NEWS: GameEx 7.03 Released

[Tom Speirs]

25th November, 2006 - GameEx 7.03

- This version of GameEx introduces a plugin system

- There are three new plugins included and a new plugin manager application

- There is a caller ID plugin and a password exit plugin both by Ben Baker

- In addition a simple speech plugin which speaks the names of games is included

- If you can code in .net you too can get involved, and this is something that I plan to extend to be able to allow complete modules to be coded for GameEx

- A big thanks to Ben Baker who helped me imensly with all this and still is. Ben is also working on a LedWiz and LCD plugin that should be available shortly

- For registered users there's enhanced internet radio with shoutcast browsing, 1000's of stations, and a favorites manager

- GameEx setup wizard 1.52 by Ben Baker

- Fixes prompting to update the game list everytime a configuration setting is changed

- Fixes volume up for SlikStik users

- Should hopefully fix create MAME videos for some users

- The final stages of the GameEx install should now be quicker

[Nologic]

Some nice new features...now if I can just get my system home to where I can enjoy all the new shiny things.

Thanks Tom & Ben for the new toys.

[headkaze]

Plugins for GameEx opens up new doors. The best FE just gets better! I urge people like Nologic to give C# a try, you can download the Microsoft Visual C# 2005 Express Edition for free and write you own plugins for GameEx. (There is an example plugin in the PLUGINS folder of the latest GameEx release)

Things like mounting images and whatever you can think of can all be integrated into the new plugin system. If you are new to C# and need help writing a plugin just make a post and we will try to help.

The plugin system is still in development, so if you need a feature to make your own plugin a reality just let Tom know and I'm sure he will take a look at adding it.

There is still more to be done with the plugin's but right now there is a lot that can be made.

This also means external developers like me can help add features to GameEx so if you come up with a good idea for a plugin just post a feature request and we will see if it can be made!

Finally.... please note the current plugins are all very new, and have not been tested fully. So if you can test them and report back any bugs on the forums.

[Tom Speirs]

Thanks Ben.

As he says folks

[Nologic]

@ headkaze

OH SHIT! (runs and hides)

[Tom Speirs]

HK, do you want to add a pinned topic for this for both support and uploads?

[headkaze]

HK, do you want to add a pinned topic for this for both support and uploads?

*shrugs* Not sure about a pinned topic, up to you. Perhaps another addition to the FAQ, but noone reads that anyways right lol

[Tom Speirs]

*shrugs* Not sure about a pinned topic, up to you. Perhaps another addition to the FAQ, but noone reads that anyways right lol

I need to seriously clean them up, but I think its a good idea. I'll just add one for uploads, cant really support new .net programmers

[Nologic]

Hey I just looked at the FAQ yesterday...but only because I wanted to make sure that Virtual CD CLI bit wasn't already in there.

[headkaze]

Hey I just looked at the FAQ yesterday...but only because I wanted to make sure that Virtual CD CLI bit wasn't already in there.

Ive been looking at your recent post "Virtual CD\DVD CLI (Command Line Interface) " and can't help but see another plugin.. heh

[Nologic]

LOL well that would be handy...but right now if I was to get into real programming, it would likely be a C++ project to alter how the Advanced Configuration is done...and maybe speed it up...hehe I just do way to much tweaking.

Plus I got a $500 MFC lib that I bought 3 years ago for a project that never happened...hehe so wouldn't mind not seeing that money go to waste.

[headkaze]

LOL well that would be handy...but right now if I was to get into real programming, it would likely be a C++ project to alter how the Advanced Configuration is done...and maybe speed it up...hehe I just do way to much tweaking.

Plus I got a $500 MFC lib that I bought 3 years ago for a project that never happened...hehe so wouldn't mind not seeing that money go to waste.

The Setup Wizard not fast enough for ya? hehe The thing is this whole FE is written in .NET so there is no point in thinking about C++. I do use C++ but only for things like wrappers and stuff that can't be done easily in .NET. Trust me when I say this, coming from someone who can code in C++, .NET is a beautiful language and it's the future. I recommend it to you, and the earlier you start the quicker you can get good at it. It really is a lovely language, and what you can do in C++ in 2 hours you can do in .NET in 10 minutes. It's worth a look And the plugin system is written for it, so I'm really hoping you will give it a try!

[Nologic]

The Setup Wizard is fine speed wise (redraw between pannels is a little slow for some reason tho)...but you jump through a few hoops before you get to what you need to do.

Hehe hell I use to program in assembler way back in the day...C++ is a fast programming lang to me.

I'm just slow getting back into things...been 15 years for me...and writing autoit scripts for the past two years has been about as indepth as I've been.

Any ways we'll see...but it'll have to wait till my system comes home...because this one is just about ready to go flying out the window.

[emphatic]

So as the really great plugins start to flow, will they be absorbed by GameEx and included preconfigured with upcoming versions? Or added into the main program if possible? The less new users has to install and configure, the better. Great work guys!

Emph

[headkaze]

Well, the custom mode in Setup Wizard is supposed to mean you don't have to click through a thousand pages of settings.

But yeah, I like C++ for speed critical stuff. But if you look at GameEx which is written entirely in .NET (with a few components in C++), it runs pretty damn well. That's DirectX for you I guess.

[Nologic]

emphatic -

I would imagine if the author grants his plug-in to be distributed with GameEx it will be...who knows...maybe some stuff would get merged...to early to say I would imagine.

headkaze -

Yeah it skips most of it. Really I think you should code it up as a replacement for the "Advanced Configuration", but have it accept a commandline option to send it into Setup mode...that way during installation the installer can invoke that CLI option and then things continue as they have been.

Well maybe I'll gab your ear off on this some other time...I'm working on a few things right now...and don't want to get side tracked.

[Tom Speirs]

So as the really great plugins start to flow, will they be absorbed by GameEx and included preconfigured with upcoming versions? Or added into the main program if possible? The less new users has to install and configure, the better. Great work guys!

Emph

I guess it depends on three things.

1. Quality.

2. Permission.

3. And size.

If there's a tick for all those, I'm all for it

However they will remain Plugins, and not somehow get merged with the GameEx code, that's the whole point of this. Some may be included with the install though, and some may be integrated more closely meaining turned on by default and already configured. Who knows for sure, but I am very excited about the potential.

[headkaze]

Continuing on what Tom is saying, believe it or not plugins are better than integrated code because they allow a user to swtich off the functionality completely if they dont want it meaning it doesn't use any resources. It's all a part of modular coding design, so yeah I'm really excited about the potention this new feature has.

And I think Tom has a really cool idea for taking plugins to the next level. Where you can code modules that fully integrate, so you could write your own jukebox plugin for example. It will be interesting to see how far this can go.

[hansolo77]

Well, I'm going to break the whole OFF TOPIC topic discussion and bring it back to the release.

Nice work Tom, and HK. Always nice to see a new release, and try out new features. Tom, any ideas about the internal direct update working yet? I'm still going to download from the web since it seems safer, I was just wondering.

Keep up the great work!

[Ruby-Rube]

Tom,

Nice job with 7.03. You fixed the "volume up" issue I was having. The plug in idea is very nice as well. I am using the SAM voice on my PC for the voice plugin, because that's all I have access to. I can probably d/l a voice pack from MS but it's fine for me the way it is. I did notice that after GameEx went into screen saver mode and then came out the voice stopped working. Just thought I'd report it back to you.

Thanks for the fix!

Reuben

[Nologic]

Well went looking for text to speech voices...but came up a little short...maybe this market is becoming smaller....any ways here is a link to where you can buy a few packages.

[Tom Speirs]

Well went looking for text to speech voices...but came up a little short...maybe this market is becoming smaller....any ways here is a link to where you can buy a few packages.

Yeah, I don't think its a really popular thing. I think its more for people with disabalities.

I think when the technology improves, and it does not sound like a berzerk cab on steroids it will probably take off

[Nologic]

Well I recall that field developing fairly fast during the DotCom...then again what wasn't.

AT&T where the only guys throwing real money and R&D at it...but haven't touched it since 97 or so.

Maybe some day it will finally hit the mark.

[Tom Speirs]

Well, I'm going to break the whole OFF TOPIC topic discussion and bring it back to the release.

Nice work Tom, and HK. Always nice to see a new release, and try out new features. Tom, any ideas about the internal direct update working yet? I'm still going to download from the web since it seems safer, I was just wondering.

Keep up the great work!

I was not aware it was not working with the latest versions. Since you did a manual update I guess no way to know.

[headkaze]

I did notice that after GameEx went into screen saver mode and then came out the voice stopped working. Just thought I'd report it back to you.

Tom this could be a bug, if the voice stopps working after screen saver mode chances are the plugin has caused an exception and closed. Can you please check this out.