How to set up attract mode on a PC step by step

[Arcadefanatic]

I have now got Attract Mode running on my spare PC and it boots straight into AM with no windows guff showing, which is what I want.
but a problem.   when AM loads, it shows the config menu, how do I have to load and show the game list?

Thanks

[Mark Norville]

Firstly, you need to have a rom list

Secondly go to settings PRESS TAB
Scroll down to  GENERAL
Change START UP MODE
1) Show displays menu
2) Launch last game
3) Show last selection (Default)

You want 1) or if you do not want the menu system then 3) but your last selection needs to be your roms list. So MAME as an example, your last selection was potentially the config screen before shutting down.

Regards

Mark

[Arcadefanatic]

Firstly, you need to have a rom list

Secondly go to settings PRESS TAB
Scroll down to  GENERAL
Change START UP MODE
1) Show displays menu
2) Launch last game
3) Show last selection (Default)

You want 1) or if you do not want the menu system then 3) but your last selection needs to be your roms list. So MAME as an example, your last selection was potentially the config screen before shutting down.

Regards

Mark

First let me say that I really appreciate the help!  Thank you.

Sadly I followed this to the letter several times and still it boots into the configure menu no matter what I do.
Perhaps it is because I turned off the win 10 normal startup and edited the registry to load AM from the shell.

[Mark Norville]

If you try the following

Set up a quick exit key

TAB

controls

Scroll down to

Exit to desktop

I have mine set as D for this, but up to you what key you use

Load AM and then go to your MAME roms, press your exit to desktop key, which let's say D

Reboot and then see if the same thing happens again.

I think that there is a setting somewhere in a cfg file that you can change, I shall look and see if I can find it

Regards

Mark

[Arcadefanatic]

Thank you,
I followed your instructions and set up 'd' to exit to desktop.  Then I went to my game selection screen and pressed 'd'.  it quit and I then rebooted.  When it came back on  ..I'm on the config menu again.

I think this is a windows issue and not AM. 

[Mark Norville]

I shall reply to myself here rather than editing the post, just so that you can see this as you have just come back on

In the main attract mode directory

You will have a file called last_run.txt I will put my settings at the bottom of this

Attract-Mode v2.6.1 (Windows, SFML 2.5.1 +SWF +7z +Curl)
avcodec 58.54.100 / avformat 58.29.100 / swscale 5.5.100 / avutil 56.31.100 / swresample 3.5.100

Config: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\attract.cfg

*** Initializing display: 'MAME (Arcade)'
 - Loaded master romlist 'MAME (Arcade)' in 448 ms (13397 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 1 ms (26794 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/coinops/ (layout.nut)
 - Constructed 1 filters in 0 ms (59 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/Basic/ (layout.nut)
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
*** Generating Collection/Rom List: PS1 Europe
 - Found 1469 files.
 - Removing any duplicate entries...
 + Writing 1469 entries to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\romlists/PS1 Europe.txt
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
Writing config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\attract.cfg

*** Initializing display: 'MAME (Arcade)'
 - Loaded master romlist 'MAME (Arcade)' in 397 ms (13397 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 1 ms (26794 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/coinops/ (layout.nut)
 - Constructed 1 filters in 0 ms (60 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/Basic/ (layout.nut)

*** Initializing display: 'PS1 Europe'
 - Loaded master romlist 'PS1 Europe' in 64 ms (1469 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 0 ms (2938 comparisons)
Writing emulator config to: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\emulators/PS1 Europe.cfg
 - Constructed 1 filters in 0 ms (60 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/Basic/ (layout.nut)

*** Initializing display: 'PS1 Europe'
 - Loaded master romlist 'PS1 Europe' in 44 ms (1469 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 0 ms (2938 comparisons)
 - Constructed 1 filters in 0 ms (60 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/Basic/ (layout.nut)
 ! Unexpectedly lost focus to: explorer.exe (3304)

*** Initializing display: 'PS1 Europe'
 - Loaded master romlist 'PS1 Europe' in 64 ms (1469 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 0 ms (2938 comparisons)
 - Constructed 1 filters in 0 ms (60 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: C:\Attract Mode Test Modes\Sega\layouts/Basic/ (layout.nut)

You also have a file called default-display.cfg

filter               All
filter               Favourites
rule                 Favourite equals 1

If the exit to desktop did not work, then check your files and then compare them to mine.

Regards

Mark

[Arcadefanatic]

Thanks.  I do have a last_run.txt file which is somewhat the same but not exact but I don't have a display.txt file.

I do appreciate all the time and help you've put into this and I want to thank you but I think I'm going to just give up on the whole project.

Thanks though!

[Mark Norville]

I would not quit just yet

I would make a display list text file, I think you have set up the shelling far too early, you really need that display.txt file otherwise it does not know what to display hence it defaulting to config.

Just make that text file, replace all with MAME or whatever you called your emulator and give that a try,

LAUNCH NOTEPAD

Type in or copy and paste


filter               All
filter               Favourites
rule                Favourite equals 1

SAVE AS DEFAULT-DISPLAY.CFG All lower case, if All does not work for you change it to MAME or whatever emulator you have set up.

Example : C:\Attract Mode\default-display.cfg


Only quitters quit, don't be a quitter.

Regards

Mark

[akafox]

Thanks.  I do have a last_run.txt file which is somewhat the same but not exact but I don't have a display.txt file.

I do appreciate all the time and help you've put into this and I want to thank you but I think I'm going to just give up on the whole project.

Thanks though!

No reason to give up!

Actually if I recall I tried doing the same a year or so ago. It seems that the whole setup paths changed and i had to work from the path that the system gave me. I never tried it in windows 10 this was just on windows XP. I used a program called Instant sheller. If you are still poking around here I will give a whirl this weekend and post you a solution (hopefully!) no later than mid week..maybe end week?

Hang in there!