Adjustable settings in VP with a VB Menu

[shiva]

Something that occured to me. I know with other templates, you can set and adjust a setting (such as amount of balls in a game) but they all use a textbox.

If you have reels though, and don't use textboxs at all, that doesn't help. With shivaEngine and se2 beta, we used the MsgBox to display stats, but I never figured out a way to make that box adjustable like the pinsettings with VPM games.

Bugs me really, and I haven't found a example of it either anywhere.

Anyone have any ideas on how to do this?

 

[highrise]

cool. I'll keep you informed, and keep all the appropriate credits in place. Hey, I'll even convert the shiva engine logo into DMD format.

 

[highrise]

I can convert just about any simple graphic into the DMD format quite easily. The DMD itself needs a bit of tidying but it's still a reasonably straightforward process, using Excel.

 

[elton]

Looks great highrise :)

 

[shiva]

not bad. looks close to the font. BTW, it's all lowercase letters, except the E. shivaEngine

You also have to ask Cold1 as well, as he did most of the script. Orginally, a new version was on my to do list, made it easier, but since I decided to just use it for myself as a Junk engine, then it will be just the one version, so it shouldn't confuse people. Be nice as a option, orginal with text boxes, and a DMD version.

Only thing is to make sure it's as easy to use as possible. Just because you may know scripting, don't assume anyone else does. All they want is a quick and dirty template so they can make games fast and easy. se is about the easest template out there. We looked at DMD at the time, but the only one available was Black's display driver, which was way too complex for most people to use. Hope yours is a lot simplier to use.

 

[highrise]

it's not close - it's a direct copy of the logo that is normally on the top left.

There are no lower case letters. It took me long enough to make the upper case ones, and I'm not about to make lower case ones, I've never seen lower case in a pinball DMD myself.

As for ease of use, that's the whole point really. I don't assume other people know scripting. Putting text in the DMD will be pretty much as easy as using a textbox - only you have control over position, font, colour and alignment. I've more or less finished an attract mode sequence, I'll upload it in the next hour or so. Once you see how it works you'll see it's very easy for someone to change.

I don't know Cold1 but everyone gets a mention in the DMD credits. If you could put a good word in for me, I'm sure he will be fine about it.

regards

High

 

[shiva]

Haven't talked to him in years. :)

He doesn't come here anyway, maybe at VPF, but then, I don't go there, so I couldn't ask anyway. Good bloke though.

Ah, I remember the font, Terminator2, no lower case, but i just re-built it for se2 in photoshop, as I don't capitolize my name

 

[highrise]

I'm going to post the stuff I've done in the WIP section. Funny, the Terminator font was the one I used when I was experimenting with how to convert fonts into the DMD. Anyway, I'll post what I've done so people can check it out.

 

[shiva]

An update on this. I have a very simple system working on the newest build of shivaEngine3, just for the amount of balls in play, but it does work.

07.26.06
- Added initial basic menu system. Pressing the F6 key calls a menu to adjust the game settings using a check box system. At the moment, just the amount of balls per game (3,5,7,9 are selectable) and it may mess up when you load a new table for the very first time, but it works (finally) This is based loosey on the VPM vbs files, and thanks to Destruk for helping out with this, as the vbs system is rather insanely complex, we were having problems getting it to save or store values. This uses variables to store values, and not hex numbers, because of that.
Testing still needed, but this should also work for the present se3 tables without modifications.
- Support added for menu system for checkboxes, extra frames, forms and other funtions found in the vbs files. This is self-contained in the shivaEngine3.vbs file, AND NOT the vpm files

As mentioned above, it's a bit flaky with the very first time a table is loaded in, but we have fewer and fewer errors as we go along.

Eventually, if this works out correctly, all se3 settings will be menu based as time goes on, including the different SkillSettings and style adjustments, before I will look into adjusting table elements to change slope/flipper settings etc.

I figured it out Destruk! :)

(it took me hours to do it, had to beg for help, be we still had one bug, so I spent 2 more hours.)

The se3 dev forum is here, in case people are interested and want to help out: http://www.shivasite.byethost22.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=4

 

[destruk]

cool shiva :)