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Game Preview Screenshots


SainT

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The LynxGD has a very nice built-it screenshot viewing feature, you can access it by pressing PAUSE on the menu screen. The screenshots are stored as 16 colour 160x102 BMP files, so it's easy to add more to existing sets or create your own for any games you have.

 

A game can have one or more screenshots associated with it. It can either be one BMP file named the same as the ROM, but with a .BMP extension, or a folder with that name containing BMP's named in order from 1.BMP to as many as you want for that game.

 

When the menu looks for preview screenshots it first looks in the same directory as the ROM, if it's not found there, it looks in a folder called screenshots.bmp in the root directory of your memory card. This allow you flexibility in arranging your ROM's and preview screenshots.

 

To get you started and to show how it works, @neo_rg has very kindly created a screenshot library largely consisting of the screenshots here on AtariAge. Thanks to @Albert for creating and curating these images in the first place, and allowing their use here.

screenshots_v1.0.zip

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you very much for this nice touch. I tried to add some screenshots to my library, followed the rules above in size, colour and file Format, but when I want to see them, I only get "bad image file". When I compare them, everything is the same. I'm using GraphicConverter on Mac to create the images. Did I forget something?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

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15 hours ago, Retroluzzer said:

Thank you very much for this nice touch. I tried to add some screenshots to my library, followed the rules above in size, colour and file Format, but when I want to see them, I only get "bad image file". When I compare them, everything is the same. I'm using GraphicConverter on Mac to create the images. Did I forget something?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

There will be a problem with the BMP format in some way. I'm not sure if you have an option for "Windows Bitmap"? If you send me the BMP files over I'll take a look.

 

I expect it will be a simple change to support any additional / different header types. The underlying compression and image format should be the same otherwise.

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Nice feature, but when I see feature like this, I immediately think it would be great to use it to create/display new games instructions/manuals in Lynx resolution in order to have them on the go :D

And then, I think I don't want to take time for another great project that wouldimply to postpone some other stuff.

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On 7/7/2020 at 3:49 PM, Fadest said:

Nice feature, but when I see feature like this, I immediately think it would be great to use it to create/display new games instructions/manuals in Lynx resolution in order to have them on the go :D

And then, I think I don't want to take time for another great project that wouldimply to postpone some other stuff.

 

I have already thought that would be a good idea.

 

You can certainly do that as it stands just using lots of single images, or I could add the feature of scrolling through a larger 160xN image. :)

 

I would love to see this. Make it so! ?

 

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  • 1 month later...

Someone on AA Discord suggested I use good 'ol Irfanview so I did, and was able to batch convert to 4-bit and that worked.  So I've created BMP folders for most of the common prototypes using screen shots from the AA site.  Most have roms available though not all.  I did a few homebrew as well.  In the case where there was no cartridge image I left the 1.bmp off, but since the roms aren't distributed no one will use those anyway I guess.  I did not test the screenshots when I didn't have a rom though, just FYI.

 

I also replaced the Telegames #1 bmp with cart scans from the 2018-ish re-release that had better labels.  I broke the folders up, but obviously you should put all BMP folders into a single screenshots.bmp folder on the microSD card.

screenshots_v1.1.zip

Edited by Greg2600
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  • 2 weeks later...

I've done a few of these as well, I love the setup.  My direction was to make a generic Lynx banner with a simple title card approach for each game's first screen, followed by another card with genre, dev and release year.  After those two screens I did the title screen, and one screenshot with extras where I thought it necessary.

 

This gives a nice unified GUI like appearance whilst keeping it all streamlined.  I used Jasc PSP 7.  These are an example, but if anyone likes them and would like any more posting, just ;let me know; though I only have a few games, like twelve or something!

 

By the way, would it be possible to have the browser default to this type of game selection method?  I prefer it to the list view and think it would be nice (if possible) to go straight to the pictures.

1.bmp 2.bmp 3.bmp 4.bmp 5.bmp 6.bmp

Edited by cleeg
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  • 1 month later...
On 6/17/2020 at 11:50 PM, SainT said:

The LynxGD has a very nice built-it screenshot viewing feature, you can access it by pressing PAUSE on the menu screen. The screenshots are stored as 16 colour 160x102 BMP files, so it's easy to add more to existing sets or create your own for any games you have.

I just fetched the latest firmware and tested this out (using Super Asteroids & Missile Command -- I had to rename the "xxx.bmp" directory to match the "xxx.lnx" filename for the ROM).  It appears to work, but after paging through a couple of the screenshots, I get a mostly black screen (info bar at the bottom), and my Lynx locks up.  Sometimes it happens after paging 1->2->3->4, but I also got it to happen going 1->2->1.  So it doesn't seem to be an issue with the BMP files themselves.

 

This is a Lynx II with a BenVenn LCD mod (if that matters in any way).

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  • 5 months later...

Can I ask for some help here? I have all the screenshots in a folder called screenshots.bmp (so screenshots.bmp/zxy.bmp/1.bmp) for example, but i cannot understand how to view them, the manual is not great if I am honest, it states they can be viewed here, but I am not sure how, if I hold down A (or is it B I forget now) then it says PS / Screenshot what is PS and what do I press to see then preview?

 

Thanks.

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10 hours ago, manic23 said:

Can I ask for some help here? I have all the screenshots in a folder called screenshots.bmp (so screenshots.bmp/zxy.bmp/1.bmp) for example, but i cannot understand how to view them, the manual is not great if I am honest, it states they can be viewed here, but I am not sure how, if I hold down A (or is it B I forget now) then it says PS / Screenshot what is PS and what do I press to see then preview?

 

Thanks.

You just hit the middle "II" button that's between Option 1 and 2.

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