Nice MAME2003 overlays repository

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.

meleu

@UDb23 said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

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?

Good, but I suggest the name _generic with an underscore. I don't think there is any game called "generic" to conflict, but this will always keep the item at the top of the menu dialog.

UDb23

@meleu ok

UDb23

0_1488635873797_b_Seaquest_front small.jpg

requires some cleanup.. but found it ;-)

meleu

@Rookervik did a splashscreen that I use as the seaquest launching image: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/post/48699

Now with an overlay it will look awesome! I'm sure I'll beat the @cabrunco 's score! :-)

UDb23

@meleu Check this.
;-)

backstander

@UDb23 said in Nice MAME2003 overlays repository:

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!

I think this could be do-able. UDb23 could just make symbolic link files to the parent zip.cfgs for all the known compatible clones in his github. Maybe meleu's script could have an option to either install overlays for just the parent ROM or for both the parent & known clones (the clones that UDb23 has setup).

The symbolic link files only need to links to a file in the same directory so it could be compatible for any Linux OS running lr-mame2003 (like Ubuntu/x86 with RetroPie installed).

Also @meleu I noticed a bug in your script. When you go into an game's overlay from the main menu and then you hit "cancel" it exits the script but it probably should just take you back to the main menu. If you hit "cancel" at the main menu then it should exit the script. I hope that make since to you ;-)

update
found another bug...if you hit "cancel" at the main menu, it does the exact same as "continue" and enters that menu.

meleu

@backstander Good point. Thanks for the feedback. I'll improve the user experience when I have a chance. ;-)