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DarkRoom 1.0.6

   (7 reviews)

58 Screenshots

About This File

Intro

DarkRoom is a theme for BigBox that relies heavily on 1120x1080 fanarts / game illustrations and has been influenced by CoinOps design.

It has been designed for a 16:9 ratio, 1920x1080 resolution, and I know for sure that it displays correctly at 2560x1440.

This theme covers most home systems (around 10 still to be done) + windows indies + a few candy cabs for arcade specific playlist

 

This theme has :

- 1 platform view, which presents a delayed video with random games from the current platform/playlist. That means this theme doesn't need generic platform videos (except for meta category like Arcade, Computers, Consoles, etc ...); also, non auto-populated playlists will not display any video for now.

- 2 game views: a wheel view and a text game view

 

Configuration Files

In "Launchbox\Themes\DarkRoom\Views\Configurations", there are several xaml files (1 for each supported system).

In case one of your system has a different name from the one the theme is using (Example: "Arcade SNK Neo Geo MVS" instead of "SNK Neo Geo MVS"), you can just:

- copy the xaml file and rename the copy with the name from your collection (or directly rename the original), but from an evolutive point of view, it would be better to create a xaml file "Arcade SNK Neo Geo MVS.xaml" with that inside (to simplify, the content makes it so that "Arcade SNK Neo Geo" inherits "SNK Neo Geo MVS" system)

<ResourceDictionary xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation" xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml">

    <ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>
        <ResourceDictionary Source="pack://siteoforigin:,,,/Themes/DarkRoom/Views/Configurations/SNK Neo Geo MVS.xaml" />
    </ResourceDictionary.MergedDictionaries>    
</ResourceDictionary>

- change the name of the platform fanart / clear logos located in "Launchbox\Themes\DarkRoom\Images\<Platforms or Playlists>\<Fanart or Clear Logo>"

 

Performances and cash management

Due to the animation handled by the theme, performance issues had to be addressed to somewhat mitigate them (I personnaly don't have any problem now).

A cash manager has been added to the theme to handle fanart sliding transition

You can configure it (WheelGameView.xaml and PlatformWheel4FiltersView.xaml) by modifying the following lines:

<rs:ImageSliderControl.ImageManager>
    <rsm:GameImageManager CashEnabled="true" Quality="85" ProcessorCount="4" CashLimit="500"/>
</rs:ImageSliderControl.ImageManager
>

- Set CashEnabled to false to disabled it

- Set Quality to your liking (under 50 it becomes ugly, and more that 85 will raise RAM usage significantly)

- ProcessorCount shouldn't be changed. I let it for testing purpose but will probably suppress it at some point. But if you do, set an even number, less or equal to your physical processor count (AKA without hyperthreading)

- Set CashLimit (Mo) to your need. Depending on your fanart filesize, you may need to raise it. For my need I will probably raise it to 1000Mo (that should be around 6000 fanarts given the average size of mine).

Also note that cash is cleared every time a new gameview is entered, so you need to set its limit according to the system that has the most games (provided they each have their fanart - for me it is the ZX spectrum).

 

Video

Files in Download sections

- DarkRoom.zip contains main theme files.

- Fanart - Pack 1.zip, that contains "full" pack of fanarts for the following systems:

Spoiler

    - Amstrad GX 4000

    - Atari 5200

    - Atari 7800

    - Atari XEGS

    - Casio PV1000

    - Examu Ex-Board (TTX)

    - Funtech Super Acan

    - Konami E-Amusement (TTX)

    - Namco System ES3 (TTX)

    - NESiCAxLive (TTX)

    - Nintendo Sufami Turbo

    - Nintendo Wii (not full pack)

    - Sega 32x

    - Sega Europa -R (TTX)

    - SNK Neo Geo CD

    - Sony Playstation 2 (not full pack)

    - Windows Indie (not full pack)

I will add more as time comes ...

 

Special Thanx

@Rincewind for his time in helping me fix an issue with the theme. I would not have been able to figure out what was wrong alone.

 

Edited by RedSnake


What's New in Version 1.0.3   See changelog

Released

- Fixed a freeze of BB when trying to navigate to Arcade Platform Category and its Playlists

- Added the Comic Book fonts in the theme. It was not included and substitute fonts were used instead in case you didn't install them before

- Added Sega CD and Sega PICO game views

- Added Sega 32X illustrations

  • Like 12
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  • Unusual Gem 4

User Feedback

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klyze_pt

· Edited by klyze_pt

   1 of 1 member found this review helpful 1 / 1 member

fantastic theme, old but better good looking than most new ones.

i just wont give 5 starts because its not finished yet, it wont be fair, but it definetely deserves.

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mbp27

  

Amazing job! I´m impressed with the level of details and beauty. In the system page, where do you get the background images? The BigBox  logo is displayed for Commodore Amiga and I would like to change it.

Response from the author:

Thanx ^^

The backgrounds in platform views are just googled. I usually try using a fanart related to console/computer mascots (mario, sonic, etc ...) or very well known games for these systems.

Computer systems are kind-off on hold right now (I only searched fanarts for a few of them).

You can add your own in "Launchbox\Themes\DarkRoom\Images\Platforms\Fanart\<system_name>". Amiga has no pltf fanart for now and the launchbox cube is just a fallback picture defined in "Launchbox\Themes\DarkRoom\Images\Theme\Layout". Beware though that once I begin working on computers systems (this theme is still under construction), this will be ovewritten by future updates

  • Thanks 1
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zombiesruuun

  

Great theme, shows fan art, flyers etc in its full glory. I haven't found another theme quite like it and it's now my default for all systems. Superb!

  • Thanks 1
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arobles1005@gmail.com

  

I love this theme and currenly what I am using on my cab.  It is exactly what I am looking for but I am confused. The SNK pages is awesome the arcade cab and changing marques but how come other mame arcade games show in a tv screen? I did I do something wrong?  Is it intensional?

Response from the author:

Hello.

This theme is currently under construction :)

SNK Neo Geo MVS is the only arcade system I have covered for now.

Next update I will add Namco classics:

2043920708_NamcoClassics.thumb.jpg.59bd4d44d71157ea00af3682557f50f7.jpg283162213_NamcoClassics-Vertical.thumb.jpg.75b09da5c8fcb77e73a74249458db3c9.jpg

However, you will have to be really patient for all remaining system to be complete (I am currently covering around 40 systems out of the 150 I have in BB)

  • Thanks 1
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zengeek

  

Awesome work! look forward to updates! - especially ms-dos, c64 and scummvm!

Response from the author:

Thanks :)

C64 and ScummVM are systems that I have already integrated in LB, so yes they will be done, but they will be among the last (I intend to finish Home Consoles first - almost there - then Arcade, Handhelds and last Computers)

I didn't integrate MSDOS games yet however, but I have a big archive of around 9000 of them (not going to get fanart for all of them!) that I will integrate at some point

  • Thanks 1
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Rincewind

  

Great theme with fantastic transitions and animations, definitely a must have theme. 

  • Thanks 1
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