BYOAC OLD Wiki - User contributions [en]

Screens, Titles & Extras

2008-03-27T19:30:41Z

Lilwolf: /* INI Files */

Many front-ends are able to display many different kinds of media elements for all the games from each system (arcade, consoles, handhelds, computers, etc). Generally, most systems will have the basic elements of screens and titles. Certain systems will have different elements that other systems don't have and vice versa. See also the [[MAME#Mame Support_Files]] page, some of those projects overlap.
==Element examples==
===Artwork===
[[Image:artwork.png|right|thumb|Bezel artwork for Ms. Pacman]]Artwork is primarily used for arcade systems. Generally bezel overlays are the most common type of artwork, however some arcade games have artwork that is lit from behind that corresponds with game play (Gorf, Lunar Lander, etc).

Most of the time, a mask file will accompany the artwork. The mask is used by emulators to fuse the artwork in with the gameplay.

Front-ends generally don't use artwork, but some people like the option of showing this element. The mask file would most likely not be used in front-ends.
:http://crashtest.retrogames.com/
 

===Boxes===
[[Image:box.jpg|right|thumb|Atari 2600 Asteriods box]]Boxes are scans of game boxes from consoles, computers and handhelds. It can be another element added to the front-end layouts. It's rare to find used games that still come with the box. It's a rather unqiue element to add to front-end layouts as it can definately bring back forgotten nostalgic images from 'archive oblivion' that were simply thrown away after opening the game.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/scans.htm
 
===Cabinets===
[[Image:cabinet.png|right|thumb|Simpsons arcade cabinet]]Cabinets are pictures taken of arcade cabinets. It's a very common element in front-ends due to the popular synergy of not only playing the game itself but also witnessing the nostalgic looks of the machine some people once stood in front of for endless hours inserting countless quarters into.
[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Cabinets]
 

===Cartridges===
[[Image:cartridge.jpg|right|thumb|Nintendo cartridge for Super Mario Bros. 2]]Cartridges are scans of the front of console game cartridges, SMC, HuCards, etc. Cartridge scans can come in two flavors - some people prefer to have just the scans of label cropped from the rest of the cartridge, but more common the entire cartridge is scanned. The latter takes a purist perspective because, for example, while most cartridges for the NES were grey, there was the occasional cart like Zelda which had a gold chrome finish.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/carts.htm
 

===Control Panels===
[[Image:controlpanel.png|right|thumb|Donkey Kong arcade control panel]]Control Panels (commonly referred to as cpanels) are pictures taken of control panels. Obviously, arcade cabinets will have control panels which can be a good item to display in front-end layouts to help remind the player what the controls looked like for the game-play.
:http://www.mameworld.net/mrdo/mamepanel.html
 

===Flyers===
[[Image:flyer.jpg|right|thumb|Promotional flyer from the arcade game Galaga]]Flyers are scans of flyers from the arcade indsutry for arcade games. Flyers were used as promotional items to increase the sales of games. They often show captured screenshots, pictures of the cabinet, descriptions of the game play, and concept art.
[http://www.arcadeflyers.com/ Download flyers]
 

===History===
History is a single element added to a front-end or emulator that shows historical information about each game. The most well known version of this element is maintained for MAME. The History.dat can be downloaded an fused in with the pre-gameplay experience. These history files general show:
*Description: A summary description of the game.
*Technical: All info about CPUs, Sound chips, etc.
*Trivia: All interesting information about the game.
*Updates: All differences between different/alternate versions/revisions.
*Scoring: Scoring details.
*Tips and tricks: Various tipbits to assist gameplay.
*Series: All other games in a serie are listed here.
*Staff: Programmers, designers, composers, etc.
*Ports: All ported version are listed here.
*Sources: Information sources for the game.
An accurate History.dat for MAME maintained by Alexis Bousiges and contributors can be found at [http://www.arcade-history.com/history_database.php Arcade History].
 

===Icons===
Icons are front-end specific. Not all front-ends use them, and not every system has icons. MAME32 is the most common system to utilize icons.

Icons tend to be used for point and click GUI front-ends, rather than ones with Windows hidden or use arcade controls to select games.

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Icons]
 

===Manuals===
Manuals are scans of manuals that came with the game. Most of the time, each page is scanned and merged into one seemless document, usually Adbobe PDFs. Not all systems have manuals, but it can be a nice addition to display them with external applications so the player can easily refresh his/her memory of the game-play.
 
===Marquees===
[[Image:marquee.png|right|thumb|Centiped arcade marquee]]Marquees are unique to arcade cabinets. When merged into layouts, it can be a very attractive combination of elements for bringing something special to game selection in the front-end.
[http://emam.mameworld.net/ Download Marquees]
 
===Movies===
Movies are brief movie captures of game play from systems. They are an excellent addition to front-ends as they add a dynamic element to the layouts.
 

A couple of BYOAC members have spent the time to create movies of gameplay and attract sequences for every (parent) game in mame. More info and links to obtain/share them in this [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=45467.0 thread.]

===Samples===
Samples are sound files, mostly from arcade games, that could not be emulated or when emulated, from a purist perspective, did not sound like it used to in the "good-ol-days". Emulators are the primary users of the sample files. While this may seem out of place in the front-end catagory, the conveniant thing about the sample element is that it's easy to add these memorable sounds into the front-end experience.
 

===Screens===
[[Image:screen.png|right|thumb|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade screen shot]]Screens (also known as"snapshots" or "screenshots") are screen captures of the actual game in play. Where Titles tend to only have one posible screen capture, Screens can be captured at any moment of the game. Ideally, the Screen will be taken at an addtractive moment in the game-play.

Screens are the most common of front-end elements.

[http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/screenshots.htm Download Console & Pinball Screenshots]

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ MAME Screenshots]
 

===Titles===
[[Image:title.png|right|thumb|Defender arcade title shot]]Title screen captures are taken at the introduction screens of games. The Title generally shows the name of the game, some credits, "insert coin" or "select number of players" type of things. Almost every game has some sort of Title to capture. Some very early games did not have Titles and the game-play was all that was displayed.
[http://www.mametitles.com/ Download Titles]
 
==Element combinations==
Below are common combinations for screens, titles and extras of different systems. Other elements such as icons, samples, and information files are also available, but tend to be front-end or emulator specific.

{| align="center" valign="top" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" style="background:white; color:black; border:1px solid silver;"
|- style="background:navy; color:white; writing-mode:tb-rl;"
|
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Artwork
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Cabinets
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Controlpanels
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Flyers
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Marquees
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Movies
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Screens
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Titles
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Boxes
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Manuals
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Cartriges

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Arcade
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
| 
| 
| 

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Consoles
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Handhelds
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Computers
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
| 

|}

===INI Files===
'INI' files are a group of files which categorize MAME games based on different factors. These are used by many front ends to help sort or filter the games. There have been a few formats through the year.

[http://www.mameworld.net/catlist/ catver.ini] - Genre type information on all games. LOTS of stuff here. Mame version added, Genre (fighters, maze etc), adult games, etc.
'''NOTE:''' The original site isn't being updated anymore. Here is a site with updated versions [http://www.progettoemma.net/?catlist catver.ini]

[http://fe.donkeyfly.com/controls/controls.php controls.ini] - The original controls for each game. Original description from photographs of the control panel. This isn't a complete list of all games, but a very accurate representation of those it does have.

[http://nplayers.arcadebelgium.be/ nplayers.ini] - Lets you know how many players the game supports and if it's simultaneous play or not.

==See Also==
* [[Software]]

[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Software]]

Screens, Titles & Extras

2008-03-27T19:23:58Z

Lilwolf: /* INI Files */

Many front-ends are able to display many different kinds of media elements for all the games from each system (arcade, consoles, handhelds, computers, etc). Generally, most systems will have the basic elements of screens and titles. Certain systems will have different elements that other systems don't have and vice versa. See also the [[MAME#Mame Support_Files]] page, some of those projects overlap.
==Element examples==
===Artwork===
[[Image:artwork.png|right|thumb|Bezel artwork for Ms. Pacman]]Artwork is primarily used for arcade systems. Generally bezel overlays are the most common type of artwork, however some arcade games have artwork that is lit from behind that corresponds with game play (Gorf, Lunar Lander, etc).

Most of the time, a mask file will accompany the artwork. The mask is used by emulators to fuse the artwork in with the gameplay.

Front-ends generally don't use artwork, but some people like the option of showing this element. The mask file would most likely not be used in front-ends.
:http://crashtest.retrogames.com/
 

===Boxes===
[[Image:box.jpg|right|thumb|Atari 2600 Asteriods box]]Boxes are scans of game boxes from consoles, computers and handhelds. It can be another element added to the front-end layouts. It's rare to find used games that still come with the box. It's a rather unqiue element to add to front-end layouts as it can definately bring back forgotten nostalgic images from 'archive oblivion' that were simply thrown away after opening the game.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/scans.htm
 
===Cabinets===
[[Image:cabinet.png|right|thumb|Simpsons arcade cabinet]]Cabinets are pictures taken of arcade cabinets. It's a very common element in front-ends due to the popular synergy of not only playing the game itself but also witnessing the nostalgic looks of the machine some people once stood in front of for endless hours inserting countless quarters into.
[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Cabinets]
 

===Cartridges===
[[Image:cartridge.jpg|right|thumb|Nintendo cartridge for Super Mario Bros. 2]]Cartridges are scans of the front of console game cartridges, SMC, HuCards, etc. Cartridge scans can come in two flavors - some people prefer to have just the scans of label cropped from the rest of the cartridge, but more common the entire cartridge is scanned. The latter takes a purist perspective because, for example, while most cartridges for the NES were grey, there was the occasional cart like Zelda which had a gold chrome finish.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/carts.htm
 

===Control Panels===
[[Image:controlpanel.png|right|thumb|Donkey Kong arcade control panel]]Control Panels (commonly referred to as cpanels) are pictures taken of control panels. Obviously, arcade cabinets will have control panels which can be a good item to display in front-end layouts to help remind the player what the controls looked like for the game-play.
:http://www.mameworld.net/mrdo/mamepanel.html
 

===Flyers===
[[Image:flyer.jpg|right|thumb|Promotional flyer from the arcade game Galaga]]Flyers are scans of flyers from the arcade indsutry for arcade games. Flyers were used as promotional items to increase the sales of games. They often show captured screenshots, pictures of the cabinet, descriptions of the game play, and concept art.
[http://www.arcadeflyers.com/ Download flyers]
 

===History===
History is a single element added to a front-end or emulator that shows historical information about each game. The most well known version of this element is maintained for MAME. The History.dat can be downloaded an fused in with the pre-gameplay experience. These history files general show:
*Description: A summary description of the game.
*Technical: All info about CPUs, Sound chips, etc.
*Trivia: All interesting information about the game.
*Updates: All differences between different/alternate versions/revisions.
*Scoring: Scoring details.
*Tips and tricks: Various tipbits to assist gameplay.
*Series: All other games in a serie are listed here.
*Staff: Programmers, designers, composers, etc.
*Ports: All ported version are listed here.
*Sources: Information sources for the game.
An accurate History.dat for MAME maintained by Alexis Bousiges and contributors can be found at [http://www.arcade-history.com/history_database.php Arcade History].
 

===Icons===
Icons are front-end specific. Not all front-ends use them, and not every system has icons. MAME32 is the most common system to utilize icons.

Icons tend to be used for point and click GUI front-ends, rather than ones with Windows hidden or use arcade controls to select games.

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Icons]
 

===Manuals===
Manuals are scans of manuals that came with the game. Most of the time, each page is scanned and merged into one seemless document, usually Adbobe PDFs. Not all systems have manuals, but it can be a nice addition to display them with external applications so the player can easily refresh his/her memory of the game-play.
 
===Marquees===
[[Image:marquee.png|right|thumb|Centiped arcade marquee]]Marquees are unique to arcade cabinets. When merged into layouts, it can be a very attractive combination of elements for bringing something special to game selection in the front-end.
[http://emam.mameworld.net/ Download Marquees]
 
===Movies===
Movies are brief movie captures of game play from systems. They are an excellent addition to front-ends as they add a dynamic element to the layouts.
 

A couple of BYOAC members have spent the time to create movies of gameplay and attract sequences for every (parent) game in mame. More info and links to obtain/share them in this [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=45467.0 thread.]

===Samples===
Samples are sound files, mostly from arcade games, that could not be emulated or when emulated, from a purist perspective, did not sound like it used to in the "good-ol-days". Emulators are the primary users of the sample files. While this may seem out of place in the front-end catagory, the conveniant thing about the sample element is that it's easy to add these memorable sounds into the front-end experience.
 

===Screens===
[[Image:screen.png|right|thumb|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade screen shot]]Screens (also known as"snapshots" or "screenshots") are screen captures of the actual game in play. Where Titles tend to only have one posible screen capture, Screens can be captured at any moment of the game. Ideally, the Screen will be taken at an addtractive moment in the game-play.

Screens are the most common of front-end elements.

[http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/screenshots.htm Download Console & Pinball Screenshots]

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ MAME Screenshots]
 

===Titles===
[[Image:title.png|right|thumb|Defender arcade title shot]]Title screen captures are taken at the introduction screens of games. The Title generally shows the name of the game, some credits, "insert coin" or "select number of players" type of things. Almost every game has some sort of Title to capture. Some very early games did not have Titles and the game-play was all that was displayed.
[http://www.mametitles.com/ Download Titles]
 
==Element combinations==
Below are common combinations for screens, titles and extras of different systems. Other elements such as icons, samples, and information files are also available, but tend to be front-end or emulator specific.

{| align="center" valign="top" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" style="background:white; color:black; border:1px solid silver;"
|- style="background:navy; color:white; writing-mode:tb-rl;"
|
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Artwork
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Cabinets
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Controlpanels
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Flyers
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Marquees
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Movies
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Screens
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Titles
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Boxes
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Manuals
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Cartriges

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Arcade
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
| 
| 
| 

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Consoles
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Handhelds
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>

|-
| style="background:navy; color:white;"|Computers
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
|<center>'''•'''</center>
| 

|}

===INI Files===
'INI' files are a group of files which categorize MAME games based on different factors. These are used by many front ends to help sort or filter the games. There have been a few formats through the year.

[http://www.mameworld.net/catlist/ catlist.ini] - Genre type information on all games. LOTS of stuff here. Mame version added, Genre (fighters, maze etc), adult games, etc.

[http://fe.donkeyfly.com/controls/controls.php controls.ini] - The original controls for each game. Original description from photographs of the control panel. This isn't a complete list of all games, but a very accurate representation of those it does have.

[http://nplayers.arcadebelgium.be/ nplayers.ini] - Lets you know how many players the game supports and if it's simultaneous play or not.

==See Also==
* [[Software]]

[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Software]]

Screens, Titles & Extras

2008-03-27T19:22:50Z

Lilwolf:

Many front-ends are able to display many different kinds of media elements for all the games from each system (arcade, consoles, handhelds, computers, etc). Generally, most systems will have the basic elements of screens and titles. Certain systems will have different elements that other systems don't have and vice versa. See also the [[MAME#Mame Support_Files]] page, some of those projects overlap.
==Element examples==
===Artwork===
[[Image:artwork.png|right|thumb|Bezel artwork for Ms. Pacman]]Artwork is primarily used for arcade systems. Generally bezel overlays are the most common type of artwork, however some arcade games have artwork that is lit from behind that corresponds with game play (Gorf, Lunar Lander, etc).

Most of the time, a mask file will accompany the artwork. The mask is used by emulators to fuse the artwork in with the gameplay.

Front-ends generally don't use artwork, but some people like the option of showing this element. The mask file would most likely not be used in front-ends.
:http://crashtest.retrogames.com/
 

===Boxes===
[[Image:box.jpg|right|thumb|Atari 2600 Asteriods box]]Boxes are scans of game boxes from consoles, computers and handhelds. It can be another element added to the front-end layouts. It's rare to find used games that still come with the box. It's a rather unqiue element to add to front-end layouts as it can definately bring back forgotten nostalgic images from 'archive oblivion' that were simply thrown away after opening the game.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/scans.htm
 
===Cabinets===
[[Image:cabinet.png|right|thumb|Simpsons arcade cabinet]]Cabinets are pictures taken of arcade cabinets. It's a very common element in front-ends due to the popular synergy of not only playing the game itself but also witnessing the nostalgic looks of the machine some people once stood in front of for endless hours inserting countless quarters into.
[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Cabinets]
 

===Cartridges===
[[Image:cartridge.jpg|right|thumb|Nintendo cartridge for Super Mario Bros. 2]]Cartridges are scans of the front of console game cartridges, SMC, HuCards, etc. Cartridge scans can come in two flavors - some people prefer to have just the scans of label cropped from the rest of the cartridge, but more common the entire cartridge is scanned. The latter takes a purist perspective because, for example, while most cartridges for the NES were grey, there was the occasional cart like Zelda which had a gold chrome finish.
:http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/carts.htm
 

===Control Panels===
[[Image:controlpanel.png|right|thumb|Donkey Kong arcade control panel]]Control Panels (commonly referred to as cpanels) are pictures taken of control panels. Obviously, arcade cabinets will have control panels which can be a good item to display in front-end layouts to help remind the player what the controls looked like for the game-play.
:http://www.mameworld.net/mrdo/mamepanel.html
 

===Flyers===
[[Image:flyer.jpg|right|thumb|Promotional flyer from the arcade game Galaga]]Flyers are scans of flyers from the arcade indsutry for arcade games. Flyers were used as promotional items to increase the sales of games. They often show captured screenshots, pictures of the cabinet, descriptions of the game play, and concept art.
[http://www.arcadeflyers.com/ Download flyers]
 

===History===
History is a single element added to a front-end or emulator that shows historical information about each game. The most well known version of this element is maintained for MAME. The History.dat can be downloaded an fused in with the pre-gameplay experience. These history files general show:
*Description: A summary description of the game.
*Technical: All info about CPUs, Sound chips, etc.
*Trivia: All interesting information about the game.
*Updates: All differences between different/alternate versions/revisions.
*Scoring: Scoring details.
*Tips and tricks: Various tipbits to assist gameplay.
*Series: All other games in a serie are listed here.
*Staff: Programmers, designers, composers, etc.
*Ports: All ported version are listed here.
*Sources: Information sources for the game.
An accurate History.dat for MAME maintained by Alexis Bousiges and contributors can be found at [http://www.arcade-history.com/history_database.php Arcade History].
 

===Icons===
Icons are front-end specific. Not all front-ends use them, and not every system has icons. MAME32 is the most common system to utilize icons.

Icons tend to be used for point and click GUI front-ends, rather than ones with Windows hidden or use arcade controls to select games.

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ Download Icons]
 

===Manuals===
Manuals are scans of manuals that came with the game. Most of the time, each page is scanned and merged into one seemless document, usually Adbobe PDFs. Not all systems have manuals, but it can be a nice addition to display them with external applications so the player can easily refresh his/her memory of the game-play.
 
===Marquees===
[[Image:marquee.png|right|thumb|Centiped arcade marquee]]Marquees are unique to arcade cabinets. When merged into layouts, it can be a very attractive combination of elements for bringing something special to game selection in the front-end.
[http://emam.mameworld.net/ Download Marquees]
 
===Movies===
Movies are brief movie captures of game play from systems. They are an excellent addition to front-ends as they add a dynamic element to the layouts.
 

A couple of BYOAC members have spent the time to create movies of gameplay and attract sequences for every (parent) game in mame. More info and links to obtain/share them in this [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=45467.0 thread.]

===Samples===
Samples are sound files, mostly from arcade games, that could not be emulated or when emulated, from a purist perspective, did not sound like it used to in the "good-ol-days". Emulators are the primary users of the sample files. While this may seem out of place in the front-end catagory, the conveniant thing about the sample element is that it's easy to add these memorable sounds into the front-end experience.
 

===Screens===
[[Image:screen.png|right|thumb|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade screen shot]]Screens (also known as"snapshots" or "screenshots") are screen captures of the actual game in play. Where Titles tend to only have one posible screen capture, Screens can be captured at any moment of the game. Ideally, the Screen will be taken at an addtractive moment in the game-play.

Screens are the most common of front-end elements.

[http://localarcade.com/screenshotarchive/screenshots.htm Download Console & Pinball Screenshots]

[http://mame32qa.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ MAME Screenshots]
 

===Titles===
[[Image:title.png|right|thumb|Defender arcade title shot]]Title screen captures are taken at the introduction screens of games. The Title generally shows the name of the game, some credits, "insert coin" or "select number of players" type of things. Almost every game has some sort of Title to capture. Some very early games did not have Titles and the game-play was all that was displayed.
[http://www.mametitles.com/ Download Titles]
 
==Element combinations==
Below are common combinations for screens, titles and extras of different systems. Other elements such as icons, samples, and information files are also available, but tend to be front-end or emulator specific.

{| align="center" valign="top" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" style="background:white; color:black; border:1px solid silver;"
|- style="background:navy; color:white; writing-mode:tb-rl;"
|
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Artwork
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Cabinets
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Controlpanels
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Flyers
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Marquees
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Movies
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Screens
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Titles
| style="writing-mode:tb-rl;text-align:right;"|Boxes
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===INI Files===
'INI' files are a group of files which categorize MAME games based on different factors. These are used by many front ends to help sort or filter the games. There have been a few formats through the year.

catlist.ini - Genre type information on all games. LOTS of stuff here. Mame version added, Genre (fighters, maze etc), adult games, etc. [http://www.mameworld.net/catlist/]

controls.ini - The original controls for each game. Original description from photographs of the control panel. This isn't a complete list of all games, but a very accurate representation of those it does have. [http://fe.donkeyfly.com/controls/controls.php]

nplayers.ini - Lets you know how many players the game supports and if it's simultaneous play or not. [http://nplayers.arcadebelgium.be/]

==See Also==
* [[Software]]

[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Software]]

Wrappers

2008-03-21T16:42:02Z

Lilwolf: /* Wrappers by other authors */

''Wrappers'' are additional applications that allow certain emulators to work properly with a frontend or arcade setup.

Most emulators are not designed with frontends or arcade machines in mind, and therefore may cause some or all of the following issues to arise when they are attempted to run that way, such as:

* ''Requires specific keys to be pressed at startup''
* ''Starts in windowed mode (as opposed to full screen)''
* ''Loses ‘focus’ to the application when starting (preventing keystrokes from working)''
* ''Will not exit the software without a key or mouse button press''

This is where a wrapper comes in. Instead of running the emulator directly, you run the wrapper, and the wrapper in turn runs the emulator or application for you. However, the wrapper takes care of any miscellaneous issues that arise, such as listed above.

In order to use a wrapper, it will require additional configuration. You will need to configure the frontend to run the wrapper executable, and you will also need to configure the wrapper, usually by editing ini files (text configuration files), and inform it on how to run the emulator or application.

== Wrappers by Howard Casto ==

The following wrapper programs have been provided by '''Howard Casto''' at the [http://dragonking.arcadecontrols.com/static.php?page=wrapperdownload Lazarus/Dragon King Homepage]:

* '''Chankast Wrapper 2.5''' (Daemon /Alcohol Edition): runs the Sega Dreamcast emulator [[Chankast]] and also manages pesky configuration tweaks required for each game.
* '''Microsoft Pinball Arcade Wrapper:''' runs the Microsoft PC game [[http://www.microsoft.com/games/pinball/ Pinball Arcade]]
* '''Visual Pinball Wrapper 4.0 Enhanced:''' runs the [[Other Emulation|Visual Pinball]] emulator
* '''Generic command line wrapper 7.0:''' runs many command line programs, and comes preconfigured for [[Zinc]]
* '''Generic keypress simulator wrapper''' (preconfigured for [[Final Burn]])

The Following Wrappers are available as well, but are very old (and thus not supported).

* '''U64 wrapper 2.0:''' runs the Ultra64 hardware based emulator [[Ultra64]]
* '''Modeler wrapper:''' runs the Sega System 32 and Model 1 emulator [[Modeler]]
* '''Impact wrapper:''' runs the [[Impact]] emulator
* '''S11 wrapper''': runs the [[S11]] emulator

== Wrappers by other authors ==

* '''[http://www.spacefractal.com/files/App/FuturePinballWrapper.zip Future Pinball Wrapper]:''' runs [[Pinball|Future Pinball]] and get the keyboard focus work. ''(By Space Fractal)''
* '''[http://www.emuchrist.org/cpviewer/visualpinball.htm PinballWrapper]:''' runs [[Pinball|Visual Pinball]]. ''(By John E. Crouse)''
* '''[http://members.iinet.net.au/~freeaxs/winuae/WinUAELoader.zip WinUAE Loader]:''' runs [[Emulators|WinUAE]] Amiga emulator. ''(By HeadKaze)''
* '''[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=77914.0 Snes9x Wrapper]:''' Hides [[snes9x]] menu on startup and routes esc key to kill ''(By Kelroy)''
* '''[http://multimame.wikidot.com/ MultiMAME]:''' Combines a number of emulators and filters to look like a single version of mame. Multiple MAME versions, Zinc, Daphne, AAE, and command line applications. ''(By Lilwolf)''

== To other developers ==
These wrappers should be work with any frontend that allows a command line application to be executed. You can add your own wrapper to above links.
==See Also==
* [[Software]]

[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Software]]

Spinners and Dials

2006-09-15T17:33:27Z

Lilwolf: /* Spinner Brands */

A '''Spinner''' is a knob that can be spun rapidly in either direction to move an on-screen paddle or character. Spinners provide precise analog control like a mouse, but act only along one axis. Spinners were used for many popular early arcade games such as Pong, Tempest, Arkanoid, and Tron.
{{Cleanup}}

=What is a Spinner?=

You might remember the spinner from games like Tempest and Arkanoid. The player turns a knob to move the on-screen character. But what's going on behind the scenes; what's that knob attached to?

Underneath the control panel, the shaft comes down from the knob above. Mounted on the shaft, is an optical encoder wheel- a flat disk with notches cut around the outside edge. These notches pass though a set of infra-red optics, that detect the notches as they spin by. There are two sets of optics, spaced such that they see the notches spin by just a little bit out of sync. The combined signal from both of these optics tells the game which direction the disk is turning, and how fast. This is also how a trackball works, as well as a ball-type PC mouse.

If you are buying or building a working spinner for your cabinet, you will need the Spinner (the mechanical part,) the optics(the part that watches the spinning,) and the optical encoder (the part that sends info to the computer.) If a manufacturer advertises "USB Connectivity" that generally means that it is an all in one solution, and no additional parts are required. Otherwise, you'll find that optics are generally included, but an encoder is not. In the rare occurence that your spinner does not have optics included, they can be built with parts from your local electronic store, or you can build them based off of a [[Optical_Encoders#Mouse_Hack|mouse hack.]] If the unit does not ship with an optical encoder, you can purchase one from an aftermarket seller. You can find out more about [[Optical_Encoders|optical encoders here.]]

Note: Paddles, while similar to spinners in that they rotate and have knobs, are usually based on potentiometers (like a volume knob on an old TV or radio), rather than the optics in a spinner. Spinners, as the name suggests, spin. There is no end to how many times the knob can fully rotate in any direction. They often move things in a game in a circular fashion, as in Tempest or TRON. Paddles are the precursor to the spinner. The paddles found on early arcade games (like pong) rotated a full 360 degrees but used a 360 potentiometer (or pot) rather than an optical encoder. Since a pot requires physical contact, they tend to spin less freely than a true spinner. MAME adds to confusion by classifying 270 degree steering wheels as paddles. This is false as most, if not all arcade games that actually used paddles used 360 degree paddles and 270 degree wheels used a regular linear potentiometer (like a radio knob, which can only turn so far). There is such a thing as a 270 degree paddle though, just to make things even more confusing. As a matter of fact, many pong clones used the 270 degree paddles as they were cheaper. Most of your home versions of pong also used the 270 degree paddles. Most emulators will let you play paddle games with a spinner, but spinner games are generally not playable with paddles, mostly due to the fact that paddles just don't spin that well.

=Spinner Varieties=

#Tempest- Fast spinning lightweight spinner, which is very popular with arcade enthusiassts. It has 72 teeth on the encoder wheel, with nylon upper and lower bearings on the shaft. This was the model for the Oscar Vortex aftermarket spinner.
#Arkanoid- The "geared" spinner. Rather than mounting the encoder wheel directly to the shaft, the Arkanoid spinner used two sets of gears between the knob and the encoder wheel, to make the spinner extremely sensitive. While the encoder wheel only has 24 notches, the gearing causes 486 notches to pass through the optics for every turn of the knob! Due to the lightweight and friction from the gearing, the Arkanoid spinner stops the instant you take your hand off the knob.
#360° Steering Wheels - Games like the original Pole Position and Sprint 2 used steering wheels that were essentially giant spinners. The Pole Position steering wheel, for instance, was geared similarly to an Arkanoid spinner. However, the gear ratio was only 5:1 to a 24 notch encoder wheel (96 notches per wheel revolution). This and the mechanical advantage of the large steering wheel rather than a small knob, let the wheel spin freely. Sprint 2 (and Sprint 1, and probably Sprints 4 and 8)used an ungeared 38 notch encoder cup, and spun freely.
#Discs of Tron ''Push/Pull''- This spinner used a giant 128-notch encoder wheel with a push / pull switch feature built into the spindle shaft. When the player pulled up or down on the spinner, a leafswitch was activated. This was used to control the high / low aim of the disc in later levels of the game. Zwackery also used a Push/Pull spinner, and Forgotten Worlds used a push only (no pull) spinner. Oscar Controls marketed a Push/Pull spinner with a slightly different design, and a smaller 72 notch encoder wheel, but it is no longer available for purchase. The Oscar V2 had a Push option, and a Pull kit was rumored to be in the works before Oscar Controls closed down.

=Spinner Brands=
#[http://oscarcontrols.com/ Oscar Controls]- Was a popular manufacturer of spinners for the hobbyist market until recently. Several models were produced over the years, including the Model One, Pro, Vortex, Push/Pull, and V2. These spinners did not enclude an encoder and required connection to an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Opti-Pac]] or to a [[Optical_Encoders#Mouse_Hack|mouse hack]].
#[http://www.slikstik.com/spinfeat.htm SlikStik]- The Tornado is billed as the "longest spinning" spinner on the market, the Tornado is currently the spinner that's been on the market the longest. With an extra-small footprint, and dual-bearing design, the Tornado is very well made. Several knob options are also available. The Tornado comes with it's own USB or PS/2 interface. Plans to sell the Tornado with a plain-jane optic card have also been announced.
#[http://GroovyGameGear.com GroovyGameGear]- The TurboTwist is new to the market. Like the SlikStik Tornado, the TurboTwist also has a small footprint and a dual-bearing design. The TurboTwist has an extra-high resolution encoder wheel, and comes with it's own USB or PS/2 Opti-Wiz interface. The interface can be configured to put the spinner on the X, Y, or Z mouse axis, and will control other optic devices on the remaining two axes, such as a trackball, or additional spinners/steering wheels/optical rotary joysticks. A plain-jane optic card version has also been announced.
#[http://ArcadeGames4U.com ArcadeGames4U]- The cyclone is also new to the market. It has a dual-bearing design, with a lower resolution encoder wheel. The Cyclone ships with an optic card, but no interface.
#[http://http://www.apachecontrols.com/ Apache Controls]- This is very good looking new addition to the market. The first push/pull for all your DOT enjoyment thats still being sold. There is a review over at RetroBlast you might want to look at [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/apache-070106-01.html RetroBlast]
#Build Your Own! - Many users have built their own spinners from whatever parts they had available - Hard drive bearings, skateboard bearings, whatever.

=Build Your Own Spinner=

For those of us who would prefer to build their own spinner or cannot afford a retail unit, with a few spare parts that most likely are already lying around, can easily build your own. Here are some links to help you along your way:

'''[http://arcadecontrols.com/files/Miscellaneous/spinner.pdf Nathan Strum's Cheep Spinner]'''

'''[http://www.doughansen.net/arcade/spinner.htm DHansen's Arcade Stupidity Spinner]'''

'''[http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=17522.0 BYO "Nasty-Spinner" Thread]'''

'''List of compatible hard drives:'''

WD Caviar 1200 210 MB Drive

WD Caviar 11200 1.2 GB Drive

* Please feel free to add to the list of compatible drives if you have successfully built your own spinner with a drive that is not listed.

=FAQs=
==Which games originally used a spinner==
The list below is non-definitive, but can be used as a guide to find the most common games that can use a spinner.
===Conventional spinner games===
*Arkanoid arkanoid
*Arkanoid - Revenge of Doh arknoid2
*Blasteroids (version 4) blstroid
*Wolf Pack (prototype) wolfpack
*Tempest (rev 3) tempest
*Tron (set 1) tron
*Mad Planets mplanets
*720 Degrees (set 1) 720
*Aztarac aztarac
*Forgotten Worlds (US) forgottn
*Kozmik Kroozr kroozr
*Crater Raider crater
*Wheel Of Fortune wfortune
*Victory victory
*Omega Race omegrace
*Cameltry (US) cameltry
*Cosmic Chasm (set 1) cchasm
*Dark Planet darkplnt
*Vs. Hot Smash hotsmash
*Boxing Bugs boxingb
*Star Trek startrek
===Push/pull spinner games===
*Discs of Tron (Upright) dotron
*Zwackery zwackery
===Horizontal roller===
*Major Havoc (rev 3) mhavoc
*Moonwar moonwar
*Kick (upright) kick
=== Vertical roller ===
*Drag Race dragrace
=== 360° Steering Wheel===
*Super Sprint ssprint
*APB - All Points Bulletin (set 1) apb
*Pole Position polepos
*Pole Position II polepos2
*Road Blasters (set 1) roadblst
*American Speedway (set 1) amspdwy
*Bad Lands badlands
*Demolition Derby demoderb
*Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat indyheat
*Speed Freak speedfrk
*Ironman Stewart's Super Off-Road offroad
*Ironman Stewart's Super Off-Road Track Pack offroadt
*Turbo turbo
*Konami GT konamigt
*Buggy Challenge buggychl
*Championship Sprint csprint
*Fire Truck firetrk
*Fire Truck firetrk
*Grand Champion grchamp
*Hot Rod (turbo 3 player) hotrod
*Monte Carlo montecar
*Stocker stocker
*Super Speed Race sspeedr
*Final Lap 2 finalap2
*Subs subs
*Mille Miglia 2: Great 1000 Miles Rally (95/05/24) gtmr2
*Over Drive overdriv
*Redline Racer (2 players) redlin2p
*Sprint 1 sprint1
===Horizontal paddle games===
*Boot Hill boothill
*Clowns (rev. 2) clowns
*Super Breakout sbrkout
*Avalanche avalnche
*Beam Invader beaminv
*Gee Bee geebee
*Warlords warlords
*Field Goal fgoal
*Blue Shark blueshrk
*Circus circus
*Sea Wolf seawolf
*Sea Wolf II seawolf2
===Vertical paddle games===
*Destroyer destroyr
*Lunar Lander (rev 2) llander

==Two Spinners on a control panel; is it worth it?==
The answer is an unequivocal ''maybe''. There are several factors to keep in mind when trying to determine whether you should buy and install 2 spinners on your control panel.
#Budget- Spinners are somewhat expensive. Buying 2 aftermarket spinners with optics will set you back about $80-$160.
#Software- Can your software support 2 mice at the same time. Make sure you have a version of mame that can support 2 spinners if they're both individual USB units. If you have them both plugged into an [[Optical_Encoders#Opti-PAC|Optipac]] this won't be a problem.
#Space- Depending on the model, spinners can take up a lot of room under the surface of a control panel. The Oscar Controls Push/Pull spinner was approximately 5.5x6" for instance. Also, the more spinners you have, the less room you may have for other features and joysticks.
#Games- Most importantly, do you like any games that use more than 1 spinner? Below is a (non-definitive) list of multi-spinner games
##Paddle Games
###Arkanoid Returns
###Off the Wall (Atari)
###Off the Wall (Bally Sente)
###Warlords (uses 4!)
###Pop'n Bounce
###Plump Pop
###VS Blok Breaker
##Flying
###Blasteroids
###Two Tigers
##Driving
###Super Off Road
### Super Sprint (uses 3!)
###Championship Super Sprint
###Bad Lands
###Ironman Ivan Stewart's Super Off-Road (uses 3!)
###Ironman Stewart's Super Off-Road Track Pack (uses 3!)
###Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat
## Other
###Atari 2 player games
###Puzzloop

==If I can have only a spinner or a trackball... which should I choose==
'''insert pro/con arguments here'''
relevant links in msg board. delete links once the info has been added.
* http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=25477.0
* http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=37876.0
* http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=36036.0

==See Also==
* [[Controls]]

[[Category:Controls]]
[[Category:Index]]

Light Guns

2006-03-14T20:21:01Z

Lilwolf: /* LCDTopGun */

This page should contain brief descriptions of various lightguns available, and details of their setup. If any one portion of the page starts getting a little too long, a seperate page may be started for that topic.

== Hardware ==
===Act-Labs Lightgun===
:: '''Pros:'''
::* These have been around for a while - so they have been more thoroughly tested/supported.

:: '''Cons:'''
::* Only works on either a TV or a CRT Monitor - not both (corresponds to which model you buy)
::* Does not allow continuous tracking
::* Expensive

: '''Related Links:''' [http://www.act-labs.com/products/gun1.htm Act-Labs Webpage] - [http://www.retroblast.com/reviews/actlabs.html Retroblast! Review]

===LCDTopGun===
:: '''Pros:'''
::* Allows for Continuous tracking
::* Works on ALL display types.

:: '''Cons:'''
::* Relative newcomer, still working out kinks - shouldn't be long before these are the standard.
::* Requires you to stand far away from the monitor.

: '''Related Links:''' [http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=266&products_id=8565& Lik-Sang Webpage] - [http://www.wizardsworks.org/chod/gun/topgun.htm Unofficial FAQ] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=48982.0 BYOAC Forum Thread]

===GunCon2===

:: '''Pros:'''
::* Cheap - You might already have these sitting around your house.

:: '''Cons:'''
::* Requires hardware to work with CRT Monitors.

: '''Related Links:''' [http://xoomer.virgilio.it/smogdragon GunCon2PC Driver Webpage] - [http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=37872.0 BYOAC Forum Thread]

== Software Settings ==
Mame Lightgun Setup