MAMEWah / Cab users / Advise !

[Minwah1959]

I'm not sure if any of you use my frontend, but anyhow...

I am currently altering my frontends core to be able to handle more game info (from 'mame -listinfo').  This will enable more filters / sorting options.

Could people give me some advise as to what info I should include; ie I don't want to add pointless stuff (eg how many coin slots).  I personally may have a different opinion on what is useful / useless to everyone else. eg if you've an arcade monitor it may be useful to filter out vector games.

Any input would be great.  At the moment I just want to be able to sort by controller type, ready for when that damn gun arrives

PS Howard: I've added customisable font colors & types/size but there's never gonna be any skins    

[)p(]

I'm not sure if any of you use my frontend, but anyhow...

I am currently altering my frontends core to be able to handle more game info (from 'mame -listinfo').  This will enable more filters / sorting options.

Could people give me some advise as to what info I should include; ie I don't want to add pointless stuff (eg how many coin slots).  I personally may have a different opinion on what is useful / useless to everyone else. eg if you've an arcade monitor it may be useful to filter out vector games.

Any input would be great.  At the moment I just want to be able to sort by controller type, ready for when that damn gun arrives

PS Howard: I've added customisable font colors & types/size but there's never gonna be any skins    

I myself parse everything exept the individual romnames... I think a rom manager is better suited to use that info... But all the other stuff why not it make the gamelist bigger yes but it will give you flexibility to use the other stuff...
I myself mostly use filters to sort by horitontal/vertical, vector/raster, category, year, manufacture and controltype...

Peter

[Minwah1959]

I had those kinda things in mind.

I just can't help thinking the more info, the more memory 'wasted'.  I guess it's not really a problem with the memory in PC's nowadays...

[)p(]

I had those kinda things in mind.

I just can't help thinking the more info, the more memory 'wasted'.  I guess it's not really a problem with the memory in PC's nowadays...

Exactly! A complete mame gamelist with all stuff in it is around 800kb... A lot but then think about all the other stuff in your fe that gets cached...

Peter

[Bill_S]

I'd like to be able to filter on categories like fighting games, etc.
Also, I'd really like MP3's playing while your screensaver is running.

[Lilwolf]

catver.ini is MUCH more useful for filters.  

But I use a bunch in jfront because I cache the default.cfg in mame and load them based on game info.  So I can configure 2 8way joysticks with 6 buttons once (all the streetfighter games that have the punchs and kicks swapped)... or the 4way games once... or all the dual 8ways once.

But other then that, Some people like vertical games and horizontal games seperated.

[Minwah]

Thanks for the comments.

I do plan to add catver compatibility (the 'cat' part at least ).

As for the MP3 thing, it is a good idea but I don't how to do it just yet    Plus I don't even have any MP3's!  Maybe I'll figure it out when I've finished doing some of the 'more important' stuff.

[SirPoonga]

or if you are like me you store all that info in a database:)

Hey, you FE screws up my refresh rate.  I run 1152x864 at 75hz.  When mamewah quits I am running at 60Hz.

[Howard_Casto]

The problem with databases is that they have to be maintained.  I've found a simple text file to be much more managable and users like it because they can look in it and see what is going on.  

[SirPoonga]

Yeah, they need to be maintained.  Unless you put a mechanism to load new listinfo stuff:)

Just an answer to if you have memory issues.  But then you have SQL drivers installed in mem so it really makes little difference.

[Howard_Casto]

It's just pointless work for me. I only check the masterlist when the user refreshes his gamelist.  90% of the time the lists are gotten from previously-written list files.  I really recommend this btw... not having to parse a text file or database greatly decreases boot time.

[)p(]

It's just pointless work for me. I only check the masterlist when the user refreshes his gamelist.  90% of the time the lists are gotten from previously-written list files.  I really recommend this btw... not having to parse a text file or database greatly decreases boot time.

Does anybody parse it every time then? Never seen that...

Emulaxian can use both... At one time I wanted to go with a database also in public releases. But I now dropped that idea because the next version will have search and filter routines that are as fast or faster (mmm id not time it but  the search results are instantanious to the eye) as the database...so no point really anymore to use it...

Peter

[Minwah1959]

I considered using a database.  But then text file's seemed to work well and was easier

SirPoonga: Sorry about the refresh rate thing, it seems to be a problem in 2000/XP.  I can't work out why it happens.  Also I have (very) limited access to 2000/XP at the moment.  My next release should be quite a biggie (for me anyway) and I'm trying to fix everything like that.

[Howard_Casto]

I considered using a database.  But then text file's seemed to work well and was easier

SirPoonga: Sorry about the refresh rate thing, it seems to be a problem in 2000/XP.  I can't work out why it happens.  Also I have (very) limited access to 2000/XP at the moment.  My next release should be quite a biggie (for me anyway) and I'm trying to fix everything like that.

It a windoze registry glitch thingy. I ran into it a few months ago.  Contact me and I'll show you how to fix.