I'm a purist.
I'm a purist.
If you were, you wouldn't be emulating.
Anyway, this sounds like over complicating things...
Makes things astoundingly over complex if you ask me.
If we are talking a very simple FE with just a gamelist and maybe a snapshot you can do that in any programming language in an afternoon. All you need is the ability to read text, load images and then render said images and text. Of course launching mame might be nice as well, but nearly every language has an equivalent of "shell"
On the other had a web interface means you have to deal with html/flash/java and god know what else which are NOT easy to program for... no drag-n-drop there. Then of course you need to setup both a client and server side app to make the games launch able.
In what way is that simpler?
It's not a matter of liking it or not liking it man, you come in insisting that it's simpler when it's infinitely more complex.
It's not a matter of liking it or not liking it man, you come in insisting that it's simpler when it's infinitely more complex.
"infinitely" more complex? "Infinitely?" Really? you chose that word?
...most definitely not infinitely more complex. Far LESS complex than HyperSpin, and several others with a UI completely customizeable by anyone that knows HTML and/or JavaScript. All of HTML5 is available to you, if you choose to use it, and we already should know that HTML5 can do 99% of what Flash can do, and 100% of what is useful.
The only complex bits at all are the launching of the emulator and the killing of the emulator, and I've done both of this in other applications before, and sample code exists already in case I ever forget how to do it. Doesn't get much simpler than copy/paste.
The rest is dead simple for anyone who has ever written any web stuff at all.
I get that this would be more complex FOR YOU, but it is certainly not for me.
It's not a matter of liking it or not liking it man, you come in insisting that it's simpler when it's infinitely more complex.
"infinitely" more complex? "Infinitely?" Really? you chose that word?
...most definitely not infinitely more complex. Far LESS complex than HyperSpin, and several others with a UI completely customizeable by anyone that knows HTML and/or JavaScript. All of HTML5 is available to you, if you choose to use it, and we already should know that HTML5 can do 99% of what Flash can do, and 100% of what is useful.
The only complex bits at all are the launching of the emulator and the killing of the emulator, and I've done both of this in other applications before, and sample code exists already in case I ever forget how to do it. Doesn't get much simpler than copy/paste.
The rest is dead simple for anyone who has ever written any web stuff at all.
I get that this would be more complex FOR YOU, but it is certainly not for me.
Nope. It's more complex for ANYONE. Perhaps you don't know the difference between the words complex and difficult? They aren't the same. It might not be difficult for you to do, (For the record it wouldn't be for me either, perhaps with your low post count you a new and you aren't aware of who I am and what I've written for this community. ;) ) but there are a ton more hoops to jump through and steps to do, even if you "copy and paste" the programs still have to run in the way you have it designed, so it's more complex.
And yes, relatively speaking it is infinitely more complex. I can literally write a fe with less than 40 lines of code with more functionality then what you are trying to setup. As long as I don't have to run it through a web interface that is.
Also why are to talking about fe's like hyperspin and ect... they are literally the most convoluted and complex fes to setup and configure. Check out mamewah, or game launcher or tons of the simplier fes. Even that aside, I can't think of a fe off hand that won't let you boot directly into a game upon launch. I think perhaps you did 2 minutes of research instead of really looking into this.
Again, you seem to be getting defensive. I'm not sure why. What you are going to find is that as a stand alone fe and not a neat feature for a fe, you are going to run into unexpected problems. Off the top of my head, playing a marathon session of a particular game and then not being able to change to another because your phone went dead comes to mind. ;)
I'm getting defensive because you're attacking me and exaggerating while doing it, as if you're having fun.
I know WTF I'm doing. You don't know WTF I'm doing. I was writing apps like this 15 years ago, tool apps which were available on the public internet and received tens of thousands of hits per day from people who needed these apps to run and to spawn processes on the local machine, and I've only gotten better in the interim. I know WTF I'm doing. You don't know WTF I'm doing, yet you talk as if you know more than anyone. High post count means only that you do a lot of typing, it has nothing to do with anything else. An idiot can type just as much as a genius, so post count says absolutely nothing. I don't know where within that range you fall, and I don't think it matters where within that range you fall.
Yeah my phone battery will totally determine the usefulness, because no other device in my house has a web browser installed.... :dizzy: ... Even my PS3 has a web browser useful enough for this, nevermind any of the computers, phones or however many Nintendo DSi/3DS variations my kids have scattered around.
You're right, I don't know who you are, but I can tell you right now that you are not impressing me. You make me want to leave this community. Well done! Was that your goal?
You've definitely succeeded in convincing me that front-end people are to be avoided. FEs are tacky as hell and I'm halting all work on all FE work I'm doing. So I guess you got what you were aiming for there. Congratulations. You won an argument on the Internet.
Wow. Don't you think you're over reacting? Well if you want to leave because one person knows better (and he does in case of emulation and Frontends as it seems) why do you post in the first place?
Howard does a lot for this scene so you may should listen and take a closer look at what he's trying to say.
Sand, you know you can ignore users right? Why get all butt hurt when you can just block dissenting opinion. All you've done here is make us wonder why we'd want you in this community anyway. If you're going then peace be upon you, if you're staying then "Lighten up Francis"
I'm not going to read what you said, but it would not surprise me in the least if it could be considered a part of the general behavior that shrinks the arcade hobbyist community, year by year.
This community (not arcadecontrols.com specifically; the entire community) shrinks over time and people who crawl out of the woodwork to attack others are not helping. Constructive criticism, rather than destructive criticism, should be encouraged.
So, keep it up with the brave comments such as name calling and soon we can eradicate the community entirely.
So, keep it up with the brave comments such as name calling and soon we can eradicate the community
So, keep it up with the brave comments such as name calling and soon we can eradicate the community
The ones that stick around seem to be pretty thick-skinned when they ask for honest feedback.
So, keep it up with the brave comments such as name calling and soon we can eradicate the community
The ones that stick around seem to be pretty thick-skinned when they ask for honest feedback.
One can be honest without attacking. It's a life skill all of you have, but choose not to use when on the Internet. I don't know why some feel that it's OK to attack someone when they ask for feedback.
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTwVll6wCY1QdcosBIBL4DBRMbHFUGFll4AiLhxzP_d1st_2sVZ)
Post #5: First salvo - read who fired it
"Look, I'm weird about this. I get that. you all hate it. I get that. I'm doing it anyway."
Up until then, all feedback was pretty honest, and not what you were looking for (and no one used the term "hate"). That chip on your shoulder probably blocked your view.
Post #5: First salvo - read who fired it
"Look, I'm weird about this. I get that. you all hate it. I get that. I'm doing it anyway."
Up until then, all feedback was pretty honest, and not what you were looking for (and no one used the term "hate"). That chip on your shoulder probably blocked your view.
fine, again, you all win. i'm wrong. i admit it. now go away. jesus christ.
You are, without a doubt, the biggest ---Bad words, bad words, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when saint censors you?--- I have ever seen on this board.
So true. You can't take any sort of feedback that doesn't mesh with your "vision". Just code the ---smurfing--- thing and show us how wrong we all are.
I realize you don't care one bit, but maybe it'll make someone somewhere be a little less a-holeish at some point.
(https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTwVll6wCY1QdcosBIBL4DBRMbHFUGFll4AiLhxzP_d1st_2sVZ)
.. fine. what word?
Your idea has merit, and it might be what is right for you, but to most of us here, you are swatting a fly with an anvil. I can tell programming is no big deal to you, but wouldn't it just be easier to just have a hidden touch screen on your cabinet that you can use select the game from?Maybe, but I don't have spare touch monitors laying around. I do have spare web browsers and time.
I mean, with your way you are relying on a cabinet without a keyboard or any form of easy admin access to only work through network commands without ever going down or having lag. Maybe you can do it seamlessly, but I can't even get my ps3 to stay online all the time without problems.You are not the only one to have PS3 wireless problems. My network has never had such issues, and even if it did, it would be like an escalator breaking down and halting, becoming another useful (though unmoving) way to traverse floors in a building: stairs. If my ability to change games suddenly is lost, I still have a working game I liked enough to switch to in the first place. I can fix it at my leisure.
I just see remote access only as a big can of worms with very little benefit. Sorry, but I can't recall a single time that I am in an airport, or at burger king or on the crapper and decided that I want to change my Mame machine from Mappy Land over to Zaxxon.It would not be used when you're away from home. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If someone is at home and wants to change the game, they can do so themselves.
And on a phone? Damn, I can't even dial a phone number without having to go back from pressing the wrong button 3 times. Can you really display more than a few games at a time on a browser list and still have the ability to select want you want, and keep it all easy to navigate? I dunno. Maybe you should go ahead and make it and show us how it's done right.Certainly. On my phone, HTML SELECT lists are rendered as native controls once clicked/tapped. So, when I click a dropdown, I get a fullscreen phone-UI that lets me easily make a choice; the control is easy to read and easy to use. I know it's that way on Android and Windows Phone, and I suspect iPhone as well. That is a good point, though, I really don't know how it would render on all platforms. But I really only care about my own, and I know it would be just fine in that case.
In all seriousness, I'd like to see you code this and post a video of it in action. I don't personally see a use for it, but maybe you can convince some of us ---uvulas--- that we're wrong. :cheers:
I just see remote access only as a big can of worms with very little benefit. Sorry, but I can't recall a single time that I am in an airport, or at burger king or on the crapper and decided that I want to change my Mame machine from Mappy Land over to Zaxxon.It would not be used when you're away from home. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If someone is at home and wants to change the game, they can do so themselves.
You're still here? I thought you left. :P
It's times like this that I really miss Pinball Jim.
This is one of the dumbest ideas Ive ever read. I'd rather select the game on the 27" monitor then on a 4.3" phone screen. This ranks right up there with XuiceBox's rotating panel.
I'll attack you, cause its ---smurfing--- stupid. Everyone else tries to be constructive but you'll have none of that, so I'll be your huckleberry. All ---That which is odiferous and causeth plants to grow--- aside, doesnt this OP and post sort of remind you of a certain young custom LCD monitor slinging kid that wanted to have his MAME hosted on a server in his unventilated closet and accessed from a thin client based arcade machine while "streaming" roms all over his house?
"A solution to a problem no one will ever have"
"A solution to a problem no one will ever have"In-cabinet front-ends are necessarily ugly to me. This is what I'm avoiding. So, it is a solution to a problem I have. It is not a solution to a problem you have.
She.You're still here? I thought you left. :PI guess he sucks at quitting, too... >:D
"A solution to a problem no one will ever have"In-cabinet front-ends are necessarily ugly to me. This is what I'm avoiding. So, it is a solution to a problem I have. It is not a solution to a problem you have.
Called it! ;D"A solution to a problem no one will ever have"In-cabinet front-ends are necessarily ugly to me. This is what I'm avoiding. So, it is a solution to a problem I have. It is not a solution to a problem you have.She.You're still here? I thought you left. :PI guess he sucks at quitting, too... >:D
"A solution to a problem no one will ever have"In-cabinet front-ends are necessarily ugly to me. This is what I'm avoiding. So, it is a solution to a problem I have. It is not a solution to a problem you have.
If only the current front ends could be skinned and/or heavily altered...........
I stand by my answer, picking a game on your phone for your arcade cab is a pointless idea. Its like having a remote start buttons for your car, that you can only press while in the drivers seat of the car. That being said, if you want to do it, then do it. Just don't get a bunch of sand in your girly parts when people disagree with you.
So, I'm trying to make a game selection system that is completely and totally invisible to the user standing/sitting at the cabinet. You may not like it. That's fine. I'm doing it anyway. And no, I will not be posting any pictures or video when it's done. You've all made it clear that this is of no interest to you, and I won't pretend otherwise.
I was just replying to you the way that you were replying to everyone else. No UI is unpossible, youre just moving it to the phone or whatever. I have 6 machines and counting, Im hoping to one day not need a UI either. As for not posting picture or videos......that seems a little juvenile / cunty to me.
So, I'm trying to make a game selection system that is completely and totally invisible to the user standing/sitting at the cabinet. You may not like it. That's fine. I'm doing it anyway. And no, I will not be posting any pictures or video when it's done. You've all made it clear that this is of no interest to you, and I won't pretend otherwise.
Then why the ---fudgesicle--- are you wasting your time here?
I was just replying to you the way that you were replying to everyone else. No UI is unpossible, youre just moving it to the phone or whatever. I have 6 machines and counting, Im hoping to one day not need a UI either. As for not posting picture or videos......that seems a little juvenile / cunty to me.
Your choice of words is terrible.
Why would I bother those of you who I've bothered so much already. Half of you have me on your ignore lists, certainly.
Believing you have the right to see what I'm doing is not reasonable. You'll see the software if I choose to show it to you. As of this moment I'm quite certain no one here is interested in anything I do or say.So, I'm trying to make a game selection system that is completely and totally invisible to the user standing/sitting at the cabinet. You may not like it. That's fine. I'm doing it anyway. And no, I will not be posting any pictures or video when it's done. You've all made it clear that this is of no interest to you, and I won't pretend otherwise.
Then why the ---fudgesicle--- are you wasting your time here?
When I started this topic, I was quite happy to show my progress. Now it seems no one is interested in me or my progress. That's why.
Half of you have me on your ignore lists, certainly.
Hesitating to jump in here, but I can kind of see where the OP is coming from.
I'm setting up my project so it boots straight into the last game played. To me, it adds to the illusion that its an arcade game. Lots of us go to lengths to hide evidence of Windows - its really just a natural extension of that.
As for the front end - I'm hoping to keep mine minimal - using the LED display to scroll through available games. I kind of like the idea in the future, of putting my phone down on it (mines a table (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,96762.0.html) so it's a sensible place to do so) and using nfc to fire up an app on my phone with game stats, menu for choosing next game etc. Only as an alternative though, not the main way of selecting.
Your choice of words is terrible.
Why would I bother those of you who I've bothered so much already. Half of you have me on your ignore lists, certainly.
She doesn't care what we think or wants to hear our opinion. she won't go either. She won't show her FE once it's done and ban everyone on this forum. Ever. Most ridiculous thread I've seen in a long time.
I don't ignore anyone, and if I ever changed my mind you are no where near the top of the list. As for my choice of words...I go for effectiveness over eloquence. Either be a part of the community or go away *shrugs*
So the basic idea here (if I understand it correctly) is a kind of web based remote control for your cab to control emulators, game switching etc without having any visible FE on the cab right? Well OK, I'd like to see it happen. As a bit of a different perspective on this you may start out with one idea and end up with something else really useful to the community.For this reason, I started writing the software tonight.
Wow. I just think this forum has surpassed the XDA development forums for childish behavior...
Who cares how complex something is or whether or not it will be worth the trouble. I thought these boards were here to help people not discourage them from doing something new.
I keep hearing how great Mala and Mamewah are, but I cannot even get Mamewah to run (on a WIN7 64bit and WIN8 64bit pc) and Mala just plain sucks in my own opinion not because it doesn't work, just because it is not what I was looking for in a FE, and I have tried several. I am currently using that overly complex Hypersin, and so far it has been the easiest to setup and use and does what I want it to. What works for some does not always work for others, so why all the trash talk? In todays age, we are controlling other things with our phones and tablets, why not an arcade machine???
If I watched TV with my hands on the front controls of the TV, why would I want to take my hands of the controls to use a remote?
Why use a remote device to select a game on a MAME rig, when I have the controls at my finger tips?
Anybody else think wheels aren't round enough?
:dunno
I have admittedly not made a "useful contribution" to this thread in any way.
Ace, Sand - I don't get when dissenting opinion became taboo. I have admittedly not made a "useful contribution" to this thread in any way. I came here on a lark to watch to fireworks but Nep voiced his informed opinion. That doesn't mean that opinion negates this project or that it even has to be addressed but shilling out a "bump it on up the road" isn't going to really work in anyone's favor in the long run. This community has a very long memory and some very impassioned members who have done a lot for the community at large. MAME would not be able to do many of the things we expect from it w/out Howard's hard work and Nep is one of the preeminent builders on this site. Some of these folks you are raging against carry the BYOAC community on their backs day in and out. That doesn't mean you have to take their advice, or lay off a project because they don't see the purpose. You're not even rolling over because we are naught but words. So why the vitriol?
I have burned one bridge to the ground since joining. X2. I don't talk to him and he doesn't talk to me. I made that choice. How many bridges will you choose to burn and with whom will you be cutting ties? From the looks of it those bridges run to some of the core knowledge base in the community. I can't demand your respect and you're free to do as you see fit but I caution you to take pause.
The above message was brought to you by the coalition of "Lighten up Francis". The coalition is unaffiliated with the ownership of this website and the opinions herein are the user's own and not be construed as binding, good advice, or anything on the nature. The above should be taken with a grain of salt and is not to be taken as a suppository.
My only question is why is this response directed only towards Sand and myself??? It appears others have been more outspoken in this thread than me...But I already know the answer, I am a newer member with no status here and I accept that because I come here to learn and to help people in a positive way if I am asked a particular question.
My only question is why is this response directed only towards Sand and myself??? It appears others have been more outspoken in this thread than me...But I already know the answer, I am a newer member with no status here and I accept that because I come here to learn and to help people in a positive way if I am asked a particular question.
Dandro came in around the same time. No one's been harsh with him. We don't treat newbies poorly for the sake of it. You, my friend, came in with this big chip on your shoulder we all could all see from a mile away. Sorry no one is fawning over your idea, but it is what it is.
Dandro came in around the same time. No one's been harsh with him. We don't treat newbies poorly for the sake of it. You, my friend, came in with this big chip on your shoulder we all could all see from a mile away. Sorry no one is fawning over your idea, but it is what it is.
True and received great feedback as I asked for opinions, accepted input and turned out great product! :cheers:
... apparently getting people to quiet down on this thread is easy when you start posting code...
It won't matter if I am at the bar, on the toilet, smoking in the garden, shagging in the car. I can just change the game without stopping whatever I am doing. Yay :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
Keep the work up.
It won't matter if I am at the bar, on the toilet, smoking in the garden, shagging in the car. I can just change the game without stopping whatever I am doing. Yay :laugh2: :laugh2: :laugh2:
Keep the work up.
:laugh2:
"Hold on, love, I got to put Galaga on for me mate!"
Nah he could wait for about 2 Minutes :lol :lol :lol
... apparently getting people to quiet down on this thread is easy when you start posting code...
... apparently getting people to quiet down on this thread is easy when you start posting code...
Nope, just stop complaining when people disagree then show us your progress. I actually thought of a useful purpose for this, if you can make it work. Have it generate game lists for other front ends using selectable variables. Like if I pick 4 way 1 button vertical games, your program could spit out a MaLa list for someone's MAME cab, then they could sort out what they wanted to keep from that list instead of the full list. Just spitballin ideas.
foreach (var game in resultGameList) {
Console.WriteLine(game.name + ": " + game.description);
}
Consider access in the other direction too... I'd like to see some sort of restful web service access. You would be able to have current high scores in your signature, for example.
attached is a wrestling list. you'll need to change the extension to mlg. I didnt mean exporting to just a general XML file, I meant exporting to FE specific formats. More leg work? Of course, but also makes your project more useful.That is a binary format. There's text in it but the delimiters are binary and unknown to me. Why someone would choose a binary format for that escapes me...
Consider access in the other direction too... I'd like to see some sort of restful web service access. You would be able to have current high scores in your signature, for example.If you know how to get the high scores out of MAME or out of one of the files, I'm all ears. I'm on my work computer so I can't look at that right now. I imagine writing a different mechanism for each driver would be in order, and that would be just ... ugh.
Consider access in the other direction too... I'd like to see some sort of restful web service access. You would be able to have current high scores in your signature, for example.If you know how to get the high scores out of MAME or out of one of the files, I'm all ears. I'm on my work computer so I can't look at that right now. I imagine writing a different mechanism for each driver would be in order, and that would be just ... ugh.
If I'm not mistaken, it's not standard across the board for each game, so you're probably right about it being a lot more work.It's a good idea, but I want to finish my project before I work on someone else's. :D
If I'm not mistaken, it's not standard across the board for each game, so you're probably right about it being a lot more work.It's a good idea, but I want to finish my project before I work on someone else's. :D
Reading MAME's hiscore save routine makes me think it won't be that hard, really. I don't know C at all, though, so my ignorance of the language could be blinding me quite well. Let's just assume that it is.
If I'm not mistaken, it's not standard across the board for each game, so you're probably right about it being a lot more work.It's a good idea, but I want to finish my project before I work on someone else's. :D
Reading MAME's hiscore save routine makes me think it won't be that hard, really. I don't know C at all, though, so my ignorance of the language could be blinding me quite well. Let's just assume that it is.
You know, you may want to finish your vision first, THEN explore additions. We're kind of (in)famous here for encouraging feature creep. Next thing you know, you'll be trying to figure out how to add cupholders to your project. :cheers:
If I'm not mistaken, it's not standard across the board for each game, so you're probably right about it being a lot more work.It's a good idea, but I want to finish my project before I work on someone else's. :D
Reading MAME's hiscore save routine makes me think it won't be that hard, really. I don't know C at all, though, so my ignorance of the language could be blinding me quite well. Let's just assume that it is.
You know, you may want to finish your vision first, THEN explore additions. We're kind of (in)famous here for encouraging feature creep. Next thing you know, you'll be trying to figure out how to add cupholders to your project. :cheers:
She.Called it! ;D
Am I still being summarily ignored? Sandyvag, can you read me, over.
Am I still being summarily ignored? Sandyvag, can you read me, over.
Oh. I just got that maybe you meant vagina. I first thought 'vagger' was a play on bagger - sand bagger. I was about to say 'Is there sand in your clitty?', and perhaps you beat me to it.
vagary [vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree]
noun, plural va·gar·ies.
1. an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance: the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
2. a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.
Naw, I'm sure he meant vagary. It's just his pirate accent got in the way.Quotevagary [vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree]
noun, plural va·gar·ies.
1. an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance: the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
2. a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.
He was referring to how unusual and unexpected your front-end idea was. You have to admit that it was a very vagarious idea you threw out there.
Are you planning on supporting multiple cabinets? I think this is where this would pay off. Would also be nice to be able to kill remote processes like hyperspin or any other frontend. By myself, I may want to browse through all the games, but at a party be able to control a bunch of Mame machines with one interface. Tapper tournament?
Please note I skimmed the hell out of this thread
Naw, I'm sure he meant vagary. It's just his pirate accent got in the way.Quotevagary [vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree]
noun, plural va·gar·ies.
1. an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance: the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
2. a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.
He was referring to how unusual and unexpected your front-end idea was. You have to admit that it was a very vagarious idea you threw out there.
Maybe, but it's still name calling, and I really, REALLY hate name calling.
He meant vagina before he knew my gender, and was attempting to belittle me. That's why he's still ignored. Name-calling is a pet peeve of mine, so I filter it via ignores.
[story clipped]
No, Le Chuck, I didn't buy it. Having conversations with others under the shade of my ignores is a pretty weak move, btw.
I would have stopped at the gravel. 2nd to last isn't worth a lifetime of foot problems. Maybe that's what I'm doing in this thread; running on gravel. You're all making vagina jokes and I'm trying to offer some code that might help someone eventually.
I would have stopped at the gravel. 2nd to last isn't worth a lifetime of foot problems. Maybe that's what I'm doing in this thread; running on gravel. You're all making vagina jokes and I'm trying to offer some code that might help someone eventually.
Perhaps you are right, Sandy. Maybe I should have quit when the going got tough.
I would have stopped at the gravel. 2nd to last isn't worth a lifetime of foot problems. Maybe that's what I'm doing in this thread; running on gravel. You're all making vagina jokes and I'm trying to offer some code that might help someone eventually.
Perhaps you are right, Sandy. Maybe I should have quit when the going got tough.
It's not about quitting when the going gets tough. It's about quitting when the going gets stupid.
This script has proven VERY HANDY already, such as when my daughter wants to play a different game and I am on the couch or in the garage or whatever.
This script has proven VERY HANDY already, such as when my daughter wants to play a different game and I am on the couch or in the garage or whatever.Just curious, is there a reason in particular why you don't just want her to be able to change the game herself from the machine directly? As I parent I get the need for certain parental controls, but never considered the need to disable direct access to the front end.
Regardless of your sex ...
This script has proven VERY HANDY already, such as when my daughter wants to play a different game and I am on the couch or in the garage or whatever.Just curious, is there a reason in particular why you don't just want her to be able to change the game herself from the machine directly? As I parent I get the need for certain parental controls, but never considered the need to disable direct access to the front end.
Yeah, I've disabled the [P1 Start + P2 Start = exit game] chord on my i-PAC. Actually, I changed the chord button (normally P1 start) to P1 button 8, which is not wired up. None of the chord combinations work at all. P1 Start and P2 Start are right next to each other and were continually getting pushed simultaneously by mistake. It's not that my daughter couldn't learn a new button chord or that I don't want her to change the game. I just hate visible front ends. Emphasis on hate.
Fair enough. I assumed it was a more of a parental control from that last comment. I guess it all leads back to your deep embedded hate for the standard front-end. :lol
I'm getting a little personally interested in you sandheaver....although....I think I might have to steal you and Le Chuck, meld you together, and then have mad fun with you.
Fair enough. I assumed it was a more of a parental control from that last comment. I guess it all leads back to your deep embedded hate for the standard front-end. :lol
I just think they're tacky and take away from The Arcade Experience. None of the arcade machines I played as a child had front-ends, none had custom cabinets, none had custom control panels. I don't think you can correctly claim to be a fan of arcade games and modify everything about them when you build your own cabinet.
I don't like custom cabinets, I don't like custom control panels, I don't like custom experiences (when it comes to arcades) at all. I just don't think customization jives with the retro nature of the hobby. If you're a person that just likes to play the games, then that's different entirely, but if you are doing it to replicate the arcade experience, and you don't use a stock or accurately restored cabinet and you don't use a stock control panel, and you don't use a game without a front-end, well, I don't understand a single thing about your motivations.
Example: That guy who made a coffee table emulation machine for his family; I completely understand that. There's a practicality to that thing that I love, and it's not trying to be anything it isn't. When I see someone who "loves arcades" but builds a custom cabinet with a custom control panel with a spinner and a trackball and 4 joysticks and 8 buttons per player, and that person runs NES and SNES games on it... that I do not understand at all.
To me, it would be like buying a Mustang, but you modify it into a school bus, and while you drive it, you say "I love Ford Mustangs! Don't you love my Mustang? The Mustang experience is so amazing, and my 33 passengers agree!"
I know I'm in the minority with those opinions, and that's fine. I've never followed the crowd.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect)." -- Mark Twain
edit: added clarification and a stupid analogy.
So why don't you just buy pcb's and do it the real way? You don't understand why people build custom cp's but switching games from a mobile phone replicates the arcade feeling? I think that's a pretty custom experience.
you dont need a 1:1 ratio of cabs to PCBs, I have a MKII cab (bought as a UMK3) that I use to play MK1, MKII, UMK3, and WWF Wrestlemania. With a generic vertical JAMMA and generic horizontal JAMMA cab you can play a great deal of PCBs. I am curious on how having the front end on a phone makes it not count as a front end?
Interesting quote about the majority, I cant be myself because most people agree with how I feel? How odd.
You can easily make a fe cruddy and 8-bit looking if you want it to blend in with the looks of the cab, so I must really be missing something.
You can easily make a fe cruddy and 8-bit looking if you want it to blend in with the looks of the cab, so I must really be missing something.
You are.
I find it odd indeed that when I speak of this to people, face-to-face, my ideas are transmitted quite effectively, usually sparking discussions that generate new ideas on both sides. Yet, here, you're all still dumbfounded.
No one's dumbfounded by what you want- rather, they're trying to understand your FE jihad.
You don't. Nor do I; I was trying to explain that there isn't enough room in my house to have all the cabinets I want. This will be the 4th time I've said this, yet still I'm being challenged on that fact.I'm just confused on how having a no front end front end is any different then swapping PCBs, other than the fact you have to buy PCBs and physically swap them. And how is the front end making you have all the cabinets you want? I'm being genuine in my replies, I'm not intending to be difficult.
You've misread me. Most of you have had zero hesitation in telling me how ridiculous my idea is. Does this not equate to disagreement? You certainly aren't lining up to say "your idea is terrible, I agree with you entirely."I think your idea is ridiculous, my opinion is independent of everyone else's opinion. While they may agree with me (or I with them); it's not because of them I feel this way. That being said, I only offered up my opinion because you asked for it. I certainly understand why you did it, and I cant argue with the results. It does exactly what you want it to do and I see the convenience of being able to switch games for your kid without getting them to let go of a sticks. I however still prefer MaLa over using my phone/web browser. Did I not suggest using what you made to generate gamelists for other front ends so that others could benefit from the work you've done?
You all work so hard to find things to nitpick, yet those of you still commenting each continue to miss my overall points entirely. I'm beginning to think I'm talking to CleverBot.
Just because people on here disagree with things you do doesn't mean we hate you. The list of people that is universally hated by pretty much everyone is only about 8 members long and they are all driverman. So relax :cheers:
I'm just confused on how having a no front end front end is any different then swapping PCBs, other than the fact you have to buy PCBs and physically swap them. And how is the front end making you have all the cabinets you want?
It's an advantage if you absolutely want to hide the front end. I actually enjoy watching guests browse through the front end lists and seeing their smiles as memories are triggered. It leads to great conversations.
If your FE is showing 25 clones of SFII, then you're either lazy or you don't know what you're doing.
I have paper "menus" (for lack of a better term) for that. Yes, it does lead to great conversations.To clarify this, you mean a hard copy correct? I'm assuming so but wanted to ask just to make sure I understood correctly.
I'm assuming she keeps a paper list out like a karaoke machine would have.
I'm assuming she keeps a paper list out like a karaoke machine would have.
I'm trying to see how this is better than using a FE. I really am.
Again, if you don't get it already, you won't. Stop trying.
Again, if you don't get it already, you won't. Stop trying.
Why do you take such an antagonistic tone when people engage you in any sort of questioning? How is whipping out a paper list and choosing a game a more optimal experience than selecting a game from a scrolling, animated list?
In the almost 3 years I've had a MAME cab, no one has ever said, "Man, this would be so much cooler if I wasn't forced to look at all these choices."
Again, if you don't get it already, you won't. Stop trying.
Why do you take such an antagonistic tone when people engage you in any sort of questioning? How is whipping out a paper list and choosing a game a more optimal experience than selecting a game from a scrolling, animated list?
Because you keep asking me to explain.QuoteIn the almost 3 years I've had a MAME cab, no one has ever said, "Man, this would be so much cooler if I wasn't forced to look at all these choices."
I'm saying that. That's the whole point. I don't want to see all those choices. I don't think it's some great feature to advertise that you've pirated tens of thousands of games. I don't think it makes one look like they have more, I don't think that it makes the cabinet look better, I don't think having 10,000 games on a single cabinet can even be considered reasonable.
You don't agree. That's fine. You keep asking, and saying you don't understand, so I keep reiterating.
BUMP!I have paper "menus" (for lack of a better term) for that. Yes, it does lead to great conversations.To clarify this, you mean a hard copy correct? I'm assuming so but wanted to ask just to make sure I understood correctly.
I don't remember some grizzled old OP handing me a list of games I could play when I walked into the Rebel Arcade back in '82.
To clarify this, you mean a hard copy correct? I'm assuming so but wanted to ask just to make sure I understood correctly.Yes.
I don't have room for all the games I play, so I must make sacrifices. I can't let the marquees be my menu.
Is there a way you can have your list on your phone? From the screenshot I saw, it looks (somewhat) like Romlister where it showed # of buttons, players (if I recall correctly), and probably other info that's from Mame. Is there a benefit to eliminating the paper list altogether and having everything via the browser? I don't know how the lists are arranged but I try and eliminate all paper when possible.
What's the next step? Thoughts on making this an app v. a browser? Sideload it via Android (or whatever they call it on iOS)? I'm using a Galaxy Nexus and even on my home network, I find that (most) apps run faster and more smoothly than waiting on a browser to render a page.
Will it be scalable to larger phones/tablets? I can see someone running a cheap 7" tablet instead of a touchscreen monitor and clicking an icon for sports games, shooters or maze games then a list coming up.
I don't have room for all the games I play, so I must make sacrifices. I can't let the marquees be my menu.
Sure ya can, I could do this in MaLa in about 10 seconds. Also, despite it already being said, I must reiterate that few of us have "10,000 pirated ROMS".
Just for the record, I'm pretty confident I have more machines and PCBs than you do :)If you want this to be a contest of who can pee the farthest, yes, I'll lose.
I stated before that I saw the advantage of your system, and it works for what you do. Can you see the disadvantages as well? If a person wants to know if you have a certain game, you have to look through your list and select it for them. If I was there and I want to play something else, you need to change the game for me. No option to have "preview videos" running so that they can be sure the game they are about to pick is the game they thought it was. Im not gonna go down the advantages and disadvantages, I just want to see if you realize even your way has it faults.
I think perhaps you tried out 1 or 2 front ends that weren't set up at all, and you're basing your opinions of all front ends based on that. I'm pretty sure no normal user has all 34 flavors of Street Fighter II (maybe just CE, Turbo, and Rainbow) and if they do it's their fault, not their front ends.
I don't have room for all the games I play, so I must make sacrifices. I can't let the marquees be my menu.
Sure ya can, I could do this in MaLa in about 10 seconds. Also, despite it already being said, I must reiterate that few of us have "10,000 pirated ROMS".
My machines don't have LCDs in the marquee area. MaLa can show you which games are available, but not at a glance. [restatement of my hatred for visible front-ends and my refusal to implement one.]
Would you post the program or executable when possible please? I'd like to take a look at it.Is there a way you can have your list on your phone? From the screenshot I saw, it looks (somewhat) like Romlister where it showed # of buttons, players (if I recall correctly), and probably other info that's from Mame. Is there a benefit to eliminating the paper list altogether and having everything via the browser? I don't know how the lists are arranged but I try and eliminate all paper when possible.
The "Application" (if you can consider it a whole) has two parts. The part that runs and switches games is written and ready and running; the full-featured front-end selection UI is nearly ready. I'm probably not going to finish the full-featured UI selection one, even though it's about 98% complete. I need to implement only a way to point it at a certain cabinet, and send an HTTP request to that cabinet. Everything else is done.
The part that switches the games and all that has its own optional web UI. In there you can list games, yes, and I do. On my Nintendo cabinet that little app shows a small list with only Nintendo games that can play on that cabinet (all the Donkey Kong arcade games.) I click the link for Donkey Kong Jr. and mame will immediately gracefully kill any running mame instance(s) and launch Donkey Kong Jr.What's the next step? Thoughts on making this an app v. a browser? Sideload it via Android (or whatever they call it on iOS)? I'm using a Galaxy Nexus and even on my home network, I find that (most) apps run faster and more smoothly than waiting on a browser to render a page.
Next step? I'm pretty much done; it's met my needs quite nicely and I've debugged it enough that it runs for days on automated testing. I wrote a small script that switches games on my desktop machine and I let it run for 2 days while I worked on the Nintendo cab. The whole thing could be made into an app, but honestly that feels like overkill given that the page is very light and no device I've tested with takes longer than an eyeblink to render. If you add more games, that won't necessarily be true, though. The full-featured front-end was imagined partly for this reason.Will it be scalable to larger phones/tablets? I can see someone running a cheap 7" tablet instead of a touchscreen monitor and clicking an icon for sports games, shooters or maze games then a list coming up.
It's HTML; it will run on anything with a web browser. The pages can be customized to your liking. If it were to be made into an app, the app could generate the HTML pages itself and only rely on the Node.js application to actually launch the games.
I think he is saying he could set up MaLa to show marquees rather than a list of games. It would be on the main screen and not on the Marquee.
And from my understanding, you could set up mala to show games in the exact same way you could with a piece of paper or a phone. You can set up Mala tree to group an organize your games any which way you want them to. I've had mine set up alphabetically, by genre, by control scheme, favorites, by year, you name it.
No amount of customization could bring them anywhere approaching presentable, in my very picky opinion.
If you want this to be a contest of who can pee the farthest, yes, I'll lose.I think you misunderstood. I was implying that I am much less of a pirate than you are.
If you want this to be a contest of who can pee the farthest, yes, I'll lose.I think you misunderstood. I was implying that I am much less of a pirate than you are.
But, again, there isn't enough room in my entire town to have one cabinet for each game. Even purists must succumb to reality. I need a machine that emulates.
I have paper "menus" (for lack of a better term) for that. Yes, it does lead to great conversations.
But there is no reason whatsoever to show all 25 (or however many there are) clones of Street Fighter II, for example. If they want to see the full list, I have a web application at home for that, but the menu booklet has met every need, so far.
How many machines / PCBs you got? Do you really have like 25ish different Street Fighter variants lying around??
Nowhere near enough.To cover all the games you're pirating? While I do not doubt your ability to program, I do doubt your sincerity that you don't emulate games you don't own if you have a "big book-o-games" you're getting bounded. SO your either lying about what you emulate or you're lying abou thte amount of storage space you have in your house.
Nowhere near enough.To cover all the games you're pirating? While I do not doubt your ability to program, I do doubt your sincerity that you don't emulate games you don't own if you have a "big book-o-games" you're getting bounded. SO your either lying about what you emulate or you're lying abou thte amount of storage space you have in your house.
If it weren't such a terrible game, would you play Primal Rage 2? It was never released so its unpossible to get a PCB of it. Maybe "Guts n' Glory" is a better example, or maybe even Cyber Tank. Never released but in MAME.
I don't emulate games I don't own, as a rule. There are very few exceptions to the rule, none of which are permanent. I'll play a game I don't own when I decide whether or not I'm going to purchase it, for example.
I don't emulate games I don't own, as a rule. There are very few exceptions to the rule, none of which are permanent. I'll play a game I don't own when I decide whether or not I'm going to purchase it, for example.
You do know that whether you own the PCB or not, the original company is not getting any money either way. It's not like you're downloading newly released games instead of going to the store and paying money. The exception, oddly, is when you CAN buy an emulated game (or, ported, in some cases with those console collections) with proceeds going to the company (Capcom did this, as did Atari - whomever they were owned by at the time anyhow.)
I'm not trying to encourage you to embrace emulation. It just slightly sounded like it was a moral high road decision by your wording, one that might be moot. And for the record, I have the same stance with console emulation. But it's more of a sickness I have that I don't enjoy an old NES/VCS/etc. game unless it's on original hardware. Couldn't explain why.
Anyway, my point: It seems to me that hunting down and spending a decent amount of money on a PCB of Arcade Game X just so you can allow yourself to play the emulated version to be very time/money wasting. If you're going that far, I don't know why you wouldn't just get a JAMMA harness and one of those six-board switchers (http://www.jammaboards.com/store/6-in-1-multijamma-switcher-pcb-pcb-6in1switcher.html) or something (so you can have it all in one cabinet) instead? If you have that self-imposed limitation on what games you can play, why would you not just play the originals you already have?
Why do I care so much about being legal? I just do.
No, no arcade game that I ever played had a menu where I could select a game, but it's a tradeoff (upgrade?) from all of the choices that are available to me.
I sucked at Playchoice and avoided those. Thanks for bringing up those repressed memories of suckage. Big meanie.No, no arcade game that I ever played had a menu where I could select a game, but it's a tradeoff (upgrade?) from all of the choices that are available to me.
Playchoice ten and MVS multi carts in the wild. Racing games have menus for which track you want. Only ones I can think of.
I sucked at Playchoice and avoided those. Thanks for bringing up those repressed memories of suckage. Big meanie.No, no arcade game that I ever played had a menu where I could select a game, but it's a tradeoff (upgrade?) from all of the choices that are available to me.
Playchoice ten and MVS multi carts in the wild. Racing games have menus for which track you want. Only ones I can think of.
Are you saying you weren't putting down your quarters to play the next game of Fester's Quest? :lol
No, no arcade game that I ever played had a menu where I could select a game, but it's a tradeoff (upgrade?) from all of the choices that are available to me.
Playchoice ten and MVS multi carts in the wild. Racing games have menus for which track you want. Only ones I can think of.
I'm also interested as to how it is set up to look between a game switch.
I believe that every arcade machine must contain at *LEAST* one 80's cliche.
(http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p191/mcseforsale/GUNSLINGER_MAME_CAB/100MEDIAIMAG0316_zps599d62fa.jpg)
This^^ while the game is changing. :cheers: :laugh2:
Wow, this has gotten a lot more, and a lot less, interesting.
Dear, you can make the distance, you just need more practicin.
Chucky baby. That graem is one of my favorites. That nose spew is, like, totally necessary.
I think this is an interesting idea and serves it's purpose for the OP. My concern and why I don't think it's a viable option for me is because what happens to the desktop in between games? If a user is changing the games via a phone/tablet/other connected device, is the player watching anything or just waiting?
With a themed cabinet, I can see looking at a blank screen, screenshot, or desktop wallpaper of your favorite football team (San Dimas football rules!). But that doesn't thrill me by any stretch. I'd rather not look at Windows or the OS of choice. That's one of the key functions of a front end as it hides the OS and creates the illusion of a more arcadeish experience IMOP (you reading CheffoJeffo?). Even MameUI is a FE albeit a very Windowsy FE that makes little attempt to hide the OS, but that's not it's purpose.
No, no arcade game that I ever played had a menu where I could select a game, but it's a tradeoff (upgrade?) from all of the choices that are available to me.
My two cents. YMMV. I look new and different ideas but I also understand what's good for me isn't what everybody likes.
:applaud:
There is a lot of myth in this country about copyright. It is straight-up illegal to emulate games you A) do not own a legally obtained copy of, and that B) you did not rip yourself. Ask a copyright lawyer if you do not believe me. That's what I did. This is why I have kept all the PCBs I've ever owned. I bought them to play them, I kept them to emulate them. I borrow ripping equipment from a friend and I rip the ROM chips myself. I don't live in Sweden; I can't just emulate whatever the hell I want and be legal.
Why do I care so much about being legal? I just do.
Slap some PCBs in a JAMMA switcher, turn it on, *boom*, you're done. No messy front-end to muck it up, no complicated cell phone app, and no worries about any emulation accuracy issues.
I'm not trying to pee on your work or anything. I think the idea does hold a bit of merit for specific needs (locking kids out of a game, disabling game switching, etc.) But if it's to preserve the arcade integrity, the best way is still the simplest IMO.
At any rate good job getting it off the ground. It's still more than I'm able to do.
not bad for mspaint....
not bad for mspaint....
Here's a 4k resolution one I made. Suitable for desktop backgrounds, maybe.
http://i.imgur.com/glhyq2F.png (http://i.imgur.com/glhyq2F.png) HLSL scanlines without pincushion.
http://i.imgur.com/rP04dbU.jpg (http://i.imgur.com/rP04dbU.jpg) same, but full HD this time, and with pincushion. Looks good.
Nice, but why are they widescreen?
Edit: I'm assuming these are for a MAME cab.
not bad for mspaint....e
(http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=131077.0;attach=286428;image)
Honestly, they look really good. You should make them 4:3 and post them anyway. :cheers:
Honestly, they look really good. You should make them 4:3 and post them anyway. :cheers:
http://imgur.com/a/TxVj3 (http://imgur.com/a/TxVj3)
Nice effects ! :cheers:
You might want to post them without scanlines, for those that might use them in conjunction with a scanline generator.
Great job! ;D
If you find that your displayer of image is irregular lines in fishbowl, your screen may be in parallel, and the screen image inward curve in the glass. Whether flat screen, it is more likely to occur in the bumps. However, these are used in monitor. Hmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmmm-mmmmm!
Hmmmm. After seeing that fishbowl image, I'm lightly re-considering the idea of my monitor acting as a glass cover rather than displayer of the image. Hmmmm.
If you find that your displayer of image is irregular lines in fishbowl, your screen may be in parallel, and the screen image inward curve in the glass. Whether flat screen, it is more likely to occur in the bumps. However, these are used in monitor. Hmmmmmm-mmmmmmmmmm-mmmmm!
I ain't got past lightly thinkin about it....also, I only use CRTs.
Hmmmm. After seeing that fishbowl image, I'm lightly re-considering the idea of my monitor acting as a glass cover rather than displayer of the image. Hmmmm.
Coming in late to the thread, and the first page seemed to get off topic.
but webmame can do this. The web pages are very dull (but can be prettiafied with CSS using standards by cssgarden). I haven't tried to put them on a phone yet. The interface itself also is very simple. All commands are just an URL on the arcade machine.
NOTE: I add it and test this feature for deciding what games to add to each group, but I don't use it this way.
but without reading the middle 5 pages, it might be someone else has already implemented this.
This sounds pretty awesome to me, actually! I think this is exactly what I was looking for. In my case, I want to have a dual screen cab (a modified PlayChoice-10/ Punch-Out) and have the game selection be on the top screen, while the game plays on the bottom.
For some games, I want to use 2 screens (Punch-Out). For some games I want to only use the top, veritical screen (DK) and for some, only the bottom, horizontal screen (Vs. SMB).
Any idea if this would be able to launch (and close) 2 programs at the same time? For PC10 games, I want to have the instructions on the top screen with and NES emu running on the bottom, since PC10 games play better via an NES emu rather than mame, but I want to replicate the arcade experience since PC10 was my favorite arcade game.
My intention was to decouple (some prefer the word 'divorce') the front-end from the back-end.
I still can't parse the sentence. This one:Hmmmm. After seeing that fishbowl image, I'm lightly re-considering the idea of my monitor acting as a glass cover rather than displayer of the image. Hmmmm.
I didn't write it with that in mind (open and then close two programs), but my software could be made to do this. if you know Javascript I can give you the code and let you have at it.
My intention was to decouple (some prefer the word 'divorce') the front-end from the back-end.
Decouple is more technically correct, whereas divorce is more vernacular. Are you hinting at something personal?
So a guy goes away for a couple of months and you folks run people off in his absence?
/me is not sure whether to be sad or proud.
She was too lazy to play with her. And didnt want to get up to help. Thats how I read it.
Where can we download the front end? :dunnoiTunes? Im kidding. AFAIK she took her ball and went home. Try MaLa or any of the many other front ends.
She put it here: https://mamelauncher.codeplex.com/
It hasn't been touched since late March.
The sheer amount of trolling well over a month since Sandheaver left the site is quite appalling; At driverman levels no less.
Although i may not agree or disagree with her actions here, I commend her for at least putting something up and contributing.
The sheer amount of trolling well over a month since Sandheaver left the site is quite appalling; At driverman levels no less.
Although i may not agree or disagree with her actions here, I commend her for at least putting something up and contributing.
I'll bite, you accusing me of trolling? ::)
There's ~15+ posts in this thread after Sandheaver's last post. There's two threads floating around about Sandheaver in other sections. One of which contains over 120+ posts. Yet, you claim I'm talking only about you.*sigh*
Do me a huge favor, don't respond back. You're wasting my time, Again.
As for everyone else, there's always a time to let things go and move on.
One of those "other" threads, the one with a buncha posts, is a remarkably civil discussion for which Hoopz received a trophy. It isn't trolling. And we really got to know Rigby well, so all in all, I think it's value should be apparent.
Jeez, who ---smurfing--- cares?? I like 404, but sometimes he comes off as very proper, or plain gay.
They really aren't, you need to take a second look. She thought that she was being picked on for being a girl. The discussions weren't about her gender, but rather how silly it was for her to think that. It's a subtle but distinct difference.Wastin your time bro, when he gets an idea of what he thinks a post means he'd rather die than consider perhaps he read something the wrong way. Yes this is a slightly trolly post.
They really aren't, you need to take a second look. She thought that she was being picked on for being a girl. The discussions weren't about her gender, but rather how silly it was for her to think that. It's a subtle but distinct difference. Whenever somebody leaves we try to figure out why... it's as simple as that.
Just ignore Gray_Area apparently everybody else does. ;) I have a personal rule never to seriously make fun of people or insult their character. Now their ideas, that's all fair game, but you are correct, that was uncalled for.
They really aren't, you need to take a second look. She thought that she was being picked on for being a girl. The discussions weren't about her gender, but rather how silly it was for her to think that. It's a subtle but distinct difference.Wastin your time bro, when he gets an idea of what he thinks a post means he'd rather die than consider perhaps he read something the wrong way. Yes this is a slightly trolly post.