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Not sure how I missed this before, but that updating screen looks frigging sweet Adultery! I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

After the positive feedback from you guys, I'm going to take a step back and retool these images to be a full 1080p. I'll just have to tell my TV to suck it up! (at least they'll be future-proof should a decide to upgrade my TV) I figure if I'm releasing something that others might be interested in, I might as well release it in a more preferable resolution. Additionally I plan on adding more primary controllers to the mix so that some of the more popular choices are represented (I'm thinking an Xbox 360 controller, and a DualShock 3). That way if anyone wants to incorporate these images into their system, some of the work is already done for them. Thanks again for the feedback! I'll post the whole works once I get the above changes made, and add more emulated systems to the layout.

Congrats Draco! Man, if your dedication around here is any indication of your professional dedication, those guys just made the best hire of their careers!

Yeah immediately after I posted, I started thinking about some of the ramifications of what I was asking. There's even a couple sites I omitted for that reason. Man I couldnâ??t agree more! This community is one of the few forums I actually refer to as a community. Our members are absolutely top notch in both their knowledge and general attitudes. A lot of the BS that happens in other emulation forums simply does not happen here. Having said that, what Iâ??m really interested in is finding an emulation based website or blog that takes an article based format. Iâ??m not entirely convinced that such a thing exists. Iâ??d like to see articles on new emulators and versions of emulators exploring functionality and new features in the programs (beyond simply reading change logs, as entertaining as that is ). Iâ??d like to see reviews of new emulators and emulator versions. Iâ??d like to see interviews with various personalities in the emulation community. Itâ??s not so much that Iâ??m looking for â??How-Toâ?? type information, as I feel that sort of thing is fairly well represented (especially right here as pointed out by fRequEnCy). Iâ??d like to see definitive head to head comparisons between emulators and emulator front-ends. I'd like to see features on peoples various setups, and project builds for arcade cabinets. I dunno, maybe Iâ??m pining for something that doesnâ??t exist (although Racketboy used to do some of this). It just seems to me that other serious hobbies requiring the sort of dedication that ours does generally have some form of related publications and media which are unrelated to any one specific product. To me it just seems like our hobby is not as well represented in this area, and as enthusiastic as most of us are I find it somewhat surprising. Of course this whole line of thought goes off the rails as soon as someone asks, â??If you want it so bad, why donâ??t you start one?.â? And well, yeah that would be great, and OH HEY LOOK A KITTEN! [Runs and hides]

First let me say that I probably spend more time in these forums than I spend anywhere else on the internet. These forums are simply the best. Having said that, man cannot survive on bread alone. I’m curious what other web sites the GameEx community relies on for emulation and gaming information. Good emulation sites seem rather hard to come by, so in some ways I’m more interested in discovering new sites with a focus on emulation. Having said that, I’m still always keen to check out good gaming sites, though I prefer those that focus on retro-historic systems (since that's kind of what I am ). Any good gaming podcasts I should check out? Here’s a few sites I frequent semi-regularly: Emulation Build Your Own Arcade Forums – Awesome forums and a great community. I always find something interesting here, but I don’t have an arcade cabinet so a lot of it goes right over my head. Someday I’ll start that project . . . Ngemu.com (and its associated forums) – Sort of indifferent about this one. It's a relatively good source of emulation news. Most of the users seem to be either involved in the development of emulators (which is awesome), or snarky 15 year olds (which is well . . . not so much). General gaming RetroGaming with Racketboy – This has been my favorite general gaming site for a number of years. I’d love to find more sites in this vein. Somehow, this reminds me of some of the gaming sites I used to frequent in the late 90s Podcasts – To be honest I don’t listen to/watch podcasts on any sort of a regular basis, so I don’t really have any favorites. I’d love to hear about any good ones that focus on gaming or emulation though.

Hey thanks a lot fellas! Seriously, the idea to throw this stuff together would have never even occurred to me without inspiration from you guys. I'm learning about some new apps along the way, so really thank you for giving me the motivation to learn! @Draco – I actually borrowed the idea for my layering scheme from your XCF/PSD logos. If not for that, I probably would have ended up with a separate XCF for every system (instead of one XCF with separate layers for each system). Here’s how I have the XCF background image layered (additional systems will be plugged in as new layers ). Primary_Controller - (this is the RumblePad image) Logo_NES Ctrlr_NES Logo_SNES Ctrlr_SNES GameEx_Bubble – (The lower left cutout) Grid – (I like the look of the grid for now, but may change my mind later) Backdrop – (Forgot to mention that I took this from a Windows wallpaper site and resized it) After edits are made to the background I plug that entire image into the background layer of the SVG graphic. The layering scheme for the SVG looks like this: Button_Guide – (This is where all the buttons and ‘lenses’ reside, keeping them in the SVG makes them a lot easier to position and scale as needed. I’ve considered putting the buttons and lenses on separate layers, but right now it seems like unnecessary overhead) Background – (Flattened version of the XCF from above – it would be awesome if Inkscape could import XCF layers natively). I think I’m at the point now where I can churn through my various systems relatively quickly (key term being relatively ). Not sure how interested others would be in the XCF/SVG files, but feel free to let me know if anyone wants to have a look. Lastly a question: If I export a PSD from GIMP will it accurately preserve the layers? (I don’t have Photoshop to test this out) Thanks again guys!

@ehuonder Great suggestions! The Toggle Mask feature works like a champ! Thanks again. Here's a preview of the controller images I've been working on for my HTPC setup. Currently they're in 720p so they may not be appropriate for all setups (that's all my crappy TV can handle at the moment). I created the background image with GIMP using logos from Draco (Thanks Draco! ), and the vectorized GameEx logo found here (not sure who made that). All the buttons and 'lens' graphics are vector graphics I created with Inkscape. The first image contains the vector graphics for all the button shapes I could think of (I'm still working on different shapes for Turbo buttons and other 'alternate function' buttons). Starting with GIMP, I add the appropriate system images to the background layer (the logo, and the appropriate controller image) and plug that background into the button template seen here. Using the button template, I select the buttons appropriate to the system being emulated, add the pointer lines, and save it off. The finished product will end up looking like the second picture. All of this is a work in progress, but I'm hoping to create controller images for all my emulated systems. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks again for all the help and inspiration guys!

Awesome! Thanks a lot for the tips guys! I'll experiment with running some manipulation against the background before removing the foreground image. I'll post some results as I get closer to having something presentable. @Draco: Many thanks once again for your excellent logos and themes! As I'm learning more about GIMP I keep on referring back to your logos and themes for inspiration as to what would look 'right' in GameEx. Regarding Inkscape, I'm really digging this application. As near as I can tell it can perform any of the vector operations that Fireworks could, and in many cases seems to do a better job. My one qualm so far is that it could really benefit from a layers panel. @Adultery: It was actually your controller images that inspired me to do something similar for my HTPC setup. I don't have the time right now to devote to making an entire theme (at least not one that I would be happy with), but working on these controller images helps me to get my feet wet at least. Thanks for the motivation! And by the way - major, major props on the way you've lined up sponsors and prizes for the theme competition. I wish I had the time to put together a nice theme, since, wow, those prizes are amazing! Lastly, regarding the dockable panels in GIMP, I just saw this on my lunch break: New GIMP Release Has Working Single-Window Mode Sweet Deal! Edit: Regarding the layers panel in Inkscape I just found this: Inkscape: Layer Dialog Seriously loving this app!

I’m using a combination of GIMP and Inkscape to do some image editing and creation. I’m learning the ropes for both of these programs, but have used Fireworks for a number of years. I’m finally making the switch since I figured it was high time that . . . ahem . . . I go legit (if you know what I’m saying ) . I’m using GIMP for bitmap manipulation, but prefer the vector capabilities of Inkscape for creating new graphics. These programs seem to cooperate fairly well together. I’ve got a couple questions for the local GIMP masters around here. I’ve been working with Draco's logo packs in order to leverage his awesome talents into some controller images I’ve been working on. So my first question is: Hey Draco, is it alright if I’m modifying your images for my personal use? Specifically I’m using GIMP to remove the backgrounds from the logos so that the backdrop is purely transparent. To that end I’ve been tracing paths around the stuff I want to keep and removing the backdrop via the wand tool. This can be time consuming depending upon the complexity of the images I’m tracing. The other downside of this technique is that the ‘foreground’ image ends up with a thin line around it. It's not terribly noticeable so long as my lines are crisp and I use a neutral line color. I’m sort of OK with that part. (An argument could be made that I should use the lasso tool rather than tracing a path, but what can I say I’m much better at playing connect the dots than I am at freehand artwork ) This leads me to my next question (for you GIMP masters): Is there a better and/or preferred method for pulling this off? A faster technique would be fantastic. Perhaps this just amounts to needing more practice? Additionally I’d like to do away with the tracing line resulting from my current technique. Finally one last bonus question: What’s a good technique for managing all those floating panels in GIMP!? Perhaps I just need to hook up a second monitor and move the panels there, but it sure would be sweet if I could dock those suckers! Thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestions!

So I just had a revelation! (and yes I'm still recovering from the mental exertion). I'm probably reading between the lines a bit here, but cross referencing this post with your recent issues regarding topmost foreground images . . . Does that mean your Steampunk theme is going to utilize the Foreground image layer!? I'm already pumped for this theme, but that would be the icing on a delicious cake! Of course if spoilers are involved . . . perhaps it's best to leave us in the dark

Happy Birthday fReq! In the kingdom of GameEx you are a titan among men. Thanks for all the help you've given the community over the years! I'm almost certain that you've bailed out each and every one of us at one time or another. Thanks again!

Wow a Steampunk theme would be awesome Draco! Really looking forward to seeing how this develops! As an aside Sky Captain is generally regarded as Dieselpunk . . . Oh crap - sorry, I just turned into that guy. Slinks off only to be consumed in arcane geek lore that no one in their right mind could possibly care about . . .

Hi guys. Sorry for the late response, I spent the weekend with my family in Fairmont Hot Springs. Our two year old twins had a blast in the pools (and were exhausted at the end of the day). Any hoo, figured I'd clarify a bit regarding symbolic links. Basically they're like windows shortcuts on steroids. The symbolic link sort of funnels everything into the directory it points at. You can also think of it as a redirect. You can treat a symbolic link as itâ??s own directory (i.e. it shows up separately in Windows Explorer), but it simply points at its target directory. You end up with two 'logical' directories, but only one 'physical' directory. In short you still have only one directory that contains both videos and snaps, but you have two directories that point at it: E:\Emulation\Assets\System\Snaps >>>> Same physical directory with Snaps and Vids E:\Emulation\Assets\System\Videos >>> Same physical directory with Snaps and Vids This solution doesn't help keep everything organized by type, but it does save some overhead so that when the Emumovies Download service looks for its default directory names it will automatically download content into the correct GameEx friendly directory (via the symbolic link). Wow, that was sort of a long winded response. tl;dr: If youâ??re into Windows geekery and donâ??t mind using the command line, symbolic links provide a temporary workaround for a minor problem that may or may not go away in the near future.

I would definitely second the suggestion of separate snap and video directories in GameEx. Having said that, if you're primarily concerned about the Download Service Utility working in a seamless fashion you could use a symbolic link for either your snaps or videos directory (depending on your version of windows). That way the download service will automatically combine your videos and snaps in such a way as to be GameEx friendly. This was a great suggestion that fRequEnCy proposed a while back.

Good luck Draco! It's a noble cause, and they would be lucky to have you in their corner.

I also like number 2 from the first set. I picked it out before I read any of the other comments so that my opinion wouldn't be biased. Of the most recent set, I like the one with the black hex pattern (number 2). On the other two, the contrast between the black border of the Atari logo and the contrasting color of the hex pattern seems to break the visual continuity. Overall I still like the original number 2 the best. Great work as always!

No problem, hope it helps! As a foot note to the thread I mentioned above, I believe that this is the more widely accepted method for re-enabling DirectInput in MAME (rather than the method proposed earlier in that thread):

Agreed that this sounds like the wrong ROM version for your version of MAME. If that is the case you'll probably want to audit the rest of your ROMS for your version of MAME (or alternately roll back your version of MAME). I'd be pretty surprised if Arkanoid was the only game affected by this. I personally use clrmamepro for these purposes, but there are a few other choices out there. I'm sure another member can point you in the right direction if you'd rather use a different auditing program. Here's the clrmamepro home page: http://mamedev.emulab.it/clrmamepro/ Please refer to the following forum post for tutorial links regarding clrmamepro: http://www.dadsfme.co.uk/index.php?topic=2616.0 You'll still need to update your ROMs (unless you roll back your version of MAME), but clrmamepro will at least tell you everything that needs fixing. It may even fix the problem altogether if it comes down to a simple naming conflict. Good luck with everything!

I think the issue here is that at some point MAME shifted to only accepting raw input rather than DirectInput (not sure what version made this change). The good news is that you should be able to make an adjustment to the MAME source code, and recompile which will re-enable support for DirectInput. I'm not sure if this is working in the latest versions, but I haven't heard otherwise. Here is a thread you might find interesting: XPadder MAME mod You can find additional information on this over at the BYOAC forums (searching for DirectInput in the Software forum brings up a number of related results). I feel your pain on this one. I have a pet peeve about emulators that don't recognize DirectInput, as I feel it sort of hobbles the functionality of the emulator (at least in terms of helper programs like Xpadder, AHK, etc.). Good Luck!

If the taskkill command doesn't work for you, you might want to give the tskill command a shot. Not sure what OS you're using but taskkill wasn't available in all versions of XP. I'm not sure about the various flavors of Vista, but I think it's available in all versions of Windows 7 taskkill vs. tskill Good luck!

I just found this out. Hide Desktop makes the table not show (though VPMAME still shows). Guess that's why VP requires Show Desktop to be set to true. Yes and no. Any emulator running with show desktop set to true runs some risk of displaying the desktop for a split second when it returns to GameEx, you know since it's, uh . . . showing the desktop. This may be one of those situations in which GameEx can only do so much to accommodate the emulator, before the emulator itself must change to accommodate the frontend. Kind of a catch-22. On the other hand, perhaps someone can write some sort of whiz bang script to circumvent the above behavior, since we're already deep in 'work-around' territory.

Thanks for the advice Tom! I took a look at gameex.ini and adjusted the following snippet [LIST_SETTINGS_20_EMU_2] displaybackgroundimage=True displayimagelist=True so that displayimagelist=False. Not sure whether it was carried over from your dev copy of gameex.ini, or some wierd hiccup on my machine. At any rate, this fix has resolved my issue. Thanks again!

After updating to 11.82, my game list for Atari 5200 started behaving strangely. I donâ??t think there is necessarily a direct correlation between the update and this issue, but I figured it might warrant a mention. All my game lists are set to display as text lists (Display Image/Video List is set to â??Noâ?? under the global Display Settings). The issue is that my Atari 5200 list is being displayed as an image thumbnail list (itâ??s currently displaying as if Display Image/Video List is set to â??Yesâ?? under the global Display Settings). This issue is only affecting that one list. All other lists are still properly displayed as text lists. I always figured this was a global setting, but maybe I'm wrong? Is there a local list setting somewhere that I need to tweak, or do I need to rebuild the global settings somehow? I thought about deleting the cache files from the DATA directory, but Iâ??m not sure if thatâ??s the proper solution here. I donâ??t want to inadvertently compound my issues! Speaking of which, if I do delete the cache files, do you only delete them from the top level DATA directory, or do you delete them from all sub-directories as well? (Iâ??m honestly not sure if any cache files even exist in the sub-directories, but I figure it might save me from asking at a later date). Thanks in advance for any advice!

Just wanted to post a quick update to this issue. I never could get Kat5200 to recognize analog control input (i.e. analog sticks) as valid numeric key entries (i.e. the numeric pad on the Atari 5200 controller) while in game. The part that I kept getting hung up on is that the same problem was occurring with the d-pad on my controller even though it should ostensibly be recognized as digital input. After thinking about it, I realized that I could use an input set selector in Xpadder to assign all the necessary numeric pad keys to purely digital controller buttons. Numeric entries 1-4 are assigned to shoulder buttons for input set 1 in Xpadder. When I hold down on the right analog stick (the set selector input I'm using), the shoulder buttons shift to numeric pad entries for 5-8 (input set 2). The other more commonly used numeric pad entries are assigned to other digital buttons on the controller. The weird part, is that this solution still seems to be hit or miss depending on the game (i.e. some numeric pad entries still aren't recognized for certain games - Frogger, I'm looking at you). Now I'm wondering whether the emulator is accurately emulating bugs that were present in the original carts? Either that or this emulator just doesn't get along with my controller. I dunno. At any rate, I'm mostly pleased with this solution. I'm going to go ahead and mark this as [RESOLVED]. Thanks everyone for all your input!

Awesome! Great update Tom! Proving once again your unwavering dedication to user feedback and requests (even where those requests are sometimes less than civil). This is the way all software projects should be run, maintaining a strong focus on user base. Excelsior!