November 17, 2008
TB_ScreenSaver V5.71
http://home.comcast.net/~tacobirds/
By: Kenneth W. McKirahan
TB_ScreenSaver is a
Windows 2000/XP/Vista screensaver that displays pictures from a specified
directory using one of nine user-specified formats. A version for XP x64 and
Vista x64 is also supported. The screensaver requires Microsoft’s .NET
Framework 3.5 to run.
Marquees can be
displayed above each picture, icons can bounce around the screen, a variety of
background options are available, and a caption can be displayed for each
picture or a group of pictures.
TB_ScreenSaver also
supports MAME game pictures by displaying the full game name, manufacturer and
year for each picture. MAME games can be run after their picture has been
displayed or you can configure the screensaver to just run games.
You can also use
the screensaver to manage your MAME ROM collection. TB_ScreenSaver will check all
your games and tell you if any have bad or missing ROMs.
Because this
screensaver does so much, you may choose to run this program as a standalone
application. Instructions for doing this can be found in this document under
the “Advanced Options” section.
Table of Contents
2 Installing/Uninstalling/Upgrading
TB_ScreenSaver
3 Setting Up Windows to Run TB_ScreenSaver
4.3 Display MAME Pictures and Run MAME Games
5.2.3 Clear screen after each group
5.2.4 Display last picture in a group of pictures
full screen
5.4.1 Specifying Pictures to Display
5.4.2 Opening/Saving the Picture List
5.4.7 Checking (Selecting) Games
5.5.5 One caption for all pictures
5.7.6 Only display pictures that have a marquee
5.7.7 Only attach marquees to pictures from the
following directory
5.8.9 Only display pictures that have a matching
icon
5.9.1 Mute sound card while the screensaver is
running
5.10.2 Only terminate screensaver when the
following key is pressed
5.10.4 Allow 5, 6, 7or 8 key to start a game
6.1.1 MAME/MAME32 executable (.exe)
6.1.2 Start game after displaying picture
6.1.7 Choose game from Picture List
6.1.8 Choose game from Run List
6.1.9 Flash game caption before running
6.3 Running MAME Games without Pictures
8.2 Terms and Conditions for Copying,
Distribution and Modification
1 Features
- Display
pictures of your MAME games in one of eight fixed picture layouts or
display them randomly on your screen. The game pictures may be screen
snapshots, marquees, flyers, etc. from any number of directories. All
popular picture formats are supported (bmp, gif, png and jpg).
- Have
the screensaver start a game after displaying its picture. Alternatively,
you can configure the screensaver to just run games and not display any
pictures.
- Add
captions, backgrounds and marquees to your pictures. A host of
configuration options are available for each.
- Built-in
support for MAME cabinets. You can choose to start a game when its picture
has been displayed via one of MAME’s coin-insert keys.
- Built-in
ROM Management. You can select, test and sort the games you want the
screensaver to run. To help you identify which games to display and/or
run, the name, manufacturer, year, emulation status, category, plus many
other fields are listed for each game including which games are suited for
adults.
- The
screensaver maintains two separate game lists: the picture list tells the
screensaver which pictures to display; and the run list tells the
screensaver which games to run. This optimizes the screensaver for users
that have lots of game pictures but few ROMs.
- Support
for pictures inside zip files.
- Sound
support. Mute the sound or have game sounds randomly played while pictures
are being displayed and/or when a game is started.
- Game
icons can be made to bounce around amongst your game pictures.
- Unique Random-Sequential picture
selection mode. Pictures are randomly chosen but pictures found in other
directories that have the same name are grouped together and displayed
sequentially.
- Extensive
online help and tooltips for all screensaver options
- Plus,
many other features!
2 Installing/Uninstalling/Upgrading TB_ScreenSaver
TB_ScreenSaver
requires that you first install the .NET Framework 3.5. If you don’t have this
already installed then you will need to go to Microsoft’s web site to get it.
The easiest
way to download the .NET Framework is to go to the Windows Update web page. To
do this fire up Internet Explorer and pull down the Tools menu and select
“Windows Update”. On the Windows Update page is an “Express Install” link.
Click on it. If you need the .NET Framework installed then the Express Install
page will inform you.
After
installing the .NET Framework you can proceed with the installation of
TB_ScreenSaver. If you have a previous version of TB_ScreenSaver installed you
will need to uninstall that version before you can install the current version.
It is not necessary to save your configurations files (TB_ScreenSaver,ini,
*.plf. *.rlf or Mame.dat). These files will not be removed.
To install
TB_ScreenSaver unzip the zip file containing the TB_ScreenSaver setup program.
After doing this run Setup.exe. This setup program will do the following…
-
Creates
an entry in your registry under “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software” called TacoBirds.
Two values will be placed under this key called AppPath and AppDataPath. These
items show where TB_ScreenSaver’s program files are installed (except the
executable which is stored in your Windows\System32 folder) as well as its data
files.
-
Creates
a folder in AppPath that contain the help and support files needed by the screensaver.
-
Creates
a folder in AppDataPath that contain the configuration files for TB_ScreenSaver
(i.e. TB_ScreenSaver,ini, *.plf. *.rlf and Mame.dat).
-
Puts
the file TB_ScreenSaver.scr, ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.dll and
KeyBoardMouseHook.dll in your Windows\System32 folder.
To remove (uninstall) TB_ScreenSaver go to Windows Control Panel and
select “Add or Remove Programs”. You will see an entry for TB_ScreenSaver.
Click on it then press the Remove button. As stated earlier, the configuration
files in your AppDataPath folder will remain. This is so upgrades can be
performed without losing your configuration settings. Delete the folder where
TB_ScreenSaver was installed (typically "C:\Program Files\TacoBirds")
to remove all components.
3 Setting Up Windows to Run TB_ScreenSaver
1.
Call up
Window’s Control Panel and open the Display item. Alternatively, you can
right-click on your empty desktop and select Properties.
2.
Select
the “Screen Saver” tab. Choose TB_ScreenSaver in the screensaver drop-down
control. If you receive an application error at this point then it is likely
due to the .NET Framework not being installed on your PC. Refer to
“Installing/Uninstalling TB_ScreenSaver” for instructions on installing the
.NET Framework on your machine.
3.
Click
the Settings button to open TB_ScreenSaver’s Configuration dialog. Here you
configure how TB_ScreenSaver will run.
4.
Press
the OK button to save any changes you have made.
5.
Click
the Preview button to verify your settings.
6.
Close
the Display Properties when finished by pressing the OK button.
4 Quick Setup Guide
To quickly get your screensaver up and running you can follow the quick setup steps below. There are 4 main modes that the screensaver can run under. Choose the mode you prefer.
4.1
Display non-MAME Pictures
- Uncheck the “MAME mode” checkbox on the main Configuration dialog.
- Specify the “Picture directories” that contain your pictures on the main Configuration dialog.
- Specify how you want the pictures displayed from the Picture Layout tab.
- Specify the picture selection criteria from the Picture Selection tab.
- Add/Edit/Delete captions from the Captions tab.
- Specify a background from the Background tab.
4.2
Display MAME Pictures
a. Check the “MAME mode” checkbox on the main Configuration dialog.
b. Specify the “Picture directories” that contain your MAME pictures (typically the \snap subdirectory where your MAME executable resides) on the main Configuration dialog.
c. Specify your “MAME\MAME32 executable” from the MAME tab.
d. Specify the MAME pictures to display…
· Press the “Edit Picture List…” button from the Picture Selection tab.
· Check those games that you want the screensaver to display. See Note 1
· Save your changes by pressing the Save button.
e. Specify how you want the pictures displayed from the Picture Layout tab.
f. Specify the picture selection criteria from the Picture Selection tab.
g. Add/Edit/Delete captions from the Captions tab.
h. Specify a background from the Background tab.
4.3
Display MAME Pictures and Run MAME Games
- Perform all of the steps for displaying MAME pictures.
- Check the “Start MAME game after displaying picture” checkbox from the MAME tab.
- Specify the MAME games to run…
- Press the “Edit Run List…” button from the MAME tab.
- Check those games that you want the screensaver to run. See Note 2
- Save your changes by pressing the Save button.
4.4
Run MAME Games Only
- Check the “MAME mode” checkbox on the main Configuration dialog.
- Check the “Randomly run MAME games only” checkbox on the main Configuration dialog.
- Specify the MAME games to run…
· Press the “Edit Run List…” button from the MAME tab.
· Check those games that you want the screensaver to run. See Note 2
NOTE 1: The screensaver
assumes that when you check a game, you have a matching graphic file for that
game in one or more of your Picture Directories. A matching graphic file is a graphic file
(*.bmp, *.gif, *.png, *.jpg) whose filename matches the game’s ROM name.
NOTE 2: The screensaver
assumes that when you check a game that you have a matching ROM file for that
game in the \roms subdirectory where your MAME executable resides.
5 Configuring TB_ScreenSaver
5.1 Main Configuration
5.1.1 MAME mode
If checked, the folders specified in the “Picture directories” field contain MAME game pictures. See the MAME tab section for more information on using and running MAME games.
NOTE: To help
identify screensaver options that are only available in MAME mode, all text in
this document that describes MAME specific options will be written using this
blue font.
5.1.2 Picture directories
The screensaver displays pictures from the folders that you specify here. These folders are also used by the Picture and Run List dialogs to display pictures when their “Show pictures” checkbox is checked.
Press the 
button to specify the folders that contain
your picture files. TB_ScreenSaver will present you the following dialog…
The order in which the directories are listed will determine the order in which pictures are displayed in either Sequential or Random-Sequential mode. The directories towards the top of the list are opened before those at the bottom.
Supported picture types are *.bmp, *.png, *.gif or *.jpg files. These files may be placed inside one or more zip (*.zip) files.
5.1.2.1 Include Subdirectories
If checked, folders found beneath each listed directory will also be searched for picture files. If any are found they will be included.
5.1.2.2 Skip groups that do not have pictures in first directory
If checked,
then pictures being displayed in Sequential or Random-Sequential mode must
contain a picture in the first (topmost) directory for any other picture in
that group to be displayed.
5.1.2.3 Add…
Opens the
Browse Folder dialog. Here you specify the folder you want to add to your
Picture Directory list.
5.1.2.4 Delete…
Deletes one
or more selected folders from your Picture Directory list.
5.1.2.5 Up Arrow
Moves the
selected item towards the top of the list.
5.1.2.6 Down Arrow
Moves the
selected item towards the bottom of the list.
5.1.3
(About)
Displays version information for TB_ScreenSaver as well as a link to the TB_ScreenSaver web page.
5.1.4 Preview
Starts the screensaver so you can easily see the results of your current configuration settings. This is useful for testing a configuration without saving (applying) the current settings.
NOTE: Any sounds that may be playing will continue to play after you
have terminated the screensaver. If you would rather have your sounds terminate
immediately then consider using the Preview button in Window’s Screen Saver
dialog.
5.1.5 Show tool tips
When checked, the screensaver will display tool tips for most fields in the configuration dialogs. A tool tip is a small help window that pops up when you hover your mouse over a particular field.
5.1.6 OK
When pressed, all your configuration changes are saved and the configuration dialog is closed.
5.1.7 Cancel
When pressed, the configuration dialog will close. If changes have not been saved then the system will first ask you if you want to save your changes. You can choose to save changes and close (Yes), not save changes and close (No), or not close (Cancel).
5.1.8 Apply
When pressed, all your configuration changes are saved.
5.1.9
(Help)
When pressed, this help manual will be displayed.
5.2 Picture Layout Tab
Specify the layout of your pictures when the screensaver is running…
5.2.1 Stretch/Shrink pictures
If checked, then any displayed picture will be sized to fit the picture box area on the screen. Small pictures will be stretched and large pictures will be shrunk.
If unchecked, the picture will be displayed in its original size. For pictures that are larger than the picture box on the screen this means they will be clipped.
5.2.2 Maintain aspect ratio
This checkbox is only enabled when the “Stretch/Shrink pictures” checkbox is checked. If the “Maintain aspect ratio” checkbox is checked then TB_ScreenSaver will not distort a picture to make it fit its picture box. Rather, it will scale down the picture’s width or height to make it equal to the picture’s original aspect ratio.
5.2.3 Clear screen after each group
If checked, all pictures will be removed from the screen after a set of pictures belonging to a group has been displayed. A group of pictures are any set of pictures in one or more directories that contain the same filename (the file’s extension may be different). As such, the Picture Selection mode must either be Sequential or Random-Sequential for this option to be available.
5.2.4 Display last picture in a group of pictures full screen
If checked, then the last picture displayed in a group of pictures will be displayed full screen regardless of the mode that the other pictures are being displayed in (e.g. side by side, random, etc.). A group of pictures are any set of pictures in one or more directories that contain the same filename (the file’s extension may be different). As such, the Picture Selection mode must either be Sequential or Random-Sequential for this option to be available.
The settings for “Stretch/Shrink pictures” and “Maintain aspect ratio” will apply to this picture as they do for all other pictures.
Before the last picture is displayed, all pictures that are currently being displayed will be cleared.
5.2.5 Fixed Picture Layouts
TB_ScreenSaver offers 8 fixed picture placement options...
In the picture above, single picture mode has been selected. In single picture mode you can specify how large the picture can be on the screen. The other fixed picture modes are: two pictures side by side, two pictures top and bottom, three pictures side by side, three pictures top to bottom, four pictures side by side, four pictures top to bottom, and four pictures in the corners.
You should choose a layout that
closely matches the size and shape of the pictures that you want to display.
5.2.6 Random Picture Layout
Random picture placement provides a unique viewing experience of your pictures. When enabled, pictures are randomly placed on the screen. The number and size of those pictures are user-defined. You can also choose whether these pictures are allowed to overlap one another.
To enable random picture placement click on the graphic selection in the lower right hand corner of the Picture Layout control…
When this option is selected the “Random…” button is activated. Pressing this button allows you to configure the random picture settings.
5.2.6.1 Random Configuration
5.2.6.1.1 Maximum number of pictures
This number specifies the maximum number of pictures that can be on the screen at one time. When the maximum number of pictures has been placed on the screen then the next picture to be displayed will replace the oldest picture.
If “No picture overlap” has been checked then there is no guarantee that the maximum number of pictures will ever be met since only so many pictures can fit on the screen. Icons can also impose a limit if you have specified that icons should bounce off of your pictures. The reason for this is that the screensaver insures that all icons remain visible and not obstructed by pictures.
If a picture cannot be placed on the screen due to the real estate of existing pictures or icons then TB_ScreenSaver will remove pictures starting with the oldest until the new picture can be placed.
If you want to insure that TB_ScreenSaver places the maximum number of pictures on your screen when “No picture overlap” is checked, then reduce the “Minimum picture size” and “Maximum picture size” values. If icons are the culprit then reduce the number or size of your icons, or turn off the Icon bounce off pictures option.
5.2.6.1.2 Minimum picture size
This number specifies the minimum size of the picture as a percent of the total screen size. For example, an amount of 25 means that the picture cannot occupy less than 25% of the screen. Since the size of a picture is determined by both its height and width, neither the height nor the width will be below this minimum picture size value unless “Maintain aspect ratio” is checked in which case the picture box will be reduced further in width or height in order to maintain the aspect ratio of the original picture.
5.2.6.1.3 Maximum picture size
This number specifies the maximum size of the picture as a percent of the total screen size. For example, an amount of 60 means that the picture cannot occupy more than 60% of the screen. Since the size of a picture is determined by both its height and width, neither the height nor the width will be above this maximum picture size value.
5.2.6.1.4 No picture overlap
If this checkbox is checked then no two pictures can overlap one another including their captions (if enabled) and marquee (if enabled). If unchecked, then pictures can be placed on top of one another.
5.3 Picture Selection Tab
Specify the criteria for choosing the pictures to display while the
screensaver is running…
5.3.1 Sequential
Pictures from all specified picture directories are sorted and displayed alphabetically.
5.3.1.1 Reset to beginning
When displaying pictures sequentially, pressing this button resets the internal picture counter back to the first picture. Otherwise, when TB_ScreenSaver restarts it will resume from the last displayed picture.
5.3.2 Random
Pictures from all specified picture directories are randomly chosen and displayed.
5.3.3 Random-Sequential
Like Random
mode, this mode will randomly display pictures from your picture directories.
However, pictures in multiple directories that have the same name will be
grouped together and displayed sequentially before another picture is randomly
chosen.
5.3.4 Cycle interval
This value refers to the amount of time (in seconds) that must expire before the next picture is displayed.
5.3.5 Active filters…
The purpose of this read-only field is to provide you with one location where you can see the criteria TB_ScreenSaver uses for displaying its pictures.
Most picture selection options are available from this tab; however, there are additional filters that can be activated from other tabs or areas. They are…
· Display MAME pictures only (i.e. MAME mode)
· Only display pictures that have a matching background
· Only display pictures that have a matching marquee
· Only display pictures that have a matching icon
· In groups, always display pictures in first directory
If any of these filters are active you will see them displayed here. Any filter can cause TB_ScreenSaver to limit the number of pictures displayed from your picture directory. For example, if MAME mode is activated then your pictures files must be names of MAME games. If they are not, then none of your pictures will be displayed.
5.4
MAME Picture List
If MAME
mode is enabled, an “Edit Picture List…” button will be seen under the Picture
Selection tab. Pressing this button will display the MAME Picture List dialog.
Here you can specify the MAME game pictures that the screensaver should
display.
The game
pictures that you want the screensaver to display are stored in a Picture List
File (*.plf). The first time you configure the screensaver it will create a
file for you called “CurrentPictureList.plf”.
The games
that are shown in this list are based on the version of the MAME executable
file you have specified under the main configuration dialog’s MAME tab.
NOTE: The MAME Picture List display is
different from the MAME Run List found under the MAME tab (although similar in
appearance). The Run List allows you to specify which games the screensaver can
run. The Picture List
allows you to specify which game pictures to display. To easily differentiate this list from the Run List,
the Picture List is drawn with a blue background while the Run List is
drawn with a green background. A pair of radio buttons at the top of the
display also helps you identify which display is active.
5.4.1
Specifying Pictures to
Display
To specify
a game picture that the screensaver should display, simply check the checkbox
in the left-most column for that game. The games that you check are stored in
your picture list file (*.plf).
The
lower-left corner of this dialog shows you how many games you currently have
chosen to display (that are checked)…
You can
select multiple rows by holding down the Shift or Control keys. For adjacent
rows use the Shift key. For non-adjacent rows use the Control key. You can also
check/uncheck multiple rows in this manner by checking on the checkbox of one
of the selected games.
5.4.2
Opening/Saving the
Picture List
When you
initially open the MAME Picture List dialog, the games that are checked are
read from your current picture list file (*.plf).
When you
change the games that are checked, you can choose to save them in your current
picture list file (Save) or a different picture list file (Save As…). You can
also open (Open…) another PLF file other than the current default. All of these
options are available under the Files menu.
For
example, you may want to maintain several picture list files. One may be called
“80s Arcade” which has all the arcade games of the 80s checked, and another
called “Arcade Classics” which has the most popular arcade games checked. By
creating multiple picture list files, you can easily change what pictures you
want the screensaver to display.
If you
make a change to the games that are checked and you attempt to close the MAME Picture List dialog you will be
asked if you would like to save your changes to the current picture list file,
discard those changes, or cancel the closing of the MAME Picture List dialog…
NOTE: Changes made
to any of the View options or to any games identified as bad (discussed below)
will be automatically saved regardless of how you respond to this dialog.
5.4.3
Changed Games
The
Picture List has a column available called “Changed” (if this column is not
shown refer to the section below titled “Add/Remove Game Columns”). This column
represents games that have either been added or changed. This comparison is
made against the version of MAME you previously had installed. If you have not
upgraded your version of MAME since TB_ScreenSaver was installed then this
field will be blank for all games. This means that as far as screensaver is
concerned, no changes to the MAME game list have occurred. If you later install
a newer version of MAME, then this column will correctly reflect what has
changed.
Rather than wait on a new MAME release you can temporarily
install a previous version of MAME. You can do that by performing these steps…
1. Install an older version of
MAME/MAME32
2. Run the screensaver. It will
automatically generate a new XML file and a new MAME.DAT file. Alternatively,
you can reconfigure the screensaver and specify the path to the MAME executable
(see how to do this under the MAME tab).
3. Close the screensaver
4. Install a newer version of
MAME/MAME32
5. Repeat Step 2.
After performing these steps, the Changed column should
properly reflect what has changed between the two MAME releases.
Here you
can see what was changed between MAME V0.124 and the version that was
previously installed…
The Changed column shows the
following types of changes…
·
New – The game is new.
The ROM name will also be shown in green.
·
Changed – Emulation (sound, graphics, colors, driver), manufacturer
or year has changed. The columns that have changed, along with the ROM name,
will be shown in orange.
5.4.4
Game Clones
The “Clone
of” column will identify all games that are either a clone of another game, or
that contain clones of it. If a game has clones then the “Clone of” column will
display {CLONED} for that game.
If a game
is a clone of another game then the “Clone of” column will display the name of
the parent game. If a game has not been cloned or is not a clone of another
game then its Clone column will be empty.
5.4.5
View Options
Various
menu items allow you to specify how the game list is displayed.
5.4.5.1
Add/Remove Game Columns
TB_ScreenSaver
allows you to customize the columns in your Picture List. You can rearrange,
resize and add/remove columns. To manage your columns select the “View | Add/Remove
Columns…” menu item…
Alternatively,
you can right-click on any column and select the “Add/Remove Columns…” context
menu item…
A Column
Selector dialog will be displayed…
The “Available
Columns” list on the left shows the columns that are available to be displayed
in your Picture List. The “Displayed Columns” list on the right shows the columns
that are currently being displayed in your Picture List. By using the left and
right arrow buttons you can swap column items between these two lists. The up
and down arrow keys allow you to change the order in which the columns are displayed
in the Picture List.
Columns
can also be rearranged directly from the MAME Picture List by dragging the
column header to a new location. You can also resize a column by clicking on
the column divider and dragging it left or right.
The
screensaver will automatically save your new column grouping when the Picture
List is closed.
NOTE: The Category, Mature and Version columns
require a separate file in order to work. This file is called CATVER.INI and it
must be placed in the folder where your MAME executable resides.
The CATVER.INI file is not maintained by the
MAME development team or by me; however, a link for downloading this file can
be found on the screensaver’s web page: http://home.comcast.net\~tacobirds
5.4.5.2
Sorting Games
You can
sort games by ROM name, description, manufacturer, year, clone, or any of the
other columns shown in the table by simply clicking on a column’s header.
Sorting for a particular column will toggle between ascending and descending.
You can
also sort games that are being grouped together (discussed later).
5.4.5.3
Picture List Font
The font
used in the game list can be changed by selecting the “View | Change Font…”
menu item…
Here you
can change the font type, style, size and script…
5.4.5.4
Show pictures
If you select this item
then you can preview the pictures from the first four directories specified in
your picture directories (found on the main configuration dialog). The name of
each picture’s folder is displayed above each picture. The order that the
pictures are displayed is the same order that you specified for your picture
directories.
NOTE: If you hover
the mouse over a picture, an enlarged version of the picture will be displayed
over the game list.
5.4.5.5
Always open
As a convenience, if you
would like the Picture List dialog to automatically open every time you
configure the screensaver then check “View: Always Open” menu item…
5.4.6
CHD Games
In the Picture List you
can check/uncheck (discussed below) or sort your CHD games. CHD stands for
Compressed Hard Disk. Some arcade games required hard disks, CDROMs, laser
disks, etc. to run. Since this media could store hundreds of megabytes of data,
these games were typically huge in size (sometimes well over a gigabyte). While
the MAME development team figured out a way to compress this data, these games
are still quite large in comparison with other MAME supported games. As such,
many users of MAME don’t bother displaying these games.
If you want to include the
pictures of these games then select the “Check: All CHD” menu item. If you
would like to exclude these pictures then select the “Check: No CHD” menu item.
You can also sort your CHD games by adding the CHD column to your game list (if
it isn’t there already) and then click on the CHD column header.
5.4.7
Checking (Selecting)
Games
This menu
item allows you to quickly specify or clear the game pictures that you want the
screensaver to display.
If you select the “Check:
All” menu item you can quickly check all games in your MAME Picture List
including CHD games (discussed above). Likewise, if you select the “Check:
None” menu item you can uncheck all of the games in your MAME Picture List.
The “Check: Copy” menu
item will check only those games that are currently checked in your MAME Run
List (discussed in the MAME tab section). This menu item makes it easy to
quickly create a list of games that you want to display that is a subset, or
the same as, the games that you want the screensaver to run.
5.4.8
Grouping Games
To easily see
all games that you have checked you can group them together by selecting the
“Group: Checked” option. When you do, all these games will be shown at the top
of the list.
You can
also group together games that have bad and/or missing ROMs by selecting the
“Group: Bad” option. Refer to the section titled “Testing Games” to learn how
to identify these games. The default is to not group games (None).
Finally,
you can group together all games that match a filter criteria by selecting the
“Group: Filter” option. When you select this item you will be prompted to enter
a filter string…
For
example, if you type “test” then all the games that contain that word in their
description will be shown highlighted at the top of the list…
This filter is not case sensitive so “test”
will also match “Test” and “TEST”.
Grouped
games can also be sorted. If you click on a column header, that column will
sort the grouped games. All non-grouped games that follow the grouped games
will be sorted separately.
5.4.9
Testing Games
To help
manage your ROM collection, TB_ScreenSaver can be used to test the ROMS for the
games you currently own, or to test just the currently selected game.
5.4.9.1
Testing Individual
Games
To test
the ROMs for the currently selected game, first select the game you want to
test then press the “Test: Game” menu option…
If the
ROMs are good then a dialog will be displayed informing you…
If the
game has bad or missing ROMs then an error dialog will be displayed informing
you of the specific problem…
In addition,
the game will be highlighted in red in the game list view…
An
alternative method for testing an individual game is by right-clicking on the
game and selecting the “Test Game” context menu item…
5.4.9.2
Testing Multiple Games
You can
also test all of the games that you currently have checked by pressing the
“Test: Games | Start Testing” menu option…
All
checked games will be scanned. The screensaver will display its progress to the
right of the “Test:” menu items…
Any games
found with bad or missing ROMs will be highlighted in red…
You can
stop an in-progress scan at any time by selecting the “Stop Testing” or “Pause Testing”
menu items…
If you select
“Pause Testing” then you will be able to restart the scan from where it left
off by selecting the “Resume Testing” menu item…
When the
scan has finished, TB_ScreenSaver will automatically group all your bad games
(if any) at the top of the list for easy identification. The “Bad games”
counter at the bottom of the list will tell you how many bad games were found…
If all of
the ROMs that you checked passed the MAME ROM verification then the “Bad games”
counter will be 0 and you will see the following message next to the “Test:”
menu items…
The screensaver will ALWAYS save the list of bad games when the Picture List is closed. This feature saves you from having to retest all of your games every time the Picture List dialog is opened.
If you
would like to restore all of the bad games back to normal, press the Clear
button next to the “Bad games” counter…
You can also
set individual games as bad or good by right-clicking on a game and selecting
“Set Game(s) as Bad” or “Set Game(s) as Good” menu items…
5.4.9.3
Running a Game
Another
way you can test a game is by running it. To do this you would select the game
you want to run then select the “Test: Run” menu item. By doing so you will
spawn MAME and start the selected game.
You can
also run a selected game by pressing the Enter key or by right-clicking on the
game and selecting “Run Game”…
Once a
game is started it will run indefinitely until you press the Escape key.
Another
use for running a game is to obtain screen snapshots. While a game is running
press the F12 key on your keyboard.
MAME will create a snapshot of the currently displayed game screen and save it
to your MAME’s \Snap folder.
5.5 Captions Tab
Specify the captions for your pictures while the screensaver is running…
5.5.1 Title Tab
Displays the text shown in the Text field at either the top or bottom of the screen.
5.5.1.1 Text
The text to display.
5.5.1.2 Font...
Dialog for choosing the font, size, color and style for the title text.
5.5.1.3 Cycle colors
If checked, the title foreground color will cycle through random colors.
5.5.1.4 Background color
The background color to use for the title text. It can also be set to transparent.
5.5.1.5 Screen top/Screen bottom
The location of the title text on the screen.
5.5.2 Filename Tab
If specified, the screensaver will display the picture’s filename. The filename’s extension is always excluded.
5.5.2.1 Uppercase
If checked, the screensaver will always show the filename in uppercase letters.
5.5.2.2 Font…
Dialog for choosing the font, size, color and style for the filename caption.
5.5.2.3 Background color
The background color to use for the filename caption. It can also be set to transparent.
5.5.3
MAME Tab
If MAME
mode is enabled, a MAME tab is added to the Captions tab to allow additional
game data to be displayed such as the name of the game, the year it was
released, and its manufacturer.
5.5.3.1
Show Game Description
If checked, the game’s full
name will be displayed. Any text in parenthesis will not be displayed unless
the “Show words in parenthesis” option is checked.
5.5.3.2
Show words in
parenthesis
If checked, the full game
name will be displayed along with any text in parenthesis. Typically, the text
in parenthesis describes the version of a game or the territory where the game
was released.
5.5.3.3
Font…
Dialog for choosing the
font, size, color and style for the description caption.
5.5.3.4
Background color
The background color to
use for the description caption. It can also be set to transparent.
5.5.3.5
Show Year / Show
Manufacturer
You can specify whether
the year and/or manufacturer are displayed. If either is displayed you can
specify their font, size and color and background color. The year is always
displayed in parenthesis following the name of the manufacturer.
5.5.3.6
Font…
Dialog for choosing the
font, size, color and style for the manufacturer and/or year.
5.5.3.7
Background color
The background color to
use for the manufacturer and/or year. It can also be set to transparent.
5.5.4 One caption per picture
If selected, each displayed picture has a caption shown beneath it. The show filename checkbox must be checked for this option to be available, or if in MAME mode, one of the MAME captions must be enabled.
5.5.5 One caption for all pictures
If
selected, one caption is shown at the bottom of the screen for all displayed
pictures. This option is useful when displaying pictures in either Sequential
or Random-Sequential mode when there are groups of pictures that share the same
filename.
This option
works well when the Picture Layout option “Clear screen after each group” is
being specified. The show filename checkbox must be checked for this option to
be available, or if in MAME mode, one of the MAME captions must be enabled.
5.6 Background Tab
Specify the background color or image while the screensaver is running…
5.6.1 Fixed color
If selected, the background will be the color shown to the right of the control. You can change this color by clicking on the color button to the right.
5.6.2 Use picture colors
If selected, the background will be a color that represents the colors in the currently displayed picture. TB_ScreenSaver randomly samples various points in the picture to find the average color. If this color comes close to matching the color of a caption then the fixed background color will be automatically used.
5.6.3 Image directory
If selected, an image will be
chosen from the specified directory. Press the 
button to navigate to this folder. Background
image files may be placed into one or more compressed zip (*.zip) files.
Which image is displayed is specified by “Image Selection Options”. How that image is displayed is specified by “Image Display Options”.
5.6.4 Image Display Options
Two options are available here to prevent your pictures from getting lost in the background. These options are only available for background images and not background colors.
5.6.4.1 Convert image to grayscale
If selected, the background image will be converted to shades of gray.
5.6.4.2 Darker/Brighter
The background image can be whitened or darkened by the amount specified. Specifying a negative amount darkens the background while a positive amount brightens the background. A setting of 0% leaves the background unchanged.
5.6.5 Image Selection Options
When multiple background images are to be displayed from an image directory, these options specify which images are chosen or how often the background image is changed. These options are only available when specifying an image directory for your background.
5.6.5.1 Fixed image
If selected, the background will
use the specified image. Press the button to navigate and select this image.
5.6.5.2 Match image with picture
If selected, the background image will be chosen to match the currently displayed picture. This means that a file must exist in the background image directory that has the same name as the currently displayed picture (the file’s extension may be different). If no match is found then the background color is changed to match the colors used in the picture (see the “Picture colors” option above). If this color comes close to matching the color of a caption then the specified fixed background color will be used. Background files may be placed in a compressed zip file.
5.6.5.2.1 Only display pictures that have a background
If checked, only pictures that have a matching background will be displayed. A background image must have the same filename as the picture file to be considered a match. The file’s extension may be different.
5.6.5.3 Random
If selected, a picture will be randomly chosen from the background image directory. After all pictures have been displayed the picture order will be reshuffled. How often the background is changed is determined by the value of the “Change background every ‘x’ pictures” field.
5.6.5.4 Sequential
If selected, the order in which picture are chosen from the background image directory is fixed. After all pictures have been displayed the same picture order will be repeated. How often the background is changed is determined by the value of the “Change background every ‘x’ pictures” field.
5.6.5.5 Change background every ‘x’ pictures
Specifies how often the background image changes. This option is only available when the image selection option is specified to be either sequential or random.
5.7 Marquee Tab
Specify whether a marquee image is displayed above your pictures while
the screensaver is running…
5.7.1 Show
If checked, TB_ScreenSaver will place a marquee above the picture. A marquee will only be displayed if the folder containing the marquee image files (see the Directory section below) contains a file that is the same name as the picture image. The file’s extension may be different. Marquee image files may be placed inside one or more compressed (*.zip) files.
5.7.2 Directory
Press the button to navigate to the folder that contains
your marquee images. Marquee image files may be placed into one or more
compressed zip (*.zip) files.
5.7.3 Stretch/Shrink
If checked, then the marquee will be sized to the width of the picture being displayed. Small marquees will be stretched and large marquees will be shrunk.
If unchecked, the marquee will be displayed in its original size. For marquees that are larger than their picture on the screen this means they will be clipped.
5.7.4 Maintain aspect ratio
This checkbox is only enabled when the “Stretch/Shrink marquees” checkbox is checked. If the “Maintain aspect ratio” checkbox is checked then TB_ScreenSaver will not distort a marquee to make it fit its picture. Rather, it will scale down the marquee image while maintaining its original aspect ratio.
5.7.5 Size (%)
This field specifies how large to make the marquee as a percentage of the game picture’s height. In other words, if 25% is specified then the marquee will be ¼ the height of the picture.
If the “Maintain aspect ratio” checkbox is checked then the marquee height and/or width may be reduced further in order to maintain the aspect ratio of the original marquee image.
5.7.6 Only display pictures that have a marquee
If checked, only pictures that have a matching marquee will be displayed. A marquee image must have the same filename as the picture file to be considered a match. The file’s extension may be different. Marquee files may be placed in a compressed zip file.
5.7.7 Only attach marquees to pictures from the following directory
If checked, then the pictures contained in the directory you have selected from the drop-down list will be the only pictures that TB_ScreenSaver will attach marquees to. The directories in the drop-down are those directories you have specified in your main picture directory list.
5.8 Icons Tab
Specify whether icons are to move freely around the screen while the
screensaver is running…
5.8.1 Show
If checked then TB_ScreenSaver will place icons on the screen. These icons will move freely around the screen bouncing off the sides of the screen. Options allow the icons to bounce off of your pictures, captions, as well as other icons.
5.8.2 Directory
Press the button to navigate to the folder that contains
your icon (*.ico) images. To save disk space, icon image files may be placed
into one or more compressed zip (*.zip) files.
5.8.3 Icon Selection
Icons can either be randomly chosen from the specified icon directory, or they can be matched with the currently displayed picture.
5.8.3.1 Random
Random icon selection allows TB_ScreenSaver to randomly choose an icon from the specified icon directory. The Change Icon setting determines when the screensaver changes an icon picture.
5.8.3.2 Match with picture
An icon will be chosen that matches the currently displayed picture. For an icon to match, its filename (excluding the file-type extension) must match the filename for the currently displayed picture. The Change Icon setting determines when the screensaver changes an icon picture.
5.8.4 Speed
Specifies the speed at which all icons will travel across the screen. If you select the “X2” option then you can double the currently selected speed. The only disadvantage to this is that icon movement may appear less smooth.
5.8.5 Size
Specifies the size of all icons in pixels. The minimum size is 16 and the maximum size is 512.
5.8.6 Quantity
Specifies the number of icons to display. The minimum is 1 and the maximum is 10.
5.8.7 Change Icon
By specifying one of the settings below, you can tell the screensaver when it should change the picture for an icon. If the Icon Selection setting is set to “Match with picture” then the icon picture will only change when the currently displayed picture changes.
5.8.7.1 On any edge
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the edge of the screen, hits a picture, a caption, or another icon. When an icon hits another icon then the picture for both icons will be changed.
5.8.7.2 On any screen edge
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the edge of the screen (top, bottom, left or right).
5.8.7.3 On any icon edge
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the edge of another icon. Enabling this option automatically enables the Icon Bounce off other icons option.
5.8.7.4 On top or bottom of screen
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the top or bottom edge of the screen.
5.8.7.5 On left or right sides of screen
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the left or right edge of the screen.
5.8.7.6 On any picture edge
The icon picture will be changed when the icon hits the edge of a picture or caption attached to a picture. Enabling this option automatically enables the Icon Bounce off pictures option.
5.8.7.7 When picture changes
The icon picture will be changed when a new picture is displayed.
5.8.8 Icon Bounce
Specifies whether icons will bounce off each other or off of your pictures.
5.8.8.1 Off other icons
When checked, the icons will bounce off one another instead of passing over one another. If the Change Icon on icon edge is enabled then this option will be enabled automatically.
5.8.8.2 Off pictures
When checked, the icons will bounce off your pictures instead of passing under them. If the Change Icon on any picture edge is enabled then this option will be enabled automatically.
NOTE:
If this option is enabled TB_ScreenSaver will not place a picture on top of an
icon to insure that all icons remain in view. If it appears that TB_ScreenSaver
is taking a long time to place a new picture it is likely because it cannot
find room to place it. Either turn off this option or reduce the number and/or
size of your icons.
5.8.9 Only display pictures that have a matching icon
When selected, TB_ScreenSaver will only display pictures that have a matching icon.
5.9 Sounds Tab
Specify sounds to be played while the screensaver is running…
5.9.1 Mute sound card while the screensaver is running
This option insures that no sound is heard while the screensaver is running by muting the sound card. This will prevent sounds from being heard from any application running in the background. Because this option mutes all sound, the “Picture sound”, “Game start sound” and “MAME volume” controls are unavailable.
5.9.2 Picture sound
If checked then the screensaver will play sounds while displaying
pictures. The Directory field specifies the location of the sounds that can be
played. How often sounds are played is determined by the Occurrence field.
Which sound is played for a particular picture is determined by the “Match with
picture” or “Random” sound setting.
If groups of pictures are being displayed (pictures with the same name in
multiple directories are being displayed in either sequential or
random-sequential mode) then the sound will begin playing with the display of
the first picture in the group. The sound will continue playing as the
remaining pictures in the group are displayed.
The sound is terminated when the screensaver removes the picture (or the
last picture in a group) from the screen unless the “Hold picture until sound
completes” option is checked.
5.9.2.1 Directory
Press the button to navigate to the folder that contains
your sound files. TB_ScreenSaver only supports wave sound files (*.wav). Sound
files may be placed into one or more compressed zip (*.zip) files.
5.9.2.2 Match with picture
If selected then a sound is played that corresponds with the currently
displayed picture. TB_ScreenSaver looks for a sound file with the same name as
the currently displayed picture. For example, if qbert.png is being displayed
then the screensaver will look for a sound file called qbert.wav. If no wave
file is found then no sound will be played.
How often a sound is played is determined by the setting of the
Occurrence field (see below).
5.9.2.3 Random
If selected then a sound is randomly chosen from your sound directory.
How often a sound is played is determined by the setting of the
Occurrence field (see below).
5.9.2.4 Hold picture until sound completes
This option tells the screensaver to hold the current picture until the
sound has completed playing; otherwise the sound is terminated when the picture
is scheduled to change (set by the Picture Selection cycle interval).
If pictures have been grouped together (pictures with the same name in
multiple directories are being displayed in either sequential or random-sequential
mode) then the last picture in the group will be the picture that is held.
5.9.2.5 Occurrence
This field determines how often a sound is played. You can have the
screensaver play a sound each time a new picture, or group of pictures are
displayed; or you can have sounds played very infrequently.
Below is a description of the various occurrence settings. Keep in mind
that the intervals shown are only applicable if you are either playing sounds
randomly or you have an associated sound file for each displayed picture. In
other words, if you have specified that the sounds be matched with the
currently displayed picture then there is no guarantee that a sound will be
played at the interval you have specified unless you have a matching sound file
for all of your displayed pictures.
·
Always – a sound is played for each picture or
picture group
·
Frequent – a sound is played for every 5 pictures (or
groups) displayed
·
Common – a sound is played for every 10 pictures
(or groups) displayed
·
Occasional – a sound is played for every 20 pictures
(or groups) displayed
·
Intermittent – a sound is played for every 50 pictures
(or groups) displayed
·
Infrequent – a sound is played for every 100 pictures
(or groups) displayed
·
Rare – a sound is played for every 200 pictures
(or groups) displayed
·
Blue
Moon – a sound is played for
every 500 pictures (or groups) displayed
5.9.3
Game start sound
If
MAME mode is enabled then you will also be able to specify a sound to play
before running a game. This checkbox can only be checked when you have specified
that MAME games are to run (found under the MAME tab). The Directory field
specifies the sounds that can be played. How often sounds are played is
determined by the Occurrence field. Which sound is played for a particular game
is determined by the “Match with game” or the “Random” setting.
The
options available for the game start sound are similar to those described for
the Picture Sound described above.
5.10Advanced Tab
Specify advanced options for those of you that are so inclined…
5.10.1 Hide Windows task bar
When checked, the screensaver hides the Windows task bar while it runs. The advantage of this is that the screensaver hides any evidence that it is running under Windows when a MAME game starts or has completed.
5.10.2 Only terminate screensaver when the following key is pressed
Normally, the screensaver will stop running and return you to your desktop when the mouse is moved, a mouse button is clicked or any key on the keyboard is pressed. If this checkbox is checked then pressing the specified key on the keyboard is the only way to stop TB_ScreenSaver from running.
The dropdown list to the right allows you to specify which key on the keyboard will terminate TB_ScreenSaver. Virtually any key on the keyboard can be used to terminate TB_ScreenSaver. The exceptions are the special function keys: S, R and the MAME insert coin keys: 5, 6, 7, and 8. See the section titled Special Keyboard Keys at the end of this document for a description of the S and R keys.
NOTE: If a MAME game was started by
pressing one of the coin insert keys then the only way to terminate MAME is to
press the Escape key. For additional information see the description of the
“Allow 5, 6, 7 or 8 key to start a game” option in the MAME section.
5.10.3 Hibernate/Suspend
Although Windows supports this behavior as part of its Power settings, it may not work due to MAME running, or other processes keeping your hardware and CPU from idling. This may be particularly true for those of you running the screensaver in a MAME cabinet.
In Windows, the hibernate and suspend modes are intended to either save your work if you have been away from your computer for an extended time, and/or save power (hence the reason it is called a power setting feature). Both modes have the same purpose in the screensaver. The only difference is that in TB_ScreenSaver your system is guaranteed to go into hibernate/suspend mode when you want it to.
Hibernate - Saves your memory to disk (i.e. saves the current state of Windows and all of the running applications) before shutting down (powering off) your computer.
Advantage: Computer is off so there is no risk of losing data due to a power outage. Better power savings than suspend mode.
Disadvantage: Takes a lot longer to restart than Suspend mode.
Suspend - Turns off some of your devices such as the monitor and your hard drive(s).
Advantage: Very quick Windows restart.
Disadvantage: Since the computer is still running, open documents will be lost due to a power outage. Power efficiency not as good as hibernate mode.
To activate either mode, check the Hibernate/Suspend checkbox then choose either the Hibernate or Suspend radio button. Specify the time to wait for activation in the “Wait time” field. Unlike the duration you specify in Windows power settings, the time you specify here specifies how long the screensaver will run before it puts the system in hibernate/suspend mode.
5.10.4
Allow 5, 6, 7or 8 key
to start a game
These keys
are used by MAME to register the insertion of a coin prior to playing a game.
This option is intended for those people who are using the screensaver inside
their MAME arcade cabinets.
If the
screensaver is displaying pictures when one of these keys is pressed it will
immediately start MAME for the game that is currently being displayed. If MAME
is already running when one of these keys is pressed then the MAME game will
register a coin insertion. In either case the game will not timeout after the
“Game duration” value has expired and will run indefinitely. The only way to
terminate the game is to press the Escape key. When you do, control will be
returned back to the screensaver. To exit the screensaver you must either move
the mouse or press the key specified by the “Only terminate screensaver when
the following key is pressed”.
The
screensaver will play a sound whenever any of the insert coin keys are pressed.
This sound is specified by the file PlayGame.wav which is found in the
directory where the screensaver was installed (typically “C:\Program
Files\TacoBirds\TB_ScreenSaver”). By default this file is a copy of Window’s
Ding.wav file. You can specify another sound by simply copying the sound file
to this directory and renaming it to PlayGame.wav. If you would rather not have
a sound played when one of these keys is pressed then either delete or rename
this file.
5.10.5
Startup arguments
Pressing
this button brings up the MAME Startup Options dialog. Here you can specify the
options to run MAME. To insure that there are no dialogs to acknowledge when
the screensaver starts a game, the MAME startup options “skip_gameinfo” and
“seconds_to_run” are automatically inserted behind the scenes so that you don’t
have to specify them here. Refer to your MAME documentation for a description
of these and other arguments that you can use.
NOTE: The “skip_gameinfo” and “seconds_to_run”
options are not automatically inserted when testing a game or starting a game
using one of the coin insert keys. This is done so that MAME will inform you of
any problems with a game as well as show you the ROM copyright dialog.
6
MAME Mode
MAME mode
is the ability for TB_ScreenSaver to display and run MAME games. MAME mode must
be enabled and a valid path to a MAME executable specified in order for
TB_ScreenSaver to display full names of games along with the game’s
manufacturer and year. To run MAME games you must also own valid ROMs for those
games.
The game
pictures that TB_ScreenSaver should typically use when in MAME mode are those
that are found in your \Snap folder. This folder is below the directory where
your MAME executable is installed.
If you currently
have no pictures in this folder then you can go to numerous web sites to obtain
them (one is MAME32). Alternatively, you can run your MAME executable and
generate the pictures yourself (very time-consuming). This procedure is briefly
discussed in the section that describes testing games from the Picture List
dialog.
To enable
MAME mode check the “MAME mode” checkbox in TB_ScreenSaver’s main Configuration
dialog.
When MAME
mode is enabled, TB_ScreenSaver will add a MAME tab alongside its other configuration
tabs (see below). The MAME tab is used to specify the location of your MAME
executable. You can also specify whether a game runs after its picture is
displayed.
MAME mode
also adds additional MAME specific sections to the Picture Selection, Captions
and Sounds tabs.
6.1 MAME Tab
Specify options for running MAME games while the screensaver
is running…
6.1.1
MAME/MAME32 executable
(.exe)
This field
specifies the location of your MAME executable. Press the button to specify this folder. MAME or any MAME
derivative (such as MAME32) should be a valid executable for this screensaver.
TB_ScreenSaver will use this MAME executable to run any MAME games that you may
have.
TB_ScreenSaver
also uses this MAME executable to look up caption information about a game and
to construct the game lists shown in the Picture List and Run List dialogs. All
this information is stored in an XML file called MameXml.xml that is generated
by TB_ScreenSaver using this MAME executable. This XML file is placed in the
directory of your MAME executable.
In order
to speed startup of TB_ScreenSaver, all relevant XML data is written to a
binary file called Mame.dat that resides in the directory where the screensaver
is installed.
If the
MameXml.xml or Mame.dat files are missing or if a new version of MAME has been
installed then TB_ScreenSaver will recreate these files…
6.1.2
Start game after
displaying picture
If
checked, this field allows TB_ScreenSaver to run MAME games. A valid path to a
MAME executable is required in the “MAME/MAME32 executable (*.exe)” field to
run a MAME game. How often the screensaver runs games, as well as how long a
game runs are determined by the “Game duration” and “Game interval” settings.
The Run List (see below) specifies which games the screensaver should run.
Before a
game is run, TB_ScreenSaver first checks if you have ROMs for that game and if
they are valid. It does this by spawning MAME and passing it the –verifyroms
argument for the game in question.
6.1.3
Game duration
This field specifies how
long any game will run in seconds. After this time expires TB_ScreenSaver
returns back to its picture display mode, or if running in “Randomly run MAME
games only” mode, then the next game will be started.
6.1.4
Volume
Use this slider to set the
volume of a game when it is running. If the slider is moved to its left-most
position then the sound will be turned off by muting your sound card. If the
slider is moved to its right-most position then the sound will be set to the
current volume setting of your sound card.
6.1.5
Game interval
This field specifies how
many pictures to display before running the game that is associated with the
last displayed picture.
If the
Randomize option is checked then the screensaver will randomly choose a number
between 1 and your specified game interval value. The result will be the number
of pictures displayed before running a game in MAME. When the screensaver
returns after having run a game, a new game interval will be chosen.
If related
pictures are being grouped together because you are running in Sequential or
Random-Sequential mode, and you have specified multiple picture directories,
then each set of pictures, not each individual picture will be counted as a
game.
Only after
TB_ScreenSaver has successfully started a game, will the internal game counter
be reset.
6.1.6
Picture hold time
This specifies the amount
of time a picture should be held after MAME has run the associated game. This
feature is useful for easy identification of a MAME game after the screensaver
has run it.
6.1.7
Choose game from Picture
List
When this option is selected (default), TB_ScreenSaver
chooses games to run from your Picture List. The interval specified by the
“Game interval” field tells the screensaver how often to try and run these
games.
Whether a displayed game actually runs or not is determined
by the games you have selected in your Run List. If a game cannot be run from
your Picture List (because it is not checked in your Run List) then another
picture is chosen from your Picture List. If you have chosen just a few games
to be run in your Run List (because you have few ROMs) then there may be a
large span of time between running games. As a result, it is unlikely that
games will run at the interval specified by the “Game interval” value (only games that
are checked in both your Picture List as well as your Run List are counted
towards your game interval value.
For example, if
you have 10 games checked in your Picture List but only 1 game checked in your
Run List and your game interval value is set to 5 then the screensaver will
need to display 50 pictures before running the game in your Run List.
If this
unacceptable then you need to select the “Choose game from Run List” option.
6.1.8
Choose game from Run
List
When this
option is enabled, TB_Screensaver will choose a game from your Run List instead
of from your Picture List when it is time to run a game. By doing this the
screensaver can guarantee that a game is run at the interval you have specified
for the “Game interval” field.
For
example, let’s say you have setup the screensaver to randomly display a variety
of pictures from your Picture List. You have also specified that a game should
run after 10 games have been displayed (the “Game interval” field is set to
10). Furthermore, let’s say that you have only chosen one game in your Run List
and that game is Q*Bert. Now when the screensaver runs, 9 pictures will be
randomly chosen and displayed from your Picture List. After those 9 pictures
have been displayed the screensaver will randomly choose a game from your Run
List and display its picture. Since the game Q*Bert is the only game selected,
it will always be displayed and run as your 10th game.
After all
games in your Run List have been run, this list is reset. TB_ScreenSaver uses
the same selection criteria in your Run List as it does in your Picture List
(i.e. Sequential, Random and Random-Sequential).
NOTE: If you are not running
TB_ScreenSaver with the “Randomly run MAME games only” option then all games
checked in your Run List must also be checked in your Picture List (i.e. the
checked games in your Run List must be a subset of the games checked in your
Picture List). Otherwise, the games in your Run List will not run since their
picture cannot be displayed prior to running.
6.1.9
Flash game caption
before running
If checked,
the picture’s caption will be flashed before a game is run. TB_ScreenSaver will
flash the game description or filename if either is enabled. If neither of
these captions is enabled then TB_ScreenSaver will flash the game’s year or
manufacturer (which, of course, must be enabled).
If a game
cannot be run because it does not have valid ROMs then TB_ScreenSaver will stop
flashing that game’s caption and will skip it. TB_ScreenSaver will then flash
the caption for the next displayed picture. This will continue until a game is
found that TB_ScreenSaver can successfully run.
6.2
MAME Run List
Pressing
the “Edit Run List…” button on the MAME tab will present you a dialog for
selecting which MAME games you want the screensaver to run. Alternatively, you
can display this dialog from the MAME Picture List dialog be clicking on the
“Run List” radio button.
This
dialog is identical to the Picture List dialog found under the Picture
Selection tab. You can easily switch between the two displays using the
“Picture List” and “Run List” radio buttons at the top of the dialog.
The games
that you have checked for the screensaver to run are stored in a Run List File
(*.rlf). The first time you configure the screensaver it will create a file for
you called “CurrentRunList.rlf”.
For a complete
description of how to use the controls in this dialog refer to the Picture List
section in this document.
6.3
Running MAME Games
without Pictures
If you
want the screensaver to run games without displaying any pictures then check
the “Randomly run MAME games only” checkbox. When you do, most options for the
screensaver will be hidden or disabled.
In this
mode, you mainly need to specify the games you want the screensaver to run by
selecting them in the Run List. To access the Run List click on the “Edit Run
List…” button.
You can
also specify that a sound play while the game is starting (refer to the Sounds
tab section).
7 Other Execution Modes
This section covers features of TB_ScreenSaver that are not for the casual user. Some of the options discussed in this section can be used as an aid for developers in debugging.
7.1 Standalone Execution
You can run TB_ScreenSaver standalone and not as a screensaver. To do this, copy or rename the TB_ScreenSaver.scr file in your \Windows\System32 folder to be TB_ScreenSaver.exe. If your executable file will be run from a directory other than Window’s System32 folder, then you will need to copy the ICSharpCode.SharpZipLib.dll and KeyBoardMouseHook.dll from the \Windows\System32 folder to this new location as well.
Now, when you run the TB_ScreenSaver.exe by double-clicking on it you will be presented a “Startup Options” dialog.
Alternatively, you can skip this dialog by creating a shortcut from your TB_ScreenSaver.exe file then editing the Properties for that shortcut so that the Target field has one of the following values appended after the path to the executable…
|
Option |
Description |
|
/c |
Start TB_ScreenSaver in configuration mode |
|
/s |
Start TB_ScreenSaver in picture/game display mode |
|
{ none } |
Display the “Startup Options” dialog (shown above and described below) |
Example:
Target field modified for TB_ScreenSaver shortcut with “/s”
7.1.1 Kill processes
WARNING:
USE THIS OPTION
AT YOUR OWN
RISK!
This field allows TB_ScreenSaver to kill specific processes as soon as it runs.
The idea behind this is that I got annoyed at how certain non-critical processes would occasionally run in the background with reckless abandon causing performance of TB_ScreenSaver and MAME to be less than optimal. I found myself occasionally killing these processes using Task Manager to remedy. I finally decided that TB_ScreenSaver should take care of this itself. However, given the severe consequences of killing the wrong process (your computer could crash) I decided to bury this option in the Startup Options dialog.
Alternatively, you can edit the following registry key to accomplish the same thing:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\TacoBirds\KillProcesses
Each process should be separated by commas.
If a specified process is not running, TB_ScreenSaver will ignore the entry.
7.1.2 Wait
If checked, this field specifies how many seconds the screensaver must wait before it runs. This is similar to the Wait field in Window’s Control Panel Screen Saver tab. Since a Window’s screensaver is an application that is set to run only during a period if inactivity (no mouse or keyboard events), this field tells the screensaver how long a period of inactivity should occur after the user presses the Start button (discussed below) before it runs.
NOTE: One advantage to
running the screensaver standalone is that you can specify a wait time of less
than one minute (unlike a Window’s screensaver).
7.1.3 Taskbar Visibility
To hide TB_ScreenSaver from being seen in Window’s taskbar while it is running, check the “Do not show in Windows taskbar when started” checkbox. This will make the screensaver less conspicuous while it is running. To hide the program altogether, minimize this dialog by pressing the Minimize button in the upper right corner. When you do this, the only way to get back to this dialog is by pressing the ALT-TAB keys on the keyboard then selecting TB_ScreenSaver from the list of running tasks.
7.1.4 Setup…
Pressing this button will present you TB_ScreenSaver’s main Configuration dialog. This is the same dialog you see when you press Window’s Control Panel Screen Saver “Settings” button when TB_ScreenSaver is selected as your screensaver.
The description of the configuration options are described elsewhere in this document.
Start/Stop
Pressing the “Start” button will start TB_ScreenSaver. If the Wait checkbox is checked, the keyboard and mouse must be inactive for the specified amount of time before the screensaver runs. When the screensaver does run it will run with the configuration settings you have specified (refer to the section above called “Setup…”).
Once the screensaver has started, the application will replace the Start button with a Stop button. The screensaver program will run indefinitely (or will be waiting to run) until the Stop button is pressed.
7.2 MAME Game Execution
This section discusses some additional features specific to running MAME games. You must have the “Start game after displaying picture” checkbox checked in order to run a MAME game. You must also have valid ROMS.
This section is mainly for me but others might find this information useful. As far as I know, if the game doesn’t run in TB_ScreenSaver then it also doesn’t run in MAME. At least that has been my experience.
7.2.1 Log File
After running the first game, TB_ScreenSaver will create a file in the folder where it was installed called TB_ScreenSaverLog.txt. This file contains a running tally of all the games that TB_ScreenSaver attempted to start while the screensaver was running. You can review the contents of this file to see which games ran and which ones didn’t and why. TB_ScreenSaver will recreate this file each time the screensaver runs.
7.2.2 Special Keyboard Keys
There are two keys on the keyboard that have special functions in TB_ScreenSaver. You must be in MAME mode with the “Start game after displaying picture” checkbox checked under the MAME tab. You must also have the “Allow 5, 6, 7 or 8 key to start a game” checkbox checked. This was done to prevent accidental activation from someone banging on the keyboard.
7.2.2.1 ‘S’ Key
If the ‘S’ key is pressed then a game that is selected to run will be skipped.
7.2.2.2 ‘R’ Key
If the ‘R’ key is pressed then the game representing the current picture will be run whether it is supposed to be run or not.
This key behaves differently from the insert coin keys (see the “Allow 5, 6, 7 or 8 key to start a game” item under the MAME section). The insert coin keys will run a game indefinitely while the ‘R’ key will run a game for the duration specified by the “Game duration” parameter.
8 GNU General Public License
Version 2, June 1991
Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.
59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307
USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute
verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is
not allowed.
8.1 Preamble
The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.
When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.
To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.
For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.
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The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.
8.2 Terms and Conditions for Copying, Distribution and Modification
0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as "you".
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1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.
You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.
2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions: