Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum

Front End Support => MaLa Frontend => Topic started by: Gatsu on June 02, 2014, 03:40:56 am

Title: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: Gatsu on June 02, 2014, 03:40:56 am
So I have been trying to come up with something somewhat unique/different for my mala layout. I've always liked looking at the arcade flyers and mini posters for different games. Then I thought....what if I used the flyer/poster images to choose games instead of a scrolling text list.

So the idea is to have 3 boxes in the middle of the screen. The center would be the highlighted game you'd choose. The left would be the next game in the list, the right box would be the previous game in the list.

How would I go about setting that up in Mala? Or is that even possible?
Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: BadMouth on June 04, 2014, 08:55:04 am
I don't think there is an easy way of doing it.

The effect has been done by creating a snap for each game that shows 3 games; the highlighted one and the ones before and after it.
It creates the illusion of the gamelist moving horizontally.  That would involve having to sit down and make the snap for every game though.

Much easier to just use a front-end that supports horizontally scrolling menus.  (not sure which ones do)

If you stick with vertically scrolling, there is an option in mala layout to have pics displayed instead of game titles.
You could have the flyers scroll along one side of the screen with the highlighted one shown larger on the other side.

Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: Vigo on June 04, 2014, 11:27:06 am
Much easier to just use a front-end that supports horizontally scrolling menus.  (not sure which ones do)

Just thinking out loud, would it be possible to trick Mala into allowing a horizontal scrolling menu by changing mala to  vertical layout mode, but leaving the monitor horizontal, then rotating all images used 90 degrees?
Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: BadMouth on June 04, 2014, 02:03:05 pm
Much easier to just use a front-end that supports horizontally scrolling menus.  (not sure which ones do)

Just thinking out loud, would it be possible to trick Mala into allowing a horizontal scrolling menu by changing mala to  vertical layout mode, but leaving the monitor horizontal, then rotating all images used 90 degrees?

That might just be crazy enough to work.  I always wanted a horizontally scrolling list for my driving cab, but never thought of doing it that way.
Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: Vigo on June 04, 2014, 02:42:19 pm
This blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while.  :lol

Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: Gatsu on June 04, 2014, 10:17:14 pm
So there isn't a way to do a horizontal list unless you set it in vertical mode, but leave the monitor oriented horizontally. That's a bummer.

Hmm. Well I could always just do one big image in the center of the screen and just have an up & down arrow on the top & bottom of the image indicating how to scroll through the games.

What other front ends would you recommend to more easily setup that kind of layout? Maybe Maximus? I wouldn't mind trying hyperspin, but it seems pretty intimidating to dive into.
Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: pbj on June 04, 2014, 10:38:59 pm
Look into AtomicFE.  The guy that created it is really responsive to adding features.
Title: Re: Layout idea that i need some help with...
Post by: Gatsu on June 04, 2014, 11:32:01 pm
Thanks man.

I'll play around with it this weekend and see if I can get it to do what I want. *that's what she said!*

 :cheers: