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Complete Grand Prix VP Build

Start simple.
I'd nuke the current VP install you have (Just rename the folder), then download and run the all-in-one installer https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=11573
That should get you a functional VPX (and the other versions) nothing fancy, but all the right scripts in all the right places.
Then try one table, set your video settings, keys, nudge etc, get a hang of resizing the table to fit your screen
The screen-res has nothing to do with how the table fits the screen, the screen res in the video settings is telling the app what to do, the table scaling is done on a table-by-table basis.

Might seem like a step back, but it's a step back to go forwards knowing everything is in the right place from the start.

Once that's done you can move on to the more complex stuff - getting the 10.6.1 build, the latest colour supporting version of PinMAME, Excusive full-screen mode and Anti-Aliasing etc, sorting out a front end.
But step one get VPX installed and a table playable via the editor

Do you have a Pinscape board for nudging btw?

I did forget about the FSS tables - they are designed for a single screen where the playfield and backglass are both visible, kind of a fancy desktop view - you don't want anything that says FSS, I don't use them and forget they exist!

It's a bit of a learning curve, but it's really not so bad, and if you do it yourself you'll see how it all links up which is useful in the long run for troubleshooting.
 
Wow!
I was wowed before and now I'm even more wowed!

Did as recommended and backed up the old stuff and then did fresh install of VPinX.

Kept PinballX as the front end.

Transferred that download of Star Wars over and after a bit of tweaking (bit of deja vu there) to get rid of the speaker panel from the backglass and to update the PinballX game list (felt like crying when the list went from 54 tables to just 1 :-() - launched the game and works a treat - see photos. Hey, the Death Start rotates, who knew :).

Now starts the task of downloading and transferring all the VPinX versions of the tables I had on before and transferring over and configuring the backglasses.

That search tool that Pick Holder sent a link to is really rather good - when I was setting it up last time I was using VPinforums as the only source and using that search facility and having to scroll through all kinds of crud to find what I actually wanted. Hopefully with this new search tool I should be able to knock some times off my table install speed.

One quick question that hopefully someone has a quick answer to: On the previous version I had, when I launched the table from PinballX, the table rendering screens were hidden (I just used to get a big "LOADING" message on the screen on a black background). With this fresh install I get that initially but then I get the table rendering, VPinmame loading box, etc. on screen and it gets messy and doesn't look good. I don't remember having to change any options in PinballX to hide these loading screens in my last install and I can't seem to find any options that look like they might fix this. Do you think this is a PinballX thing or a VPinX thing? Either way does anyone have a fix for it?

Cheers

Andy
 
Looking good - that's VPX vs VP9 for you!

VPinball.com is the better source generally, I'd go there first and only go to VPForums if the table you're after isn't there.
Yeah - 54 to 1 is a bit of a downer, but at least now you're all ready to go and everything is lined up.
My routine for adding is pretty much
Copy table and DB2s to tables folder
Copy Rom to the roms folder
Adjust view
Adjust any settings in the scripts - some have mods/lighting options, some don't
Add table to PinballX
Generate table video for PinballX
Add Wheel Image in for PinballX
Takes 5 or 10 minutes per table once you get it down

Stick on a podcast, grab a beer and you'll be done in a couple of hours

Loading screen is hidden behind PinballX for me, I wouldn't worry to much about that right now - you might even find a reboot does the trick

Eventually I'd recommend enabling ExculsiveFullScreen and playing with the AA settings, although as you're 4K you may not need worry about AA (unlike us 1080p peasants!) but get your tables all dialled in first and have some fun!

If you think SW looks good (it's not bad by any means, but it's years old) wait until you get the really impressive ones, off the top of my head
Flintstones
BK2000
WH20
TOM
TOTAN
IJ (WMS)
ACDC
AFM

All should be on VPinball, and obviously grab the latest ones

There a lots of other good ones but those stand in terms of graphics and physics out in my opinion.
 
Thanks.

Good job it's Sunday and I have the time but I think I'll lay off the beer for the time being. Not because I think it's too early - it's never too early for a beer in my book - but because I have a tendency to mess things up when I've had a few - that goes with real pinball tables as well as VP (remember taking out a full main CPU board on a DESW one time because I dropped playfield when I was working underneath it after a few bevvies and lots of solenoids got blown/smashed!

That loading screen thing is peeing me off though!
 
Oh and the data on that SW table got pulled through wrong - it was showing as Stern 2019 in PinballX Game Manager.
 
When I backed up everything I reinstalled Pinballx, only I installed a version I downloaded back in May 2020 so it was well out of date and crucially not the one I had set up correctly with the Vpin9 tables.

Just in the process of installing latest version and setting that up so be prepared for requests for reminders!
 
Whilst I was looking at the settings I ended up loading the Colour DMD file for Star Wars and playing it for half an hour, "Shoot the Death Star!"

You'll find it becomes like Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all, then set them up perfectly, then get the Colour DMD file, then Pinsound if it exists, then set up PinballX perfectly. I find it part of the fun.
 
Right, we're all good now. VPinmame loading screens hidden again. All keys working properly in VPinX and PinballX, Number of Tilt warnings on DESW adjusted to 3!

Let the downloading and the uploading commence (after I've gone and bought some beers because after that fiasco I think I need/deserve some now!).
 
Whilst I was looking at the settings I ended up loading the Colour DMD file for Star Wars and playing it for half an hour, "Shoot the Death Star!"

You'll find it becomes like Pokemon, gotta catch 'em all, then set them up perfectly, then get the Colour DMD file, then Pinsound if it exists, then set up PinballX perfectly. I find it part of the fun.
"Like Pokemon..." it was definitely like that with VP9 - feel it's gonna be even worse with VPX!
 
After you've done all that you can look at getting Cactus Canyon Continued working as that requires a different setup, then after that PuP Packs!
One step at a time :p that one is a bit of a pig! Especially getting it working properly - with the multiballs kicking out the right number of balls! (Which I've fixed twice, but I've still forgotten how I got it sorted..... :hmm:)

Not looking good - can't get first bloody table working - ToM! Here we go again...
What's the error you're getting - is it a missing rom? (Rings a very faint bell - they may have used a home rom, you may need to change the romname in the script)

I wouldn't get to in with changing the script for tilt warnings, it shouldn't be required.
I'm assuming you have a pinscape nudge board in there along with the bob - this is the setup I have and I don't need to change the number of warnings but you do need to rename a file in the scripts folder (NudgeAccel_RealTilt or something like that to over-write the default one which is setup for button press nudging/tilting) - It's been a while but if you do have a pinscape, then I'll dig out the instructions
 
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Incorrect U22. Is the home coin version. Says it needs 14hb which I've put in the pinMAME roms folder. WIll have a look at the script.

Yes, I have the pinscape board which is working fine in terms of registering the nudges. The instructions would be great if you have them please - I bought it second hand off Ebay as just a bare, pre-programmed board - so it came with nothing, not even pin connectors soldered on to the board!
 
Yep that's 100% a ROM issue, I suspect you'll need the parent ROM too as the home ones are built off a proper parent.
You'll likely need be needing TOM_13 too, which is actually the ROM I use generally - look for CGAMENAME in the script to see what rom it wants, and you can change the romname.zip to whatever rom you want the table to use.
Personally I'd grab TOM_13.zip and change it to that in the script, but you could drop TOM_13 into the rom folder and have a go with it just like that if you want to use the HC romset

You don't have to do this often - this table and a couple of others and when stern release new code for SAM games and VPinmame is updated to support it

You can test a rom independently in VPinMame direct by running setup, and picking the ROM

I'll look through my nudge config later on and get back to you
 
Put all the tom roms available in the roms folder and still got the U22 error so amended the script as recommended and 13 works fine :)

Had to virtually open coin door and adjust volume to heard background music/sound though - had to do that with all Williams games when setting them up. Is that normal?
 
Shame you are not more local @Andy B - could of whizzed up for a day with my hard drive and loaded rakes of things on for you.
I know mate, my mother in law lives in Quinton so ordinarily we would pop down to see her and call in at yours but because of Covid we're not venturing out much.

Working your way through all the setting u[ is all part of the learning experience I guess - and you guys will certainly have gone through all this pain I am going through now :)
 
Put all the tom roms available in the roms folder and still got the U22 error so amended the script as recommended and 13 works fine :)

Had to virtually open coin door and adjust volume to heard background music/sound though - had to do that with all Williams games when setting them up. Is that normal?
Yep - the games are factory fresh, so depending on how loud you have your amp etc you'll have to up the volume as it'll be in the middle.
Don't go REALLY high on the Whitestar games or you'll get distortion (25-26 tops) or you used to anyway.

This is why you'll want to wire in the coin door switch and service buttons if you have them - much easier than fiddling around with keyboards!

If you have the fleep TOM then you have the latest and greatest and the guys spent months on it recording the sounds off a real TOM - probably the best sounding VP game at present, looks pretty decent too :)
 
Yes, it’s sweet and exactly as I remember the real one being when I had one a good few years back.

Nice that you can switch the mood lighting too (discovered by accident when pressing my Magna save buttons).
 
Need to hide your taskbars as well in windows 10
There is a setting so the taskbar only shows on the main screen, click that. Also set it so it automatically hides.
 
Installed Dr.Dude and it's showing in desktop mode despite me having always use full screen/cabinet mode in Visual Pinball options. Any ideas?

Searched up this issue and recommendation as per screenshot below but my options box will not fully display on screen so I can't do what that solution says you should do.
 
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