I rarely post here , but since this new forum is up and no one has posted anything yet , i might as well be first. ( as a note, if you dont understand about co-ordinates and pixel dimensions in general , i would learn about that first , this guide requires you know how to define x , y , z as pixel locations.
As you may or may not know , early electrocoin hardware is running in Mame and still in the latest 0.150 build. As haze has mentioned there are some issues with certain Pyramid/Lab/sphinx roms and currently only a couple work due to the fact there might of been quite a few bad dumps. However since its working we might as well look at how to skin with mame, understanding .lay files and whats nessacery to turn the rather informative but unattractive black screen into something we can enjoy.
Someone has previously mentioned about a BFM layout for mame : Doctor Who , which uses the newstyle .lay files.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE FOR LEARNING THE TRICKS OF THE TRADE, you can find it here, both mame and mess use similar XML config files to allow external artwork and all kinds of modifications. We will look at this a bit later on.
( BE SURE TO EXAMINE THE .LAY FILE IN NOTEPAD/WORDPAD etc etc etc)
http://agemame.mameworld.info/artwork/
For this example we will look at at the Sphinx Machine (As its currently booting at least)
And i can slowly build a working DX for what we have.
Before we start , mame has multiple multiple romsets , this is to ensure all versions with working dumps are preserved. SO you will see multiple versions of the same game.
To get started all we need is MAME , majority of you wont need the links to the Emulator and have probably played it a billion times like me, but incase you havnt..
OFFICAL SITE : mamedev.org/
If you dont want the dos style windows , can use a gui version. a google search for MameUI or Mameui64 should help
(mameuifx has removed the fruitmachine/mechcanical element) i think 
so dont use that one.Next , i found the EC_SPHIN roms seem to boot, in mame this is listed as
SPHINX v2 (Electrocoin) set 1 - EC_SPHIN.zip
There are many mame roms sites, so finding EC_SPHIN.zip or EC_SPHIN.7z shouldnt be hard
just to confirm the container should have 3 files sphinx8c.bin spnx5p and spx10cv2.bin.
now we have mame and the roms to boot sphinx v2 set 1.
You all got to this point and thought, what next .
well we build a .lay file to animate the screen and provide a dx. A lot of people wonderd why a classic isnt out. Lemmie explain roughly why . When building a lay file , Haze has added preliminary support for the game to show function. you will notice the matrix layout and reels, this is the classic. each of the flashing lights on the matrix represents one of the bulbs for the machine, when the game boots, you will notice the matrix doing the circle thing, like the real machine. This is the classic hehehehe..
If your wondering where the layout comes from , we need to look at the mame source, and the ecoinf3 standard layout.
you can find it here
http://mamedev.org/s...coinf3.lay.html
ecoinf3 is the name of the driver so when mame calls a electrocoin f3 game ( Sphinx/Lab/Pyramid ) this is the default layout for this system. As you've probably guessed , this is also our template for building a dx.
Another BIG thankyou for haze for doing this, as he has not just paved the way with the emulation, hes shown us everything we need to produce DX's very quickly.
Before we launch head first into making the dx for sphinx, we have to consider a couple of things first.
Mame is a preservation project , trying to provide the most accurate emulation possible.
we need to try and stick to this
the reason i mention the above point, is because mame offers a few advantages. AS fruit machines are pertruding we could use multiple viewpoints to simulate the curve of a fruit machine, and be able to give the view point that were looking up at the board and down at the reels at the same time, sounds crazy i know, but very doable i think.
The other main thing, is working out some specs for the external artwork. Mame isnt restricted to resolution, it also has the advanced directX stretch and a few other useful handles for displaying video. SO we're totally unrestricted.
So can we create dx's for mame like we do in mfme? , NO. its potentialy easier. IF we go back to the doctor who layout thats posted above, we see that theres main images , and images of bulb on and bulb off. thats all we need ! lol.
Now the tricky parts.
when looking at the ecoinf3.lay all the matrix boxes represent a bulb or function of sphinx, the big cluster to the left is obviously the feature board , we know this from booting mame and watching it spin round like on the real thing, if your not sure what sphinx is (OMG....) then look at this ,
when playing on mame , the 3 lights near the top right will flash, this tells us theres a hold, so we know what they are, the difficult bit will be mapping the other inputs and maybe trial and error to get them right. i think Haze has done a great job in seperating them the way he has, it will make this slow, but not painful.
when looking at how i could create a workign dx , i had to study the doctor who layout , look at the images, and the lay file explains that when a input is called, the layout will then change the graphic to another image. so this is the whole bulb on and bulb off concept. Haze has mapped all the inputs, so even if we just had a static (flyer) style image, we could photoshop a light behind it , cut out the image, save as png, then add the relevant code to the layout file. that simple. If i had a HD cam and the machine, i could workout the viewpoint for the camera , mimic this in mame, create duel viewpoint, and have slightly more realistic view on the machine. could be possible to do this in 3d and maybe use vectors, and go for some thing like futurepinball, i love how its been done, multiple viewpoints etc etc.
What i need to create a working DX of sphinx is ether the original Flyer , in HD res if poss, or the real machine and someone with a good camera (phone would work if its over 7mpx) and some time on there hands. next i would need to go into photoshop create a main background of the machine and begin cutting up the bits that light up. match the images to the matrix ident's
example :
<backdrop name="lamp7" element="matrixlamp" state="0">
89 <bounds x="56" y="0" width="7" height="7"/>
this lamp could be modified to something like
</element>
<element name="lamp7" defstate="0">
<image state="1" file="lamp7.png"/>
and add its co-ordinates in relation to the main image.
( ive not included the co-ordinate mappings ) instead of haveing a static backdrop represent the matrix , we change it to a element, and with a proper background picture setup, when the input is called (lamp7), the image will change to the lit up graphic "lamp7.png" as long as the pixel locations are defined and accurate.
Couple of things, im no FM hardware expert , im not sure if the xml ive quoted is 100% acurate , but this is a rough guide to show you how to create a custom layout for mame/mess. there are great guides to do with the XML and lay files. , Mr Do's site in particular :
mrdo.mameworld.info/
theres a.lay file creator, but it wont be that much help to us. ideally we need a simple VB/vc++ tool to load a image , create markers(like highlight boxes), work out the dimensions in pixels, cut the image up and create the .lay file to match it, if i get really bored i will make one.
once you've created a lay file, put the images and the lay file in the artwork folder in a zip, probs under the name of EC_SPHIN.zip if you've changed the name (halfway down ? )from AWP no external artwork to your own (maybe SPHINXv2DX or something ) ( using the ecoinf3.lay template), you should beable to go into mame's options and change the video to your external layout, bob's ya uncle you have a working DX in mame.
Current Points of interest : bad roms dumps / emulation not complete / lamp idents unmapped (unless im a n00b and missed something in the mame source) the doctor who lay file XML may not be accurate for use in mame, but im guessing it is.
SO , get the sphinx flyer or worst case solution, use the youtube video above to pull graphics. if someone has this beauty of a machine and a decent cam , i have ideas for how to try and create the most realistic possible simulation
other solution, the mfme 2.1 source is listed on the agemame link above for the doctor who layout, it would probs take a skilled programmer couple of hours to pull mame source , integrate with mfme 2.1 and use the tools to crate a working classic quite quickly, probs best to stick with mame, but as the source is avaiable this could also be easily possible.
A lot of food for thought here ,
Hope the few hours i put in investigateing this helps you all, yes many spellign mistakes,
The thing with mame is its a community project , so to make this quicker i will need people to help identify which lamp is what and provide graphics/flyers etc , we can all chip in and beable to play sphinx,
WTF is better than that
If you work out the lamp mapping's please post them below. If you have already produced a skin or dx for sphinx, please post below, if you have flyer or ripped the original artwork stright out of the cab please post below, and if you've read this and created a working layout for sphinx, get it on here !!!!!!!!!!!!!
so now we know what to do and where to start
JOY !
hope this helps ( there could be big mistakes lol
)TGA.
if nothing comes up next few days , i will make a working layout for sphinx and get it up. im really busy at the mo and dunno how long the mapping of the lamp idents will take , but i'l make something !
Also , it is possible to use advanced effects and alpha blending through mame's video calls , if anyone becomes really in the know about this, please post a guide
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