Can you do this with Game Ex?

[rtkiii]

1. Have one LCD play the game from Mame. While a second LCD displays the controls that pop up when the game in loading in Game Ex?

2. Change the wording and options on the main page when it goes in. Where it says recently played(which it does not seem to keep track of so far that I have seen) but there are just some options I'd like to remove that I thought I said I did not want in intial setup...but could be user error

3. Make custom lists? I see "Add To Favorite" but I want to make like a "Rich Top 10" or something like that under my MAME heading. I do not care for a lot of the lists in there either

4. If you enable Highscore in this initial setup do you still need to gfo through all the MAME HS setup crap?(I say crap because alot of you think it is easy and it seems insane to me )


Thanks for all the help and sorry for all the questions. Iff a majority of these are yes and easy to do I will pay for Game EX in a heartbeat.

[u-man]

all yes.... and welcome to the forums

i dont understand your 4th question, but all the other questions can be answered with a yes and are do-able in GameEx quite easy. I think the third one, is a registered feature.

[nullPointer]

Howdy rtkii, and welcome to the GameEx forums! I'll attempt to address some of your questions. A few of your questions have multiple solutions, but I’ll make suggestions as to how I myself might handle them.

  On 1/11/2013 at 10:10 PM, rtkiii said:

1. Have one LCD play the game from Mame. While a second LCD displays the controls that pop up when the game in loading in Game Ex?

There are a couple of approaches here depending on whether you’re talking about MAME or standard emulators (I suspect you’re referring specifically to MAME).

CPWizard is what GameEx uses natively to display controls for MAME games. CPWizard can be configured to display controls on a second monitor. You can access CPWizard from the start menu under GameEx (sorry I’m away from my emulation rig ATM – it might be under utilities). CPWizard is a fantastic tool, but there is a bit of a learning curve. Luckily the author Headkaze is a regular around these forums, and has made great contributions to the GameEx code base.

Adultery’s Game Info Plugin is another fantastic tool that might interest you. This tool is a bit more tailored to ‘standard’ emulators in GameEx but also has functionality to display control panel info on a secondary screen (which is to say that I’ve never tried it in conjunction with MAME). It also has a bunch of other cool functionality that you may (or may not be interested in).

  On 1/11/2013 at 10:10 PM, rtkiii said:

2. Change the wording and options on the main page when it goes in. Where it says recently played(which it does not seem to keep track of so far that I have seen) but there are just some options I'd like to remove that I thought I said I did not want in intial setup...but could be user error

All menus in GameEx are 100% configurable. Some items may require the use of Custom Menus though. Forum member DazzleHP has written a great tutorial for using custom menus.

  On 1/11/2013 at 10:10 PM, rtkiii said:

3. Make custom lists? I see "Add To Favorite" but I want to make like a "Rich Top 10" or something like that under my MAME heading. I do not care for a lot of the lists in there either

GameEx does indeed provide some custom list functionality, but you may need to expand a bit more on what specifically you’re looking to accomplish. Most of the current MAME categories are drawn from catver.ini, so it’s more of a MAME thing than a GameEx thing. In the MAME section of the Setup Wizard you will see several options to disable certain categories of games. If you want to get a bit more extreme, the following thread may be of some interest to you:

Custom catver.ini

  On 1/11/2013 at 10:10 PM, rtkiii said:

4. If you enable Highscore in this initial setup do you still need to gfo through all the MAME HS setup crap?(I say crap because alot of you think it is easy and it seems insane to me )

You have to compile MAME in order to get high score support. No two ways around that one. Sorry. Having said that Headkazes MAME compiler is likely to be the least painful method of doing this (which is to say I consider it to be painless so long as you follow HKs instructions). It’s certainly worth a look if you’ve never checked it out.

Mame Compiler 64

Good luck rtkii, and feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

[rtkiii]

thanks for the info and I look forward to looking over all the suggestions. The version of MAME I am using does not seem to have any configurations parts that I am used to. It just displays the games in a random order...kind of annoying...do IU need to get the maeui147 instead of just mame147 or am I missing something?

[nullPointer]

  On 1/11/2013 at 11:33 PM, rtkiii said:

The version of MAME I am using does not seem to have any configurations parts that I am used to. It just displays the games in a random order...kind of annoying...do I need to get the maeui147 instead of just mame147 or am I missing something?

This is purely a matter of personal preference. MameUI is simply a barebones frontend for MAME. So when you integrate MameUI into GameEx you’re operating one frontend (MameUI) from another frontend (GameEx). Personally I prefer do away with the middle man and use vanilla command line MAME (through GameEx). But that also means that if I use MAME directly (sans frontend) I do so directly through the command line.

Many users find MameUI to be much more user friendly, and configurable. It should also be able to sort your games in a more intuitive fashion. Bottom line: it can’t hurt to try it out. You may find it to be just the ticket to make your MAME experience that much more enjoyable.

[rtkiii]

I just tried Game Info Plugin but I was looking for a bit more than info data. I want the controller settings to popup on that second screen like they do on screen #1 when Game Ex is loading the mame title...it's progress but I want more

[rtkiii]

The Auto Download feature is awesome...love it!

[gamepimp]

Welcome to the GameEx forums rtkiii. The auto-download feature is pretty slick. Tom and Circo from Emumovies seem to work together closely on many projects. As a matter of fact, Tom created the download utility for the Emumovies site. And I believe that u can get a discount at the Emumovies site when u purchase GameEx in the event that ur interested...

[rtkiii]

So what is the recommended MAME version for Game Ex...I find it hard to get alot of ROMS to laod on the current version if I goto mameui 103 but then Game Ex errors out. The ROMS play but ROMs that worked on the newer version are not in the old one and vice versa...I feel like I am biting off more than I can chew!

wait...might be user error Game Ex still errors but I think I did not copy all roms from one directory to the other

[nullPointer]

We're starting to cross wires a bit here. If it looks like you're running into an issue between MAME and GameEx it might be best to start a new thread. (Don't worry, this isn't one of those, "You must start a new thread for every little thing" types of forums, but I'd imagine you'll get more eyes on your issue that way ). Also when reporting a problem in GameEx it's highly recommended that you post your GameEx.ini along with a copy of your GameEx log after having experienced the error. We may also ask for a copy of your runitgame.bat. Here's a dedicated thread explaining how to access all that information. This will give our troubleshooting team a wealth of information to work with in order to help you resolve your issue.

Regarding MAME versions and playable ROMs: remember that the version of your ROM set must match your version of MAME. It's highly likely that ROMs which work in one version of MAME will not work in another version, particularly where we're talking about wildly disparate versions (MAME .103 is a very old version, although I know some users prefer older versions certain games).

Don't worry we've all felt like we've bitten off more than we can chew from time to time. That's why we form support networks like this one!

[rtkiii]

good point! I think I have a better grasp now...sort of. Purchased lifetime plan!!!! Cant wait to toy with menus and other options...still have a lot to go but it's been fun learning.

[rtkiii]

ok this goes back to the High Scroe Question. I was going to go through the tutorial but after I changed to Mameui320.128 I found that did alot of my games. Then I subbed to the lifetime membership for Game Ex and now I get a "saved State" message...so I tested one and it save my HS for Jr Pacman...so is the Tutorial for doing the Mame Complier needed? I do not care about other's high scores just mine and my friends.

@null...thanks for your help through all this. Even with a 0148 version of Mame my Game Ex would crash...ROMS seem fine but there is an issue I will get something over to the dev guys sometime soon.

[nullPointer]

That looks to be a non-standard version number for MameUI. My guess is that you picked up a pre-compiled version. This is an extremely mixed blessing. If your ROMs are working and high score support is coming up aces, then it looks like you're good to go. No need for any additional compiling.

Now the downside (this is where I have to put on my stern moderator hat). We can only offer limited assistance for non-standard MAME builds. This is especially true of pre-compiled MAME builds. Part of this is so we don't run afoul of the express wishes of the MAME development team. The other part of this is that it's extremely difficult to effectively troubleshoot problems with non-standard MAME builds since the code has been altered from the original (meaning the compiled executable may behave in 'non-standard' fashion). Self compiled versions of MAME have some of the same issues, but at least there the user knows what patches were applied, and the what changes were made to the MAME source as a result. This is not the case with pre-compiled builds. Simply put, I urge extreme caution when using pre-compiled MAME builds. (Also it goes without saying, that we request that no one discuss how and where to obtain pre-compiled versions of MAME).

Let us know how you're getting along, and we're absolutely here to help with any issues you may encounter.

[rtkiii]

It was not my intention. I was just going through trying to find an earlier build when I found this version(128). If I go to Mamedev.com it shows 128 as being a valid build so I'm not sure why you think it is invalid unless you are referring to the High Score already being enabled. And if that is the case why is a big deal someone already that for people like me who are struggling with understanding what is going on

The behavior though acts like it did with a "true" 103 and the new 148 build of Mame. So I think the issue could be bigger...but again the games seem to work. Once I get Game Ex setup in a manner I am happy I will address the crashing issue...if possible.

On Topic: Going to try out the IMagic today sometime as I have downloaded apparent bezel files so now my #1 game play screen is shrunk with a cool graphic bezel around it...which is cool looking but I want all that additional info on my second screen so the #1 screen plays game at full size oc LCD.

[Draco1962]

  On 1/13/2013 at 2:38 PM, rtkiii said:

It was not my intention. I was just going through trying to find an earlier build when I found this version(128). If I go to Mamedev.com it shows 128 as being a valid build so I'm not sure why you think it is invalid unless you are referring to the High Score already being enabled. And if that is the case why is a big deal someone already that for people like me who are struggling with understanding what is going on

I think what null is trying to emphasize is that if you have a plain vanilla version of MAME or one that you compiled yourself, it is easier to diagnose an issue. Also, it was a reminder that we can assist with such builds, but not so much with others that are not sanctioned or approved and, therefore illegal. In the latter, you are pretty much on your own. In addition, you risk not knowing what someone may have added to the code (be it some form of malware, trojan, or the like).

So you now have several examples of why it is a "big deal" to us and should be to you - legality, functionality, and safety.

[nullPointer]

Sorry rtkii, I didn't mean to come off as if I was interrogating you or anything. It was mostly the 320.128 designation that threw me off. We've got a forum rule regarding illegal MAME builds, so I figured I'd put that information out there for your perusal. TBH it's a bit of a grey area (I had to consult with another moderator for a refresh as to what we even consider as an illegal MAME build.) Bottom line: If it's working for you, I wouldn't sweat it too much.

So here's another piece of advice for you to do with what you will. I'd consider looking into some ROM auditing software, so that you can be sure that your ROMs are a match for your MAME version. The two most popular choices are ClrMamePro and RomCenter. In my experience RomCenter is a bit more user friendly. If I were starting out today I'd probably use RomCenter ... but I'm an old dog and it's harder and harder to learn new tricks. I use CMP.

I'll send you a PM with a bit more information regarding the above.

Good call regarding iMagic. Adultery is very talented at what he does. CPWizard is also a very quality piece of software, although it does have a bit of a learning curve. The cool thing about CPWizard is that it will dynamically display the control scheme for whatever game you're currently playing in MAME (in other words you don't need to pre-configure a bunch of images).

[rtkiii]

@Null...no worries. I think it was the way I typed it in made it seem off...more but I hear what you guys are saying from a legal and support standpoint

As for ROMCenter I downloaded that earlier and am just starting to mess with it. First run I did I think I did wrong because the games it said were messes up were ROMS I do not even own. Learning/stumbling...to much stuff

Edit...Found CPWizard

iMagic links seem to be invalid now.

[rtkiii]

Back to CUSTOM Lists...I think the catver.ini is for genre specific lists as an overall guide in Mame...my interpretation anyway. I ran through what was suggested above but that is not what I want. I want to have a list like a "favorites" in Game Ex but I want to be able to define the games and edit the name of the list. Example "Rich's Top 10 fighters" "Abe's Top 10 Fighters" "Doug Top 10 1980 Classics" etc....

To me it seems like I should be able to make that in the "custom Menu Editor Tool" but I did not notice any thing about custom fields or lists in the drop down options.

[Tempest]

Null - you have probably figured this out by now, but I took his mame version as Mame32 v0.128.

rtkiii - I also have a program to display images on a secondary monitor called Marquee Magician, but if you want to display a control panel image, then CPWizard is definately the way to go. It takes a bit to setup, but once you are done you will be able to view a cpanel image for that is customized for every game. For instance if you play '88 games, the control panel will show the cpanel with the first three buttons in the correct color as the original control panel, along with labels that indicate their function eg: Run, Jump, Run. Unused buttons will be 'Grayed out'.

If you are going to use a custom compiled version of Mame, do not report anything as a bug. They are pretty unfriendly when it comes to that sort of thing because a non custom version would have a screen to tell you that indeed the game is imperfect.

[Draco1962]

The Custom Menu Editor is just for setting up your own custom menus and order of the various menu items and nothing more. I know that some have setup MAME in a separate emulator slot and placed ROMs for that in a specific path only for that emulator (but retained the default path for snaps, titles, marquees, etc.). Using the Custom Menu Editor, they then created the Item for their child or special other which would access those ROMs only.

On the other hand, there is a Logon feature available where you can setup GameEx on a per user basis, even down to theme selection. I believe that you can set that to point to user defined Favorites for each user as well (I haven't tested this so if anyone knows anything to the contrary or can confirm, please feel free to chime in).

So while either option may not be quite what you are looking for, they are both viable..

[rtkiii]

  On 1/13/2013 at 6:23 PM, Tempest said:

Null - you have probably figured this out by now, but I took his mame version as Mame32 v0.128.

rtkiii - I also have a program to display images on a secondary monitor called Marquee Magician, but if you want to display a control panel image, then CPWizard is definately the way to go. It takes a bit to setup, but once you are done you will be able to view a cpanel image for that is customized for every game. For instance if you play '88 games, the control panel will show the cpanel with the first three buttons in the correct color as the original control panel, along with labels that indicate their function eg: Run, Jump, Run. Unused buttons will be 'Grayed out'.

If you are going to use a custom compiled version of Mame, do not report anything as a bug. They are pretty unfriendly when it comes to that sort of thing because a non custom version would have a screen to tell you that indeed the game is imperfect.

Thanks for the heads up. And yeah I think I have CPWizard setup to display on the second screen...doing so tweaks to setup the data as wanted and having some issues but I posted on another site for that. Thanks for the help so far guys. One day...i'll have a video to show