sundogak

See this link and my August 3 post for alternative if just using TPA for launching into table versus needing the camera feature.

@vaderagEcho Headrush69's comments. Future Pinball was what I setup first, mostly because at the time I just couldn't get my head wrapped around Visual Pinball complexity with separate backglass, DMD, and many needing PinMAME (most VP tables need roms). A "good" FP table has those things all built in. I also much prefer FP for desktop use with better camera view changing abilities and true "in-game" backglass view. Visual Pinball has a bunch more layers to get similar results, but if setting up a cabinet it gives a lot of flexibility. SlamT1Lts tables take FP to next level (great sound design, fun to play), but he only does things in FP (although can be mercurial on how/when he makes tables available to DL esp. the newer ones). On the con side, FP development has been stopped for over 11 years. BAM magic offsets that to a degree but depends on skills of one coder. The VPX application has active open source development (10.7 in beta), including a new generation "Unity" based VPE engine in the works. There are more numerous active table authors for VP and just higher overall activity for VP platform. There is the ever present "this one has better physics" debate but for most casual pinball players, both platforms do the job. Ultimately, like Headrush69, I have both and each have their excellent table examples.

No worries. Added a couple screen snaps of my FP main settings. It actually isn't too bad to setup, but it is definitely not like an Atari 2600 rom set where you import, media all matches, if not download from LB. Done and dusted. It is mostly complicated because of the lack of consistent naming conventions and because you can have a zillion versions of the same table and by different authors. I would definitely not recommend importing a table "pack" first off (or mentioning table packs at the PB sites). Most I have seen have 20 versions of same table (go with highest version number tend to see fixes for table code) or for FP the physics XMLs are not included. I would step into it first.

Installer: Use this link to install FP and BAM together in one easy installer base. Click on the 2-in-1 button on right. BAM: adds additional features and capabilities to FP (FPLoader.exe). The base FP program is no longer supported/developed (closed sourced) so BAM is basically a patch to EXE to add features that cannot be added into main EXE. For any newer table, most require BAM features or table will not run. If you run a cabinet, it also has additional features you will need. BAM also adjusts the ball "physics" which go into later below. Note: if using BAM you will not be able to use LB Pause Screen Feature. LB Emulator Settings: Once you ran the installer, then you can associate Future Pinball tables to the Emulator (FP) by the following commands in LB (ignore comments on "FPLauncher" that was old way to integrate in LB, below is simpler method): /open %romfile% /play /exit The emulator in LB should point to the FPLoader.exe if using BAM (not the Future Pinball.exe) Import Tables: To import the FP tables you can use LB import feature and have it import *.fpt (extension for all FP tables, type that into LB window when pointing to root tables folder for import). Do not try to import the FPL and VBS stuff into LB. The FPT file is the main table. Folders Can Be Used: Note contrary to the many guides (including below) you can place your FPT (tables), FPL (media), and VBS (scripts) into their own folder and it is MUCH easier to keep things organized. Every guide I have seen will tell you the world will stop revolving if you do this but out of the 800 FP tables I have, none have issues. The key is if going folder route that it is one table per folder (and all its parts). It is a confusing mess if you do "the right way" since updates to tables are pain to keep track of all the associated files (FPL particularly). Example with my setup where tables and all associated files in separate folders: Guide: TerryRed has a comprehensive weblink video guide located here along with a PDF (link) on setup. It is VERY geared towards cabinets which is much more complex...so don't get overwhelmed (or skip) things from that perspective. I also wouldn't install his settings unless have cabinet (and even then, wouldn't personally until familiar with what it is doing). Most guides at Pinball sites will not even mention LB (Pinup Popper or PinballX are typical ones) so if questions specific to LB then best to ask here. Media: This is a headache. Mostly because there is no standard naming convention for Pinball Media/Tables and for most part LB database is non-existent "use wise" for Pinball because it plunks all the major emulators (Visual Pinball, Future Pinball, FX3) into one big bucket). So, you have to do manually in most cases. You will find some media in LB DB but nothing consistent. In most cases, look for "media packs" such as those in the LB Download Forum or at larger Pinball sites such as Gameex, VPUniverse, and VPForum. Clear logos tend to be the easiest to find since there are numerous packs of logos out there. This is where naming your table consistently will help immensely within LB. LB will pick up any media either by title or by the "ROM" title (in this case the FPT table file name). If your table name is: Black Knight (Williams 1980).fpt then LB will pick up any media with Black Knight (Williams 1980).png or Black Knight.png (LB ignores anything in brackets). The "mostly" consistent naming standard within Pinball is the table name then the company and year in brackets. But you will find there are NUMEROUS versions, mods, and different author versions of various tables. Media within LB is stored in LaunchBox\Images\Future Pinball folders. Anything you put in those folders such as clear logos that are named the same as your FPT will automatically pick up in LB. Se example below to which many of the non-LB media packs are named: Planning Ahead: For media, planning ahead on how you name things is key or you will wind up having to individually match media within LB through the edit game window. Something to be aware: LB renames media to its format if images are manipulated from within LB edit window so Black Knight (Williams 1980).png becomes Black Knight-01.png. Once image linked to table, not a big issue but is a pain if you are sharing your media pack. Physics: BAM also adds key feature to adjust physics. The original FP didn't have great physics (versus Visual Pinball), so part of BAM was to fix this. Originally for FP you had to have different executables that were "hacked" to get different physics, a major pain. With BAM it uses an XML file with all the physics settings to tell Future Pinball how to run. On newer tables the XML code is built into tables (~2019 forward) so you don't have to worry about "physics". On older "simpler" tables (usually EM) they typically had default physics so no issues there. But for the more advanced tables pre-2019 (or so) physics were adjusted. If you get a table where the ball seems "weird" (floats, or heavy like a rock) or the plunger is heavy (ball doesn't shoot) then likely you have a table with specific set of physics and not the correct XML file. So for example this table below requires Physics 2.6 so I copy the 2.6 XML file from the ..\..\BAM\XML folder and rename it the same as the table. Now that table will run with Physics 2.6. I always put a note in my folder. I didn't do that originally but there is NO easy/consistent way to tell. Vpforums.org download info usually indicates the physics type...but it isn't 100% (but good start). If all sounds too confusing, stick with newer FP tables over last few years since table authors take care of all the messy physics settings within the table. Start Simple: Lastly, the key is start small. Don't worry about physics, or media just get the emulator up and running and LB happy. Install the 2-in-1 pack. Download one or two tables you think are interesting and within last several years to avoid initially dealing with "physics". Then get that running OUTSIDE LB first and make sure launches the way you want it to. Then try importing one or two tables in LB and see if everything runs correctly. After that, it is fairly straight forward to install new tables in FP and LB as well as getting comfortable with the more complex parts of BAM (e.g., physics, backglass, cabinets). Edit: A few snaps of my screen settings. The "Load Image Into Table Editor" needs to be turned off or get all sorts of weird errors. I have two screens with backglass on second so uncheck that box if only one screen. Checking "Trilinear" will result in tables taking forever to open even on fast machine. Stick to Bilinear. Model Quality is High for most tables. A few oddballs have to be set at "Medium" or won't run.

If you got an emulator that will run the quiz machines outside LB then LB can launch it if there is command line functionality within the emulator and setup the emulator properly within LB. Other than that, hard to say unless you provide more details on what quiz machines you are looking at (i.e., MAME?).

Platform images go here if want to do manually: ....LaunchBox\Images\Platforms or within LB right-click on platform, select Edit. Then look at right and there is option to select clear logo, etc. Or If you want platform media specific to one theme but don't want it for everything you can load images here (these will override anything you do above for that theme): ....\LaunchBox\Themes\*NAME OF YOUR THEME*\Images\Platforms\Clear Logo Make sure you select Options in BB and refresh platform images to refresh the image cache

The LB database is user updated with media so anyone has ability to submit modifications and updates to LB database if there is an error. The EmuMovies version is this one below and not misspelled but at different angle than the other: I submitted this one to DB to fix the one that had issues (takes ~24 hours to show up in system assuming approved). For EmuMovies media pulled from their site during scrape, if an issue have to bring up to the EmuMovies mods at their website.

I found the steps here worked when I need to compile a version. Link

Here are a couple of quick ones...

Beta 2: Seems to be fixed since not seeing any duplicates now on any of the platforms/controllers that were glitched in Beta 1 or prior.

DLL just goes directly in the plugins folder.

thanks @C-Beats. I sent more detail via @faeran ‘s earlier PM as well. It isn’t consistently an issue across all platforms and controller types (using this beta as well).

The controller support bug where it keeps adding entries appears back in 12.3 release. If you select the game entries and go Tools, Download, Update Metadata and Media. Then with Search for Game information checked, no media checked, and then selecting "Yes, Download and replace all existing metadata and media". LB will add an entry into the Controller Support window each time for any selected games. If do again, it will add another.

@fyrenthenimar Here you go:

There is plug-in option

No, CHD cannot have multi-disks within the archive. You can use the PBP format to compress multiple-disks into one file.

There isn't a "windows" folder for Queso addon but there is a folder called "PC Games" which is likely what you are wanting to match to the video theme. Normally it will just default to the non-queso version which looks like this: If want it to look like this with wide screen border: Then you adjust this by duplicating each of the views called PC Games.xaml and naming it to Windows.xaml (or whatever your platform is called). The folders are located here: .. Go into each folder above and find the PC Games.XAML and duplicate it. Then rename it to your platform name. In my case it is "Windows.XAML". Replicate for each view. You do not need to do anything in the Addons folder or do any editing of the XAMLs as long as the XAML is named exactly the same as your platform. So when finished should have the original PC Games.XAML and the dupe with your platform name like in example below:

Got it, my mistake. Didn't even think about it being tied to the priorities settings. My 2 cents is it is confusing that the categories are tied to priorities where as old UI listing was entire list independent of that option. But could just be me. I think renaming it to "unassigned priority" or something along that line might help to clue people in right direction.

Beta 6 Seems to have fixed the main issue with image type selection. But (to me) there are inconsistencies on a couple of the rolled up image types: Cart Back Images is showing Arcade-Marquee. That is already included in Marquee Image so not sure why duped in cart category. Cart Back Images is missing the Fanart-Cart-Back type (if following how did the Fanart-Cart-Front type). Not sure what the intent of the the "unused images" is supposed to be if really "unused" or supposed to be "other". If supposed to be actual unused then isn't working. For example Clear Logo shows when I have one for this game If intent is for it to be "Misc/Other" then clear logo wouldn't fit here either since already has a header Clear Logo in main list. Something like "Other Images" ? Seems that Advertisement Flyer-Back would match with "Box Back Images" in that the Advertisement Flyer-Front is in the Box Front Images already Seems the Arcade-Circuit Board, Panel, Control Information would be something like "Other Arcade Images" or something like once you move the above items out to their respective headers unless plans for more image types for "other"

12.2 Beta 5: Also seen this issue. You can add the images but it will not allow change of type. If you select the image type (if new added image) it will put everything into Box-Front. You have to manually drag into the appropriate folder at least for Advert-Front, Gameplay, Select, and Title images I tried. The redundant main entry for Cart Front Images also has "Arcade - Marquee" (not sure why would be in cart header) and "Cart-Back" (this is not in the first "Cart Front" main entry)

@darkpio Here you go:

@gpani82 Here is a VPX ring. The Clear Logo was done by Draco1962. FX3 logo was already completed on Page 22. There are also some FX3 genre logos here