Well I voted AFE, and I presume Havok did as well..
Just waiting for the 3rd and final vote for atomic from Youki...
:P
Haha - these guys don't know what they're missing. Most of them prefer "FE for Dummies" setup over power. Meh.
Sure its got a few bugs, but the developers staying on top of it and actually listening to users in the community, which is awesome. I highly recommend it.Sorry I felt the need to clarify this ;)
FrizzleFried what is that picture of in your Avatar??
When will the atomic .20 be out just curious
dm
I don't understand the popularity of Hyperspin :dizzy: It looks like the front-end equivalent of Polonaise/Line dancing, of the movie Meet the Grannies, of a Happy Meal, of the new VW Beetle, of leggings and fake curled/blonded hair, of TV calling games, of Char, or well to summarize it all: it equals bad taste.
I was almost the first to vote for EmuLaunch. I like a Mac effort. But it is not fast and complete enough. When it is 5 times as fast, and supports U360 mapping it will get my vote. Now it is Mala.
HI,The forum link isn't working. Seems you have to register to see the forum.
Atomic 0.20 is the next No. 1 of the front end
upon its release in mid-October, it will be supplied with a program installation with + 100 pre-configured Emulators
Come see the result (90% ok) :
http://www.mediafire.com/?jmwijydjgne
http://www.atomicfe.com/forums/index.php?board=2.0
LaDite
The FE is being polished or the baby???? :laugh2:QuoteWhen will the atomic .20 be out just curious
dm
I was expecting end of September. But i got a Baby , so i will be late on my planning. Should be mid october.
It is almost finished , we are polishing things.
I don't understand the popularity of Hyperspin :dizzy: It looks like the front-end equivalent of Polonaise/Line dancing, of the movie Meet the Grannies, of a Happy Meal, of the new VW Beetle, of leggings and fake curled/blonded hair, of TV calling games, of Char, or well to summarize it all: it equals bad taste.
I thought Atomic 0.20 was going to be more like HyperSpin but it looks more like GameEx
Not to mention all my movie themes.
The reason I like Mala is that it is easy to set up and easy to use while in a cabinet.
I don't like too many choices and selections on the main menu. Let the frontend open mame up automatically and then the user just has to pick some games. Too many choices is just too much to think about for those who want to play games, not read/navigate menus. I want people to focus on choosing a game, not navigating or waiting for videos to stop playing in order to play a game.
I like the idea of hyperspin, or should i say Ultracade, but for me to use it I would want it just to load up the snaps and marquees from default because I don't want to have to devote too much time to gathering videos and graphics and organizing and setting it up right.
Why not have the "wheel" load the marquees from the mame folder as a default? Also, why not load the snaps as a default. This way one does not have to load all the extra artwork?
I admit, I tried to do this w/Hyperspin, but it is too confusing (for me, the average user/moron) to keep track what is supposed to go in "artwork 1" or "artwork 2" folders (I think that's their names).
Thanks.
If I see the video's here, all I can say is HS is way too slow. 3 seconds between each game option is not going to work.Guys, this is a poll thread... Let's keep discussion of FE's to their threads.
If I see the video's here, all I can say is HS is way too slow. 3 seconds between each game option is not going to work.
I used to use FeMame back in 98/99. ;D
Why not have the "wheel" load the marquees from the mame folder as a default?
I like the Maximus Arcade ...and I got a hacked version of it...
I like the Maximus Arcade ...and I got a hacked version of it...
To Flack, that is the reason I like Mala too, it installs easy and you don't have to do a lot of tinkering afterwards to get it just right. Some of the others, even the great hyperspin, just have too many variables, ajustments and things to download (now, i get ready for pile-on criticisms).No, criticism, but if you haven't tried HS lately, then I would highly suggest trying the new build... Build 0.8.0.0 was just released and is usable as a FE out of the box after you set your paths. You don't have to do anything else to it if you don't want to. With the text wheel and default themes it runs just like any other FE out. The individual game themes just add another level that other FE's don't do. Sure there are lots of other configurations you can do and download themes as well, but you don't have to anymore to get HS up and running.
And to (+_+), I agree, why not just load up the mame marquees that most of us probably have anyway? But, it is not my fe, so who cares? When you get yours ready, please let me know.
Steve
No, criticism, but if you haven't tried HS lately, then I would highly suggest trying the new build... Build 0.8.0.0 was just released and is usable as a FE out of the box after you set your paths. You don't have to do anything else to it if you don't want to.
That's one of the nice things about HyperSpin, you don't have to wait for the creator to add code to add a system/emulator. If you know how to script for AutoHotKey then you can add anything you want.No, criticism, but if you haven't tried HS lately, then I would highly suggest trying the new build... Build 0.8.0.0 was just released and is usable as a FE out of the box after you set your paths. You don't have to do anything else to it if you don't want to.
Does it just run VP and Daphne by setting one path each?
That's one of the nice things about HyperSpin, you don't have to wait for the creator to add code to add a system/emulator. If you know how to script for AutoHotKey then you can add anything you want.No, criticism, but if you haven't tried HS lately, then I would highly suggest trying the new build... Build 0.8.0.0 was just released and is usable as a FE out of the box after you set your paths. You don't have to do anything else to it if you don't want to.
Does it just run VP and Daphne by setting one path each?
VP isn't included with the standard setup in HyperSpin right now, but it is easily added. I have asked Bill to add VP into the official HyperSpin release, so hopefully soon it will be. But in the mean time someone has already integrated VP into the launcher and it works great. If you would like it I can zip up my VP settings/folders for HS and post it.
Daphne is a cinch to setup as long as your framefiles are correct. I have every Daphne game setup (including Roadblasters) and each game has its own theme.
I am blown away that not a single person is using ArcadeOS.
Hyperspin from what I understand looks really cool, but I've yet to give it a full on test on my arcade cab. I'll be giving it a try this weekend for my fighter cab.For HyperSpin, if you have the emulator already working then getting it setup in HyperSpin isn't too difficult.
I've gotta ask about Hyperspin though...I've got only Fighters in my cab. About how long would it take me initially to set up Mame & Naomi and a couple of pc game to have all the themes, videos and whatnot?
An important thing is that the author is always prompt to help users and to adapt the soft to our needs.
I am blown away that not a single person is using ArcadeOS. My first mame cab ran ArcadeOS and AdvanceMAME, and it stayed that way for a long time. Like everyone else, I eventually moved on to other FEs, but not 1 single person still using gool old ArcadeOS???? It must be the advent of the ArcadeVGA card that made ArcadeOS basically obsolete. But I still have a soft spot for it and owe a debt of gratitude toward it.
Here's to you, ArcadeOS :cheers:
With regard to the poll...I would be interested to know the split of people who use each FE and what screen type they are using.I personally use a 27" flat CRT television on my cabinet using a composite out from my video card. I run everything at 800x600 and it looks good enough.
I say this because a lot of the FE's are geared towards nice eyecandy, but I wonder if people with low res. screens use them? Or are there more people with multi-sync screens than standard res. nowadays?
Just curious...
I personally use a 72" flat CRT television on my cabinet
Doh! I meant 27". Heh, the largest TV in the house is a 1080p 65" DLP which I have used as my arcade cab screen for a couple hours.I personally use a 72" flat CRT television on my cabinet
OMG! That is huge. It must weigh 500 kilos :D
Doh! I meant 27". Heh, the largest TV in the house is a 65" DLP which I have used as my arcade cab screen for a couple hours.I personally use a 72" flat CRT television on my cabinet
OMG! That is huge. It must weigh 500 kilos :D
I personally use a 27" flat CRT television on my cabinet using a composite out from my video card. I run everything at 800x600 and it looks good enough.
Check this Moon Patrol theme out:
GameEx when you demand more from a Front End
Speaking of front end. Does anyone know what happened to Hyperspin's site?
Popularity polls like this only prove how insecure some one is over there own proposals. Personly it should be a Question . What would you like to see incorporated in a FE !!! ect ect not which is the best as this is just fan boy trash talk ...
True. I thought if we had one comprehensive poll that addressed ALL of the FEs, it would allow a better representation of what actually is in use. The fact that a user can change his/her vote over time allows for changes in use of FEs.Popularity polls like this only prove how insecure some one is over there own proposals. Personly it should be a Question . What would you like to see incorporated in a FE !!! ect ect not which is the best as this is just fan boy trash talk ...
I think the reason Hoopz started the poll is because everyone was sick of people posting "whats the best FE" all the time. I was also sick of those posts. So the poll is a good idea IMHO and infact cuts down the trash talk because people look at the poll instead of having to listen to the same replies from the same people all the time.
Right now I'm using MAMEUI as it is the only FE I knew anything about until I found this forum a week or two ago. I want to try the others eventually to see if I find one I like better, but as I'm in the earliest stages of cabinet planning, I don't have a real need to change from the keyboard/mouse friendly MAMEUI. For instance, I briefly tried Hyperspin and although it was definitely flashier, I can find the game I want with the mouse much quicker than scrolling though a wheel. I'm not knocking Hyperspin, obviously when I want to control my FE from my arcade control panel (when I have one) MAMEUI probably will no longer be the right choice for me.
Atomic FE (this fe crash my system so i went sod it)
Mala was my favorite for a long time but Hyperspin has found a permanent home in my Cab. Heck, I even named my cab after it!
P
Mala was my favorite for a long time but Hyperspin has found a permanent home in my Cab. Heck, I even named my cab after it!
P
I'm waiting to see you post in the "unfavorite frontend" thread. We could call that "Portnoy's Complaint". :)
I guess that joke was a bit feeble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portnoy's_Complaint
I am blown away that not a single person is using ArcadeOS.
I use it (and voted for it) - a great simple DOS frontend for my FreeDos-based cocktail cab.
I'm just getting started and I am using MALA. I finally have it looking halfway decent, so I a terrified to even try anything else. I just can't bear the thought of having to redo all my stuff all over again.
I voted for GameEx since it seems like it has the braindead simple functionality of reading the mameui favorites directly as your list of favorites.
I'm just getting started and I am using MALA. I finally have it looking halfway decent, so I a terrified to even try anything else. I just can't bear the thought of having to redo all my stuff all over again.
a wise choice!
i had [another popular frontend] for a good while, and i moved from win2k to XP. instead of dropping in all of my old files, i took the chance to start clean, with MaLa (and the Retro GUI layout). it's been brilliant. eventually i want to work on a layout for it - looks straightforward enough.QuoteI voted for GameEx since it seems like it has the braindead simple functionality of reading the mameui favorites directly as your list of favorites.
What do you use to edit your game lists in MaLa? I may give it a try (again I think?) Can you configure it to do things like "show horizontal games but no vector games", "show vertical games, but not vector games", "show vector games only"? I like to have a single favorites list that I use on multiple machines configured appropriately for that machines cababilities.
Thanks!
Gary
well i doubt many people here could say they used mameui much at all. but i'm sure the lists are saved in a simple enough format, and those should be as portable as possible, absolutely.
not every one who uses a piece of software is gonna 1. have questions, 2. want added features.Heh, Bilpa is one of the HyperSpin team members, but to answer your question... Why not register? The 30 seconds it takes for you to register is NOTHING compared to the amount of time that developers put into their products. Not to mention.. registration is free and hell the application is free.
it is backwards to have people register, before they even try it, not everyone who tries it is gonna keep it either.
i was wrong about one thing.. they have roughly 950 accounts that have at least 1 post out of over 7600.. thats more then 10% i predicted.
although roughly 350 of those have 2 posts or less.
clearly this is a highly efficient system.
my first post was basically to ask if there was a place to download i missed.. but after taking a closer look it seems that most if not all of the forum is open to guest viewing except the download section :laugh2:
EDIT: you know maybe im being unfair about this, so i've sent off a email to them using their contact us page.. perhaps they have good reason im not thinking of.
where is that? i thought mame32 was now mameui? which case i was able to download .132 a couple weeks ago no prob.
go here: http://www.mameui.info, click download, enjoy.
Gary, mala does have that functionality. I have mine set up so that holding the 1up button and moving the joystick shifts through the letters like you described.
it was pretty simple, details here:
http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Mala_Config#Basic
How do I change my vote again? I'm not seeing it.
How do I change my vote again? I'm not seeing it.
Although the first post says you can change your vote at any time, its never been possible.
How do I change my vote again? I'm not seeing it.
Although the first post says you can change your vote at any time, its never been possible.
Is that fixable? Seems like that would make the survey more useful.
Wow after 4 diffrent FE's i have my heart set on AtomicFE..... Mgalaxy was first and I was VERY happy with it... then i figured i have a MAME cab why not get some console emus... so Mgalaxy (being a mame only FE) was out of the question.... Then i figured Mala would be sweet.... treid it out (configured everything) but due to the fact im using an old compaq presario the FE was too harsh on my computer... lagging, slow boot and such.... Tried Hyperspin and wow overall that FE is definatly the cats ass... it to raped and pilaged my computer..... Then i came across AtomicFE and its module plug-ins.... just deleted all other emulators and kept my roms in one folder (sub folders for each console) and dloaded the modules for each emu i need and it was good to go... not as intense and pretty as hyperspin but freindly enough to "the old family pc"..... now if i ever decide to upgrade my pc to something more current Hyperspin would EASILY take my vote... but because im too cheep to upgrade my pc AtomicFE FTW.....
Added a Kvm (with audio) to my DC VGA Box...so i could play the arcade roms my pc cant handle (Gauntlet Ledgends, NFL blitz, Crazy Taxi) and use the pc exe launcher for house of the dead 1-3 and Mk trilogy...
As said Crapahute, you can have almost the same effects than Hyperspin with AtomicFE
The only reason you have the same "effect" is because you guys ripped all of the artwork from HyperSpin.
Ginsu: not helpful.....
Getting back to the original thread...
W00T!!!! Wah!cade has a 'MASSIVE' 0.6% of the votes... other than me who were the other 2 Linux users out there who use it?
I feel a steady uprising in our midst........ or maybe not :laugh2:
Im using Maximus Arcade. Fair enough, You have to pay but I think its worth it. Its easy to setup, Easy to use. I cant fault it to be honest. The support could be a little better though.
The support could be a little better though.
If atomic fe its sucha great FE for his creator, why trying to make it look like hyperspin? bad bad bad....... :cheers: be original.....
Because it can look similar to Hyperspin, though running on lower specs. It's not the default look of AtomicFE anyway, but it is an option for those who don't have a super fast PC in their cabinet.
I skipped reading all that and translated it as:
WAH! :hissy:
Please Billpa don't insult me. you don't know me. We are talking about hobbies not Business here. keep it friendly.
I have alway credited sincerely the fantastic job that HS layout creator did in matter of Artwork.
My "selling" point (selling is funny, because Atomic is totally free, and i even don't force the user to be registered or what ever else to download something) as you say ,is just :
"If you like hyperspin look but don't have a enough powered machine , Atomic is a good alternative".
Where Hyperspin needs a 3ghz machine with 1 giga or more ram and accelerated graphics card , Atomic needs a celeron 800mhz with 256 mega of ram and a standard VGA card. (so don't talk me about hyperspin performances).
I don't try to compete with Hyperspin (anyway i could not, no time for that), i just propose an alternative usable on low end machine. That's all.
Hyperspin is a very nice looking FrontEnd , the layout are really fantastic , And if you have a high end machine you should use it. I don't pretend my Atomic is better or even try to compete. At least on graphic aspect. It is lot of harder to make an animated layout for Atomic than it is for HS.
and last point, The layouts you can see have been done (or ported from HS (and it ask lot of work , just try you will see...) by AtomicFE community not by me (i made about 40 i think on the 600 or more available).
Did you care about the author of the original artwork you ripped? Do you have the feeling you stoled their work?
Now, if there is legal issue on layout i made myself . You can prove you have some copyright on artwork. I will change them no problem.
and speaking about my website what duplicate HS Download Section , you didn't noticed it is not my website. i didn't made this website and it is even not hosted by me. If you want see my web page for the layout download it is here :
http://www.atomicfe.com/Downloads/Layouts_in_progress/download_layout.php (http://www.atomicfe.com/Downloads/Layouts_in_progress/download_layout.php)
And i insist : All Artwork have been reworked for AtomicFe , and not take as is. i repeat : just try to port one of your layout on AtomicFE and you will see the amount of work. And you will see that what you need to do , is the exact same thing you did from the orignal Artwork you reworked.
Anyway i understand your "frustration" , i had the same feeling what i saw everybody say "waooouh" when they first seen Hyperspin whereas AtomicFe offered the same possibilities (except the spin) since years. Hyperspin marketting is lot better than mine! :D
I'm not in business , i just propose a FrontEnd for Free and Really for Free . If you like it i'm happy , if you don't like it I understand. Now there is a good choice of very great front end. The Time of pionner is finished.
The only think i wish is that some great front end stay Free.
Hmmm, I don't know but I find those HS and AtomicFE themes EXTREMELY busy and not pleasant to the eyes. So many colors and everything moving at same time! I don't know if I should look at the background, movies, title, flying logos etc. I worked as a graphic designer for a long time before I got to the film industry and I can say that those templates are really hard to 'read' most of the time.
You can do the "machine" selection menu you can see in that video with GameEX?
You can do the "machine" selection menu you can see in that video with GameEX?That would be sweet! I installed MaLa a long time ago and I was playing around with a new version yesterday. Looks pretty solid so far but I would love to know if would be possible to get the horizontal menu you mentioned as well, like in Maximus.
MAME Cabinet Maximus Arcade (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXndJ1o-oJE#)
Can AtomicFE create an horizontal animated menu for different system selection, lets say, swf animated elements like in Maximus? Exactly what you have in the video you posted. If so, I'll surely give it a try! I would like to reproduce the exact theme I have running on Maximus right now. My problem with maximus is the bug when generating/refreshing game lists. CPS3 games for example I'll cause a Director Player error (that happens with other systems as well - like Kawaks - and yeah, I know CPS3 games will play fine on mame...) and even after complaints from other users, the director player problem was never fixed. "install a fresh version of Maximus" didn't solve the problem either. So, if I can get the same options for theme creation, easy to use and fast, then I'll switch FEs for sure. Also, out of all main FEs, Maximus seems to be the least supported by the author. I hope I'm wrong.QuoteHmmm, I don't know but I find those HS and AtomicFE themes EXTREMELY busy and not pleasant to the eyes. So many colors and everything moving at same time! I don't know if I should look at the background, movies, title, flying logos etc. I worked as a graphic designer for a long time before I got to the film industry and I can say that those templates are really hard to 'read' most of the time.
In fact it really depend of what you want do. AtomicFe can do exact (if not extremely close) same layout than Maximus too. And if you don't like animated layout you can do statics one. AtomicFe is extremely flexible. (Don't know for HyperSpin , anyway its target is cleary animation)
Maximus is nice , well done, but you pay for it and you don't get support. Where you can have other 'as good' Fe for Free and have a really dynamic and helpfull support. Mala, Mamewah, AtomicFE , GameEX (you have to pay too here, but at least you have a real support).
Can AtomicFE create an horizontal animated menu for different system selection, lets say, swf animated elements like in Maximus?
I think if the HyperSpin team had some sort of auto theme download then it would be much more attractive. But then you have the problems of who pays for the bandwidth but I guess they could have some sort of subscription service for it.
Hmmm, I don't know but I find those HS and AtomicFE themes EXTREMELY busy and not pleasant to the eyes. So many colors and everything moving at same time! I don't know if I should look at the background, movies, title, flying logos etc. I worked as a graphic designer for a long time before I got to the film industry and I can say that those templates are really hard to 'read' most of the time.
QuoteI think if the HyperSpin team had some sort of auto theme download then it would be much more attractive. But then you have the problems of who pays for the bandwidth but I guess they could have some sort of subscription service for it.
Rumor has it this is on the way.
The new version of HyperSpin looks amazing.Is there a Youtube movie that shows Hyperspin with movies and games NOT supported?
The new version of HyperSpin looks amazing.Is there a Youtube movie that shows Hyperspin with movies and games NOT supported?
Hyperspin looks like it is only fun with games with a custom style. I was wondering how it looks when such a style lacks.HyperSpin uses what we call a default theme when a theme for the specific game does not exist. For almost all consoles we have a "generic" style (aka theme) that shows the video (or screenshot), box art, and selection text (or wheel image). Check out the attached image. This is the default theme for Neo Geo in HyperSpin.
Yeah, but this uses graphics for the game titles as well. What if they do not exist? Do I get some fancy Helvetica then?Yes, there is text that can replace the use of wheel images. However, the text is really just a place holder as the images really make the wheel look nice. The text is just as boring as other text based front ends, but you can select out of a couple fonts if you really want text.
I like the idea of favorites. I wish there was an FE that supported passwords though. I'd love to be able to lock kids out of games like mortal kombat.
that are accessible only with password (password you can enter with the control panel of course).
Quotethat are accessible only with password (password you can enter with the control panel of course).
it should definitely be uuddlrlrabba
SophT, your geek license has been revoked. Please hand it over at the door, I'm sorry.
It's U U D D L R L R B A (Start or Select Start).
I like the idea of favorites. I wish there was an FE that supported passwords though. I'd love to be able to lock kids out of games like mortal kombat.
I like the idea of favorites. I wish there was an FE that supported passwords though. I'd love to be able to lock kids out of games like mortal kombat.
If anyone knows of a similar approach to this please let me know ok!?
I like the idea of favorites. I wish there was an FE that supported passwords though. I'd love to be able to lock kids out of games like mortal kombat.
Im using Maximus Arcade. Fair enough, You have to pay but I think its worth it. Its easy to setup, Easy to use. I cant fault it to be honest. The support could be a little better though.
Hello!
I'm looking for a minimalistic GUI for MAME. The latest MAMEGUI that i compiled successfully crashes randomly (such as the previous one) and most of the frontends are biased towards arcade cabinets. I'm looking for something like this:
(http://www.parallelrealities.co.uk/images/xmamegui/screenshot01.jpg)
It's very frustrating not being able to use xMAMEgui with basic mame though... :'(
If anyone knows of a similar approach to this please let me know ok!?
Thanks in advance!
It seems most folks prefer visuals over content, which is where GameEx stives. Ill keep pushing on though.
Blatant promotion below ;)
GameEx 2010 With Emumovies HD (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S11VvsB5Fxg#ws)
I use maximus/ Easy, simple, customizable. Support sucks I know.
Hyperspin has alot of eyecandy... but ultimately I want to play games, and navigate through menus quickly and easily... I'm not much interested in being entertained by the front end.
I just setup Maximus Arcade with all my emulators.. every console system (including gamecube, wii, and ps2) + mame + sega m2 + sega naomi. I think I just need Amiga, turbo duo cd, and virtual boy (can't find a good emulator for this though). Other than that, I'm pretty much done setting it up. I might not even add these systems as I never even plaid them.
I was able to install gamecube, wii, and naomi by hacking other systems and changing the art.
Hyperspin is great, and like I've said before.. when they change it so that it scans your folder for you, I'll go back and try it again. I'll even download all the videos again from emumovies.
I just setup Maximus Arcade with all my emulators.. every console system (including gamecube, wii, and ps2) + mame + sega m2 + sega naomi. I think I just need Amiga, turbo duo cd, and virtual boy (can't find a good emulator for this though). Other than that, I'm pretty much done setting it up. I might not even add these systems as I never even plaid them.
I was able to install gamecube, wii, and naomi by hacking other systems and changing the art.
Hyperspin is great, and like I've said before.. when they change it so that it scans your folder for you, I'll go back and try it again. I'll even download all the videos again from emumovies.
I seriously have a hard time believing that most people are using hyperspin. It's likely the most preferred frontend for looks, but definitely not the most widely used. Most cabs I've see have mala/mamewah or gamex
It seems most folks prefer visuals over content, which is where GameEx stives. Ill keep pushing on though.
Blatant promotion below ;)
I seriously have a hard time believing that most people are using hyperspin. It's likely the most preferred frontend for looks, but definitely not the most widely used. Most cabs I've see have mala/mamewah or gamex
There is a pinned topic on their forums asking people to vote, so that might have something to do with it ;)
I seriously have a hard time believing that most people are using hyperspin. It's likely the most preferred frontend for looks, but definitely not the most widely used. Most cabs I've see have mala/mamewah or gamexHyperSpin must be doing something right...
Looking at the official forums for the various front ends... The HyperSpin forum has by far the most active community out of any other front end.
Well, we could always ask Circo to see which version of Emumovies are being downloaded the most... As far as I know HS is the only FE that supports FLV video. Surely people wouldn't be downloading 8-13gb of files not to be using them.Looking at the official forums for the various front ends... The HyperSpin forum has by far the most active community out of any other front end.
I think the stats would be alot different if users didn't have to join the forums to download it. In my experience most people join forums to get help, but I would say in HS case it would be to download the program and themes. I'm not saying which FE has more users but that fact combined with the pinned topic probably doesn't hurt the numbers it's getting :)
I seriously have a hard time believing that most people are using hyperspin. It's likely the most preferred frontend for looks, but definitely not the most widely used. Most cabs I've see have mala/mamewah or gamexHyperSpin must be doing something right...
Looking at the official forums for the various front ends... The HyperSpin forum has by far the most active community out of any other front end. ??? HyperSpin has close to the same number of members as BYOAC.
BYOAC:
2110658 Posts in 195220 Topics by 18812 Members
HyperSpin:
Threads: 7,685, Posts: 72,256, Members: 17,386
Maximus Arcade:
Total posts 7814 • Total topics 1793 • Total members 1739
GameEx:
Total Posts: 59,423
Total Members: 5,214
Mala: From what I can tell Mala uses BYOAC as their Official forums.
Not to mention, HyperSpin is also the newest front end out with only 1.5 years where MALA has been around since the stone ages, GameEx and Maximus both have been around for 3-5 years. We may be the new kids on the block, but we are doing something right.
If you really think the pinned thread on our forums is skewing results here; I'm more than happy to have that thread removed...
I would like to keep this thread as focused on the topic if at all possible. The posts about Maximo G+ not withstanding...This dude seems to have a good perspective on this thread. Can't we all just get along?
MALA has been around since the stone ages,Well that is one figure out of all posted I would question. :laugh2:
Well that is one figure out of all posted I would question. :laugh2:
If anyone cares, I believe MaLa was introduced to BYOAC in 2005. Before that it was a very basic FE based in Germany.
P.S Good luck to you sir. I really don't care if you have 99% of the users here. I do it for fun ;D When I am not having fun I don't work on it. :P
It is a bonus that it suits some others users requirements and I get a kick out of positive feedback so that inspires me to work on it more.
Sorry for the thread HiJack. I will crawl back into my hole again. ;D
Hey tspeirs, I have a question for yah. How easy is it to integrate naomi, aotmiswvae, ps2, dreamcast (via nulldc), and different types of emulators like this? Am I limited to the systems you have added in, or are there easy ways to add in new systems?
Hyperspin is the opposite for me, heavy system requirements and slow boot speedSlow boot speed? What kind of speeds are you looking at? With the intro video turned off, I can have HyperSpin loaded and running within 8 seconds after launch. The 8 seconds is with complete wheels, images and text. If your setup was taking longer on a decently specc'd machine then you're running into something else causing the longer boot times. Perhaps invalid character in the XML files, incorrectly named or rogue file or something similar. We have also noticed slow downs/lag happening if you have some USB control devices plugged in or if you have Windows Defender Realtime scanning turned on. Windows Defender seems to be trying to scan every image that's loaded in HyperSpin upon launch and that definitely slows the launch speed. Other than those issues there should be very little boot time with HyperSpin as it doesn't scan or query other databases for game lists. It uses XML which is loaded dynamically as you navigate the wheel.
But the results are show stopping - if you have the horsepower and time to set it up right
its probably the most impressive FE
GameEx is also very nice front end and it is fairly easy to setup for beginners. I tried using it on my MAME cabinet, but it was too Windows like. If I was running a HTPC then I would definitely consider it to integrate into HBMC or Windows Media Center for a seamless environment.
I'm all over the place! I can't settle for just one FE.
Here's my observation;I hate to say this, but it sounds like you don't know what you are doing... What version of MAME are you trying to use?
Q. Which of these frontends actually works with the latest mame?
A. Almost none. They either don't install (Ultrastyle, Mala) or have serious bugs (loss of focus issues in both Mala and Arcade Maximus). If you think this is not so, just try your favorite with the latest mame and see.
The problem is that the frontends get too complicated, then bugs find their way into the software and they can't be kept up with.
I am sticking with Ultramame.
Why? 4 reasons.
It can be accessed completely from the control panel. It installs. No bugs. It works.
Kaptainsteve
I've installed Max Arcade and it runs fine except when you hammer the player 1&2 keys simultaneously to exit a running game then I get the Maximus black screen of death and then a loss of focus problem where you have to restart the pc to fix it?Your issue isn't a MAME 141 issue.... This has nothing to do with MAME at all. This is definitely an issue with either your OS or even your hardware. What keyboard encoder are you using? IPAC?
I've experienced the same problem with another frontend upon exiting yet when i use simply mame32, I do not get the problem. This makes me believe it's a problem with compatibility with my op sys (or something like a driver or my ipac) and the front-ends.
Install mame 141, RUN a game, then exit by hammering the P1&2 buttons and see if you experience this too.
Thanks.
P.S.
Funny, but I thought that maybe using a stripped down xp was the problems so I just reinstalled a completely new OEM XP and Maximus Arcade, and upon exiting the first game, got the same error as above/always. This is with compete all-round fresh installs. There is definitely a major bug in that frontend.
So, I just installed Mala and got this crash log;
2011/02/25 23:06:14.48 Error: Exception Message: Scan line index out of range, Object Function: LoadPicture, Exception Class: EInvalidGraphicOperation, Object Class: TTimer
I've used a very simple and clean cut FE called mGalaxy - so basic no mods but it is what i need http://www.mgalaxy.com/ (http://www.mgalaxy.com/)I've added it to the list. Thanks for letting me/us know about it.
Wish i had the time to give HyperSpin a shot tho.
Is there a way to easily make Hyperspin elegant? I think it has tons of potential, but out-of-the-box it's an assault on the senses. There's just WAY too much going on at all times. I think the default skin/theme designers are in serious need of a lesson in white space and, perhaps, a dose of Ritalin. ;D
Funny. That's exactly what I thought the first time I checked out hyperspin.
I suppose it lives up to the name, but, yes, if there were some more "subdued" themes out of the box, I'd find it more appealing.
As I have stated before; Hyperspin can be as basic or as complex as you want it. The animations are done at the discretion of their theme creator.
Nobody has really taken the time to create a good minimalist type of theme yet. There isn't any reliance on flash animations at all. They are there if you want them, but you don't have to use them. Anything from the transitions between games to the exit screen can be modified. If you want a simple fade transition between games it can be done.
As I have stated before; Hyperspin can be as basic or as complex as you want it. The animations are done at the discretion of their theme creator.
Nobody has really taken the time to create a good minimalist type of theme yet. There isn't any reliance on flash animations at all. They are there if you want them, but you don't have to use them. Anything from the transitions between games to the exit screen can be modified. If you want a simple fade transition between games it can be done.
I don't think you got what I was talking about.
Let's say I do create a new theme.... well those hundreds of flash animations created for the mame theme aren't going to look right... so I can't use em. If I want fancy animations for each game then I'm going to have to make my own or tweak the exists ones... manually..... thousands of them. If I don't use the flash animations then what I've got is basically every other fe out there. If that is the case then what is the point of using HS?
I don't think that the way HS is setup is bad at all and I do NOT think you should change it... that's what makes it special. My only point was HS is definately not for everyone and I can understand why some choose not to use it.
My last post was made on an iPad, so finding and posting an example of the Aeon Nox XBMC skin wasn't very feasible. Here it is:
My XBMC.avi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmvMuZfKc4E#ws)
A couple of things you'll see here: One is what Howard was talking about. See how each game, movie, TV show, music artist/album, has its own artwork, info, etc., but how all of that stuff exists within the theme? Never, at any time, no matter what you are looking at, are you taken out of the Aeon environment. It's all a seamless, cohesive experience.
The other thing is that a metric ton of information is being displayed at any given time, but it's always classy. Imagine that same video where instead of the little tick-tick-tick noise you here when scrolling through lists or selecting menu items it instead played a short sound sample from some random movie. Because that what Hyperspin does.
I see no reason why Hyperspin could not be skinned with something every bit as elegant as that Aeon theme. It strikes me as a very powerful front end. But as it stands, it has been designed to be as outlandish and in-your-face garish as possible by default. I lack the talent and motivation to skin it myself, but I think these are things that the Hyperskin team ought to think about. Hyperspin appears to be designed to appeal to adolescent boys. It makes me think it was designed with something like this in mind:
I'm honestly not trying to just be insulting. I see Hyperspin and I want to use it. But both times I've tried it (once when it first came out, once last week) I had to switch away. It's too much.
Nice post Shmokes, I much prefer the relaxed elegant approach to front ends.I'm not a computer guru by any stretch and didn't know anything about even using photopaint. But it's really, really easy to customize.
Hopefully V2 will have something for everyone
It strikes me as a very powerful front end. But as it stands, it has been designed to be as outlandish and in-your-face garish as possible by default. I lack the talent and motivation to skin it myself, but I think these are things that the Hyperskin team ought to think about. Hyperspin appears to be designed to appeal to adolescent boys.
I would love to use hyperspin....just need a flip-x option and I'd switch over in a second. (cue the Ballad of the PITA Mirror Cab)This might be a possibility in v2.0.
Dazz
Whats the minimum requirements for HS?
Does it need a decent graphics card?
I would love to use hyperspin....just need a flip-x option and I'd switch over in a second. (cue the Ballad of the PITA Mirror Cab)This might be a possibility in v2.0.
I am blown away that not a single person is using ArcadeOS. My first mame cab ran ArcadeOS and AdvanceMAME, and it stayed that way for a long time. Like everyone else, I eventually moved on to other FEs, but not 1 single person still using gool old ArcadeOS???? It must be the advent of the ArcadeVGA card that made ArcadeOS basically obsolete. But I still have a soft spot for it and owe a debt of gratitude toward it.
Here's to you, ArcadeOS :cheers:
Can anyone speak for where MaLa is/is going?
I noticed the last WIP was 1.745 in 2011. It has been a long time since an update has been released. Will there be any further development?
Yes, just ran out of motivation
It takes a lot of hours to keep active
One day :-)
QuoteYes, just ran out of motivation
It takes a lot of hours to keep active
One day :-)
I shall try my query on the Mala help board then, rather than hereYou can always try PM'ing BYOAC member "Loadman" directly for MaLa help. Not sure if he is still working on it or not, but I know he inherited the Mala code to work on from the original designer many moons ago.
I've tried a few different FE's and have to say Hyperspin is by far hands down the most feature packed, 'Does everything I want it to do', front end. At first I was a little overwhelmed by everything with it, until I tried a few others and realized they just didn't even compare. I ended up sticking it through and spent a little bit of time each day over a week playing around with it. Once I got into it, it wasn't overwhelming at all.
I ended up purchasing the platinum membership, and a subscription to emumovies so I didn't have to manually download all the themes and movies for the emulators and games, but I do like that fact that you can download all that on your own if you don't have the money or aren't willing to pay.
I'm kinda with the others that to me for an arcade system, I'm not going for some elegant, snooty, ipad looking, media center looking front end :P. I want a 'slap your mama in the face', bold, bright, arcade looking, easy to get use to front end :notworthy:!
I really love hyperspin but I would have to disagree about it being the most feature packed............that honour would have to go to GAMEEX hands down in the feature rich department.
it semms the 4 most popular are HS,GameEx,Mala and maximus although why so many people love maximus I don't know guess each to there own.
Hyperspin is what I use when kids or guest are playing cause its so easy and professional looking(but a ---smurfette--- to set up.....especially when u got 50,000+ roms/emus and all videos in avi :angry:) ....but yeah looks totally awesome
and when its just me using I like to run gameex just because there soooooooooooo much features and is awesome HTPC system but can get confusing for guest who never use it but hyper spin just scroll through wheel..........cant go wrong
Even my wife and kids love to use it.
I don't like Hyperspin. Its too in your face. Are there any new ones out all the ones I've seen seem quite dated.
I heard there was going to be a Hyperspin 2.0 But that was some time ago and I've seen nothing since.
If it wasn't for the much needed parental controls, I would be using Mala. It's dead simple to use, lots of layouts (and easy to create one). It's just a shame that it isn't updated anymore, or open sourced.
I tried MA, but it did a weird bug on me where I could not update game lists at all, and Mame took ages to open only for it to stop working, so blah.
So I stuck with AtomicFE. Much less easy to use, layout editor is a PITA but it works very well.
If it wasn't for the much needed parental controls, I would be using Mala
If it wasn't for the much needed parental controls, I would be using Mala
I know the post about this is a bit old, but my Arqadium plug in for Mala has some support for parental controls. Basically, it prevents launch of any game tagged in the game list as adult. See my sig for the link.
It might not be exactly what you're after but I'm open for suggestions.
My votes still with Mala, although Raygun and Lechucks start wars front end is starting to look pretty sweet!
My votes still with Mala, although Raygun and Lechucks start wars front end is starting to look pretty sweet!
I'm kinda with the others that to me for an arcade system, I'm not going for some elegant, snooty, ipad looking, media center looking front end :P. I want a 'slap your mama in the face', bold, bright, arcade looking, easy to get use to front end :notworthy:!
I guess it depends on how you define "arcade looking," but to me, Hyperspin doesn't look like an arcade at all. It looks like what it is: Flash animations. When I think of arcades, I think of 2D pixel art.
Users should get more than one vote. I use different FEs based on what build I'm doing.
Right now I have both MALA and HTML5 FE running at the house and am anxiously awaiting the chance to try that new one by emb.
Can anyone tell me if Dazz is. Still active on this forum? He lives in the same city as I do, Keller TX
Cool thread... I built my arcade back in 2004 but only really 'finished' a few years ago...
Mamewah all the way. Not sure but I think it was the new kid on the block when I was building and had all the hype. I've never heard of most of these but maybe I'll give them a try someday. My only gripe with Mamewah is that it relies on a ton of config files that can get a bit tricky to manipulate and upgrading to new versions is a bear.
My 7 yo uses it regularly so no problem with it being kid friendly. Thanks Minwah!
Finally, if someone points out that a FE hasn't been included, it can then be added to the Wiki. In the words of Michael Scott, win-win-win.
Let me know if another FE needs added.
I, of course, vote for FEEL, even if it's not in the list ;DPoll updated. I've not been active on the Boards in a few months but if someone would have sent me a PM, I could have updated the OP before now. ::)
Poll updated. I've not been active on the Boards in a few months but if someone would have sent me a PM, I could have updated the OP before now. ::)
Hi Hoopz, thank you very much, as a voter and of course as FEEL developer ;)Sorry, I took your OP as being passive aggressive. I was cranky and realize it wasn't your fault. Thanks for posting about your FE and I hope it's going well. :cheers:
You've been really fast, even if I didnt follow the "official procedures" (sorry for this!)..
Thank you!
Can't comment on the other front ends but I just started using Hyperspin and I can't say enough good things about it. I'm not a computer guy and there are definitely some tweaks here and there that you learn along the way but overall it's pretty easy to learn and the front end ....,
MGalaxy does look pretty straight forward. Should be good for parties with a short list, or maybe if you can lock it to only favorites
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I played a little with Attract Mode last night and am very impressed so far. It is pretty easy to configure and I like that I can use a text editor to make changes and setup emulators.
True. Skin building is ulyra flexible even to the point that i mage custom menus nit natively available in the frontend. You shoud visit the themes section of tge AM forum, there have been some awesome themes lately. Even one that emulates a comic book.I played a little with Attract Mode last night and am very impressed so far. It is pretty easy to configure and I like that I can use a text editor to make changes and setup emulators.
First FE I tried that I got up and running within an hour. Really impressive. If only skin building was easy though! ;D
I am using Atomicfe as my frontend. The postive things with atomicfe is that it is easy to configure, most emulators works good on it. It has good looking layouts, so the good thing is its simplicity and nice interfaces.Agreed.
I recommend atomicfe to people who want a simple frontend to set up :)
Not sure if anyone else noticed (maybe I missed the memo?) but Hyperspin updated their site and has a new series of tutorial videos that are very professionally done.
Is there any front end that lets you browse by game series or genre ignoring the platform it is made for and not just by emulator and a-z. I'd like to see all games in lets say mario universe under one menu. All fighter games under one etc. It would be nice to have favourites for game series too so that there is no fillers inbetween
Is there any front end that lets you browse by game series or genre ignoring the platform it is made for and not just by emulator and a-z. I'd like to see all games in lets say mario universe under one menu. All fighter games under one etc. It would be nice to have favourites for game series too so that there is no fillers inbetween
Let me know if another FE needs added.I'm not as active on here as I was nine years ago when I started this thread. It's helpful if someone would PM me when I need to add a new option. :cheers:
FEEL is on there. 4th from the bottom. It was added on July 17, 2015.
I'm unsure what I need to do to gain access.Your PMs should be enabled now. :cheers:
You're trying to reach me or the FE author? I just update the thread. The FE author deals with the FE.FEEL is on there. 4th from the bottom. It was added on July 17, 2015.
Hey, actually trying to reach you are you able to send me a direct message? It's saying I'm not allowed to send you a message or have access or something. I'm unsure what I need to do to gain access.
Ah, thanks did an Admin just need to do that for me? I thought there might be some milestone of posts I needed to reach first haha.I'm unsure what I need to do to gain access.Your PMs should be enabled now. :cheers:
Scott
You're trying to reach me or the FE author? I just update the thread. The FE author deals with the FE.FEEL is on there. 4th from the bottom. It was added on July 17, 2015.
Hey, actually trying to reach you are you able to send me a direct message? It's saying I'm not allowed to send you a message or have access or something. I'm unsure what I need to do to gain access.
Why no Pinup System? - Best choice for any vpin cabinet today!!! :cheers:
:dunno
I am including all Front Ends listed in the Wiki for several reasons.
Let me know if another FE needs added.
This should be re-done again 2020... many outdated ones and new ones now around.. specially LB/BB.... one of the good ones now days..It's updated with all FEs that have been listed or had the dev ask to be listed. People can change their votes if they want. I think leaving it as is meets everyone's needs.
Hmmm, you got votes from years ago. and maybe folks that are no longer active.. should be all from scratch now in 2020... new fresh poll... IMO....
I think the only thing a new poll would accomplish is eliminating folks who were active on the site years ago but may not be now. They wouldn't vote and it would eliminate votes for some older FEs.Hmmm, you got votes from years ago. and maybe folks that are no longer active.. should be all from scratch now in 2020... new fresh poll... IMO....
You're right. Those 1462 people who voted have probably changed their mind. :o
Most peeps setup a frontend. Get it working and leave it alone. Holding a new vote wont change the most popular ones IMO.
Most peeps setup a frontend. Get it working and leave it alone. Holding a new vote wont change the most popular ones IMO.
Perhaps changing your vote to the newer FE is the best solution in that case. It's not perfect but better than nothing.Most peeps setup a frontend. Get it working and leave it alone. Holding a new vote wont change the most popular ones IMO.
I do too. But the frontend I chose for the rig I built in 2008 isn't the same one I chose when I built a another one in 2019.