Arcade Overlays

RetroArch Additions Overlays
#196

Hi John, dear all, thanks for this tremendous achievement - just to let you know that I started working on MAME-only Artwork based on your bezels. They work out nicely - see also https://mameonmacs.blogspot.co.at/2017/02/porting-retropie-artwork-to-official.html

Update 15 February 2017: I now updated the Layout File in a way that you can switch between a Clear Screen (without scratches and reflections) and a Scatch Screen (with all the scratches and reflections). No Artwork duplication! Download Link updated. This is exiting!

DOWNLOAD LINK - any feedback on usage in MAME would be much appreciated!

PS: The combination of your Artwork with the Attract Mode frontend is simply spectacular :slight_smile:

Clear Screen:

IMG_3569.jpg4032×3024 2.47 MB

Scratch Screen (posted in the reply - I am limited as a new user :slight_smile: )

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#197

And here is the Scratch Screen:

IMG_3570.jpg4032×3024 2.37 MB

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#198

Apologies for late replies, lost password, didn’t read the text at the top asking to make a new password until now.

I have converted all my overlays to the MAME lay format, much easier and nicer to use than the often awkward Retroarch way. I even have multiple machines, sit-down and standing, in the same zip file along with animated gear sticks where available - Outrun, Turbo Outrun, Outrunners, etc…

Some pics taken on my 55" LED TV, these are meant for a large TV, not a small monitor.

The overlays are a new design. I have tried something different for a change. Instead of the usual “Pristine” looking machines I have tried to add character and aged-wear and tear to them, making them look more like 30+ year-old machines with cigarette burns, smears, finger prints, dirt and dust. I haven’t added scratches and other stuff over that actual play area this time, so the games are easier to see, with less distractions.

The artwork has had some effects done to them to make them look more like worn cardboard overlays, rather than paper-thing pristine artwork. Along with a texture to give them a cardboard look.

Will put up a video soon.

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#199

Hi John the Photos looking really great! I also use a LED 55" TV for this. (but still prefer to play on my original monster CRT’s Mitsubishi XC3725C 37" i have 3 of them! XD ) I’m new to Retroarch and just discovered displays and shaders, i started to use your work, but what does it mean now, the .lay format in combination with retroarch’s shader? Its a different setup?

Nedo

#200

Again amazing, congratulations! I am a bit sad that there are no screen scratches this time but anyways am very much looking forward! I will continue working on your scratch screen versions because they add so much character and reminds me of my own past :grin: - still with the option to switch them away, which is just so easy to achieve in a MAME layout work. I will see whether I can make a note at Mr. Do’s Artworks, the official MAME repository, because your artwork is just that brilliant!

#201

The scratches can be done separately to the main artwork in MAME, like this.

“element name=“screen_mask” image file=“horz_screen_mask.png” / /element”

The scratches would be a separate png called “horz_screen_mask.png”, or anything you like, and used like so.

<overlay element="screen_mask">
  <bounds x="362" y="92" width="1200" height="900" />
</overlay>

You can then, using the coordinates, position the scratches where you like, and different for each machine. I may add a option for another machine in the main zip file.

Thanks for the comments.

#202

John! Those look beautiful!

#203

Hi John! Do this mean that these are not longer compatible with RetroArch anymore?

Any news about the Vectrex overlays that you started to work on last year?

#204

Hi John, if you look into my zip file, I took a slightly different approach: I took your png file with the scatched screen and isolated the screen within GIMP into a separate layer, then saved both parts in full screen. Advantage: I do not have to fiddle around with coordinates of the screen, but set both layers over the entire screen. Additional storage requirements are negligible. Again, such great work!

#205

You, or in my case Me, would need PNG overlays for every machine, twice. One for scratch effect, one without. My Outrun zip would have 6 fairly large PNGs. But make a separate scratch PNG and you only need 4 PNG overlays, 3 for the machines and 1 small one for the scratches. Then, you can use the scratch PNG on ALL overlays without extra Photoshop work. At the moment, I would need to edit over 150 overlays to add a scratch effect layer, save them out and re-do the lay files and archive them to zip. The other great thing about a separate PNG is you can make up loads of effects without touching the original overlay. For example, I have made refection, light reflection, and arcade reflection PNGs that can be added to the lay without the need for Photoshop. Bring up the MAME menu and you now have a whole load of machines to choose from with different effects.

Rion, they may work in Retroarch but the user would need to do all the cfg files themselves, and the lining up of the emulated image. The beauty of MAME is the shaders auto rotate with the image for horizontal or vertical. So, scanlines auto-rotate without having to do separate configs. You don’t need to worry about Integer on or off, the scanlines just work.

The Vectrex ones are finished in MAME only, and I doubt I will return to Retroarch because the vector shaders are night and day better in MAME.

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#206

Thank you John.

I have no problem with creating the cfg files themselves, and lining up of the emulated image. Because i use Retropie so editing cfg files is something i do often.

Is this the case with Vetrex to? If so no problem just glad to be able to use them with Mess in RetroArch.

#207

John, love your work. I am really, really looking forward to your latest updates with a clean play area and mame layouts. I was doing this manually on some of your wonderful overlays for the handful of my favorites, but my photoshop skills are quite weak. :slight_smile:

Thanks for creating these! They really add to the experience.

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#208

Hey guys, I know John said that he lost password and therefor inability to share the .zip, but does anyone else have a mirror they could possibly share?

I am a graphic designer, and I must say - these are blowing me away!

#209

@avisioncame You can find some of them in my repo here:

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#210

I really appreciate the link! Any idea how to add the screen curvature? I can’t figure it out for the life of me.

#211

Here is the description for enabling curvature (also by Floob) - hope that helps! http://smartretro.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8288

Curvature on the shader Remember, you can disable the curvature on the shader by editing /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/shader/arcade-bezel-shader/shaders/crt-pi.glsl /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/shader/arcade-bezel-shader/shaders/crt-pi-vertical.glsl

#define CURVATURE = Curvature ON //#define CURVATURE = Curvature OFF

#212

I think Libretro included them as a repo just hit clone/download as zip

I’m not 100% sure as this was done a while back

#213

How about for windows?

#214

I’ve got 720p android device. I’ve just try to copy one “generic” overlay cfg to /overlays/borders/, and it’s not working at all. Is there any way to make this overlays work on 720p android device? I don’t need each and everyone, but some generic overlays perhaps? Thanks

#215

720p should be able to use the same 1080p overlays, you just need to reduce the overlay scale in the menu.