BigBox and CPWizard Glitches

[levi]

I'm running LaunchBox 6.12, MAME 0.178, and CPWizard 2.42.  When using just MAME and CPWizard, everything seems to be going smoothly.  I can push the CPWizard show key and it displays the control panel with buttons labelled for the game I'm playing.  If I launch MAME via BigBox, I have two problems:

1. Whlie playing the game, if I push the CPWizard show key, it does show the control panel, but it also has a strange little Window dialog with the title of CiceroUIWndFrame but no content.  The mouse is hidden so I can't really interact with it.
2. When I exit MAME, there is a white square stuck in BigBox.  See attached screenshot.  When I exit BigBox, the square goes away.

Has anyone else successfully used CPWizard with BigBox?

Edited October 28, 2016 by levi

[Dr.Woo]

Did you ever find a solution to this problem?

[levi]

On 2/11/2018 at 10:45 AM, Dr.Woo said:

Did you ever find a solution to this problem?

Unfortunately not.

[xoran]

Same here. Exact same issue with .193

[Dr.Woo]

This needs to get fixed or better yet.  I would be great if Launchbox had builtin control overlay features.  

[JoeViking245]

Just discovered CPWizard... after of course already staring to draw up some controller picts to place on bezels. lol

Excellent plugin/addition for MAME!!!  Will work on adding CPWizBiz soon for other emulators. ?

However I'm running into the same issue levi brought up (issue #2), the white square/window.  I've found it shows up after exiting MAME in both LaunchBox and BigBox.  Issue #1 (CiceroUIWNDFrame) appears also, but goes away.  While in LB, I tried closing CPW but the 'square' is still there until exiting LB (same with BB).  I tried searching around for this issue but didn't find anything.  Anyone find a solution?

Using CPW v2.67 and latest LB/BB beta release. 

I the mean time I'm "exporting" bezels (may do CP images too) and see what that brings.

[raun]

Same issue as JoeViking245.  CPW v2.67 w/ LB 11.6, Mame 225.  Anyone find a workaround/fix?

[JimboJambo86]

On 10/21/2020 at 4:22 AM, raun said:

Same issue as JoeViking245.  CPW v2.67 w/ LB 11.6, Mame 225.  Anyone find a workaround/fix?

Did this ever get solved? Currently trying to get CPWizard setup, but wont bother if it wont work properly in BigBox.

[raun]

Nope, I gave up long ago.

[JoeViking245]

4 minutes ago, JimboJambo86 said:

Did this ever get solved?

More than likely not. MAME's ui has had some behind the scenes work done with it (not that this has anything to do with it) , the LUA engine's been updated and CPWizard hasn't since before I started with it 3 years ago. 

However standalone, it works great!  Well, at least for creating Control Panel images.  I created a template that matches the panel on my cab then used it to 'print out' CP images for all my games.  I put those inside Images/Arcade/Arcade - Controls Information/.  Then from there, could add the images to my themes.

So it's not a total loss.  Just doesn't do what it was originally designed to do.

[JimboJambo86]

13 minutes ago, JoeViking245 said:

More than likely not. MAME's ui has had some behind the scenes work done with it (not that this has anything to do with it) , the LUA engine's been updated and CPWizard hasn't since before I started with it 3 years ago. 

However standalone, it works great!  Well, at least for creating Control Panel images.  I created a template that matches the panel on my cab then used it to 'print out' CP images for all my games.  I put those inside Images/Arcade/Arcade - Controls Information/.  Then from there, could add the images to my themes.

So it's not a total loss.  Just doesn't do what it was originally designed to do.

I was just reading an older post of yours and have downloaded your mamecontrollers.exe.

I really liked the idea of having the control panel image easily accessible while in game with CPWizard, due to the amount of times I load up a mame game and have no idea what the buttons are. Is using a pause theme the best way to have these Control Panel images displayed in game?

Edited October 23, 2021 by JimboJambo86

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, JimboJambo86 said:

Is using a pause theme the best way to have these Control Panel images displayed in game?

It's pretty much the only way. Though you could get crazy and setup dual monitors and have them show on the 2nd monitor while you're playing the game on the 1st.  But a Pause Theme would be easier and more practical.

But when I was kid and went to the Arcade, we played on REAL arcade machines. We didn't have "pause" and "save states".  And we had to walk to the Arcade. Up hill. Both directions. In the snow.  lol

Seriously though, it is a personal preference.  I have mine show in the game startup theme.  So you got about 4 seconds to learn what the 1 to 4 buttons do.  I don't play much of the 6-button fighter games.

[JimboJambo86]

6 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

It's pretty much the only way. Though you could get crazy and setup dual monitors and have them show on the 2nd monitor while you're playing the game on the 1st.  But a Pause Theme would be easier and more practical.

But when I was kid and went to the Arcade, we played on REAL arcade machines. We didn't have "pause" and "save states".  And we had to walk to the Arcade. Up hill. Both directions. In the snow.  lol

Seriously though, it is a personal preference.  I have mine show in the game startup theme.  So you got about 4 seconds to learn what the 1 to 4 buttons do.  I don't play much of the 6-button fighter games.

I cant work out how to export from CPWizard with the full MAME game name, rather than the Zip file name. The pause theme im using needs the controller png to be the game name or launchbox id. Am i missing something simple to either rename the created PNG files, or export all the files as the games full title in the first place?

thanks in advance!!

[JoeViking245]

5 hours ago, JimboJambo86 said:

I cant work out how to export from CPWizard with the full MAME game name, rather than the Zip file name. The pause theme im using needs the controller png to be the game name or launchbox id.

I don't know if CPW can/will save them as the games full title. Mine are all named the same as the rom.  Which in the long run, is ideal.  In the Theme I have, the Image Source is

Source="{Binding SelectedGame.ArcadeControlsInformationImagePath}"

..since my images are stored in  /Images/Arcade/Arcade - Controls Information/

LB/BB will look in that folder for an image file that's name is the same as (and possibly use some form of 'fuzzy matching'?) the Game Title or Rom_Name (and from what you're saying) or the game's LB id#.

[JimboJambo86]

On 10/24/2021 at 2:05 PM, JoeViking245 said:

I don't know if CPW can/will save them as the games full title. Mine are all named the same as the rom.  Which in the long run, is ideal.  In the Theme I have, the Image Source is

Source="{Binding SelectedGame.ArcadeControlsInformationImagePath}"

..since my images are stored in  /Images/Arcade/Arcade - Controls Information/

LB/BB will look in that folder for an image file that's name is the same as (and possibly use some form of 'fuzzy matching'?) the Game Title or Rom_Name (and from what you're saying) or the game's LB id#.

ah ok thanks mate,

what pause theme are you running?

[JoeViking245]

1 hour ago, JimboJambo86 said:

what pause theme are you running?

I use a modified Default Pause Theme I made quite a while ago when I 1st started learning xaml.  Since I typically don't pause Arcade games, I forgot how basic it was. lol

Here's the modified Default Startup Theme that actually gets looked at.  

 

The real CP:

[JimboJambo86]

5 minutes ago, JoeViking245 said:

I use a modified Default Pause Theme I made quite a while ago when I 1st started learning xaml.  Since I typically don't pause Arcade games, I forgot how basic it was. lol

Here's the modified Default Startup Theme that actually gets looked at.  

 

The real CP:

They look ideal for what I want. Any chance I can have your xaml files for your startup and pause themes? I have no idea how to code in xaml lol. I'm surprised there isn't many pause themes that include controller images and those that do will be too much work to get the images displayed.

[JoeViking245]

53 minutes ago, JimboJambo86 said:

xaml files for your startup and pause themes

Pause Arcade.zip  You can just unzip this into your /PauseThemes/Default/ folder. (assuming you don't already have an "Arcade.xaml" file in there)  Oh, and your control panel images need to be in the "Arcade - Controls Information" folder.  (as opposed to the "Arcade - Control Panel" folder)

 

It turns out my startup theme was modified from the Framed Header theme that @Retro808 created a couple years ago.  I guess I'm not really an "up with the times" kind of guy. lol  Anyway, my customized part is not really user friendly for sharing as I changed shtuff around to work on my cab.  In fact looking at the xaml file and what I did to it, it's a wonder that it even works.  I would need to go through it and fix/change some things to make it portable (a.k.a. work on any other computer than my own).

 

What you can do that's easy enough; if you find a startup theme that you like, and "all you need to do is" change that one image type to an "Arcade - Controls Information" image.. 

If say "that one image type that's showing" is a "Box Front", in LaunchBox, go to Tool, Options, Media, Box Front Priorities, and move "Arcade - Controls Information" to the top of the list.  The beauty of this is that this won't have any effect any other Platform because they won't (shouldn't???) have a controls information image.  So it just goes down the list until it does find an image.

[JimboJambo86]

9 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

Pause Arcade.zip  You can just unzip this into your /PauseThemes/Default/ folder. (assuming you don't already have an "Arcade.xaml" file in there)  Oh, and your control panel images need to be in the "Arcade - Controls Information" folder.  (as opposed to the "Arcade - Control Panel" folder)

 

It turns out my startup theme was modified from the Framed Header theme that @Retro808 created a couple years ago.  I guess I'm not really an "up with the times" kind of guy. lol  Anyway, my customized part is not really user friendly for sharing as I changed shtuff around to work on my cab.  In fact looking at the xaml file and what I did to it, it's a wonder that it even works.  I would need to go through it and fix/change some things to make it portable (a.k.a. work on any other computer than my own).

 

What you can do that's easy enough; if you find a startup theme that you like, and "all you need to do is" change that one image type to an "Arcade - Controls Information" image.. 

If say "that one image type that's showing" is a "Box Front", in LaunchBox, go to Tool, Options, Media, Box Front Priorities, and move "Arcade - Controls Information" to the top of the list.  The beauty of this is that this won't have any effect any other Platform because they won't (shouldn't???) have a controls information image.  So it just goes down the list until it does find an image.

Awesome thank you very much!! Your Xaml file worked perfectly without me having to do anything as I already have downloaded the Controls images from emumovies. I can see how to put my own from CPWizard into it easily enough now... but these control images have a trackball and its making me want to add one to my arcade now lol!

I hadnt noticed the "box front properties" was customisable like that, so many little features you can tweak, I end up spending far more time setting it up than playing, but its all part of the fun haha.

Thanks for all your help @JoeViking245 plenty for me to work on now 🙂

[OldSchool80s]

Thanks for all of this. I’m about to purchase BigBox and was wondering how do you display controls for the game, similar to how Arcade1Up does. (You select the game, it shows you the controls, you click to proceed.) Plain and simple.

Sure wish there was a way to trigger something prior to running the actual game. (And then I’d have it show the control panel, then wait for any input…) then it continues on to launching the emulator/game.

Since the whole purpose is to manage/launch various games, why doesn’t any option for controls exist? (Pause screen isn’t considered an option by me, as it’s gotta be coded, etc.)

sigh…