HyperSpin News Update

[BadBoyBill]

Hey everyone, I just wanted to put out there where Im going with this next release of HyperSpin and thanks for being patient, since I know I said somewhere at some point that I was supposed to have a release last week.

Right before I was going to release I was having a couple problems with my installer and have switched over to a better installer.

When I switched over to the new installer I was doing some practice runs of installing HS and just kinda pretending to be the average joe installing HS to get a feel for what a newcomer might get into and I realized at that point that HyperSpin was way behind in this area.

Right now the new HS is going to get a fresh start and its just about there and its mostly working. What I mean by fresh start is that the next release will be the core installer and anything after that will be just overwriting the exe with new builds.

The core installer is big, maybe by release day, 200 meg. Yes its big, but its all there. HS will already include all main menu themes, a default menu theme for all sub menu's, all the xml databases and settings files. It also includes more sounds, more art, and lots of new settings that make HS alot better.

How does this affect your current setup?
Im going to ask anyone serious about using HS to install from this next build. I have made so many changes that you really dont want to just overwrite what you have or simply copy your folders over to your new install. Alot of the main menu themes artworks are moved to other artowrks to accomidate new artwork. So installing this and copying your media folder over wont work. You will cause problems if you do. But the bulk of your media folder right now is mame themes, so you can copy the themes and images folders for all your systems. BE CAREFUL, there are new and improved default.png in the artwork folders that come with the installer that you dont want to overwrite.

I found several problems with some of the downloadable default themes on this site also that will come with fixed versions in the installer. The downloads on this site for those themes will be removed.

It kinda sucks that Im asking people to reinstall but its for the best for moving forward, and since this is beta, we could expect things like this.
But you will be impressed, the new version has alot of great improvments and functionality that you'll like alot. And intalling it will get you most of the way back to where you are now, it will be worthed.

So Im pushing to get a release out this week if possible. Im working hard and fast to get this out to you asap. Thanks for the patience.

[The Loafer]

I appreciate the hard work, I think we all do. I think you nailed it on the head when you mention this is a beta and thus we have to expect something like this, and consider it can happen again too. I don't really care, I keep a copy of the themes zipped so it's just a question of reinstalling them, no biggy.

Looking forward to seeing what's new in the release, thanks again.

[alphaviper7]

beta is just that, improving the software until the final version comes out. Great job and thanks for everything, including your the time and effort to producing this great FE. My kids are loving it as it is versatile and easy to manuever from game system to video game. Simplicity is the key and I think we are on the road to it.

[kingb33]

Sounds great to me Bil, whatever it takes to help you out and move this forward.

Thanks for all the hard work as always. Can't wait to see the release

[EVEGames]

Right-o, BBB. We trust you. Do your thing.

[EvilDindon]

YEah that's right.

You don't need to apologize for that, but WE have to thank you for your excellent work.

[Necrosaro420]

Sounds good. I wont have all the parts to finish up the mame box until this week anyway, so the relesae of this is perfect timing lol. Ive had it installed and doing alot of working with it (current version) just to get a feel for everything

[Goalies Rule]

Thanks for the hard work and heads up! Keep it up BBB

Sounds like I need to make a copy of my current HS just in case

[FatNasty]

I believe everyone, who has been following the project, will do what's best without complaining.

[Visitor Q]

OH HOLY CRAP!!!!! ;) Joking, joking…

Moving forward sometimes means taking a few steps backwards first.

I know you said here that it would be ok to move Themes and Images folders here but what about Sound and Video folders that go along with the themes?

How are the themes going to be install with the new version, same method?

[BadBoyBill]

Basically you have boxart for nes maybe in artwork 2 or something but in the new release they need to be in artwork 3 , so a simple copy over of your media folder would mess your theme up. Its ok though because I put blank text files saying "Place Boxart Here" in each of the proper folders. Each folder has instructions like this telling you what needs to go in it so theres no guessing. The main thing that caused this was that the default themes available on the site were made wrong I think, so I fixed them but I had to break up the images into other artwork layers which was where boxart was. So now boxart moves to another folder.

Sounds are OK to move straight over. Videos are also ok to move straight over, but I'd recommend just keeping your videos seperate from the install and have your video paths just point to that.

Also you might have different default.png files in your artwork folders, its important not to copy those over to the new install because the default artworks got moved around or new ones added.

Once you see how its all laid out, its really just simple and easy to follow.

Also the next release also allows for a default.xml file for sub menu themes. Normally sub menu themes use the ini files for artwork locations and animations, but if a user wants to share a new default theme then they have to give you instructions on what to change in the ini. Now they can just give you a default.xml theme file and it will override the ini settings. Ini settings are still used if theres no default.xml file so everyones old stuff still works.

Also included in the release in the artwork folders besides default themes are a single boxart image for the first game on the list. Now when you go into the sub menu you will see the first game is themed out already, and all other games are text on the wheel. This will help you build your collection and see where your at, instead of blank themes and "no image available" on the wheel. Alot more undrestandable now.

So all in all I would say its mostly safest to transfer your theme files over, BUT NOT DEFAULT.PNG's (Dont overwrite new ones). Boxarts and other art will have to be moved over on a case by case basis, possibly to another artwork folder. But like I said its self explanitory once you look at the folders.

[Visitor Q]

Sounds like you have made a lot of great changes, can't wait.

Currently I have all the themes that are out for Mame, do you feel it would just be best to reinstall them all rather than move any of them? Maybe just blow out everything and start fresh?

I see you also said you made changes to the default themes. Are you referring to the ones that came with the original HS install? Just wondering what ones exactly so I can download the correct versions and remove the old ones or if they will be included with the new install? Maybe you are not talking about any of the Mame themes?

As far as my videos go, I have them all on a seperate drive but I know some themes come with .png files for videos, example galga88 and they have to go into the video dir with the flv files. Is this going to remain the same?

[BadBoyBill]

You dont have to download anymore default themes, they all come with the installer and setup correctly, so dont worry about removing and redownloading new ones. The ones on the site are going to be removed except for user created ones.

For MAME I would copy the entire themes folder over, and all your artworks. Just click no when it asks to overwrite a default.png.

[Visitor Q]

You dont have to download anymore default themes, they all come with the installer and setup correctly, so dont worry about removing and redownloading new ones. The ones on the site are going to be removed except for user created ones.

For MAME I would copy the entire themes folder over, and all your artworks. Just click no when it asks to overwrite a default.png.

I'm sure a lot of this will be more clear when I get my hands on the new version.

I think what I am just going to do is move my current HS folder, and just install everything from scratch. Then I will try moving the Mame Media folder and do as you say.

I think where I am losing you is what do you consider to be a "default theme"? By this to you mean system themes and not themes for the games within Mame?

[Dazz]

I'm sure a lot of this will be more clear when I get my hands on the new version.

I think what I am just going to do is move my current HS folder, and just install everything from scratch. Then I will try moving the Mame Media folder and do as you say.

I think where I am losing you is what do you consider to be a "default theme"? By this to you mean system themes and not themes for the games within Mame?
In HS we have the following:

1. Main Menu Themes (system select) - When you launch HS this is the first wheel that appears. You would select MAME, SNES, NES, Genesis.... etc. from this menu.

2. Default System Themes (game select without theme) - This is like a game theme except this theme appears when you DO NOT HAVE A GAME SPECIFIC THEME for the selected game. If you use themes_only = true then this is something that you will never see.

3. Game themes (game select with theme) - These are themes for games that a theme has been created for.

Default Themes are defaulted to if you do not have a specific theme for that game. If you use Themes_only=true then you will not see the default themes. However, if you have themes_only set to false then for any game that you do not have a game theme for then HS will display the DEFAULT theme.

[Visitor Q]

Hmmmm... I will have to look at my setup when I get home. Maybe I have never seen this...

In anycase, when the new version comes out it should be safe to move all my Mame and Daphne themes just don't overwrite anything that says "default.png".

[billpa]

exactly.

[manipars]

Greetings to the HyperSpin community! I'm checking the HS front page every morning and hoping to see the text: "0.8.0.0 - Download" on the right-pane, but I'm sure that many others are doing this as well =) This seems like a major update. When Microsoft does something like this they usually market it as a "new OS" and re-brand it =). it's a very good step to make this already amzing & user friendly frontend and its installer more "user friendly" for the "average Joe's". This will for sure increase the HS community at a later point because the truth is that the army of "average Joe's" worldwide outnumbers us "hi-tech geeks" by billions++ =). keep up the good work. We're looking forward to the next release. Cheers.

[Visitor Q]

Thats some location manipars. ;)

Well said.

[Necrosaro420]

Just out of curiosity, any chance of the new version getting released tommrow? (Weds)

Have the final part to my machine coming in and its time to start copying everything to it =) Thanks and keep up the great work!

[BadBoyBill]

Maybe not, Im thinking more like this weekend possibly, but dont quote me on that.

[Donovan]

Maybe not, Im thinking more like this weekend possibly, but dont quote me on that.

:flute:

Seriously though, great piece of software. I note that sometimes it's overwhelmed with the animation at times and chokes a little bit until it catches up. Is that something that will change over time as it is refined? I am running it on a machine that is much more overkill than I hope to eventually be using for MAME. :)

Cheers!

[bobrocks95]

:flute:

Seriously though, great piece of software. I note that sometimes it's overwhelmed with the animation at times and chokes a little bit until it catches up. Is that something that will change over time as it is refined? I am running it on a machine that is much more overkill than I hope to eventually be using for MAME. :)

Cheers!

Try turning off "Advanced menu transitions" or something similar to that. It removes the load-intensive transitions that slowed my computer down.

[Donovan]

Sometimes it's the themes themselves, that are harder to display in real-time than others. Dig Dug's music, for example, always chokes when starting. Some themes have graphics that stutter when they first start, although sometimes this doesn't occur - I believe it's due to the random effect that Hyperspin applies to the backgrounds. Some effects are easier on the GPU than others. Oddly, no amount of lowering the resolution or options will make Dig Dug's music play properly at first, so I think that theme just needs a tweak or two...

So, yes, turning off Background Advanced Animations (via the newer HyperHQ) does solve the slowdown when the themes are first starting... Thanks for the tip, bobrocks95! A very obvious example of the slowdown for me was Centipede. Knocking the resolution from 1280x1024 to 800x600 also solves the problem, so it seems some of HyperSpin is expecting a pretty serious dedicated graphics card at times. I'm hopeful that the disabling of the special effects will enable HyperSpin to run on the more lower-end hardware that is usually used with MAME.

My graphics are integrated, but they are high-end integrated: Radeon HD3200 - not that I expect to be using this system for MAME. The display is a 1920x1200 16:10 LCD display that rotates (yay for MAME vertical games via autorotation), so running it in 800x600 is a bit gross. :) I expect that if we want the benefits of HyperSpin, we may have to be prepared to up the hardware on the box significantly from past front-ends BHS - Before HyperSpin :)

[brian_hoffman]

Sometimes it's the themes themselves, that are harder to display in real-time than others. Dig Dug's music, for example, always chokes when starting. Some themes have graphics that stutter when they first start, although sometimes this doesn't occur - I believe it's due to the random effect that Hyperspin applies to the backgrounds. Some effects are easier on the GPU than others. Oddly, no amount of lowering the resolution or options will make Dig Dug's music play properly at first, so I think that theme just needs a tweak or two...


Donovan,
Dig Dug only make noise when you walk. Play the game.
In the video the sound stops when he isn't walking.

There is not a pc fast enough to fix that :flute:

[BadBoyBill]

The reason main reason I see from your post is running it at a high resolution, theres really no advantage I see from running it greater than 1024 x 768 , higher than that then HS has to upscale the graphics which is processor intensive. Not only that but the graphics dont get any better really. Its mainly designed with the arcade in mind and I run it lower than 1024 but some people have 1024 arcade monitors which is the main reason we design themes at that res. Its not for HDTV's and things like that unless you have a good CPU.

[bobrocks95]

Upscaling graphics is quite GPU intensive, and I doubt that an on-board graphics card can handle that.

[Darkside138]

Can't wait for the new release. I'm just finishing up my first arcade cab and from the sounds of the features in the next version of HS it's going to be miles ahead of any other front end I've seen. Running the current beta version now and I'm def. loving it! Keep up the good work.

[paulstevens]

Dig Dug sound choking at startup is the flv itself, not HS. Play the flv in a stand alone player, you'll see what I mean. The emumovies avi does the same thing, as that is where the flv came from.

[BadBoyBill]

Just wanna let you guys see one other new feature, thanks to FyreCrypts and the team for creating the High score software.



http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/examples/hs/hiscore.jpg


I tried to make the high score text not to intrusive on the theme, you can set a delay before the hi score comes on, also you can set the y coordinates to where you'd like it on the screen.

Basically yes you see it here on top of a theme but its animated and bubbles in and it flips between the different ranks of hi scores there are so that your not seeing it the whole time.

Also I changed all the ranks to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.. instead of 0,1,2,3.

Now you can see your initials and your scores from the FE.

Oh and BEH is brian_hoffman and his high score, he gave me his hi score file to play with.

[killboy35]

Just wanna let you guys see one other new feature, thanks to FyreCrypts and the team for creating the High score software.

Wooooooow !!

You did it in such a short time !! :adore: :adore: :adore:
I'm completely stunned !!
BBB, you rule !! (do you still use the verb "rule" in English?)


by the way : why not displaying the full score chart over the theme when pressing a button in a "are you sure you want to quit?" fashion ?

[BadBoyBill]

I thought about it but then I'd be adding more buttons, do more work in HQ, auditor, another screen, etc.. It woulda been a ton more work I dont really feel like doin at this point. I think its pretty cool the way it is, you'll have to see it in action.

[Goalies Rule]

BBB....thats awesome

[bent98]

You are the man Bill. :dancing2:

[brian_hoffman]

Just wanna let you guys see one other new feature, thanks to FyreCrypts and the team for creating the High score software.



http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/examples/hs/hiscore.jpg


I tried to make the high score text not to intrusive on the theme, you can set a delay before the hi score comes on, also you can set the y coordinates to where you'd like it on the screen.

Basically yes you see it here on top of a theme but its animated and bubbles in and it flips between the different ranks of hi scores there are so that your not seeing it the whole time.

Also I changed all the ranks to 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.. instead of 0,1,2,3.

Now you can see your initials and your scores from the FE.

Oh and BEH is brian_hoffman and his high score, he gave me his hi score file to play with.

Looks very good! My hi score isn't very high but its served it's purpose.
I'll never tell what the "E" stands for.

Great work Bill

[bobrocks95]

Umm... Your middle name?

[Visitor Q]

Damn... Now that high score thing, now that is FAWKING COOL!

How does that work, with the Mame hi score files?

ps. That's a weak score. LOL! ;)

[EVEGames]

That high score feature is a very big deal, BBB. Quite an accomplishment. Many thanks to you and FyreCrypts. If you haven't announced this feature on BYOAC, I'd say it deserves its own thread. That's going to create some buzz for sure.

I second VQ's post, I'm very curious to know how it works (without giving away any trade secrets of course) :listen:

Congratulations, keep up the good work!

[BadBoyBill]

It was really nothing on my part, I would say FyreCrypts is working the hard part, he makes it easy for any FE to add this feature in if they want. I wouldnt doubt that probably most all currently worked on FE's might support it in the future.

From what I see right now the list of supported games is growing pretty good. Theres maybe 100 or so games Im guessing but that includes clones. Hopefully we see that project continue to grow and support lots more games.

You will need to download his program from the byoac thread and stick it in the HS directory for now on the next release. It reads from the .hi files so if you dont have a .hi file for a certain game then it wont work. Also it looks like you'll regularly need to download his latest version to keep up to date with the latest supported games.

[Necrosaro420]

Sounds good, I have everything ready to go as soon as the new version comes out! Been using just mame .128 till then, and it sucks! lol. Its always giving me a "random" list of games so I can never find anything =(

[Visitor Q]

One more thing to add to my update list. ;)

It looks really cool, can't wait!

[kingb33]

It was really nothing on my part, I would say FyreCrypts is working the hard part, he makes it easy for any FE to add this feature in if they want. I wouldnt doubt that probably most all currently worked on FE's might support it in the future.

From what I see right now the list of supported games is growing pretty good. Theres maybe 100 or so games Im guessing but that includes clones. Hopefully we see that project continue to grow and support lots more games.

You will need to download his program from the byoac thread and stick it in the HS directory for now on the next release. It reads from the .hi files so if you dont have a .hi file for a certain game then it wont work. Also it looks like you'll regularly need to download his latest version to keep up to date with the latest supported games.

1 word. Awesome.

[Twin-X]

I am exited!! This is all looking good!!

[Grapple]

well, just have to say that i am excited about all the new features.. looking very promising.. Just finished my new Mabb a few days ago and it is running nicely with HS, and all my arcadefreak friends are impressed by the FE... just wait til the new version arrives I tell them...

Thanks alot for all the efforts you put into this system, and when I can afford it I will donate some more to the project..

[Necrosaro420]

Hows that update coming along? Still on track for a release this weekend?

[EvilDindon]

Hey, we can't wait anymore !

Please, please, give us the new torrent !

PS : Will the new installer include all the 100+ HS team themes ?

[Necrosaro420]

Yeah I wish there was a torrent with ALL of the themes etc, that would be a time saver lol

[bent98]

There wont be a torrent with all the themes, however if you are a gold member($25 donation) you can get access to out ftp site. We have every single theme up for download.

I update it daily!

[cathaldub]

And its excellent:burnout:

[monkeysez]

I am sooooo excited for this release. After christmas I'll donate fo shizzle. I love this software.

[bobrocks95]

fo' shizzle my nizzle.

[ACE]

I'll be donating as well!

[BadBoyBill]

Thanks guys, that would be great and help us out alot, and you will for sure love the next release alot.

The reason its not out yet is that real life is getting in the way this week and I've been working alot of overtime at the job. I'll be off in a couple days at which time I will spend a few days off preparing everything for download. I'll probably have a few mirrros to download the package since its getting pretty big. Those with private ftp access should get the package over from that server instead.

Also when I dont have access to programming I have time to photoshop so just letting you guys know you can expect a full wheel set for atari 5200 rewdrawn from scratch in alot of cases and a super clean restored cart set from fresh templates I made for the various cart styles to use with the default theme for 5200 that comes with the installer. Those are already done. The 5200 xml is done and has years and manufacturers done to. Also you might expect a completely restored box set for lynx from drawn templates I made for that mint look and a full set of wheel images.

[Necrosaro420]

Are there any release notes out as to what all to expect in this next release? Thanks!

[scrapple]

I havent been around in a while... job and daughter stuff...
Looking forward to a christmas release of new version (wink wink)

[Dazz]

Are there any release notes out as to what all to expect in this next release? Thanks!Once Bill is able to supply the complete release notes, I'll get them updated in the Release Notes section of the site.

[noobles]

Hey guys,
Just wanted to say thanks for all the hard work from the developers of the application all the way to the guys who make the themes and graphics. I've been watching this project for a long time and I wanted to put my thanks out there so you know that all your hard work is appreciated. In fact, I've donated towards both the EmuMovies and Hyperspin projects.

Hyperspin is by far the best front-end out there hands down. I'm planning to use it for the mame cabinet I'm currently trying to restore.

Just to let you know, I'm a software engineer so if you guys need help with some programming either with making either the actual frontend or some tools to help out with managing roms/xml files/etc. I'm happy to help. Just let me know. Thanks!

[BadBoyBill]

Thanks for the donation and thanks for the offer to help, since Im the only person on the development team, well cant say team since its just me, but its possible that I could use help, not sure where yet but its possible. I'd been asking for a hand since the beginning and a couple people flaked out.

[brian_hoffman]

Thanks for the donation and thanks for the offer to help, since Im the only person on the development team, well cant say team since its just me, but its possible that I could use help, not sure where yet but its possible. I'd been asking for a hand since the beginning and a couple people flaked out.

Come on bill there is no I in team. I think a DAT to XML converter would be a great way to get game lists close to being complete then just fill in the missing data. Im still working on the gba xml but there is alot more work to do still.

[noobles]

Alright guys, I've made a quick and dirty DAT to XML converter.

What it does is it takes a no-intro dat-o-matic dat file and converts it to a hyperspin compatible menu xml. It'll only work on dat-o-matic files since they have a very specific format. I noticed on the no-intro download page, there are dat files there but they are in a completely different format (they are in an incompatible xml format than the one hyperspin uses - it uses attributes instead of tags to store data).

The generated xml file introduces additional information that the hyperspin xml does not contain but the dat file does such as filename, filesize, md5 and sha1 hashes. I've included them just for the sake of completeness.

The generated xml does in fact work perfectly inside hyperspin even with the additional info. Keep in mind that I've only used the Atari 5200 and Gameboy Advanced dat files to test it out and far as I can tell they work perfectly. This should only be used by advanced users so I've decided to kind of hide it in this thread instead of creating a new one (sorry for the thread hijacking). Oh btw, I wrote it in java... I know it can be a pain to distribute but I'll figure out something out later.

Please find attached both the .java and .class files. In order for me to attach them, I've appended .txt at the end of the file. So just remove the extension as soon as you download them. I hope you moderators don't mind.

If you want to compile it from the source (you must have jdk installed with the proper paths) then at the command prompt type: "javac dat2xml.java"

I have also attached the .class file if you don't have jdk installed. Once again, at command prompt type: java dat2xml "input dat file" "output xml file"

If you have any questions then don't hesitate to reply. All suggestions are welcome!

[ACE]

Do I understand right when I say that this "opens up the ability for Hyperspin to read more game tag info"?
If so, what is the primary reason you wrote it? (possible tags)

(Sorry if I'm off base - This is uncharted territory for me, but willing (and quick) to learn)

[Dazz]

noobles - This sounds like a nice little app. Does this compare the DAT with your Rom folder and create the HyperSpin XML based only on what games you have? Or does this only create full game lists?

[BadBoyBill]

Thanks for the app, Im sure it will come in handy, we wont need the extra fields you put in, it only makes the file sizes bigger, which wont be necessary, we'll most like never use them.
Also if you want I have some regex's you can use that will pull rom name, descriptions and crc right out of the dats if you want to use them instead of substrings, either works fine I guess but I noticed you had notes in your code about maybe pulling out info by accident under certain conditions.

^\s*name\s*\"(.*)\" Name

^\s*description\s*\"(.*)\" Description

crc\s*(\w*) CRC

Thanks for the contribution

[kmsubaru]

where can I download the new HS? sorry I am new to this site.
thanks a lot guys!

[bobrocks95]

Version 0.8.0.0 isn't completed yet, but for now you can get version 0.7.0.2 from the main page(there's a banner on the right).

[glonq]

Thanks for the donation and thanks for the offer to help, since Im the only person on the development team, well cant say team since its just me, but its possible that I could use help, not sure where yet but its possible. I'd been asking for a hand since the beginning and a couple people flaked out.
I'm sure there's a few competent developers who'd be willing to help out -- myself included. IMO, keep the glamorous stuff for yourself and outsource the low-risk crap work to helpers. You know, the stuff that needs to get done but isn't very fun. Like HyperHQ ;)

BTW, what did you use to develop hyperspin? Please don't say VB!

[Dazz]

I'm sure there's a few competent developers who'd be willing to help out -- myself included. IMO, keep the glamorous stuff for yourself and outsource the low-risk crap work to helpers. You know, the stuff that needs to get done but isn't very fun. Like HyperHQ ;)

BTW, what did you use to develop hyperspin? Please don't say VB!He's using Flash and AS3 for HyperSpin. I think the new HQ is done using the same, but not 100& sure.

[brian_hoffman]

For those that don't know AS3 is action script

[ACE]

Is this still the week that we see the new release?

[bent98]

A new release is close.


BBB is working so damn hard to bring you this next major release. He is working on this while working long shifts at work with a few hours of sleep .Since this project is such an ambitious one, there are times when Bill has to think outside the box and take a different approach to programming. This takes a lot of planning and trial and error to make HS look and feel so damn cool. With this said please be patient and I promise you it will be worth the wait.
As I've got to know Bill more and more all I can say is he’s defiantly a perfectionist. He puts quality as his number one priority. He takes no shortcuts. Nothing is ever done "cheezy" He is not going to rush something out and sacrifice the integrity of this FE.
I also wanted to mention (and this is just my own personal opinion) for those of you who have not donated something to Hyperspin who are using this FE, I say to you, you really should. Billy has a lot of expenses to keep this website and ftp going. Bandwidth is expense. The words of encouragement and the donations really help motivate Billy to go the extra mile and in turn sets the bar higher than any other FE out there.

[Necrosaro420]

A new release is close.


BBB is working so damn hard to bring you this next major release. He is working on this while working long shifts at work with a few hours of sleep .Since this project is such an ambitious one, there are times when Bill has to think outside the box and take a different approach to programming. This takes a lot of planning and trial and error to make HS look and feel so damn cool. With this said please be patient and I promise you it will be worth the wait.
As I've got to know Bill more and more all I can say is he’s defiantly a perfectionist. He puts quality as his number one priority. He takes no shortcuts. Nothing is ever done "cheezy" He is not going to rush something out and sacrifice the integrity of this FE.
I also wanted to mention (and this is just my own personal opinion) for those of you who have not donated something to Hyperspin who are using this FE, I say to you, you really should. Billy has a lot of expenses to keep this website and ftp going. Bandwidth is expense. The words of encouragement and the donations really help motivate Billy to go the extra mile and in turn sets the bar higher than any other FE out there.

Once you donate $25, you get access to the FTP, and I can say its WELL worth it, makes getting things so much easier =)

[ACE]

What does it take to be a gold member? (I've donated $30)

[BadBoyBill]

You are.

[Dazz]

What does it take to be a gold member? (I've donated $30)
Once Bill verifies the donation he'll set you up with the access. Just be patient. I think he tries to do this once a day, so it could be a little while.

Thanks for the donation.

[Donovan]

Hey...


The reason main reason I see from your post is running it at a high resolution, theres really no advantage I see from running it greater than 1024 x 768 , higher than that then HS has to upscale the graphics which is processor intensive. Not only that but the graphics dont get any better really. Its mainly designed with the arcade in mind and I run it lower than 1024 but some people have 1024 arcade monitors which is the main reason we design themes at that res. Its not for HDTV's and things like that unless you have a good CPU.

I'm using a Samsung 24" rotatable LCD. With MAME set to autorotate, you can have a much larger display - Pac-Man, Dig Dug, etcetera, are good examples for this. Using 1024x768 requires the monitor to upscale it, and causes edges in HyperSpin to look sort of melted/bumpy...

Actually, I just figured out that the main reason for the funny graphics is because it's a widescreen 16:10 (1920x1200) display. There is only one resolution in HyperHQ that is 16:10, and it's 1920x1200. :) It actually does work fine. Obviously not with the same speed, but if you didn't know how fast the transitions in HyperSpin were supposed to occur, you probably wouldn't really know anything was wrong...

Ideally, HyperSpin will support other 16:10 resolutions in the future... they are 1280x800 (17" ws), 1440x900 (19" ws), 1680x1050 (22" ws). One of those would probably keep the speed up and not distort the graphics quality.

I'm obviously not building a traditional MAME cabinet; I want something more portable. The plan is to create a two player w/ trackball/spinner control panel that also contains the mainboard, integrated speakers, and so on. The trick will be designing it so it isn't very high. Then, coupled with the rotatable 24" LCD, I can drag MAME to family gatherings sort of easily (remains to be seen how much it will weight! :D).

HyperSpin rocks. Thanks for your efforts; I will be able to provide financial thanks in the future when finances permit me to start working on the system.

[bobrocks95]

If you're making your CP with the computer guts inside it, be sure to put in some extra fans, I'm sure that wouldn't ventilate the air very well, for lack of a better term. Wouldn't want your computer overheating.

[Charles4400]

Any new update on the progress of the new release?

I know, I know...it will be ready when it's ready and that's completely understandable...but just checking if theres any new news on it!

[BadBoyBill]

Um everything is ready I think, HQ has all the new features to adjust , I think I covered most all bugs out there , and the only thing I'm doing now is finalizing the artwork that gets included with the release, no more programming is going into this next release. So were very close since artwork is easy and fun stuff for me.

[Grapple]

Wow... Cant hardly wait... Damn glad i am almost finished with the new computer for the Mame Machine...

[Charles4400]

Woohoo! Great to hear! I'm sure many many peeps are aalso very happy to hear this and can't wait to see the shiny new rims...err I mean wheels!!!

Thanks BBB!!!

[cathaldub]

Yay cant wait, just finished upgrading the pc today and transfering over all the roms now onto the new HDD's

[Zinger19]

This is great...Now the only thing left for me to wait for is my new Graphics card that my wife...I mean...Santa Claus already got me. Keep up the awesome work BBB

[Visitor Q]

Will there be a write up about making the transfer from the old build to the new?

[Necrosaro420]

Any idea when this new version will be released? Ya said it would be out over 2 weeks ago =( hehe. My cab is finished up except for the marquee and just waiting for the final version before I throw the pc in it and fire it up. Thanks!

[NaByDark]

Oh My God!! I am desperate for new release :banghead:

[Visitor Q]

"final version" ... I don't think there is such a thing.

[jtslade]

I'm in the same boat as some of the other posters on this site. My cab is in the final stages of being built .
you can see the progress below.
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=187299

With Hyperspin the MVS Neo Geo Mame cab will be really amazing.

I just hope I don't electrocute myself putting the TV in it this weekend.

Slade.

[ACE]

I'm getting close to the point of bringing the front end to completion.... The control panel is next and last on my list. This summer will shine! Cold beer, friends, and classic gaming in my garage!

[StormShadow]

I really want to say thank you for the hard work! This is a great FE. I am new to MAME and the emulation world. I am building a game room (literally) in the house. Once the room is done I am going to start work on the cabinet. I have already built up the computer and working on the FE. I have HS up and running and it is great.

Can not wait to see what the next version will be like! I am new to this but will be working on some game themes to be submitted.

Again, thank you for all the hard work!!!!

[BadBoyBill]

With Hyperspin the MVS Neo Geo Mame cab will be really amazing.

Slade.

Cool I've always wanted one of those cabs. HS would look good on it:

http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/examples/hs/neogeo.jpg

[akiles500]

Badboybill there are my two machines:
First machine:
http://www.marcianitos.org/foro/showthread.php?t=15084&highlight=akiles

Second machine.
http://www.marcianitos.org/foro/showthread.php?t=23378

Do you like them?

[BadBoyBill]

Badboybill there are my two machines:
First machine:
http://www.marcianitos.org/foro/showthread.php?t=15084&highlight=akiles

Second machine.
http://www.marcianitos.org/foro/showthread.php?t=23378

Do you like them?


Yes I like them, thanks for sharing, I have a candy cab myself, Atomiswave SD, thats what I run HyperSpin on.

[Necrosaro420]

=P

[Visitor Q]

Will there be a write up about making the transfer from the old build to the new?

[BadBoyBill]

Yes

[Visitor Q]

Thank You

[mrclean]

:listen: The new hyperspin release would sure make a great early holiday gift ! It will be alot like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFlcqWQVVuU

[Visitor Q]

LOL!

That is too #UCKING COOL!

[FatNasty]

That was great. Hopefully the next release will make me feel half as good as that.

[BadBoyBill]

Oh god now I feel alot of pressure. Actually tomorrow might be the day, the thing is I bought a new house and escrow closes next Friday, so I only have this weekend to pack, which means no work on HS, which means Im hurrying to get this out before the weekend, no promises though. So earlier than Christmas I'd say.

[Necrosaro420]

Is it still the installer that is messed up? If so, would it be possible to get a quick version thrown up w/o the installer? I could care less about that =)

[BadBoyBill]

The installer is required and comes with all the necessary files. Wtihout it you will be misssing alot of stuff, including all the new databases, settings files, themes etc.. Without all that stuff HS is nothing and an exe will be useless. So I think you might care about that.

[Necrosaro420]

Ahhh, didnt know the installer was necessary, thought maybe it could just unzip like the rest of them heh

[bobrocks95]

Just shoot for a pre-Christmas release. Not too big of a deadline, so as not to rush yourself, as real life does, believe it or not, come first. We can wait BBB.

[Gumboot]

Just shoot for a pre-Christmas release. Not too big of a deadline, so as not to rush yourself, as real life does, believe it or not, come first. We can wait BBB.

I agree. As much as I to would love the new release of HS the fact that real life comes first can't be denied.

BBB do what you have to do then do HS. It is not like we have paid for a product which we were told would be ready by a certain date. Its free and I love that fact and if keeping it free means waiting a few more days/weeks then I am prepared to wait.

Keep up the great work.

[brian_hoffman]

Even if it were a paid product wouldn't mean the product would be ready. Programming takes time and some "fixes" break other aspects. Guys please be patient. It will be ready when its ready. Hounding will only "pressure" BBB and we don't want to add stress.
Implying that if this were a paid product it would be released on time isn't accurate. I know BBB personally and there is no other software that is more important.


Please understand.

[ACE]

That was the worst soap opera I ever 'read'. lol

[NaByDark]

Oh not, at least my intention is not to press yourself, if you cannot end it before Christmas, so then at all .. better to expect to that it he goes out one Be Reread without Bugs, to one with many xd Still I can continue expecting:P

[Circo]

Oh god now I feel alot of pressure. Actually tomorrow might be the day, the thing is I bought a new house and escrow closes next Friday, so I only have this weekend to pack, which means no work on HS, which means Im hurrying to get this out before the weekend, no promises though. So earlier than Christmas I'd say.

Congrats on the new home bill!!!

[Grapple]

I definately agree, real life comes first... This is just a hobby..

Good luck with the new home, and take your time, don´t rush the release to much.. Nothing good will come out of that...

[Visitor Q]

Glad to know my donation went to good use. :)

hahahaha

Next Bill will be saying, I need to go pick up the new Ferrari. :deal:

[Necrosaro420]

I spent about $500 on parts to finish up my cab when it was said to be released thanksgiving weekend =P Just hope its released soon hehe

[Zinger19]

New home? No wonder you're stressed. You probably have bajillion things to do. I agree with everyone else BBB as I'm sure most do. Life does come first, and rushing to get something out usually only means more bugs. So please take as much time as you need. We all have faith in you and if it means that people have to wait...then tough cookies. Just do what you do best and no one will be disappointed.

[vendur]

I understand very much how stressed you can become from moving. You always have 100x more stuff than you expect. Last time we moved I thought Id manage by myself, and to be done in an afternoon.. it took 3 whole afternoons, and I had to get some help also. And that it was just me and my GF moving from a flat to another.;-)

Take it easy, and remember to eat and relax in between. We wouldnt want you to get sick from stress, and then we'd never see the next hyperspin version.. We can wait until you have time to finish it.:-)

[BadBoyBill]

I will have a release out for sure tonight I think, Its pretty much ready, I will host from 3 places to not disrupt this site to much.

Thanks for being patient. Im really happy that my new house has a bonus gameroom branching off the house. I cant wait to set it up and start decorating it.

[redtapemedia]

I will have a release out for sure tonight I think, Its pretty much ready, I will host from 3 places to not disrupt this site to much.

Thanks for being patient. Im really happy that my new house has a bonus gameroom branching off the house. I cant wait to set it up and start decorating it.

Cool! Looking forward to it. Thanks very much for the hard work!

[Charles4400]

YEAH BABY! Tonght sounds GREAT!!!

New House! NEW GAMEROOM! New Hyperspin!
Things sounds pretty good on your end BBB! Right on & Congratulations on the accomplishments! (ALL of them!)

Can't wait for the new release tonight! You made my weekend!!!

[flyguy737]

this is the best frontend ever great work and great job but can someone tell me how to get the hiscores to save on each game?

HEHEHE :)

[FatNasty]

This has made my weekend. Congrads on the new house and gameroom.

[redtapemedia]

this is the best frontend ever great work and great job but can someone tell me how to get the hiscores to save on each game?

HEHEHE :)

That's not hyperspin, that's mame. You can recompile mame for highscore support, or use an earlier version of mame. Google "mame high scores support" or similiar.

[rrcade]

Actually I believe Hyperspin does have a high score save function in the new release....correct?

[redtapemedia]

Actually I believe Hyperspin does have a high score save function in the new release....correct?

I don't know... that'd be cool though! I didn't see anything in the release notes.

[Charles4400]

Actually I believe Hyperspin does have a high score save function in the new release....correct?

This is way off topic of this thread big time but here is what your looking for:

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=64298.0

Hyperspin will only display them (if available) as this is only a front-end...not an emulator