MultiFE v2.07 with System emulator support

[Space Fractal]

I have developed on this application in a while, I dedicated release a WIP to that point it now in. It was mostly the gamefilter system why I changed MultiJuke to MultiFE. It also support touchscreen as arcade controllers as well.


Arcade GUI using table view (can been list based as well).


Touchscreen GUI using table view.

More screenshots can been found at http://www.multife.com

Key Features:
- All form for controllers supported through 3 GUI: Arcade GUI, Jukebox GUI and Touchscreen GUI.
- Cocktail and Rotation support.
- Colors and background can been changed.
- Compatible with multiJuke libraries and config files (see upgrade section).
- Designed for 640x480 and up and in 4x3, 5x4, 16x9 and 16x10 formats.
- Filemask and id3v2.3 support for the jukebox.
- Hide Jukebox and/or frontend part.
- Integrated CDG Player with zip support (but no video support).
- Juke Plugin System support.
- Jukebox GUI and Arcade GUI can been combined (even in rotated mode).
- Multiply Libraries support for Albums, Singles and your games.
- No ini edit.
- Relative Paths support.
- Rom Filter Support (pretty much the excellents RomLister utility by the BOYAC user NOP do).
- Run Mame (Using Mame Libray) and PC games (using Explorer Library).
- SmartiLCD support for Jukebox GUI (can operate in Monitorless mode).
- Smart Gamelist filter based using catver (category and Genre) and number of buttons (Mame XML).
- Various bugfixes around Jukebox part of the software.
- Using Bass 2.4 as sound engine + all plugins used (playing a lots of music file types).

Upgrade from MultiJuke:
- Fresh install MultiFE in its default folder.
- Move/Copy the all files from library in your MultiJuke Dir to the same folder in MultiFE.
- Move/Copy data/queue.dat (if queue save feature is used), data/history.dat and the configuration file, data/config.dat. There have been added few features since, but the config should work in MultiFE as well in its previous settings.
- Uninstall MultiJuke. MultiFE is have bug fixed some issues since lastest version of MultiJuke.

Here is the lastest WIP (Work in Progress versions):
All Wip Releases can been found here:
http://www.multife.com/forum/index.php/topic,110.msg461.html#msg461

Todo (so a lots a work to due):
- Bug fixes and other features (have done a lots of bug fixes in various jukebox section).
- Create all Genre/Category Icons (look in data folder with name folder*.png) [I want help here].
- Create a homepage for MultiFE.
- Command Line emulators with NMS and TOSEC filename support.
- External viewers through toolbar (CPViewer example).
- External gamelist mame support (example created by RomLister).
- Favorites for Mame & commandline games.
- Get Id3v2.4 mp3 tags to work (by now it crash MultiFE).
- Get Mame and Explorer to work in Jukebox GUI.
- Support for History.dat (does read file, but not show any history) and controls.ini
- Run external commandline applications in contain points in MultiFE (example Start-up, Shutdown, Launch, Exit).
- Support for Au3 and AHK files for PC games (only bat and lnk files works by now).
- Timed Credit to work for Applications (this feature might been removed).
- Update to bass 2.4.

At to the last: Compiling this FE to Linux (do that before final release).

[Dazz]

Lookin' good SF.  I finally got MultiJuke up and running and I like it.  Thanks for the great work and continued contributions to the BYOAC community.

[squirrellydw]

are you able to launch the game by touching the on the game image with a touch screen?

[Space Fractal]

In Config (TAB):
- General
- Primary GUI
- Change it to Touchscreen GUI (the shown picture is the Arcade GUI).

The config part (look like MAME) is not touchscreen friendly, but is not a issue when first configured.

Code: [Select]

D:\Games
D:\Games\Game One.bat
D:\Games\Game One.jpg
D:\Games\Game Two.bat
D:\Games\Game Two.jpg
D:\Games\folder.jpg

When no snaps is found, it use a singles view instead of table view.

I haven't have a touchscreen (I allways like buttons) myself, but Touchscreen GUI it designed to use with mouse and left clicking only and the mouse pointer can been hided and use very large buttons as well (depend you want to show many or normal numbers of entries).

I do hope Barcrest got work with the problem games as well in his PC games FE (it a nicely done).

But this is still a WIP, so I countinue the work.

[Space Fractal]

Little quick fix update:
download runprogram.zip from here and replace the exists one in the MultiFE folder, where you installed it. Now LNK files should now run. Some games might however require using bat files rahter exe the file directly (which this actuelly does).

This is included in the next wip when I release that.

[squirrellydw]

How do I configure this for games...   first time using this so step by step would be great to start.  This will be for about 100 seperate exe games

[Space Fractal]

you need to create shortcuts for each games (that one with have a blackwrite arrows (or blue in Vista), which have a LNK extension (the extension is hided).

Then collect all your shortcuts (Windows shortcuts) into a folder of your own choice (example like D:\Games), as decripted. You can create subfoldes under D:\Games if you which. If you want to include company names. Make sure you have shortcuts with named title - name.lnk, but it up to you.

In MultiFE, do this:
- Bring up config by pressing TAB (remember config is NOT touchscreen friendly here).
- Look in the help, how to move in config. It use MAME keys as default in config.
- Select Touchscreen GUI under General.
- Select Explorer under Library settings.
- Set a path to the folders where the shortcuts is (example D:\Games).
- Set your settings in Library settings, how it should show them (example a filemask, if you want title and company).
- Then press TAB to quit, and MultiFE now auto refresh your Library (you see a blinking square).
- If you want to refresh your library again, just press F5 (if it did not auto refresh above).
- If no games is shown, you might need to restart MultiFE. That should only been happens, if you just have changed from Arcade GUI to Touchscreen GUI (I look why it cause that).
- Press F to change to fullscreen (it allways use your desktop resolution), if it still in windowered mode.

Config is automatic saved on quit.

You can also:
- If you want to change colors, features etc. look in Visual, Touchscreen GUI and Features as well in config. There are help, what they does.
- You can shutdown from touchscreen as well (even with pin or passcoded). Look under features in config.


Please Note:
You do NOT need to tell which extensions you want to search after in Explorer Library. MultiFE allways auto search for music as well pc games shortcuts automatic (like LNK and BAT).

Please Note:
If you need LNK support (Windows Shortcuts), you need to download runprogram.zip and replace the allready exists file in your MultiFE folder.

Hope that help.

[blueznl]

I like the concept, but configuring is a pain in the but. I prefer to tryout this kind of software on my PC, where I do have a mouse, the Esc key is typically used for moving up a level, the Enter key is typically used for selecting an option, Home returns to the top of a list etc.

[squirrellydw]

Thanks, I will try this out tomorrow

[Space Fractal]

MultiFE have the same fell as MAME. So it use of course use MAME default keysets, and even the config is a MAME look a like.

So since it use MAME defaults, you use these in configuration:

- arrows move up/down to move selector up.
- left/right to change setting, if it have multi choice (have a <>), otherwice Left Ctrl (first PL1 button).
- Alt/key to parent (second PL2 button).
- ESC quit MultiFE
- TAB bring in config.

But of course you can remap them all and support mouse (act like a spinner in Arcade and Jukebox GUI) as well joysticks.

Even you use touchscreen, you cannot use touchscreen in config. But you normally only need that once and not in normal use, hence that why I diddent bother to get this touchscreen freindly.

If you use MAME library, I forget to add the possible to change exe file (even you can see that config), so you need to use mame.exe. Im are aware on this little issue. <- should been fixed in Wip 2 release.

[blueznl]

Well, if it's mouse friendly it would automatically be touchscreen friendly. Don't forget, if you write this for other people, it's essential to have the learning curve as low as possible.

Even very easy to use FE's like Gameex suffer from impossible amounts of menus to configure stuff. It's all a matter of taste, but I strongly believe in software that can be used by idiots.

Hey, I am one 

Another small thing is screen resolutions, I'm doing testing on my regular machine which is running a dual screen setup with each screen at 1280x1024, a resolution which is not available in your FE, which messes up my second screen... Small and for a very limited installbase, I admit 

[Space Fractal]

In config:
Is some features I could swaping around or move to another? I have tried to put the features in most locigal places, but I can been wrong for some features.

Touchscreen:
mouse and touchscreen is far from same.  Many use spinners and they are all mouse based. A touchscreen is also much more unprecision than mouse is. I have to take these in account. In config the mouse is act like a spinner, so it not the same.

About the resoulution:
I think the help description is a bit bad wrote. These are for windowered mode only, NOT in fullscreen.
In Fullscreen, MultiFe upscale to any resolultion, so just press the fullscreen button (default mapped to F).

Dual screen:
If you have merged the destkop, so it double as wide, it might messing up. Otherwice by now it use resoulution of your first screen. Later I add a option, so MultiFE can starting on the second screen (I have such a dualscreen setup myself).

[Space Fractal]

Wip 3 is released.

Can anybody help me to draw simple 2 colors images for all genre used for mame (look how I created few in data/folders? They dosent need to have many details, just simple icons, like these few I have created. You got of course been credits. Please pm me details and dont upload it here, since this is a release thread for this FE.

Filenames for example Ball & Paddle is folder_ball.paddle.png in data dir (no spaces and & is replaced by a .).

I more use my time to add other features by now....

[Space Fractal]

bumb for the help request.

otherwice I began to write document for MultiFE, even there is a lots of help in the config itself:

http://www.multijuke.com/forum/index.php?board=14.0;sort=subject

Of course there would been more (yes I known it use multijuke.com, I change domain when multife homepage is finish, but forum would not been changed, apart I need to change the logo too).

[Space Fractal]

wip 4 released. I have now moved all content about the new wip contain in multiFE forum (which is still use arcademusicbox/multijuke domains, but it clear about all applications now in the logo).

A least one major bug is fixed where the song diddent removed from queue when the song was played end (that accoured on these 3 previous wips, but not on MultiJuke).

[Space Fractal]

Wip 5 Released with external mame gamelist support, example created by romlister.

That even MultiFE allready have have these live filters inbuildt in the configuration, but good if you want to have a trimmed database list (=use less memory).

Various bugfixes, look in the wip forum page in my support forum.

[Space Fractal]

wip 6 now working with romlister merged xml output (controls tags is a bit diffecent than mame officiel).

[Space Fractal]

I have released couble of wips since 6, and fixed a lots of bugs and addations.

Wip 7 Released:
- Launch external applications on contain events (only exe, but runprogram.exe can been used to launch bat files).
  + Possible to use in a auto rotatable monitor cabinets.
  + Possible to programmering your joystick, like U360 or such.
  + Possible to run LCD application to show a title or use a Control Viewer utility.
  + Possible to launch LedWiz commandline utility for contain events (but a JPS plugin would been much better).
  + Possible to launch a Control Viewer before a game.
- Only the rotate setting set in config is now saved, not the current rotate when used a keyboard shortcut.
- Albums Genre got broken and is now fixed.
- Windows Icon for the application is back.
- id3v2.4 should not crash MultiFE anymore, but instead output to the logfile. It might even read some of the id3v2.4 files, but unicode is only supported in id3v2.3 tags. If it can't read it, it would been show to the log file.
- Right to Left language support (there can still been some Arabic issues left, but a arabic langauge text file is being made by a user).

Wip 8 Released (Quick Fix):
- Mame games refused to run, a major bug slipped in in Wip 7. Depite of this major bug I release tomorrow.
- Possible to optimize the database on the games you have and on the filter to a much load and cheaper memory use.

Wip 9 Released (Bug Fix release):
- There was some communications problems with BASS 2.4, which cause playing to crash and under database building. These should been fixed now. I didden't notice that since it did run fine in debugger mode.
- A scrolling problem in song info in bottom information should been fixed.
- Missing various chars and space is fixed (Danish & English).
- Missing song artist / song information is back again.

Wip 10 Bug fix release:
- Added some GCCollect() to clear up under database building.
- Changed few default settings to use less memory (example using 128 pixels thumbnails).
- CDG now works again (it was just show a black screen).
- Some wrong message under tag reading to the log file is fixed.

http://www.multife.com/multife/files/MultiFE_2.0_Wip_10_Setup.exe

Since it still wips is because I still need to add commandlines emulators yet. So buy now this is a Jukebox, Mame and PC games frontend for Touchscreen, Jukebox and Arcade users.

[Space Fractal]

Long time since I updated this thread and there is a lots of fixes and additions since wip versions and the newset version is by now MultiFE v2.07, just released as a Christmas release.

The major new is I have open the system emulator support for various systems and emulators from that version and have fixed a tons of bugs since the wip versions.

I have still not have created snapshots about the new profile system, but I have keep it simple as possible. You even not need to use hacked versions of various emulators, since this FE of course support ESC hook (apart one Atari 2600 emulator, which is not ESC issue, but the hacked version support reconfiguration of controllers).

To setup Roms and emulators, it pretty much the same as MAMEWAH and MALA frontends (kodus to authors behind here), but the configuration itself in MultiFE is mostly just point to the emulator used. MultiFE most of the time find the rompath and snappath itself (no video support), but if it does not, you can define that too in the config.

More info about this system can been seen at http://www.multife.com and under profiles menu, where you can see the list of supported systems (which I have taken on the console part).

NB. Rather than create a new thread I dedicated to bump this one up. Screenshots of the system emulator coming soon (I attachments screenshots in this post when done).

[Space Fractal]

Screenshots from the new System library system:





For big versions of theses screenshots:
http://www.multife.com/index.php?item=screenshots

NB. MultiFE watermark can been removed and/or changed.