MerlinArcade

I'm looking at Jason's video and I try to add the image code line <Image source="MainBGV.jpg" /> or this one like Jason says <Image source="pack://siteoforigin:,,,/Themes/Merlin/MainBGV.jpg" /> in the HorizontalWheel1GamesView.xaml page but I keep getting an error. Damn it, I know I'm close. I have placed the jpg BG image in the same dir as the xaml page for now.

Ok nevermind, the line on both pages is the same and it's the line you posted above.. <transitions:TransitionPresenter TransitionSelector="{Binding BackgroundTransitionSelector}" Content="{Binding BackgroundView}" Height="{Binding ElementName=Canvas, Path=ActualHeight}" Width="{Binding ElementName=Canvas, Path=ActualWidth}" IsContentVideo="true" /> I know however that we can remove the BG by removing that line in the games page so no more clear logos as BG but that doesn't help me because it leaves a big black BG and that's worse than a stretched clear logo hehe. Damn! I thought XAML was like HTML! It would have been so easy to just remove that transitions line and replace it with a line line this... <img src="path/bg.jpg">. I mean you know xaml, isn't there something similar to this that we can do in the games page? I saw a visual studio tutorial yesterday where Jason added a picture of a cat on top of the keyboard map and he entered the direct path of the image if I remember well. I found it and he talks about adding an image path around 9m01s

Correct me if I'm wrong but the code for the background is not the video line but the line under it regarding "Clear logos".. It even talk about the stretch part. <coverFlow:FlowControl x:Name="FlowControl" HorizontalAlignment="Stretch" VerticalAlignment="Stretch" Grid.Column="0" ImageType="Clear Logo" What if we rename "Clear Logo" with "Device"? My logic here is to find the line of code in the page PlatformWheel1FiltersView.xaml that makes the background image appear in the back of the page and then copy paste it into the HorizontalWheel1GamesView.xaml page. Follow my logic here?

Just to confirm here before I start playing with pure code. - The platform page is called : PlatformWheel1FiltersView.xaml - The games list page is called : HorizontalWheel1GamesView.xaml Correct?

And if I uncheck it, will that make the clear logo disappear in the BG?

Ok so I don't need to touch at banners and clear logos here. Now, let's go back to this screenshot of Galaga? Isn't the BG a Clear logo used as a BG? It sure does look like that to me.

Btw, this is my Merlin BG image that I have put in the device folders under images>>platforms>>Arcade>>Device If you found a way in either BB or LB using banners or backgrounds and checkboxes to display this BG in just one of your games, let me know and I will copy what you did. Right now, I'm a bit confused.

Yes, I downloaded it, the Arcade logo or platform part looks good indeed. The games view however, not so good. Is there a way to add more text than Developer name? I thought there were more blah blah. Ok so let me get this straight here because there is a lot to cover. The clear logos in the wheel are called banners or is it the background image of that game?

I have the BG file alright but I don't see a "browse" button in BB to select my image BG. I thought that just selecting "Use Platform Device Image Backgrounds" would be enough.

Downloaded your page but still nothing changed in BB. I saw something interesting in BB though. In the Options>>Images section I found this... and I set it up to "Use Platform Device Image Backgrounds". It didn't work at changing the BK but I might be close to something here.

I have played with "background priorities" under images but it only changes LB and not what I see in BB. I talked about it a few posts ago. Maybe I missed something, I will check again.

Thank you. I guess, I won't have the choice but to download and install this Visual Studio software because I don't want to bug you all the time for little tweaks here and there. For example, the Arcade logo is a bit too low and next to my Merlin's Arcade Classic sign. Then in the games section, the stretching of the clear logo makes is really ugly and not professional. I was going through the wheel and I noticed that on Ms. Pac-man there are no backgrounds because it has no clear logos so I was wondering if I could simply find the clear logo code in the HorizontalWheel1GamesView.xaml page and replace it with a different directory of my own and then hardcode the URL of my BG image. Anyway, thanks again for your time and now I have to do the fine tuning.

Looking good. Thank you very much. I will download it and install it later. So PlatformWheel1FiltersView is the file for the platform changes. I guess GamesWheel1FiltersView will be for the Games section?

I get it. As for me, I don't want to spend the week going into the properties of every single game so I better find a solution for that stupid bug or else I will go with your Arcade UI. Thanks for the tip.

I follow you don't worry. What I meant is that if you use the Arcade plugin then it's like the official version of a UI instead of a copy like MAMEUI. I still don't see a big difference between MAMEUi and MAME+Arcade so I will stick with the MAMEUI unless I can't solve my little game launching problem here.

So MAME + Arcade = The official MAME UI?

I don't get it. Why would you add a GUI to MAME when MAMEUI already exist?

Can you show me a screenshot of what this looks like? As you may know by now, I'm a "show me don't tell me" type of guy.

What I like about the UI version is how fast I can find the name of the zip file for that game I want. Go to all Systems, type in the name of the game like Centipede here and then all I have to do is look at the directory column and there you have it. centiped.zip I can also create a sub folder in the left column and then dump only the games I want.

yeah I know and I didn't last week but it worked so if you find another way out let me know.

Holy crap I found it!!!! Are you ready for this hehe better take some notes because it's really not obvious and there will be some other people who get this problem one day. Here it is. Still don't know how I managed to find it though. You open up MAME, do a right click on your game and select "properties". Then inside, you have many tabs so select "Software". Then click browse and find the dir where your game ROM is located. It will be added as an "Additional directories". NOT to be confused with the main directory asked in the Options menu. Again this is the "Additional directories"option hidden way deep inside each game properties tabs.

Yeah I did a few times but again it loads the games fine so it there was an error in MAME, the games would never launch right? So you are out of suggestions? That's sad, I will never know what I did right the last time. I was pretty sure I did the exact same thing but then it worked and I had no clue why!!!

When I try to load the game, the error msg is not coming from LB but from MAME so could there be a sub menu in MAME that I forgot to update beside "Directories" where I tell MAME the location of the ROMs? Then again, MAME runs the games fine so there has to be a command that LB is sending MAME and MAME doesn't like it...

I know I said that last time but are you sure it's not a software bug? I mean this ain't rocket science here... - Select the ROM (centiped.zip) - Select a platform (Arcade) - Select the emulator (MAME) and find the path to the .exe file. Download the images and then run the game right? It's almost like I have to do those steps 10 times and then be lucky for that one time where it will work.

Leave them there and it worked well the last time. This is what I got right now...