

Can anyone even tell me that it can't be done?

[dungbeetle46]

I think I understand what your after , maybe!:dunno
lets see if I get it
you want each pc game to show only as a   fullscreen vid
you want to launch each pc game from that vid
if this is correct then I think you could do it like so
setup your pc games emu
make a layout with a fullscreen video box
add a gamelist with just the selected game so only one game shows at a time
add the shortcuts to your games in a folder (c:\shorts) or similiar
add your videos to the same folder and name them the same as the shortcut
ie: pc game is lego, name the vid lego.avi
under your other emu for pc games set your rom path to c:\shorts and the video path to c:\shorts
set execution to %rom%
now you should have the game name come up for a couple of seconds (if you have a short delay on your vids starting ) and then the fullscreen vid should start.
pressing up or down will take you to the next game and then the fullscreen vid will start.
if you want the game name to always be visible then you will have to leave a small space at the top or bottom of your video box to put your gamelist.

am I close to what your after

[system01]

am I close to what your after

You're close, except I'm detracting from the whole up-n-down gamelist thing.  Theres only one gamelist, with one game in it, on each screen.  Hitting left or right will switch games (actually a different emu or gamelist).

I don't want ANY text or anything to show up, for any amount of time.  That why I was planning on black text on a black back.  The attachment shows what the fullscreen vid will look like, with flashing arrows and scrolling stars on the top and bottom.

add a gamelist with just the selected game so only one game shows at a time

Can you make a gamelist only for PC?  I keep thinking I could do this, but then I open the editor and it only lets you work with the mame set.  I click on "Emulator" in the menu bar, but nothing cascades out.

I've tried several different path methods and have everything named the same.  I tried making different emus for PC (LegoSW_StarWars, LegoIJ_IndianaJones, etc) with no luck.  This is as far as I got:
- A plain layout (all black) with only 2 objects - a single-line gamelist and a smallish video box.
- Scrolling up and down will indeed change the name in the listbox (Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones).  I don't want this, and a gamelist with one item each would fix this.
- I can not get video in that box!  I'm not sure how mala looks for extras.  Is it a built-in "look for the same filename in <folder>", or does it read the XML to find out what it should be looking for?
- I can get the games to launch.  I used the LNK method and all is working normal there... for now.

I still don't know if I should be approaching the switch-emu route, or the switch-gamelist route.  I'm thinking it's both, with the gamelist populating the listbox and finding video, and the emu changing the layout. 

Thanks for looking at this dung.  I would really hate to abandon this as I think it has potential for other serial PC titles (Halo, Half-Life, Battlefield, COD, Quake, UT).

[dungbeetle46]

the black back and black text will work! Problem solved
switching gamelists will work ie:different gamelist for each game with only that game in it! Problem solved
videos need to have the exact name as the games .lnk! Problem solved
under other emu\options choose the folder where vids are! Problem solved
set rom path to your lnk directory and after setting up just generate a gamelist, now back under gamelists choose your pc emu and add gamelists for each game, now edit each gamelist and only add the 1 game you want for each gamelist,  now when you swap gamelists it will only have the game you want with the same name as the vid you want to play so that vid will play only.
am I getting closer

[system01]

...now back under gamelists choose your pc emu and add gamelists for each game, now edit each gamelist and only add the 1 game you want for each gamelist,...

Awww, I totally forgot about the gamelist tab inside mala!  I kept going to the Gamelist.exe standalone and could never get anywhere. 

It's too late now, but tomorrow I'm going to set up a shiny fresh new mala folder and try this again.  I have 3 right now that are completely muddied.

I think you saved me dung!  (Man that sounds bad.)
Thx, and I'l tell you how it goes.

[system01]

It worked!

I'd upload a youtube video, but I though it would be a waste with it being so incomplete.

Still a couple issues, but I don't think they can be fixed... (1.6, by the way)
1) the video is looping, but when it gets to the end it flickers black and studders a bit and then replays.  Not huge, but noticable.  Yes, all my delays are off.
2) "Wrap emus and gamelists" gives me all or nuthin'.  When I hit up/down, the entire screen flashes like I'm changing games, which I am, just the same one.  I'd like to separate the up/down movement from the left/right.

3) This might be an actual MaLa issue:  After playing around with "change layout with emu" boxes for a while, it seems to lose where it's at.  I now have to turn it off to get layout switching.  I had this issue before, and after messing with it enough it righted itself.  Can anyone back me up?

I have two more videos to make, plus massage the ones I have done, plus do a ton of sound work.  When I get to a decent place I'll up a video.

Thx again dung!

[dungbeetle46]

your welcome
just glad its working, albeit with a couple of bugs.
good luck