503 replies to this topic

[rosve]

Can't wait to try it! Thanks for all your hard work.

Now about the b2sserver.... if you add this functionality in the future, unfortunately won't you require a SS or DMD game? Thats been the limitation with UVP.
The beauty of B2S now is that it can be used for EMs, originals and SS/DMD games. Just curious.

If Herweh decides to go with an OCX server for the VPinMame communication I see no problem of adding a protocol that handles B2s calls from the script as well. That way we don't need to use the registry anymore.

[Herweh]

Can't wait to try it! Thanks for all your hard work.

Now about the b2sserver.... if you add this functionality in the future, unfortunately won't you require a SS or DMD game? Thats been the limitation with UVP.
The beauty of B2S now is that it can be used for EMs, originals and SS/DMD games. Just curious.

The idea is that the B2S server is an addon, that there is no need to use it always. But of course right now it's just an idea. With the first table I "modded" I have seen some things in the VP script and then I started thinking about that all. My goal is that B2S is for EMs and originals and ROM controlled SS or DMD tables.

[unclewilly]

I havent searched for it, sorry. Can someone point me in the direction of the ledwiz and b2s vbs files.

Im eager to play with this designer.

Thanks for your work on this.

Out of curiosity, do you plan on adding the functionality of doing backglass animations such as the spider on scared stiff or the woman hitting the cat with the broom on bad cats

[Herweh]

Congratulations Herweh fantastic work. I have made a BS2 in the old way for HRC pinball but i want to try to make a new one with your tool.
In the old way there is a problem with overlapping images i have tried to solve it but i have some problem with the code so i stop working on this.
Aa i see from the image of the tool there are overlapping images so i hope this solve my problem.

Yeah, overlapping images are one of the big disadvantages of the idea creating images and lay one over the other. As you have seen already, in my Rolling Stones backglass there are a lot overlapping images (all the 13 letters of R-O-L-L-I-N-G S-T-O-N-E-S) and they work pretty well. But some improvement has to be done because the blinking stars at the left of Mick's head having some effects to the "G" which should not be.
Maybe we can do some testing with your HRC backglass and look if the problem is solved already? If you want to, PM me.

[Herweh]

Excellent work. I just tried your B2S Rolling Stones glass and its terrific! If this is easy to use, I think we will see many more B2S releases.
Do you know when the first version of the designer will be available to test, or is it still under developement?
Great stuff man!

Thank you very much for the compliment. Thanks all for the nice words.
I will make the designer available as fast as possible. There is a lot to do as I mentioned earlier but I don't want to wait too long. Westworld, another guy from Germany, has done some first beta tests and he is a great tester. He is working on a second version of his KISS backglass.
I think I can handle up to three or four beta tester right now. Maybe we should go this way to improve the designer. Rosve told me today that he would love to test it, Westworld is already working with it. Two guys more maybe?
But I need some time to write a first tutorial. And I want to implement a first DMD support in the designer. Maybe in a week or two?
Rosve had the idea of a LED designer tool in my designer. So much great ideas, so less time .

Wow, going to give this a go at the weekend, looks polished!

Just a question, will you be able to add a slanted alphanumeric displays to a B2S using your editor?

The current LEDs are slanted already or do I misunderstand anything (well I'm a german guy and dict.leo.org is my best friend )? Maybe a LED designer tool would make your wish come true?

Like others I was also wondering about the performance hit for a server based version of B2S. One of the big + points for B2S at the moment is the low draw on pc resources. That's why a lot of people with cabinets who run and an LEDWiz swear by it. UVP causes mad stutter on these setups and is simply not compatible. Please can you bear this in mind as you move forward?

Yeah, performance is one of the most important tasks of all. Believe me I will always watch the performance because I have stutters on my cab in some tables with LEDWIZ and UVP too.

As I said before I think a suitable eay to deliver B2Ss would be in the form of just posting the .exe in a 'do it yourself' mod. That way people could modify the table script themselves and add it to any existing version of a VP table. This would mean new B2S versions of the same table would not have to be uploaded/updated every time a change is made. Here's Rosve's DIY TAF here as an example:

http://www.vpforums....diy#entry177708

Yes, that's my goal. Just like with UVP, change one line of code to "Set Controller = CreateObject("B2S.Server")" and the backglass is running.

[Herweh]

I havent searched for it, sorry. Can someone point me in the direction of the ledwiz and b2s vbs files.

Im eager to play with this designer.

Thanks for your work on this.

Out of curiosity, do you plan on adding the functionality of doing backglass animations such as the spider on scared stiff or the woman hitting the cat with the broom on bad cats

Yes, I'm planning to add this functionality and a great part of this is already included. I have seen the code from Rosve's Diner backglass and he worked a lot with timers and images. Maybe you have seen the great nudging effect at the Diner's backglass. So I started to add some animation code but this part of the designer is in progress. But it's one my feature list.

Just a question, will you be able to add a slanted alphanumeric displays to a B2S using your editor?

Just to complete: Already included are a 7 (or 8) segment and a 9 (or 10) segment self rendered LED. Next will be a 14 and a 16 segmented LED. A good friend of mine will try to bring some lightning, some kind of glowing to the LEDs. Is that enough?

Edited by Herweh, 21 September 2012 - 11:16 AM.

[thewool]

What I mean by 'slanted' herweh is like the display which is featured on the Taxi backglass as follows:

[tttttwii]

The B2S in the Rolling Stones Sample table is not shut down if I launch it from Hyperpin. Directly started from VP no issues occur. Is anyone having the same problems? Or is it still an script issue to be solved?

[skewba98z28]

Not too sure about B2S tables... I can't get them to work on my 3 screen cabinet. I prefer the UVP with Backglass Server. Sorry.

You really need to get B2S working. If you need some help feel free to pm me.

Thanks for all your hard work Herweh. This looks to be very promising!

[Herweh]

The B2S in the Rolling Stones Sample table is not shut down if I launch it from Hyperpin. Directly started from VP no issues occur. Is anyone having the same problems? Or is it still an script issue to be solved?

I will have a look on this issue and compare some source code from Rosve's and mine. Do you have this problem with other B2S tables too or only with my Rolling Stones B2S???

[hmueck]

The B2S in the Rolling Stones Sample table is not shut down if I launch it from Hyperpin. Directly started from VP no issues occur. Is anyone having the same problems? Or is it still an script issue to be solved?

Depends on your version of the FPLaunch script. In never version you must change the table script and set the B2S to false. Instead of the table script, FPlaunch will start it for you.

[tttttwii]

Herweh & hmueck,

I have now the latest FPLaunch (1.295 WIP9) installed. All B2S tables are working as they should, except "Rolling Stones".

When B2S in the script is set to false, the Backglass is not even starting. If I set it to true, exiting the table is not closing down the backglas and Hyperpin freezes (I need a forced shut down with Ctrl. Alt Del).

It only occurs with Herwehs Rolling Stones table.

Can someone help?

[Herweh]

Herweh & hmueck,

I have now the latest FPLaunch (1.295 WIP9) installed. All B2S tables are working as they should, except "Rolling Stones".

When B2S in the script is set to false, the Backglass is not even starting. If I set it to true, exiting the table is not closing down the backglas and Hyperpin freezes (I need a forced shut down with Ctrl. Alt Del).

It only occurs with Herwehs Rolling Stones table.

Can someone help?

With v1.295 WIP9 of FPLaunch "LaunchBackglass" has to be set to "False" when you want your backglass be started by Hyperpin. In each of your B2S table.
"Rolling Stones" is starting fine at my cab with "LaunchBackglass" set to "False". At the exit of the table I have the same behaviour like you, the backglass is not be killed. Rosve told me right now that the backglass process has to have a certain name. I renamed the backglass form to the name "Backglass" and that's why it is not closing automatically at the end. This is already fixed in my generated backglass code.

[tttttwii]

Very good! Well done. So it was not me with wrong settings, puuh.

I am really looking forward to the launch of your tool!

[settingsons]

Great backglass - thanks for the tool and the backglass!

I also have the LaunchBG set to false and use Hyperpin, and it doesn't close on exit. If I launch through VP the backglass correctly doesn't launch.

Edited by settingsons, 22 September 2012 - 04:25 PM.

[htamas]

...and to add to the confusion regarding this 'False' or 'True' topic: I run the latest FPLaunch, I have all my B2S tables set to 'True' and still, backglasses close properly when in HyperPin. Go figure
The reason I like to keep it at 'True' is that if I'm maintaining the cabinet and install new tables, I test from VP directly first, not from HyperPin. But I want to see the backglass also from VP, not just from HyperPin.
I didn't try this Rolling Stones B2S version though... I will do that just to see if I have any problem with this.

Edited by htamas, 22 September 2012 - 06:56 PM.

[luvthatapex]

If the backglass is set as True or False I can get it to close in Hyperpin by either exiting and hitting the exit key one more time, or holding in the exit key to get back to the menu and hitting exit key one time. I am using v1.295 WIP8 and have the Rosve section that closes the backglass. I don't recall if I added it or it came stock with the rosve section.

Here is the code that supports the b2s and closes the b2s backglasses in the fplaunch.ahk check to see if you have this section.

;------------------- End of QuickLaunch functions -------------------


; rosve support for B2S active backglasses
rosve:
;--------------------------------------------------------------
;------ check if an active backglass shall be started -----
;--------------------------------------------------------------
StringRight, ending, tableName, 3
if (ending = "B2S")
{
Run, %tablePath%%tableName%.exe, %tablePath%
sleep 200
}
return
rosveClose:
; rosve
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; --- Close the animated backglass -----------------------
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; b2s close bug fix
StringRight, ending, tableName, 3
if (ending = "B2S")
{
WinKill, Form1
}
return

Edited by luvthatapex, 22 September 2012 - 07:14 PM.

[koadic]

I may be mistaken, but I believe the issue is due to the b2s backglass window being named 'Backglass' instead of 'Form1' as every one of Rosve's backglasses are.

; rosve
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; --- Close the animated backglass -----------------------
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; b2s close bug fix
StringRight, ending, tableName, 3
if (ending = "B2S")
{
WinKill, Form1
}
return

[Herweh]

I may be mistaken, but I believe the issue is due to the b2s backglass window being named 'Backglass' instead of 'Form1' as every one of Rosve's backglasses are.

; rosve
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; --- Close the animated backglass -----------------------
; --------------------------------------------------------------
; b2s close bug fix
StringRight, ending, tableName, 3
if (ending = "B2S")
{
WinKill, Form1
}
return

Thanks guys, yeah, that's the reason why the backglass is currently not closing when leaving the table. As I mentioned earlier but not clear enough I already changed the backglass name back to "Form1" in the designer code. This means that the next version of RS B2S will be closed from Hyperpin as we all expect it. But the main form in the current version of my Rolling Stones B2S is still named "Backglass" so right now RS B2S is not able to be closed from Hyperpin. I'm sorry bout this issue but if this is the only bug in the rewritten B2S code I'm a happy man.

Just to give you some background infos: I've started this project with some backglass code samples from Rosve. What I wanted to do was create a few backglasses and help Rosve a little bit. I analyzed all the code from Rosve, took all his great ideas, added some good new ideas and rewrote a lot of his code. The idea was that the code should be much more easier to get more people generate B2S backglasses. But this idea is developing itself a lot: We have now the possibility to generate this code by my designer. Four weeks ago I had no idea of this designer. And the next step is maybe creating the B2S server. Means taking all the great ideas of UVP, analyzing a lot of this wonderful backglasses of Flying Dutchman and all the other guys and maybe generating wonderful B2S backglasses for all types of tables, EMs, SSs, DMDs and originals. And when the tables are ROM controlled without the need to upload a second table version. IMO this sounds pretty cool.

Edited by Herweh, 23 September 2012 - 08:49 AM.

[Herweh]

Time to show you the first ROM controlled B2S table with the beta of a brand new B2S backglass server. I have had much fun the last weeks writing this new B2S server dll.

In this download

http://www.mediafire...42bvrbowub6q4h2

there are four files: First is the B2S backglass server DLL. Second is an EXE which registers the server dll because the dll is written in .NET as a COM component and working with regasm makes no fun. The third file ('*.directb2s') is the backglass info for 'SORCERER'. And last but not least there is another DLL, Dream7Display.dll, the new LEDs.

So, please

• Unzip all four files into your VP tables folder
• Start the EXE and the server dll should be registered automatically (with Win7 start the exe as administrator).
• If you haven't downloaded the Sorcerer table from VPForums then please do this. Of course you can use the new 'jimmyfingers' version of this table. If you do this you have to rename the backglass directb2s file to the name 'Sorcerer_URNF_VP91x_v1.1.0.1_JF_BMPR_MOD_FS.directb2s' as right now the backglass file needs the same name as the table name.
• Similar to UVP you have to change one line in the script code. Change the CreateObject line in the table script to "Set Controller=CreateObject("B2S.Server")".

Start the table, have fun and please tell me what do you think about it after playing. How is the performance at your system? How is the feeling? Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you love it?

I have choosen SORCERER as I have seen some videos at youtube and the backglass always looked pretty "flashy". So I thought this is a heavy test for my new server. I'm happy with the performance of the backglass (I think there is a little bit to improve) but in some of these ROMs is sleeping a "firework".
And yes, the backglass is pretty flashing and I love it.

I still have used the first version of the new LEDs as there are some minor drawing issues with the new ones. But the new LEDs are coming soon.

 B2SBackglassDesigner121014.jpg   121.53KB   155 downloads

Have fun, Herweh.