MAMEWAH and Future Pinball

[MPTech]

I've searched and asked on the Future Pinball sight, but haven't gotten an answer yet.
I've setup FuturePinball to launch from MAMEWAH and it does, but when it comes up I have to hit Alt-Tab to get focus.
I'm running this on a cab and wanted it to load directly in (like Visual Pinball).  Is that possible?
Any suggestions, please.

here's part of my Future_Pinball.ini file (MAMEWAH 1.61):
### Execution Settings ###
emulator_executable                       H:\Visual Pinball\Tables\vp-launch4.exe
commandline_format                        [name]{nodosbox}{nosafelaunch}{cursor}
alt_commandline_format_1                  [name]
alt_commandline_format_2                  [name]
game_specific_config_path             



Also, is there a way to map ESC to the CP buttons?


btw, FP is awesome!!  If you haven't tried it yet, I really enjoy it.  The Hungry Dead is my current favorite (the theme music is addictive!) and for something quirky, try Crazy Frog.  Pool Champ is a bit more serious.  And just for fun, try Killer Klowns from Outer Space!!

[Space Fractal]

You have posted it in the wiki forum to. You cant launch exe file directly, because the window/focus problem in Future Pinball. I have posted the link in your other thread.

For the esc key: Use autohotkey (http:www.autohotkey.com). it can remap any keys, and works in most games, but not all.

[MPTech]

I'm not trying to shotgun, but my other post was in reference to the Wiki Wrapper section, which as I now see references Future Pinball (http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Pinball
but does not contain a wrapper, or how to launch from MAMEWAH.

Can someone traslate this into MAMEWAH syntax?
c:\
CD c:\Games\Future Pinball\
start poswindow.ahk
"Future Pinball.exe" /open %1 /play /exit


It also doesn't resolve the ESC key issue.
I'm not familiar with authohotkey, but I guess I'll give it a try.
Does anyone have an example?   I'm not trying to be lazy, but I worked almost 70 hours last week and off and on all weekend installing a huge Project at work, and the brain is not firing on all cylinders.

I appreciate the help, but I need a little more clarity!

And again, THANKS for the help!   You guys are GREAT!

[Space Fractal]

Hey, the new version 1.5.2 seen to fixed all focus issues, so a wrapper is not needed anymore! I update the wiki about it. I recommed you to download the newest version first.

It may hang in few seconds in MAMEWAH, before the loading game appaer, but it DOES works.

Here is the mamewah ini I used on my cabinet:

emulator_executable                       D:\Games\Future Pinball\Future Pinball.exe commandline_format                        /open "D:\Games\Future Pinball\tables\[name].fpt" {nodosbox}{safelaunch} /play /exit alt_commandline_format_1                  [name]{autodosbox}{nosafelaunch} alt_commandline_format_2                  [name]{autodosbox}{nosafelaunch} game_specific_config_path    You should of course change D:\Games\Future Pinball into your path and put all tables in the tables folder.

[MPTech]

SORRY, as I said, I was tired and it was late.  (I inadvertantly posted my Visual Pinball settings).

Here is my Future Pinball:

### Execution Settings ###
emulator_executable                       H:\Future Pinball\Future pinball.exe
commandline_format                        /open "[rompath]\[name].[romext]" /play /exit{nodosbox}{safelaunch}
alt_commandline_format_1                  [name]
alt_commandline_format_2                  [name]
game_specific_config_path       



This does work, BUT when it launches I don't have focus and have to monkey with the keyboard. (Alt-Tab)

I also tried your settings SF/D and got the same results.

Am I doing something wrong?
btw, I have been using the new Future-Pinball  for a couple weeks.

[Space Fractal]

Funny it works with my joystick (using usb gameport). Seen it also worked fine here.

I do make a little wrapper later today, that send a ALT-TAB to the application after launch.

Can you see the window at all, and do you have version 1.5.20060416?

[Howard_Casto]

I'm probably going to just make a fp wrapper like my vp wrapper that forceably sets focus to fp and be done with it.  Weather or not fp gets focus seems to be a crap shoot for me.  I can play it for days and never have an issue and then have issues for the rest of the week.  It souldn't be a big deal, I'll just use the setwindowfocus api. 

[MPTech]

Howard_Casto to the rescue!     U D MAN!

Thanks!   I would greatly appreciate it.   

Thanks Again!   MPTech



Anybody have a suggestion for the ESC mapping, someone on another thread suggested using the AutoHotKey for that too, but I really don't know where to begin.  As you've already seen, my time islimited and I'd rather spend it Playing than Coding!

[Space Fractal]

Here is my very first wrapper, that should fix the focus problem. Hope it work:
http://www.spacefractal.com/files/App/FuturePinballWrapper.zip (wrapper link changed, since wiki didden't like the spaces)

All it does is wait for the main pinball window, and send a ALT-F4 stroke. Why do the Future Pinball slashscreen not show while loading the table, until it got fullscreen (it look the application hang, but it does not)?

Wich key would you remap the ESC to? It easy to remap with autohotkey, so I recommed you to look into that.

[MPTech]

DUDE!    THANKS so MUCH!!
 

Worked perfectly the first time!!!

You might want to let them know on the Future Pinball sight.
Nobody ever responded to my request for help. (34 reads, 0 replies)

Now I just need to sit for a few minutes to figure out the Esc key.
In MAME, my X-Arcade is mapped as:
<port type="UI_CANCEL">
   <newseq type="standard">KEYCODE_ESC OR KEYCODE_2 KEYCODE_4</newseq>

so, I'd like to be consistant.  If you feel like tackling it, feel free, otherwise, I'll attack it when I return from vacation! (leaving tomorrow!  ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

btw, Thanks Again!

[Space Fractal]

If you change ESC for all emulators, if may been better to use autohotkey to press that key for you.

Install Autohotkey, and use a script loke this:

Code: [Select]

#NoTrayIcon
#SingleInstance force
return

; ESCAPE
Joy26::
Send {ESC down}
KeyWait Joy26
Send {ESC up}
return

Joy26 is the button or key, you would change to.

If it only in MAME, you can press TAB to pop the menu, and you can chage the ESC key in here (if remember corret, it under general config or such).

[Czapala]

How does it look on an Arcade monitor?

i.e. a 27" Multisync Betson with max res of 800X600

[Space Fractal]

A Lots better than Visual Pinball, that never looked very good in 640x480, since it screamed for a 1024x768 resoulution. I did this to work on my cab, but I scraped it again, because it was to hard to see anything, when it was in interlace mode.

In Future Pinball, there are some camera view, that have a lots closer view on the table, wich mean you can see more. Since it 3D, you select more than one camera view, and it look very fantactic. It even in a "crappy" 640x480. It a good thing.

The only bad thing is, you can

[Howard_Casto]

I just wish we could convince black to get some dual screen support in there.  Where it's 3d, it is begging to have an extra render target aimed at the blackglass on a seperate monitor.

[Space Fractal]

Yeah, this would been very good. This should been request into thier forum. It should not have some big trouble to add a another camera and set it to a given XY place (even it may been slowdown on some computers).

[buks]

Just wanted to second what Space Fractal said - FP looks excellent even in 640x480. I use it at that res as 800x600 overscans on my SCART/VGA screen. I wasn't even aware that you COULD read the instructions cards !

Another note - I found that setting the display to "Scrolling 2" is best (personal preference I suppose) as you get a closer view of the table and the scroll speed is perfect (presumably if you have a half decent hardware spec).

I never really got into Visual Pinball as (unless I'm wrong) it displayed the table on a static screen which looks terrible at lower res.

Buks

[buks]

Totally forgot to mention :

I have the focus issue from mamewah running FP version 1.5.20060416. When I tried Space Fractals wrapper it appears to load the table then just sits there. This happens from mamewah as well as from the command line (I ALWAYS try the command line to rule out any other issues).

Any ideas ? I noticed Space Fractal mentioned that the focus issue was fixed in 1.5.2 but its not (on my machine anyway).

the way I get round not having focus is to press the left mouse button on my CP so its not a major issue but it would be nice to have it fixed !!!

Cheers for reading.

Buks

[Howard_Casto]

simulating the pressing alt+tab isn't the best way to set focus.  The best way is to use api calls. 

The problem with the alt+tab wrapper is that it assumes that:

1. The keypresses will be pressed after the table is done loading.

2. It assumes that fp only requires one tab over to set focus. 


I'll see what I can do when I get time.  Too many projects atm. 

[Space Fractal]

Future Pinball have 2 windows. One for the editor, wich the table was loading, and a another windows with the game window.

It need to wait for the game window to appear, before sendning a alt-tab stroke. It not the best, but it seen it works fine.

Here is the autohotkey script I used for the wrapper (if you can improve that):

Code: [Select]

#NoTrayIcon
#SingleInstance force
SetTitleMatchMode, 2
SetTitleMatchMode, Slow
Run, "Future Pinball.exe" /open "Tables\%1%.fpt" /play /exit
WinWait, (c)
WinWait, BSP
WinWait, Software
Sleep 250
Send !{ALT}
WinWaitClose, BSP

Future Pinball is only need that tab to got focus. I guess it the Send !{ALT} line, that need change to use the api (how to do that?).

[Howard_Casto]

Yeah like I said, you can't use alt-tab or any simulated keystrokes.  The keystrokes are only recieved if fp is past a certain point of it's initalization and direct input isn't blocking them.  The problem is different systems (and even different tables) take a differrent amount of time to boot, so short of setting the delay really long, there is no way of sending keystrokes with guaranteed success.  And no, just because a window is made visible doesn't mean that it is done setting up... that is the issue you are running into. 


Try winactivate or controlfocus (leaving the control parameter blank will set focus to the window itself). 

Info on how to do that specifically is in your autohotkey help file.

[Space Fractal]

It have worked here in months.

The" funny" part about FP is Future Pinball use 2 windows:

- One for the editor window, wich it load the table (it can sometimes seen it "hang", because it dosen't have the FP splash logo).

- When it loaded the table, it changes into fullscreen with a another window with a simular titlename.

I guess FP have a focus problem on the first (editior) window, but not on the second window, wich is a bug in FP. They forgot to focus the window into the another window.

As the original poster said, it works. But could been better, but it works. This is the most important in the first version...


 

[Howard_Casto]

This might be a launguage barrier thing, but the method I posted will work every time while yours isn't working at all for some people.  Similar titles shouldn't matter, as long as they aren't exactly the same you can work with em.  For that matter you can use the class names as well. 

Look what buks said, he said it isn't working for mamewah nor is it working from the command line. 

[Q*bert]

Like Howard said, for better reliability use WinActivate to bring the FP window to the front.

The class name of the FP running table is "FuturePinballOpenGL".

Change the line in your script "Send !{ALT}" to "WinActivate, ahk_class FuturePinballOpenGL" and it should work.

[Space Fractal]

Changed and updated. it on same url (since I dosen't want to change the link in wiki):
http://www.spacefractal.com/files/App/FuturePinballWrapper.zip

the ahk source is also included this time. They can now just change it, if they want. It Open Source.