185 replies to this topic

[Outhere]

 

I created the current missing backglasses for FX3. Nothing fancy (no lights etc) but all in 1920x1080. Majority of the artwork comes from ZEN. If I get my hands on the right lamp triggers (hint DDH69 ) for these tables I may add some basic lights.

 

But for now please feel free to use these non-official backglasses .

 

Install notes: just download the zip file from the mega link below and extract them in your FX3_B2S directory. I checked them and they all work.

 

Mega link: FX3

 

 

 

Does this Mega link still work?

  I'm receiving an error message: 

 

The file you are trying to download is no longer available.

This could be due to the following reasons:

The file has been removed because of a ToS/AUP violation.

Invalid URL - the link you are trying to access does not exist

The file has been deleted by the user.

 

Try this - https://mameinabox.c...co2I85zhMkHNXGs

[toxicgoblin]

@toxicgoblin, thanks for the feedback and suggestions.  I get really bored doing the backglasses, so I tend to avoid them.  Having said that, I am a perfectionist who also loves the ability for us to all get better pinball artefacts.  So, if IronMan was the worst, and its done, what is the next worst?  I'll take these one at time 

 

Sorry it took so long, but here's the list I found when browsing though (that seem to be low-res and could be upgraded to higher quality images):

 

Fear Itself

Thor

Blade

Xmen

Infinity Gauntlet

Captain America

Venom

Wolverine

World War Hulk

Star Wars: Calrissian Chronicles

Star Wars: Battle of Mimban

Star Wars: Boba Fett

Family Guy

Zen tables: most of them

[persichini]

I love the work done here.. Awesome Job DDH69.

 

Ok so here is my question/request. Why is the B2s file for Tales of Arabian Nights SOOO large. its 100mb bigger then most almost all the other files... there is a huge delay loading this backglass when scrolling threw the games. any way to fix this?

[DDH69]

Thanks.

 

It's a good question that I do not know the answer to.  I am certainly no expert on B2S.  For the Williams and Bally tables I have used the most common active backglasses that the great contributors around here have created (see the credits).  I think there are a number of animations, or effects in the background of this backglass.  Perhaps someone who is more of expert on B2S backglasses can help out here.

 

Also, feel free to have a look yourself.  Just download the B2S editor and open it up!

Edited by DDH69, 22 November 2020 - 08:43 AM.

[wiesshund]

I love the work done here.. Awesome Job DDH69.

 

Ok so here is my question/request. Why is the B2s file for Tales of Arabian Nights SOOO large. its 100mb bigger then most almost all the other files... there is a huge delay loading this backglass when scrolling threw the games. any way to fix this?

 

I would have to download it to look, but it may contain a large number of graphic animations.
Load it in b2s designer and you will find out what all the file size is used for, just look at the resources list.

And if you have your front end set up to run B2S as the menu backglass, rather than just using a video of the backglass, then yes, it will be slow
to load a large backglass.

They also tend to not do much interesting like that, a lot of them go dormant at gameover
and light up when there is an active game, and an animated backglass might do nothing at all without an actual game running.
Take a game like JP's diablo, that backglass will literally just sit there and do nothing if you are not actually running the table scripts.

[persichini]

OK so i have investigated... there are a ton of animated images in that file... So here is my Question can i just swap it out for a different B2S file and rename it the same or will that mess up something??

 

 

I love the work done here.. Awesome Job DDH69.

 

Ok so here is my question/request. Why is the B2s file for Tales of Arabian Nights SOOO large. its 100mb bigger then most almost all the other files... there is a huge delay loading this backglass when scrolling threw the games. any way to fix this?

 

I would have to download it to look, but it may contain a large number of graphic animations.
Load it in b2s designer and you will find out what all the file size is used for, just look at the resources list.

And if you have your front end set up to run B2S as the menu backglass, rather than just using a video of the backglass, then yes, it will be slow
to load a large backglass.

They also tend to not do much interesting like that, a lot of them go dormant at gameover
and light up when there is an active game, and an animated backglass might do nothing at all without an actual game running.
Take a game like JP's diablo, that backglass will literally just sit there and do nothing if you are not actually running the table scripts.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

It's a good question that I do not know the answer to.  I am certainly no expert on B2S.  For the Williams and Bally tables I have used the most common active backglasses that the great contributors around here have created (see the credits).  I think there are a number of animations, or effects in the background of this backglass.  Perhaps someone who is more of expert on B2S backglasses can help out here.

 

Also, feel free to have a look yourself.  Just download the B2S editor and open it up!

Edited by persichini, 23 November 2020 - 02:47 PM.

[wiesshund]

What are you trying to accomplish?

 

Fix a problem running the table, or make your front end work better?

If it is just a case of making the front end work better, don't use B2S in the front end, use short pre recorded backglass videos
or static backglass screen shots, far more efficient.

 

This is far from the only B2S Backglass made like this, so you will eventually run into others.

I mean you could edit the backglass, and delete all the animations and associated images, but that kind of kills the magic of it.

[persichini]

I'm not running a front end. My Pinball Cab is only running Pinball FX3 and i like being able to pick the different game plays, wizard points, hotseat. So I am booting my cab directly into Pinball FX3 and using it's GUI.

I can apprecaite that Tales of Arabian Nights is one of the best looking Animated backglasses, but when using Pinball FX3 to pick games there is a good 3 seconds of lag pulling up this backglass on the game selection page.

Every other backglass is around 20-30mb but TOTAN Is 130mb.

 

At this point I'm going for the most seamless look, and can do with out some of the bells and whistles of TOTAN to get it to work like all the others.

I'm not going to add a frontend, I've tried them all, and i would rather just use Pinball FX3.

With all that being said there are others versions of TOTAN like - Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams 1996)1.1 that is only 21mb can i just change the file name to WMSTalesoftheArabianNights.directb2s and use it.

 

 

What are you trying to accomplish?

 

Fix a problem running the table, or make your front end work better?

If it is just a case of making the front end work better, don't use B2S in the front end, use short pre recorded backglass videos
or static backglass screen shots, far more efficient.

 

This is far from the only B2S Backglass made like this, so you will eventually run into others.

I mean you could edit the backglass, and delete all the animations and associated images, but that kind of kills the magic of it.

[DDH69]

A different version of the B2S will not function with DOFLinx and the setup FX3 files.  You could make a smaller B2S file work by adding in animations with the same names as those in the larger B2S, if you don't add in those animations you will have an inactive active backglass during the game.

 

Also, please be aware that there is up to a 1 second delay in DOFLinx attempting to change backglasses.  DOFLinx only checks for the current FX3 game name every 1000Ms.

[wiesshund]

Ah, i am not familiar with FX3 in that way, but you could possibly reduce the resolution of the graphics the the B2S file uses.
Sometimes i will find a backglass is using a 40+ mb huge image, and since i have no screen capable of benefitting from that big a backglass image, i will downscale it and reimport the image.
but per DDH69, it sounds like DOF will not work without the backglass made the way it is mechanically?

[persichini]

Ah, i am not familiar with FX3 in that way, but you could possibly reduce the resolution of the graphics the the B2S file uses.
Sometimes i will find a backglass is using a 40+ mb huge image, and since i have no screen capable of benefitting from that big a backglass image, i will downscale it and reimport the image.
but per DDH69, it sounds like DOF will not work without the backglass made the way it is mechanically?

 

I like that option... as i'm only running a 720p backglass monitor. I'm going to give it a try.. thanks for the idea.

[wiesshund]

 

Ah, i am not familiar with FX3 in that way, but you could possibly reduce the resolution of the graphics the the B2S file uses.
Sometimes i will find a backglass is using a 40+ mb huge image, and since i have no screen capable of benefitting from that big a backglass image, i will downscale it and reimport the image.
but per DDH69, it sounds like DOF will not work without the backglass made the way it is mechanically?

 

I like that option... as i'm only running a 720p backglass monitor. I'm going to give it a try.. thanks for the idea.

 

Even if i had a 4k screen for a backglass, i'd probably still go and reduce overly large backglasses to like 1080p
the backglass is mostly static, and isnt something i am going to get right up on and study (it's like 40 inches away, and i am mostly looking down)
so it will still look great, and wont take all year to load up

[sirleirbag]

What an amazing job! Thanks for all this Backglasses, they look so much better now instead of the standard picture with the fx3 software itself! With this and freezy we dont even need cabinet mode!

[phoenixfox]

These are amazing @DDH69

 

I just recently started to play with B2S Backglass dessigner and I was checking your files to learn how to make my own. Do these react to whatever is happening in the game or just cycle through animations?

If you ever need help to create artwork let me know, that would be my area of expertise (e.g. creating snippits).
https://imgur.com/a/2SmgN6D

I have some issues when using illumination images, when using one the effect is both showing the illumination image area and then it's brightened even more like regular lights, can't figure out how to remove the extra lightening.

 

[DDH69]

These are amazing @DDH69

 

I just recently started to play with B2S Backglass dessigner and I was checking your files to learn how to make my own. Do these react to whatever is happening in the game or just cycle through animations?

If you ever need help to create artwork let me know, that would be my area of expertise (e.g. creating snippits).
https://imgur.com/a/2SmgN6D

I have some issues when using illumination images, when using one the effect is both showing the illumination image area and then it's brightened even more like regular lights, can't figure out how to remove the extra lightening.

 

 

Thank you.  I have done almost none of the artwork.  Art is certainly not my area of expertise.  The more recent Williams and Bally backglasses are adaptations of those built by others for VPX.

 

The animations are triggered from in game events.  The backglasses are truly active and work with the game.  DOFLinx loads the backglass then calls an animation based on the trigger linked to it in the FX3 file that ships with DOFLinx.

 

Your sample looks nice. Ideally there are a few of the FX3 backglasses that need some new art as they are not all 1080p.

[phoenixfox]

I have checked the .fx3 files and try to put together the information there with the different names for the lights in the b2s and I can't figure out what triggers what. The only way I have been able to make a backglass work is by taking someone else's and keeping the same light names in a similar setting (same character or related art).

 

Is there a tutorial anywhere to start an FX3 backglass from scratch?

 

Which table do you think is in need of new art?

[DDH69]

I have checked the .fx3 files and try to put together the information there with the different names for the lights in the b2s and I can't figure out what triggers what. The only way I have been able to make a backglass work is by taking someone else's and keeping the same light names in a similar setting (same character or related art).

 

Is there a tutorial anywhere to start an FX3 backglass from scratch?

 

Which table do you think is in need of new art?

 

Sorry its taken me a while, I filed this one to one side as the answer wasn't obvious, but now I've gotten back to it.

 

Art that could do with a redo.  Well its a matter of looking through for fuzzy images that have been obviously upscaled, have text all over them (I prefer just the art), or are overly branded to FX2 / 3 (which makes the backglass old when the platform changes), is just the promo / table image, or just lacks the ability to be brought to life with an active backglass ie

• World War Hulk - fuzzy, too much text, Zen branding
• Wolverine - too much branding / text
• Wild West Rampage - very hard to bring to life
• Sorcerers Lair - just a promo table image
• Rome - just dull
• Pasha - Dull and FX2
• and the list goes on

There is no tutorial as its all been me other than a couple of backglasses.  In short, create a back glass with animations that run for about 1 - 3 seconds (that animation is often as simple as just turning on a backlight, running animations are not required most of the time as they are turned on by the game), give that animation a name ALL IN CAPITALS (ie NAME not Name or name).  Then we just make an FX3 file to call those animations from existing table events.

 

It is also possible to turn on / off a specific bulb.  I use this occasionally to link to flipper down / up for a few games.  Really just where I've found artwork that lends itself to this, for example some subtle eyeball lighting somewhere, the odd background star in space or the night sky.

 

If you want to substitute a new backglass with an existing FX3 file, then the animation names already used need to be reused.  If the backglass is a significant improvement and would benefit from a new FX3 then I've made one (once) and ship both with DOFLinx.  Easily done for those who might still want to use the old backglass when the new one comes out.

 

Hope this helps.  If you want to have a go, then pick one, have a try, PM me and we'll work out some details.

[k3ops]

Where is the download link 7.40 version?.

 

Thx!

[DDH69]

Where is the download link 7.40 version?.

 

Thx!

 

These things take time, it should be there now.  You do know its only 24 hours since Zen / Steam released the new version right 

[mwnation]

It was there went away but I'm sure it will be back soon. Needed a vacation