176 replies to this topic

[dark]

Here's the guy we need, add that head shoop!

[LoadedWeapon]

Great work on this table.  I could've sworn there was another thread where someone was saying that the bumpers would regularly bump the ball back into the bonus kicker.  I've never played the game in real life and I only played one game so far in VP, but into the ice cave, the bumpers bumped it back in 3 times in a row.  I'm running 9.9.0 (last official one as far as I know).

you can adjust the bumper strength im sure to change that... I'm going to look at some physmod5 tables to see some settings maybe try to convert some of my new updates..

[Shoopity]

I'm playin' with the head right now, but I might need some assistance with the real life stuff.  The R2D2 head was a simple motor solenoid that turned on or off, so it was easy to add the code of when to turn that on/off; the description in the manual for this game says there's a micro controller in the servo board.  I've looked around github but since this isn't a Williams game, I'm not sure where to look to see if VPM emulates the toy at all (I doubt it does).

 

Can someone tell me what the head is suppose to do?  From a description I've read and a couple videos I've seen, it looks like he just sort of looks around randomly, but that his looking around starts when the ball is served and stops when it trains (kind of like R2D2).  I don't see any listing for a solenoid that is activated to start the head moving, but using ShowDMDOnly = 0, I think I've found something that might work (37 and 38).  From what I've observed looking at the VPM emulation, it appears it sends a signal to the head servo to start, then again to stop.

 

If this is accurate, I'm pretty sure I could get something going.  The head movement might not be identical to the game, but I can get his head to start/stop at the right times, if this is in fact how it works.  Is there any pattern to his head movement or is it purely random?  Does he have regular stopping position (e.g. looking at you, looking left, looking right, but nowhere in between those spots)?  When he stops, does he always stop by looking at you or does he stop wherever he got the kill command?

[dark]

I watched a video from TNT amusements just yesterday that was looking at Stern's Simpson's pinball and Todd Tucky who's a guru of pinball mechanics explained in that video that unlike rudy in Funhouse who's eyes follow the ball, both home and Frankenstein do not move to follow the ball but instead move some what randomly.

 

At times it can seem like it maybe following ball triggers but I think that's just a coincidence....this is the best video I could find that shows a lengthy period of game play that includes frank's head moving around in the shot.

 

 

You can see at times he has quicker movements which go from 3/4 left to center to 3/4 right and then other slower smoother movements of similar increments.

Edited by dark, 11 August 2014 - 11:38 PM.

[Shoopity]

OK, I stared and stared at that video and as far as that game went, there is a pattern.  Let's say staring straight at you is position 3, there's two positions to the right (4 and 5) and two to the left (1 and 2).  His patter goes something like:

3. . . . 4. . . .  5 3. . 5. . . . .3. . 2. . 1. . then repeat.  He also seems to always go back to 3 when the ball drains.  I think this is do-able.  I'm not sure exactly how to incorporate this with the existing wall animations though (since they're way in front  of the toy).  I, or someone, may have to alpha-out the head of the images.

[dark]

If you need I can make a quick mock up for his collar as a place holder until I have the body modeled up, so that his chin gets hidden behind the collar like in the videos.

 

I'm going to make attempts at modeling the body and arms as soon as I can but it's going to take some time.

Edited by dark, 12 August 2014 - 04:02 AM.

[Carny_Priest]

Quick aside - the DMD always looked funny to me and then I realized that this is one of the few machines that used the larger 192 x 64 displays.  Instead of the usual 4:1 aspect ratio, it is 3:1.

 

I have a p2k style cab with a 16:9 display for the third screen and no bezel. It is possible to get a 'pixel perfect' display with the dots and the gaps between dots uniform. 

 

http://www.vpforums....topic=26901&hl=

 

To reproduce the larger display, modify the registry for frankst or the table script

 

dmd_width=771

dmd_height=259

 

I don't know what you do if you have a real DMD or have to conform to a bezel designed around a standard 128 x 32 display. The animations will always look kinda squashed.

 

Anyway, back to the table building...

Edited by Carny_Priest, 12 August 2014 - 05:27 AM.

[Shadowsclassic]

Hey thanks for that tip, the display looks much better now.  Do you by chance know what the other tables are that would benefit from this change?

[Carny_Priest]

Off the top of my head: Batman Forever, Baywatch, and Maverick

[Shadowsclassic]

Yep, Batman and bay watch for sure, I don't have a decent version of Maverick.

 

Hey do you by chance know why tables like Apollo 13 have like the bottom half their display as a black bar?  I tried this trick on it with no luck and oddly it won't save the setting for A13.

 

 Untitled.png   160.13KB   8 downloads

[Carny_Priest]

No, I don't have Apollo 13 installed. I do have inexplicably squashed displays for Ripley's and Simpson's Pinball Party. Maybe something is off with VPM Whitestar driver. Although Sopranos looks OK to me, so I don't know.

[Shoopity]

I don't really have a cab so I'm barely familiar with working with multiple displays, but have you tried right clicking on the DMD and selecting Restore Window Size?

[Carny_Priest]

Restore Window Size takes the size to

 

dmd_width=259

dmd_height=88

 

Too small, but it is very close to a 3:1 aspect ratio. Might try the Frankenstein settings even though I checked into the part lists on the original tables for Simpson's Pinball Party, Ripley's, and Apollo 13. They just take the usual 128 x 32 (4:1) displays.

[Shoopity]

OK, here is an ugly ugly table, just a proof of concept actually.  The only issue that I've come across so far is if you use the in-game testing menu.  #1 It will say the servo is off when the head is actually on, and vice versa; B) if you do use the test, you will need to re-load the table or back out and run the test again to make it work right.  In the game I'm sure it's sending an actual "turn on" or "turn off" signal to the servo's micro controller; in VP I just have a simple on/off toggle.  Meaning, if the game sends a turn off signal when it's already off, in real life nothing would happen but in VP it would turn the head on and now everything is backwards.

 

However, for typical use (i.e. run the table and start playing a game), it should work just fine.  If the head does get stuck in the on state when it should be off, then just restart VPM (push F3 by default) when the head is in an on state.  Also, a minor difference, when the head gets stopped, it will return to that same point in its cycle when it starts again.  If that really bugs people I could add the extra line of code it would take to fix that, but I really don't feel like it  .

[dark]

Lol....nice disclaimer, double ugly's.  I've started work on modeling a hand for ol' Frank, once the hand is modeled the rest of the arm should go pretty quick,  I'm hoping to finish up the hand by tonight at least.  Hopefully I can have the rest of the body done soon after.

[The Loafer]

After a 14 hour shift, this is a just reward. Going to try it in 5 min

[Shadowsclassic]

Yeah I tried the Frank settings for Apollo13.  I think it looks a little clearer, Like Frank, but still get the black line.  I think Shoopity may be right and it is an emulation problem.  It's been so long ago now, but I seem to recall that at one point some of those DMD's that have the bar wore fine and then suddenly the bar was there, but I can't recall for sure. It's not a big deal but it does make you essentially run the DMD at half height.

 

 

  If that really bugs people I could add the extra line of code it would take to fix that, but I really don't feel like it 

Would you do it for a Klondike bar?

Edited by Shadowsclassic, 12 August 2014 - 09:38 PM.

[Shoopity]

Well, it's a desktop perspective, it's still got all the old walls/animation off to the sides, and there's no body.

[dark]

I gave it a quick try, I managed to move the (image) for the body back into place, resized and line it up without too much difficulty just to get a rough idea of what its all going to look like.  The animation looks good, nice and smooth - a great start for this project.

 

I'll do my best to get the rest of his assembly done as soon as I can.

[The Loafer]

Its super smooth, even bodyless it looks cool.  I'm going to have to post a pic tonight ...