Able to have different game select screen pictures?

[SephYuyX]

So Since I have like 40 consoles to select, it's a lot of different button combos to remember, and doesnt help new users who play with it.
I wanted to add a picture of my CP to the game select screen on MA and place text over the buttons to signify what does what, each console being different. However when I was playing around with the theme editor to make my own skin, If I changed one image (namely the arcade cabinet and bezel images), it would change for all consoles.

Is it possible to do this? What ive been doing is just taking an image already in the theme and just replacing it as I didnt see just a regular import image to add something new. I guess this is hardcoded in?

Thanks.

[DeLuSioNal29]

There a nifty little program called CPViewer that will do what you seek.  Don't even bother trying to do it in the frontend.  CPViewer will show what controls do what from within each game you launch.  Graphics are customizable too.  And if you have LEDS for buttons, the buttons will automatically light up when the game is launched showing what buttons to use.

In MAME for example, when you press the pause key a CP menu will appear with options to show controls for that particular game (automatically generates it from the control.ini file).

From the website:
"CPViewer is an add-on for Mame. More specifically for the front-end you use to launch your Mame games. It uses a file called controls.ini to lookup the controls for a particular game. It then displays them on the screen so you know what buttons and movements perform what actions in the game that is currently highlighted in your front-end. Did you ever sit do to play a little and decide to try a new game. Then ask yourself, "What buttons do what?" Well if the game has been documented in the controls.ini file, this won't happen again. Simply press a hotkey (one of your control panel buttons) and a graphic of your control panel will be displayed with all of the character movements or button assignments displayed so you know what buttons perform what actions. It's that simple."

http://cpviewer.emuchrist.org/screens.htm

DeLuSioNaL29

[SephYuyX]

Hmm, thanks.
I tried to run the static image command, but couldnt get it to work

This is the provided command: (I changed the directories to mine)
c:\cpv2\cpv2.exe c:\cpvw\cpvw.exe
-b="c:\cpv2\images\mamewah.jpg"

And in MA I put that in the batcharea, in prelaunch, and checked the run application, but nothing happened.

Does anyone use CPV2 in MA?

[metallimaniac]

I guess you could always replace the Marquees in the skin. Then you'd have to create new images of your CPs for each of the games... or have a generic one for the emulator for when you wouldn't normally have the marquee there.

This is a good idea for a skin. I wouldn't mind something like this. Shame you can't have different loading screens for each game (or even emulator) cus that would be another great way to display the controls for each game

[SephYuyX]

I was planning to make a custome image for each console anyway. This is what I was thinking:

I dont use the marquee image, so I could use that, but i thought that was one of the images that remained the same on each console. The only image I would think that doesnt remain static is the headline, in this case the 'mame multipule arcade machine emu' one.

[DeLuSioNal29]

I think Spacegoogie does the same thing in his themes.  The instructions say to not have the marquee enabled, since he used that layer for additional graphics for the theme.

D

[Rick]

I FINALLY found this thread again, as the program's name eluded me for so long.  Then, when I tried the link as above, it's not working for me.  Does anybody else have a copy of CPViewer hosted somewhere?

[Donkbaca]

Is the program anything Luke headkaze's CP Wizard?
http://headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=cpwizard

[Rick]

Is the program anything Luke headkaze's CP Wizard?
http://headsoft.com.au/index.php?category=cpwizard

It could very well be.  I believe I had used CPViewer once before, and it actually 'spoke' the controls to you...  I'm not sure if this one does, but I'll certainly give it a whirl.  Thanks!