Potential feature request

[Itchigo]

I've been mulling adding a 3rd screen to my cab. I'm not sure if I want to add a dmd screen or not. I'd have 360 some tables to reconfigure (just dmd tables). But I was thinking, maybe I could have the wheel image (adjusted to fit) on the 3rd screen instead? But I'm not sure if Pinball X even supports this?

[Draco1962]

You could probably leverage the topper monitor feature to display the table wheel image there as well. 

You would have to somehow upscale the image manually. 

[scutters]

Yes, you can have a 3rd screen and assign it as a Topper, a virtual DMD or as an Apron screen.

For Topper and DMD screens you can show whatever media (wheel image, company logo etc) you want there, as either a video or image file. You would need to copy the media into the relevant media media folder for that system name and screen type. You can configure PinballX to show the media in the frontend only or stay on after starting a game.

If you add a 3rd screen and assign it as an Apron screen it will show your instruction cards, they will be displayed in the frontend and after launching a game.

[Itchigo]

Ahh, gotcha. If I ever decide to pull the trigger and add a 3rd screen, that's the route I'm going to go. I just had a weird thought lol. I have an extra touchscreen car stereo I may be able to use as a screen... The squareish screen may be good for displaying a wheel logo. I know it has external source RCA  inputs. That would be a first- 2 car stereos in one cab. I already have my old Kraco as my cab's amplifier.

On a separate note I have an extra listing for a table, I think Pinball X added a game listing as demo media. I forgot how I fixed this a long time ago. I know I fixed it in the wizard, but I can't find where. When I have Pinball X open I see 2 Big Game (Stern 1980) titles, but my xml only has one Big Game in there. Edit: I just installed 6.99.

This game is in the menu twice, but only only the xml once.

  <game name="Big Game">
    <description>Big Game</description>
    <manufacturer>Stern</manufacturer>
    <year>1980</year>
    <type>SS</type>
  </game>

 

 

PinballX.ini log.txt

[scutters]

2 hours ago, Itchigo said:

When I have Pinball X open I see 2 Big Game (Stern 1980) titles, but my xml only has one Big Game in there.

Are you looking at the 'All Tables' view in PinballX?. The default/demo Big Game entry will be under default Visual Pinball system, If you have added Big Game under the custom VPX system as well then that might explain it (and can be fixed by removing the entry under Visual Pinball.xml database file)

[Itchigo]

Yes, this is under all tables. My all tables xml is the VPX.xml. I have Big Game once in my VPX.xml. Everything else I have are individual categories.

Isn't there an option in the wizard that installs demo media? That's what I was thinking this was. It's not a huge deal, I'm just ocd with my cab. If I have 1,716 tables, I should have 1,716 screenshots, etc lol.

[Draco1962]

It isn't installed via an option, it just comes that way with the initial install. 

Have you searched for additional.xml files?

[scutters]

9 hours ago, Itchigo said:

Yes, this is under all tables. My all tables xml is the VPX.xml. I have Big Game once in my VPX.xml. Everything else I have are individual categories.

Pretty sure it'll be an entry in the Visual Pinball (not the VPX) system xml then if you are viewing all tables as that system is enabled as well as the custom VPX system, so All Tables will include both systems xml entries.

[Itchigo]

I know I have it in all tables, and once in a separate xml (Solid State.xml).

Question: I have Visual Pinball enabled (vp9), and VPX in other  systems. I'm using the alternative exe line for vp9 tables, and vpx is the default exe. Should I just be using Visual Pinball for VPX, disable other systems, and the alternative exe line will handle vp9 without having another system enabled?

[Draco1962]

@scuttersisn't there a way to display via genres (e.g., EM, Solid State, etc.) without creating separate XMLs for each?

[Mike_da_Spike]

20 hours ago, Itchigo said:

Question: I have Visual Pinball enabled (vp9), and VPX in other  systems. I'm using the alternative exe line for vp9 tables, and vpx is the default exe. Should I just be using Visual Pinball for VPX, disable other systems, and the alternative exe line will handle vp9 without having another system enabled?

Yes, correct. You can use one system for Visual Pinball. Use the default .exe for VPX 10.8 tables and the alternate .exe for VP9 tables. 

[scutters]

On 1/9/2026 at 6:10 PM, Draco1962 said:

@scuttersisn't there a way to display via genres (e.g., EM, Solid State, etc.) without creating separate XMLs for each?

Indeed there is!. Creating (and maintaining) custom database xml files is the old way. The newer way is to use 'active filters', which is just an .ini file(s) that sit alongside the main systems xml file under the databases folders. Some more info here; https://forums.gameex.com/forums/topic/26442-resolved-search-for-instructions-on-how-to-create-filters-in-the-game-manager-eg-by-year-or-table-manufacturer/#findComment-203127

So to create a list of just Solid State tables (assuming that the main database xml has the SS Type set correctly for each table) an ini file like the below from a VPX database would filter to show just those when that list is selected;

[Filter]
Comment
Year_from=0
Manufacturer
Category=*SS*
Description
Author
Theme
System=VPX
Year_to=0
File

The advantage of the active filter is that it doesn't need maintaining when new tables/entries are added to the main database xml, the filter will automatically include any new tables that match its criteria.

@Itchigo it's been a while since i used custom database xml files (as i switched to active filters), but i'm not sure you're seeing Big Game twice in All Tables because of an entry in a custom database as well as the main database. Can you zip up and attach your PinballX\Databases folder, then we can investigate further with a like for like setup.

[Itchigo]

Will do Scutters, I won't be able to get it until this afternoon. I know I have it in my VPX.xml (all tables) once, and once in my Solid State.xml. I'm old school. I've been doing my xmls manually via notepad for years.

Thanks Mike, I'll try that later today.

[Mike_da_Spike]

3 hours ago, Itchigo said:

I'm old school. I've been doing my xmls manually via notepad for years.

Sometimes it's good to change to something new. For example, gamemanager.exe from Tom.

Or use DBM from Scutters and myself. DBM has a pretty good interface for creating filters and seeing them. You can also use the comments field for adding tags that can be used for filters.

The next site is in progress, but you can check the URL to see how to make filters via DBM. : https://databasemanager.duckdns.org/en/Using_DataBaseManager/Advanced_Actions/Creating_Custom_Filters

[Itchigo]

So, weird.... I tried disabling other systems and using the Visual Pinball system exclusively. It seemed to break everything, and I only had the default 2 entries in the menu, despite my xml. So, I put things back the way they were and got everything working again. And, since I put everything back the same way it was before, the extra Big Game in all tables is gone now. 🙃 I have no idea what fixed it, but needless to say I backed up all my settings.