MetaPixel - A New Emulationstation Theme

mattrixk

"Todd's Adventures in Slime World is a side-scrolling platform game first released for the Atari Lynx in 1990, with Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and PC Engine CD versions following in 1992." - wikipedia

No need to change the sreenshot, as it was on both Lynx and MegaDrive.

My "Hah" at the beginning of the sentence was because the image of the game brought back some fun/interesting memories.

CourierSS

@mattrixk

At first I wasn't sure if it was alright to take images from Google, so that's why I thought I should redo the screenshots. I tried Slime World just now while I was taking a screenshot and I have to say it's pretty interesting.

So now I have replaced screenshots for MSX, Neo Geo, Neo Geo Pocket, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Amiga, Sega SG-1000, and Atari Lynx. They're from my screenshots, theGamesDB, or MobyGames.

Edit: Available in github via update

CourierSS

I've added the Atari 8-bit family of computers (Atari 800), Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Atari ST. I've also made slight edits to descriptions of various systems.

Edit: Available in github via update

CourierSS

I've added Daphne, Game & Watch, Virtual Boy, WonderSwan, and WanderSwan Color.

For the Game & Watch, there are two versions of each screenshot in the folder. The default is just the gameplay screenshot while the other version includes the gameplay with the handheld. I wasn't sure which one people would like and it seemed like the version with the handheld in it clashed with the theme which is why the gameplay one is the default. On the other hand, the design of the cases feels pretty important to the nostalgia of the handhelds, hence the second version. The third screenshot is a gif comparison between the two versions.

Edit: Available in github via update

Screenshots:

Daphne

Virtual Boy

Game & Watch

mattrixk

@CourierSS: I must say, the work you are putting into this is mighty impressive. I really need to pull my thumb out and start adding all this great stuff to the theme so other people can benefit from your input.

CourierSS

@mattrixk
Well I was impressed by the theme you created. Originally I was just editing some text for the system descriptions but then I started adding a system, and after a while I figured that I can make a contribution back to the community by making available the files that I had while making some more. Although creating these do take quite a bit of time, I learned quite a bit about systems and games that I've never played before and the process is fun in its own way, so it's pretty cool in the end.

detron

I really love this theme, I have had some minor issues that took me back to the standard pixel theme, but I am a huge fan, and regret that I had to switch back to Pixel (which is great too)

my issues were funny things like exiting a game, and then the theme seems to have "zoomed in" and only shows like 70% of the content, but using 100% of the screen (zoomed in)

the other is some times when I would flip through the systems, it would catch and show 1/3 of the previous system, and 2/3's of the system I am on.
so while on Game boy advance, the screen would show the right 1/3 of the Gameboy screen on the left of my tv, and the remaining right 2/3s would contain the left 2/3s portion of the GBA screen.
I did not photograph this, (hind sight I realize that was a missed opportunity.
I do not know if I am explaining that well enough or not, but it was as if the "flip" from system to system (when in the game view list) got off by 33%

robertybob

@detron What aspect ratio is your TV? 4:3? 16:9?

dankcushions

@detron said in MetaPixel - A New Emulationstation Theme:

I really love this theme, I have had some minor issues that took me back to the standard pixel theme, but I am a huge fan, and regret that I had to switch back to Pixel (which is great too)

my issues were funny things like exiting a game, and then the theme seems to have "zoomed in" and only shows like 70% of the content, but using 100% of the screen (zoomed in)

the other is some times when I would flip through the systems, it would catch and show 1/3 of the previous system, and 2/3's of the system I am on.
so while on Game boy advance, the screen would show the right 1/3 of the Gameboy screen on the left of my tv, and the remaining right 2/3s would contain the left 2/3s portion of the GBA screen.
I did not photograph this, (hind sight I realize that was a missed opportunity.
I do not know if I am explaining that well enough or not, but it was as if the "flip" from system to system (when in the game view list) got off by 33%

i'm fairly sure this isn't a theme-specific issue, but a general ES issue. i think if you start a game during the 'animation' of sliding between systems you can sometimes (all the time?) mess up the alignment of es and everything is all screwy. i've had what sounds like the same issue in regular pixel. if you go into a game and come out again, or restart ES, it goes back to normal.

Rion

@CourierSS I would like to make some requests.

Amstrad CPC
Apple II
Coco
Colecovision
Commodore 64
Famicom Disk System
Macintosh
MESS
Oric
PC (Dosbox)
Sam Coupe
TI-99/4A
TRS 80
VideoPac / Odyssey 2
Zmachine
ZX Spectrum

I know this is a lot and any system you find the time to make is more then enough.

detron

@robertybob it is a 16:9

detron

@dankcushions said in MetaPixel - A New Emulationstation Theme:

@detron said in MetaPixel - A New Emulationstation Theme:

I really love this theme, I have had some minor issues that took me back to the standard pixel theme, but I am a huge fan, and regret that I had to switch back to Pixel (which is great too)

my issues were funny things like exiting a game, and then the theme seems to have "zoomed in" and only shows like 70% of the content, but using 100% of the screen (zoomed in)

the other is some times when I would flip through the systems, it would catch and show 1/3 of the previous system, and 2/3's of the system I am on.
so while on Game boy advance, the screen would show the right 1/3 of the Gameboy screen on the left of my tv, and the remaining right 2/3s would contain the left 2/3s portion of the GBA screen.
I did not photograph this, (hind sight I realize that was a missed opportunity.
I do not know if I am explaining that well enough or not, but it was as if the "flip" from system to system (when in the game view list) got off by 33%

i'm fairly sure this isn't a theme-specific issue, but a general ES issue. i think if you start a game during the 'animation' of sliding between systems you can sometimes (all the time?) mess up the alignment of es and everything is all screwy. i've had what sounds like the same issue in regular pixel. if you go into a game and come out again, or restart ES, it goes back to normal.

that is Great News, I will switch back! I love it

mattrixk

@detron, @dankcushions: That is indeed good news, because I had no idea what may have been causing that or how to fix it.

CourierSS

@Rion

Considering how far I am, if @mattrixk doesn't make them then I should get around to them eventually but it may be a bit slow. In the meanwhile, I realized that for the systems that I have been making screenshots for, saving them in jpegs is leaving more artifacts than I wanted and in retrospect I should have saved png files for safe-keeping. I will be saving uncropped screenshots as png files and probably place them in another folder while possibly redo screenshots for some systems.

CourierSS

Well I looked through the screenshots that I made, and it turns out that the artifacts were only noticeable in two systems so I guess I'm lucky.

Added ResidualVM and ColecoVision. Updated screenshots for Sega SG-1000.

Edit: Available in github via update

ColecoVision

ExarKunIv

@CourierSS

Your work is awesome , i love it.

are you going to do the VideoPac / Odyssey 2?
i know that not many theme have this. so is why im just using the factory theme.
having something awesome looking would be great, but if not no big.

your work is still amazing none the less

CourierSS

@ExarKunIv

Thanks but I would say a lot of the credit goes to @mattrixk for creating the MetaPixel theme and his inspiration from @Rookervik 's Pixel theme. I'm putting together descriptions and screenshots to make the theme more comprehensive.

As for VideoPac / Odyssey 2, I will get around to it eventually.

Rookervik

@CourierSS Don't forget all the pixel art I did, not just inspiration. LOL. I had to draw all 80-something systems. :P

mattrixk

@Rookervik said in MetaPixel - A New Emulationstation Theme:

@CourierSS Don't forget all the pixel art I did, not just inspiration. LOL. I had to draw all 80-something systems. :P

Too true. None of this would be possible without you Rookervik.

@CourierSS: I'm currently sorting out all of your new folders, as well as fixing a few other requests that I've had for the theme (fonts and other images). It should hopefully be all fixed up on git by this arvo/tomorrow at the latest.

CourierSS

@Rookervik Yeah rereading it I realized that didn't come out right. Thanks for all the great pixels!

@mattrixk Speaking of pixels, before you add in the folders I'm actually going through the process of remaking screenshots for certain systems (mixture of mine, Moby Games, and theGamesDB), because I realized that my resizing process for screenshots of games could have been better.

Basically, I left smoothing on while resizing them in Paint(.)net when I should have been using nearest neighbors. It doesn't actually preserve pixels but at least it maintains the appearance of sharpness for games where individual pixels are important.

On the other hand, people might like the original way that I did it. Anyone have any thoughts?

Comparison