Game Loading Screens

[starbuck]

I am using the MegaMame theme.

Would like to have a screen show before each game loading such as the ones attached.. I believe I just need a bat file showing the png file in the start before. Any ideas. As my Gimp skills improve, I may go ahead and change the black backgrounds to the brick that the theme is using.

[Tom Speirs]

You could try setting the images to be used via the "Instructions" path in the setup wizard for each emulator. You can manually set a single file to be used and they show when GameEx launches a game. That shoujld work for you without having to do anything complex.

[starbuck]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply. By "Instructions" path, do you mean the option to enter help???

[Tom Speirs]

Sorry, its "controls" path. I think there is an instructions path too but its not in the setup wizard.

[starbuck]

Isn't the control path what we use to show the controls.? I have yet to set up the controls from Adultry that he made for his theme. But want to. To use them its my understanding that the picture name must match the emulators name. So using that path will not allow me to show controls.

I tried this with the loading screens and nothing shows. I pointed controls to the loading screens directory and renamed them to the consoles name, but nothing shpows up.

[nullPointer]

The snaps have to match either the name of the ROM being loaded, or you can have one single snap that displays for all games regardless of what's being loaded. In the case of the latter you must specify the full file path for your single image (i.e. "C:\My Directory\My Image.png").

[starbuck]

Morning nullPointer,

I don't want the above screens to show up as a snap etc. I want the screen to show up full screen before the game loads like the control panel does for each emulator.

[nullPointer]

Oh sorry about that! I was saying 'snap' when referring to the control image(s). I thought we were still talking about the controls path?

[Tom Speirs]

  On 3/30/2012 at 7:02 PM, starbuck said:

I want the screen to show up full screen before the game loads like the control panel does for each emulator.

That is what it does.

[Draco1962]

  On 3/29/2012 at 12:42 PM, starbuck said:

I am using the MegaMame theme.

Would like to have a screen show before each game loading such as the ones attached.. I believe I just need a bat file showing the png file in the start before. Any ideas. As my Gimp skills improve, I may go ahead and change the black backgrounds to the brick that the theme is using.

Just to save you a few steps in the brick laying department... enjoy!

Bricks.zip

[starbuck]

Thanks Draco

[starbuck]

Tom

Would it be possible to add a second control path, so a user could see the loading scrren and then the control panel screen before a game loads. Also then we still have the flexability to hit a button and still have the control panel come up, if we need it and not the game loading screen.

[Draco1962]

  On 3/31/2012 at 1:48 PM, starbuck said:

Thanks Draco

You're welcome. Have you had a chance to play with creating pattern files with GIMP? There are quite a few already created that you can modify and use to create brick and other textures. Let me know if you need any help or advice regarding!

[Tom Speirs]

  On 3/31/2012 at 1:52 PM, starbuck said:

Tom

Would it be possible to add a second control path, so a user could see the loading scrren and then the control panel screen before a game loads. Also then we still have the flexability to hit a button and still have the control panel come up, if we need it and not the game loading screen.

I think this is already done, via the instructions path. Unfortunatly I dont think the setting is in the setyup wizard. I will add it for the next release.

[Tom Speirs]

I just checked, and yeah there is an additional instructions path "InstructionsPath".

I am adding to the setup wizard now for the next release.

Cheers.

Tom.

[Adultery]

Oh great! Just what I need, more images to customize! LOL!

You should share your set Starbuck! Especially since I just happen to use that theme.

And here's the pattern I use in it if you wanted to be a purist about it:

[starbuck]

Thanks all,

This goes back to a thread I wrote awhie back about others making screens to supplimate existing themes. We have so many great themes available and many more coming. A thread where we could submit new screens for the existing themes would be great.

On that note: Adultery do ya think this would look better with the darker brick in place of the black. If so I'll just have to learn how do that. Always a purist. You can't do wrong with perfection .

[Draco1962]

I think a slightly darker, redder brick would look great as well. You can take the original file Adultery provided, load it in GIMP, and adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness (and possibly contrast) settings to get the effect you are after.

[starbuck]

Being since I too, am a purist, Maybe Adultery can upload his dark brick file, so everything matches exactly.

[Adultery]

Sure.

Happy to be of service.

[starbuck]

Thank you

[starbuck]

Here are my first set of loading screens. I have them indivdually and as a zip for all. I have shown here the first 7 and the rest in the following post.

Special thanks to Adultry for a great theme. Also thanks to Tom and the others for their help.

[starbuck]

And the balance.

[Draco1962]

If it isn't too much to ask, can you provide .xcf and.psd files? That way, others can add their own backgrounds to adapt your fine work for use with their themes!

[starbuck]

I'll go back into Gimp and figure out how to do that and upload them.