Artist needed for remote control plugin

[bitblitt]

I wrote an app that serves as a remote control for GameEx and my emulators, and I need somebody to help write at least one set of skins for it. I sold my cabinet and just play my games with a wireless game pad on my HDTV sitting on my couch. The problem is a lot of emulators have a lot of other keys. Too many that I can map to my game pad, i.e. insert memory stick, reset, cheat codes, etc... So I had a wireless keyboard next to my couch. I also have over 30 emulators, and I couldn't remember all their keys, so I had a set of manuals next to the keyboard and had to view it regularly. Now, I use my laptop or iPhone to press buttons on a remote control that looks different depending on the emulator currently running, i.e. the Playstation panel has buttons to switch memory stick, and the Atari panel has a color vs. black/white switch. The actual panels are just written in HTML so any device that can view the internet can be used as a remote control. You can select a game in GameEx by using the remote control, or you can select it in GameEx and your remote control will change to the correct context automatically.

I'm done with the code, though I still need to clean up some configuration. However, I'm not an artist. I'm looking for somebody that can build some panels in HTML and Photoshop (or whatever your graphics tools are).

[Tom Speirs]

Sounds cool. Id be very interested to see the app. Does it integrate with the GameEx plugin system? Ive thought before it would be cool having a web interface to GameEx.

[Adultery]

I would love to have this on my cab! Controlling my GameEx from my Moto Q sounds too good to be true!

[bitblitt]

Sounds cool. Id be very interested to see the app. Does it integrate with the GameEx plugin system? Ive thought before it would be cool having a web interface to GameEx.

Not yet, but I was planning on it. Currently, it could be integrated by launching one of the executable files before and after an emulator is launched. I want to finish testing before I create a plugin for it. I briefly looked at the C# and VB plugin sample code. Unfortunately, this is entirely in C++. Either, I would have to write the plugin in C++ by reverse engineering the C# and VB code, or I could just launch the server executable and write a plugin similar to the previous executable mentioned, which I think I'll do. Basically, I would run the web server in an entirely different process rather than as a separate thread in the GameEx process. The plugin would just send a couple commands to the server process.

I made it a web application because I didn't want to write a separate program just to design the layout of the pages. The problem with web apps, however, is that HTTP is completely stateless. In other words, its difficult to tell the client to load a new page if/when the user uses the standard GameEx interface to select a game. I thought I had come up with a novel, though kludgey, mechanism to push data from the server to the client. I'm not a web developer. However, after learning Ajax, I realized I had reinvented Ajax. On my version 2 of the remote control, I was able to delete most of my code and just use the Ajax design pattern.

[bitblitt]

I would love to have this on my cab! Controlling my GameEx from my Moto Q sounds too good to be true!

Do you write HTML and very basic javascript, or flash? Are you into graphics design? In other words, can you make a theme in HTML form? I'm going to write a few noncreative pages for GameEx, Nestopia, and Stella. I'll use those for testing, but whoever makes the first pages can use them as templates. Basically, there is a javascript event that my skeleton code will fire if/when the server pushes a new page to the client. When that event is fired, the client must load the URL pushed to it. When the user clicks (or touches, in the case of the iPhone) a button, the client page will have a javascript function call it uses to send the keystroke(s). So basically, the page designer just needs to draw cool looking remote control panels, and tag buttons with some javascript. Even better, would be to have a CSS guru write up style sheets to hide even the javascript from the designer, or a flash guru to make it animated.

I'll take whatever I get and convert it to iPhone and iPod Touch the best I can.

[bitblitt]

It works. I tested it with NEStopia and Stella. For example, you can reset, pause, save state, load state, and take screenshots from the NEStopia remote control panel. The final version will include panels for PC as well as hand held devices like iPhone. I still need an artist to draw the panels though.

Technically, you could also actually play a game from your internet browser with another app that I made to take screenshots, but that would be horrible slow and stupid.

[bitblitt]

I'm almost done with the first panel. I've attached a screenshot. This is specifically for controlling NEStopia and the resolution is set for the iPhone. I still have to add a quicksave slot # selector, but thats a lot more complicated to do. I want it to look like a plastic drum dial, that the user changes by swiping their finger on the iPhone. The code back end is already done (except the slot selector). Its just waiting for the graphics. You can reset, take screenshots, pause/resume, and save/load state. As I wrote this message just now, I realized I forgot to add the most common function: exit. I'll add that as a "Power" button next to the "Reset" button. Basically, I think the theme I'm going for is retro and to look like the original game.

[bitblitt]

Sorry. I uploaded the attachment, but can't find where it shows up. Here it is:

[bitblitt]

Here's the NES panel with the slot selector completed. It looks and acts like a vertical wheel. You spin it by swiping your finger on it. I still need to complete the pushed button images. Future panels will be much easier and faster to make now that I have all the javascript done. Atari panels next.

When I get a full set of panels completed, I'll package it all as an iPhone app on the app store.

I would still like some assistance with the graphics for the panels.

[Tempest]

I've been waiting for someone to chime in to offer to work on the graphics for you, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I have no graphics ability at all, so I can't help you myself.

If all you need is backgrounds, and buttons, I would like to suggest that you look at:

http://www.remotecentral.com/files/index.html

They have bitmaps for several remotes, the bitmap files are in a section under each remote call 'Graphics and Layouts'. Even though they call the files Bitmaps, 95% of the ones I have are in .png format.

I have the TSU7000, and the bitmaps for my remote are here:

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=prontong&db=other&br=designs&dv=bitmapcollections

[bitblitt]

I have the TSU7000, and the bitmaps for my remote are here:

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/files/rcfiles.cgi?area=prontong&db=other&br=designs&dv=bitmapcollections

Oh, wow. I didn't know those existed. Those are cool, but I can't justify spending that much for a remote. This project is targeted for anything that can view a web page. These panels are specifically for the iPhone, though I plan on making generic ones for laptops. I'll keep those websites in mind though. So far, I created everything from scratch in Photoshop.

[bkenobi]

I think Tempest was saying that there are some icons and background images that work with his remote at the link. They might also work with your project...

[Tempest]

Exactly. If you are making your buttons in Photoshop, then I am hoping that you will be able to download what you need from that site. I am hoping that it will provide you with what you need to finish your project.

[bitblitt]

No, I understood that. I'll definately check it out for the next panels. Thanks. I just finished the NES panel. It's probably most useful for the GameEx panel itself. Cool hardware though.

[bitblitt]

Here's the final screenshot of the NES panel.

Here's the first screenshot of the Atari 2600 panel. The switch posts aren't all there because its copied in final HTML file. Only one is actually rendered. This is specifically designed for Stella.

I'll add the code and animate it over the next couple days.