3 replies to this topic

[mshaker]

Hi All; 

 

I run VPX with PinballX as my front-end. 

 

I'm just wondering what the best ways are to deal with the following conflicts: 

a) Having 2 separate ROMs that must share the same name. Ex: Beach Bums (hacked ROM) and Hollywood Heat (original ROM). 
(My solution below, but looking for other options.)

 

b) Having a Mod Table with a PUP-Pack that you don't want to run on the Original Table. Ex: Evil Dead 2 (PUP-Pack) and Iron Maiden (1981) (No PUP-Pack).
(Again, My solution below, but looking for other options.)

 

c) Wanting to show the VPINMame Display in different sizes and locations for tables sharing the same ROM.

This affects me more than most, as I have a score display, but I do not have a Backglass display. For most tables I do not use the directB2S file, instead I unhide the VPINMAME display in the table's script.

I don't have a solution to this one. I think the settings are stored in the windows registry by ROM name. (I thought that VPMAlias.txt would help, but no such luck.)

 

 

My solution for a) and b) is: 
 

1) Store the conflicting ROM files in a "customRoms" folder along side the VPINMame "roms" folder.

    The customRoms folder has a subfolder for each table that has a conflict. (Using my example above, there are subfolders for both Beach Bums and Hollywood Heat.)
    Each subfolder contains the appropriate rom for that table. 

 

2) Store the conflicting PUP-Packs in a "customPUPVideos" along side Pin-UP System's "PUPVideos" folder.

    The customPUPVideos folder has a subfolder for each table that has a conflict. (Using my example above, there is a subfolder Evil Dead 2, but not for Iron Maiden, which does not use a PUP-Pack.)

    Each subfolder contains the appropriate PUP-Pack for that table. 

 

3) Use PinballX's launch before feature run a windows batch file to copy the appropriate rom and/or PupPack into place.

    I created a "script" folder in the PinballX directory and named the batch file "launchBeforeVPX.bat"
    PinballX passes the Table Name to the Windows Batch File, so it can determine what to do. 
    (For Pup-Packs: The PUP-Pack is first deleted from "PUPVideos", then the correct PUP-Pack (if any) is copied into place.)

 

 

Is there a better way? 
Is there a solution for having different VPINMame Display sizes and location for tables that share a ROM? 

 

 

Thanks for your help! 

 

   - Mark

Edited by mshaker, 15 May 2022 - 01:54 AM.

[wiesshund]

for tables sharing the same ROM use ROM aliasing

 

for DMD locations, either use freezy's to display the DMD as Freezys will save position for the table (which will be the alias name)

 

Or you can declare the VPM dmd location in the table script where the vpminit is

 

for conflicting PUP's i do not know

 

For Hollywood Heat and Beachbums
they Do Not have the same ROM name

 

Beach Bums ROM is beachbms.zip
Hollywood Heat is hlywoodh.zip for the standard ROM, hlywdfp for the freeplay ROM
should be 0 conflict there

VPM DMD location determined in script example from ACDC Luci, using ROM aliasing

Sub ACDC_Init
    vpmInit Me
With Controller
        .GameName = "acd_170h"
        NVOffset (3)
        .GameName = cGameName
.Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("rol") = 0
        .Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("dmd_pos_x") = 1780
        .Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("dmd_pos_y") = 738
        .Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("dmd_width") = 771
        .Games(cGameName).Settings.Value("dmd_height") = 140
.SplashInfoLine = "AC/DC LUCI (Stern 2013)"

[mshaker]

@wiesshund; 

 

Thank you for the VPM Script. I'll put it to good use! 

 

When I last updated my version of VPINMame (V3.4?), it "forgot" about the game name "beachbms", and I had to change the game name back to "hlywoodh" to run the table.

 

I think either the secondary name was accidentally left out of the compile, or a purist was the last person to compile VPINMame. :-)

 

   - Mark 

[wiesshund]

@wiesshund; 

 

Thank you for the VPM Script. I'll put it to good use! 

 

When I last updated my version of VPINMame (V3.4?), it "forgot" about the game name "beachbms", and I had to change the game name back to "hlywoodh" to run the table.

 

I think either the secondary name was accidentally left out of the compile, or a purist was the last person to compile VPINMame. :-)

 

   - Mark 

 

Toxie last compiled it but it exists in both my vpm 3.4 and 3.5 builds

you can get the most recent build of the vpm github

Just a quick note
If you get vpm 3.5
AND
You also decide to use VPX 10.7.1

Make sure you grab the latest build of B2S Server from here.

Reason being 10.7.1 has some changes to the core scripts that improve alias handling
as does VPM, but B2S Server, the older versions, dont know about it, so they dont understand the alias name being used literally

Nothing explodes, but you get errors when your script tries to do the NVOFFSET
update b2s and error gone.

 

If you get VPM 3.5 but keep using 10.7.0 then dont worry about it
as VPX doesnt address the aliases differently since the core scripts have not changed in 10.7.0