Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: Bill S on June 27, 2002, 06:17:17 am

Title: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Bill S on June 27, 2002, 06:17:17 am

I'm trying to figure out which frontend is best for my needs.
Here's my situation:
I'm running Win '98SE in a MAME cabinet.  I've been using EmuLoader and I love it, but I need 2 features it does not have.
I want a FE that I can start in full screen mode.  Also, one that I can map the key to start a game to something other than the Enter key or the mouse button.  I'd like my P1 start button to start a game from the FE.
I don't really want to use AOS as I'd like to stay in Wondows.

Any suggestions?

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Lilwolf on June 27, 2002, 09:51:49 am

Look at

Raging Dragon - great options!

ArcadeFX - best looking

emulaxian - sweet arshe 3d frontend

JFront - mine... clone of others in java... plus some better ways to handle controls in mame (ie, setup all 4-way games once)

GameLauncher I hear is nice... Never tried it.

download them all and see which one fits your cabinet the best

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Jakobud on June 27, 2002, 10:43:22 am

You need to try out Game Launcher.  It is by far the best frontend for arcade cabinets in my opinion.  It is quite a bit different than EmuLoader though.  EmuLoader is so....Windowsy.  Anyways, check out Game Launcher.  You can reconfigure all the buttons to your hearts content.

jakobud

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Howard_Casto on June 27, 2002, 11:00:06 am

What lilwolf was referring to was the cool way that he has it to where you can make joystick layouts and assign these layouts to certain emus/games.  I haven't gotten to play with it that much but it seems really sweet.  

Game Launcher is definately the most minimalist of all of them but it lacks in the options/features or some of the newer games.  It's definately the best when it comes to a simple setup though. (One or two command line based emus.)  

Emulaxian is definately the flashiest of all of them with the new 3d element.  It's slowly but surely gaining more emus too, which is a good thing. :)

ArcadeFx is good for vga monitors and a setup that is mame ONLY.  It's a solid clean piece of software but very limited in terms of flexiability.

I don't think I could give an un-biased opinion of mine so I'll just let it be.  It's a dead project anyway.  What's coming will be leaps and bounds ahead of it in terms of flexiability and emu compatability. I can honestly say that once it comes out it will be the most universal fe ever, period, undisputed.  (Boy I'm modest.)

Since the gui and the launchers are seperate this time around I expect all of the authors to start adopting my wrappers and utilities once it's released too.  :)  That's the point anyway, so I can get someone to make me a real purdy gui so I won't have to do it anymore. ;)

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: SirPoonga on June 27, 2002, 12:45:19 pm

Quote

I don't think I could give an un-biased opinion of mine so I'll just let it be.

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Howard_Casto on June 27, 2002, 10:10:11 pm

No there's emuloader and a bunch of other windowsy one's out there to.  Btw you mention gamelauncher like it's chopped-liver, remember it is the original.  

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: )p( on June 28, 2002, 01:18:40 am

My own fav one is advance menu a great alternative to gamelauncher and arcadeos for cabinets.

By sunday the new Emulaxian will be put and it will be completely skinnable to the bone...so it will join the general purpose camp ;)

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Bill S on June 28, 2002, 09:13:34 am

Well I installed game launcher to try last night and was not able to get that thing to see my roms.  They are not in the standard roms directory and no matter what settings I used, it didn't find them.  The prog. to make the map files kept saying unable to create file and giving me map files with 0 bytes.

I then decided to give mamewah a try.  So far, I think this could be the one for me.  It's clean, and easy to control with my arcade controls (no need for mouse, keyboard).  Most importantly, I simply told it to scan for my roms and BAM, it found them and I was ready to go.  Easy, the way it should be.

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Howard_Casto on June 28, 2002, 10:05:25 am

Quote

Well I installed game launcher to try last night and was not able to get that thing to see my roms.

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Tee on July 11, 2002, 06:49:30 pm

If I was smart enough to program a front end I would make a cross between the simple elegance of Party On and good looks of ArcadeFx.

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Howard_Casto on July 11, 2002, 07:58:48 pm

Quote

If I was smart enough to program a front end I would make a cross between the simple elegance of Party On and good looks of ArcadeFx.

No offense but what kind of crack are you on?  Party on isn't even a front-end (technically it is but i'm not pulling hairs here) it's a simple menu.  And arcadefx is as simple as you get save game launcher.  

Perhaps you need to explain in detail what your talking about because what you said didn't make any sense.  
 

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Dustin T. on July 11, 2002, 09:37:43 pm

Game Launcher or Pyrecade all the way.  2 rules.. FE must be full screen and not look like a typical app....and it must play tunes.

Title: Re: Which FE should I use?
Post by: Howard_Casto on July 13, 2002, 07:51:59 pm

Quote

Game Launcher or Pyrecade all the way.

Title: Re:Which FE should I use?
Post by: StephenH on July 15, 2002, 12:49:28 am

Try PartyOn!   www.critters.org/noontide.com/partyon