Newbie Question

[acfixer67]

I found this issue on an older post , but no resolution was given.

I am have an issue with custom text & Mame Game Favorites as follows. Im using Mame32 as well.

Also Noted that I do NOT have a Mame.Favorites.INI File if that matters .

From the research I have done , I think I need to edit my data,mdb in the GameEx - Data Folder. since it contains the Favorites List for GameEX.

What program do I need to Open and Edit this File?

Or am I traveling down the wrong road?

My Current Issue:

I am using Custom Text and have changed text for Mame Games to Coin-Op Games , I can see and play all games as normal from all menu item lists untill you have the Favorites - Start Paged Showing

I have in my Favorites List as follows: Atari 2600 , Coin-Op Games , Nintendo NES Etc...

All selectable list options work ok with (1) exception:--: By Name, By Catagory Etc , the Coin-Op Games (Game Names) are visable and play ok - No Issues.

Now By System -- Is another story

The Text -- Coin-Op Games is shown , but when I select it --- I get ( No Games Found)

All other emulators work ok , No Issues , in the By System Catagory

Can anybody shed some light on what I need to do.

I have ran Upodate List twice -- No Help

Thanks,

acfixer

[AlphaUMi]

Use Microsoft Access or Open Office (should have compatibility for mdb files, but not sure).

Regarding your second question... well, I've never used Custom Text, but want to suggest a very simple alternative: edit GameEx.ini (in GameEx\CONFIG folder) and search for the section [TEXT]. Now search the entries you want to change... and change them as you want.

It should work. Make a backup of your GameEx.ini before trying, just in case...

[acfixer67]

Please Help......

In Set-Up Wizzard you have an option for custom text ... OK

Why are we given this option ????? If you CANNOT change it.. Im sorry to rant here but I've spent about 24 total working hours researching and troubleshooting my issue. No luck

I want to change the Start Page name ----- Instead of seeing start.... , I want to see something else.

I also want to Change my Mame List name --- From Mame to Coin-Op , when this is changed the mame games wont display from the Favorites Menu -Search By System -- Coin-Op Games -- (No Games Found) is displayed.

Custom Text selected , I have completly removed and reinstalled GameEx -- No help

I have tried different themes --- No help

I have opened Menu Editor - I can change my Start... page name to what I want , but then I loose all other options within my current theme , with-out completely rebuilding the menu.

Is there ANYBODY that has used custom text and have it working for ALL , customizable options?

I guess I'm not fully understanding this option.

I cant seem to get the (?) to display info when in Set-Up Wizzard , when Im on the Text page , all other pages I get a pop-up messasge.

There has to be a SIMPLE solution to my hair pulling experience......

acfixer

[Draco1962]

Acfixer - welcome to the GameEx fourms. I have taken the liberty of merging your last post which was setup as a new thread as opposed to continuing your original post (which I had extracted from a long since dead thread as well).

There is likely not going to be one solution that is going to fix the several different issues you are having. Some options will require that you use Custom Menus. Others, modifying the Custom Text. You have already discovered that you cannot change Start within Custom Text as it does not exist there as an option that is changeable.

I know you are excited to get things ordered the way that you want them to appear. I will ask that you be patient as there are quite a few folks here that are willing to help, but it may take some time to respond, especially from those in the US that may be on holiday or entertaining family on the long weekend.

[AlphaUMi]

Although what Draco said is absolutely true, please follow my instructions, as I think I have a workaround simple enough for you to follow...

1) Forgive Custom Menus for the purpose you have at the moment.

2) Forgive Custom Text.

3) Be sure you have default options if you messed up with custom menus and/or custom text.

Now to the funny part:

A) Go to GameEx\CONFIG\ folder and locate a file called GameEx.ini

Make a COPY of this file and save it in another folder, for example in My Documents. This is a precaution, just in case...

C) Open GameEx.ini with a text editor such as Notepad

D) Search the following text:

Start=Start..

Replace "Start.." after the "=" with whatever you want.

E) Search the following text:

StartMAME=MAME

Replace "MAME" after the "=" with Coin-Up

F) Save the file and run GameEx.

I'm relatively confident that this procedure will work. If not, restore your original GameEx.ini that you backed up... and then I will surrender...

But I think that this is worth a try.

Ah... please, in any case don't forget to let us know if it works or not!

[acfixer67]

Thanks for the reply , I have tried it but again - No Luck on part of it anyway.

I have my start page (Text) changed , operator error , I got confused @ the top of the page (Of Custom Text) you have an option for GameEx Start Page. I FINALLY realized that this was for the optional (Flash Games) menu - that's why I was not seeing that change. Towards the botton of the same list , I found the word start... , thats what I was looking for - and it worked.

I also realized that you cannot modify a - Default Theme (AKA Version 1) you have to convert it to a version 2. (Google Search)

Is this correct?

Can someone post the differences between the versions of themes? so i have it clear , I think there are 4 versions.

I will play with the other issue; I can change the (Mame List) name from MAME to Arcade - Coin-Op. and play them but still cannot play them from Favorites , if you search (By System) , I get (No Games Found) - I can see it changed in the (GameEX.INI) folder, I am thinking it's tied to mame favorites. So, it appears to be a game of trial and error. I made a back-up copy of the folder , as you suggested.

All in All, I am learning GameEx, and find it to be well above Maximus Arcade , I liked the interface of his but it lacks all the extra perks and functionality of GameEx, and the support appears to have died off

I was using M/A with my keyboard set-up that I hardly played , and now I have my 34 year dream of being able to play arcade quality games with the same feel to it (My Cabinet Built). Im in Heaven. I can still remember the day, I dropped my 1st quarter in Space Invaders way back in 1978.

Thanks,

acfixer

[AlphaUMi]

All in All, I am learning GameEx, and find it to be well above Maximus Arcade , I liked the interface of his but it lacks all the extra perks and functionality of GameEx, and the support appears to have died off

I was using M/A with my keyboard set-up that I hardly played , and now I have my 34 year dream of being able to play arcade quality games with the same feel to it (My Cabinet Built). Im in Heaven. I can still remember the day, I dropped my 1st quarter in Space Invaders way back in 1978.

Thanks,

acfixer

So it seems that, in the end, you are satisfied! And it couldn't be otherwise. Think that you can make your cabinet more than an emulator launcher, it could be an HTPC with which you can listen to your music, watch videos, and provided that it is connected to internet, you can watch youtube videos, listen to radio stations....

Ok... this is NOT advertising at all... just my admiration for such a wonderful program!

Let's come to your issues....

If I understand it correctly, my suggestions turned up to give you an error... sorry for that. The fact is that they waere just a guess.

Lesson learned: don't touch the [TEXT] section.

Please, since this is the first time I heard about someone who's using custom text, could you please tell us where GameEx saves such informations (I mean folder\filename.ext)?

Regards, Alpha.

[acfixer67]

In a nutshell,

I have singled it down to this:

In custom text if you rename the line: MAME List to something other than (MAME)

When you are on the Favorites Page in GameEx , and you select (By System) you will see - No Games Found. (Only for MAME Games) So somewhere it is not linking correctly.

Im going to play around with it and see if I can get it to work , I just thought someone on here would have an easy fix. So i guess I will be the testing pig.

I did notice that I do not have a mame.favorites in my mame32 folder , is this possibly my issue?

You info did not give me an error, this was my issue from the start , however so trivial. I will eventually find a resolution.

acfixer