Tell me everything you know about GameEx

gozer5454

Volunteer: Google SketchUp Guru
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Seriously, what do you guys know about the site?

Good frontends for mame?
Friendly members?
Overpriced?


Details?

I have reasons, that I'd rather not get into just yet. Just need opinions from my peers here.
 
Any front end you have to PAY FOR is too expensive considering the incredible FREE options out there.

I personally use MAMEWAH for all 3 of my MAME cabs. I also have used MALA.
 
Any front end you have to PAY FOR is too expensive considering the incredible FREE options out there.

I personally use MAMEWAH for all 3 of my MAME cabs. I also have used MALA.

True, true. But do you have any experience with theirs by chance?
 
I use gameex for my front end and I've been happy with it. Sure there are freebies out there, but the gameex did what I needed and not too difficult to set up.

I use GameEx for mame, daphne, atari 2600 games, C64, vic20 and a lot of Amiga stuff. Been happy with it.
 
I tried it a year or so ago, it's got some great features and worked very well, I just didn't care for the look of the front end on my mame cab - it was too "windows like", and I wanted something more arcade looking. I ended up using Mala with a custom layout, and I'm really happy with it.
 
Thanks for the input guys. Just needed a general sense of their quality and such. All you users had to pay the $25 fee then?

I'll explain my concerns here in just a bit...
 
I'll explain my concerns here in just a bit...


Its like an old Doctor Who episode, "I'll explain it to you later..." I have used gameex and it is ok, better free alternatives as everyone has mentioned. FYI - If you don't pay the $25 you just have to wait for the splash screen for several seconds, I want to say 30-60?? Then it will load, so free but with an annoying wait.
 
FYI - If you don't pay the $25 you just have to wait for the splash screen for several seconds, I want to say 30-60?? Then it will load, so free but with an annoying wait.

Ah... I see. So then, everything can be played and seen just as a free download?
 
I knew that sounded familiar. I had to look at the link, but then I realized that I had been using that on my Media Center PC for many years now.

Good stuff that seamlessly integrated with the media center OS. You can do everything without ever touching a keyboard or mouse, which I have neither of on that PC. I only used it for playing MAME games.

My daughter used to make me play through The Simpsons with her many years back :)
 
I think its geared more for a Media PC than an upright cab but it can be used either way. I believe the menus/keying are made so a regular remote could be used.
 
My experience was the same as others here, I used it for a bit, it was easy to configure and use but it just seemed too windows-like.

I switched to MALA on my mame cabinet and love it, but I'm planning on using Hyperspin on my trackball-only showcase that is nearing completion.
Awesome front-end if you are only using a small number of games rather than the entire mame rom set.
 
My experience was the same as others here, I used it for a bit, it was easy to configure and use but it just seemed too windows-like.

I switched to MALA on my mame cabinet and love it, but I'm planning on using Hyperspin on my trackball-only showcase that is nearing completion.
Awesome front-end if you are only using a small number of games rather than the entire mame rom set.

+1 on Hyperspin, I have been playing with it and really like the end result...
 
So here's what happened.....

I was contacted by a leading member on that site, who let me know he was taking my Google Sketchup arcade models and converting them to .X format to be seen in their MAME frontend.

At first I was like, "hmmm, cool."
Then, as I took a look thru the website I noticed they were one of the many frontends out there that charge for the interface. This worried me a little bit. As most of you know, I build those models on my spare time and upload for free download into the warehouse. They are also linked thru KLOV.com. Many of the models took me over 4 hours a piece to create. And the thought popped into my head, "Hey, someone is taking my work, altering it, and basically reselling it in their own program."
Of course, if it was just a free front end for MAME, I wouldn't have cared as much.

So over the last two days, I've been talking with the guy, and have found out more info. Basically, the way the models are to be used is pretty much as I hoped. When you access a game thru their frontend, you can also choose to see the games flyer, artwork, cabinet, and now.... a spinning 3D model. Mine are to be used this way as well as others from 3D arcade (i think). This makes me feel alot better. Because it goes right in line with what I intended these to be used for. Historical record, information, and a good arcade collector aid.

And, what's even better, is no one must purchase any of the models. They are being offered as a more in-depth aid for MAME as much as any link to the free Sketchup models from KLOV.

Plus, making matters even more pleasing to me, most of you guys seem to really like the front-end, and the guy I was talking with was of good character (even offering to remove the files if it made me feel uncomfortable).

So, that's why I asked for insight from you guys. Thanks for your help. I'm feeling better about the whole thing.
If you want to see the thread regarding how he was able to convert the Sketchup stuff for the front end, the link is right here:

http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=8971
 
Just to put you on the edge again, it wouldn't be the first time they put something in GameEX that they didn't have rights to. They put something in a few years ago that I had GPL'd. I let it slide until I started getting support requests. It took me a while before they would remove it, then it was basically copied, and put back in.

At least now I don't get support requests.
 
Just to put you on the edge again, it wouldn't be the first time they put something in GameEX that they didn't have rights to. They put something in a few years ago that I had GPL'd. I let it slide until I started getting support requests. It took me a while before they would remove it, then it was basically copied, and put back in.

At least now I don't get support requests.

Its Tom here, author of GameEx. I feel I have to reply to that. Although some of it is correct in terms of just facts and I do take responsibility for it and apologise to you again - its the tone and implying that bothers me a little.

Firstly again I take responsiblity for it as the author of GameEx and l apologise again to you as I did before.

However, I was unaware of the GPL violation until you contacted me personaly and at that stage I took the steps to fix the problem. You only contacted me once and I replied and apologised and said I would fix the issue. You most definitly had no issue with this or at least did not express one to me. In addition the use of your code was in a user contributed plugin and not by me. I was unaware it was GPL'd because the user (I dont even remember who it was) had not followed the GPL license or told anyone it was GPL'd.

When you realised I did not know, from your reply you said it was not a huge deal to you even though I would of course rectify the issue which I did.

I feel I had to chime in here because you make it sound like my intentions are sneaky when they are not however I do take responsibilty and again apologise because that is the right thing to do.
 
So here's what happened.....

I was contacted by a leading member on that site, who let me know he was taking my Google Sketchup arcade models and converting them to .X format to be seen in their MAME frontend.

At first I was like, "hmmm, cool."
Then, as I took a look thru the website I noticed they were one of the many frontends out there that charge for the interface. This worried me a little bit. As most of you know, I build those models on my spare time and upload for free download into the warehouse. They are also linked thru KLOV.com. Many of the models took me over 4 hours a piece to create. And the thought popped into my head, "Hey, someone is taking my work, altering it, and basically reselling it in their own program."
Of course, if it was just a free front end for MAME, I wouldn't have cared as much.

So over the last two days, I've been talking with the guy, and have found out more info. Basically, the way the models are to be used is pretty much as I hoped. When you access a game thru their frontend, you can also choose to see the games flyer, artwork, cabinet, and now.... a spinning 3D model. Mine are to be used this way as well as others from 3D arcade (i think). This makes me feel alot better. Because it goes right in line with what I intended these to be used for. Historical record, information, and a good arcade collector aid.

And, what's even better, is no one must purchase any of the models. They are being offered as a more in-depth aid for MAME as much as any link to the free Sketchup models from KLOV.

Plus, making matters even more pleasing to me, most of you guys seem to really like the front-end, and the guy I was talking with was of good character (even offering to remove the files if it made me feel uncomfortable).

So, that's why I asked for insight from you guys. Thanks for your help. I'm feeling better about the whole thing.
If you want to see the thread regarding how he was able to convert the Sketchup stuff for the front end, the link is right here:

http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=8971

Hi Gozer,

Ill let you do your own research but I think yourll generally hear pretty good things about me personally, the community we have built and the project itself. Of course yourll always get the odd person who thinks the software should be open source and not even free as in beer. Ill let you draw your own conclusion rather than justify anything. I think you have a good picture already but if you have a problem feel free to let me know personally. If you dont want your content used Ill do what I can to make sure it is not. Although it will be a shame.
 
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