166 replies to this topic

[wiesshund]

I do not have FX3 to fiddle with, but i know it works fine with FX3

Scutters or Mike da Spike may be able to help with that

 

These google search articles may be of some help

 

You may have to run game manager and switch it to the fx3 list

to let it add new tables?
i know that is what you do with vpx and fp

 

Ok now as for the others

 

settings exe
Menu Applications

 

I can add anything that just needs to run the EXE
it only seems to have 10 slots available in settings but

pinballX\config\PinballX.ini
bottom of file is where it adds the menu apps
and i was able to add more than 10 by just manually creating entries

 

i sent it off running normal PC games, when i quit the game, it returned to pinball X

 

I also added other emulators
I added one named Nintendo NES
gave it the folder for mesen (my nintendo EMU)
gave it the ROM path for tables folder

Parameters were /FULLSCREEN "[TABLEPATH]/[TABLEFILE]"

 

snip from pinballX.ini

[System_2]
Name=Nintendo NES
Enabled=True
SystemType=4
WorkingPath=D:\Emulation\Nintendo
TablePath=D:\Emulation\Nintendo\roms
Executable=mesen.exe
Parameters=/FULLSCREEN "[TABLEPATH]\[TABLEFILE]"
WaitForProcess=

Project 64

[System_1]
Name=Nintendo 64
Enabled=True
WorkingPath=D:\Emulation\Nintendo 64
TablePath=D:\Emulation\Nintendo 64\roms
Executable=Project64
Parameters="[TABLEPATH]\[TABLEFILE]"
SystemType=4
WaitForProcess=

Now to make life a bit easier
i have pinballX configure with both a start\select button
AND a launch button

Launch just blam, what even is selected runs no menu etc
Start\Select pops up the menu where you can run the thing shown or use the menu and switch systems
If you got a bunch of stuff in there besides pinball, its nice to be able to just look at a given system, but you can just have it show everything
But after you dump in 900 non pinball things you might hate life there

 

Now as for having the things auto populate

pinballX does not know how to scan for non pinball things, even MAME it does not scan for roms

You can do 2 things

 

1) you can run game manager
then pick the list you want to work with, Lets say Nintendo 64
click ADD GAME

Then on the entry click ADD ROM

fill out or modify what you want
add wheel images and so forth (You'd have to make your own media, or see if gamex has media, which they might, pinballX will only look for pinball related media, but gameEX has lots of stuff)

 

2) you could install gameEX, even though you dont intend to use it
as it makes pinballX XML files for MAME and maybe other emulators, that you can then copy over to pinballX's appropriate database folders
 

 

3) you could ask Scutters or Mike if the alternate game manager is able to do that, i have not used it so i dont know if it can add non pinball stuff

 

 

I know there are other front ends, but not many of them are exactly set up for displaying on a pincab
and do not enjoy running on something who uses a rotated (but not rotated in OS) main screen.
and also navigation via flipper buttons etc

 

You may be able to do the same stuff with pinballY but i think some java scripting might be in order
Pinup Popper, i have no clue

PinballX though, i can say Yes, it is possible

 

Now for things you may want to run, that have issues with the rotated playfield, and have no option to rotate
AND also are incapable of putting themselves on a screen that is not the main desktop
there is an app called display changer 2
You can set up screens one way
save that profile

THen set up screens the other way (IE set backglass as default desktop)
save that profile

and then use pinballX's launch before and launch after
to run DC2, and load the appropriate profile
then game will run
and then after, run it again and revert to original profile

 

 

When exiting a non pinball app, you want to still use pinballX's assigned exit key

If it is a PC game of some sort, save your game etc, but dont pick the option to exit to desktop
at that point just hit the pinballX exit key
 

[Curious Aardvark]

You been busy :-)

All sounds good, definitely have a play tonight.

I wasn't going to add individual arcade games, just the front end.
But adding links to a few games would be good.
And individual links to things like Tekken on the ps2 emulator would be pretty cool.

Cheers :-)

[wiesshund]

Yes you could add another front end as an app

 

But you may still want to add maybe a few key frequently played things as directly launchable from the normal menu

But it did seem to work well, if a bit manual, if one wanted to just stay in one front end
though i'd not envision myself playing world of warcraft much from a vpin LOL

probably some other PC games though that might work well on a cab, some platform games etc

[Curious Aardvark]

I've got a switch lite for the more modern games.

The emulator side is literally just for beat em ups with better graphics :-)

 

One interesting thing that's happened in zaccaria pinball.

 

One of the tables has developed an actual physical 'fault' !

When you start the game. the ball doesn;t get ejected infront of the plunger.

 

by trial and error I discovered that ithe ball is actually there but you have to use 'nudge' to knock it out of the chute and in front of the plunger.

 

I restarted the program and the computer. But it's still doing it.

 

I mean, there's realism and then there's just plain getting carried away lol :-)

 

I know, somewhere, I've seen 'call attendant' in a menu.somewhere. 

If it was zaccaria, I guess that's what I need to do :-)

Edited by Curious Aardvark, 03 June 2022 - 03:31 PM.

[Curious Aardvark]

One of the issues I have when launching different programs/menu systems is volume control.

 

Some of the arcade games run volume at 100% by default, others don't.

And different pinball systems also need different volume set for optimal playing enjoyment.

 

So I've had a look around and came across a little utility called 'nircmd'.

 

Once copied to the windows folder (does it itself - just remember to run it with administrator).

 

Then create a simple batch file, with the volume you want followed by the run link to the program.

And you can customise the system volume for any program on launch.

 

 

41

 

NirCmd is an application that does that and more.

Example of use:

• Increase the system volume by 2000 units (out of 65535)
  nircmd.exe changesysvolume 2000
• Decrease the system volume by 5000 units (out of 65535)
  nircmd.exe changesysvolume -5000
• Set the volume to the highest value
  nircmd.exe setsysvolume 65535

 

 

https://www.nirsoft....ils/nircmd.html

 

It'll also let you do an awful lot of other things from a simple batch file.

 

Useful bit of kit :-)

[Curious Aardvark]

Okay, so the nircmd didn't really do the job.
The problem I have is that different arcade games have different volume settings.
Completely independent of whatever the windows mixer is set to.

I figure there's two ways to go,
1) go into every single emulator and setup seperate volume controls.
2) create a hardware volume control for the speakers that is independent of any software and controlled by two buttons on the arcade panel.

So I'm going with Option b :-)

I've ordered a usb soundcard from AliExpress that has physical volume up and down buttons.

We'll plug the speakers into that and solder wires to the volume contacts and attach to 22mm buttons, so that when the button is depressed it closes the connection, and raised or lowered the volume.

The usb sound 'card' is a whopping £2.65 including postage:-)

So that's on its way on the slow boat from China.

And assuming it works, that's pretty much the cabinet finished.
Well apart from the vinyl wrap. I've got the left side panel done. Then realised I can't simply mirror it to make the right panel.
Have to go through the entire edit prices again, sigh.Lol

I'm still in 2 minds about a nudge detector.
It's just not how I play pinball, or have ever played.
But on the other hand it would be fun to make.

So it's possibly something for the future.

Had some friends round last night who really enjoyed playing both the pinball and arcade side of the cabinet.
So that was fun :-)

All I can say is I'm impressed with how well.the cheap buttons stand up to physical abuse !

[Curious Aardvark]

The sound adaptor works perfectly
Bought a £3 usb sound adaptor from Amazon.
Removed the case, carefully cut the little buttons off and got lucky with easy to solder to pads.
I mean easy for my mate to solder :-)

System automatically switched to the adaptor, so now got two buttons on the arcade panel and hardware volume control for all pinball and arcade emulators:-)

I also setup the new pinball fx.
Compared the same table on both fx3 and fx.

Apart from running at 140fps on fx3 and only about 30fos on fx.
There's no discernible difference.

Although on a purely subjective point of view, I'd have to say I thought the fx3 table, looked and sounded better.

So unless you're planning on a vr headset.
Just don't bother.

But the £3 hardware volume control, that's well worth doing :-)