New Frontend - yet another...

[jmark]

Folks:

I really haven't found a frontend out there that does all I want it to and look like it's not windows either - RD and ArcadeFX are the closest yet, but I want something that is completely database driven, has extreme customability, sounds, graphics, video... basically the whole nine yards... so I'm going to take the advice so often given... "If you're not happy, go make it yourself!"...

So... before I start (and this will be a LONG term project)... I'm interested in hearing *all* of the possible features you'd like to see in an frontend whether they're outlandish or not, whether you think they're feasible or not... anything and everything goes... we're talking extreme customization here...

Anyone care to start?  

[Howard_Casto]

Great so you've decided to make a front-end.
(Howard plants tongue firmly in cheek.)

Here's some things you can do right now to make development faster and more efficient.  If you follow this 8 step program your fe will be great!  

#1 If you have a significant other go kiss them goodbye.  You won't be seeing them for a while and they'll probably leave you.

#2 Go look outside, don't actually go outside because you won't be doing that for several months either and there's no sense teasing yourself.

#3 Go to the room where you'll be programming.  Stock it with junk food and plenty of pOrn.  Why?  see #1.

#4 This is the important one.  Become really creepy.  I'm not talking kinda creepy I'm talking hermit/hobo creepy.  It's a little known fact that all good programmers are creepy.  Your program will not be any good unless your creepy.  

#5 Grow an attitude.  Your a freakin programmer now for christs sakes!  Your fe is the best thing since sliced bread.  Others should give you things and dance merrily around you just for that.  Oh and no need to be respectful to others because they are gonna suck up to you anyway.  This is one of the few perks to becoming a fe developer.  

#6 Learn to hate your users.  I can't stress this one enough.  Remember they are the guys that are too dumb to configure your fe.  You made it so simple afterall that you only need a minor in cis to figure out how to set it up.  These are the same people from #5 so don't worry too much about them and treat them as inferiors.  

#7 Give the users every single thing they want, except for one real minor thing.  Why?  Because it's fun.  Also this will make them unsatisfied and cause them to make another fe that has more features than yours.  

#8 Be resentful towards the new fe's on the scene.  Afterall, look how much they ripped you off!!!  A list of games that you can scroll through and select one to launch the game.... hey you thought of that !! Remember they're all ungrateful sobs afterall and would be able to do it if you hadn't shown them how.  Be sure to point this out at every opportunity btw, they'll be very receptive to it.  

Ok now if you follow my simple 8 step plan your on your way to becoming a world famous fe developer.  Don't forget to keep your stick on the ice and remember, were all in this together.  

[Lilwolf]

Howard, all you have to do is not release it and you get all those things

I went a different route.  

I went for features I wanted.

1) I wanted it to look like ArcadeFX
2) Be complete run from a joystick
3) have multi control panel support
4) be able to configure my encoder automatically (note.  I removed this feature pergame, but kept it so I can change it when changing from one emulator to the next....)
5) configure my mame for me (because I coudln't get in and configure mame from the control panel
6) handle 4 player cabinet for 4 player games, and all 3player or less games act as if the left joystick wasn't there
7) custom categories.  
favorites that can be set with a joystick
9) Skinnable (so I can copy other FE's easier)


I never planned to continue with it when some of the other FE's came out.  But they don't handle all my requirements.  

btw, howard is right about the amount of time it takes.  Spend a good week on design before you start.  I've rewritten every class multiple times to add single features.

Also consider if you want to share it.  Why?  I add features that take me 5 minutes and I have it running on my cabinet.  Then I try to add a way to configure it that others will be able to use, and it takes me 2 hours plus a rewrite of a class.

IE, the configuration will usually take more time then the option.

btw, I am planning on releasing.  But I'm still trying to get the last few options in a configuration.  I broke a bunch of stuff recently and haven't been able to get any time to code.  So hopefully soon

[)p(]

btw, howard is right about the amount of time it takes.

[Lilwolf]

yes, only tweaks... and your frontend looks just like it used to ..... yup, 3d is only a tweak

[)p(]

yes, only tweaks... and your frontend looks just like it used to ..... yup, 3d is only a tweak

Hehe   ...but seriously I actually like rewriting or better optimizing code to make it more elegant and efficient... I have not reached that stage yet with Emulaxian....it is pretty messy... stupid stuff  like this: marquees= getAProp(getAProp(emucfg,symbol(lijst.item[((glisttemp-1)*gameoptions) + 12]) ),#marquees) ... ;-)

Peter

[Frobozz]

 I don't wanna hear it >P<, you got one of the coolest FE's that I've seen in a long while!  

So, how is the work going on Emulaxian?  You havn't updated your page lately

[Frobozz]

Oh, and jmark, here's my request:

Able to run from Windows 2000.
Look like ArcadeFX (list by screenshot + name, list by marquee, list by flyer, list by cabinet, etc...)
Able to quickly switch between lots of customized lists.
Able to build said lists quickly from a Windows interface (because I HATE typing up configuration scripts!)
Able to be able to tweak default options for ALL games.
Able to be able to tweak default options for all HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL games seperatly (for us with rotating monitors in their cabinets).
Able to be able to tweak default options for all VECTOR games seperatly.
Able to tweak options for each game individually.
Mameinfo.dat and History.dat support somehow.
Able to select games from a joystick.
Able to run full-screen w/o any ugly windowframes.  

and if you want to be crazy...

Virtual arcade mode similar to Emulaxian, but rather than just lining the machines up side by side, have a virtual "room" that can be walked through.  Might have to limit it to "X" number of games though per "room" setup.  Maybe doorways to other "rooms" (i.e. other lists of games).  Sounds of machines, attract mode on their screens, maybe some art in the room (like an old Pizza-Time Theatre?)  Signs above the doorways to the other "rooms" would be neat too.  Thus, If I have a list called "1982 Classics" with 25 games on it, and I'm currently in the "1983 Classics" room, the exit to the other room is clearly marked with a neon texture reading  "1982 Classics".  Ability to select between different 3D cabinet designs would be cool too (Galaxian style, Centipede style, Tron style, Tempest cabernet style, Cocktail table style, Cockpit style... etc.)

...but that would be if you're crazy.  It's something I'd pay pretty decent money for though.  

[Lilwolf]

Hehe

[Lilwolf]

Well, I've had my cabinet running at home for almost a year now.  So thats all I've done.  I get somethign slapped together and working... then as soon as I need to change something... I rewrite it.  

Example.  Skins.  I got a skin editor going 2 days after arcadeFX came out (so I could copy his look/feel... blatent ripoff I know).  Worked just fine for me.

Then... I wanted to add favorites.  So I wrote a graphic bean to represent the current setting.  Added it to the default skin by hand and everything worked great.  This took me 15 minutes.  Then it took me 2 hours to add it to the skin application... so now my skinner is rewritten so that I can add something in 15 minutes.  The rewrite took me 4 days.... so I could have just added the 3 other objects at 6 hours and been done with it.... sigh...

Hehe

[OSCAR]

#4 This is the important one.

[)p(]

[)p(]

Then... I wanted to add favorites.

[Howard_Casto]

So what makes you think you have to be creepy to be a good programmer?



Some of you kernel hackers may even have a poster of Alan on your wall.

[SirPoonga]

Folks:

I really haven't found a frontend out there that does all I want it to and look like it's not windows either - RD and ArcadeFX are the closest yet, but I want something that is completely database driven, has extreme customability, sounds, graphics, video... basically the whole nine yards... so I'm going to take the advice so often given... "If you're not happy, go make it yourself!"...

So... before I start (and this will be a LONG term project)... I'm interested in hearing *all* of the possible features you'd like to see in an frontend whether they're outlandish or not, whether you think they're feasible or not... anything and everything goes... we're talking extreme customization here...

Anyone care to start?