FPLaunch MOD: Pause and Loading screens...

[bent98]

Blur

I complied with the basic version of AHK. When I run FP or VP tables and press esc it pauses the table instead of exiting.

It doesnt do that in 1.28.

[blur]

That's new feature

Esc is pausing to prevent you from unexpected exit

to really exit you have to press 1 when in pause

we should change pause image, instead Pause - text should be - Pause - press start to exit

[blur]

Here is a link to exe (and ahk v1.291)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=6FZI39GP

[bent98]

That's new feature

Esc is pausing to prevent you from unexpected exit

to really exit you have to press 1 when in pause

we should change pause image, instead Pause - text should be - Pause - press start to exit

I dont understand what you mean. 1.28 you hold down the esc button for 3 seconds to exit. Why would we need to press 1 after pressing pause?

[blur]

You can use this or you can still use 321 - there is an option in settings file

but 321 is not possible to implement in FP (no images possible over fp window), so this way you can have consistent behaviour on your cab in both fp and vp

there is another thing advantage - you don't have to add pause key to your cab if you don't have it

if you have a pause key on a cab you can use it just the same as esc

I lost you on chat window when i tried to refresh to page

[bent98]

blur we got chat disconnected

seems like atleast 1.28 the problem is when you launch fp it looses focus. if i click mouse on fp table after launch and then exit it goest back to HP fine.

[blur]

fp was loosing focus in first sam's version, it was because fp was launching minimized

there should be no fp focus problem in 1.28 and 1.291

at least i could not get that problem, i was testing for a while just now with all combinations of options

[samwyze]

to be honest, I dont know how I am going to use HyperDMD. I just set it up but I didnt try adding it to your script. I figured I would just try your fplaunch.

There is definatly an issue with Future Pinball I hope blur can test it or maybe you can install Future Pinball. Shouldnt take more then 5 mins to install and set it up to launch table FS. I can give you a table thats already sized 1080p if u need.

That's ok, its more finding time around the family to sit on my cab, and last night I lost the fan on my cpu so my microcab is in pieces - wanted to resolder and reorganise some of the cableing anyway! Working with a lappy motherboard isn't that fun with my eyesight though

sam i will put fp features in your 1.28 and make 1.29, is it ok?

just be sure you don't add something in parallel.

what do you think - would you like this "exit - 1" way of exiting in VP also, of course i would try put in your pause window instead of sending Esc (esc key gives unrotated! window which is unprofesional)

Doh - wish I'd seen this yesterday, I actually added a usePauseToExit key already, along with a menu of choices (back or exit) wanted to release it yesterday until my cab f**ked out!

The exiting 3 2 1 script has been fixed too (it fades smoother and more evenly).

Was having trouble with tranparencies in the pause to exit menu, when the cabs back together I'll send you the script because I think it may be related to my stripped down and optimized xp. Transperancies work fine on my win7 desktop but need to know if someone with xp has the same issues as me.

I have also been working on a much better method to draw the images, using DLL calls, I believe it may even draw over the top of the D3D Future Pinball, but no promises and it's a wee way away yet.

Have been having a good look through the autohotkey forums as well, didn't realise how much info and example scripting was on there

Anyway... just wanted to let you know where I'm at, it may be a few days before I can get back on a pc to upload my current, so Blur, just go nuts and I'll incorporate and merge any changes that you've done before I post the next one.

p.s. I also rewrote the ini writing script, but nothing major, just rather than writting the new keys all at once if the first is missing, assess them 1 by 1 and writes individually.

[blur]

here are two new version 1.12 - without loading and pause screens - escape acting as pause, and version 1.292 which is with loading screen and pause screen

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CSRDNYDP

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QWGYHEEX

1 or Enter can be used to exit when in pause.

Esc, Pause, P or right mouse button all act the same - as pause.

And a little bug fixing, mostly focus oriented.

[bent98]

here are two new version 1.12 - without loading and pause screens - escape acting as pause, and version 1.292 which is with loading screen and pause screen

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=CSRDNYDP

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QWGYHEEX

1 or Enter can be used to exit when in pause.

Esc, Pause, P or right mouse button all act the same - as pause.

And a little bug fixing, mostly focus oriented.

Ok

Well I tested both and they both work no focus issues! Great job. One thing on the 1.12 when exiting vp table from HS if you press ESC it brings up the VP option menu to exit, pause, go back to game prompt. Is that how it was intended to work?? I though you should hit esc and then it would go back to HP wheel selections.

[Dazz]

This is Pinball.... There should be no pause in pinball! If you want pause, go back to playing consoles. Don't dumb down Arcade or Pinball! I do not allow pause on my MAMEcabinet in MAME/Arcade games or on my Pin. Allowing pause on these is just wrong!

Edited January 3, 2011 by Dazz

[blur]

Ok

Well I tested both and they both work no focus issues! Great job. One thing on the 1.12 when exiting vp table from HS if you press ESC it brings up the VP option menu to exit, pause, go back to game prompt. Is that how it was intended to work?? I though you should hit esc and then it would go back to HP wheel selections.

Great, glad to hear that

In 1.12 Esc and Pause can be used to pause and to get back to game.

When in pause vp shows pause menu with "Quit to editor", "Debug window" and "Resume game" options. Enter or 1 on this screen gets you out of the game. Esc or pause on this screen gets you back to game.

So yes - you can press esc and then pause and you will be back in game.

Or esc esc, or pause pause, or pause esc.

On this pause window i made focus on "quit to editor" so it is more intuitive that you have to press enter to get out. In FP there is just hi scores screeen and you have to know that you should press enter to exit.

In 292 all keys are the same except that fancy loading and pause screens are used in vp

Bent thank you very much for your time and your testing and support

Sam if you develop something new you can use 1.292 version as a start, and continue with numbering, we don't have much numbers till final 1.3 version

Future ideas

- hide future pinball while it is saving tables (now FP window is visible while saving - could not send save key to hidden window)

- make VP automatically answer yes on new roms or any errors

- draw screens over FP

- key for screenshot (print screen, rotate and save to proper location should be done in background)

- key for going to editor - so that when you want to edit something you can do it right from the HP (for example remove something from backglass, change resolution, change rendering options, ... ) This could be attached to Alt-F4 so that alt F4 closes the game BUT makes VP or FP window visible

- key for showing tasklbar - or show taskbar on t together with mouse (makes debuging the script easier cause when you see taskbar you can see hyperlaunch log if you start uncompiled HL script)

Edited January 3, 2011 by blur

[bent98]

Is there any way to make FP exit like VP. I know right now we can't have the overlay graphics unless dll workaround is implemented, but just from a button pressing standpoint and the way my cab is set up I prefer to have FP exit like VP.

In other words cant you make the FP exit if you hold down esc for 3 secs?and pause mapped to another key? Maybe have a timer so that if esc is held down for 3 secs then send a 1 and pause is just esc or what every you assign it which in my caase would be a g?

If this is not possible can you provide an option in the script to just allow VP to use to pause feature but FP acts like it always has when there is not pause and when you hit escape it just exits back to HP?

I dont play FP that much and could do with out pause right now. I am concerned someone other then my plays the cabinet and won't know how to exit from FP.

BTW, thanks so much for your efforts on this, you guys are doing a wonderful job.

[blur]

I'll have to check for that. Maybe i could make Esc act different based on a length of keypress - short press pause - long press exit. But right not don't know itf that's possible.

As for drawing on top of FP looks like it is possible to draw black screen on top, maybe some picture also - or as sam says screenshot - I will check what has he found out.

In the meanwhile here is the new version 1.13 (the one without fancy screens) but with:

- hidden automatic save in FP - yup I covered FP window with black screen while it is saving - no more fp window on save - it looks much better now

- fp tables are saved only when needed ie when you use scroll lock key, if you don't use scroll lock table is not saved and exit is much faster (remember that some tables are 80-90 MB so it takes some time to save them)

- there is an option to disable fp save also but who would disable it if it is saved only when needed - ie when you really resize table

- even if you disable fp table save - it is possible to save resized table manually with alt-f4, read on

- since alt-F4 does funny things now - ie it closes players and leaves editors but you don't see it since both editors are hidden, so you don't know you have to close it - I changed Alt-F4 behavior - it closes the player and unhides VP/FP editor window, cursor and taskbar - so that you can edit tables, remove backglass objects that get in the way, or change settings right from HP - so remember Al-F4 and you are in editor, you can also debug HP launch script from there

So my "Future ideas" list now looks like this:

solved - hide future pinball while it is saving tables (now FP window is visible while saving - could not send save key to hidden window)

- make VP automatically answer yes on new roms or any errors

solved - draw screens over FP

- key for screenshot (print screen, rotate and save to proper location should be done in background)

solved - key for going to editor - so that when you want to edit something you can do it right from the HP (for example remove something from backglass, change resolution, change rendering options, ... ) This could be attached to Alt-F4 so that alt F4 closes the game BUT makes VP or FP window visible

solved - key for showing tasklbar - or show taskbar on t together with mouse (makes debuging the script easier cause when you see taskbar you can see hyperlaunch log if you start uncompiled HL script)

and here is folaunch 1.13 exe and ahk:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QY5556VN

Edited January 22, 2011 by blur

[bent98]

Any updates?

[blur]

Nope, I'm waiting for sam's new findings and I checked posibility of having short escape doing pause and long escape doing Exit 321.

It is possible, and sam and BBB are already doing that in Exit 321 script since after few milliseconds they check if key is still pressed or not and then they show next Exit 321 picture. This could be easily changed so that if after first few milliseconds key is up I fire pause script and if not i fire exit script - so that nobody has to choose between Exit 321 and pause behavior.

And it could be done in vp and fp just the same. Only maybe FP would have invisible screens (or maybe not), while vp will have transparent.

I could go on with this but would like to coordinate with Sam.

[samwyze]

Hi all, I am still here - have been house sitting a hobby farm for some friends, without net!

Anyway, replacing the fan on my lappy has become a more involved task. I have sanded my cab (didn't like it's colour) and updated all of my make shift electronics to make it much stronger thus more durable. I am hoping to have it reassembled by the weekend so that I can get back into FPLaunch...but with the 3 kids and school holidays still on...no promises!

[blur]

no prob sam, take your time

it's important that you are safe and well

i've heard it is tough in australia, how is new zealand?

[settingsons]

- key for screenshot (print screen, rotate and save to proper location should be done in background)

Great stuff you are doing with this Blur. Regarding the screenshot option - if it helps please feel free to take any code from my screen capture utility which is written in AHK. It captures the screenshots for the playfield and backglass images for FP tables, the playfield for VP, and creates them with the same name as the table in the Hyperpin media directory. The utility is good when you have a whole bunch of new tables as it also creates the XML as well however it will be much easier to add the odd table from your FPLaunch program with a simple button press.

The screen images are captured at full resolution in PNG format - all params are defined in the INI file. The playfield is not rotated but I am pretty sure this can be done (there might even be a DLL call to do it). Thanks for your work on FPLaunch.

[blur]

tnx settingsons, i will definitely look at your script and steel something from it

I'm also thinking about a key for automating fp table positioning which would send some configurable sequence of keys to move the table and stretch it to full screen (scroll lock and then bunch of numpad keys)

[settingsons]

Actually I have experimented with the fp arcade render position. I have a script that roughly sizes the table and backglass automatically for a batch of tables. Only thing the positioning is only rough and each table needs to be adjusted manually. I haven't uploaded the program as values are hardcoded etc. This is much more suited to your program because it can do the approximate positioning and then the user can fine tune the positions.

It basically works my sendIng a keypress scrolllock followed by sequences of pgdn, uparw, etc

Edited January 21, 2011 by settingsons

[blur]

yup, that's what i was thinking of, send the first draft

of course people will tune tables in the end but it's a quick start

all these little additions are piece of cake once you get the idea, yeah i could do this, and that and so on.

each peace is small but all together you get much better features with these additions

[Numiah]

Blur, would you mind updating your first post with the 1.28 link ?

I DL-ed that version and got into focus trouble and had to roll back.

I just found 1.29 buried deep in this thread on page 6 I believe. Would be neat to have that on e on page one.

Tnx !

Num

[blur]

i wouldn't mind but i can't

i'm not the author of that post and i'm not admin or moderator, sorry

maybe sam or some moderator could add link to 1.29 and 1.13 files

[Numiah]

Doh.. excuse my stupidness.

*inserts foot in mouth*