Jump to content
Download Section Back Up, Navigate the Right Hand Menu to find files, ignore the 0s

Question: Is development dead for HyperSpin??


lildivaaa

Recommended Posts

Hey all,

I know I'm probably stirring up a hornet's net by asking this...but for more than one year now, there's been silence regarding any further development on HyperSpin. Version 2.0 sounds mostly mythical at this point.

Does anyone at all have any insight into the future of HyperSpin??? Or is it more of a matter of, "what we got...is what we got"???

Thank you,

Craig - Atlanta, Ga. USA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hyperspin isn't dead it's got 3.0.0.9 hyperlinks out and still functionable

Oh, I know it's still very much functional. I suppose I'm looking at it from a "maintenance" point of view.

In regards to what you mentioned about, "3.0.0.9 hyperlinks"...exactly what did you mean by that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey all,

I know I'm probably stirring up a hornet's net by asking this...but for more than one year now, there's been silence regarding any further development on HyperSpin. Version 2.0 sounds mostly mythical at this point.

Does anyone at all have any insight into the future of HyperSpin??? Or is it more of a matter of, "what we got...is what we got"???

Thank you,

Craig - Atlanta, Ga. USA

At this point, I take it as "it's what we got, deal or find a new FE."

Thanks goes to the members that are adding little apps here and there and there to make things interesting , also recent findings to get features that were promised in 2.0 like Widescreen Theme Support, and search engine was made by Pietie.

And Hyperlaunch has pretty much surpassed the FE anyway, now compatible with any FE.

But as a long time member here, I would bet money HS 2.0 stays "on hold" forever. My opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey all,

I know I'm probably stirring up a hornet's net by asking this...but for more than one year now, there's been silence regarding any further development on HyperSpin. Version 2.0 sounds mostly mythical at this point.

Does anyone at all have any insight into the future of HyperSpin??? Or is it more of a matter of, "what we got...is what we got"???

Thank you,

Craig - Atlanta, Ga. USA

Yes, for the most part, HyperSpin (the front end) is is no longer being developed. The author is not around much.

HyperLaunch is in full development and is being updated often. You just need to setup the GIT repository to get the newest updates.

Thanks,

Ron

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At this point, I take it as "it's what we got, deal or find a new FE."

Thanks goes to the members that are adding little apps here and there and there to make things interesting , also recent findings to get features that were promised in 2.0 like Widescreen Theme Support, and search engine was made by Pietie.

And Hyperlaunch has pretty much surpassed the FE anyway, now compatible with any FE.

But as a long time member here, I would bet money HS 2.0 stays "on hold" forever. My opinion.

Understood. and I'd just like to say that this is by far the BEST FE there is for any emulation platform out there...bar none. I am extremely grateful to any and all who contribute to this to keep it alive.

I guess...to me, it just seems a shame that something as great as HyperSpin would loose out on being updated, upgraded and/or improved upon. Again...my viewpoint is simply from a maintenance point-of-view.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, for the most part, HyperSpin (the front end) is is no longer being developed. The author is not around much.

HyperLaunch is in full development and is being updated often. You just need to setup the GIT repository to get the newest updates.

Thanks,

Ron

Well...that is sad to hear, but it's what I expected. I wonder if anyone has ever tried to get in touch with the original author (I'm assuming badboybill) to find out if they wouldn't mind letting someone else take it over and keep it going???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As is HyperSpin is very functional even without any necessary updates. For the most part even to this day it is by far one of the most feature rich and functional front ends.

But to answer your question... Quite a bit of development has been done with HyperSpin 2.0. However, current development of HyperSpin is on hold for now as other opportunities have presented themselves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I share your sentiments. I was looking around for a front-end for years,...the best I could find was maximus,...so i started messing around with that. Then one day while searching for something related to a front end, that I guess had the word spin in it,...I noted a web-link to this site. WOW...I was absolutely floored by the simple, media-rich approach, and honestly,...having things in a wheel was what sealed the deal. No more boring lists in a box. This front-end completes everything, and brings it into a cohesive experience.

To me it is a really big shame that development is not able to be continued at this point. As far as I'm concerned it's pretty much perfect already, so it's not making me loose sleep. But, having some certain added functionalities and/or minimal updates to certain tweaks that may be needed as people run into different situations, would be a nice thing to have.

I could use this front-end as-is forever pretty much though, so kudos to the author for making it that good to begin with!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

any anyone knows badboybill, Someone knows if he was dedicated to programming or otherwise. I believe that if Hyperspin not updated. will die. Hyperlaunchhq is a front end itself. better to leave this with GameEx. many users migrated. Hyperspin goodbye ... We are few that we are still forever. But do not be hypocritical if I get something better graphically Hyperspin say goodbye .... I will continue with hyperlauchhq. if possible. if it continues being updated ... but also for months not updated anything .. finally .... if anyone knows badboybill let him know that his dying software hs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

any anyone knows badboybill, Someone knows if he was dedicated to programming or otherwise. I believe that if Hyperspin not updated. will die. Hyperlaunchhq is a front end itself. better to leave this with GameEx. many users migrated. Hyperspin goodbye ... We are few that we are still forever. But do not be hypocritical if I get something better graphically Hyperspin say goodbye .... I will continue with hyperlauchhq. if possible. if it continues being updated ... but also for months not updated anything .. finally .... if anyone knows badboybill let him know that his dying software hs

It's not dying at all... If anything it's still as functional as GameEx and still better looking. As I posted a few minutes ago; development is on hold for other opportunities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously this is an extreme outside looking in perspective but if further development is unlikely to happen for a long time couldn't the code just be open sourced? I know that is a big ask for the person(s) responsible for the code as its their work, their idea, their great execution but it would be a huge shame just to leave it trailing in the wind as it currently is. Maybe even launch a kickstarter so there's some ( I can't see it being much) compensation...

While there isn't much more I personally want to see done I would like subwheels so I could have main Arcade, Nintendo, Sega etc wheels and hide all the systems within those wheels so the front-end is easier to manage to lots of systems. That a some more bug fixes (It sometimes crashes on startup on my windows 8 system).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dazz always know more then we do :cool: i do understand that its hard for members that were hoping to see HS 2.0...same for me, especially when i saw the rating system, the wheel effects and the nice new special artworks. as a long time member and contributor it even drained me from doing anything like themes or art that i wanted to finish especially for HS 2.0 and some of the nice new add ons.....but it is like it is. we can only hope in the future. and also waiting to see what Game ex can do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True. I brought up a really good point. From a theme point of view, they are currently created at 1024x768 or some are can be made in widescreen by crunching the art into a 4:3 format. If a new version ever comes out that has proper widescreen support at higher resolutions, what will happen to all the themes we have? All that work would have been for nothing. No one will want to re-do them all. There should be a rule that all theme creators post their PSD files in high res along with the theme, just in case something ever changes in hyerspin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously this is an extreme outside looking in perspective but if further development is unlikely to happen for a long time couldn't the code just be open sourced? I know that is a big ask for the person(s) responsible for the code as its their work, their idea, their great execution but it would be a huge shame just to leave it trailing in the wind as it currently is. Maybe even launch a kickstarter so there's some ( I can't see it being much) compensation...

While there isn't much more I personally want to see done I would like subwheels so I could have main Arcade, Nintendo, Sega etc wheels and hide all the systems within those wheels so the front-end is easier to manage to lots of systems. That a some more bug fixes (It sometimes crashes on startup on my windows 8 system).

I was going to say something similar. It's not my project but considering how much time has passed I think it would make sense to find another developer or just go all out open source. This topic comes up from time to time and seems like it is always walking on egg shells. I am sure at some point a decision will be made whether Hyperspin development will continue or that it will be no longer updated and the community will be made aware.

*Sigh* Anyways I am grateful HS exists and the dedicated community behind it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Being a long-time lurker/member here I personally would take what Dazz is saying as reason for optimism. Yes, it has been a long time since BBB has been active on the forums but Dazz, who knows the situation probably as well as anyone, has said not only in this thread but in others that HS development is "on hold" due to BBB having a great job opportunity which is causing his free time to be limited and thus not allowing him to continue his work on 2.0. No one has ever said that BBB lost interest in the project and walked away...what I take from posts on the subject over the past few years - life is just getting in the way.

Also, looking back, BBB took his break when so many people on the Dev thread were pounding the crap out of him to complete 2.0 and complaining that they had "paid for the upgrade" just by donating and becoming a platinum member. That's the reason I started losing hope that 2.0 would ever see the light of day...who in their right mind would want to deal with all that BS when you're doing something for free...something that you enjoy? Who the hell would "enjoy" that?? The fact that Dazz even opens the door that BBB may return when real life is less crazy, is more than I could have expected. And btw, BBB pushed v1.3.2 out a little over a year ago (end of June 2013) which accommodated the new version of HyperLaunch...and 6 months before that he gave us 1.3 which address a ton of issues like allowing MP4-formatted,vids, tons of bug fixes, etc. So it hasn't been "years" since he was active with development.

As for making the project open-source...I thought I recall in several threads that HS is written in ActionScript making it more complicated to make it open-source (not sure if due to Adobe licensing or something else). I know that development talent availability for ActionScript is nowhere near something like c#/.NET or JAVA/LAMP so how many experienced developers would line up to take the baton? Also, this is Bill's baby...making it open source may allow for future releases but doesn't necessarily mean that the level of quality of Bill's releases would be maintained. Look at what's happened to NullDC or Project64...

In the meantime, we have a great, dedicated community that keeps the project alive. I still think it's the best front-end out there. Thanks to the efforts of jhabers and Frostbyte, HyperBase Live is close to beta...djvj and team have made HyperLaunch amazingly powerful and continue to improve it...THK, Donnie (Sub-Zero), Matted, Baddy, and crew continue to crank out incredible artwork. If we could have more member engagement in the HS Project, imagine what we would have if Bill does re-engage in the future....still lots I'm looking forward to.

Just my 2 cents...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, not exactly free. He's getting membership money from all the people that decide they want more than just a barebones look.

As far as punishing people for getting excited for the new release... that's just ridiculous. Maybe you'd prefer if no one cared? I think he just got really busy or "other opportunities" include a similar, albeit commercial product that would be in conflict with HyperSpin. Purely speculation here. Anyhow, none of us know the details and it's his personal privacy, so try not to speculate too much. I certainly feel the disappointment and anxiety, but I don't want to guess about the developer's motivations and then be proven wrong later.

I don't understand the users that claim to be walking away simply because it's not being actively developed. What is the issue pushing you out? It still looks and works great. No reason to freak out until 1) something comes along that breaks it ie. current OS's becoming obsolete and new OS's lacking support 2) something better comes along.

HyperSpin may not be in active development but it's getting better all the time with new artwork, HyperLaunch updates, and new supporting software.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So while we wait for the next big thing, how about some help on the HS Project in the meantime?.....there is a ton of work still to do. Want some work, ping Brolly. Just a reminder, we dont want people on the project that will jump ship after finding or doing a few things....we want people who are dedicated in achieving the HS Project's goals: To fully complete every system ever made (database, wheels, boxart, discart, videos, etc) and complete it with upmost quality.

Just some perspective....as an example, it took me about a year and a half to work on ~ 300 wheels for the Saturn Japanese wheel set (majority of the wheels were redos)....imagine if more people worked on the set with me, how much faster that would of been completed and how much sooner another project could be worked on. Imagine one or two people work on a daunting project such as, as an example, PS2 or PS1....trying to complete boxart, discart, wheelart, videos, databases, etc to a high standard of quality.........now multiply that with by how many consoles, handhelds, arcades, pc games, etc etc...this project add up extremely fast....

So, if you have time and want to show your appreciation of this awesome frontend and/or to the people who all make it possible...the people who sacrifice their personal time to give it to you for free, please, help out.

Peace,

Iggy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree with Iggy here. BBB put forth a very nice front-end, and a vision, but the true strength of this project lies with the community. HS would be pretty much like any other front-end out there without the endless hours put in by this community creating art, themes, support programs, etc. As far as I understood it, the money paid for membership here goes towards the cost of running a high speed FTP server. Without it, we'd have to rely on individual repositories or torrent distribution.

Having said that: Though I can fully understand that other opportunities can get in the way of a hobby (my own front-end hasn't had a serious update since 2004; at least nothing that I published), it would be nice if we could get some view on where HyperSpin is going. It's working great, but it could use a few bugfixes and additional features here and there. Perhaps BBB or a friendly programmer will pick it up, or they will open the source code, or perhaps a new compatible code base will be written from scratch or perhaps this is as far as it will go. In any case: it would be nice to know.

As for my own angle: since HS will not be coming to Linux, I'm working on a front-end for Linux that will be able to use (part of) the HS theming. That way I don't have to start from scratch, and I can focus on adding my own work to the HS community. That's the advantage of compatibility: you only have to do the work once. :) For the moment I will focus on tools to create XML files, possibly with additional features like the number of players project recently started. Together we can keep HS alive and competitive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...