AtomicFE Documentation:
Installation,
Configuration and Support
AtomicFE website: http://www.atomicfe.com/
English support site: http://spaceinvaders.7.forumer.com/
French support site: http://www.mame-univers.net/modules.php?name=Forums
Email
support: support@atomicfe.com
Documentation created by Havok
Version 1.018-1.01
Changing Key Assignments (AtomicKeys.exe)
Configuring
AtomicFE (AtomicManager.exe)
Configuration Selection (Others)
Removing
Parenthesis in the Game List
Layout Creation
(AtomicLayoutEditor.exe)
Multi
Configuration (MultiConfWizard.exe)
Creating a Multi Config with an Existing
Config File
Editing\Loading Existing Multi Config
Plug and Play Manager
(PlugnPlayManager.exe)
Hardware Manager
(LedWizManager.exe)
LED-Wiz Animation Script Editor
My 49 way joysticks don’t work in AtomicFE
I can’t set AtomicFE to start as a shelled
application
When I start AtomicFE, the games list only
shows three games
When I exit a module, AtomicFE exits to the
desktop
New games don’t show up in my game list
I just installed a Plug and Play module,
and the game list is empty
LED-Wiz doesn’t work with my Plug and Play
modules
My joystick\gamepad doesn’t work in
AtomicFE
My game doesn’t load, just a blank screen,
and I can’t see any error messages
Congratulations
on choosing the most advanced, feature-rich front end for your arcade machine,
AtomicFE - “Arcade to micro
Front End.” AtomicFE was primarily designed to be used as a front end to
easily manage launching games via an emulator. It can execute virtually any
application or pc game, in addition to having native jukebox audio and video
capabilities!
Windows 98 with DirectX 7.0 or higher
64 MB ram
25 MB free hard
drive space for Atomic directory (not including emulators, ROMs, etc.)
VGA card capable
of displaying 640x480 in 16 bit color
Windows XP or Windows Vista
2 GHz CPU
(Primarily for MAME; however, the faster the better!)
512 MB RAM
In order to install
AtomicFE, double-click on the self-extracting executable, and follow the
prompts. On Windows XP\Vista, you may receive the following warning:
Click Run. Then
click next on the welcome screen:
Please read the
information screen, and then click next:
Choose an
installation folder by either typing it in the field, or browsing to it by
clicking the button to the right of the default directory. Once you have chosen
your directory, click next:
Confirm the
installation by clicking Start:
Click next to
complete the installation:
Click Exit on the last dialog box to exit the
installation.
Note: With Windows 98 and 2000 installations,
it will be necessary to copy the file gdiplus.dll into the AtomicFE install
directory. This file can be downloaded from the AtomicFE website: http://www.atomicfe.com/
After the
installation is complete, you will have to configure AtomicFE to work with your
various hardware and software, in addition to other personalization. The main
executables that are used for this are:
These programs
can be accessed directly by running the executable in the AtomicFE installation
directory. Alternatively, AtomicKeys.exe, MultiConfWizard.exe,
Ledwizmanager.exe and PlugnplayManager.exe can be accessed on the Tools tab of
Atomic Manager:
You will only
need to run the Atomickeys.exe program if you wish to change the default key
assignments, or define the custom keys in AtomicFE. Here is a listing of the
defaults:
Player 1 Start
-> Run selected game
Player 2 Start
-> Back to previous menu
Player 1 Button 1
-> Add game to the favorites list
Player 1 Button 2
-> Remove game from the favorites list
Joystick Up-Down - > Navigation in the list
Joystick Left-Right
- > Navigation in the list page by page (or by letter, depending on config)
Player1 Start
Button - > Launch the game
If the User List
(Favorites) is active:
Player1 Button1:
Adds the selected game to the list
Player1 Button2:
Removes the selected game to the list
Player1 Button3:
Switch between the normal list and the user list
If there is a
configuration change with on the fly changes activated:
Player2 Button1: Open/Close the list of available
configurations
Player1 Start:
Load the selected configuration
In
multi-configuration mode:
Player1 Start
Button - > Access the selected menu item
Player2 Start
Button - > Return to the preceding menu
Jukebox or Video
mode:
Player1 Button1: Selects a title and places it in the
play list
Player1 Button2:
Removes the selected title from the play list
Player1 Start
Button - > If there is a play list, the play list plays, if there is not a
play list, it plays the selected item
Note: To stop video in VIDEO mode: Press
Player1 Start Button + Player2 Start Button
Arrow Up/Down - > Navigation in the list
Arrow Left/Right
- > Navigation in the list page up/down (or by letter, depending on config)
"1" or
"&" or "Enter" (NOT on the numeric keypad) - > Play
the selected game
If the User List
(Favorites) is activated:
CTRL: Add the
selected game to the list
ALT: Remove the
selected game from the list
SPACE: Switch
between the standard list and user list
If there is a
configuration change with on the fly changes activated:
"A":
Open/Close the list of available configurations
"1" or
"&": Load the selected configuration
In
multi-configuration mode:
"1" or "&" or
"Enter" - > Access the selected menu item
"2" or
"E" or "Backspace" - > Return to the preceding menu
Jukebox or Video
mode:
CTRL: Selects a
title and places it in the play list
ALT: Removes the
selected title from the play list
ENTER: If there
is a play list, the play list plays, if there is not a play list, it plays the
selected item
NOTE: to stop video in VIDEO mode: ESC or Player2
Start (only once!)
Player1Joystick Up-Down -> Navigation in the list
Player1Joystick
Left-Right -> Navigation in the list page up/down (or by letter- config
setting)
Player1 Button1 -> Play the selected game
Player1 Button2
-> Back to the previous screen
Player1 Button3
-> Remove game from the favorites list
Player1 Button4
-> Add game to favorites list
Note: Atomic is primarily geared towards being controlled with a keyboard
encoder. If you have an encoder that is gamepad or joystick based, then you
will need an intermediary program to take advantage of the full command set
available in AtomicFE. The most popular
program to do this is called Joy2Key. At the time of this writing, it can be
downloaded here:
http://www.electracode.com/4/joy2key/JoyToKey%20English%20Version.htm
If you wish to
change the default key assignments in AtomicFE, you can run AtomicKeys.exe
located in the AtomicFE directory. Click Start to begin:
Press the button
that you would like to add a game to your favorites, or add an mp3 to play
list:
Press the button that you would like to remove a game from
your favorites, or remove an mp3 from your play list:
Press the button that you would like to switch between your
favorites and the full game list:
Press the button that you would like to display\hide the on
the fly configuration menu:
Press the button that you would like to flip the screen if
in cocktail mode, or stop the background music:
Press the button that you would like to display or hide the
dat file selection menu:
Press the button that you would like mapped to exit the
front end:
Press the button that you would like mapped to Up, or move
the joystick up:
Press the button that you would like mapped to Down, or move
the joystick down:
Press the button that you would like use for page down (or
jump to next letter in the alphabet):
Press the button that you would like to use for page up (or
jump to previous letter in alphabet):
Press the button that you would like to run the selected
item (enter):
Press the button that you would like to exit video, or go to
the previous menu in multi-config mode:
Press a key for a custom command (you may create up to three
of these which will run an executable with user specified parameters, and they
are defined in Atomic Manager under the External Commands, User Action tabs):
Complete! If you are satisfied with your key assignments,
Click Save and Quit. If you would like to do them over, or would not like to
save your changes, Click Quit without saving.
The first time you run the program, you will be prompted for
which language the menu will be in. Select the English language file and
checkmark the Save option. Click OK:
Atomic Manager starts on the General tab. You will notice
that not all the tabs are available until you checkmark the items in “Access to
Advanced Config Options”
Note: The
credit options have been disabled due to concerns raised by the Mamedev team.
In the spirit of respect for their wishes, this option is disabled until
further notice.
AtomicFE allows for different modes corresponding to which
type of application is being executed. The mode is selected by clicking the
radio button under the “Others” field:
Each screen in Atomic requires a separate .cfg file, which
Atomic Manager will generate. For more complex menu selections\setups, you
would first choose the type of config in the Others field, and then configure
the appropriate directories, etc.
AtomicFE supports multiple video modes to enable use with an
authentic arcade monitor connected to an ArcadeVGA card, or a standard pc video
card. If you are using an ArcadeVGA video card, select the radio button and
choose the resolution from the drop down box. If you have a standard pc video
card, choose the bottom option and type in the resolution you would like to
start in.
In addition to the resolution, you can also specify the
screen orientation of your monitor: Horizontal is the default or you can choose
Vertical rotated to the right, or to the left:
The controls section is where you specify what controls will
be used for navigating through the AtomicFE menu screens. You can move the
slider to adjust the spinner\trackball\mouse sensitivity: moving to the left
increases sensitivity, moving to the right decreases sensitivity. If you choose
the Mouse/Light Gun/Touch Screen option for your configuration, make sure that
you use a layout that has click zones defined, or you will not be able to use
the Light Gun or Touch Screen to navigate through the menu screens. If you are
using a Light Gun for menu screen navigation, it is advisable to use the “Show
Pointer” option to more easily see where the pointer is located while you
“aim.”
Below the Controls section is the “Purge self-generated game
list” button. This option clears the auto generated list when AtomicFE is first
run.
Here are the miscellaneous options for setting how AtomicFE
displays the game list, and what happens when you exit AtomicFE:
The current config file buttons in Atomic Manager are fairly
self explanatory. One thing to note is if you have multiple config files,
verify you have the correct one loaded: it is listed in yellow text above the
Set up as Start Config button. Also make sure to set the correct one as the
Start Config. Save your configuration before closing.
The folders tab is where you point AtomicFE to all the
related directories depending on your configuration. The folder descriptions
are fairly self explanatory:
The button in the lower right corner makes the paths
relative to the Atomic.exe file: when this option is selected, you do not need
to specify the full path to the directories, just the folders from Atomic.exe
down. If you do not select this option, simply click the browse button to the
right, and drill down to the full path of the folder.
If you check-mark the Fields Editable option, the fields
will not be grayed out, and you can directly type in the fields instead of
browsing with the button to the right.
The Layout related tab is where you specify what folders
contain images related to your layout. Not all of these directories may be
used, depending on your specific layout. If your layout utilizes these images,
browse to the related directories here:
The Technical tab is where you specify the location of the
Metadata folder. This folder contains the various .ini category files that
allow for sorting based on a number of criteria such as genre, controls, etc
and also contains the full list of MAME games.
The ROMDIR Folder/Emulator option is for creating Plug and
Play modules. Since all Plug and Play modules require relative folder
structures, this is where you would specify the location of the directory.
Creating Plug and Play modules is beyond the scope of this document, so there
will not be an explanation on how to accomplish this. Please verify that the
Use it checkmark is NOT checked
.
This tab will not appear unless you check-mark the Advanced
Options box in “Access to advanced config options” on the General tab.
Here you can specify options for non-MAME emulators. If the
emulator in question uses another extension for its ROMS, you can specify them
here. For example, the Atari 2600 ROMS use a .bin extension. You would type
“bin” in the ROM extension field, and then click the add button >> to
enable that extension. If you would like to remove that extension, click on the
extension to highlight it, and then click the del button. The other non-MAME
options will depend on which emulator is being used. These options all relate
to the command line parameters that are required by the emulator in question.
Consult the documentation for your emulator to determine which settings are
required for your configuration.
The Game List tab allows you specify the game list and
exclude list file name and location. AtomicFE gives you the option of creating
specific lists with the games you would like included in the list, or
alternatively, it can create a list and exclude specific games that you choose.
The Atomic <0.15 tab allows for compatibility with
layouts that were created for version 0.15 or lower. Generally speaking, you
should not need to change these settings.
Here you can specify command lines to execute for a specific
ROM. Click the drop down under Select ROM, or type the ROM name in directly.
Type the command line in the field above. To enable your command, click the Add
button. If you wish to remove a
command, select it from the field below and click Del.
The MetaData
tab allows you to modify what game name is displayed in the game list.
You can easily change the displayed name by selecting a
game, and making the appropriate changes in the Translation field. Make sure to
click the modify button before moving on to another game name change. Click the
Save button when you are finished.
Note: The
MetaData is not automatically generated by AtomicFE. The list provided will not
reflect new games when you upgrade your version of MAME. Due to the changing
nature of MAME and its command line structure, an auto-generate feature is not
included. This was done to future proof AtomicFE against changes in MAME.
If you would like to generate a new list when you upgrade
your ROMS and MAME version, run the following command: mame.exe –listfull >C:\fulllist.txt Take
the Fulllist.txt file that will be saved in the root of your C drive and copy
it to the MetaData folder in your AtomicFE installation. The new games will
appear in the list!
Some people would rather not have the extra information
contained in the parenthesis listed in the game name. You cannot remove them
within Atomic Manager; however you can edit them out with a text editor. Any
good text editor can accomplish this. One such product that is readily
available is called TextPad. It can be downloaded from here: http://www.textpad.com
To remove the parenthesis in TextPad, open the fulllist.txt
file located in the MetaData directory and do a Search and Replace (which would
be similar with any editor). In the Search field, enter this: ([[:print:]]*) and leave the Replace field blank. Also,
make sure to uncheck the “Match Case” and checkmark the “Regular Expression”
options under Conditions.
Here you can edit your game list to display any number of games you
want. To add the games to your Game List, choose the games from the Available
ROMs, then click the Add >
button. To add the entire list on the left, click the Add All >> button. To remove a game from
the Game List file on the right, select the game, then click the Remove < button. If you would like to
remove the entire list, click the Remove All << button.
Note: By
default, AtomicFE will display all the ROMs available in the ROMs folder you
specified on the Folders tab. You can pre-sort the available ROMs list by
choosing from the Categories File, and then selecting a category. If you wish
to transfer the entire category (for example, if you are building a
multi-configuration based on categories, controls, etc.) click the Transfer
category button. To remove a category from the Game List file, click the Remove
category button.
Instead of creating a game list that includes only the games
you select, you can alternatively create a game list that excludes the games
you select. The process for excluding games is the same as adding, however,
make sure to checkmark the Save to ‘Exclude’ File button:
This will exclude only the games you selected from the All
Games list. By default, these files are called GameList.txt and
ExcludeList.txt, and are saved in the AtomicFE root installation directory. You
can change the name and file location in the Advanced, Game List tabs.
You can enable a screen saver for when the machine is not in
use:
To enable the screen saver, checkmark the Enabled option,
and set the delay in milliseconds. The default is 180000, which is 3 minutes.
You can change this setting to any value between 1000 milliseconds (1 second)
and 345600000 milliseconds (96 hours).
There are three options for the screen saver:
Note: If
a random game is running in the screen saver mode, and a credit is inserted,
the screen saver mode will be disabled and you can play the game as if you
selected it normally.
Here you can
set miscellaneous options for controlling how AtomicFE operates.
Press the key sequence you would like for your password. For
the most part, you can only use the alphabet keys; however you can also use Escape,
Backspace and Space in the sequence.
Note: A
keyboard is not required for this; you would simply press the buttons
corresponding to your password. (Example:
Right, Right, Up, Up, Down, Down)
Here you can specify programs to launch before launching a
game, before returning to the front end, or before loading a configuration:
The commands entered here will apply to all games when
launched, depending on the parameters used in the command. The parameters are
substitution strings: depending on what game is selected in the list, they will
dynamically change. For example: if you were to use the parameter [ROMNAME] in
your command, it would add whatever Rom name was currently selected in the game
list to the command line string. You also have some options for how the program
is run and terminated:
Here you can specify a command to run if you defined Custom
Keys:
The parameters are the same as the Automatic tab; please
refer to the previous page for command line usage and parameters.
Note:
These commands will only operate while AtomicFE is active (while in game list).
Once the game is launched, these commands will not be available.
Here you can run some of the wizards without exiting
AtomicFE:
Alternatively, these tools can be run separate from Atomic
Manager by simply running the executable in the AtomicFE installation
directory.
Here you can manage the native LED-Wiz support in AtomicFE:
Note:
There is a Select Game Mode and a Game Mode tab: they are in fact two different
functions; the Select Game Mode is for when you are in AtomicFE and browsing
the game list. The Game Mode is for when you are in a game and AtomicFE is
hidden.
Here you can select the Led mode when the Screen Saver is
active:
Here you can assign sequence files to the following events.
You must first create the sequence using the LED-Wiz software prior to setting
the event mode:
Checkmark the
event and browse to your sequence file to enable the mode you desire
Here you can select the Front End Mode of the GP49-Wiz:
Checkmark the GP49-Wiz Enabled option, and choose your mode
from the drop-down list. These modes correspond to the modes you create with
the LedWizManager. Please refer to the documentation for more information on
the modes.
The layout editor
is able to create new layouts, or edit existing ones (to some degree – some
layouts are protected at the creator’s request). There are over 100 layouts to
choose from on the AtomicFE website, and still growing! They are downloadable
here:
http://atomicfe.com/EN2/download.php
To create a new
layout, first create a directory where you would like your layouts saved. There
are some sample layouts already included with the installation located in
<AtomicFE_directory>\Layouts. Create an empty directory there, and run
the editor.
Upon running the
Layout Editor, you are presented with the main screen here:
Layouts can be
extremely complex or simple, depending on your needs and\or abilities. For the
purposes of this documentation, a simple layout design will be covered. Consult
the support sites for more in depth help with layout creation if you wish to go
beyond the scope of this documentation.
In the previous
screen you will see various controls which you will utilize to create your
layout. Some of the commands are not available until you either specify a
layout directory, or an image for a component. Before beginning creation of the
layout, let’s define the main controls:
Create a new layout
Load an existing layout
Save existing layout
Layout properties
The left button defines the image; the right
defines the selection image
Define missing image
Note: These buttons are just shortcuts; all of these functions are accessible
in the above menu under Layout and Images.
Layouts consist
of many different components that are combined to render the final image:
To create a new
layout, click on Layout, then New (or the New button):
Browse to the
directory you previously created:
Choose the
resolution that you would like to create the layout in. Click OK. AtomicFE
supports resolutions from 240 x 240 to as high as your video card can support.
The best results will be obtained if you match the background image resolution
to the layout resolution.
Once you have
selected the folder and resolution of your layout, it’s time to begin defining
the layers that will make up your layout. Before doing this however, it is
recommended that you assign a transparency color to your project. Whenever a
color in one of your layers of your project matches this color, it will create
a “hole.” This allows the lower layer to show through. You specify the
transparency color by clicking on the Layout Properties button:
You can also re-size the resolution from here, and assign
the control type for game list browsing: you can assign up and down to browse
the list, or left and right. If your Layout will have sounds assigned to
events, click the Sound Tab:
Click on the button corresponding to the sound event you
would like to assign, and browse to the sound file. (The original location is
not relevant: the editor will copy the necessary files to your final layout
directory when complete)
Note:
AtomicFE only supports .mp3 files for the Background Music, and .wav files for
the remaining sound events.
Here is where you enable\disable all the layout objects and
define images and properties for them. In addition to defining the properties,
you can also increase or decrease the layers:
Object Selector Buttons:
Increase layer (moves the object
down the list)
Decrease layer (moves the
object up the list)
Shows\Hides the selected object
Click on the object you would like to add to your layout,
and then click on the Show\Hide button to enable it. Finally, click the object
define button to assign an image to your object. Most basic layouts will
include the following:
There is a floating Toolbar in the Layout Editor that allows
for context sensitive controls:
This is where you can specify addition properties of the
layout, and selected objects. Adjusting the settings here is beyond the scope
of this document, please consult the online forums or support sites for more
information.
Once you have completed your layout, it is a good idea to
preview how it will look before going forward. To preview how your layout will
render, click on the View option:
You can preview your new layout horizontally, or vertically,
depending on how your monitor is oriented. Once you are satisfied with the
preview, hit Escape to exit the preview and return to the editor.
AtomicFE allows for a multi configuration menu: you can
start with a list of configurations that branch off into separate emulators,
jukeboxes, pc games, or just sort your game lists by controls, genre, etc. To
begin the process you can run the MultiConfWizard.exe, or access the program on
the Tools tab of Atomic Manager. If this is the first time running this
program, you will be prompted to select your preferred language. Select
English, checkmark the Save option, and click OK.
Select a category file:
Once you select your category file, click Next:
Select from the Available categories, and click the Add > button, or Add All >> button. If you would like to
remove games, highlight the item in the Selected field, and click the Remove < click the Remove All << button to remove all the
selected items.
Click the browse button to the right and select a config
file. (This file is created previously with Atomic Manager: first create a
setup that points to your specific folders and your chosen layout)
Once you have
pointed to your config file, click Next.
Here is where you create your menu hierarchy:
Right click on the Atomic.sel and you have some options:
If you had selected a category file, here you select from
the configurations you added in Step 2. (This is the screen you will be
presented with if you right click on Atomic.sel and select the wizard generated
config.):
Select the configuration, click Select. Multiple selections
are allowed here by either using the Ctrl-click method, or Shift-click. Once
complete, you will have your hierarchy:
Click Next
once you have created your entire hierarchy.
Note:
Create the hierarchy in the order you wish it to be displayed in the menu list;
you will not be able to move the entries up or down once created.
Here you can change the displayed name of each of the
configurations, and the layout assigned to each:
Select the Config Name you wish to modify, and click the
appropriate button:
Once you have finished setting your configuration with the
layouts and displayed names you prefer, click next.
Note:
The Atomic.sel option is the root menu: the only option you should need to
change is the layout. You will not need to change the displayed name as it
should not appear in your game list.
Here you can
specify a Multiconfig Name, and check mark the relative folder if possible
option.
Once you click Finish, the multi config program will
generate your configuration and set it as the default startup in AtomicFE. The
next time you run Atomic.exe, it will display the configuration you have saved.
More advanced configurations will require you to create a
tree structure with existing config files. The steps are the same as the
previous example; however you would first create a fully functional config file
with Atomic Manager, and then point to that .cfg file.
This method would be preferable if you wish to manually
create custom game lists, or would like to add different configurations such as
a jukebox and\or pc games to your custom created game list. Make sure to use
different file names for the .cfg files that describe what the configuration
is, and point to each one in your custom game list.
If you wish to make a change to an existing multi config,
you can easily modify it by starting up the Multi Config Wizard and pressing
the Load Existing Config button in Step 1:
Browse to your configuration, click OK, and continue on to
Step 2 to modify. When complete, click on Finish and your new Multi Config will
be saved.
Plug and Play modules allow a user to easily and quickly
setup the front end without any configuration. The only tasks that need to be
completed are:
When installing the modules, accept all defaults, unless you
have changed the default location of AtomicFE. If this is the case, browse to
the correct location of your custom installation directory, and accept all
other defaults.
The Plug and Play Manager allows you to configure the
behavior of the plug and play modules you have installed. There are 35 modules
available for download at the time of this writing, and growing! You can
download the modules here: http://atomicfe.com/EN2/modulepnp.php
To run the Manager, you can either directly run the plugnplaymanager.exe
in the AtomicFE installation directory, or access the program from the Tools
tab in Atomic Manager. When first run, you will be prompted to select your
language. Click on the English option, and checkmark Save. Click OK. You will then be presented with the Modules
tab:
This tab gives you an overview of what modules are
available, and what modules are active. You also have the option of adding an
existing config, which would be created with Atomic Manager. To enable an
additional module, click the Enable button. To disable a module that is
currently active, select the module you wish to disable, and click the
Enable\Disable button.
Here you set options that will apply to all plug and play
modules. These settings will override the default settings in your modules.
Select the options you wish, and click the Save button:
Note: These
settings are the same as what is available in Atomic Manager. If you are unsure
of what these settings mean, please refer to the configuring AtomicFE section.
Here you can specify a different layout for the Plug and Play module selection
screen:
Click the browse button, and point to the folder where the
layout you wish to use is located. (Remember, there are over 100 layouts to
choose from, downloadable from the AtomicFE website! You do not necessarily
need to use the default!)
Click Apply,
and the new layout will appear next time AtomicFE is run.
Here you can manage the settings for both your LEDWiz and
GP49-Wiz hardware:
You must specify the default folder for your LEDWiz, and if
this will be used with MAME, then also specify the location of your MAME
installation folder by clicking the browse button. These folders cannot be
created while in the browse dialog box, they must have been previously created.
Once you have specified the correct directories, the hardware manager will
automatically generate the necessary xml files:
Note: The
auto-generation feature will only work with newer versions of MAME that
generate the xml configuration file by using the command line switch –listxml.
Here you specify the settings for the LED-Wiz hardware. The
hardware manager supports settings for up to 16 LED-Wiz units. Make sure to select
the correct LED-Wiz number when assigning settings:
Select the Mapped Control to your wired Led and repeat the
process until all your LEDs are configured. Choose the PBA level for each,
making note of the special values in red down below. When you are finished,
click the Save settings button. The default save location is located in the
LED-Wiz’s game settings folder you specified in the folder settings tab.
·
Real time view on the ledwizard - checkmark this option to
enable PBA value changes in real time on the LEDs.
·
Global Pulse – enables a pulse on all connected LEDs. Drag
to the right to increase the pulse, left to decrease.
Note: If
you are configuring more than one LED-Wiz, make sure to save the settings
before moving on to the next LED-Wiz number configuration page.
Here you can specify individual game settings per game:
Before
specifying custom settings per game, you must generate a list of games.
Note: If
a control is grayed out that means you did not define it on the LED-Wiz
Hardware Settings tab. Go back and define that control, and it will enable on
this tab.
You have four options for your game list:
After the games have been generated, select them from the
field on the left, and checkmark the controls you would like to enable. Repeat
for each game.
Here you can create custom animations:
You can create custom animation scripts easily with the
editor. Simply choose the LED-Wiz Number from the drop down list, and add the
commands you would like. You can choose from the following options:
For each option, click the Add button, and they will appear
in the Command List box. You can use the Save, Load, Remove or Test your script
with the buttons to the right.
After creating the animation script, you can edit values
manually by clicking on the Editor tab and typing over the values you wish to
change. Save your script, and then Test.
Here you can change the settings for your 49 way joystick:
Click the Generate GP49 settings button to have the hardware
manager automatically generate the GP49 settings. Verify you have the correct
joystick type selected before pressing this button. Once the auto generate has
completed, the games will be listed below with the 49 way code. If you wish to
change the mode for a particular game, simply change the mode number for the
ROM name to correspond to the mode you wish it to be and click on the Save
modification button.
Happ/Midway
Modes: Williams Modes:
1 = Raw 49 Mode 11
= Raw 49 Mode
2 = Progressive 49 Mode 12
= Progressive 49 Mode
3 = 8 Way Mode 13
= 8 Way Mode
4 = 4 Way Mode 14
= 4 Way Mode
5 = Diagonal Mode 15
= Diagonal Mode
6 = 2 Way Horizontal Mode 16
= 2 Way Horizontal Mode
7 = 2 Way Vertical Mode 17
= 2 Way Vertical Mode
8 = 16 Way Mode 18 = 16 Way Mode
Problem:
The 49 way joysticks do not work in AtomicFE.
Solution:
Currently, AtomicFE has limited support for joysticks. The reason that the 49
ways do not work is that they have not been enabled in your config file. This
is most likely to occur with users that have plug and play modules, as 49 way
support is not enabled by default. To enable the 49 way support, load the .cfg
file (for your plug and play modules with Atomic Manager, located in the
PlugnPlay directory in your AtomicFE installation directory), checkmark the
GP49\LED-Wiz option. Click on the GP-Wiz49 tab, checkmark the GP49-Wiz enabled
option, and choose a front end mode – 3 is for Happ\Midway, 13 is for Williams.
Problem:
Inability
to set AtomicFE as a shell application on startup.
Solution: AtomicFE
is not currently compatible to be started as a shell application. As a
workaround, you must create a batch file that launches AtomicFE, and point to
that.
Problem:
The games list only shows three games – Donkey Kong versions, and they don’t
work!
Solution: You
need to run the Atomic Manager and configure your system, or, load a Plug and
Play module and copy your ROMS and Snaps to the correct folder, located in the
PlugnPlay directory under the module you downloaded.
Problem: When
exiting a plug and play module that does not work, AtomicFE exits to the
desktop.
Resolution: Verify
that the ROMS folder of the Plug and Play module contains the ROMS for the
games it is listing. If the ROMS are not located in the correct folder,
AtomicFE will close.
Problem: I
have updated MAME along with a new ROM set, and the new games don’t show up in
the game list.
Resolution: Prior
to version 0.18, AtomicFE does not automatically update its game list. You must
have the program re-generate a new list. Open Atomic Manager, and click the
Purge Self-Generated Game List button on the General tab. On the next launch of
AtomicFE, the front end will generate a new game list, and your new games
should appear.
Problem:
The menus are either all in French, or at least partially so.
Resolution: The
.lang file was not applied correctly, or has been corrupted. Re-install
AtomicFE in the same location to fix the problem.
Problem:
After
installing a plug and play module, the game list is empty.
Resolution:
You must copy your ROMs into the ROM directory required by the Plug and Play
module. For example, if you downloaded the Arcade Simple module, you would copy
your ROMs to <AtomicFE install dir>\PlugnPlay\Arcades_Simple\Roms.
Problem: The
LED-Wiz doesn’t work properly when using a plug and play module, however works
fine when testing with LED-Wiz Manager.
Solution: Most
of the plug and play modules were created before support was added for the
LED-Wiz. To enable support for your hardware, you just need to enable it in the
leaf .cfg files with Atomic Manager, checkmark “enable LED wizards” under the
LED-Wiz tab. The .cfg files are located in <AtomicFE install
dir>\PlugnPlay\... This has been reported as a known issue with .018-1, and
will be addressed to be able to easily modify the .cfg on a global level.
Problem:
You are unable to assign keys from your joystick or gamepad to control AtomicFE
Resolution:
AtomicFE was written primarily with a keyboard encoder in mind. If you are
using an encoder that is gamepad\joystick based, you will be unable to take
full advantage of the commands in AtomicFE. This is a known issue, and may be
addressed in the future. In the meantime, use Joy2Key as a workaround. See
“Changing Key Assignments” for more details.
Problem: You
select a game in AtomicFE, and the game does not load. It doesn’t give you an
error message, just a blank screen.
Resolution:
Uncheck the “Hide emulator loading” option in Atomic Manager, under the Screen
Saver Tab, Options 2 tab. This will load the emulator normally and give you an
indication of why the ROM did not load. Perhaps the game is not fully
functional with your selected emulator. In most instances, the ROM version does
not match the emulator version. Use a program like Clrmamepro to check. More
information on ROM versioning is available here: http://www.clrmame.com