What happened to these forums?

[Styphelus]

Widescreen support is important for themes, videos, wheel art, and boxes. When they are displayed and streched, they look horrible. Yes, you can resize everything (which is labur intensive) but then it becomes a huge pain everytime there's an update. You also need duplicates of everything if using HyperPause because that software has widescreen support and everything you resized with be crunshed now. Not to mention that the artwork in themes is very low res due to the resolution Hyperspin supports.It's looks terrible at 1920x1080. 

 

As for games, a lot of us like keeping proper aspect ratios. Have you tried playing games like Arkanoid in a streched screen? I used to like streching games as well, until I started playing more platformers and there was just something off about jumping from platform to platform on a stretched screen.

[SkyHighGam3r]

I don't use HyperPause, so I wasn't aware of that. I can see that being a major problem, having to duplicate the art for it.

I have to disagree with it making the art look terrible, I'm blowing those 1024x768 themes to 1920x1080 on a 50" screen 5 feet away lol. I think it looks fantastic. Obviously it would look BETTER if it was native, as is the nature of the beast... I wouldn't say it looks terrible though. Certainly none of my friends have said it looks 'stretched' haha. As they say though, 'there's no accounting for taste' so I guess it's just a matter of preference. Lord knows I make a bigger deal out of things other people don't mind at all.

I haven't ever noticed any disorienting issues when playing stretched. Mario, and Sonic seem just fine to me stretched to 16:9 anyway as far as platformers go. I'm not 100% sure I have Arkanoid in my build. I assume the NES version would be sufficient to see what you mean? I'd like to see the visual example. If I sound arrogant in my ways I apologize, I have a tendancy to sound very sure of my stance, but I'm ALWAYS looking to see things from the other point of view which is why I bring these things up in the first place lol.

That being said, I can't see myself ever using the bezels as I think they are ugly. Keep in mind though, my build is about giving a console experience whereas I know most people go for the arcade cabinets, so there's bound to be some differences. I could see it making sense on a 16:9 arcade machine since Bezels are just a part of that experience.
 

[gigapig]

I don't spend long analysing the artwork, just find the game and play. It all looks great to me.

[keltoigael]

I am currently doing my own thing over at Launchbox and trying to help them out the best I can. It's my new go to Frontend for HTPC set ups. I still use Hyperspin and prefer that on my cab install. Both have pro's and con's and I love them both equally. LB is starting to build their own database and art assets much like how we do it over here. Pretty excited honestly.

[SIMPLYAUSTIN]

I am currently doing my own thing over at Launchbox and trying to help them out the best I can. It's my new go to Frontend for HTPC set ups. I still use Hyperspin and prefer that on my cab install. Both have pro's and con's and I love them both equally. LB is starting to build their own database and art assets much like how we do it over here. Pretty excited honestly.

 

 

Yeah they have done a top notch job on their compatibility and user friendly setup over there.  Love that front end and it does indeed wrok well on HTPC setups

[keltoigael]

Hey Austin. Just saw your Xebra vid, that emulator is nuts. I might go that route if I continue to have epsxe issues with the wide screen garbage.

[boomerps2]

Hey Austin. Just saw your Xebra vid, that emulator is nuts. I might go that route if I continue to have epsxe issues with the wide screen garbage.

Has anybody found a way to run xebra fullscreen 1080p? Another problem I'm running into is that the xebra requires the .BIN file instead of the .CUE file which then for most games I don't get audio. I have found Mednafen in Retroarch has the best compatibility.

[SkyHighGam3r]

Has anybody found a way to run xebra fullscreen 1080p? Another problem I'm running into is that the xebra requires the .BIN file instead of the .CUE file which then for most games I don't get audio. I have found Mednafen in Retroarch has the best compatibility.

That's good to hear about Medafen/RetroArch.

That's how I have everything setup and I really debated between that and ePSXe for a while. (I only know of Xebra 'cause of Austin's latest video there haha)

[Avar]

That's good to hear about Medafen/RetroArch.

Mednafen was the bane of my existence when I first started but I've rapidly grown to adore it in many ways.

[billpa]

The good ole days

 

Just speaking from personal experience, but I just got burned out after awhile. I still haven't even built an arcade machine yet...but plan to this year when my basement is finished. Then maybe I can finally experience some of my themes and all the incredible work I have seen others produce over the past 6-7 years.

 

Here is my take on it...

1. HyperLaunch scripts got stable, then decoupled into RocketLauncher
2. 3rd party apps fixed bugs, added stability and features
3. Tutorials were made and posted to Youtube, removing mistique
4. People without scruples that profitted off the work of others removed motivated artists from the scene
5. Bad Boy Bill went into hiatus along with development
6. And HyperSpin is no longer the only game in town with such a nice UI

Number 4 really bugs me. But yeah, let's not go there. Anyways, enjoy it for what it is.

Number 4 definitely doesn't help. I see a ton of my work on other FE's, being distributed, etc. It did not remove me from the scene, but I wasn't happy about it either.

 

Are there any tutorials out there explaining how to build themes in NLEs or after effects? I'd love to give it a try.

 

I used AE for a few of my themes...I think Street Fighter 4 and couple of others. I also used AE for all of the transition packs you guys use. The problem with exporting FLVs from AE is every frame is rendered so back in the day, when HS was not as optimized, it would choke on these parts.

 

I have no social life. That might change within the next year though

 

I think you are the only one I remember from the old days. Alot people forget the forum before this one (pre 2009). Man have things changed...for the better.
 

[phulshof]

Number 4 definitely doesn't help. I see a ton of my work on other FE's, being distributed, etc. It did not remove me from the scene, but I wasn't happy about it either.

Out of curiosity: I understand why people object to the HD sellers, but why would you care about the FE people use your art on?

I don't use Windows, so no HS and RL for me either. What draws me to this community is the art. I have both HS and EM membership, and use the art on RetroFE. In return I think I've contributed back to this community as well.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[billpa]

I am specifically talking about FE authors that took all the art that HS members produced and put it into their products. I think the most blatant rip off was Atomic FE with their "HyperSkins" but there were others that followed. It didn't matter because HS always had many more features. Again, not the reason why I stopped but still annoying nonetheless.

[Avar]

I am specifically talking about FE authors that took all the art that HS members produced and put it into their products. I think the most blatant rip off was Atomic FE with their "HyperSkins" but there were others that followed. It didn't matter because HS always had many more features. Again, not the reason why I stopped but still annoying nonetheless.

 

This bothers me also. Aside from the FE aspect, HyperSpin is the driving community behind the bulk of all FE/gaming art. Everything else can't help but be derivative.

[BakerMan]

Is it me or does visiting the Hyperspin forums give you memories of what this forum used to be like? Remember the days of old with HS 1.0 and trying to nail that script to get any one of your emus to run and when you got it running you jumped up and screamed for joy just to find out when you exited HS would freeze  Tons of people always online to help you with questions. Constant new topics/threads daily. Having to always bump your thread because this place was booming.

 

I guess what I'm getting at is....where the heck is everybody!!!??? Visiting here anymore feels depressing, empty like you can hear the echo of your keyboard. I feel like there should be some tumble weed roll from one side of my screen to the other.

 

Is there another front end everybody migrated to that I don't know about? Gamex Evolution maybe?

Everybody can break it down as much as they want, but I feel it's as simple as this:

 

An organization or entity is only as strong as it's foundation. Hyperspin's foundation was laid by BadBoyBill. Everytime the dude is actively involved this place goes nuts with excitement. Every time he goes away the excitement goes with him.

 

Trust me, the next time he shows up (and oh yes he will) you'll be right here with everybody else cheering him on and going crazy over the new features he implements.

 

Perhaps, "we the people" need to think of a super creative way to give back to him. Or at least make him realize how much he is appreciated.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[BakerMan]

This bothers me also. Aside from the FE aspect, HyperSpin is the driving community behind the bulk of all FE/gaming art. Everything else can't help but be derivative.

Well put....

 

Hyperspin has become the MECCA for gaming art. That's what really sets this place a part.

[boomerps2]

Mednafen was the bane of my existence when I first started but I've rapidly grown to adore it in many ways.

 

I couldn't stand Mednafen years back when I first started. It was way complex and then the Mednafen gui released which made things slightly easier. Including Mednafen in Retroarch was the icing on the cake. 

[damageinc86]

These forums helped me with mednafen, especially with the virtual boy settings that had to be edited in the config file.  Other than that mednafen has been one of the most painless emulators for me overall.  I really like the ease of mapping controls on screen while it's running.  If mednafen opened up to 32x, and sega cd, it would be amazing.  Retroarch won't detect any of my original controllers via usb adaptor, so it is only good for systems I want to use the xbox controller on.  

 

This really is the epicenter of FE gaming artwork.  I am amazed by the stuff that gets done in here.  It truly is top notch.  

[SkyHighGam3r]

These forums helped me with mednafen, especially with the virtual boy settings that had to be edited in the config file.  Other than that mednafen has been one of the most painless emulators for me overall.  I really like the ease of mapping controls on screen while it's running.  If mednafen opened up to 32x, and sega cd, it would be amazing.  Retroarch won't detect any of my original controllers via usb adaptor, so it is only good for systems I want to use the xbox controller on.  

 

This really is the epicenter of FE gaming artwork.  I am amazed by the stuff that gets done in here.  It truly is top notch.  

IMO RetroArch is best used with Xpadder, I run all sorts of controllers that way. Check out my signature to see how I set it up. The controller post is a couple posts in.