Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone

bbilford83

@duglor said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

@bbilford83 Yeah the named .opt files for the 4 microvision games have resolutions set to 640x480. My default outside those 4 is 1920x1080.

Strangely for me when I change the resolution down to 640 x 480 in the runcommand menu the game doesn't boot, just puts me back in emulationstation. @Folly any idea why this would be?

Folly

@bbilford83

No, don't know.
I would not mess with the resolution setting, I think there is no need for that to do.
I don't see why you should make opt files.

I had a look at connect 4 on lr-mess, however I can't get it to drop and the because the resolution of the microvsn is so low we can't do anything in the mame gui.
Not sure if it is fixable.
(edit : fix in next post)

For the overlays, if you really want to get started with this then I advise another structure for the overlay config files.

For connect4 I made this (remember i am on 1600x900) :

custom_viewport_height = "614"
custom_viewport_width = "850"
custom_viewport_x = "553"
custom_viewport_y = "136"
input_overlay = "~/RetroPie/roms/microvsn/media/retroarch/overlays/microvsn/connect4.cfg"
aspect_ratio_index = "23"

You can see here that I moved the .png and .cfg files of @duglor to another directory.
Above config is not perfect as I can't actually see where the real lcd screen begins under the physical overlay in the picture.
So that is the difficult part.
Once we know that it should be easy for the next overlays.
(you can probably even skip the parts 1-6 and directly go to 7)
1 use gimp
2 scale your png to your resolution (doesn't need to be saved) (try to use 1920x1024 which is a good starting point if we somehow want to calculate it for other resolution)
3 go with the cursor to the places in the picture to find the custom_viewport x and y, they are obvious, the width and height need to be calculated though.
4 enter the values in the config file and call it connect4.zip.cfg and place it next to the rom.
5 when starting the game it will load the setting.
6 if it's not good then you can try and find the best values in the retroarch menu
and change them in the cfg file if it can't be saved somehow.

When using the structure like this we are able to share it together with the custom gamelists, if we would like that in the future.

7 Ok, now the fine-tuning perhaps even the method of not even having to use gimp .
Just go to the RetroArch UI and fully back.
Then you can select the core-options - > video -> scaling.
Here you will find the viewport settings.
Now you can change them and change them until it fits, go back and forth with the menu key F1.
The changes are not saved in the config file so you need to write them down and place them in the config file.
Now on the next boot you will have a working overlay.
This is my config after fine-tuning ( I also added the opacity 1 so you won't see the outer screen parts ) :

custom_viewport_height = "676"
custom_viewport_width = "910"
custom_viewport_x = "520"
custom_viewport_y = "104"
input_overlay_opacity = 1.000000
input_overlay = "~/RetroPie/roms/microvsn/media/retroarch/overlays/microvsn/connect4.cfg"
aspect_ratio_index = "23"

Now having this file you are able to convert it from 1600x900 to 1920x1024 with the equations I gave you earlier over here.
But then the other way around from 1600x900 to 1920x1024 instead of 1920x1024 to 1600x900.

Folly

@bbilford83

I discovered something.
I used your mame artwork with lr-mess to try and trick lr-mess to show the original mame ui and change check and change the input settings.
However by default that didn't work so I started messing in the RetroArch UI.
With next option enabled I had both working and speed was ok !
Now I could change the X key in the input section.
Seems when change "button 11" again using the X key the X key is seen as joystick1 A button. Then it works.
Seems the "alternate redering = on" option sticks in the core options.
So it works next time when running the game again.
Perhaps I have to set that core option to enabled in my script so it works by default.
What do you think, should I add it ?
(not sure, it could break other drivers, we need to test)

lr-mess_microvision_setting_for_displaying_artwork_and_ui.png

bbilford83

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

@bbilford83

I discovered something.
I used your mame artwork with lr-mess to try and trick lr-mess to show the original mame ui and change check and change the input settings.
However by default that didn't work so I started messing in the RetroArch UI.
With next option enabled I had both working and speed was ok !
Now I could change the X key in the input section.
Seems when change "button 11" again using the X key the X key is seen as joystick1 A button. Then it works.
Seems the "alternate redering = on" option sticks in the core options.
So it works next time when running the game again.
Perhaps I have to set that core option to enabled in my script so it works by default.
What do you think, should I add it ?
(not sure, it could break other drivers, we need to test)

This looks great compared to mine, but I already had the alternate rendering set to on! Without it the mame menu is impossible to navigate (i.e. if you are at a normal resolution rather than super small). So I don't know why it fits for yours but not for mine. Do you still have the retroarch overlay on, with the scaling/viewport settings you showed in step 7 above? I assume no because I think the location is different in my art and the one duglor made, but I don't know why it would be scaling right for you but not for me.

Edit: I went back in and confirmed, with alternate rendering on this is still how it loads for me: alt text

bbilford83

@Folly, one more update on Zemmix. I have now tested the entire MSX 2 library to see which games work (though I didn't include the homebrew which are a ton of games). There are now a whopping 196 games in my gamelist. I will update the gamelist and art I uploaded soon but may jump into testing MSX 1 first. That will take a long time though, there are way more MSX 1 games.

As of now there are still three games that require you to manually disable joystick one to work: Return of Jelda, Snake-Z, and Yuurei-kun ("Mr. Ghost").

duglor

@Folly I drop by hitting the Central Return/Enter Key.

duglor

@bbilford83 nice

Folly

@bbilford83 said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

This looks great compared to mine, but I already had the alternate rendering set to on! Without it the mame menu is impossible to navigate (i.e. if you are at a normal resolution rather than super small).

Yes I have that on too.
I have implemented it in my script, here, so it doesn't have to be set in a manual way.

So I don't know why it fits for yours but not for mine.

I think you might have still the opt file which changes stuff for the overlay, remember.

It's your artwork not the overlay of @duglor you referring too.
It's not perfect but it comes quite near.
I changed my resolution to see if that made any difference.
But with mame artwork it should basically be the same no matter what resolution.
With 4:3 resolutions. however, some is cut off but the match should be still good.

Do you still have the retroarch overlay on, with the scaling/viewport settings you showed in step 7 above? I assume no because I think the location is different in my art and the one duglor made, but I don't know why it would be scaling right for you but not for me.

Your assumption is correct.
Nothing is on.
I don't set my overlay on in a manual way.
It will only load when there is a .zip.cfg file near the rom.
So the scaling and viewport settings aren't loaded too.

I renamed my overlay config file so it will not load.
Added your artwork in BIOS/mame/artwork.
Nothing else.

I think you are still loading your opt file, for your game, saved earlier on which probably contains some conflicting settings.
I would try to find that file, look into it, and rename or remove it and try it again.
You should be able to find your opt file in :
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/MAME

This is how it looks now with my overlay config and @duglor 's overlay picture, near perfect :-).

Folly

@bbilford83 said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

@Folly, one more update on Zemmix. I have now tested the entire MSX 2 library to see which games work (though I didn't include the homebrew which are a ton of games). There are now a whopping 196 games in my gamelist. I will update the gamelist and art I uploaded soon but may jump into testing MSX 1 first. That will take a long time though, there are way more MSX 1 games.

As of now there are still three games that require you to manually disable joystick one to work: Return of Jelda, Snake-Z, and Yuurei-kun ("Mr. Ghost").

If you can then I would recommend you to make a 0 rom-index 0 file next to the gamelist.xml file just like my script makes for other categories.
Here you can put all your roms in, so we have a list in the roms/zemmix2 folder to look at. You can also add the info about some games that require to disable the joystick. When you share the gamelist the 0 rom-index 0 file will also be copied. Think about it.

bbilford83

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

I think you are still loading your opt file, for your game, saved earlier on which probably contains some conflicting settings.
I would try to find that file, look into it, and rename or remove it and try it again.
You should be able to find your opt file in :
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/MAME

Boy I was hoping that is all it was, as you were right that I did have an opt file saved for the game, but I deleted that file and it is still displaying the same. I checked the microvsn.opt file too and I don't see anything in it that should be causing problems. I even dug around in the config/microvsn/lr-mess configs thinking maybe something was wrong in there but basically those are only for button mapping and to remember which art is loading (and it says the same thing as the other games). I'll try to brainstorm more but you'd think there must be some reason other than the opt file that it's not displaying right for me...

bbilford83

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

If you can then I would recommend you to make a 0 rom-index 0 file next to the gamelist.xml file just like my script makes for other categories.
Here you can put all your roms in, so we have a list in the roms/zemmix2 folder to look at. You can also add the info about some games that require to disable the joystick. When you share the gamelist the 0 rom-index 0 file will also be copied. Think about it.

I will take a look, but probably I will wait to do it until I've tested all the MSX 1 games too, and I suspect that will be a long time. But at least then it will be complete.

I may jump over to C64gs first, though I have a bad feeling that might involve the same slow testing (to see which games can play without the keyboard at all).

Edit: Today just to see how big of a hassle it will be I decided to just test the "A" MSX 1 games, and my gamelist now has 13 more keyboard-less working games on it (probably I tested 30-40 games). So it is going to take forever and I'll be doing it over a looooooong while.

Folly

@bbilford83 said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

I think you are still loading your opt file, for your game, saved earlier on which probably contains some conflicting settings.
I would try to find that file, look into it, and rename or remove it and try it again.
You should be able to find your opt file in :
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/MAME

Boy I was hoping that is all it was, as you were right that I did have an opt file saved for the game, but I deleted that file and it is still displaying the same. I checked the microvsn.opt file too and I don't see anything in it that should be causing problems. I even dug around in the config/microvsn/lr-mess configs thinking maybe something was wrong in there but basically those are only for button mapping and to remember which art is loading (and it says the same thing as the other games). I'll try to brainstorm more but you'd think there must be some reason other than the opt file that it's not displaying right for me...

No clue either.
Did you check your video mode setting when running a game in the boot screen ?
Have you checked if the viewport settings are still active inside the RetroArch UI when not using the overlay as they could be save inside a retroarch.cfg ?
Check your retroarch.cfg/retroarch.cfg.add/retroarch.cfg.basename files inside /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/microvsn ?
The .add and .basename only has 1 line and the retroarch.cfg only 3 lines.

duglor

@Folly May i see the cfg file you used with my overlay picture?

Folly

@duglor

See here, the last one.

duglor

@Folly Thank you

bbilford83

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

No clue either.
Did you check your video mode setting when running a game in the boot screen ?
Have you checked if the viewport settings are still active inside the RetroArch UI when not using the overlay as they could be save inside a retroarch.cfg ?
Check your retroarch.cfg/retroarch.cfg.add/retroarch.cfg.basename files inside /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/microvsn ?
The .add and .basename only has 1 line and the retroarch.cfg only 3 lines.

Re: the video mode, it is still 1920 x 1080 which is my default, but that's the one that when I changed it the game didn't boot.

I hadn't checked any of those cfgs except for retroarch.cfg but as you say they are still like original, one line and three lines. Thanks for the idea though. I am stumped... will keep digging though. Maybe it is something in my regular retroarch cfg at configs/all/retroarch.cfg?

Folly

@bbilford83 said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

No clue either.
Did you check your video mode setting when running a game in the boot screen ?
Have you checked if the viewport settings are still active inside the RetroArch UI when not using the overlay as they could be save inside a retroarch.cfg ?
Check your retroarch.cfg/retroarch.cfg.add/retroarch.cfg.basename files inside /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/microvsn ?
The .add and .basename only has 1 line and the retroarch.cfg only 3 lines.

Re: the video mode, it is still 1920 x 1080 which is my default, but that's the one that when I changed it the game didn't boot.

I hadn't checked any of those cfgs except for retroarch.cfg but as you say they are still like original, one line and three lines. Thanks for the idea though. I am stumped... will keep digging though. Maybe it is something in my regular retroarch cfg at configs/all/retroarch.cfg?

Are there viewport settings in the scale mode in the RetroArch menu when you are in the game ?

bbilford83

@Folly No, the aspect ratio is set to "core provided," so there's no settings for that at all :(.

Folly

@bbilford83

Have you checked if you have used the same file as used with mame standalone ?

duglor

@Folly @bbilford83 Are you two having any trouble running the Microvision Bowling game? I get a horizontal impossibly odd bowling pin set up and gibberish for the score.