What kind of FE layout do you use?

[Ummon]

I only have two machines set up, and they're using MaLa, so they're some number of arcade pictures (cabinets, titles, etc) and a background. Many have probably seen the one on my candy. Below is the one for my main rig. What's yours?

[arzoo]

Using MaLa also. A work in progress...

[drventure]

Here's what I'm currently playing with. It's not all there yet (I've got videos working in Mala but the masking doesn't work yet).

[severdhed]

here is my current MaLa layout..

[Benevolance]

I'm using mala as well, but just the standard menus.

drventure, that layout looks fantastic. Any chance you might share when it's done?

[drventure]

Thanks for the compliment.

Absolutely, i can post it. I still need to integrate a few elements better, and I'd +really+ like to get the videos in place and masked properly (I want them to show up within one of the round clock numbers, but masking videos doesn't work quite right in Mala yet. Spoke with Loadman about it a while back.

Plus, now I have Photoshop cs4, so I should be able to clean things up dramatically (that is, if I can figure out Photoshop!)

[fatfingers]

I have videos masked in a circle in MaLa.  The implementation of transparency is a little goofy, but it does work.

[Henrik68000]

I use mala with my own made layouts . I have 40 layouts. Heres a sample of two layouts you can download together with the complete list. I'll be happy to share them.

http://fileupload.filetac.com/file/e5b53bfabf6a176d6a91e7bc23f09e96b9f2a273

Henrik

[Cakemeister]

I run my cab at 320x240, so all I use is a simple skin with a movie over the whole screen at 50% transparency overlaid by a game list.

On my development machine the answer would more likely be "all of them".

[drventure]

@Fatfingers

How'd you get transparency to work with videos? Is there a specific fileformat / color combination I need to use?

Could you post the image you use to do the overlay?

When I'm in MalaLayout and I right click the Video control and choose properties, I get the attached image screen.

I've tried various images for the overlay but it doesn't seem to work for me.

And what ver of Mala are you one. I'm using the latest beta rev (I believe it's 1.63g)

[jasonbar]

Viola!   [sic]

[Hoagie_one]

Made my own.  It's simple and to the point.

[Bender]

Here's what I'm currently playing with. It's not all there yet (I've got videos working in Mala but the masking doesn't work yet).

Damn drventure that is the coolest Mala layout I've ever seen!
can't with to see it in action

I'm using Maximus with a custom layout that is still in the works, but I might be going back to Mala after seeing yours, did loadman get animations working?

[fatfingers]

@Fatfingers

How'd you get transparency to work with videos? Is there a specific fileformat / color combination I need to use?

Could you post the image you use to do the overlay?

When I'm in MalaLayout and I right click the Video control and choose properties, I get the attached image screen.

I've tried various images for the overlay but it doesn't seem to work for me.

And what ver of Mala are you one. I'm using the latest beta rev (I believe it's 1.63g)

OK, I have attached my main fe graphic and the video overlay graphic.  You'll notice the video overlay graphic has godawful pink in it.  If you look ---really--- close, you'll also notice that the very lower-left most pixel of the overlay graphic is colored the same pink.  MaLa uses the lower left pixel to determine what color it thinks it transparent.


Let me know if you can't figure it out.

(Oh, and don' t pick on my lack of graphics skills).

[drventure]

Looks like it must be an issue with the beta build.

I even tried loading the image into one of the Custom fields, the image does display, it is transparent, but it ALWAYS comes up below the video.

And the overlay image for the video just doesn't show anything for me. <sigh>

[fatfingers]

You did put the overlay image over the video, didn't you?

[drventure]

Yep, got your link and tried it. Your layout does the same thing with the beta build (the overlay end up UNDER the video).

Likely loadman will have to get involved

Still, it's a minor nit. Mala's pretty freakin' cool. Just wish it was open source vb.net 

[Ummon]

I run my cab at 320x240, so all I use is a simple skin with a movie over the whole screen at 50% transparency overlaid by a game list.

On my development machine the answer would more likely be "all of them".

Yeah, no doubt.  That one you posted there is much like that in a vid Tom Speirs did. Nice idea, but the text in yours seems a little large.

drventure, that layout looks fantastic. Any chance you might share when it's done?

Yeah, that's pretty groovy. How'd you get it to sort of spin, drv?

[savj14]

here is my current MaLa layout..

I like the look of this one. Any chance you can share it?

[drventure]

@Bender and Ummon

Well, the screenshot doesn't tell the whole story unfortunately.

The clock +looks+ good, but it doesn't actually spin, at least not yet. I've got some of the pieces parts set up for an animation, but I don't believe there'd be anyway to animate it in Mala at this point (not and also have videos of the game anyway, and even then, not sure).

I'm actually contemplating building an FE in .net with WPF (with all that WPF UI goodness baked in), but I just don't know if I want to extend this build yet another year or more (likely A LOT more).

[severdhed]

here is my current MaLa layout..

I like the look of this one. Any chance you can share it?

thanks...yeah, i'd be happy to share it...it is however set up at a static size at 1280x1024, since i use a 19" LCD in my cabinet.  i can also provide the photoshop psd file if you are interested.  i'll try to get it later this evening, or tomorrow at the latest.

[Spectrum]

I've been out of things for awhile but recently got interested again.  I don't have a cab so I have MaLa set up on my HTPC in the living room.  I liked Organic Jerks Pixel Assault layout so I have been converting it to widescreen.  Will release it when I'm finished if there is any interest.

[savj14]

thanks...yeah, i'd be happy to share it...it is however set up at a static size at 1280x1024, since i use a 19" LCD in my cabinet.  i can also provide the photoshop psd file if you are interested.  i'll try to get it later this evening, or tomorrow at the latest.

How hard would it be to convert this to 640x480? Just resize the image in Photoshop?

[severdhed]

i dont know how it would look to resize the photoshop file...it may come out ok, it may not...

here is the background image resized using photoshop to 640x480



here is the mala layout
www.severdhed.com/images/arcade/mala-layout/zakmanlayout.zip

here are the graphics files

www.severdhed.com/images/arcade/mala-layout/graphicsfiles.zip


enjoy

[Ummon]

thanks...yeah, i'd be happy to share it...it is however set up at a static size at 1280x1024, since i use a 19" LCD in my cabinet.  i can also provide the photoshop psd file if you are interested.  i'll try to get it later this evening, or tomorrow at the latest.

I've just set the res in the layout editor, and that's that.




How hard would it be to convert this to 640x480? Just resize the image in Photoshop?

I've been out of things for awhile but recently got interested again.  I don't have a cab so I have MaLa set up on my HTPC in the living room.  I liked Organic Jerks Pixel Assault layout so I have been converting it to widescreen.  Will release it when I'm finished if there is any interest.

Interesting mix of modern and retro. Pretty neat.