Attract-Mode Support Forum

Attract-Mode Support => Themes => Topic started by: Flinnster on October 13, 2016, 05:40:51 AM

Title: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on October 13, 2016, 05:40:51 AM
Work is continuing on my first theme... a modified version of kent79's superb 'Pandora's Box' theme.
Whilst his is based on Pandora's Box 3, mine is skinned to the more recent Pandora's Box 4.

I created it for use on my own arcade cab, running a 15Khz low resolution CRT screen.

The latest version (v1.0) can be downloaded here:
http://depositfiles.com/files/x2fwe4t5a (http://depositfiles.com/files/x2fwe4t5a)
Archive password is: mameart

Features:
- Game history text area under the marquee panel scrolls upwards to cater for games with large text histories
- Bit more information on the game / rom selected is shown under the marquee area
- Snapshot / video window has a realistic CRT reflection and edge darkening
- A few design modifications to the user interface and logo  ;)
- Default mame .pngs for missing flyers, marquees and snapshots to copy into your artwork folders.
- Sounds for navigation

There are still a few bugs / issues I'm trying to iron out.
- The history text is always centred vertically... so if there isn't much history text, you have to watch a blank window scroll upwards for a while (mentioned here: http://forum.attractmode.org/index.php?topic=1000.0 (http://forum.attractmode.org/index.php?topic=1000.0))
- Got an intermittent crash when scrolling fast through the game list, not sure what's causing it.

Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: web on October 17, 2016, 07:41:38 AM
very nice thanks
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: kent79 on October 17, 2016, 08:16:17 PM
Great Job. Could you share your theme? Thanks   :P
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Omamez on October 21, 2016, 08:00:42 AM
very nice to see kent break away from the boring blue and introduce a nice green :)
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on October 26, 2016, 04:50:34 PM
Hi guys - not been on for ages and I've had no chance to revisit this theme for a good long while.
I'll do my best to clean up my hacks of the code for public release and bundle it all together soon :)

Other than fixing the crashes and the history scrolling niggle, I'm also looking to work out how to integrate the atrractmode menu into the theme, rather than just being plonked over the top in massive text ;) Any help appreciated there, as always :)
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: snupello on October 27, 2016, 12:57:13 AM
Ciao, what are the differences with this theme ??

http://forum.attractmode.org/index.php?topic=814.0
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on October 27, 2016, 05:09:38 AM
Differences are:

- Outlined fonts (more like an actual Pandora's Box)
- Green design like Pandora's Box 4, rather than the blue of Pandora's Box 3
- Scrolling history window for games with larger history (rather than a static history panel)
- More game / ROM info displayed at the bottom right of the screen, under the marquee area
- CRT screen reflection and edge darkening on screenshots / videos area
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: snupello on October 27, 2016, 05:32:40 AM
ok, where i can download it ?


in my opinion, it would be nice to have the ability to view two images that alternate in the box marquee !!! that we have now and the original marquee ... do you think is possible?
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: verion on October 27, 2016, 05:53:48 AM
How did you made outlined fonts?
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on October 27, 2016, 12:27:07 PM
Quote
ok, where i can download it ?

I am currently cleaning up the code (as mentioned above) and preparing a package with the images and sounds I'm using.
Apologies for the delay - this ain't my day job! :)

Quote
in my opinion, it would be nice to have the ability to view two images that alternate in the box marquee !!! that we have now and the original marquee ... do you think is possible?
That sounds neat. The marquee area scrolls up vertically after a short time to reveal what's behind. So I guess I could do 2 reveals - one being the original, then the 'now marquee' after a longer time and finally the history text. But I may need some assistance with the code on this one!

Quote
How did you made outlined fonts?

With a slightly clever and probably overly expensive cheat/hack! But it does kinda work, especially on 15Khz arcade monitor :)
No you are correct, sadly attractmode doesn't handle outline font rendering out-of-the-box, much to everyone's annoyance currently.
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: verion on October 27, 2016, 06:46:00 PM
HA! I'm waiting for the code to see how it's done. :D
Good job!
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: kent79 on October 27, 2016, 08:28:25 PM
HA! I'm waiting for the code to see how it's done. :D
Good job!

Actually, I am also waiting  ;D

My thinking, if we use two font files. For example, Regular Arial ontop overlap Bold Arial Font.

Anyway Thanks for Flinnster
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: xbs on October 28, 2016, 12:47:30 AM
HA! I'm waiting for the code to see how it's done. :D
Good job!

Actually, I am also waiting  ;D

My thinking, if we use two font files. For example, Regular Arial ontop overlap Bold Arial Font.

Anyway Thanks for Flinnster

I don't think that would work propperly.
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: keilmillerjr on October 28, 2016, 06:52:58 AM
A trick i used to use for websites before webkit and moz had shadow feature was making a duplicate of the font and shifting the vopies in different directions.
Title: Re: Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on November 06, 2016, 06:02:25 PM
Hi,

Yes trying a solid font and an outline font was my first try. But due to letter size differences they did not line up. It looked a mess  :-\

I have uploaded the first version to DepositFiles, so you guys can download.
This is the 640x480 version I am using on my CRT arcade monitor, running on an old laptop.

(Link + password in the first post above)
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: terminator2k2 on December 07, 2016, 02:05:16 PM
hi there, im trying to make a wide screen version of this theme, by trial and error haha....ive been editing the layout.nut to get the required results.....

im stuck on the games list on the left of the image.....its squashed up and overlapping each other....

just wandering how do i over come this please....

thanks

chris

update: sorted thanks
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Flinnster on January 06, 2017, 10:41:20 AM
What resolution are you trying to fill? :)

I run it at 1920x1200 on my development PC, but admittedly the bars on either side do not bother me much ;)

On my cab it runs at standard 15Khz 4:3 aspect ratio of course.

One of the easiest ways I could make it fill 1920 x 1200 (16:10) is simply to extend my background image of the circuitboard to fill the black space. I don't think many mods would be needed to the layout .nut file in that case.

Of course, when your setup goes to the screensaver videos, it'll still only be 4:3 with bars on either side because that's how the original games were?  :-\

Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: cathaldub on September 05, 2017, 04:16:28 PM
Downloaded, just what I was looking for, can't wait to test it in my cab
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: nevincho on September 05, 2017, 11:27:57 PM
Terminator2k2 just change - fe.layout.preserve_aspect_ratio = true; with = false
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: taelonian on September 06, 2017, 08:10:59 AM
yes but than all artwork is stretched and looks very bad is not the solution for wide screens  :'(
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: cathaldub on September 06, 2017, 02:23:50 PM
Got this working on my cab, I needed to increase the charsize from 18 to 30 to make it read easier on my 21" CRT at 15khz, Is it possible to get rid of the index numbers on the left hand side?
They seem unnecessary, for me anyway.
cheers
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: keilmillerjr on September 06, 2017, 02:54:17 PM
Got this working on my cab, I needed to increase the charsize from 18 to 30 to make it read easier on my 21" CRT at 15khz, Is it possible to get rid of the index numbers on the left hand side?
They seem unnecessary, for me anyway.
cheers

I’d love to see a picture of how this theme looks on your crt. 8)
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: jedione on September 06, 2017, 06:46:04 PM
Got this working on my cab, I needed to increase the charsize from 18 to 30 to make it read easier on my 21" CRT at 15khz, Is it possible to get rid of the index numbers on the left hand side?
They seem unnecessary, for me anyway.
cheers

I’d love to see a picture of how this theme looks on your crt. 8)


take out the entries with ""[ListEntry]"" there ar abought 4 or five....
Title: Re: [Download] Pandora's Box 4 Ultimate Theme
Post by: Erg4zz4 on April 29, 2018, 12:48:55 PM
Hi, i'm using this theme for my arcad eroms, i moved the artworks (flyer,marquees etc) inside their corresonding folders in the arcade folder, but they are not showing. any idea to fix it? thanks