111 replies to this topic

[Adultery]

More fun with the Now Playing bezel:

Currently the bezel is updated in Attract Mode (I tend to work on schoolwork and listen to music at the same time) and Default Mode, but not in Game Mode. If I get to adding Attract Mode Game Info, I will add a line with Now Playing info to that bezel. I also plan to draw a snapshot onto the bezel forthe game currently running in the same fashion.

Anyways, I am able to use artist images thanks to Tom's new meta system. I decided against album art simply because I didn't want to use it. Here's what it looks like the bezel.

Attached Files

•  2012-01-25 16.53.16.jpg   1.5MB   14 downloads

[gamepimp]

Looking good Adultery. I'm always impressed what ppl can come up with by doing a little programming. I'm def going 2 have 2 give it a try one of these days...

[Adultery]

Well today I figured it was time and learned my way around XML a bit more. Started using the API for LastFM. Now I added the cover art and will be adding some fun wiki features to accompany the Visualizer. Dammit, I just need to put it out before I really screw it up!

Attached Files

•  2012-01-26 19.41.54.jpg   1.38MB   10 downloads

[Adultery]

I threw this little program together to practice some Last.fm XML parsing. Currently, it retrieves the album art, artist photo, song, album, and band bios, and some other stuff and saves the image to your HDD. When it winds up I recycle the code for iMagic, it will fill in album art gaps and add them to GameEx's MEDIA\ALBUMS folder so iMagic can use these images later. For albums that don't have covers and no Last.FM data comes up (especially crappy decade and movie compilations), it looks for a greatest hits disc cover for that artist (if that track is on it), but in the end I'll get the specific track image (in most cases it's either the originating album or the cover for the single). The code for this EXE will eventually wind up inside the iMagic project, and will add descriptions, release dates, track ranks for the song, and some other cool stuff during "Jukebox Mode". I can also fetch the Musicbrainz track ID's so I'll be experimenting with that too.

I'm pretty impressed with how powerful XML is, I must say.

 LastFM_Data_Machine.png   165.62K   13 downloads

[Tempest]

People are going to go crazy for this app.

[Adultery]

Thanks Tempest! It's too bad the user window is limited to folks using multiple monitors.

[Adultery]

Well it's come to my attention that I can't add the plugin to GameEx's install because of the Last.FM features (the API is only free to use in a non-commercial setting). So the final release will have to come in two flavors:
iMagic Basic will have all the standard features of iMagic, and will be pre-packed with GameEx.

iMagic Deluxe will include the Last.FM features and maybe a movie service for DVD's and movies on disc (like Rotten Tomatoes).

It'll be up to you what you want iMagic to do, but I'll have to make a project web page for users who want to utilize the API-based features, or those who like to stay on the bleeding edge of development.

That being said, I'll have an updated You-Tube video tomorrow.

[Draco1962]

Why does the edge have to be bleeding? Can't it just be seeping slightly? Or maybe just lightly abraded? I am liking this app more and more!

[Adultery]

:POST REMOVED:

I just realized something, I can't put this out yet!

If you would like to test though, feel free to PM me.

[flocke28]

wow.. nice work.. amazing! could you please add a mame rom info page like cpwizards gameinfo?

[headkaze]

Like this?

Attached Files

•  cpwnew03.png   183.73K   13 downloads

[Adultery]

I'm playing around a bit with info slides for emulators ATM, but I doubt I'll be able to rock it as good as Ben does with the MAME info. That looks like a lot of work and he's light years ahead of me in the skillz department.

I'd probably do something more simple since I can't make an info screen like that standard across all emulators, but it's not out of the question.

[headkaze]

CPWizard can generate game info screens for your MAME collection so if iMagic can support displaying custom images of "[rom].png" it can display game info.

[Adultery]

It can and it does (specifically it searches in ti order: [ROM].png, [ROM].jpg, [ROM].gif). All you'd have to do then is point iMagic to the folder CP Wizard saves the images in.
There's six places to put that path so it should be no problem at all. You'd just have to be sure you do it under MAME.
I may have to disable the database screen for MAME though if people decide to go this route.. I suppose I can just add a check to disable the overlay for the emulator... It's the easiest workaround.

More work on the database screen:
 2012-02-06 12.15.45.jpg   1.39MB   21 downloads

Since I have it set to draw the text on as an overlay you can have some fun with the other two layers. I also set it up so if there's a - or a : in the title, it line feeds.

I'm really pleased with the way this turned out!

[Adultery]

More videos:

[Draco1962]

What font do you use? I find that the Segoe fonts look best on the tube or LCD than most.

[Adultery]

Well in the end it'll be user configurable. For the sake of coding its Veranda I think.

[headkaze]

Something I forgot to mention Adultery is that some games like PunchOut! can utilize two screens at once. So it's worth having a test of games like that so they can run alongside iMagic.

[flocke28]

could i test this plugin?

[Adultery]

Sure! I'll PM ya when I get home with a link. There's no documentation on it yet so I hope you're learning curve isn't too steep!