Need help setting up Future Pinball (and a sound issue)

[dboyrecords]

I am sure I've done this to myself... I jumped in and tried to make my own theme and customize too soon. FP runs fine outside GE. I've messed with a wrapper... I am now using the BAM FPLaunch (which, if you haven't seen it, youtube Bam better arcade mode, UNBELIEVABLE! but I digress). I had installed fp to programs but read that can be a problem so I moved it to emulators...

In order to make sub menus under an emulator I have Emulators 1-3 all FP with different map files. Is this the right way?

and...

I also get a stutter or something weird on the sound acknowledging select button deppressed. it occasionally sounds like a longer ship bell or even long enough to sound like feedback. Pc is 3ghz duo with 4 m ram and new nvidia 640.

I've, as my wife would say, "Monkey-fisted" a lot here, selected things I didn't really understand... I'm not proud.

Future Pinball All Re-Created Tables.ini

GameEx.ini

log.txt

[dboyrecords]

Ok... feeling like ugly betty on prom night, last picked in gym class...

Nothing...?

[Draco1962]

Embrace the feeling.. patiently! We are geeks, nerds, zoom-dweebies, etc. It is our lot in life I am sure someone will chime in soon to help.

I have looked at your log.txt file and it looks like you had run a MAME game before, not one of the tables from Future Pinball. Can you run a table or two until you replicate the sound issue and provide a new copy o f the log.txt file immediately following?

Next, we will need for you to run runitgame.bat as instructed in step 4 here. You may copy & paste the results of that file in reply to this thread. Thanks!

[rockyrocket]

Try using,

workingpath=C:\Program Files\Future Pinball\ BAM\ as your working dir as it can not be in the root FP folder

rom filter as *.fpt

And a cmd of...

"FPLoaderNew.exe" /open "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]" /arcaderender /play /exit

That is assuming you are running bam in arcade mode of course (does it even work in desktop?).

Edit ok i just tried this in my gameex cab and it launches fine but does not exit cleanly - will look at that later.

So for those not aware of BAM just check out the video`s on his site, I have just got this going on my pincab and WOW!.

Also dboyrecords I noticed that one of your emu`s was set for VP 9.03 and visual pinball 9.15 is now out ,check it out.

[rockyrocket]

Had more of a play with this and so far I can not exit without having to ALT - TAB back into gameex.

But with arcade render on and no rotation you can have some fun changing table angles and lighting plus the viewing angle.

Anyway here is a quick example that still needs the lighting altered to get rid of the glare.

[Tempest]

I would suspect that a second process is being launched.

[rockyrocket]

I would suspect that a second process is being launched.

Ok thanks, later today I will hit it with window spy.

[dboyrecords]

Thanks guys! Patience is a virtue... sorry.

I will try these things soon. I can launch mame games but not FP in GE. I rotated the desktop in windows, I've noticed most people don't. Am I making a mistake in doing it that way?

[Draco1962]

I don't think there is a problem with that but you will need to make sure that if you are running in 1920x1080 resolution that your theme is formatted to 1080x1920 (vertical) resolution, but that is something else to consider. The first thing is to get things running smoothly in a normal orientation, then play with the monitor and theme orientations.

[dboyrecords]

Here's my runit...

@ECHO OFF

"Launch MM v2.1.exe" "mm control p marquee" "1942"

C:

CD "C:\MAME"

mame.exe 1942 -rompath "C:\MAME\roms" -nowindow -joy -skip_gameinfo

"Launch MM v2.1.exe" "GameEx"

grateful for help!

EDIT The weird sound this time was consistently happenning in transition from mame menu to all mame games. also occurs on the way out.

[dboyrecords]

Try using,

workingpath=C:\Program Files\Future Pinball\ BAM\ as your working dir as it can not be in the root FP folder

rom filter as *.fpt

And a cmd of...

"FPLoaderNew.exe" /open "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]" /arcaderender /play /exit

That is assuming you are running bam in arcade mode of course (does it even work in desktop?).

Edit ok i just tried this in my gameex cab and it launches fine but does not exit cleanly - will look at that later.

So for those not aware of BAM just check out the video`s on his site, I have just got this going on my pincab and WOW!.

Also dboyrecords I noticed that one of your emu`s was set for VP 9.03 and visual pinball 9.15 is now out ,check it out.

Tried this, got further... It went to FP window but never launched the game. At that point froze up and the mouse kept jumping to center-ish. Couldn't use esc had to ctrl alt del out. Seemed almost like game extender was culprit?? dunno

Also then noticed that FPLaunch outside of GE doesn't launch a table from fpt file. I tried "open with FPLaunch" and it opens FP but doesn't load the selected table. It will then open a table from there...

Getting closer...

[dboyrecords]

Here's my runit...

@ECHO OFF

"Launch MM v2.1.exe" "mm control p marquee" "1942"

C:

CD "C:\MAME"

mame.exe 1942 -rompath "C:\MAME\roms" -nowindow -joy -skip_gameinfo

"Launch MM v2.1.exe" "GameEx"

grateful for help!

EDIT The weird sound this time was consistently happenning in transition from mame menu to all mame games. also occurs on the way out.

i see that "control p marquee" That looks leftover from me trying desperately to make Marquee Magician place a 3rd window under the bezeled mame image. It would be soooo perfect in the 1080x1920 setup!!! Maybe you can assist there too, once the basics are up and running.

THANKS!

EDIT mm control p marquee is the name of the setup I'm trying in Marquee Magician, not random change I thought I might have made :/

Edited April 20, 2013 by dboyrecords

[rockyrocket]

Thats odd it works for me, so some things to try..

Firstly is your tables path correct?

Also have you run Future pinball in arcade render mode yet? as it is only for Arender.

Have you got an upto date version of BAM in your Future pinball/BAM directory and if you double click FPLoaderNew.exe does it open the FP editor so you can then load a table then press Q to see the BAM menu?.

Or better still create a shortcut for FPLoaderNew.exe with the /arcaderender flag to test.

You mention FPlaunch - is that just a typo as that is from hyperpin?

So as far as exiting is concerned using window spy and procep it looks to me as only future pinball is running so if I use taskill to kill FPloader then I still have to ALT - TAB back to gameex but I guess gameex is waiting for something right?

If I taskill Future pinball in the launch after, then it is terminated straight away and no table can load? , .

Can I send alt tab with send keys I wonder?.

[Draco1962]

Launch after should only be invoked when you exit the game so should not be an issue if you taskill the loader.

[dboyrecords]

You're right, it's FPLoader not launch...

I made shortcut, opened fp. When I tried to add " /arcaderender" w/o ", in properties, it wouldn't save, name is not valid.

Open with still just opens fp not loading table.

[Tempest]

You mentioned that you moved FP after you installed it. Do you uninstall, and reinstall, or did you just move the files?

[dboyrecords]

No, I have it installed twice. Each opens fine...

[rockyrocket]

So in the shortcut properties with the target field as

"C:\Emulators\Future Pinball\BAM\FPLoaderNew.exe" /arcaderender

And the start in field as

"C:\Emulators\Future Pinballl\BAM"

Then you can not save the shortcut right? (thats from your paths from your ini file).

Make sure you are using...

"C:\Emulators\Future Pinball\BAM\FPLoaderNew.exe" /arcaderender

And not...

"C:\Emulators\Future Pinball\BAM\FPLoaderNew.exe /arcaderender"

You are looking for the arcade render box to appear in the video options, but is that once it has launched.

You may need to try a newer build of Future pinball as BAM only works with some builds try THIS ONE

But forgeting about BAM for a bit can you play future pinball ok from gameex without BAM?.

@Dracco yeah if I taskill the loader with launch after I still have focus problems on exit, FP quits fine though.

If I taskill FP with launch after then gameex runs the loader the loader quits and launch after kills FP immediately.

Obviously Bam is still running somewhere as its changing the registory on the fly as FP is reading it (if I am understanding it correctly).

Maybe I need an AHK script that waits for ahk_class FuturePinballOpenGL to close then sends ALT - TAB?.

[Draco1962]

I am, admittedly, not the expert for FP, but I think you might be more easily served writing a .bat file to close or kill the tasks associated and allow the return to GameEx.

[dboyrecords]

You're right, I had " AFTER /arcaderender.

I haven't ever had FP working in GE.

I've used FP and mameui32 for a year or so, just now getting serious on cab build so FE is moving to front burner.

Thanks for all the continued support, can't wait to get these kinks out...

I have 2.5 w/o rss. This pc is my recording pc hand-me-down which never saw the internet. I was going to keep it that way... should I still use suggested link (2.5rss)?

[dboyrecords]

Maybe I should back up and get FP to launch in ge and then try BAM...?

[rockyrocket]

You're right, I had " AFTER /arcaderender.

I haven't ever had FP working in GE.

I've used FP and mameui32 for a year or so, just now getting serious on cab build so FE is moving to front burner.

Thanks for all the continued support, can't wait to get these kinks out...

I have 2.5 w/o rss. This pc is my recording pc hand-me-down which never saw the internet. I was going to keep it that way... should I still use suggested link (2.5rss)?

If 2.5 is working outside Gameex then thats fine bud.

@Dracco I can not seem to pin down any other process to kill, had a look about the web and it seems BAM is doing allsorts, so I think I will just ask the dev - be much easier to go to the source .

[rockyrocket]

Finally have this exiting cleanly now with gameex gaining focus properly.

So the dev of BAM suggested renaming FPLoaderNew.exe to Future Pinball.exe but gameex still had issues.

But with gameex watching for future pinball an advance config would work so attached is what is working for me.

Ofcourse with an updated commandline.

"Future Pinball.exe/open "[ROMPATH]\[ROMFILE]" /arcaderender /play /exit

Glad that is finally sorted.

BAM.ini

[dboyrecords]

Awesome! I owe you one! I'll try it tonight and let you know... thanks

[dboyrecords]

Ok, sorry, my newb is showing... what exactly do I do with the bam ini?

And I rename FPLoader.exe to Future Pinball.exe but do I leave it in bam folder?

Renamed in bam folder opens fine except, if I right click a table and "open with," it opens fp but doesn't load the table as it does with regular association to 2.5 or original exe.

Thanks