Unfavorite Front End?

[Ummon]

Instead of saying why you like one or the other, tell what you don't like. For example:

Maximus Arcade:

- supposed to support old Mame32 gamelist ini - but doesn't.

- no feature to set ambience directory, etc, so you have to dig in the help file to find out there's a file that you just put everything in. Um, hmm.

- theme editor seems made for those familiar with business-level image editing programs. Also, for some totally weird-ass reason, MA crops the corners of the image.

- OH, and that sneaky thing he does to your system in that makes you have to purchase it, regardless of taking it off. I think this expires in a year, because I was....finally...able to try it out again without buying it. Of course, as I'm having issues with easily getting it how I'd like, the trial date's probably going to expire before I handle them.

(I dunno, maybe the issues I have with FEs are rare. Wouldn't surprise me, actually.)

[headkaze]

Bit negative doncha thing? Maybe you could change it to "What would you like to see if your favourite FE?"

[youki]

Yes, that's a bit negative.

Mainly speaking about feature.  Often Features exist but sometime are simply not found but the user.

It is hard nowaday to master completly a front end. They can do so much things.

[arzoo]

Getting your FE of choice to work 'exactly' how you want can take some time. Youki is dead-on, FE's are complex with many config options. Most FE devs strive to make the setup as easy as possible - but a basic law of software says; flexibility = complexity.

[tspeirs]

Exactly, I am constantly troubled by this with GameEx. Trying to make it simple but powerful at the same time. Even driven to the point of thinking about a deriverative build. Actually Id give credit to Maximus Arcade for doing that quite well. Although in the end, might be a year or more, once they get tired of it, will want more power from a front end. I mean the funnest part was building and setting up our arcade machines right?

[headkaze]

I mean the funnest part was building and setting up our arcade machines right?

There are a few threads asking about this sort of thing, and I think it's pretty evenly divided between tinkerers and gamers.

How often do you play your Mame cab?
how many play there cab alot, or got fed up with it?

Probably more threads like that too.

[TOK]

I mean the funnest part was building and setting up our arcade machines right?

I enjoy building, and I know videos, spinning menus and music appeal to a lot of people but I want the fastest speed and least involvement with a front end possible. Screenshots to help pick out new games to try are about the only extra I like.

Probably puritanical thinking to many, but console games and all that other stuff seem out of place to me on an arcade cab.
Every front end I've tried has nice aspects, even MAME32 (or MAME UI now), but I use a stripped down version of XP and no-frills setup of MaLa.

[youki]

Each user is different and want different things , it is the problem.  more you try to cover all users needs more your FE becomes complex to  configure  and for a Dev it is very hard to comprise  between power , flexibility and easibility...

As tspeir , i was thinking of doing different release , like for a car manufacturer you have different model car .  I think to do the same things for the FE.

Front End todays are like big trucks they can carry lot of things. But if you need just to carry a boxe of bubble gums , of course you can use a truck ... but may be a motorbike could be enough...

[Goatz18]

Yeah, I have customized my FE a bit and I'm like "That looks pretty good." Then I watch a video of what someone else did with the same FE and I'm like "My setup sucks, how did he do that?"

[TelcoLou]

MAME UI. Looks too much like a Windoze app than a front-end 

[Ummon]

MAME UI. Looks too much like a Windoze app than a front-end 

You know, I sometimes like that look. I wouldn't call it an FE, though. It's just a convenience, really, with some visual appeal to me.

Bit negative doncha thing? Maybe you could change it to "What would you like to see if your favourite FE?"

Depends on how serious one is about the topic an all. I was using somewhat affective language in introducing and relating a topic. And it elicited a plethora of responses, mostly informative. Regardless, the issues I pointed out are in fact issues that can seriously detract from the experience of setting things up, let alone enjoying the use of the FE. And however anyone else wishes to express (on) it, that's what this thread is about.

Here's some things about GameEx (perhaps my favorite potential FE) that have always confounded me:

- can't specify more than one track for ambience...at least not easily. That is, where in others, you simply specify a directory, GE makes you select one track.

- VP and Daphne are not plug and play.

- I've never been able to get all my games showing in their respective lists when using the mame32 folders ini. (It occurs to me that maybe, for some inconceivable reason, MameUI will work differently? I'll try that. Still, the above issues are significant.)

[tspeirs]

Thats the thing and sums up with this thread has turned into about exactly, as per your first point about GameEx. You can in fact easily specify a playlist folder, its just that folks dont know how to do it! Albeit it wasnt working until recently due to a bug

OK maybe your right about your post, perhaps negativity is not the word, but I would not say it was productive. Most FE Authors and I know Youki for sure, try to please everyone with what they need from a front end.

[lingpanda]

Tom,

How close have you come to saying enough is enough? As in no more GE updates? I can't believe you still update as frequent as you do. I do appreciate all your hard work and GE is my frontend of choice to this day.

[tspeirs]

Im probably seeking an unrealistic perfection, and have not considered stopping. Although I am currently running short on new things I want to do with it, other than improving what it already does.

[Ummon]

Thats the thing and sums up with this thread has turned into about exactly, as per your first point about GameEx. You can in fact easily specify a playlist folder, its just that folks dont know how to do it! Albeit it wasnt working until recently due to a bug

OK maybe your right about your post, perhaps negativity is not the word, but I would not say it was productive. Most FE Authors and I know Youki for sure, try to please everyone with what they need from a front end.

I know they do, in general at least. It's certainly the same as any project, in that the development is relative to the interests of those developing. And for the most part, I think those and the general public's are met. Mine aren't, and that's why I'm posting, but I'm not upset about it.

Regarding the ambience path setting, in my experience it is automatic, in that you set the path, or you have to click on a file in the path. If you meant that, all this time, it was supposed to allow a folder but wasn't, well one down and one closer to using it.

[BASS!]

Have you given the new version a try yet? He has managed to do some serious bug fixing lately

[loadman]

Instead of saying why you like one or the other, tell what you don't like. For example:

Not cool.   

[Ummon]

Have you given the new version a try yet? He has managed to do some serious bug fixing lately

New version of?

Instead of saying why you like one or the other, tell what you don't like. For example:

Not cool.  

Actually, knowing things that aren't functioning helps in making them better. Negative/affirmative, rather than 'positive/negative'.

[BASS!]

The new version of maximus.

[Ummon]

Mmm. I have it, and have played with it a little, and the issues I mentioned above are in response to that experience in particular.

[youki]

Did you post your issue on their support forums?

[BASS!]

Yeah, delusional is the mod on that forum. I would give him a pm and see if he can talk to mameseer about your issue. He is one of the few people who can get him on the line if he wants. That guys a really stand up person, very helpful:-)

[Ummon]

Actually, over a year ago...pehaps more....I added these into the 'feature suggestions/bug complaints' part of that forum, and it seems they didn't make it into the versions since. But I'll holler over there again.

[Ummon]

You know, I forgot that one of the things about MA is it's 'cabinet' interface. If you get rid of those images, it's apparently hard-coded to use them and will ---smurfette--- about them not being there, etc.