[PLUGIN] Game Info Plugin

**Adultery** · July 9, 2012

Game Info Plugin

- 1.3.5 -

Game Info (In-Game)

Jukebox Info (Last.FM patch enabled)

Demo Videos

Spoiler

WHAT IS IT?
Have a secondary monitor? This plugin displays some game info on a banner on the bottom of the screen. If you use GameExtender, there's a light transparency on the form so you can see the image below it as well.

HOW DO I USE IT?

Simply set (or don't set) your extra options via the Plugin Manager's configuration, or use the command lines outlined below. You can also skin the Game Info interface to suit your tastes since the 1.0.7 update.

It's simple really... Themes go in the Game Info/Themes folder. A green "check" next to the list indicates the theme is the one applied for GameEx, and a red "X" indicates that it isn't. Press "APPLY" on any theme to start using it.

Click on the "PREVIEW" image to get an idea of what it will look like in GameEx:

WHAT DOES IT DO?
Here's a list of features so far:

The plugin keeps track of total time played for that game, and session time played. The timer view alternates every 60 seconds.
There are two main views which rotate every 5 minutes. The first displays the following
- Game Title Snap
- Game Name (or ROM name if you don't use a database for said system or no entry is found)
- System Name (your emulator's Title Text setting)
- Developer and [YEAR]
- Category
- If either of the previous two is unavailable, Number of Players is displayed
The second display includes Game Name and System Name in addition to the following:
- In Game Snap
- Last Played Data (This is the last time you played the game with the plugin enabled) and [Overall Play Count]
- Game Description if available
The current time is displayed in the lower right corner
Text now is measured against screen length and scrolls to accommodate long info (No more auto ellipse!)
Custom user-defined images for Game Mode and Attract Mode
Screensaver mode that prevents screen burn-in while Game Extender is running
Attract Mode popup shows game info when the game changes
Dialog forms that display on certain functions
Update notification if a newer version of Game Info is available (disabled by default)
Jukebox Mode that displays "Now Playing" data (REGISTERED USER FEATURE ONLY!)
Jukebox integration for the screen saver (album art displayed in the logo field) (REGISTERED USER FEATURE ONLY!)
Dialog form shows brief info about the game you select before you even start it up!
Plugin update notification lets you know if a new version of the plugin is available when you launch GameEx
Custom themeing/skinnig
If you wanted to disable it for a certain emulator, just add [NOGAMEINFO] or [NOINFO] to the emulator's command line.
To hide/show the Game Info while in a game or hide/show the jukebox info, press SHIFT+TAB
To refresh or force update the jukebox info, press SHIFT+SPACE
Integrated support for GameEx *.db3 and *.mdb files to keep better track of play times
NEW! Supports GameEx's Hi-Score competition directly *Online only feature!
Custom text for labels via the Plugin configuration
NEW! Replaces GameExtender Viewer in some situations with a more customized image viewer
NEW! Add sound effects to specific actions in the plugin's theme

WHAT IF I FIND A BUG?
Report it here! Any questions? Ask away. Feel free to offer suggestions on how I can make it better.

DOWNLOAD LOCATIONS:
This plugin can now be downloaded using GameEx's Repository Manager or via the plugin administration menu in the Setup Wizard.
Alternately you can Download @ Community Download Portal, or using the DracLabs Plugin Downloader software.

NOTES:
The font included doesn't have special language chars, so I'm not entirely sure how it'll work for you if you don't use English. I'm interested in seeing snapshots in the case of foreign languages though.

If you wanted the Last.FM features, you can download the patch here. This will modify the way the plugin behaves with the jukebox, and is a huge addition to the cool factor. Check it out!

CHANGELOG

Spoiler

1.3.3

Fix issue where Jukebox Viewer was not working

More optimizations to the jukebox viewer and Last.FM look-ups - Song data is now displayed in > 5 seconds in most cases (depending on your connection speed of course)

Fixed a bug where album and artist images were being incorrectly called/loaded

Added support for 'Mega' images from Last.FM for the Extender artist picture

Addressed some lingering 'debugging' code that needed to be optimized

A few other performance enhancements

1.3.2

Added new Extender Viewer Menu Mode!

Now can fully replace GameExtender on your 2nd monitor

Fast display updates when you select new page. No more waiting!

Tied into several menu changes

Displays Game Titles or Game Snaps

Uses your 'Attract Marquee' in your theme for the main page

Added options to set black backgrounds and stretch images for all three modes (Attract Extender, Menu Extender, Game Extender)

Lots of bug fixes and code optimizations

1.2.9 ... 1.3.1

Fixed a couple minor bugs that were only seen in Windows 10

Fixed a bug where GameExtender wasn't properly restoring after a game

Optimized GameEx Integrated Services display code (ie Steam, UPlay, GX Arcade, Daphne, MAME, etc)

Added a setting to leave your Game Tagger tag displayed while playing a game

Optimized a lot of 'old' code

Fixed a couple bugs in the displays

Updated base code to most recent versions

Many other changes and optimizations I forgot to mention

1.2.8

Updated all code bases to their most recent versions

Quite a large amount of optimizing

Brand new display handler to improve efficiency

Moved HiScore checks to new DracLabs API

Added game marquee to Hi-Score list

Added emulator INI parsing for new features

Extender Viewer now looks to the GameExtender Art Path first, which looks really nice if you set thatpath to 'Backgrounds' from EmuMovies!

This supports either a directory or a single file the same way GameEx does

Lots of exception handling was added to keep Game Info running consistantly

Huge efficiency tweak to the Last.FM code to both speed things up and improve accuracy

Many other improvements too numerous to remember

1.2.7

(Changelog Unavailable)

1.2.6

(CONFIGURATION) Added new features to the Configuration Form

New status icons showing wether features are enabled or disabled in the plugin

Added custom backgrounds option for emulators
The Game Info Viewer will now look to the folder you specify for custom Game Info Viewer backgrounds. As with any other artwork, the viewer image must be named the same as the image you wish to use

Added a Font Color override which takes effect of a custom label is found (Colors must be in HTML format)

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to enable or disable Hi-Score Snapper Co-op

(PLUGIN) Added Hi-Score Snapper plugin co-op, which displays a camera icon for Hi-Score games in the Icon Viewer while the game is running

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug on the Attract Info Viewer where pulse wasn't working properly

1.2.5

(CONFIGURATION) Major clean up to both the interface and the code behind the config form

Saves are now automatic for both emulator and overall settings so these buttons have been removed

Many options have been migrated to the toolstrip to allow more room for more options

Screen numbers are now based off the system's enumeration, taking away the need to know anything about Windows assignments

Text entries for screens have been replaced by drop down lists
To configure a screen for the plugin it mst be connected when the configuration is launched

(PLUGIN) Added new Plugin Co-op options for several DracLabs plugins, which will detect other running plugins and their running state in GameEx

Xpadder Co-op now displays an icon on the Game Info Viewer to show if Xpadder is enabled for that game or emulator

Mame Commander 2 and Mame Commander Lite bypasses for multiple screen switches have been addded

A Game Tagger viewer for the forthcoming Game Tagger Plugin has been added to the In-Game view, which will display your game tag for 30 seconds after you launch the game

(CONFIGURATION) The ability to disable plugin co-op features on the whole or individually have been added to the toolstrip under MORE>PLUGIN CO-OP SETTINGS

(PLUGIN) Added new icon images to the Game Info Viewer. Icons include:

Xpadder is running (if co-op enabled)

Xpadder is bypassed (if co-op is enabled)

MAME game available in the Hi-Score competition

Game in Favorites List

Game not yet played

Learn more about this feature here.

(PLUGIN) Code optimizations and fixes for the following features:

Game Extender Viewer

Attract Mode Info Viewer

Hi-Score User Score Table Viewer

Control Panel Viewer

(PLUGIN) Enhanced Steam support

The way information is displayed and the type shown in-game is unique to Steam games

Added a little finesse to avoid problems with Steam and multiple monitors on slower computers

(PLUGIN) Full GameBase and GameEx Arcade support

(CONFIGURATION-XML) Updated XML version to 1.2 which brings the following enhancements:

Element cleanup to move CPanel, Custom Text, and Co-op settings into the Settings tree where it should have been in the first place

Added new emulator name attribute to game nodes
The plugin will now scan and check your emulator assignments to ensure the list hasn't been sorted and correct your emulator numbers if it has, which ensures you will not lose your tracking and game data if you make configuration changes

The upgrade routine will run silently either when you launch GameEx or the configuration

(PLUGIN) Fixed SQLite support to use .NET Framework 2.0 instead of 3.0
You can safely delete the SQLite.Interop.dll file from the PLUGINS folder now, as that was dependant on the architectire of the CPU and is no longer needed to use SQLite features. This file will be removed in future GameEx updates. This also fixes a plugin crash on machines that did not have .NET FW 3.0 installed.

(PLUGIN) Pressing SHIFT+SPACE now hides and shows the Control Panel Viewer

(PLUGIN) Pressing SHIFT+TAB now hides all visual elements controlled by Game Info instead of just hiding the Game Info viewer

(LAST.FM) Last.FM support got a long overdue re-write of some core features, resulting in much greater accuracy. I also added in result logging for bad or inconclusive searches, which will hwlp me correct later issues much quicker

(PLUGIN) Fixed an issue where the Control Panel was being layered over top of the Hi-Score viewer, making the Hi-Score table impossible to see

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to set opacity for all viewer windows
You can change this setting in the Tool Strip under Opacity Settings, simply set the slider to your perferred level

(PLUGIN) Added custom font options for any Game Info theme, and fixed any display issues this caused
You can see a sample of the MegaMAME theme.xml here, simply set the path to your TTF font and include it in the theme's folder

(THEMES) Updated MegaMAME theme with new custom font

(PLUGIN) Added support for custom Game Tagger Viewer bg image

(THEMES) Updated MegaMAME theme with new Game Tagger background image

1.2.4

(PLUGIN) Added new sound effects options

Add custom wav sounds to your theme for updates, notifications, fade in and out, and the CP display.

(THEMES) Updated MegaMAME theme with new audio samples

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to disable audio samples

1.2.3

(PLUGIN) Plugin now features a Co-Op mode for other plugins, detects and avoids possible conflicts

(PLUGIN) Added new In-Game GameExtender style image viewer

Displays Title or Snap during game similar to the way GameExtender does, but can be customized like the Attract Mode Viewer

(PLUGIN) Added new jukebox GameExtender style image viewer

Displays an artist image or the album art (Last.FM patch users only!)

(PLUGIN) Added a GameExtender Manager to cleanly hide and show GameExtender when need be

(PLUGIN) Cleaned up and optimized a big chunk of code

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to disable Hi-Score Viewer

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to disable Plugin Co-Op Mode

1.2.1

(PLUGIN) Updated PlugIn Version to 1.41

(PLUGIN) Changed node name from Game Name to ROM Name to avoid future problems with the DB

(CONFIGURATION) Bug fixes

1.2.0

(PLUGIN) Added customization of the Hi-Score header and the Attract Info labels

(PLUGIN) Added customization of the Hi-Score logo that sits on top of the leaderboard

(CONFIGURATION) Added an "always on" option for the control panel viewer (The control panel viewer will launch and end with the game unless you press the key combo to hide/show it)

(THEMES) Added artwork and XML update for the MegaMAME theme to use the custom Hi-Score Competition logo

1.1.9

(PLUGIN) Changed Hi-Score in-game announcement to show rules and comments for the specific game instead of the global headline

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where Attract Mode Timer wasn't being picked up from the GameEx.ini properly... Form now fades out ten seconds before the end of the game properly (unless you have short mode enabled in the configuration)

(PLUGIN) Fixed some window handling for the Hi-Score display that was crashing the plugin returning from the game sometimes

(THEMES) Added artwork and XML update for the MegaMAME theme to use the features of a custom Hi-Score background

1.1.8

(PLUGIN) Added support for the GameEx Hi-Score Leaderboard and user competitions

(THEMES) Added support for custom background image on the Hi-Score info display

(OVERALL) The usual tuning up

1.1.7

(PLUGIN) Added ability to customize labels

(PLUGIN) Added new functionality to Attract Mode Viewer

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where Attract Mode logo was disappearing

(PLUGIN) Added SQLite parsing for GameEx's DATA.DB3

(CONFIGURATION) Added a form to customize labels

(CONFIGURATION) Added option to diable attract mode pulser

(CONFIGURATION) Added option for short display of attract mode info

(THEMES) Added setting for custom marquee to be used in Attract Mode's Info Screen

(OVERALL) The usual tuning up

1.1.6

(PLUGIN) Fixed a small Attract Mode bug concerning Last.FM album art

(PLUGIN) Added new Attract Info Viewer popup

(PLUGIN) Added new Control Panel Viewer... Press [sHIFT+SPACE] to view in game

(PLUGIN) Added colorization options to each line in the theme's XML

(CONFIGURATION) Removed Attract Mode Text setting

(CONFIGURATION) Added Control Panel setup section

(OVERALL) Lots of code cleanup and other optimizations

1.1.5

(PLUGIN) Tuned up some code and fixed a couple bugs (basically I forget what all I did, sorry!)

1.1.4

(PLUGIN) Found and fixed a bug in GameEx's jukebox mode

(PLUGIN) Ironed out a bug where the jukebox overlay disappears in attract mode

(PLUGIN) Added a font color option to the theme XML

(PLUGIN) Found and fixed a tiny bug in the theme XML loading

(PLUGIN) Cleaned up a bunch of old code

(CONFIGURATION) Huge update to theme previews. I added in the scroll, placed the preview on your game screen, and added fading. This is about as good of an idea as you could want to get.

1.1.3

(PLUGIN) More compatibility with GameEx in Windowed Mode - The focus is not lost from GameEx after dialog forms/jukebox displays. This also fixes the split second loss of focus in fullscreen mode. Never even would have thought about windowed mode! Good to test things!

(PLUGIN) Tuned up my Last.FM routine a bit... Searches are now more accurate

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where Last.FM routine got stuck if the network drops out.

1.1.2

(PLUGIN) Added new Game Info update checker

(PLUGIN) Added new dialog forms for displaying brief game info when the game is selected in the list or when the MAME list updates

(PLUGIN) Added fade in and out transitions to all forms

(PLUGIN) Fixed override for emulator specific displays

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where game data wasn't being sent if a game was launched from most played or last played lists

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where GameEx was crashing if artist metadata was not located for the jukebox

(CONFIGURATION) Added enable/disable options to update checking, dialog forms, and added a global Game Info disable

(CONFIGURATION) Fixed the monitor enumeration (use your Windows display assignments now)

(CONFIGURATION) Fixed a bug where settings were not being saved on exit

(THEMES) Added customization for the dialog window, the dialog logo, and added spaces for the new CP features (coming soon!)

(THEMES) Updated the MegaMAME theme with the new images

(OVERALL) Bug fixes and optimizations

1.1.1

(PLUGIN) Removed all form dependant timers and moved on to much more accurate/efficient methods of keeping time

(PLUGIN) Added a nice fade-in to the visulaizer and the jukebox banners when they first display

(PLUGIN) Added a refresh combo to the jukebox form: {Shift + Space}

(PLUGIN) Added in the key combo to hide/show the jukebox form: {Shift + Tab}

(PLUGIN) Behind-the-scenes work to increase plugin stability over long periods of time

1.1.0

(PLUGIN) Added code for the new "dialog form" in theme images, which I'll be working on for the next release

This will basically work like you would expect a dialog form to behave

The form will show for add/remove favorites, updating your MAME list, and maybe other things

(PLUGIN) Fully fixed the GameExtender handle getting "lost" and not restoring after attract mode exited

(PLUGIN) Added ability to customize the Attract Mode message

(CONFIGURATION) Added a place to enter said Attract Mode message

1.0.9

(PLUGIN) Fixed Attract Mode issue where GameExtender pops up over top of the "screen saver" (GameExtender is now
hidden properly in Attract Mode and restored after.)

(PLUGIN) Added the message "ATTRACT MODE! PRESS ANY KEY TO EXIT!" to the bottom of the Attract Mode screen

The message will flash on and off every second like it would in an arcade game's "Demo Mode"

The message also changes color randomly throughout attract mode

(PLUGIN) Refined the code for Attract Mode and fixed a bug I missed concerning "album art" in Attract.

1.0.8

(PLUGIN) Removed override settings (use the GUI assignments instead)

(PLUGIN) Code cleanup as a result of this

(PLUGIN) The monitor array is now populated properly (meaning 1 is primary instead of 0).

1.0.7

(CONFIGURATION) Added new theme selection options

(CONFIGURATION) Added preview screen for theme browsing

(PLUGIN) Integrated theme usage to the back end

(PLUGIN) Added new banner for Last.FM patch users

(PLUGIN) Optimized a lot of code based on some suggestions from Ben in another project

1.0.6

(CONFIGURATION) New setting to override monitor assignments:

Specify default monitors for all three modes, or

Specify default monitors on a per-emu basis

1.0.5

(CONFIGURATION) Added a configuration GUI for the plugin with three options:

Disable Jukebox

Disable Attract Mode

Enable Last.FM (if patch applied)

1.0.4

(PLUGIN) Added "Jukebox" functionality to the plugin

The Jukebox banner displays the Song Name, Artist Name and Album Name

In "Attract Mode", the logo image is replaced by the album cover art and the info banner stays on screen if you have attract set to launch and keep playing your music

Last.FM integration is available but not included by default due to a licensing issue. PM me if you're interested in the patch.

If Last.FM integration is activated, the banner overlay also includes a bio section, which displays in this order:

The song bio if available

The album bio if available

The artist bio if available

The plugin will also download and use Last.FM album and artist art

If nothing is found on Last.FM or Last.FM is not activated, the plugin will use GameEx's artwork instead.

If no cover art can be located, "Attract Mode" will use your default logo instead

(PLUGIN) Touched up some code where GameEx tries to hijack your 2nd monitor in attract (you may see GameExtender for a half a second in between games)

1.0.3

(PLUGIN) Fixed a bug where last played time wasn't logged when game was exited

(PLUGIN) Gentle layout tweaks to make the data fields line up better

1.0.2

(PLUGIN) Added screensaver mode

1.0.1

(PLUGIN) Added scrolling to all labels and a "rest" position for when the info starts again

(PLUGIN) Added ability to customize artwork

(PLUGIN) Fixed Command-Line switch not always working as it should

(PLUGIN) Second label mode now shows game snap (if available)

(PLUGIN) Added extensive debug mode logging for users with future problems

(PLUGIN) Code cleanup, optimization, etc.

1.0.0

(PLUGIN) Initial release

**Adultery** · July 9, 2012

GAME INFO THEMES

You can also get themes for Game Info from the DracLabs web site.

MegaMAME Theme

A theme created to match the MegaMAME GameEx theme. This is now included in the Game Info plugin.

Download it here!

GameEx Default Theme

This theme was created to make GameEx match the default "Media Center" theme.

Download it here!

Pink Floyd - The Wall Theme

Created by Draco1962

A skin for the plugin which was created to accompany the Pink Floyd - The Wall theme.

Download it here!

Super Mario's World

A skin tribute to Super Mario's world of awesomeness!

Download it here!

Sonic The Hedgehog

A Game Info skin tribute to Sonic The Hedgehog.

Download it here!

Tetris

A Game Info skin tribute to Tetris

Download it here!

Contra

A Game Info skin tribute to Contra

Download it here!

Blue Neon LCD

Created by Draco1962

A skin for the plugin which was created to accompany the Blue Neon LCD theme.

Download it here!

Duck Hunt

A skin tribute to Duck Hunt for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Download it here!

Castlevania

A skin tribute to Castlevania.

Download it here!

DD For GameEx

Created by KRC

A skin to accompany KRC's DD theme.

Download it here!

Space Invaders

Created by Draco1962

A skin to accompany Draco's Space Invaders theme.

Download it here!

**AlphaUMi** · July 9, 2012

Your ability is surpassed only by your imagination, Adultery! My compliments!

**u-man** · July 9, 2012

dude, are you some kind of a living fabric ??

very nice stuff lately, cant believe how many great new plugs are released in no time.

i wish i had that skills :rolleyes:

**Adultery** · July 9, 2012

So far they've been pretty simple ones, it's thanks to Tom for a great plugin interface to play with.

**Tom Speirs** · July 9, 2012

So far they've been pretty simple ones, it's thanks to Tom for a great plugin interface to play with.

Actually you can thank Ben for that mostly

**Adultery** · July 10, 2012

EDIT: So far they've been pretty simple ones, it's thanks to Tom (but mostly Ben) for a great plugin interface to play with.

Lol!

**Adultery** · July 10, 2012

Grab Beta 2, out now. New snaps added also.

**Adultery** · July 15, 2012

Updated to Beta 3... Added a new "Bio" with a scrolling description. The visualizer now rotates between the 2 modes every 5 minutes and exits when you quit the game.

**Adultery** · July 27, 2012

This is coming out of BETA soon, I promise!

Added an elapsed timer and a clock to the info banner. Currently the elapsed time only keeps track of your current session, but I want to make it total time played instead. Stay tuned!

**Adultery** · July 29, 2012

Finally this plugin comes out of BETA. I added a feature list to the first post, and will also update the snaps when I get home. Enjoy!

**KRC** · July 29, 2012

Awesome Stuff Buddy

**nullPointer** · July 29, 2012

Great work Adultery! I've really been looking forward to seeing this in action. Thanks for all your hard work!

**Adultery** · July 29, 2012

Wish I could show ya! I can't seem to get FRAPS to do a video of it.

**fRequEnCy** · July 29, 2012

Good job buddy! I'm so proud!

**Adultery** · July 29, 2012

LOL! Aww shucks... It was nuthin!

/me kicks rocks

Thanks for your help on GetAsyncKeyState too by the way. You're always there when I need ya!

**Tom Speirs** · July 29, 2012

Nice one.. By the way FRAPS only records windows running DirectX. Camtasia should work.

**Adultery** · July 31, 2012

Gonna put out 1.0.1 soon.

I made all the labels scroll if the text overlaps the label width.
Fixed the command line switch not always working.
The secondary label now switches to the in-game snap.
You can now add a customized no image snap and your own background image.
Added a "debug mode" for extra logging should a problem arise.
Streamlined the code to make it more efficient.

That should do it! Moving on to the next project now.

I'd like to add in high score support but no idea how to do that on a console level, so maybe someday.

Thanks for your support!

**nullPointer** · July 31, 2012

Thanks for all your work on this Adultery, and for the update. Scrolling labels? Custom backs? Awesome!

**Adultery** · July 31, 2012

The last bit of it was really more finishing touches than anything else. Mostly cosmetic.

I've taken her as far as she'll go. The jury is still out on jukebox info, but not soon ATM. I got it where I want it so wanna start on something else.

**Adultery** · August 2, 2012

Well it's out! 1.0.1 is here. The changelog is as follows:

Added scrolling to all labels and a "rest" position for when the info starts again
Added ability to customize artwork
Fixed Command-Line switch not always working as it should
Second label mode now shows game snap (if available)
Added extensive debug mode logging for users with future problems
Code cleanup, optimization, etc.

Download in the first post has been updated. I'll update the snaps now.

**fRequEnCy** · August 2, 2012

Thanks for the new release. Great job!

**Adultery** · August 5, 2012

So I went ahead and added an "Attract Mode"... Well, sort of.

Basically when Attract Mode launches, the plugin will cover up GameExtender (which remains stuck on the last menu item) and a GameEx logo will bounce around randomly on the 2nd monitor to prevent burn-in.

You can customize the logo image as well as the background image (by default it's just plain black).

So much for being done! LOL!

**Draco1962** · August 5, 2012

Awesome!

**Adultery** · August 6, 2012

Updated to 1.0.2:

Added Screensaver Mode:
- Automatically starts when you enter "Attract Mode"
- The GameEx logo bounces across your 2nd monitor randomly to prevent burn-in (a concern if you leave your cab running all the time like me)
[*]You can define your own images for Screensaver Mode by placing them in the Resources folder:
- SCREEN BG: Attract_BG_Img.png or Attract_BG_Img.jpg
- LOGO: Attract_Img.png or Attract_Img.jpg or Attract_Img.gif (Yes, animated GIFs are supported!)
[*]The default images are the GameEx logo and a straight black background

Snaps and download updated in the 1st post.

[PLUGIN] Game Info Plugin

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