bkenobi

I was just thinking about this problem this morning and had a thought... What if you set up an application in each copy of GameEx that just ran a registry file to change the shelled application? That way, you could switch between versions very easily if you are shelled out. I'm thinking you might want to have access to the mature games for whatever reason. Maybe you have a version that's kid friendly as far as look and feel and a more complicated one for adults. Maybe you have a party setup and an HTPC setup. In any case, you might want more than one style of GameEx setup but still want things to boot straight to GameEx. Here's my thought: 1) Create 2 .reg files that sets the shell location to the alternate versions of GameEx. 2) Create an application item in the normal version of GameEx that launches the registry file to switch to the mature version. Call this application "Switch to Mature GameEx" for example. 3) Create the same setup in the other copy but point to the non-mature version of the .reg file. When you reboot the machine, you will be switched to the other copy of GameEx. So you basically just have to wait for the machine to reload rather than changing settings and rebuilding your list. Another option I was thinking about was writing a somewhat more complicated switching script for going to the Mature version. I was thinking it would be good to have a password of some kind. Basically, you would use AHK to prompt the user to enter a key/joystick combo. If it matched, it would prompt the user that Mature GameEx would launch next time and run the .reg file. If it didn't, it would prompt the user that the password didn't match and maybe even add an entry to an access log file of some kind. This script would be *relatively* easy to put together, so if there's any interest, I might play with it this weekend if I have time...

Naw, that idea is crap...

What commands are you trying to run. Post the command lines and someone can put something together. Just verify that they work prior to posting (i.e., run them from the command prompt first and make sure they do exactly what you are trying to do).

DOH!!!

Maybe, sorta. GameEx should launch by default on monitor 1. You can tell MAME to run on monitor 2. I don't know if GameEx will disappear during gameplay though. Other emus might be more complicated to do this with. I think this is something that UltraMon can do though.

It was only supposed to be changed in relation to MAME. Other emu's should just use the Advanced Emulator Config files. I guess if there is a default that doesn't require those files, then that might explain it though...

That cab rocks! Kinda spendy, but since it's got a 29" new monitor and all the controls already, it's not a bad option.

The best resource on the net to find out about the hardware side is BYOAC (Build Your Own Arcade Controls) and their forums. They cover EVERYTHING that you could ever want to know about just what you want to do. This forum is mostly dedicated to the GameEx front end, but we do talk about other stuff that's related from time to time. Those guys talk about the hardware and how to interface with it extensively!

I did a little searching and this is the site I was talking about with measured plans for actual classic cabs: http://www.jakobud.com/

I've thought about building a cab from scratch, but there are certain advantages in getting an empty one that made me go that route twice (at different times). First off, if you are lucky (like I have been so far), you can pick one up in decent condition for the cost of fuel. If you are not quite as lucky, you might have to buy one. I personally would look at the different shapes of cabs and decide what you like and what you don't. My first one is based on a dedicated Area 51 cabinet. The side art was in pretty damn good shape which is why I used it. I was originally going to strip it for its parts and trash the cab, but kept it once I saw the artwork. The second cab was an Atari cab that was used for Paperboy and Championship Sprint. I was looking to build a racing cab and this is exactly the cab I would have built, so getting one in great physical shape was a find. It had a panel missing on the lower rear, a smashed rear corner, and a badly peeling set of artwork. However, after some TLC and paint, it looks GREAT! If you have the space, tools, and time to build your own, you are only limited by your creativity and patience. There are a bunch of sites that have cab plans, so if you want to build one, you should probably look around. I know there's even a site that has measured drawings for dedicated cabinets from way back (Pacman, Tempest, etc). If I were going to build one, I would probably base mine on the Neo Geo MVS cab shape. There's actually some plans for similar style cabs you can buy or find online, so it would be a pretty easy build. I second GGG's stuff. I've bought from RandyT a couple times and would go back again if I build another project and need more supplies!

Ahhh, I see. I've never used it so I wasn't sure of it's capabilities. I just know it was mentioned last time someone asked the same question.

Yeah, some kind of a script would by my suggestion. Just program it in whatever language you are most comfortable with. If you need help, someone can provide guidance.

I've always just moved everything to the current version at the time when I changed something. In your case, I think there is a program called clrMAMEpro that might be helpful. If I understand it, you can have it scan your set and it will somehow tell you the version of your roms. Then, you could just use the correct version of MAME for the set. You can get old versions at MAMEdevs website if you want the vanilla version. If you use another release, you would need to check the distro's homepage to see if they keep an archive. clrMAMEpro

Looks nice. What program did you use to make the flames? Or, are they hand drawn?

Is it possible that MAME32 doesn't verify that all of the roms are valid? It's possible it sees roms, but that doesn't necessarily mean they work. GameEx checks to make sure that the rom works prior to listing it. After all, what's the point of listing a game that isn't playable. You can turn this off if you want to list everything, but you will have games that break and/or don't play correctly. As Brian said, this is a filter setup question. There are directions in the FAQ stickied at the top of the forum if you want to try enabling everything. The thing that bothers me is that you have an old romset and a newer version of MAME (from the sounds of it). MAME may play the roms just fine, but some games have been partially redumped over time which means that you may have some incompatible roms now. I would personally suggest running the same version of MAME as your romset. You will have less problems and they will be less confusing problems at that!

Yeah, I figured that might be a problem. Matching the background is going to be tough unless you can get some kind of input from HK and/or Tom on the logic used to locate the image. I don't know if it will ever be "perfect", so unless you have a solid background, this workaround is mediocre at best.

I think he might be requesting a boot option menu.

HA ha

I believe there is an option for that, but I don't remember what it's called. I think it should be available in the Setup Wizard. When you open it, select search and enter screen saver. If you look through the pages that pop up, you should find a drop down that gives 4 modes.

It should be mentioned that you could have two sets of databases for emulators on you GameEx installation. I don't know if Tom removed the old ones when the new ones were included, but if so, you will want to use the ones with bracketed categories at the beginning rather than the ones without. Use: [Handheld] Gameboy.mdb Don't use: Gameboy.mdb There's nothing wrong with the second one, but the first one has more information and was just finished last year.

So once you donate, you bought it? Once you bought it, it's yours. Once it's yours, it's your problem?

One way would be to include a clip of the background in the image. Use Photoshop (or whatever) to alpha blend the images and then save them with a solid background. You would have to be VERY careful of where the image was located to avoid mismatches if you don't use a solid background though. This isn't as easy as blending, but it could work and give you the same effect.

No, you can't do what he's asking via the command line. The command line options will allow you to launch GameEx and update a list or use a different config, but you are still using the same set of database files that are stored in the same location in the GameEx directory structure. To accomplish having multiple lists without having to change settings and rebuild your list each time, you need to have different locations for those databases. That CANNOT be changed and so it is impossible to do. You need two installs to do this ATM...

That would be the easiest way to go. As far as I know, there's no reason it wouldn't work having 2 copies installed as I don't believe the registry entries point to a specific install location. You can try by just renaming the GameEx directory and giving it a try. As long as it works (it should), you should be able to have 2 copies and change the config for the second. Yes, you just have 2 links, one for each one. 1) GameEx 2) GameEx (Mature) for example...

Just curious if there was an ETA for when the Torrent will be updated to the full meal deal? No rush, I just happened to check the tracker yesterday and didn't see it updated. Thanks for the hard work Circo!