Road Girls

I can grab some models from that site I showed you
 
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OK. The only models I can think of that might fit the table are road girls, a red truck like the one pictured on the playfield and a police car. The drop flags on the upper playfield spell out TRUCK.

I am not sure where we would place the models. There isn't much room. The largest plastic has a ramp that goes over it.
 
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I worked on adding Popotte's menu system today. I created a copy of the table before I made the changes just in case I couldn't figure out how to do it. ...But I was successful! I structure my subroutines a little differently than Popotte does, so I had to figure out a way to interface with them. It took a little diligence to make everything work but I got there. Maybe I'm figuring out how to code? Popotte's menu system uses HUDs to display everything. I tried playing the table at 270 degrees. The segmented display is squeezed together a bit but it is readable. I will be performing some tweaks but the basic coding is done! There are 5 menu options:

1) Lighting for Day, Night, Dark Night, Night Glow and FP Original
2) 3 or 5 balls per game
3) HUD on or off
4) Swap playfield textures showing the girl on the hood of the truck or not
5) Scrolling on or off

This is the order the menu options appear. I tried to put the most used items first. If you guys would prefer a different order, let me know.

I still need to do some testing but I think everything is working. I need to do a bit of tweaking yet also. I am currently using some makeshift textures on the overlays for each menu option. Permanent ones will come later. It will be nice to have lots of space to write stuff.
 
I tweaked the menu. Popotte's version had each flipper key doing something completely different. I was always getting confused which one to hit. So I changed it so the left and right flipper keys controls the same options and just moves the selection left and right. When you find and option you want to change, you press the plunger key to cycle though the different options. It is at least easier for me to figure out which keys to press.

I also set it so your current settings are selected. They are displayed first in the list. So if you don't want an option to be changed, you don't have to do anything because your current setting is already selected. Hopefully, that will make sense to you.

Anyway, it looks like I am finished with all the coding. I just need to create some textures for the overlays. @Gimli I could turn the working copy over to you whenever you want to work on it. So all that is left is to create those textures and then create the rock music version and I am done. The rock music version won't require any coding because I will set it up so the end user will just swap a library file.
 
@GeorgeH
I can use your current wip but you can keep the working copy rights and I can add my stuff later. The model stuff I can keep separate at first.

Initially will try to find some models and where to put them and which animations to use.

Later perhaps you and I can decide where to link them to game events .
 
I have been working on the textures for the HUD overlays that I am using on the menu system. It used to take some trial and error to get HUD overlays sized correctly. HUD overlays display at a different aspect ratio than the texture used for it. It has always been a struggle to get a HUD overlay to display a texture without distortion. The distortion is much greater on a screen rotation of 270 degrees than when the screen rotation is 0 but some distortion still exists at 0 degrees.

Rafal helped me figure out how to identify in the script whether the end user selects a screen rotation of 0 or 270 degrees. So I decided to create 2 overlays, one sized for 0 degrees and the other for 270 degrees. I created an Excel file that calculates the size of the overlays for me without any trial and error. I posted a tutorial about all of this here:

 
I have finished the menu system using Rav's code that identifies aspect ratio that I am using to select between 2 sets of overlays for 0 and 270 degrees rotation. There are screenshots of two of the menus, one at 0 degrees and the other at 270 degrees. Note that even though I am using a HUD overlay that the screenshot at 270 degrees rotation (like used on pinball cabinets) is not distorted or squeezed together. It is too bad that there is no way to eliminate the bleed through from the table underneath the overlay.

0 degrees rotation:
```Road Girls V1.0  (DOFLinx MX).png

270 degrees rotation:
```Road Girls V1.0  (DOFLinx MX)2.png
 
@GeorgeH
I looked at this the other day and didn't realize there were page numbers so I thought maybe you took a break
With the new physics and the other things that you're doing to improve the game it will definitely be a fun game now
 
Thanks @outhere!

The progress has been slow because I have had to figure out how to do more things. When I added multiplayer from the other version, I incorporated some bugs as well and had to fix them. Then I decided to add the overlays around the score displays. Since I am not that good at coding, it took me a while to figure out Popotte's menu system. Then I spent some time modifying it. It has basically been a process of one thing leading to another. ...But I think I am finished with the coding.

My main objective on this table has been to produce a version that works equally well on a desktop and a pinball cabinet. I think I am there now. I am probably the first person to make a HUD display correctly on a desktop and cabinet on one version of the table.
 
@GeorgeH
@AnonTet
@outhere
@madmrmax

Rav has posted version 308 of BAM on his site...but he hasn't provided an explanation yet.....but this new BAM allows for Spotlights and Rotating Beacon Lights.. He is working with @TerryRed and @polygame to refine this stuff...VERY COOL !!!
View attachment spotlights.mp4
In the video below I am using 2 spotlights for the girls.
These are grabbed in a miniplayfield grab box and can be switch off or moved using the typical MP code.

I had to turn off nanoflashers in order to see spots...so George there is like some tweaking to do if we wish to use spotlights...but we can alternate or play with brightness...but this is proof of concept.
 
@GeorgeH
@AnonTet
@outhere
@madmrmax

Rav has posted version 308 of BAM on his site...but he hasn't provided an explanation yet.....but this new BAM allows for Spotlights and Rotating Beacon Lights.. He is working with @TerryRed and @polygame to refine this stuff...VERY COOL !!!
View attachment 15268
In the video below I am using 2 spotlights for the girls.
These are grabbed in a miniplayfield grab box and can be switch off or moved using the typical MP code.

I had to turn off nanoflashers in order to see spots...so George there is like some tweaking to do if we wish to use spotlights...but we can alternate or play with brightness...but this is proof of concept.


If you need any info on how to use spotlights... its all here, and also has example tables showing how to use beacons, etc.



Like anything else, it takes adjusting the rest of the table lighting,etc to best make use of it so it's visible. Spotlights aren't necessarily going to be on full time. They could be used for highlighting parts of the table for specific events... or you can get creative and do non realistic things with it.
 
If you need any info on how to use spotlights... its all here, and also has example tables showing how to use beacons, etc.



Like anything else, it takes adjusting the rest of the table lighting,etc to best make use of it so it's visible. Spotlights aren't necessarily going to be on full time. They could be used for highlighting parts of the table for specific events... or you can get creative and do non realistic things with it.
I don't mind Terry , but I am not sure if you can post links to mailbox conversations ?

Terry do you have a simple demo table using spotlight coding ?

I have both Rav's demos and Steve's Multitable9

We should start a public post about this stuff soon I imagine ?
 
Sorry for OT, but I updated my BAM-OpenVR to 308 a few days ago and noticed the Star Wars PinEvent table with space battles now displayed white panels in a couple of places over the table (This is in VR). I had to revert back to 301. Not sure if this happens with anyone else or its just me.

EDIT: You can ignore this. It seems it no longer happens and there is no graphical corruption with latest BAM on Star Wars table :)
 
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I don't mind Terry , but I am not sure if you can post links to mailbox conversations ?

Terry do you have a simple demo table using spotlight coding ?

I have both Rav's demos and Steve's Multitable9

We should start a public post about this stuff soon I imagine ?


Here's a "temporary" link to the table examples I sent to Russell.


DO NOT download all the files! Google will try to zip them up as one file and it won't work!

The single zip has all the files except the latest BAM (whereas the BAM folder has 1.5-308 which is the newest with spot lights). You can download that single zip, or download each table separately,etc.

I have good descriptions in the table scripts for each example explaining what is going on. you can also read the readme text file which describes what everything is.

I have spotlight, beacon, FBX character, etc examples that you have seen in my video demos.

Don't forget to install the PinEvent vbs files (into FuturePinball\Scripts)! as some of the test tables were from my PinEvent wip updates.


This link is only temporary.
 
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@TerryRed

Thanks !!
Great to hear SLAM is interested in this new stuff !!
 
Both girls do seem a bit bright but it is a cool technique.
 
Both girls do seem a bit bright but it is a cool technique.


Custom Models can have their properties changed in script easily for brightness,etc.

The spotlights have lots of settings that can affect brightness as well. Things like distance radius, falloff can vary greatly how they work.


@TerryRed

Thanks !!
Great to hear SLAM is interested in this new stuff !!


In your video demo...it looks like the back of the girl has no light at all when she turns around? Are you on the full new update for BAM and not the beta? Rav did some fixes for custom models and spotlights.
 
Custom Models can have their properties changed in script easily for brightness,etc.
Ya I was remembering that too. If you use the menu for models it doesn't seem to have a global setting for these things, but I believe the old [!BAM} code will work.

These models have > 5 textures so it is a pain adjusting global brightness by balancing one texture at time.
I believe Steve bakes all the textures into one and I watched video on blender program. But that program is overwhelmingly complicated to learn.

The spotlights have lots of settings that can affect brightness as well. Things like distance radius, falloff can vary greatly how they work.
I am just learning how to get spotlights to work still
I was using the code from Steve's demo.
Changing Attenuation did nothing for some reason and I didn' t see a way to decrease brightness.
Changing height of light source didn't make a difference and the default is a 4000 which is above the ceiling of the games room :)
Changing Radius seemed to work as expected

In your video demo...it looks like the back of the girl has no light at all when she turns around? Are you on the full new update for BAM and not the beta? Rav did some fixes for custom models and spotlights.
I believe it is the official latest version.
I Think if I increase the radius or move the spotlight a little it would fix that.

Very cool Stuff !
 
Both girls do seem a bit bright but it is a cool technique.
I agree. I turned the nano's off and the video is set to SLAM's Dark Night Mode settings so the Spot's look maximally bright.
I see in your Code you have Brightness settings for nano's etc....so it may be a matter of blending these somehow or just using spots for dramatic purposes and not all the time.
 
@GeorgeH
@TerryRed
@ravarcade
@polygame
@wild


Ok
Here is a version with decreased brightness on the spotlight.

I checked and it looks like you can't globally change the brightness of models....you have to adjust this per texture.
You can bake all the textures together but you need a P.H.D in astrophysics first before you attempt it :trippy:

@TerryRed this is using the current version of BAM (you are right the spot light doesn't get the back side of the models in this version)

Steve I notice the attenuation code only changes brightness if you change second number ?
Code:
Flasher1Ext.SetAttenuation 2, .05, 0   ' George try changing the 2nd number for brightness  (If  2nd & 3rd attenuation params = 0 makes distance to light irrelevant to brightness)

View attachment Future Pinball 2020-09-02 10-01-02-00.mp4
 
I only change the first number to make my light flick

flickering.Enabled = true

Sub flickering_expired()
Dim atn,atn2
atn=Int((10 * Rnd) + 1) /10
Flasher2Ext.SetAttenuation atn, 0, 0
atn2=Int((10 * Rnd) + 1) /10
Flasher6Ext.SetAttenuation atn2, 0, 0
flickering.Enabled = true
End Sub


I don't know about the second number. These things all come up too fast... :)
 
Rav has posted version 308 of BAM on his site...but he hasn't provided an explanation yet.....but this new BAM allows for Spotlights and Rotating Beacon Lights.. He is working with @TerryRed and @polygame to refine this stuff...VERY COOL !!!

Woohhhh....very interesting thing.....I can't quite understand from the video, so a "bulb" or "flash" is transformed into a rotating light?
Spotlights what is?

I checked and it looks like you can't globally change the brightness of models....you have to adjust this per texture.

Yes....I used it for DK, I gave all the models( and anything that uses a texture )the brightness I deem appropriate, using "GetTexture" an example

Dim Cabinet
Set Cabinet = xBAM.GetTexture("Cab-texture")
Cabinet.Brightness = 2.0 'brighter
Cabinet.Brightness = 1.0 'normal
Cabinet.Brightness = 0.5 'dark
 
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