Im glad to present the attract mode theme named:
(elegant in spanish)Its a theme focused on art and visuals, but also, in functionality, responsiveness and speed. Its thought to work on ANY system, no needs strong CPU or GPU, it works like a charm in old machines.
The theme its has no videos, to make it lightweight, responsive and useable on any system. This is also because the theme is oriented for a regular use, animations, video and loudy sound effects are cool for a cabinet or for a very casual use, but, for a regular usage, I think all of video stuff becomes boring and repetitive after some uses and the sound effects are so loudy and disturbing for a home brew setup. Also, video snaps are easy to find for popular games, but for not-too-popular games its almost impossible, making big differences between games and systems and losing uniformity on the global art and style of the theme.
The lack of video and animations is compensated with a lot of HD images and some lightwheight effects in transitions and navigation. The only need for the theme is some hard drive space, because weight of HD images (but, obviously, a lot less than a theme with video previews).
That's why the theme is named Elegante (elegant in spanish), because the goal is to be the most soft and light possible keeping very nice looking.
▀ FEATURES-One strong point about this theme is that has only 1 layout but many displays. In other words, you only need to apply the theme once, and u will get all the displays the theme needs to work, there is no need to applying the theme one-by-one in every display of your AM config. With only 1 theme and 1 layour.nut, this theme has literally a display for every single system, menu or game list. Its literally a
all-in-1 theme.
-Thanks for some tweaks and hard coding, the theme shows the number of systems for every plataform, and the number of games for every system; exactly like it does other frontends like EmuStaion or Batocera.
-The theme has a multi-filter menu to order and filter games by his genre/category and also select the parameter to sort the filtered list.
-The theme can read and parse a gamelist.xml generated by skrapper, automatically making the romlist text file and all the tags for each game. There is no need for catver or anything else file to take the game categories, the xml reader implemented on the theme can extract all the info himself.
-Audio player integrated on the theme.
-Game editor integrated on the theme that has all the AM default edit_game function and also the option to add/edit/delete game categories that the multifilter uses; and also the option to delete the game, snap, description or stats.
-A fully customized stats system that overrides the AM one, giving more functions like take the last day and hour a game was played, and to make displays with the last played games or the most played games.
-The theme has a function to change between 3 regions (North America / Europe / Japan). Changing the region makes the theme automaticly updates the arts, showing the correct names and console images for every region. For example, if you choose North America, u will see TurboGrafx 16 and the classic black model of USA, but, if you pick Japan, instead of TurboGrafx, u will see PC Engine and the classic white model.
-The theme is adapted too for translations. ATM the theme has 7 languages (english, spanish, galician, italian, french, deutsch and portugese). But its highly customizable and easy to update to add more languages.
-The theme is absolutely compatible with Skraper. To add new games is as easy as paste the rom in the rom directory, scrap it with Skrapper (only with the option to take "4 mix image") and then just pass a python file that i will include with the theme. Doing these 3 steps, u will have the game in the library, totally functional, with the preview image and all the info and overview showed in the theme.
-The theme comes with a full set of bezels that fits with the theme style. The bezels are compatible with all the popular emulators (retroarch, MAME, etc).
-The theme is highly customizable and easy to edit. To add new functionalities like add new systems, add an access to a program linking a shortcut or create a new game list, it takes no more than 4-5 words in 2 archives (romlist.txt & attract.cfg). OFC the theme will come with a guide on how to scrape artwork and how to modify a system, a gamelist or the entire theme itself.
-It works as portable distribution. Only putting the attract mode directory on the root of the unit, the theme will work. There is no need to use the Windows hard drive, it works in every drive, and the roms are stored inside the attract mode folder (this can be easily modified if some user needs to store the roms in a different folder). The entire folder can be moved or coppied, and used in other systems, and all will work without need to change anything. Its extreme easy to share and to use in new systems (just copy-paste).
-The theme reads the songs stored in the "Sounds" folder and displays a message when a new sound is played with the title of the song.
-Real time date and time in the top of the main menu.
-To resume all points,
its not just a theme, is almost a complete new distribution running in Attrac Mode and trying to take the most possible potential of Squirrel's script language.
▀ VIDEO PREVIEWSThere are some sample videos to show the functionality of the theme. (note: in the first video there are some black screens when a game is launched or when return to the frontend, this is caused by OBS. In the real function of the theme, there is NO blackscreens or lags, the functionality is 100%).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQzpM5n9Xw8 - pre-Alpha showing some navigation and games loading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ihiwscy5gs - First alpha: new implementations, navigation and fully customizable options.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACxaXYswpRg - ROM list system funtionallity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGYK_u3ssLE - Second alpha: new settings and stats layout, and some perfomance improvement cause code debbuging. Maybe the last one of the alphas, hope to soon start with the public betas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z330vw8Awtk - Third alpha: finalized stats layout and new "last played games" display. Example of the internal scraper working, reading a full .xml file and making the entire romlist.txt file, get the overviews and categories for each games, and configures a full set of game genre filters and game sort options. New options inside the theme like parse the games by genre, apply automatic filters, disable categories or systems and automatic refreshing ROM counter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhJi3segRLI - Fourth alpha: new arcade cabinet, music manager, stats display load instantly, possibility to enable/disable categories, new internal stats-per-game that stores more values than the original AM stats, new displays: last played and most played, game descriptions dinamic scroll on joystick.
▀ SREENSHOTS GALLERY▀ DISPLAYS AND CONFIGS INCLUDED##MENU
-Home Consoles
-Handhelds
-Computers
-Arcades
-Steam
-PC
-Collections
-Last played games
-Most played games
-TV
-Settings
-Exit attract mode
#SETTINGS
Controls
Customize
Stats
#HOME CONSOLES > emulator configured
Epoch Cassette Vision
Fairchild Channel F > mame
Atari 2600 > retroarch
Bally Astrocade
Interton Video Computer 4000 > win arcadia
APF-MP1000
Magnavox Odyssey2 > mame
Mattel Intellivision > mame
Atari 5200 > retroarch
Emerson Arcadia 2001 > win arcadia
VTech CreatiVision > mame
ColecoVision > retroarch
Vectrex > mame
Sega SG-1000 > retroarch
Magnavox Odyssey3
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) > retroarch
Casio PV-1000 > mame
Epoch Super Cassette Vision > mame
Sega Master System > retroarch
Atari 7800 > retroarch
Atari XEGS
Amstrad GX4000 > mame
NEC Turbografx 16 > retroarch
Sega Genesis > retroarch
SNK Neo-Geo AES > mame
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) > retroarch
Philips CD-i
Pioneer LaserActive
FM Towns Marty
Commodore Amiga CD32 > retroarch
3DO Interactive Multiplayer > retroarch
Sega Genesis 32X > retroarch
Atari Jaguar > retroarch
Sega Saturn > retroarch
NEC PC-FX
Sony PlayStation > retroarch
Casio Loopy
Apple-Bandai Pippin
Nintendo 64 > retroarch
Sega Dreamcast > retroarch
Sony PlayStation 2 > pcsx2
Nintendo Gamecube > retroarch
Microsoft X-Box
Microsoft X-Box 360
Nintendo Wii > retroarch
Sony PlayStation 3
Nintendo Wii U > cemu
Nintendo Switch
#HANDHELDS > emulator configured
Nintendo Game & Watch > mame
Nintendo Game Boy > retroarch
Atari Lynx > retroarch
Sega Game Gear > retroarch
NEC TurboExpress > retroarch
Gamate
Watara Supervision > mame
Mega Duck > mame
Hartung Game Master > mame
Sega Genesis Nomad > retroarch
Tiger game.com > mame
Neo-Geo Pocket > retroarch
Game Boy Color > retroarch
WonderSwan > retroarch
WonderSwan Color > retroarch
Neo-Geo Pocket Color > retroarch
Game Boy Advance > retroarch
Nokia N-Gage
Nintendo DS > retroarch
Sony PSP > retroarch
Nintendo 3DS > retroarch
Sony PS Vita
#Computers > emulator configured
Apple 1
Apple ][ > applewin
Sinclair ZX 80
Apple ///
Sinclair ZX 81 > retroarch
Commodore 64 > retroarch
Sinclair ZX Spectrum > retroarch
MSX > retroarch
Amstrad CPC > retroarch
MSX 2 > retroarch
Commodore Amiga > retroarch
Apple Lisa
Atari ST > retroarch
#ARCADES > emulator configured
MAME > mame
Namco System 21 > mame
Capcom CPS 1 > mame
SNK Neo-Geo MVS > mame
Sega Model 1 > mame
Namco System 22 > mame
Capcom CPS 2 > mame
Sega Model 2 > m2emulator
Namco System 11 > mame
Namco System 12 > mame
Capcom CPS 3 > cps3
Sega Model 3 > supermodel
Namco System 23 > mame
Sega NAOMI > retroarch
Sega Hikaru > demul
Namco System 10
Namco System 246
Namco / Sega / Nintendo - Triforce > dolphin
Sega Chihiro
Atomiswave > retroarch
Taito Type X
Sega Lindbergh
Taito Type X2
Namco System 357
Taito Type X3
Namco System N2
#PC > games in the subsections runs directly with shortcuts that AM and the theme can read in a specified folder
PC Games
Steam
Origin
Epic Games Launcher
Uplay
GOG
#COLLECTIONS
Final Fantasy
Mario Kart
Sonic The Hedgeog
Tekken
The Legend of Zelda
->you can add your own game list and make your favourite game sagas and collections
#TV > same as with the PC section, with a simple shortcut, you can easily add programs and stuff and run it inside Attract Mode
Disney+
Kodi
Netflix
Prime Video
Browser
Twitch
YouTube
▀ PLANNED FEATURES-Feature to rotate screen and automatically adjust elements positions and scales. An option too for enable the user to select a workarea where the user define the width and height and the theme auto-center horizontally and vertically.
-Rework the arcade cabinet to a 3D model. DONE-Icons instead of text for game genres. DONE-An utility or an option to automatically make the folder structure, move it or select diferent folders or HDDs to store the roms. DONE-Option to control background sound (mute / next track / prev track). DONE-Game filters: genre / number of players / alphabetical -- game sorting options: alphabetical / time played / year of release / developer DONE-System filters: systems with games / systems disableds or without games / all systems -- sorting options year of release / alphabetical / developer / by numer of roms. DONE-Options to enable-disable systems and categories. DONE-A submenu for adjusts to override the Attract Mode options menu and configure options of the theme directly on. DONE-A settings option where you can setup universal controls for every single emulator linked to the theme (this is possible thanks to the squirrel file() module and the capability to write text (and .ini) files).
-A display for staticstics which show total time played, most played games, last played games, and more stats. DONE-Rework the game section to use a better looking list instead of the ugly default listbot. DONE-Add a option for count the roms and add the results into a .txt file that the theme will use as database (its way more faster than the real time rom counter). DONE-A option in a overlay that check what systems have games in and what are empty, making 2 lists for the filters, 1 with all the systems, and another with only the systems that have games. DONE-A bottom bar to show help about button functions. DONE-Bypass the AM stats for games with an internal that saves more data. DONE-Store the stats dinamically in a internal database, so that makes the Stats display load instant. DONE-A user login system, each one with his own databases, settings and stats.
-A fast tutorial that shows when the user starts the theme for the first time.
-A editor overlay to dinamically config game parameters and categories. DONE▀ FINAL THOUGHTSIm working on finish it, but, there is the important part.
If you want to help to developt the theme, all help will be welcome.
When i finish the theme, i will let it free to the community,
this will be a community theme, i will share the entire code and raw archives, for everyone who wants to modify, or upgrade it, to ensure that this theme wont die if for some reason i cant get time to mantain it (like happens with a lot of emulator, frontends or themes). I want to make this the deffinitive theme for attract mode and gift it to the community to make it ethernal and always updated. Hope, in the future, publishing this in github, the community can keep this work alive and updated.
Hope you liked the theme and sorry about my english (if someone wants to make a better text for this thread, i will edit it gratefully).
Here is my email, if someone wants to contact me to help to developt the theme and to send hit the necessary files: jaskigz@gmail.com
A million thanks to O.T.T. (Piero) for his kindly and awesome help as alpha tester and italian language proofreading
