DMDExt Pinup Popper not reading dmddevice.ini

[Runner]

Hey all,

Finally setting up my pinball cab with Future Pinball, DMDExt to work with Pinup Popper. I followed Terry's guide (Future Pinball and BAM Essentials - All in One 2.7) but I have a weird issue.

Without Pinup Popper, if I run the DMDExt batch file, and then launch a table, the DMDExt DMD will be properly displayed on my third monitor with the correct size, and will allow me to right click on the window and save it globally.

However, if I launch the table from Pinup Popper, using the command shown below, DMDExt will work, but will be on the wrong screen (playfield), with the wrong size (being too small). Moving it to the right monitor and size doesn't allow me to save it globally. I only have an About choice when right clicking on it. Closing and re-opening the tables will do the same thing. It almost seems like it is not reading the DmdDevice.ini file.

if "[custom2]"=="FP_DMDExt" (CD /d "[DIREMU]\..") <- I added \.. since my DIREMU is the BAM folder.
if "[custom2]"=="FP_DMDExt" (start /min "" "dmdext.exe" mirror --source=futurepinball -q --virtual-stay-on-top --fps 60 -g "[GAMENAME]" -use-ini="DmdDevice.ini")
if "[custom2]"=="FP_DMDExt" (timeout /t 1)

Any ideas?

 

[TerryRed]

Read the Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide. It shows you how to disable the FP Backbox if using pup-packs and also how to correctly run dmdext from Popper. You need to also set Games Manager correctly for each game as needed to do those things.

 

[Runner]

Hi Terry!

I did configure the emulator in Popper to disable the FP Backbox with:
if "[custom1]"=="PinEvent" (REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Future Pinball\GamePlayer" /v "ArcadeMode" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f)
if "[custom1]"=="PinEvent" (REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Future Pinball\GamePlayer" /v "SecondMonitorEnable" /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f)

And also configured dmdext in Popper to launch DMDExt and set the custom launch parameters from the Games Manager. Both PinEvent and FP_DMDExt. I can switch between PinEvent tables and non-PinEvent tables fine.

It's all working as desired except for the fact that the DMDExt always opens on the wrong screen when launched from Popper. It opens on my playfield screen (screen #1) instead of my third monitor (DMD screen). It mirrors the FP DMD fine so I know the command is working, and do not get an error that DmdDevice.ini was not found so this makes me think that DmdDevice.ini is found but isn't being read since the location and size are wrong.

Using your batch file outside of Popper: Start FP - PinEvent PuP-Pack - DMDExt, it always opens on the right screen, being my third monitor (DMD screen). My backglass is my second screen btw.

 

[TerryRed]

Be sure you have Text Scaling set to 100 in Windows Display settings. This can offset both FP and dmdext if its not at 100

 

[Runner]

Yeah all at 100%. I followed all your guides and I'm using your AIO Complete install, I didn't keep my previous FP install and configuration

 

[TerryRed]

Most likely the issue is coming from you not launching the dmdext.exe in the FP main folder.

You are probably launching dmdext from another location such as a VPX folder. This may be possible because when you run dmdext, if it is not found in the same folder you are using for your launch command (which you changed to the BAM folder), then it may fall back to what your system may have registered as the location for the "dmdext install". If you had dmdext registered to a location as part of another install of VPX, etc... then my guess is this is being used, since you are not actually launching dmdext in the FP main folder (when launched from Popper).

In your FP Popper script, change the folder location to the main FP folder before launching dmdext.exe for FP tables.

 

[Runner]

What is your LAUNCH EXE Folder set to for FP in Popper?

Rav's example on his wiki points to the BAM folder, which is what I did as well. But the DMDExt.exe file is in the FuturePinball folder, not the BAM folder. Which means that the DIREMU folder is actually the BAM folder. So in theory, the if "[custom2]"=="FP_DMDExt" (CD /d "[DIREMU]") shouldn't be able to load the DMDExt.exe since it would be looking in the BAM folder. This is why I added the \.. command at the end so it would go back to the FuturePinball folder.

RAV's screenshot example:

 

[TerryRed]

What is your LAUNCH EXE Folder set to for FP in Popper?

Rav's example on his wiki points to the BAM folder, which is what I did as well. But the DMDExt.exe file is in the FuturePinball folder, not the BAM folder. Which means that the DIREMU folder is actually the BAM folder. So in theory, the if "[custom2]"=="FP_DMDExt" (CD /d "[DIREMU]") shouldn't be able to load the DMDExt.exe since it would be looking in the BAM folder. This is why I added the \.. command at the end so it would go back to the FuturePinball folder.

RAV's screenshot example:
View attachment 47086

Nailbuster's Wiki examples can sometimes come from before the days of Baller Installer, or other examples, etc. Stick to my examples in my guide (which used Baller Installer) to try to have consistency.


My DIREMU (the one created from Baller Installer) is the FP main folder, not BAM.

 

[Runner]

I mirrored your configuration and the same thing was happening so I did some further tests. Removing the use-ini=DmdDevice.ini from the bat files did the same thing as was happening from Popper so I knew then that Popper wasn't the issue, but something in the launch configuration was causing this and not loading the DmdDevice.ini file.

In turns out that copy pasting this line of code from the Future Pinball – Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide PDF guide adds a return before the use-ini="DmdDevice.ini") so it isn't being actioned. I tested copy pasting it again but in notepad this time and this is the result below. It drops the last part in another line. I didn't originally notice this when I copy pasted the code.



Bringing the 2nd line code back with the main code resolved the issue in Popper.

Not sure if the PDF can be fixed for all of the instances that the full code is split to a second line. PDF formatting can be finicky so it's hard to say. However the Doc file guide is working fine and pasting as one line.

Thanks for the help Terry and all the work you do for the community!

 

[TerryRed]

yah, it's not just with PDFs, but also forums can have that same issue sometimes. Not sure how to get around it, but I include the DocX as well for those kind of reasons.