Hi-Score Database Manager

[Adultery]

So it's almost done... If we were really gonna pitch the database integration to Tom, I thought it would be nice to have a Database Manager to make edits and adds a lot easier. Not only does this add the ability to change up things quickly and easily, it edits the version right off the server and has upload options so you don't need an FTP software installed (just enter your login credentials and press the upload button). I figure hansolo77 and GimmeClassics will approve of the lighter workload. Stay tuned for the release!

[GimmeClassics]

Wow ! Looking good Adultery

I'm looking forward using this easy to use DB manager. Uploading new hi-scores to the Hi-score Database will work like a charm

Again, I'm very happy one of our Database guru's has joined our Hi-score competition

Keep up the good work Adultery !

[hansolo77]

Looks like that will be very helpful. Especially if it will assist in making a good case for Tom to add high-score integration into future GameEx edtions. Thanks for coming on board and helping us out Adultery!

[Adultery]

Anything I can do to help you guys make a run at it (or streamline it), I'm down.

I would really love to see Tom add it in like High Score support that exists currently (although it's a seemingly dead project).

[GimmeClassics]

@ Adultery:

HiToText support (created by Fyrecrypts) stopped at Mame version 0.139. In short its likely that ROMs that have been updated since this version of MAME supported by HiToText, may or may not currently work with HiToText since the affected ROMs and/or ROM sets may have been may have been updated in the meantime.
However: I use a compiled version of Mame 0.147 and a lot of ROMs are still working with HiToText and show the highscore in GameEx.

GameEx uses HiToText to generate the High Score menu-option after having choosen a Mame-game and allows you to see the games high score table within the GameEx menu. Although HiToText is not being updated anymore a lot of Mame-games are still supported but this may change with every update of Mame. Either supporting more or less games. This is not really clear...

It would be very cool if Tom could integrate the hi-scores of our Hi-Score Competition in GameEx by adding a GameEx Menu-option - something like "GameEx Hi-Score" or "GameEx Hi-Score Competition". As we would update these hi-scores manually using the DB-manager every game which is part of our competition will show our Hi-Scores in GameEx. Showing our Hi-Score as an Image2-object would be ideal. Showing it as a pop-up screen (like the high score menu option in GameEx is working right now) is also an option.

Love to hear your ideas about his.

GC

[Draco1962]

@Adultery - What would it take to modify your plugin (or the hi-score data) to create an RSS feed that the users could then tie-into the RSS feed incorporated in many of the newer themes?

As I am writing this, I realize that it may not involve your plugin directly, but could a feed be created using the same data? While I may not participate in the competition, it would be cool to add a feed to scroll across the screen as more pleasing alternative to the RSS feed I presently have from MAMEDev to see how my GameEx peers are doing when the Game Info plugin is not displayed.

[hansolo77]

And why AREN'T you participating? HMM!?! Lol, just messing with ya.

Anyway, I think RSS feed could work. I don't really know anything about how to make it, and I never configured GameEx to use them. But if there was a way to have a ticker run across the bottom of the screen that says what the current online scores are, that would be awesome. No extra plugins really needed. I think it would have to involve building a custom RSS feed though that only lists the scores/names.

[Adultery]

I can probably add this functionality in, but I'm back in school so I won't be around as much, or have a lot of free time to work on feature requests atm.

[Draco1962]

And why AREN'T you participating? HMM!?! Lol, just messing with ya.

Anyway, I think RSS feed could work. I don't really know anything about how to make it, and I never configured GameEx to use them. But if there was a way to have a ticker run across the bottom of the screen that says what the current online scores are, that would be awesome. No extra plugins really needed. I think it would have to involve building a custom RSS feed though that only lists the scores/names.

Pretty much what I was thinking. [Announcement for upcoming game of the month] ... [month & game name][top 10 scores & names]...[previous month & game name][previous month's top 10 scores & names]... for a total of 3 months including current month

You can add the RSS feed via the Theme Editor under Edit>Scroller then highlight MAME (or Start - wherever you want it to appear) and paste the RSS feed URL and OK, Save the changes. While this is a theme level change, I have no problem packaging as a default with future themes and the end-user can easily add it to theirs as well.

[GimmeClassics]

Pretty much what I was thinking. [Announcement for upcoming game of the month] ... [month & game name][top 10 scores & names]...[previous month & game name][previous month's top 10 scores & names]... for a total of 3 months including current month

You can add the RSS feed via the Theme Editor under Edit>Scroller then highlight MAME (or Start - wherever you want it to appear) and paste the RSS feed URL and OK, Save the changes. While this is a theme level change, I have no problem packaging as a default with future themes and the end-user can easily add it to theirs as well.

@Draco:

this RSS feed sounds good to me But what I would really like to see > when you select a game which participates in our Hi-Score competition GameEx should show the RSS scroller with the top 5 or top 10 of that game's best hi-scores. We have now 6 hi-score games. 5 more games will be added soon (see poll) and more will follow each month. So we should really have GameEx show the RSS scroller for each hi-score games selected within GameEx and not just Game of the Month....if possible of course If this would imply somebody has to add these scores to the RSS feed somehow (I don't know how it exactly would work) I'm more than willing to do this

I really hope we can incorporate each hi-score game in this RSS feed

Love to hear what is possible...

GC

[Draco1962]

That may be a bit over-reaching, GC, for it to change on a per-game basis. What I am proposing is utilizing the RSS engine already in place to pull from data a data file generated by the Hi-Score database itself and, more or less, a generic feed through the scroller that can be enabled at the theme level. The per-game info will likely have to rely upon the Game Info plugin to provide that level of granularity.

The goal of what I am recommending will help to promote interest in participation at a broader level.

[Adultery]

Update to 1.0.6 - You can now build the Global Leaderboard with the click of a button. Keep those scores coming!

PS: I corrected the spelling of ehounders name in the rss and the db.

[GimmeClassics]

Update to 1.0.6 - You can now build the Global Leaderboard with the click of a button. Keep those scores coming!

hs_dbm.png

@Adultery: ...that's .....but .....WOW !

I've requested this feature to be added to the Hi-Score Database Manager last evening and now it's up and running. You're really fast !!!

I thought it would be ideal if our Leaderboard point scoring system could be integrated in the Hi-Score DBM. If the DBM could calculate the points per contestant based upon each game's hi-score position and summarize this on a Leaderboard-tab this would be a real improvement and would prevent making mistakes calculating the Leaderboard points per contestant. Up to this point I calculated this points in Excel...And here it's: up and running. Thanks buddy !!!

[Adultery]

It's what I do.

[hansolo77]

HEY ADULTERY!!

I think I found another bug in the program. It's with Galaga. be77amy posted a new score, which will be entry #10. I clicked the button [ADD NEW] to put the score in, however when I did the quick sort, it changes the name back to NEW USER, then puts everybody else in their proper place. The problem with this, is that whoever is in position 2 (me in this case) gets deleted. Can you have a look at this please?

[Adultery]

Yup I'll have a peek when I get back home.

[Adultery]

I've been staring at this for a few days and I can't see a problem in the code. It's really kind of making me nuts actually. Can you add the 10th place position manually regardless of the score (meaning 10th place could be say 4th in reality) and then load up the manager, try and execute the sort and let me know if the issue persists?

[GimmeClassics]

Hi Adultery,

Thank you for taking your time to look at this problem It can't make you nuts if you're already......just kidding

I've sent you a PM about my testing results.

Cheers,

GC

[DazzleHP]

Just dropping a note here so it doesn't get lost in a game thread - DBM still won't connect Did you change my PW or something without realising? I've completely disabled my firewall to make absolutely sure and it just refuses! It was ok a few days ago and i've changed nothing on my system

[Adultery]

Honestly I don't understand why this is happening, I am able to connect. Maybe we can change your password and see if that helps.

PM me your UserName and Password and I'll see if I can get it to connect from here.

[Adultery]

Also, does anyone else have this issue? If the PW is wrong you would get an error when trying to upload that tells you the PW is incorrect. I was able to connect and update just now though, so IDK.

[DazzleHP]

Honestly I don't understand why this is happening, I am able to connect. Maybe we can change your password and see if that helps.

PM me your UserName and Password and I'll see if I can get it to connect from here.

Done.

EDIT - This is what i get every time:

[hansolo77]

2 things...

#1 - Dazzle.. are you sure you're using the most recent version? In fact, am I sure I'm using the correct version? I am using 1.1.5

#2 - Adultery.. Yung-Jedi submitted a score for Golden Axe that I added. I attempted to do the [QUICK SORT] to place him in 3rd, but the sort didn't take. It shows (at least in my screen) that he's in 8th. I made the correct placement in the official OP table, but the DBM didn't seem to sort it right.

[DazzleHP]

Dazzle.. are you sure you're using the most recent version? In fact, am I sure I'm using the correct version? I am using 1.1.5

I believe so, at least i'm using 1.1.5 too! Check how scary it looks with no data

[hansolo77]

Did you try to retrieve backups? Maybe your data somehow got corrupted?