REQUEST - Show controller mappings before launching game?

[Crush]

If you want to display per game controller info, you can do it by using Additional Apps on any game. We need an Additional Apps per Platform!

 

Edited March 24, 2017 by Crush

[zerohex]

My goal for what I was thinking about designing is this:

1. you go into the setup portion of this package and select the consoles/emulator you use.
2. in the controller setup tab you will have a drop down for type of remote and platform.
  a. in this tab you select the controller type(there will be default images for things like keyboard, PS4, xbox 360, etc.) then you select platform.
  b. then you click each button to say what it maps too in the emulator, you will also be able to enter custom text so for custom settings.  I.E. Light Punch(LP), etc.
  ideally I would like this to go into the emulator config files and pull this info automatically.
3. Then in launchbox/bigbox when you select a game it will show the mapping image for x amount of secs or until another key is pressed.

I already have the step 3 done.  I can call the executable with 3 arguments (controller, platform, game).  Based on this it displays a certain image.  This was the easy part.

Essentially, the app I want to create is for per platform and per game and would work for all emulators.  

I'm open to any and all suggestions and criticisms.  Once I get a sample app done I'll make it available with some setup instructions.

 

[zerohex]

This is very rough.  It's just to test out functionality and I can add complexity to it from here.  If you extract the zip file to its own folder then open up command prompt.  Go to that folder and run

SeeControlsSplash.exe 360 NES

or

SeeControlsSplash.exe PS4 NES

You will get a splash screen with the images The IVI provided.  Customization/setup form will come next.   This will be where you can take the image and assign labels to each button.

sc.zip

[zerohex]

Is there a way to run an executable before launchbox/bigbox runs the emulator?

Basically, I need launchbox/bigbox to run seeControlsSplash.exe then launch the emulator and game 

 

[Crush]

5 hours ago, zerohex said:

Is there a way to run an executable before launchbox/bigbox runs the emulator?

Basically, I need launchbox/bigbox to run seeControlsSplash.exe then launch the emulator and game 

 

You can execute an Additional App before running the emu, but it is per game, so you have to add it to every game...

 

Edited March 25, 2017 by Crush

[Crush]

You could import a fake rom with a name that will display it in the top of the other roms. Then use Additional Apps on it to display extra info, controllers, e.t.c But still you will have to select it manually.

Or you could change the background pic to display the buttons in use on top.

 

[Crush]

If you use Retroarch, problem solved:

Let's take for example Turbografx-16. I already created an overlay for this core to display a Bezel. All i had to do was to add another overlay with the image of the controller and define in the core config (mednafen_pce_fast_libretro.cfg) a key to switch to the next overlay by changing overlay_next=<key to switch overlay>

Here's my overlay .cfg to display a Bezel/controller image:

overlays = 2

overlay0_overlay = TurboGrafx16_Bezel.png

overlay0_full_screen = true

overlay0_descs = 0

overlay1_overlay = Turbografx-16_Controller.png

overlay1_full_screen = true

overlay1_descs = 0

MAME also has the ability to switch between multiple artwork, so i guess the same procedure will work for it too!

 

[The IVI]

Hey, I just finished all of the XBONE controllers.

All of the consoles I've missed, N64, Playstation etc. will be in the next post with all controllers.

[Crush]

Nice! Possible to share the .psd files using the PS4 controller? I'd like to do some modifications as i have my controller keys mapped to different positions.

 

[The IVI]

Here you go @Crush, the PS4 controller maps, I was in the middle of making the N64 map

PS4_Controller.psd

[zerohex]

@The IVI, Awesome work, thanks.  Would it be possible to make them with a transparent background?  The way I have them fading in currently as a splash screen would look pretty cool imo if it had no background it was just the platform title and controller.

 

@Crush - Thanks for all the tips on AHK and per emulator settings.  I have tinkered with those before but, my goal for this app is to easily make custom control images and display them at game launch, per game or per emulator, if you want.  the showing of an image is the easy part.  Making a Form that you can change labels for arcade controls is the harder part.  Unless I make dedicated 6,7,8 button templates instead of working of an image.  I was thinking the user would have an option to upload a picture of their control panel and can select each button to add mapping label. 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2017 by zerohex

[The IVI]

Yeah sure, which controller? All? Or just one?

[zerohex]

Awesome, thanks.  PS4 and 360.  Still in early stages so just need some to test with.

Edited March 26, 2017 by zerohex

[The IVI]

Here you go, just NES and Game Boy for now, if your just testing it out. If it works, let us know.

[zerohex]

Worked perfect, thanks.

[Zombeaver]

20 hours ago, Crush said:

If you use Retroarch, problem solved:

Let's take for example Turbografx-16. I already created an overlay for this core to display a Bezel. All i had to do was to add another overlay with the image of the controller and define in the core config (mednafen_pce_fast_libretro.cfg) a key to switch to the next overlay by changing overlay_next=<key to switch overlay>

Here's my overlay .cfg to display a Bezel/controller image:

overlays = 2

overlay0_overlay = TurboGrafx16_Bezel.png

overlay0_full_screen = true

overlay0_descs = 0

overlay1_overlay = Turbografx-16_Controller.png

overlay1_full_screen = true

overlay1_descs = 0

MAME also has the ability to switch between multiple artwork, so i guess the same procedure will work for it too!

 

Well hot damn, this worked like a charm! I've been in the process of making my own set of bezel overlays recently anyway, so when I saw this I figured I'd give it a go.

The only issue is that the overlay is slightly transparent where the game is being displayed - it's still readable though. I wonder if there's a way to force it to be completely opaque...

[Zombeaver]

Derp... default overlay opacity is 0.70... You can change it to 1.00 and it's perfect. Woot!

[Crush]

@The IVI Many thanks for the psd file!

@zerohex You can try CPWizard with MAME. You draw your existing controller & button layout, you run CPWizard minimized and when in MAME with the game loaded you press "l" and the CPWizard displays it's own menu - the first option is to display your controller with the mappings for the currently loaded game... 

NOTE: You must set Output in mame.ini to "windows", else it will not work.

I added the button to switch overlays in my Retroarch AHK script which pauses the game:

; Pause & Display Controller
4Joy20::
   SetKeyDelay, -1, 110
   Send {~}
   Send {p}
Return

I use the tilde to change overlays, so when i press the button to pause the game i also get the image of the controller.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2017 by Crush

[dragon57]

Thanks so much for the Xbox One versions!

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

[jeck11]

I would love to see @SentaiBrad, @ETAPRIME, or @Crush create a tutorial video for setting this up. I love the look you've come up with. 

 

Edit: added Prime since his tutorial videos always rock.

 

Edited March 27, 2017 by jeck11