JoeViking245

That works awesome! Thank you!!!

This is very handy indeed!! One additional line I use in mine during development/testing is (add it after the last 'copy' line) "D:\LaunchBox\LaunchBox.exe" ..talk about a save on clicks. lol An then if I want to build it without starting LB, I just add "REM " in front of it. This is only because I don't know how to get it [a plugin] to Debug. 😊 (if it's even [really] possible)

This might help. And then if something gets messed up during that process..

Oh snap!! Didn't even think about that. 😊

To create a playlist takes relatively no time. Granted it will take up about 20 KB of hard drive space which is probably a little more than a cached filter would be.

If your plugin is using a 3rd party WHATEVER.dll, you should be able to just place it in the same location along with your plugin.

Pretty much anything's possible. Sometimes you just need to be a little creative. I imagine adding monitor orientation to LaunchBox's available metadata for arcade machines isn't going to happen anytime soon (ever?). One possible 'creative' solution is to create your own Playlist's, one for Arcade - Vertical and one for Arcade - Horizontal. Though I don't think there's a 'pre-made' ini file for horizontal and vertical games, so you'll need to create your own. One way is to: Go to http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/default.php and click on Machines. Next click Additional Filters. Go to the Video tab then click Horizontal, then Search. Now click on Options and select Export The Results (the only option). Under Title, type in a name (I recommend something like Horizontal). Now select MAME (ini) and then Export. Repeat selecting Vertical as the Additional Video filter. These will save it to your default Downloads folder. Well maybe... Windows might freak out thinking the file is unsafe, so you may need to tell it to Save Anyway. Follow the How to use: instructions in the plugin link above to create your new Playlist.

In a word, no. But hey, learning is half the fun. A lot of times it's doing what you did... search and more research. Many times you get lucky and it's not a tricky system. And sometimes it's there in front of you and it's overlooked. Take for example atom_flop.xml, lines 8, 10, 11 and 12 in the hash xml file.

If you're talking about getting a cabinet code for it, you don't need to have purchased FX3. Just send the request for a cab code and a pict of where you might play it. Be it your cab or your desktop PC. I don't have a paid instance of FX3 and was able to get the code and can now launch directly into the ONE free table. (maybe they offered a 2nd one (or two) also? It been a while)

LaunchBox doesn't choose your MAME bios. You can tell MAME via the command-line which one to load, but more easily would be to open MAME, select (not start) that game, select Configure Machine, under the BIOS heading, select the bios that works, then select Save Machine Configuration. That bios will now be the default one loaded and you shouldn't see that prompt again. (hopefully) If MAME still keeps asking even after setting that up, at MAME's main screen select Configure Options, then Miscellaneous Options, and the set Skip BIOS selection menu to on.

In your batch file (which is being used "as the emulator") your first 'command' is to load the I-Pac configuration. You're using "call" to run it (vs "start"). "call" will wait for the executable [in that command] to exit before going to the next command listed. The AHK script (which you put in you Running [AutoHotkey] Script) is running the 3 commands [basically] all at the same time (not waiting on one another before starting the next). It is also running these 3 at the same time as starting pinballfx2. So 4 programs are being executed [essentially] at the same time. (You can't really use RunWait here as it might just make matters worse.) DMDext might be taking a little longer to completely load up. So probably, when pinballfx2 says "I'm ready to go", DMDext THEN says "me too". After FX2, so taking focus. That still doesn't really explain why WinIpac.exe keeps 'hanging around' when using the [Running AutoHotkey script] AHK. I have never changed the configuration on my [really OLD] I-Pac mini because it works as-is and I'm scared to screw it up. So I won't run any tests with it here. You might try..... (for testing and troubleshooting) Create a batch file with just this: @echo off rem switch Keyboard call "C:\Program Files (x86)\WinIPAC V2\WinIPAC.exe" "d:\Ipac2\PinballFX2.ipc" rem remove standard DMD Display call "C:\Pixelcade\pixelcade-quit.exe" rem load the DMD for Pinball cd /d C:\DmdPinball start /min dmdext.exe mirror --source=pinballfx2 --no-virtual -q --fps 60 cd /D "D:\Games\Pinball FX2\" Edit one your tables, go to Additional Apps and Add Application. Under Application Path, Browse to and select your [above] batch file. Check the boxes Automatically Before Main Application and Wait for Exit. Click OK to save that and close the Edit window. Now edit you PinballFX2 emulator and in the Running Script tab, remove everything above "kill;" and save. Make sure you don't have any old WinIpac V2 processes running in Task Manager. Launch that table, play a little because it's fun , exit the Table and check your Task Manager. See if that changes anything [for THAT table].

It doesn't help that you picked one of the slightly tricky ones. Fortunately there are only 10 roms in the MAME set (abc80_flop) and only 9 of those are supported. And you happened to have found one of the two that are also included in the abc80_cass rom set. The other rom is ABCDemo. Since these are both in floppies and cassette, you need to specify the media flag. And as you discovered, you need to Run "stacker" instead of abcstack. For this and ABCDemo, you'll just need to edit the game(s) and on the Emulation tab, check the box Use Custom Command-Line Parameters and put in: abc80 -autoboot_delay "3" -autoboot_command "run\"stacker\"\n" -flop1 %romfile% or abc80 -autoboot_delay "3" -autoboot_command "run\"a.b\"\n" -flop1 %romfile% (2nd option being for ABC Demo) Most of the systems are fairly straight forward. Some have little nuances [like this]. And some can be a real p.i.t.a.. There is no "cookie cutter" way for all the systems to be understood. But there is never "no way" to understand them.

Replied here

(moving the topic) Regarding running abc80 requiring the game's rom name to be in the autoboot_command line "..any way.." You might be able to write a lua script that can do it. But that's WAY beyond me. You could also get stupid-crazy and create an AHK script (or even a C# program) to 'act as your emulator' that will read the game rom that LB passes, then automatically modifies abc80.ini to insert the rom name. OR..... set the Default Command-Line in the emulator settings to something like abc80 -autoboot_delay "3" -autoboot_command "load%romfile%\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nrun\n" %romfile% I know the hash file 'usage' says to use "run", but above is what I had in my notes and it 'just seems to work'. (so this last one ("OR") was an afterthought, but left the previous 2 "..any way.." here for 'options'. ) Edit: simplified (working [and more-correct]) command-line abc80 -autoboot_delay "3" -autoboot_command "run\"%romfile%\"\n" %romfile%

This doesn't answer anything, may help in troubleshooting. At 6 seconds, it looks like it's doing the SplashImage command (again) right before the WinMove command. And loading the same image. just like you see it do at 18 seconds But this time loading the next image.

Some pretty big enhancements to layouts was done a couple (several) revisions ago. The good thing is, the 'old' layouts still function. From what little I've looked into it, it seemed the "how" was to basically re-write them. What I do personally to avoid the warnings is to turn off the console window and to play them via LB/BB here you won't see the window-of-warnings.

My pegasus roms are all in D:\MAME\software\pegasus_cart\ "pegasus_cart" being the exact same as MAME's hash file name. My Atari 2600 [cartridge] roms are all in D:\MAME\software\a2600\ My Atari 2600 [cassette] roms are all in D:\MAME\software\a2600_cass\ Since the command line starts with "pegasus", MAME knows I'm loading a softlist (same thing if you had used "gba", "nes", "a2600" etc.). MAME will then look for a subfolder under the folders listed in its rompath that corresponds to that softlist. Example: If I used in the command line "a2600" along with "-cart", MAME will look for folders D:\MAME\roms\a2600\ and also D:\MAME\software\a2600\ If I used "a2600" along with "-cass", MAME will look for folders D:\MAME\roms\a2600_cass\ and also D:\MAME\software\a2600_cass\ It will of course only find them under the 2nd location ("software"). @sundogak taught me that trick. See here for more Here's a snippet of my D:\MAME\software\ folder. Each set of softlist roms are in their respective folder [that is named after the hash file name, just like how you get them in a torrent]. How's that for practical? And again, the ONLY folder you need to add in MAME's rompath is the root folder that holds all the softlist subfolders [in this case, "software"] . And since MAME is so smart to know WHICH subfolder(s) to look for, it's also smart enough to accept just the softlist rom name. And this pretty much flows into what it's doing for the artwork. The exact same thing. MAME sees "pegasus" in the command line, it knows it's a softlist, so it looks in the artpath we gave it (from the ini file) for a subfolder properly named "pegasus". It THEN looks in there for a subfolder (or zip file) of the name that we gave it to use ["tank", "1942", "1942blah"...]. It really is a lot easier than how I'm describing it here. But I hope it at least makes a little sense. Not sure I follow. mame.exe <softlist_name> in the command line kinda puts it in 'software list mode', doesn't it?

It seems like artwork for non-arcade machines works just like how you do per-game configs [for softlist's]. For my tests I added (actually changed) the folder to "artpath" in pegasus.ini. (By now you all probably have a pegasus.ini file. ) Then added that folder under artwork: D:\MAME\artwork\pegasus\ Next, in there I put 3 folders and a zip file. (1942 folder actually had 25pacman artwork, tank folder had some game-n-watch artwork, pegasus had airwolf and 1942blah was actually 1942) And then ran: mame.exe pegasus -rom1 tank -override_artwork 1942 mame.exe pegasus -rom1 tank -override_artwork tank mame.exe pegasus -rom1 tank -override_artwork 1942blah mame.exe pegasus -rom1 tank -override_artwork notTank All 4 tests worked as expected (well hoped, I should say. ). MAME loaded the first 3 respective override_artwork folders/zip as it was told to. The last one ("notTank") didn't exist as a zip file or folder, so MAME loaded the default "pegasus" [folder]. But unlike arcade machines, even though we set the artpath, we still have to tell it which one to load (aka override) just like for per-game configs. For the MAME emulator in LB, set the Default Command-Line Parameters like so: pegasus -override_artwork %romfile% -rom1 %romfile% This all works ASSUMING that in your MAME settings, you remove quotes and the file extension and path, and that your artwork folders (or zip files) are the same name as the pegasus roms (just like it's done for arcade machines). For the file names inside the folders or zips, I don't think it matters. As long as there's one called "default.lay". Then it's only in the default.lay file that it looks for the other files by name in that particular folder/zip. Again, as long as the folder or zip itself is named the same as the rom.

I think I might have accidently discovered something. #SingleInstance force Image = M:\Giochi\Utility\Launchbox\ThirdParty\AutoHotkey\Scripts\Ps3-Scripts\ps3_splash.png Options = Zw%A_ScreenWidth% Zh%A_ScreenHeight% SplashImage,1:%Image%,b %Options%,,,MySplash WinMove, MySplash,,0,0, %A_ScreenWidth%, %A_ScreenHeight% WinMinimize, ahk_exe LaunchBox.exe, WinMinimize, ahk_exe LaunchBox.exe, WinMinimize, ahk_exe BigBox.exe, WinMinimize, ahk_exe BigBox.exe MouseMove, 1920, 1080 #IfWinExist MySplash { 1Joy1:: 1Joy2:: 1Joy3:: 1Joy4:: 1Joy5:: 1Joy6:: 1Joy7:: 1Joy8:: 1Joy9:: 1Joy10:: 1Joy11:: 1Joy12:: { Sleep 100 SplashImage,1:off WinRestore, ahk_exe LaunchBox.exe WinRestore, ahk_exe BigBox.exe ExitApp } :: { } } Adding the last "::" section I think makes it so any other input does nothing. This little discovery (assuming it's correct) might have come in handy a long time ago. lol

That's weird because I though Winipac simply tells your I-Pac to 'set the controls "this way"', then exits. A couple things you will want to do in your $Esc routine is to move the last 2 commands before closing the 'emulator' and change "Process" to "WinClose". ;Kill $Esc:: { ; relaunch DMD Run, "C:\Pixelcade\pixelweb.exe", "C:\Pixelcade", Hide ; re swtich keyboard configuration Run, "C:\Program Files (x86)\WinIPAC V2\WinIPAC.exe" "d:\Ipac2\Defaut.ipc", "d:\Ipac2\", Hide WinClose, ahk_exe {{{StartupEXE}}} } As soon as you Close the Emulator (via Process, Close or WinClose), the Running AutoHotkey script is abandoned. So you want to run those 2 apps before closing the game. (Otherwise they won't execute.) Also, "WinClose" is 'nicer' than using "Process, Close". "Process" KILLS it in its tracks, while "WinClose" allows it to 'exit gracefully'.

You can't set up an AHK script to run per Playlist. Or per Platform, for that matter. Besides, you probably need it to run before the games are launched so that it's already loaded. You can do it for a specific Emulator, but it will simultaneously with launching the emulator/game (not before loading the game). Also, doesn't help for Playlists. One possible solution (for the time being?) is to create 2 scripts (or batch files), 1 to load it (IR LED's, Wii bar...) and one to close it (if needed). Then (as you discovered) edit the games to have an Additional App (2 actually). Set one to run BEFORE main app and the other to run AFTER the main app. Select your Playlist (Platform, sort filter....) then select all games (click on one of them, then hit Ctrl+A) and then run the 3rd party plugin (Bulk) Add Additional Applications . From here (you'll need to run it twice) select the Run Before or Run After Main Application, respectively. Maybe not ideal, but it is one possible solution. Problem is, if/when you add more games that need this, you'll need to [remember to] add the Additional Apps to those, as well.

LOL!!! Well, it was a good exercise in scripting. Added. In MY opinion, after everything we've been through and gone over the last several days, don't mess with anything and just remember to plug it in BEFORE you attempt to play a PS3 game!!! ??

You may try to re-scrape the metadata (not 'media')?