Nice MAME2003 overlays repository

pjft

@UDb23 @Meleu wow. These look amazing, and the setup script is the cherry on top!

A question: will it install all overlays regardless of whether I actually have the ROM there? Or do I need to add the Roms for the games for which there are overlays for beforehand?

Just checking the right process :)

Thanks for your contributions to the community!

meleu

@pjft said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

A question: will it install all overlays regardless of whether I actually have the ROM there?

Yes. It was a conscious decision. I did this way because sometimes the user don't have the exact ROM as the @UDb23 created overlay for, but a clone. In this case the user just have rename the RomName.zip.cfg file.

Example: if you don't have the simpsons.zip (that version of The Simpsons for 4 players) but have the simpsons2p.zip (the version for 2 players where the player can choose the character), then you just have to install the overlay and then go to the rom directory and do a mv simpsons.zip.cfg simpsons2p.zip.cfg.

I'm sure somebody will ask for this "clone matching" in the script at somepoint, but it would add an unwanted complexity to the script, like searching for this info in some dat file... (C'mon guys! Let's learn some simple Linux command!) :-)

UDb23

@meleu Fully agree :-)

pjft

@meleu got it. My thoughts exactly. It's easier to see what roms you're looking for after they're installed.

Thanks!

jdrassa

@meleu Great job on the script. With regards to clone roms, I was thinking of something more along the lines of how you are handling multiple overlay images. If there is more than one zip.cfg file present, then prompt the user to choose one.

meleu

@jdrassa said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

If there is more than one zip.cfg file present, then prompt the user to choose one.

yeah, it's very simple to do in the script. But would transfer the responsibility to use correct file names to @UDb23 (artist guys shouldn't be bothered with these peculiarities :) ). And to be honest I think he already does a lot in providing us the config files already filled in (besides, of course, the art of the overlays).

Let's share this work: @UDb23 makes the art and kindly provides the config files, I maintain the install script working, and the user deal with the "overlay for clone ROMs" issue. :-)

Keep in mind that it all started with individual zip files in those obscure mega.nz URLs and the users needed to 1) know the right URL to download the zip file; 2) transfer the file to the raspberry pi (AFAIK it's not possible to download stuff from mega.nz using command line tools); 3) manually move files to the right directories and edit them.

We are lucky that @UDb23 agreed to create a github repository and put his artwork there. This made it possible for me to write the installation script. And I made it as a show of gratitude for the overlays he did for the community (some of them were based on my requests).

detron

this is amazing! thank you!!!!

jdrassa

@meleu I don't really see it as putting any additional responsibility on @UDb23. The single zip.cfg file that exists currently must be named properly. The way I see it is that if additional files exist (as is the case with Moon Cresta), it would be nice to prompt the user.

The great thing about these overlays being on github is that it opens it up for the community to contribute. If there is an overlay that doesn't have a config for a clone that I am running, I can create a pull request to add it and then the whole community can benefit.

Would you object if I attempted to add this functionality myself?

UDb23

First of all thanks again to @meleu for creating this script. I'm happy to see that his and my work is appreciated by others. This whole overlays thing started as I wanted to make some of them for myself and just thought they could be of interest of others.

It is not an issue for me to add multiple cfg's for a single game. It's not only a matter of "clones"; sometime different region versions exist and, given same screen size, the actual games may even be different. A good example is "the end" by Stern I'm working on currently: it has original konami (JP) and Stern (US) versions. Same game and same screen size, different rom names (so different cfg names required), slightly different graphics and gameplay.
If I place the cfgs in the specific folder and @meleu provides the option to select, how would a user select the specific cfg he needs ? Means user needs to know the rom name he wants. Then probably user would need to be able to select multiple cfgs instead of going thru the install process again to select next needed cfg.

To me the best solution would be that the script simply installs all the cfgs it finds for that game. You may end up with some unused cfgs on your Pi if you don't have the corresponding roms installed; but that's really just a few bytes wasted on your microSD.

So in the end (to summarize, not "the end" game),
if @meleu agrees, it requires the script to do so and someone to create the cfgs and place them in the right folder. I can do it for the most "common" versions for each rom; if others want to contribute with thru github: feel free :-)

Note: creating cfgs for different version, as mentioned by @meleu, is just renaming the cfg!
It's that easy to do ;-)
I even use a simple windows batch file to upload cfgs and overlay images in the corresponding folders on the Pi.

meleu

@jdrassa said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

The great thing about these overlays being on github is that it opens it up for the community to contribute. If there is an overlay that doesn't have a config for a clone that I am running, I can create a pull request to add it and then the whole community can benefit.

It's a good point. Although I still think that it adds an extra responsibility to @UDb23 (check if the submited file is OK to ensure his repository quality). But according to his post above it seems he doesn't see a problem with it.

Would you object if I attempted to add this functionality myself?

You're very welcome to contribute. But I think the best solution is to just install the .zip.cfg files and don't ask the user what file he/she wants to install. Thinking as an user, I don't know the clone ROMs names. Just put some small .zip.cfg files in the directory (even if some of them will be unused).

UDb23

@meleu Exactly as I proposed: just install all .zip.cfgs.
It's not a big issue for me to check contributions ;-)

meleu

@UDb23 working on the script right now...

nerdy

UDb23

@meleu So you found my Vic20 that got lost @ my parent's home so many many years ago !
And you even made it wireless !! :-))
Fantastic Pic !

UDb23

@meleu What about Console 'generic' overlays ?
There's request for these. I'm currently evaluating what I could do for NES as a test.
Would it make sense to add these also to the repository and enable installation thru your script ?
Or, being "per system", I just store those somewhere else for manual install ?

It would require edit of /opt/retropie/configs/SYSTEMNAME/retroarch.cfg to add some lines + place the image and cfg for it in the usual Overlay folder.

meleu

@UDb23 It would be really nice!! I'm holding back myself from asking you to do an overlay for Atari 2600 Seaquest game (I have a lifetime Seaquest tournament with my friend @cabrunco ).

Well, I would to propose a change to the directory structure:

Let's create directories just like those inside RetroPie/roms. E.g.: arcade, nes, atari2600, etc. And put the overlay dir/files in the respective dir.

All the current files will be moved to the arcade directory. But don't do it now, otherwise the script will become useless. I'll try to submit a PR tonight with these changes.

NES overlays should be in nes directory, Atari 2600 overlays in atari2600 directory, and so on.

If you want to test with nes first, create a nes directory and put the files inside this directory. For now I'm going to make the script ignore nes directory so it doesn't think it's another arcade game. Later I'll adapt better as I said before.

meleu

@UDb23 said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

It would require edit of /opt/retropie/configs/SYSTEMNAME/retroarch.cfg to add some lines + place the image and cfg for it in the usual Overlay folder.

Can you show me a nes/retroarch.cfg configured with overlays so I can know what will change?

UDb23

@meleu This is the retroarch.cfg file (one in each SYSTEMNAME subfolder).
I enclosed the lines to be added with"# Start " .... " #End" lines.
Just tested it for NES and it works fine.
The cfg file in the overlays folder follows same structure as usual cfg files in that folder (same as used for mame2003 so far).

# Settings made here will only override settings in the global retroarch.cfg if placed above the #include line

# Start Overlay cfg
video_scale_integer = true

input_overlay = /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/overlays/arcade-bezels/SYSTEMNAME-ovl.cfg
input_overlay_enable = true
input_overlay_opacity = 0.900000
input_overlay_scale = 1.000000
# End overlay cfg

input_remapping_directory = "/opt/retropie/configs/nes/"

#include "/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg"

meleu

@UDb23 OK. My suggestion is to put in the repository only the lines between the # Start and # End lines.

UDb23

@meleu said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

I'm holding back myself from asking you to do an overlay for Atari 2600 Seaquest game

mmm... no longer really holding back it seems.

OK will check for that game artwork.... but this means you'll have to manage "per game" overlays for Atari (or consoles in general) too ;-)

Proposal: what if in each "system"folder in the github repo (arcade, atari2600 etc) , in addition to games folders we create a "generic" folder and we place generic overlays into these (following existing naming conventions, so that there may exist also multiple generic overlays for each system that user can choose) ?
Script should then manage game subfolders as it already does and the generic subfolder with specific retroarch.cfg editing as mentioned above.

BTW: Atari... never owned one; my girlfriend did. And she'd really love to be able to play THAT Space invaders again. Of course we played it on Retropie with lr-stella but...
was able to find all required REAL items on ebay from different sellers... took some time..
and:

She couldn't believe it. We have a real working atari2600 (jr) now :-).

UDb23

@meleu sure. I believe these will be the same lines for all consoles, apart from opacity settings that can be different depending how "aggressive: the overlay colors are.