Custom Backgrounds

[Krakerman]

Ok I want to do the following create a custom menu with PC Games inside there I want to have a set background image for the PC Games listing. Now when I select a game and it goes to another screen to ask if you want to play it I want a custom background for that as well. Basically I want each of my games to have it's own custom background. What would be the best way to achieve this if possible.

So I want each game like Crysis, Half-Life, Quake III Arena to have custom backgrounds for those game plus alot more that I am making. If not then Tom is it possible to implement this somehow into GameEx?

Thanks guys

[Adultery]

Unless you set each game up as it's own emulator and then group them this is not possible. This method will require a lot of work for you though.

[starbuck]

I actually asked for this feature awhile back. As of now it is not possible but I'd bet Tom is working on it. I wanted to have a forground each system as well as each game under that system. Thought we might be able to have a topic in the forum to put the various fortegrounds we made for all to share. I invisioned taking a foreground and inserting it for the forground in Draco's Space Invaders theme. If you madde the forground with the same openings as his forground, you would simply switch forgrounds for each system or game. I know I simplfied it and i'm sure it would be alot harder to do it. Do think the commuinity would jump in and make lots of foregrounds to share.

[Krakerman]

Yes indeed ... implementing such a feature will make our themes scream!! I'm already making alot of game background and foregrounds for my theme so hopefully Tom can implement this feature some day!!I already have another topic on the GameEx Arcade backgrounds as well as it's missing this feature too.

[Adultery]

I still think this feature is way more work than reward, but to each their own.

It makes for a while bunch of extra code and takes away loading speed/performance.

/end my 2c

[celly]

Agreed, lots of work for a custom background for every game. But, if it was the games that you play the most then why not. Like, your favorites.

[Krakerman]

Agreed, lots of work for a custom background for every game. But, if it was the games that you play the most then why not. Like, your favorites.

It could be left up to each person if they want it or not. Tom could make an enable/disbale feature for it possibly. The community could make more back/foregrounds for there favorite themes if they choose so since most themes now include all the files they need to do so. I am making all the images for mine as I like doing it (now that I know how to do it) and want my HTPC/Arcade cab to look it's best!!

I as well as alot of others like the flashiness of programs like Hyperspin or AtomicFE, but GameEx is way easier to use but with this feature it can really seperate the men from the boys if you ask me. If you could only see what I'm working on then you would see the potential in it !

So as it stands my theme is at a halt as GameEx is not allowing me to go any further with it. To me it feels like the engine is only running at 80%, but with this option we could be hitting the Nitro Boost button and go at 110%. So many possiblities think about it.

[Draco1962]

If you were so inclined to learn how, you could probably build what you are suggesting as a web page or series of web pages locally hosted on your own machine. Having built a few in the distant past, once you get the hang of it it isn't that difficult, especially with the abundance of free or inexpensive web authoring tools.

[Krakerman]

Ah hah!!!!!

I got a great workaround and it works perfectly!!!!!! I tricked the system and it works perfect just what I wanted.

I created a emulator group called it Games for Windows, but the very first emulator that I set up I created a blank setup so it doesn't find anything in that folder but created a custom background for that emulator so when you goto the Games for Windows all it will do is display the custom background and foreground but will only list the games that have been found in the other emulators in the group. Hope I didn't lose anyone trying to explain it but it does exactly what I been trying to do so each game can now have a custom back/foreground and the Games for Windows can have a back/freground as well so Tom wouldn't have to implement it. Still would be nice and much easier to do if it was, but this trick works as well !!!

[Adultery]

Well after reading everything it got me thinking...

Couldn't you just add another artwork path that points to a folder of images for each game specifically to load up as backgrounds with the 2nd layer (_FOREGROUND) and load an image to display as the background for each game's rom name? That shouldn't be too hard as it really only adds one field in advanced emu setup (as long as theme elements aren't changed)...

Like the controls image it could have a static image too for systems you don't have game screens for?

The thing it's though they would need to be consistent with lists and stuff, so this is pretty theme dependent and would be tough to share.

[Krakerman]

Read my post above Adultery!

This works beautifully as the first emulator in the group doesn't find anything so it will not display anything except for the custom background, but all the other emulators you setup in that group will and they each have a custom back/foreground.So when you goto the Games for Windows it can have a custom background which will list all your games then when you select each game they too can have a custom background! How cool is that my friend

[Adultery]

I tried but you lost me at 'groups'. It doesn't have to be that complicated. The artwork method just seems easier to program since gameex can do all that natively already... Just add the call to that field. I still worry about share problems though. Still could see it working. You'd just really have to be committed to the theme you're using!

Man it seems like alot of work for the designer though.

[Draco1962]

Read my post above Adultery!

This works beautifully as the first emulator in the group doesn't find anything so it will not display anything except for the custom background, but all the other emulators you setup in that group will and they each have a custom back/foreground.So when you goto the Games for Windows it can have a custom background which will list all your games then when you select each game they too can have a custom background! How cool is that my friend

Care to share some pictures or video of it in action? Might also share an export of your configs... hmm?

[Krakerman]

Ok this will be long and hopefully this can better tell you how to do this. First I have a custom menu which I created a new menu called PC Gaming within that menu I created a new item called it Games for Windows which I set the item type to Emulator Group and I set the properties to point to Games For Windows which I will explain next as this is the Emulator Group I made.

Next...

I created an Emulator Group called it Games for Windows and point it to where I setup my PC Games I want to be listed under the Games for Windows menu. For example:

Select Emulator Group=Games for Windows

Enabled=Yes

Start Page Name=Games for Windows

Title Text=Games for Windows

Logo=

Emulators=106;107;108 (Can be wherever you create your PC games emulator setup)

Under Emu Menu=Yes

Next...

I setup my PC Games to be setup under GameEx under Emulator 106 (Will be my dummy emulator only so it can display the background image for Games for Windows), 107 (Will be Crysis), 108(Will be Crysis Warhead)

Here is the config for the emulators:

[Emulator_106]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=Games for Windows

TITLETEXT=Games for Windows

StartPageLogo=

WorkingPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\

RomPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\

ROMFilter=*.blk

Command=""[ROMPath]\[RomFile]""

SnapPath=

MapKeys=False

CustomBackground=Back - Games for Windows.png

SelectionMusicFolder=

DATABASE=

ReplaceDash=False

ReplaceUnder=False

Capitals=False

RemoveBrackets=False

ShowDesktop=True

Debug=False

[Emulator_107]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=Crysis Warhead

TITLETEXT=Crysis Warhead

StartPageLogo=

WorkingPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games

RomPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games

ROMFilter=crysis warhead.url

Command=""[ROMPath]\[RomFile]""

SnapPath=C:\GameEx\Box Scans\Steam

DATABASE=

MapKeys=False

ReplaceDash=False

ReplaceUnder=True

Capitals=False

RemoveBrackets=True

ShowDesktop=True

Debug=False

SelectionMusicFolder=

CustomBackground=Back - PC_Crysis Warhead.png

Emulator_108]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=Crysis

TITLETEXT=Crysis

StartPageLogo=

WorkingPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games

RomPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games

ROMFilter=crysis.url

Command=""[ROMPath]\[RomFile]""

SnapPath=C:\GameEx\Box Scans\Steam

DATABASE=

MapKeys=False

ReplaceDash=False

ReplaceUnder=True

Capitals=False

RemoveBrackets=True

ShowDesktop=True

Debug=False

SelectionMusicFolder=

CustomBackground=Back - PC_Crysis.png

Ok so under [Emulator_108] the rom filter should be anything it will not find in that folder so it won't list any games or files under Games for Windows all the Emulator 106 purpose will be to display a background image when you go into the Games for Windows folder. However it will list Crysis and Crysis Warhead thou in that folder, but with the Games for Windows background. Now when you select Crysis or Crysis Warhead it will goto it's menu with the background image for each game/emulator that you put in this group. So each PC game has to be setup as an emulator and setup in the Emulator Group which I named Games For Windows which happens to be Emulator Group 8. Here is a peek at my Emulator Group config:

[EmulatorGroup_8]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=Games for Windows

TITLETEXT=Games for Windows

StartPageLogo=

Emulators=106;107;108

ShowUnderEmulators=True

Emulators can be out of order, but the first one must point to the Emulator [Emulator_106]=Games for Windows so you can have Emulators in the Group look like:

Emulators=108;106;107 if you had [Emulator_108] as the Games for Windows emulator instead of [Emulator_106].

Understand that better

[Krakerman]

Under [Emulator_106] I have no files in the folder with the extension *.blk That is why it won't list any files. It will thou display the background image for this Emulator when you goto this folder as it is the first emulator it finds. Try it and you'll see what I'm talking about

You do need to setup the emulator thou so GameEx thinks there is an active emulator. Even thou it really isn't going to be used as one.It's only purpose is to display the background image for Games for Windows so you can have a folder with it's own image then all the emulators in that folder can have there own as well.

[Adultery]

See that's what I mean. There's a much easier way to impliment this that everyone can use. Especially if one were so inclined to make one for each MAME game, or each NES game, etc.

Otherwise you're making thousands of emulators. Right?

[Krakerman]

Yes each game has to be an emulator which is why I want Tom to implement this into GameEx so you don't have to do it this way. Until he does this is the only way to do it my friend.That is why I started this topic so Tom could implement this, but you got me thinking of how to do it. SO after thinking about it this is the workaround I came up with and it does exactly what I want it to do. I don't have a million games that I'm gonna put in but I do what to add a few that I like and Crysis series and a few others I'm adding. I might even add games like Super Mario War as I have a great background image for that as well for my theme. Now each of my games I add to my HTPC will be more customized and to my liking. It looks more Hyperspin'ish per say.

[Krakerman]

So I had to make some minor fixes to this. I had to make individual folders for each game to be in.

ROMFilter=*.url

WorkingPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games\Crysis

RomPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games\Crysis

ROMFilter=*.url

WorkingPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games\Crysis Warhead

RomPath=C:\GameEx\Batch Files\PC Games\Crysis Warhead

Also had to add:

WaitBeforeKeys=20000

configFile=Steam - PC Games

To each of the emulators for the Steam games to run perfectly forgot to add that in the first time sorry! Since thee are Steam games on my system you have to use the advance config file for them to work which has been posted about before.

[starbuck]

I tried but you lost me at 'groups'. It doesn't have to be that complicated. The artwork method just seems easier to program since gameex can do all that natively already... Just add the call to that field. I still worry about share problems though. Still could see it working. You'd just really have to be committed to the theme you're using!

Man it seems like alot of work for the designer though.

Maybe not.

I seem to recall that if you don't put in an image in the theme you are using, it defaults to the image in the default theme that Tom has set up. If that is the case you could put all your foregrounds and backgroups in that default theme and no matter what theme you use it would use those default images.

[Draco1962]

My guess is to do it that way would require that the image would have to match whatever the naming convention is of the file, lnk, whatever, and would require a db, etc. in order to function as if it were an emu background. I seem to recall that opening the db's in a thread was an issue because it was loading all db's and not just the one being used. This would just add to that if a db was necessary to accomplish what you are wanting.