A little help Plz ?! , SEveral Issues

buffalome90210

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I had originally posted a similar podt in the Plunger with no responce and little inquisition. I there thought that perhaps the readers of this thread/post may be of a more helpfull/cooperative genre.

Well I come from Media portal and then migrated to meedios, which are "all in 1" home theater systems. I recently ran into visual pinball and futue pinball, love them, and am in the pprocess of integrating them into meedios as an option. BUT I have some probs

1....I have been trying to get to AJ's but they are always down ? whats up with that?

2...I have an old acount with VB Forum.....When ever I try to post anything, it tells me i dont have authority...I have written to the contact email twice over 2 weeks with no reponce and cannot post the problem to the forums because it won't let me.

3....I am looking for a more up to date version of adams family, currentl i have 4.3 and i have heard there are knewer ones.

4....RE: addams family, It is the one game that I get some "Gruff" like sounds/and vocals, cdoes any one else get this? and can I clean it up ?

5....I really would want a way to have my game scores automaticcaly saved some where......I sthe anything i can do for this.......Perhaps a piece of code i can drop into a script ?

6.....I am having HORRIBLE luck with Front ends....Any one have good luck with frontend and integration into Visual Pinball and VPMAME ? Current i am trying VP Man and it scans the table and scans the roms, but the tables never seem to get added to the database ??? they remain as Low Lighted entries, and when I try to alter them via clicking Table Edit, it give me a database error ???

And lastly, I am a little confussed regarding why some ROM games require scripts as well. Now I understand that a game build originally in VP woould be script only....and I undertand how an original "machine ROM Game" can be lifted and ported tro "Mama" where my confussion comes in is....at what point does a machine ROM require a script add in, ? What kind of functionality is lacking in the machine rom which necessitates a script ddition/supplenent ?





any help. suggest would be gretaly appreciated

TY in advance Terence
 
Solution
I read your post yesterday, but I gave up, because of too many questions at a time and translating difficulties.

1. AJ/downloads at VPF aren't available actually. After forum software update downloads are still not back. Whatever reason.

2. I can post in 'Messages to/from Staff' about your problem. Maybe anyone can help. What's your user name over there?

3. For Adams Family try here: http://www.pacdude.pinballnirvana.com/

4. Mmh? Not that I remember. Don't use maximum volume, but try 25-28.

5. Highscores from vpm tables are saved in the nvram files. It's just difficult to make them viewable. VP-Man frontend has some support.

6. After the first use of VP-Man years ago I manually add tables and it still works perfectly. I...
I read your post yesterday, but I gave up, because of too many questions at a time and translating difficulties.

1. AJ/downloads at VPF aren't available actually. After forum software update downloads are still not back. Whatever reason.

2. I can post in 'Messages to/from Staff' about your problem. Maybe anyone can help. What's your user name over there?

3. For Adams Family try here: http://www.pacdude.pinballnirvana.com/

4. Mmh? Not that I remember. Don't use maximum volume, but try 25-28.

5. Highscores from vpm tables are saved in the nvram files. It's just difficult to make them viewable. VP-Man frontend has some support.

6. After the first use of VP-Man years ago I manually add tables and it still works perfectly. I can't give you any recommendations.

7. If I would 100% exactly know, my language capabilities wouldn't allow to try to explain. Take it as it is. Only a very few table are affected.

I hope this helps a little.
 
Solution
Thank you very very much

Thankyou you very much for your responce. It was of great help.

I changed the sound levels at the "Visula Pinball" Level and it improved.....

Regarding my efforts to get in touch with VB Forum my account there is lepczyk_t , any help or posting you can do there to get their attention would be appreciated.

I even went as far as to create a seperate account with a seperate userid...thgat was 3 days ago, I am still waiting for the activation email.

The other site you pointed to me was great..And yes I did get the New Addams Family, ty

Regarding the scores, I never thought to look at the Nvrams, I took a quick look and I see what you mean about difficult to interpret. I will do more reasearch.

About the Front end, Thank you, I was glad to find others haveing the same problems.


Thanks again....by the way, you english is Good ! :)

Yours
Terence
 
Multiple accounts usually aren't desirable at forums and I think it's the same at VPForums. What now? Do you want to wait for the activation e-mail for your new account at VPF a few days before I post anything over there? Else I can report about the problem in 'Messages to/from Staff', but I don't know, if anyone else than AJ could help at all. Let me know.

About the highscores: Fartian, the author of the VP-Man frontend, implemented VPM tables highscore display to VP-Man a few version back. He offered an additional tool to read out the nvram files and to find the correct location of the highscore data in the nvram files. He asked people to help, because there already were too many tables to do that on his own completely. There wasn't much response. I tried to help and tried that method on a bunch of tables, but I mostly failed, so I could only offer small data. Some time later he changed anything in the method and I gave up.

As far as I read the change log he added highscore display for further tables, but I still didn't try the latest version of VP-Man.

I remember some small problems about tables not get added to the database, but that were always only a few tables and it worked for the largest amount of tables.

You can additionally or alternatively use the latest VPLauncher.dat file in VP-Man for table recognition. Maybe that's working better? The rest you probably need to add manually.
 
vbforums, nvram,& launcer

I tried the launcher and it also had some major issues.

It seems that most are oriented towards a more PURE form of Games On ROM and the Visual Pinball Twist on things (haveing scripts ands such) seems to add difficulty and complexity.

Regarding the VBForums, I agree , I dont like multiple accounts either, But I had no other recourse. How about we just give it a few days, and if I still get no responce, I will write back to you for help. Who know, maybe AJ will read this Post Himeselfe :)

Regarding the Nvrams, I did take a quick look and it was not pretty.

I assume that the way to find a score is to save a copy of the NVram for a table, then run the table, then compare the 2 NVrams to find out what the differences are and use that as a Starting Position, or is there an easier approach ?
 
Difficult to answer! I seem to fail to understand you. Sorry. Translating difficulties.

It's additionally difficult as I actually don't have all the programs installed and running due to some problems here lately.

I meant, you can use the vplauncher.dat file within VP-Man to recognise tables and add them to the database. I didn't mean to use VPLauncher.

It's VPForums, not VBForums. VP=Visual Pinball. VB=Visual Basic!?

About the nvrams and reading out the highscore data I can't help any further. That's out of my capatibilities.

About your VPF account I think it's best to wait a few days. Maybe it will work tomorrow or later without any further action. Let's see.
 
Thanks a lot for your help yogiholzer, I haven't used a front end in years but did work on the VPLauncher dat file.

About registration problems at VPF, I wasn't receiving email from the site after the upgrade but i changed it to a different one today and it seems to be working.
:salut:
 
Re: NVRAM

I have been looking at the NVRAM, trying to see where and how high scores are saved.

I did manage to play addams family and get a high score which allowed me to type my initials. I was able to succesfully find the initials in the NVRAM but was unable to determine the numeric high score value.
Hva you or anyon else who reads this, any hints as to what fromat the numeric value is stored>,,,,Binary, ascii, BCD, Hex, etc ??

Additionally I may submitt an additionally forum post on this question

Thankyou in advance :)
 
Thankyou

the link was VERY helpfull. I am trying to find a copy of Hi-Spy. It is not on Fartian Site, so I emailed him to see if he would send me a link. Meanwhile, I will use the information he provided and see if I can determine exactlt where in the NVRAM the scores re stored.

The information he provided should help me do that.

TY
 
Take note that Hi-Spy was meant to use to find out exact placement of highscore data in the nvrams to display them in VP-Man. Fartian told he changed anything in the method and cancelled Hi-Spy. Probably it could still be useful anyway.

As you're interested more than I expected and I hope you can come up with anything useful in future I offer the latest version of Hi-Spy (1.02) that I still have available.

I hope you appreciate.
 

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  • Hi-Spy 1.02.zip
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The hiscore.dat file which actually comes with VP-Man contains all the data. I just don't know how to read and understand. Just to let you know.
 
My dream is to play VPM online tournaments. If anything of this can be used for that purpose anytime, I'm very happy. That's the main reason I offer all of the information I have to any interested person. I guess there aren't that many other resources of information. Please use information faithful as possible.
 
So Far

I took a snapshot of the NVRAM file for a specific pinball game. Then I played the pinball game. I wanted to play the game to create a new score. Then I compared the Snapshot NVRAM and the NVRAM after the game play. I expected to see changes, BUT, I found MANY MORE changes thern i expected. A great deal of the NVRAM gets changed when a game is played, much more then just scores.

Fartian must have encountered the same obstacles i am encoutering. The first is to locate the area in the NVRAM where the score information is. The second is determine the "format" the score data is stored.

I also see how this can be a nightmare because it will be different for each Pinball Table. I am including this information in hopes that either Fartian or someone else in the forums may have more information on this and will come forth.

Another possibility, and I am not sure it can be done. Would be to put a hook in the script. Another words, It seems that the majority of the pinball game is stored in the ROM, but Scrip[ts can be used to alter and enhance the pinball tables original manner in which it is played. It may be possible to put a hook in each script , something like "When Game Ends". And when that event occurs , we may be able to write some small code to write the Cuurent score to a separte file, thus, bypassin g the need to examine the NVRAM. I will look further and get back..

In the mean time, if you can help me get a copy of Hi-Spy, I would mappreciate it.

TY
Terence
 
Another possibility, and I am not sure it can be done. Would be to put a hook in the script. Another words, It seems that the majority of the pinball game is stored in the ROM, but Scrip[ts can be used to alter and enhance the pinball tables original manner in which it is played. It may be possible to put a hook in each script , something like "When Game Ends". And when that event occurs , we may be able to write some small code to write the Cuurent score to a separte file, thus, bypassin g the need to examine the NVRAM. I will look further and get back..
Unfortunately this isn't possible with VPM tables as at no point does any scoring information get calculated by the script. :verysad:
 
Hermit help !

Ok Guys, I got a virus on my machine and had to format the drive and reload. As usual this is a good thing because it helps me organize my stuff and get rid of all the junk i have laying aroiund. In the process, Because everything is neatly laid out. I was able to get Hi_spy and VP Man working properly and effectiveley.

I read the info from Hermit, TY.......Now, I wanted to alter the High Score Values , when i moved my mouse over the fields in Hi spy , it said to DBL click to edit, but when i dbl clicked it did nothing.....what am i missing???


Also.......I guess this question is especially for Hermit...Is the last score played on a table save in the NVRAM anywhere, or is it only the :High Scores"?

TY
Terence
 
I don't know, maybe or probably (I think it's shown on some tables when you start them again) the last score played on a table is present in the NVRAM, but it isn't used by VP-Man, so it isn't displayed.

Altering highscore values? I never tried. I can't give any advice.
 
I will try

I* will play a ame and then search the NVRAM to see if the last score is in there somewhere,


Reason for altering High scores is that, The initial values from factory are set so High !!!! If I can alter them down to 0 (zero) then I will have effectivley My latest Scores (past Four).
 
Reason for altering High scores is that, The initial values from factory are set so High !!!! If I can alter them down to 0 (zero) then I will have effectivley My latest Scores (past Four).

If that is what you want then you can simply lower the HiScore Levels via the Operators Menu. Most (if not all machines) have that option. And it works exactly the same in VPM as on a real machine. (Usually via the 7,8,9,0 keys.)

That would be way easier than manipulating it from the outside like HiSpy seems to do,...
 
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