Nice MAME2003 overlays repository

meleu

Hey fellows, there's no charge and no rush!

I will only be able to focus on the code again from 19/april on, and I have a good TODO list to work, even if there's no feedback.

I'm busy too and taking the time to catch a breath before diving into gamelist.xml stuff.

Cheers!

jozzy1

@UDb23 and @meleu
Love what you guys are doing and make my pi look AMAZING!
Any chance of mame overlays for Salamander 1 and 2.

UDb23

@Graboi Salamander ist a great shmup! Surely worth having an overlay.
Will check what artwork I can find and add it to the to-do list. Can't commit on timing...The list is quite long ;-)

jozzy1

@UDb23
Nice one buddy. Absolutely no rush 😀

UDb23

@meleu said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

Hey fellows, there's no charge and no rush!

Just to say I didn't forget the testing ;-)
It's just that I'd like to take and dedicate the right necessary time to thoroughly test the script, also thinking of potential requirements/ expectations that a 'generic' user may have.
So far I couldn't find this time. Should be able this week.

backstander

@meleu @UDb23
I have been using it and it works pretty well! I am really impressed with the code you have so far to find the matching ROM filename. I think the only issue I had was if you're pretty deep in the menu and you're just about to install some overlays and you hit cancel, it acts like it is going to go ahead and install but then it says something about Overlays install but there's none on this list.

Also, maybe something for the ToDo list #1, it would be nice to have an option to uninstall/remove the overlay/launch image(s).

meleu

@backstander said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

option to uninstall/remove the overlay/launch image(s).

Do you think that making the script set input_overlay_enable = falseis enough or should it delete the files?

EDIT
@backstander said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

if you're pretty deep in the menu and you're just about to install some overlays and you hit cancel, it acts like it is going to go ahead and install but then it says something about Overlays install but there's none on this list.

Changed this behavior. Now you receive a "No art have been installed" message. ;-)
You can update the script in the main menu.

backstander

@meleu

Do you think that making the script set input_overlay_enable = false is enough or should it delete the files?

I think it should delete the files per Overlay or Launch Image (not both at the same time). I think there could be 2 different ways to accomplish this: and easier way to program and a little bit harder way. The easier way could be just to have the uninstall option even if its installed or not and when uninstalling do the install process in reverse and if the files don't exist then tell the user (could also be because we changed a filename in our repos and now the script can't uninstall it). Harder way would be to do it like RetroPie-Setup script does when installing first time and update/uninstall after it's installed. I think you'd have to have some log file that told which ones are installed and where to and what the names where at that time.

Also an option to enable/disable overlays could be neat and I could see it useful for users that go back and forth from 16:9 to 4:3 displays but I'm not sure if it is necessary. I'm not even sure what happens if you have 16:9 Overlays and you move to a 4:3 display.

Changed this behavior. Now you receive a "No art have been installed" message. ;-)
You can update the script in the main menu.

Thanks, I'll experiment with it later :-)

meleu

I already decided how to uninstall overlays: comment out the input_overlay* lines in the ROM config and delete the overlay config/image files.

I cannot delete the ROM config because the user can have another configs, not related to overlays.

About how to get the list of installed overlays, you can leave it with me. The shell has some powerfull tools to help in this task. ;-)

I'm coding right now and maybe I'll submit something to github soon.

Also an option to enable/disable overlays

I'll let it with RetroArch, very much faster: Settings >> Onscreen Display >> Onscreen Overlay >> Display Overlay (turn off this option)

backstander

@meleu

I already decided how to uninstall overlays: comment out the input_overlay* lines in the ROM config and delete the overlay config/image files.

That should work out great!

This reminds me that I did find a bug awhile back. This is kind of hard to explain but I was installing my 2nd Metroid Overlay and at the time I had both Overlay png files in Metroid (USA).cfg using overlay0_overlay = but the 2nd one was commented out with the #...well after the install I looked at the Metroid (USA).cfg file on my RPi and it had removed the # from the 2nd overlay0_overlay = line and the first overlay0_overlay = was still there as well. I have since removed the 2nd overlay0_overlay = from Metroid (USA).cfg on my repo.

Here's an example of what Metroid (USA).cfg looked like on my RPi:

overlays = 1
overlay0_overlay = "metroid-nes-ovl.png"
overlay0_overlay = "metroid-nes-samus-ovl.png"
overlay0_rect = "0.0,0.0,1.0,1.0"
overlay0_full_screen = true
overlay0_descs = 0

I'll let it with RetroArch, very much faster

Good idea. K.I.S.S. principle lol.

meleu

@backstander oh yeah!! I forgot to mention!!!
Do NOT use duplicated lines even when with comments.

It's not a limitation of the script itself, but of inifuncs.

backstander

@backstander oh yeah!! I forgot to mention!!!
Do NOT use duplicated lines even when with comments.

Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks @meleu

meleu

@backstander said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

Also, maybe something for the ToDo list #1, it would be nice to have an option to uninstall/remove the overlay/launch image(s).

Done! The option is on the main menu:

and then:

Unfortunately it doesn't show the "friendly" name of the game, but the ROM name. Like this:

Well, to be honest I think that the config file name is enough, but I can improve it later.

As usual, you can update the script using the update option in the main menu.

Now let me see the next item in the ToDo list...

Cheers!

backstander

I like it @meleu !
I have a suggestion, at the windows where you "Select the game config file you want to uninstall overlay art from." I think it should have checkboxes like the install does so you can pick all the ones you want to uninstall :-)

UDb23

@meleu like it too !
If you need a text file with romnames & corresponding full game name I can create it.
Or you could pull the game name from a website (e.g. from Progettoemma ).

meleu

@backstander said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

at the windows where you "Select the game config file you want to uninstall overlay art from." I think it should have checkboxes like the install does so you can pick all the ones you want to uninstall

Well, I've made a confirmation dialog box to uninstall art, like this:

And then a success (or fail) message:

Maybe it would be annoying to confirm a long batch of files to delete, don't you think?

I did this way because I envisage users being very selective when uninstalling art, but I'm totally open to suggestions.

meleu

Hey @UDb23 , the @Graboid said in a previous post in this same topic that he created some 4x3 overlays based on your artwork. He posted 4x3 overlays for "Millipede" and "Tempest", but I can't see your original 16x9 version in your repo. Look:

Millipede ( @Graboid version, 4x3 Ratio)

Tempest ( @Graboid version, 4x3 Ratio)

Maybe it's lost in some topic here in the forum. I think they deserve to be in the repo, don't you agree? :-)

meleu

The rpie-art script now has its own topic: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/9686/rpie-art-easy-way-to-install-art-on-your-retropie

backstander

@meleu

Maybe it would be annoying to confirm a long batch of files to delete, don't you think?

I think for the batch you can have "Are you sure you want to uninstall" screen and just list them all and if you say yes then it deletes them all and then says "Successfully uninstalled" and lists the ones that it could uninstall.

I did this way because I envisage users being very selective when uninstalling art, but I'm totally open to suggestions.

I would like batch (a.k.a.: checkboxes) just because I've been doing a lot of experimenting with my overlays and it makes it easier to delete several at the same time lol.

I know you're still working on the ROM name discovery code but a couple of mine can't find my ROMs because of the small word "The". For example....
I have "The Terminator" overlay but my ROM is named "Terminator, The (USA, Europe).zip" so it isn't found because "The Terminator" doesn't equal "Terminator, The". My config overlay file is named "Terminator, The (USA, Europe).zip.cfg" so maybe you could add code to also look for ROMs with the same name as this config file?

UDb23

@meleu said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

in a previous post in this same topic

Absolutely they're really nice.
I did not make overlays for Millipede and Tempest btw; but yes should do (good artwork is available)

What about 4:3 overlays ? If we agree 16:9 is the default, maybe 4:3 creators to put (4:3) at the end of the game name in info.txt files ?
@graboid: do you have your own Repo or would like to add these in the contrib folded of existing Repo ?

Note: while I really like the artwork, vector games look so much better in Advmame... and advmame doesn'nt manage overlays well.