How to tell Game Manager which version of Visual Pinball to run for a particular table?

[Xantari]

Visual Pinball gets installed with Pinball X.

However Pinball X by default sets it to 9.22 version of Visual PInball.

How do I tell Game Manager to pick difference version of Visual Pinball depending on the visual pinball table? There is no setting in UI of game manager that I can find. 

Or is there a visual pinball launcher program that can determine which visual pinball .exe to run based off of the table attempting to be loaded?

Thanks!

[gtxjoe]

With PinballX Settings.exe, you would go to the Other Systems tab and add new Visual Pinball version, like VPX and Physmod5 and set them to System Type = Visual Pinball and the desired exe to run

Now you can use the game manager.exe to add tables to those new VPX and Physmod systems.

Advanced users can modify the xml file manually and use the <alternateexe>    </alternateexe> tag, but then you can not use game manager.exe at all

[vogliadicane]

^^ not quite right. You CAN use game manager since the latest version together with the alternateexe tag. Latest version handles this tag.

 

And definitely recommend this option to you, Xantari. It is very handy

[TerryRed]

I have a custom "other" system for VPX, PM5, and VP 9 tables.  Then you can combine each of those into one menu using the "manage groups"  in Game Manager.

[PcTeknic]

I use one .exe script based on .ahk.

I will try to publish it within a couple of hours when the kids sleep .

[Carny_Priest]

Yes, I use a single custom xml with an exe tag that stores the executable to use. Saves on housekeeping. Don't have to keep up with media on separate systems or use symbolic links to fool PinballX.

I don't use Game Manager. I create or collect all of my own media.

[PcTeknic]

Whether it is published, pending approval, I have not had time to translate it, so if they are not approved.

Anyway I do not think Tom seeing the script take long to incorporate it directly into PinballX.

If you hurry to fix it, you can see it in my blog, I hope not understood this as spam.

http://pinballvirtual.es/vplauncher-varias-versiones-de-visual-pinball-en-pinballx/

[Xantari]

9 hours ago, vogliadicane said:

^^ not quite right. You CAN use game manager since the latest version together with the alternateexe tag. Latest version handles this tag.

 

And definitely recommend this option to you, Xantari. It is very handy

Thanks! That definately looks like a winner. I wonder if you can set different before/after execution launches per alternate.exe ?

[Xantari]

46 minutes ago, PcTeknic said:

Whether it is published, pending approval, I have not had time to translate it, so if they are not approved.

Anyway I do not think Tom seeing the script take long to incorporate it directly into PinballX.

If you hurry to fix it, you can see it in my blog, I hope not understood this as spam.

http://pinballvirtual.es/vplauncher-varias-versiones-de-visual-pinball-en-pinballx/

Nice! Thanks!

[Carny_Priest]

7 hours ago, PcTeknic said:

Whether it is published, pending approval, I have not had time to translate it, so if they are not approved.

Anyway I do not think Tom seeing the script take long to incorporate it directly into PinballX.

If you hurry to fix it, you can see it in my blog, I hope not understood this as spam.

http://pinballvirtual.es/vplauncher-varias-versiones-de-visual-pinball-en-pinballx/

Nothing wrong with this. It will work, but the same functionality already exists in PinballX using the alternateexe tag. I just think some of these features are not well documented, though.

[PcTeknic]

I did not know GameManager could do this from the latest versions soil no longer open GameManager, usually work the database by hand.

So we have two options.

1 GameManager use to specify the version of each table.

2 change the executable to VPLauncher

Then I'll look at what the GameManager, although I have found it very convenient VPLauncher.

[vogliadicane]

I don't think, you can choose in GameManager, which exe is used per table (at least I didn't see that option). I, just add one line manually at the end of each entry (before the </game> tag). Like this

<alternateexe>VPinball99_PhysMod5.exe</alternateexe>

Works very well and as Carny already mentioned, you don't have to mess with different media folders and some more advantages.

 

Edit: just to clarify, the old version of GM overwrote the complete xml without keeping the alternateexe tags, so you lost them after each modification. The new version keeps these tags, that's the difference. But anyways, it is very handy now. Luxury would be of course, if GM would offer a dropdown menu and add this line of code (hint-hint-hint, I hope Tom reads this )

[PcTeknic]

That's great!!!

So if I understand you well, my databases should be as follows: (whether I do it with GM as if I do it by hand).

<menu>

<game name="Monopoly FS">
<description>MONOPOLY</description>
<rom></rom>
<manufacturer>Stern</manufacturer>
<year>2001</year>
<type>Pinball SS</type>
<hidedmd>True</hidedmd>
<hidebackglass>True</hidebackglass>
<enabled>True</enabled>
<rating>5</rating>
<alternateexe>VPinball921.exe</alternateexe>
</game>
  
<game name="VP10_Monopoly_WOW">
<description>MONOPOLY WOW</description>
<rom></rom>
<manufacturer>Stern</manufacturer>
<year>2001</year>
<type>Pinball SS</type>
<hidedmd>True</hidedmd>
<hidebackglass>True</hidebackglass>
<enabled>True</enabled>
<rating>5</rating>
<alternateexe>VPinballX.exe</alternateexe>
</game>

<game name="VP99_Monster Bash">
<description>MONSTER BASH</description>
<rom></rom>
<manufacturer>Williams</manufacturer>
<year>1998</year>
<type>Pinball SS</type>
<hidedmd>True</hidedmd>
<hidebackglass>True</hidebackglass>
<enabled>True</enabled>
<rating>5</rating>
<alternateexe>VPinball992.exe</alternateexe>
</game>

</menu>

 

[Draco1962]

14 hours ago, Carny_Priest said:

Yes, I use a single custom xml with an exe tag that stores the executable to use. Saves on housekeeping. Don't have to keep up with media on separate systems or use symbolic links to fool PinballX.

I don't use Game Manager. I create or collect all of my own media.

Are you using this via the integrated Visual Pinball support or setup as another system? 

Do you have your different Visual Pinball exes in the same or separate folders?

[Carny_Priest]

I use the VP slot to run a AutoHotkey based launcher:

All tables are in a single folder. I suppose you could modify the script to use individual table folders and/or VP executable, but I think that adds labor to housekeeping. I keep all tables in one folder and use the xml as my reference. All my executables are in the same folder. I'm only using three: 992, physmod5 with the plunger mod, and the latest VPX beta.

[PcTeknic]

It works perfectly.

I updated PinballX.

I set PinballX to VPinball921.exe is the executable.

I edited the database by hand to add <alternateexe> VPinball992.exe </ alternateexe> before </ game> at each table that is to be executed with VP99.

I added <alternateexe> VPinballX.exe </ alternateexe> before </ game> at each table that is to be executed with VPX.

Works perfect without rename tables or use external launcher.

I continue renaming the tables, more than anything to know at a glance which correspond to each version, but that things are already mine.

[vogliadicane]

^^ yes, that's exactly what I meant and what I do. Handy, isn't it?

[PcTeknic]

Yes, it is great.
I have observed that the VP 992 takes a while to open them, but open, which is what matters.

[xman72]

PcTeknic...

So is your example a few posts above correct?... or can you give me an updated example of the code?

[PcTeknic]

The example is correct , although that does not change the exe you can skip if you want. I've left at all, for if you update a table know you need to change this too.

------

El ejemplo es correcto, aunque en los que no cambie el exe lo puedes omitir si quieres.

Yo lo he dejado en todos, por si actualizas alguna mesa saber que hay que cambiar esto también.

[xman72]

On 9/10/2016 at 9:05 AM, PcTeknic said:

It works perfectly.

I updated PinballX.

I set PinballX to VPinball921.exe is the executable.

I edited the database by hand to add <alternateexe> VPinball992.exe </ alternateexe> before </ game> at each table that is to be executed with VP99.

I added <alternateexe> VPinballX.exe </ alternateexe> before </ game> at each table that is to be executed with VPX.

Works perfect without rename tables or use external launcher.

I continue renaming the tables, more than anything to know at a glance which correspond to each version, but that things are already mine.

Hello Again PcTeknic,

As far as starting VPinball921.exe... did you do anyting to bypass the User Permission Settings? I have PBX in a cabinet and don't really have a need for a keyboard, even though I do have one but it gets annoying to have to bypass this.

[PcTeknic]

First time you need execute all tables from Visual Pinball, bypass user permisions and select especial settings in some tables.

When all tables are allready you can launch tables from PinballX.

Sorry for my bad english

[xman72]

Not quite sure if I understand.

[Draco1962]

The first time you run a table in VP you get a prompt. You have to respond to it to proceed with play. You should do this for each new table added outside of PinballX. 

[xman72]

Forgive me for not understanding but I don't think we're talking about the same thing. I'm talking about  Microsoft's UAC or User Account Control bypass. It's supposedly prevents an unrecognized program from making changes to the computer. There is a setting to turn this feature off but doing so leaves your computer open to viruses and what not... so they say. Once I have everything downloaded that I need, I plan to turn this feature off but also disconnect the computer from the internet. UNLESS, there is indeed a way to make an exception just for VP921.

I only have a handful of tables for VP921 so even if I can't get it to work the way I want, I can simply give up on those tables. However, I did want to ask a slightly different question regarding VP921 tables in case there are others who may use VP921 tables differently. Now I haven't tested VP921 one tables with anything other than VP992 but in VP992, most of the VP921 table do not work properly. I've done some research and it seems like there is a way to upgrade them to VP992, but it also seems a bit complicated to me. So the question is...

Is there another version of VP9xx that is not available in the single VP installer that runs VP921 tables (without getting the UAC prompt) that is NOT VP921? I'm really just curious if there is another way to handle this.