NoMoUserNames

Yeah, that was basically what I planned on doing. Outputting images for controls one game at a time, then using pause themes to display them. I definitely won't get through all of the games, but my plan is to create images with game specific control details for specific "popular" games, then also have a generic one to use that just displays the keyboard key tied to each button via the ipac. That way, people can semi-easily pull up the pause menu and the MAME controls menu and figure out what does what by seeing that "the H" key is assigned to "player 2 jump" and that a specific button is mapped to "H" on my control panel. It'll just be important to not go and change those around after creating the images... Agreed. Just waiting on the downloads. The plan is to get things generally working on my main PC using free versions until I'm happy with the games and basic software setup. The cabinet build is going to take months (trying to learn how to use sketchup this time around as part of the process), so I've got time. Once I get the hardware that will go in the cabinet ill start getting the paid stuff like BigBox and doing the hardware specific config.

So I guess my question is whether LB/BB treats different "versions" as different "games". Does the "SelectedGame" variable change depending on whether I've launched a different "version" of a game (assuming I selected "import clones as additional versions)? Perhaps I've misunderstood pause themes a bit. I assumed that the pause theme just said "look here for pause screen image for currently loaded game", but it sounds like that is an incorrect assumption. If you don't mind, let me break it down a bit to make sure I am clear. So, looking at the sample screenshot you've posted, am I correct in my NEW understanding that the pause theme just defines what elements to display on-screen when paused. i.e. "gameLogo" goes here, "arcadeCabinetImage" goes here, etc. Are the actual images themselves (i.e. the StreetFighter logo and cabinet picture) still game specific? The control panel image, I assume, is still somewhat dynamic. Or does it just display the same image with "light kick, medium kick, heavy kick, etc." for every single game on the "arcade" platform? A static image makes sense for consoles where the input hardware is static, but not for arcades where the hardware and intent of the hardware varies by game. If it is dynamic, does the pause theme just define a call to "display control panel here", then dynamically populate the image with button assignment and game-specific actions for that game, (likely from MAME's cfg files)? Also, thanks again. I know I am getting very specific, and you've been incredibly helpful so far. I really appreciate the assistance.

Thank you! This is very helpful. I didn't realize the "magic" was happening (in this context) during the import wizard. The one pending question then is about "Pause Themes". I mistakenly called them "pause screens" in my prior post, but I was thinking about leveraging the LB pause theme functionality to display game specific control schemes. I assume if I "Skip Clones Entirely", there is just one version so no issue. If I "Import All Clones as Separate Games" then I'd need to set the art for each one individually because LB will treat them as entirely separate games. But what about "Import Clones as Additional Versions"? If I set a pause theme for one version, will it display for other versions too?

So, I am already well versed on the technical differences between the three types of MAME rom sets. I am however, new to LaunchBox and I am trying to figure out how exactly it handles them. I am hoping to figure this out without having to go download hundreds of extra gigs on all of the romsets only to just delete the others (no unlimited data makes me sad...). I've read that there used to be limitations with some of them, but for years now launchbox has been able to properly handle all three types without issues. However, I can't seem to find any explanations or examples on whether this results in any differences in the UI when selecting games. So, let's say I have a rom that has both a default North America version and a UK clone version. Also, I do plan to create a bunch of custom bezels, pause screens, etc. When I go to that game in Launchbox, will I see both versions displayed separately, or only the primary? Let's say I WANT to play the UK clone for some reason, how do I select that? If I want to pin one specific version like the UK clone as a favorite, and "hide" the NA clone along with some other roms in a kind of "unsorted" folder, is that doable? If I create a custom bezel or pause screen for the UK version, will it show on the NA version? Do these answers change based on whether I have the merged/non-merged/split romset? Do these answers vary at all between the LaunchBox and BigBox UI? I do not plan to update my romsets often. If I do, it'll be a "once every few years" kind of thing. But when I do, is LB/BB easier at handling updates for any of the romsets without losing custom configs/art? Are there any other considerations that I am perhaps not taking into account (besides file size of course)? Thanks in advance!