Frontend creation in progress input needed

[wescotte]

Hi, I'm currently working on creating a frontend for my cabinet. I was wondering if I could get some feedback as to features every frontend should have.. Features other frontends have and do not have that I should consider adding to mine. My frontend is currently not functional but I will release a binary as well as the source when a working version is complete.

thanks
Eric

[grafixmonkey]

Well, my input would be to keep the number of inputs down as much as possible.  I'm having trouble with 3dArcade right now because every key on the keyboard is mapped to do something in the frontend, and even trying to unmap them is a chore...  much less figuring out how to fix it when a friend starts wiggling joysticks and it ends up with tunnel vision, a camera sunken through the floor, and all the arcade cabinets in the room half size and facing the wall.

I just think there's something to be said for simplicity in an interface...  like handling more advanced actions with context menus instead of keyboard keys.  One interface design I've seen that presents lots of options in a simple way is a marking menu.  You hold down a button and a circle pops up with options on the 8 directions, and you just move a joystick or mouse in the direction of your option and release the button to choose it.  It could be done with a spinner or trackball too, as a wheel that spins and you place your option at the top and release, that would fit more options into each menu if necessary.  You can also differentiate between holding the menu button and clicking it.  Holding the button with a game selected might bring up search options, toggles for different artwork options, "add to favorites", "main menu", "choose new genre / game set", options menu, "show game info", and "Show clones/play game".  Tapping it might show the clones, and double-tapping might play the parent game.

Apart from that, another issue I'm having is that it's most efficient to look through cabs with the clones filtered out, but often my rom for the parent game doesn't work for some reason.  So, maybe a way to flip through games by parent, but when you choose a game, instead of going right to Mame, have the clones appear so you can select one if you want.

Oh, and most important - a good, deep search to find which games are actually available and can be played in Mame, and one that can be done easily like you can in Mame32.  For some reason, I went through the steps to put only available games in my gamelist, but often choose one that's listed as available and Mame can't play it.  Dunno why.    I know it's never happened in Mame32.  If a game is listed as available in mame32, you can play it.

[SirPoonga]

Absolute needed feature: list games and adjustable inputs


Other than that is is preferences to people's tastes.
Features many include:
categories
user defined list of games (my FE you can define lists from within the FE)
search
skins, look and feel
mouse support/tball support
joystick support
graphics: snaps, marqees, flyers, cabinet, etc...
multiple versions of the same emulator

[Howard_Casto]

I would say the biggest "feature"  is making sure there is a reason for your fe to exist.  Many times people make one and it's just like all the others.  Don't do that!  If it's just like all the others then there wasn't any real reason (at least publically)  to make it.  

[DaveMMR]

Perhaps throw in an option to allow the display of a JPEG or BMP (or whatever file format) to remain until a button is pressed so that users can make quick mock up's of their control panels to show the player what buttons are needed and so forth.  

I haven't played with many front-ends yet so if this feature exists elsewhere I apologize in advance.  

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head right now.

[wescotte]

I would say the biggest "feature"  is making sure there is a reason for your fe to exist.  Many times people make one and it's just like all the others.  Don't do that!  If it's just like all the others then there wasn't any real reason (at least publically)  to make it.  

Yeah, I attempted to use a few of the ones that already exist... They just didn't seem to have the look and feel I wanted for my cab. I'm going to create this frontend for me first and everyone else second But I was searching for input for things I might have overlooked.

[Carsten Carlos]

Well, good luck then!  

user defined list of games (my FE you can define lists from within the FE)

So does mine - for me an absolut must feature, I'd never go without! The day I implemented this I had fun creating my favorites lists.

I've listed the actual features of my frontend on my homepage (see at http://www.Retrospieler.de under Frontend) - maybe you find something inspiring there.

At least I found some of my done features in the requestlist for Mamewah some threads ago.

Though I guess my frontend wouldn't get in public - I made one for special hardware-options I needed for my cab, and for now it is limited to 640x480 as my WellsGardner U3100 won't drive higher resolutons anyway. Of course this is also 'cause I'm too lazy to support other res at current state  

[Minwah]

Well, good luck then!  

user defined list of games (my FE you can define lists from within the FE)

So does mine - for me an absolut must feature, I'd never go without! The day I implemented this I had fun creating my favorites lists.

I've listed the actual features of my frontend on my homepage (see at http://www.Retrospieler.de under Frontend) - maybe you find something inspiring there.

At least I found some of my done features in the requestlist for Mamewah some threads ago.

Though I guess my frontend wouldn't get in public - I made one for special hardware-options I needed for my cab, and for now it is limited to 640x480 as my WellsGardner U3100 won't drive higher resolutons anyway. Of course this is also 'cause I'm too lazy to support other res at current state  

I expect you would get a LOT of interest in your FE if you were to release it - it looks great