Anyone want to be Master of the Games? Just an idea..

[skeezix]

Given I'm stupidly busy, I'd like to keep my time thats for this project perhaps in the growth, the code, etc, but less in the administrivia. (I'm in a call right now and typing in background, so permit me to be scatterebrained like normal

Ultimately I could move the server to EDs box, but I wouldn't want ED to take over admin of it anyway, he's got enough on his plate.. so those issues are down the road.

But right now, I'm thinking.. for adding new 'MAME games' for the c4a-mame side of compo4all, its not too hard to add them; the time sink is in the stages of testing..

- picking a game(s) to add

- testing they work in PanMAME and on Pandora (valid controls, performs well, and playing well enough to register high scores as needed)

- testing they work in the decoders for the compo4all server (I have written custom decoders, but now we also have an automated decoder from other people, but its hit or miss.)

---> once good, I can just add the conf to the server over 30s and the game goes live (and milkshake does artwork etc.)

Normally I do it all myself of course, takes a few hours to test the games, and then I release them to production environment,.

This month I've had _no time_ at all hardly, so I just said hell with it and tosses out a dozen games to see 'what sticks', let people try them out; pretty poor odds.. maybe 3 out of 10ish worked.. annoying Mostly its annoying to players.. and as you know, I like to present a pretty solid front to users; I don't mind having it rough in alpha, but even ebta shoudl be pretty solid. So throwing some out is not happy for me

Maybe next month I'll have more time, but right now its looking like June will be rough (RL madness.)

So it occurs to me..

- Given a sufficiently Linux talented person (not a coder, but someone not afraid of command line), I could show them how to do the decoder test pretty easily

- They could do the PanMAME testing (or coordinate crowd sourcing, like I do.. get our boards to do it!)

- And they could also then pick the games to add each month; again, I crowdsource it, get people to suggest, etc.

---> I would still do the server side conf work/etc; the topic here is the actual game picking and testing, which can be done under an x86 linux install easily enough (even other OSes, but I'd like testing to be done in the same env as the server, for consistency. Otherwise I'd make you test on Pandora

Its not a large time invest, but it _is_ a time invest.. a couple hours to test everything, after you've picked the titles (or through the picking process.)

Anyone want to do it? It might work out. Not saying we'll go this way, but like to see how interested people are.

jeff

 

[mcobit]

I just had an idea:


As PanMAME can have custom control and videoconfig for each game, when updating c4aMAME, the configfiles could be updated, too to make sure that new games already have a good config to play them from the get go.


And of course no overwriting of the configfile, only adding sections with good configs for new games.

 

[skeezix]

You mean, to store 'useful configs' (or 'standard c4a configs') on the server, and then during sync, to pull down the config? (ie: so vector games have the heavier drawn lines, right off, etc)?

Thats a separate idea .. I need to have a bug/todo-tracker now

jeff

 

[mcobit]

Yes, that could be a way to do it.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

This seems interesting and a great idea. Too bad I hardly ever used command line.

 

[Kumaki]

I'm not afraid of command line if I am given very explicit instructions on what to do!

Be happy to help more MAME come to Compo!

And it would probably make up (a little bit) for my having been such a pain in the butt about it!

 

[_wb_]

No offense, but I'm afraid that giving very explicit instructions is probably more work for skeezix than doing things himself. I could be wrong, but that's typically how it is.

 

[Kumaki]

I would say that depends on how many times I am going to execute such instructions.

If I was only going to do it once, wb, you're probably correct.

But if I am going to do it one hundred times, probably not.

Ultimately, It depends on how Skeezix feels about my offer <Line paraphrased by Binky>

 

[_wb_]

I suspect that getting the score decoding to work takes some amount of trying stuff out and is inherently game-dependent. So if you need instructions that are as explicit as "press this button now, then type this exact line, then press enter, then type this exact line and press enter", then I think it's not going to work.

I don't know exactly what skeezix means by "sufficiently Linux talented" though.

 

[CocoCreekFisherman]

I resign  :wacko:

 

[Kumaki]

I am not sure what skeezix means by "sufficiently Linux talented" either.

I made the offer.  It's ultimately up to skeezix whether or not to take me up on it.

And if he does, it would remain to be seen if I was up to the task.

I hope so, but, until and if skeezix accepts my offer, I won't really know, since I do not know what is involved.

 

[skeezix]

The goal here is to get someone to take off some of the load from me, while also opening up someone to front some of the crowdsourcing efforts .. run polls or talk to peopel about what to add next, do some of that thinking etc.

This is not actual coding or trying to get games to work, but using some existing code to see what already works; essentially run a command line tool, to see if it properly spits out the right info from a .hi file. (I wrote a bunch of decoders, that work for specifiv games; some other project has a bunch of guys workign on similar things, and their decoder is already waaaay aheadof the lilbrary mine has; so I'm figuring to use games that work with theirs, for awhile, so as to free me up from worrying about writing decoders for awhile.) So, its mnot rocket sciencfe what is needed. I do want it to be a linux user, since I'm running linux on my server, and its a better test that way. The actual code is some C# sillyness, so I'm running it under Mono on Linux, which could introduce some oddities .. so best to test against Linux, and not under Windows. Could run it on Pandora, but agian.. trying to minimize surface area for issues.

Anyway, the goals are.. reducing workoad from me, so I'd like someone who is fairly tech literate; I dont' want to be spending a lot of time answer questions or walking through the process, so I think Kumaki would be out (no offence, you're just not techy; you're forever posting thigns like 'I don't know how to paste the log files from pandora onto the board'; I'd like someone who is tech enough at least not to have those sorts of questions   Likewise, someone who can do some crowd sourcing or promotion or take FAQ-type questions from people so I don't have to answer every one.. maybe help indie devs with some questions etc; a little tech, but also, good at working with people...

So, yeah, someone doesn't need ot be a super tech wiz, but also not afraid to run linux, or a linux in a VM, and noodle around in there a bit; they're not coding or even conf running, but they need the tech nerd spirit

Maybe I'm wrong here, just a thought.

...

hey, mcobit, your'e the PanMAME god, maybe you want to dive in?

jeff

 

[_wb_]

I can certainly help out indie devs with questions on how to add C4A support to their game. But that's just because it's so easy , basically all you need to know is already in the relevant forum thread.

 

[mcobit]

I don't know if I am the best person to take this on.


Don't have a lot of time right now and need to finish some stuff for ED in the next weeks.


As it's going kinda crazy at work for me, too, I don't think I can dedicate as much time to it as would be needed


Edit: Also I am not a god, as gods do not exist

 

[skeezix]

_wb_ - you also would handle it quite easily, if you'd like the task (heck, make up your objectives as you go

If you'd like it, I can package up the relevent bit into a tarball, and you can fire it up in some linux or linux vm or whathaveyou. (Its actually all python and C#, in this piece, but I'd still prefer linux to make it a better test case.)

Down the road, I suppose I should open up account on the server, let someone just add the conf files without me at all..

jeff

 

[Kumaki]

No offense taken, skeezix.

I had planned to use my Windows computer to do it, anyway, since I can just as easily get a command prompt there.

Of course, it might be done on a Pandy, but I'm leery about doing unfamiliar stuff on my Pandy, the thing's just too darn expensive to be doing stuff I don't really understand.

When I offered, I had assumed it would be as simple as...

OK, open a command window, and type in the following: XXXrandom stuffXXX

It should spit out the following: XXXcorrect outputXXX

If so, report to me that it does

If not, report to me that it does not.

Obviously, this is a bit more involved than I am probably able to handle - and, seeing as I was going to do it with windows, anyway...

Well, skeezix, if there is something I CAN do for you to lighten your load, and facilitate more MAME being added, please do let me know!

 

[skeezix]

b_o_b has stepped up to be our Master of Games (unless anyone has any strong opposition) First Regeneration; I'll get him set up and going in a bit, but if you have game recommendations to try out etc, send 'em his way now (He can run through the recent threads to see the list I wanted to look at and didn't get through yet, I'm sure, for starts.)

For policy making etc, send to both of us or to the forum here, but we'll leave final say to him unless its a technical thing and then we can team it!

All hail our new overlord!

jeff

 

[DrCJBoduma]

glad to see you take on the challnge b_o_b

 

[Kumaki]

Way to go, b_o_b

Game suggestions will be coming

 

[Neelix]

Congrats b_o_b,  and thanks.

- Neelix