1630 replies to this topic

[randr]

I must say beta 8 seems to run perfectly for me. One thing I am struggling with is my mame database from pbx. I cannot get it to use the mame.xml from pbx but that’s not a huge deal. Anyone get pby to work with their pbx mame xml?

[mjr]

 One thing I am struggling with is my mame database from pbx. I cannot get it to use the mame.xml from pbx but that’s not a huge deal. 

 

You created a new system in the settings for MAME, right?  And in that new system page, did you set Database Folder to point to the folder containing the XML file?  

 

Assuming those steps look right, make sure the checkbox for "Player system setup and table search" on the Log File settings page is checked, then check the log after a run.  Look for a line like this:

 

Configuring pinball player system "MAME"

 

Following that should be details on where it's looking for XML files and what it's finding.

[dannygey]

Hello mjr,

I have a little suggestion.
When i start pinbally i have a startup music playing ( the Who pinball wizard ) witch give a verry nice effect.
But when i start a game the music keeps playing, isnt it possible to fade out the startup music when a game is started ?

Danny

[mjr]

I have a little suggestion.
When i start pinbally i have a startup music playing ( the Who pinball wizard ) witch give a verry nice effect.
But when i start a game the music keeps playing, isnt it possible to fade out the startup music when a game is started ?

 

Agreed - I'll put it on my list.

[Thalamus]

Not even a mention of beta9 being released ? What changed ? I have a feeling I'm going to be a happy man browsing the recent code changes

[Thalamus]

Updated and I'm very happy now ! Thank you so much MJR. Found one odd thing though. Had setup ratings for a few tables in P8. Used the installer, on startup all tables with rating had lost all media. Reverted the backup xml that PBY seems to have made and I was back to normal.

 

Can't seem to find any valid audio capture devices though.

Edited by Thalamus, 24 March 2019 - 06:31 PM.

[mjr]

Found one odd thing though. Had setup ratings for a few tables in P8. Used the installer, on startup all tables with rating had lost all media. Reverted the backup xml that PBY seems to have made and I was back to normal.

 

Since the backup restore fixed it, your XML file must have gotten wiped somehow.  I suspect it was just coincidental that it happened when you did the update, since the installer doesn't touch those files.  It was probably something else entirely - in all likelihood, something went wrong on the last file write of your last PinballY session before you did the update.  If it happens again, save a copy of the trashed XML file so I can look at it, and try to take note of any unusual conditions that might have caused it.

 

 

Can't seem to find any valid audio capture devices though.

 

Is that a new problem, or has it always been that way on your machine?  PinballY is just listing the devices Windows finds - you need an audio loopback device driver to be installed and enabled.  The one that comes with most sound cards seems to be the Realtek "Stereo Mix" driver.

[Thalamus]

Thanks for the feedback. I will poke around a bit more for the recording issue. But, I must admit that I'm a bit reluctant to do anything that might change my setup at this point. Everything is fine tuned how I want it. I could just put PBY on a different computer and do the recording there.

 

Anyway. Really like PBY. Thank you so much !!

 

Ah. Yes. If you're looking for things to improve. What about making a second rating filter. What if I wanted to pick the "best" tables. But, they where all been given rating from 3 to 5. Maybe I can make a custom filter ? I haven't looked at it yet. But, if I can't I feel it would be better to have it show me 3 and better instead on only exact rating of 3.

Edited by Thalamus, 24 March 2019 - 09:27 PM.

[mjr]

I will poke around a bit more for the recording issue. But, I must admit that I'm a bit reluctant to do anything that might change my setup at this point. Everything is fine tuned how I want it. I could just put PBY on a different computer and do the recording there.

 

Definitely a good instinct.   In this case it might be relatively safe to add a loopback driver if you can find one for your sound card - that doesn't seem like the sort of thing that should send its tendrils into other parts of the system.  But with Windows you never know...

 

 

Ah. Yes. If you're looking for things to improve. What about making a second rating filter. What if I wanted to pick the "best" tables. But, they where all been given rating from 3 to 5. Maybe I can make a custom filter ? I haven't looked at it yet. But, if I can't I feel it would be better to have it show me 3 and better instead on only exact rating of 3.

 

Here's a little Javascript that will create "Top 10" or "Top 25" type filters - it'll be obvious when you look at the code how to change "N" to create different Top N lists.  Drop this into a file called TopGames.js in your PinballY Scripts folder, then create a file called Main.js containing this line:

 

import("TopGames.js");

 

Here's the TopGames.js script:

function createTopFilter(n)
{
    let games = { };
    gameList.createFilter({
        id: "Top" + n,
        title: "Top " + n + " Rated",
        group: "[Rating]",
        sortKey: "9 Top " + n,  // sort after the 1-star, 2-star, etc items, before Unrated ("Z")

        // before each selection cycle, get the current Top N list
        before: function() {
            // get all of the games, sorted by descending rating, then slice to the top N
            let list = gameList.getAllGames().sort((a, b) => b.rating - a.rating).slice(0, n);

            // now build a hash of the top N games, keyed by ID
            games = { };
            for (let game of list)
                games[game.id] = true;
        },

        // filter for games in our current hash of the top N games
        select: function(game) {
            return games[game.id];
        }
    });
}

// create a Top 10 filter
createTopFilter(10);

That's a little fancier than the "3-5 Stars" you proposed, but a little nicer, in my opinion, since it adapts dynamically to your current distribution of ratings across all games. 

 

One quibble with this particular formulation is that will arbitrary select games with the lowest matching rating, if there are more than will fit in the "N' limit.  For example, suppose you have four 5-star games and ten 4-star games, and others with lower ratings.  When we sort the games in order of rating, the 5-star games will go to the top, then the 4-star games, etc.  We're going to slice off the top 10 of that list, so we'll get all four 5-star games, but only six of the eight 4-star games.  Which six will be arbitrary - whichever six end up earliest in the sort order.  One fix would be to come up with a secondary sorting criterion (besides rating) to pick the best of the 4-star games.  Maybe the more recently played ones represent the ones you like better, so those sort to the top, or maybe just make it alphabetical.  Alternatively, you could find the lowest rating in the first N, and then extend the "slice" to include all of the remaining games with that rating.  So in our example, the "Top 10" would really select 14 games.  Anyway, I'll leave these refinements as an exercise.

 

If you just wanted "3-5 Stars", that's a bit simpler:

gameList.createFilter({
    id: "Stars3Plus",
    title: "3+ Stars",
    menuTitle: "3+ Star Tables",
    group: "[Rating]",
    sortKey: "3+",

    select: function(game) { return game.rating >= 3; }
});

[Thalamus]

Awesome !! Thank you !

[jesperpark]

@mjr

 

I used PinballY for the first time in a week, and when I did the 3 video screens I use Playfield, Backglass and DMD are back to their original places when I first Installed.  I moved them back to their proper locations, and when I restart PinballY they are all back to the main screen once again.  Basically like the location placements are not being remembered, everything worked 2 weeks ago, only thing I have updated would of been Windows 10 I'm guessing.  I see you have a new version as well, will update that tomorrow

[mjr]

I used PinballY for the first time in a week, and when I did the 3 video screens I use Playfield, Backglass and DMD are back to their original places when I first Installed.  I moved them back to their proper locations, and when I restart PinballY they are all back to the main screen once again.  Basically like the location placements are not being remembered, everything worked 2 weeks ago, only thing I have updated would of been Windows 10 I'm guessing.  I see you have a new version as well, will update that tomorrow

 

It sounds like your settings file isn't getting saved properly. 

 

As a sanity check, take a look at it after running and exiting the program - there should be a timestamp at the very top of the file telling you when it was saved.  Look for this:

 

# time of last update by the program

UpdateTime = Tue 26 Mar 2019 20:59:06

 

My guess is that you might have the program installed in a protected folder that PinballY can't write.  Maybe the folder is marked as read-only, or it's owned by Administrator or System, or it's under the Program Files tree?

The solution in that case would just be to make sure it's installed in a regular folder somewhere that's writable by mortal users.

[jesperpark]

Okay follow up, I started the CPU today and everything is back to normal.  Restarted the CPU and PinballY multiple times, works correctly as before.  Not sure what changed yesterday??

[JLPicard001]

For some reason after running a FX2 Game within PinballY, after closing the FX2 game intending to go back to the game selection menu,  PinballY fails to toggle the rotate command to re-orient my playfield to portrait so PinballY playfield is now in landscape view instead the default portrait.  Doesn't happen on every FX2 game attempt, just seems random.  I then close down PinballY to desktop and I notice that FX2 has not closed down and is in the Taskbar still.

I tried both settings in PinballY, close window and close service, but neither seem to help.

 

I use a small utility called Display.exe with the options  /rotate:90 /toggle.  Set to run before any FX2 game launches and after, and was working well.  Not sure if 360CE controller remap program is interfering or what.

[randr]

Anyone seeing the windows taskbar randomly pop up in front of pby on table exit? Can this be related to having checked disable desktop composition in vp preferences?

[JLPicard001]

MJ, I've been trying to nail down the random orientation problem I am having with FX2 games, and I think it has to do with the display.exe parameters not getting executed in the right sequence before (or after hell I don't know) FX2 is closed.  I was reading through your PinballY help files and found reference to some Javascript coding that can be incorporated using LaunchEvent events.  prelaunch, gameover, postlaunch, runafter, runafterpost, runbefore, and runbeforepre for instance.  

 

I don't know Javascript, but am assuming correctly that a Javascript file can be written and placed into the PinballY folder named main.js and I can use this to better control the proper sequence of events that need to happen?

 

If that's the case, then I may be on the right track to resolve this.

[JLPicard001]

My FX2 rotation program is not the problem, I took it out of the equation completely and after 10 games I got the error, but now I also got an error message on the playfield that I had not seen before.   It says:

The game monitor thread didn't exit properly.

(Technical details: wait timed out)

[mjr]

For some reason after running a FX2 Game within PinballY, after closing the FX2 game intending to go back to the game selection menu,  PinballY fails to toggle the rotate command to re-orient my playfield to portrait so PinballY playfield is now in landscape view instead the default portrait.  Doesn't happen on every FX2 game attempt, just seems random.  I then close down PinballY to desktop and I notice that FX2 has not closed down and is in the Taskbar still.

 

I think this is the root of the problem - the fact that FX2 is still running.  Your Run After commands won't execute at all until after PinballY detects that the launched game processs has terminated, so if FX2 is never exiting, your Run After command to rotate the screen back will never get invoked.  So that's the one to focus on - if you can figure out what's going on there, the other issues will probably fall in line by themselves.

[JLPicard001]

 

For some reason after running a FX2 Game within PinballY, after closing the FX2 game intending to go back to the game selection menu,  PinballY fails to toggle the rotate command to re-orient my playfield to portrait so PinballY playfield is now in landscape view instead the default portrait.  Doesn't happen on every FX2 game attempt, just seems random.  I then close down PinballY to desktop and I notice that FX2 has not closed down and is in the Taskbar still.

 

I think this is the root of the problem - the fact that FX2 is still running.  Your Run After commands won't execute at all until after PinballY detects that the launched game processs has terminated, so if FX2 is never exiting, your Run After command to rotate the screen back will never get invoked.  So that's the one to focus on - if you can figure out what's going on there, the other issues will probably fall in line by themselves.

 

Thanks for the post MJR.  Every time, the first indicator is that the static PNG image of the backglass remains on the BS screen instead of FX2 blacking out the BS.  FX2 doesn't always remain on the Taskbar as I mentioned, only some of the times, but always, the FX2 media for the BS remains on the BS.  

[mjr]

Thanks for the post MJR.  Every time, the first indicator is that the static PNG image of the backglass remains on the BS screen instead of FX2 blacking out the BS.  FX2 doesn't always remain on the Taskbar as I mentioned, only some of the times, but always, the FX2 media for the BS remains on the BS.  

 

I'm assuming that this FX2 backglass image is coming from FX2?

 

In other words, it's not (1) some third program (besides PinballY and FX2) that you're explicitly launching via a script or something like that, or (2) the PinballY backglass window that you're configuring to stay showing while the game runs.

 

Have you looked at Task Manager when you're in this state?  The taskbar isn't a reliable indication of whether the process is still running, because the remaining window might be set so that it doesn't show up in the taskbar.