Enabling game ICONS for non-MAME emulators

**shroud** · October 9, 2016

Is it possible at all in GameEx to enable game ICONS (those that show up besides the game name in menus) for emulated systems other than MAME?

For MAME, you just need to define a path for your icons files in Setup Wizard, but can the same be done for other systems?

It wouldn't seem to require anything different than from MAME, since this is a feature that depends only on GameEx, and not the actual emulators, right?

**DazzleHP** · October 9, 2016

Honestly, you can't.

The reason GameEx can show them in the first place is because of the effort of the MAME group, and all it's contributors, and all that they do.

There is however no reason that GamEx can't do this, other than the fact that icons do not exist for general systems

**shroud** · October 9, 2016

My guess is that it should be very easy to add the same feature for all systems, after all it will be exactly the same as for MAME, since it's only a functionality of the menus.

As for the icons themselves, I was thinking about creating them myself. But until GameEx supports them, there is no point in embarking in such a task.

**stigzler** · October 9, 2016

I'm not aware of a way and it might be that the Mame Games List page is coded differently to the Emulator Games List page (not sure). However, it feels a little academic as I'm not aware of any game icon sets for non-mame systems and to create them to completion would be a huge piece of work. Like the idea though.

I'm normally a so-and-so for leaping on seemingly impossible completionist ideas and enthusiastically saying "cummon - we can do it." But the idea of creating individual mame-style icons for the thousands of games on each system..well not sure it's do-able. Unless you want to start a new user project, shroud?

Essentially this a a User Enhancement and Requests fingy - so you could log a ticket in there.

**shroud** · October 9, 2016

Added to the enhancement request thread!

I am not endorsing a completionist task, particularly because this is such a small eye-candy, clearly it cannot compare in usefulness with video snaps or other artworks.

But it seems to me very easy to implement, and if enabled, then each interested user can make their own icons and share them. Naturally I would start with the icons of the games I have in my collection, but most of them are very famous games so probably other people would be happy to use my icons.

**Draco1962** · October 9, 2016

Probably not as easy to implement as you might think. Since MAME already has Icons implemented as part of its functionality, allowing that to pass through the integrated MAME support is much easier.

**shroud** · October 9, 2016

25 minutes ago, Draco1962 said:

Probably not as easy to implement as you might think. Since MAME already has Icons implemented as part of its functionality, allowing that to pass through the integrated MAME support is much easier.

Well I don't know what MAME uses icons for... But GameEx doesn't need MAME to show icons in its own menus, or does it? Or are they different from video snaps, logos and covers?

**Draco1962** · October 9, 2016

If you use one of the MAMEUI versions you will see exactly what I am referring to as it leverages the icons path that should also show in the mame setup files.

Yes, they are different from the logo and snap files, and have been around a long time. You will find a few sites if you search "MAME icons."

**DazzleHP** · October 11, 2016

Bottom line is, everything i said in my first post - there is no reason why GameEx can't do it, other than the fact that the icons you want don't exist. If there was a community like the MAME community, all making logos, for all systems then there is no reason GX can't incorporate them ^^ But there is not, so there isn't :

But hey, if you wanna make a movement go for it - you already have our best endorsement aka Stigzler! Damn that guy can get things done

On 09/10/2016 at 11:12 AM, stigzler said:

Like the idea though.

I'm normally a so-and-so for leaping on seemingly impossible completionist ideas and enthusiastically saying "cummon - we can do it." But the idea of creating individual mame-style icons for the thousands of games on each system..well not sure it's do-able. Unless you want to start a new user project, shroud?

**shroud** · October 13, 2016

On 11.10.2016 at 5:27 AM, DazzleHP said:

But hey, if you wanna make a movement go for it - you already have our best endorsement aka Stigzler! Damn that guy can get things done

Well I'd start a movement only if it gets supported first, I don't want to risk doing work for nothing... especially since I'm already promised to covering for missing video snaps

**stigzler** · October 13, 2016

On 09 October 2016 at 11:56 AM, shroud said:

I am not endorsing a completionist task, particularly because this is such a small eye-candy, clearly it cannot compare in usefulness with video snaps or other artworks.

But it seems to me very easy to implement, and if enabled, then each interested user can make their own icons and share them. Naturally I would start with the icons of the games I have in my collection, but most of them are very famous games so probably other people would be happy to use my icons.

I think your project would have real value. For example, there are around 1,300 PlayStation titles. If you could raise 10 peoples' interest in this - that'd leave you with 130 each. if you did 5 per day - you'd be done in a month.

I did look at the mame icons with renewed interst. I though they were pseudo-pixelated, but they're just little pictures. Therefore the task of producing them would just be simple image editing and formatting. You might have to translate them into a specific file format? (haven't looked that far).

Lastly, I made an app specifically for collaborative image projects like this:

https://gamesetmatch.codeplex.com/

So the task is do-able and the tools are there. The real challenge will be to find collaborators, which can be very difficult in this scene...

And of course, i'm not sure if GE or Evo can accommodate icons for none mame games lost. That doesn't mean that a set of game icons for systems wouldn't have value, though!

Oh and then there's which naming format you use...

**DazzleHP** · October 15, 2016

On 13/10/2016 at 0:39 PM, stigzler said:

I think your project would have real value. For example, there are around 1,300 PlayStation titles. If you could raise 10 peoples' interest in this - that'd leave you with 130 each. if you did 5 per day - you'd be done in a month.

I did look at the mame icons with renewed interst. I though they were pseudo-pixelated, but they're just little pictures. Therefore the task of producing them would just be simple image editing and formatting. You might have to translate them into a specific file format? (haven't looked that far).

Lastly, I made an app specifically for collaborative image projects like this:

https://gamesetmatch.codeplex.com/

So the task is do-able and the tools are there. The real challenge will be to find collaborators, which can be very difficult in this scene...

And of course, i'm not sure if GE or Evo can accommodate icons for none mame games lost. That doesn't mean that a set of game icons for systems wouldn't have value, though!

Oh and then there's which naming format you use...

GameEX could, no doub't Evo probably can, and like Stigz said, even if not, this kind of project will have an impact worldwide - it's how MAME started, ProGetto Snaps, EmuMovies, - they all started with a seemingly small idea, and then exploded!

So make them icons, own them, start something.

**shroud** · October 17, 2016

Thanks to all of you for your kind encouragements!

I'll make some test icons to estimate how much time it takes, so that other people can decide if they are interested in picking this up.

**stigzler** · October 17, 2016

Way to go - good man. Soon you could be piloting your very own scene-changing project

The mechanics are really easy - one drop-box account and GameSetMatch is all it'd take.

The hard bit would be finding/commissioning contributors. Do post your examples here - I'd be interested to see them.

**Evilforces** · October 18, 2016

Dear shroud, here you have your first partner to help in the task of creating icons.

I also would love to see the icons in different systems and not just in MAME.

If you need my help, you can contact me whenever you need.

Go ahead with the project!!

**stigzler** · October 19, 2016

Good man.

**shroud** · October 22, 2016

On 19/10/2016 at 2:21 AM, Evilforces said:

Dear shroud, here you have your first partner to help in the task of creating icons.

I also would love to see the icons in different systems and not just in MAME.

If you need my help, you can contact me whenever you need.

Go ahead with the project!!

Great!!

This evening I tried to make the first few test icons, I attach the results here.

Making icons is quite easy after all. Here's a checklist of how I did them, using a couple of online tools (but there are many others:

1) Run the game in your favourite emulator, pause to catch a good sprite pose, take a screenshot

2) Copy to Paint, crop to 32x32, make background a single colour if necessary, save as PNG

3) Turn background to transparent > http://www190.lunapic.com/editor/

4) Convert to icon: > http://www.aconvert.com/icon/

Not sure why, but when trying to use an icon of size different than 32x32 (see for example the 64x64 icon for BC's Quest for Tires), the GameEx menu does not display the transparency properly. This is unfortunate because for some games it's difficult to get a sprite so small that it fits in a 32x32 image without getting some distortion.

agent_usa.ico

bc's_quest_for_tires.ico

**Evilforces** · October 22, 2016

Excellent start!!!

I will try to make some icons for the Master System.

I will discuss the results coming here.

Let's iconing all!!! :-)

**stigzler** · October 22, 2016

Cracking work, shroud. See you chose a nice easy system to start with (Commodore 64?). Yeah - they only made a handful of games for that system

In all seriousness - these are great and something to be proud of. Dont forget https://gamesetmatch.codeplex.com/ could make the process a lot easier, especially now you have collaborators!

**shroud** · October 23, 2016

On 22/10/2016 at 9:43 PM, shroud said:

Not sure why, but when trying to use an icon of size different than 32x32 (see for example the 64x64 icon for BC's Quest for Tires), the GameEx menu does not display the transparency properly. This is unfortunate because for some games it's difficult to get a sprite so small that it fits in a 32x32 image without getting some distortion.

Uhm... I tried a few more icons of different sizes and now also the 64x64 worked fine.

Not sure what was wrong previously, but I noticed some pattern: when I create the original image with white background, after turning the background from white to transparent the PNG looks correct but the icon derived from it has once again a white background. If I use a colored background, no problem. This is weird, since the program I used to create the transparency has nothing to do with the one I used to translate PNG to ICO.

Anyway the good news is that we can probably create icons of any typical size supported by windows, for example 32x32, 48x48 or 64x64. For high-resolution systems, it might be very hard to capture a sprite in just a 32x32 square, so higher sizes might come in handy, although it means bigger files.

That said, a high-res icon is not necessary the best-looking one (see the new examples).

defender_of_the_crown32.ico

defender_of_the_crown64.ico

**stigzler** · October 23, 2016

Good choice of IK+ icon!

I'd say go for the highest rez you can, as this will future-proof any sets you produce (as displays get higher rez, icons will need to follow suit)

**DazzleHP** · October 23, 2016

On 22 October 2016 at 7:43 PM, shroud said:

Great!!

Not sure why, but when trying to use an icon of size different than 32x32 (see for example the 64x64 icon for BC's Quest for Tires), the GameEx menu does not display the transparency properly. This is unfortunate because for some games it's difficult to get a sprite so small that it fits in a 32x32 image without getting some distortion.

This is to do with alpha settings. I can't honestly remember where it is in he Setup Wizard but if you turn alpha = on then transparency works, if you leave alpha = off then ABSOLUTE BLACK (0,0,0) is transparent.

But truthfully, to avoid trouble i would have Alpha=On

**stigzler** · October 28, 2016

How's the project going fellas? Dead interested.....

You guys thought about making your own Community Project thread, here:

https://www.gameex.info/forums/forum/40-gameex-media-projects/

??

**shroud** · October 30, 2016

On 29/10/2016 at 0:41 AM, stigzler said:

How's the project going fellas? Dead interested.....

You guys thought about making your own Community Project thread, here:

https://www.gameex.info/forums/forum/40-gameex-media-projects/

??

Good idea! I'll start a thread in that section.

**Evilforces** · November 2, 2016

Hi guys!!!

Only want to know if this is the correct way to do the icons.

Attached my first attemp.

Enabling game ICONS for non-MAME emulators

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