PinballX with VPX & VP9 Living Together

[jimmay3]

I have not found a great way to setup VPX & VP9 table to coexist together via PinballX.

Tried adding it as other, but menus seem funny.;

Best I found was to just keep them both in one database and manually add the below to the VPX versions in the .xml database file:

  <alternateexe>VPinballX.exe</alternateexe>

Works great, but the only issue I have is when I run an Import Ratings via Game Manager, it erases all the non-standard script like the above, thus have found to just no use the Import Ratings option for now.  Also, since in the same database, I only get one graphic/icon for the system (VP), no way to really see a diff of VP9 and VPX versions from the PinballX menus.

Any better fix?

Would be nice if PinballX supported multiple versions of VP within Game Manager instead of just adding VPX as an Other system.

[jimmay3]

Anyone with other options?

[Carny_Priest]

What's wrong with using Custom system with VP system type?

[jimmay3]

Yes, that is an option, but more of a workaround too it would seem.

Seems strange there are multiple built-in setups for other programs like FX, but only one for VP.  With only one custom option aval, don't want to waste it on VP and VPX plus if you have the same table in both VP and VPX verions with a custom setup, PBX is requnied to store multiple copies of the same (big) media files in a separate folder.  Would seem easier to have something hard coded in the game manager for VP to select the version of VP to run for each table, then the media, roms and support fIles for tables of different versions of VP could share the duplicate data.

[Carny_Priest]

There's always a bit of customization that must be done if you have your own particular way of wanting to organize your tables, databases, and media. I use a custom AutoHotkey-based launcher with a single custom xml. I use something like the the alternateexe tag to indicate which executable should run. I don't use Game Manager. I'm fine with using Notepad to edit the xml.

I'm not sure why you would want to share media files for the same table across different systems. If you have a VP9 and a VPX version of the same table would they not look different in appearance? I tend to just keep the latest and greatest and drop the older version of a table. But if you were to organize by system and you don't want multiple media folders (I agree that maintaining multiple folders across multiple systems would be tougher to do housekeeping), you would use symbolic links to a set of master folders that hold all of your VP media: wheel images, playfield videos, etc. If you are talking about flyers, instruction cards. Those already go into common folders.

[jimmay3]

I don't mind using notepad, but like to use game manager to initially download media and setup basic table profile and media, then just use notepad to add the alternateexe.  Unfortunately,  I used the ratings update feature and it erases all the alternateexe entries, so am looking for other option others have figured out.

The media files for VP9 and vpx are not separated by version when downloading, they are by keywords of the table name, thus most likely will have media files from VP9 on youn vpx menus, I don't mind, it's just a ruff menu graphic of the game anyway.  It is nice to have the common folder for instructions and flyers, but the BG and playfield might as well be the same too, cause unless you rerecord them in vpx, your menu graphics are most likely from a VP9 table cause were done long ago.

I like all VP in one folder, but then the issue is the system logos are all the same, would be nice if there was an "alternatesys" option so you could see the difference in the menu of a VP9 and VPX game.

I like the idea of custom, but seemed like a nightmare when upgrading a VP9 table to vpx, by deleting the VP9 one, it still leaves all the dead media files in the old VP9 folder and have to move or download again to the vpx.

I guess the easiest request would be for a  <alternatesys> feature...