View Control buttons

[naborneo]

i'm new at gameex, but so far what i've seen i like very much, great job. i've loaded all my emulators up to game ex (nes, snes, sgen, n64, psx, dc) and this will be going into a stand up arcade machine. with that many console emulators, and so many different button configurations, i was wondering if it was possible to show an image of the controls, of what buttons are what? I have the files already created was just wondering if there is any way to display them...say on the side of the screen when your choosing your game, or better yet maybe a run code to show the image once the rom is choosen and then a 'press any key' to starts the rom?

Thanks for any help.

there are some examples of what i am talking about attached

[Smiff]

i was thinking of something like this, but just to show you which controller to use, i don't know if there's much point labelling the buttons since theyre already labelled.. i guess if you're using a controller for a system other than the one intended theres a point yes.

[naborneo]

well as of right now my buttons arn't labeled on the control panel and with mame and the other emulators, it would be nice to know before you start the game what does what, since for each console it is different with each console having a different number of buttons.

[Tom Speirs]

well as of right now my buttons arn't labeled on the control panel and with mame and the other emulators, it would be nice to know before you start the game what does what, since for each console it is different with each console having a different number of buttons.

I like the idea of showing emulator information.

How about this: when showing the game info for a game. ie where add to favorites is etc, how about having two optional custom list items, which can display an image of choice based on the emulator number (not the rom). The image will display much like the artwork does, as a image in the corner, and the option to view full screen by selecting.

Like This

Super Mario Brothers

- Play This Game

- Cartridge

- Box

- Add to Favorites

- View Controls

- About the NES Emulator

I am keen to do this, and this really is not to do hard this way. Looks like it will fit in perfect like this.

Who's in favor?

Cheers.

[Smiff]

the new menu item is "About the NES Emulator"?

[Tom Speirs]

the new menu item is "About the NES Emulator"?

No theres two.

View Controls, and about the NES emulator. Just examples. What I am saying is you can have two custom images for each emulator, which will be available when you select a game for the emulator. Tough week Smiff?

Could be:

- Play This Game

- Cartridge

- Box

- Add to Favorites

- Help

- NES Technical information

[Smiff]

No theres two.

Tough week Smiff?

yes, we nearly had the pj64 site done and now its f**cked up.

erm sorry, i want a picture displayed all the time you are browsing NES games, because no one uses those menus on the launch screen. except the top one

[Tom Speirs]

yes, we nearly had the pj64 site done and now its f**cked up.

erm sorry, i want a picture displayed all the time you are browsing NES games, because no one uses those menus on the launch screen. except the top one

In that case, please detail how exactly that would work or be implemented. I cant see it fitting. If they dont use them, I am guessing they alreaqdy know what there doing and dont need help, or they dont use them now perhaps. Remember its not MAMEWAH. I am not keen on people having to press a combination of keys. The GameEx UI is about navigation and useability.

[Smiff]

on my screen (1024x768 but i might go down to 848x480) theres shed loads of space on the left where the game screen is (room for two pics there) or below the menus. or put it transparent behind the menus or something.

anyway i havent really thought this through and im hijacking the other guy's thread.

edit: for just a small pic of the controllers, so how about on the main game list, between the title and the x button area.

lets wait for the starter to come back and say what he wants. i'm quite happy to shout at people "this is a SNES controller, use it for SNES games, unless you have 3 or 4 plays, then players 3/4 use the N64 controllers with these buttons.. and the N64 controller, use THAT for NES games..... no i don't have any NES controllers.. the SNES controller doesnt map as well."

heh this is not gameex's fault, when i have a coherent idea i'll post it, sorry.

[Tom Speirs]

on my screen (1024x768 but i might go down to 848x480) theres shed loads of space on the left where the game screen is (room for two pics there) or below the menus. or put it transparent behind the menus or something.

Yeah, not keen, sorry. Let's see what others think. I am also seeing this as a way to display more than a controller. Like a help, information screen, or a Nostalgia screen with pictures of the system. This would need to be viewed full screen. Also most people are over the moon if they can get upto 640X480 on a cab or TV. I dont want different features for different res's.

GameEx not = Mamewah

[Smiff]

shit i meant i run 1024x576.

anyway.. yeah

i think i know waht i want

an option to show a row of small controller pictures, probably under the menus on the launch screen

config like:

Controller1=snes.png

Controller2=snes.png

Controller3=n64.png

Controller4=n64.png

...

up to i dunno whats the most players a system has, 8?

this is what we need, yah

edit: "we" means just "my peeps" using gameex, sorry

[naborneo]

I like the idea of showing an option to view the controls from the rom menu choice, so that it kinda stays true to the program and its look (that the same control menu chioce in the MAME option is now in the emulator options)

[Tom Speirs]

I like the idea of showing an option to view the controls from the rom menu choice, so that it kinda stays true to the program and its look (that the same control menu chioce in the MAME option is now in the emulator options)

Smiff ,please give a bit more detail on your solution, I am not really sure where or how this row your talking about is going to appear?

What's everyone else think?

[i use that res too, with powerstrip on a 4:3 XGA Projector]

Laters

PS. Why does the PJ64 site say your missing in action!?

[Smiff]

well, the problem we have on my system is people dont know which controllers to use for which games. because i dont have 4 controllers for every system (that would be ridiculous amount of controllers), sometimes 2 types of controller are used for different players in one game.

so what im thinking is, show a row of the controllers used for that emu, like player 1 is snes controller, player 2 also snes, player 3 n64, player 4 n64, player 5 psx (that would be my snes setup for bomberman as it is atm). for this purpose a small icon of the controller (in a horzontal row, player 1 on the left as is the norm) would be sufficient but it most not be in a submenu because then users wouldn't see it. they only need to be big enough to see, not to be labelled (unless we can find a way to fit that in).

edit: even better i could make different graphics n64_pad_blue.png, n64_pad_red.png etc so people can see exactly which controller to pick up for each player #. woot! am i making any sense?

edit2: your Q was where to show it. i think in the space on the launch screen under the menus would be ideal. im talking about small thumbnail size pics here (like 60x45 maybe?)

***

i was MIA before 1.6 release, ive been back for a while now (and was around for post v1.5 dev). now you know

[djrobx]

It would be cool if we could have HTML based "documentation" for the games, that way people could embed images for the controls or whatever else makes sense for that particular emulator.

[Tom Speirs]

It would be cool if we could have HTML based "documentation" for the games, that way people could embed images for the controls or whatever else makes sense for that particular emulator.

Well thats quite possible, and easy too. We already have a web browser. Now do we have the option for image, web page, or either (selectable), or autodetect based on file extension (my preference)?

I'm assuming you prefer my approach over Smiff's?

Smiff, you could always do your approach by just setting up the controls as html applications. I am pretty sure the GameEx web browser will load file:// shortcuts and probably just images on there own. Do you want to try it and see if it works?

[Smiff]

(well my problem is quite specific: people dont know which controllers to use)

how will i get that to appear on each game's launch page, correctly for each emu?

[Tom Speirs]

(well my problem is quite specific: people dont know which controllers to use)

how will i get that to appear on each game's launch page, correctly for each emu?

You cant. They would appear under More Games & Applications, or on the Start Menu if your using Flat Menus

[Smiff]

back to the A4 piece of paper blue-tacked to the TV i guess

really i was thinking, in general this sort of thing has to be a function of the frontend (not demanding, just saying it cant work anywhere else?)

or were you talking about putting a link in there?

[Tom Speirs]

back to the A4 piece of paper blue-tacked to the TV i guess

really i was thinking, in general this sort of thing has to be a function of the frontend (not demanding, just saying it cant work anywhere else?)

or were you talking about putting a link in there?

I am saying convert you A4 sheet to HTML. Add it is an HTML app.

Create a post it size sheet. Write: For instructions select More applications, Help & Controls. Post this smaller size paper to your TV.

Help & Controls would be your page explaining whatever you like.

Rename More programs & Games to More programs and HELP

[Smiff]

yeah thanks but thats not going to help. idiots, kids and lazy people. it needs to be in each emu's list of roms or game launch screen to be useful.

it's cool if you don't want to do it, im just saying what might be useful here, i might come up with a better/more precise suggestion later.

edit: im feeling ill this evening so ill drop this for now, sorry to spam etc.

[Tom Speirs]

or game launch screen to be useful.

I thought that's where I said I was going to put it?

[Tom Speirs]

it's cool if you don't want to do it

You got me all wrong. I do want to do it. I just want to do it the best way

[naborneo]

i'm kinda confused how smiffs controls are set up. maybe Iâ??m thinking of a different set up. my set up is one large control panel with set up for 4 people (1 joystick, 8 buttons, start/select button) for each player. I set a specific character or key for each button on the control panel. With each button on the control panel having its own key on the keyboard(these never change, first button is always A second button is always B,ect....), i went into each of the emulators and synced the buttons keys with the gamepad configuration. That way the keys always stay the same on the control panel, but they change within the emulator. They way you have 4 set ups on control panel for 4 people, and it doesnâ??t matter what emu your playing, you use the same controls for every emu.

I hope that makes sense, with all those buttons and not having any labeling that why I was wondering if there was a way to implement those images to know what button the (virtual) game pad matches up with the buttons each persons controls.

[Smiff]

heh, yeah mines totally diff. i have lots of different types of original system controller, trying to use the correct one (or closest) wherever possible.

so your problem, is people need to know which buttons are which game keys. mine is just people need to know which controllers to pick up (the downside to mine is in >2 player games not everyone is using the same controller type)