jarr3 Posted June 25, 2024 Posted June 25, 2024 17 hours ago, scottacus said: Super excited about the new B2SSetPos method that can move B2S Snippets x and y coordinates around the backglass. I have a working prototype and @jarr3 @stevejones72 and @jsm174 are working on improving and refining the method for ease of use and faster speed. Lots of tables will benefit from this method like @bord Crosstown with open/close subway doors and any tables with moving bg animations. Yes, me too. Though we have to decide how to get it as much flexible and usable as possible. If we want it to use an absolute position or a delta, and how that will work with different backglasses? Is it enough to have the B2S.Server report the size of the backglass back to the table script? Many questions...
JFR1 Posted June 26, 2024 Posted June 26, 2024 Ha, I'm halfway through reading this and start thinking Crosstown!
rudil24 Posted June 26, 2024 Posted June 26, 2024 cannot wait for this (highest rated EM on IPDB!) Hayburners is fun, but Nags will be next level with the @rothbauerw genius rotations and the @scottacus 3d wizardry and polish!
jarr3 Posted June 26, 2024 Posted June 26, 2024 We now have a first set of builds with the new method. It is not only the method, but a bigger remodel of the source which hopefully will help developing the B2S Server in future. The B2SBackglassServer and B2SBackglassServerEXE is now merged in source, but we still produce both from this one set of source. It should save a lot of work when adding new features. You can find them under https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/actions (a github account is needed) and they are in the branch called 84-merge-the-dll-and-exe-backglass-features It would be nice to get many testers for these builds coming, that we know we have not made all other tables fail... and report any problems here.
scottacus Posted July 1, 2024 Author Posted July 1, 2024 The final piece of the puzzle will be getting the new snippet moving method working in "exe mode" for B2S. This is probably a little confusing but there are really two "branches" to B2S (exe and non-exe) and these are selected as a default by right clicking on a running B2S and setting the "default" in the middle of the options menu. This is what @jarr3 is referring to as B2SBackglassServer and B2SBackglassServerEXE. It's still one program on your machine but can run use two different communication methods. The choice of B2S can also be set on a per-table basis and the data for that is in the VisualPinball/B2SServer folder xml file. Whatever is at the top is default and any table setting follow below that on a per table basis. So why are there two forms of B2S? Only the original devs could say but I can tell you that on older machines, the exe method runs much faster and on a table like Nags (with lots of B2S communication for moving horses) it will be essential that B2S can be run in exe mode. As of right now only the non-exe method is working so I won't be able to release Nags until the exe can run the new snippet moving method. If anyone is interested in helping to test please drop me a message here and I'll put together a team once B2S is ready to go.
stevejones72 Posted July 6, 2024 Posted July 6, 2024 I'm hoping to tidy up the .DLL version soon for you @scottacus then it will be one less piece holding this awesome table back from release! Thanks again to @scottacus and @jarr3 for their support and help as we look to improve and streamline B2S for all it's users!
scottacus Posted July 6, 2024 Author Posted July 6, 2024 What @stevejones72 means by "tidy up" is that he went into the guts of B2S and figured out where the bottlenecks in communication and graphic rendering are and how those interact with vpx. He essentially solved the problem that caused the original devs to develop and entire branch (many hundreds to thousands of lines of code) of B2S code (the exe version) to use as a work-around. In the end this will allow for the removal all of the "exe" code from B2S, make non-exe B2S much faster and let B2S be much easier to maintain and further develop. This is a massive win for the vp community that will barely be noticed since it is all "under the hood" of a program that most of us take for granted. Thanks Steve!
jarr3 Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 (edited) We now have a new build that includes the features for Nags and a B2SBackglassServerEXE that no longer exists, thanks to @stevejones72 That is, you should try to run this only as DLL. Please report any problems here! https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/actions/runs/9868350022 Edited July 10, 2024 by jarr3 Wrong link
stevejones72 Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 (edited) 8 hours ago, jarr3 said: We now have a new build that includes the features for Nags and a B2SBackglassServerEXE that no longer exists, thanks to @stevejones72 That is, you should try to run this only as DLL. Please report any problems here! Credit to you @jarr3 for the merge! The B2S code will be so much easier to maintain going forward, and for users the complexity of "Should I use .exe for this or .dll for that" goes away completely! Thank you for the work that has gone in to quite a pivotal release IMHO. Steve Edited July 10, 2024 by stevejones72
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 9 hours ago, jarr3 said: We now have a new build that includes the features for Nags and a B2SBackglassServerEXE that no longer exists, thanks to @stevejones72 That is, you should try to run this only as DLL. Please report any problems here! Exciting changes @jarr3 and @stevejones72 but where do we make this change to dll in settings? I still only see EXE or Standard
jarr3 Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 25 minutes ago, Cliffy said: Exciting changes @jarr3 and @stevejones72 but where do we make this change to dll in settings? I still only see EXE or Standard Hello Cliff! If yoe look to the left of the pulldown, the activated "Start this backglass as EXE" means it will still trigger the EXE. If you click it, so that it isn't "pressed" it is the pure DLL This part of the settings is now obsolete if tests goes well. I will deactivate this part, so that it defaults to DLL. You can search an replace in the B2STabelSettings.xml <StartAsEXE>1</StartAsEXE> -> <StartAsEXE>0</StartAsEXE> Then all tables will use the DLL.
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 Excellent. I wouldn't have figured that out on my own. Should be spelled out for dummies like me. On the other hand if it's going away anyway, don't bother
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 (edited) Ok @jarr3 I went in and replaced all <StartAsEXE>1</StartAsEXE> to <StartAsEXE>0</StartAsEXE> in b2stablesettings.xml and now ALL b2s backglasses go behind the backdrop. Funny, if a b2s has a fulldmd it stays on top but the glass goes to back, despite Forms to Front set as 1 In the case of one table I'm working on the backglass is hidden but when I alt tab to bring it to the top the glass is just a black square. Regardless, once I click the table the b2s disappears to behind again Edited July 10, 2024 by Cliffy
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 I had to change back to EXE mode. Sorry guys, not testing well for me in dll mode
stevejones72 Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 (edited) 1 hour ago, Cliffy said: I had to change back to EXE mode. Sorry guys, not testing well for me in dll mode Hey @Cliffy, thanks for giving the new .dll code a try. Is there a table already out there that would be a good representation of what you are working on, so I can grab that locally and see the difference between a previous B2S version and the current one? Thanks. Edited July 10, 2024 by stevejones72
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 1 hour ago, stevejones72 said: Hey @Cliffy, thanks for giving the new .dll code a try. Is there a table already out there that would be a good representation of what you are working on, so I can grab that locally and see the difference between a previous B2S version and the current one? Thanks. ALL tables do the same thing Steve All of them move to the back and when brought front they have no communication with the table. Every table I tested, EM or solid state. I do wonder if, because it's using a dll, perhaps the PC needs a restart after setting to dll mode. Haven't tried that yet. Or, perhaps I need to reregister the server? I figured out why I was getting a black backglass on the table I'm working on. I have a tablename.res but I renamed the b2s to prevent it starting. B2s Server still started despite a b2s with an unmatched name! However it created a black square the size of the b2s. WEIRD!!
Cliffy Posted July 10, 2024 Posted July 10, 2024 Ok I re-registered the server and rebooted the pc, no change. DLL not working with any table for me guys.
stevejones72 Posted July 11, 2024 Posted July 11, 2024 5 hours ago, Cliffy said: Ok I re-registered the server and rebooted the pc, no change. DLL not working with any table for me guys. Cliffy could you try the build one before the new .dll version.... https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/actions/runs/9850726670 Trying to binary chop the various builds and what results you are getting.
Cliffy Posted July 11, 2024 Posted July 11, 2024 57 minutes ago, stevejones72 said: Cliffy could you try the build one before the new .dll version.... https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/actions/runs/9850726670 Trying to binary chop the various builds and what results you are getting. 299 same thing, plus loses ability to get the mouse over the b2s after alt tabbing to front, no communication with table
jarr3 Posted July 11, 2024 Posted July 11, 2024 I will have to work to get the EXE behaviour into the DLL, will report once done.
jarr3 Posted July 13, 2024 Posted July 13, 2024 On 7/11/2024 at 5:57 AM, jarr3 said: I will have to work to get the EXE behaviour into the DLL, will report once done. I hope to have it working better in build #301. I know we might need a couple of iterations to get it 100%. So I hope you stay and check in once in a while.
jarr3 Posted July 13, 2024 Posted July 13, 2024 2 hours ago, jarr3 said: I hope to have it working better in build #301. I know we might need a couple of iterations to get it 100%. So I hope you stay and check in once in a while. @scottacus I thought instead of hi-jacking your Nags thread, I have created a new thread for the beta testing of getting the DLL version going here.
scottacus Posted July 16, 2024 Author Posted July 16, 2024 @jarr3 good idea, B2S deserves its own post. Once B2S is stable and ready for release then so is Nags. Nags will be a good proof of concept for the new B2S and should serve to highlight the improvements in speed that you and @stevejones72 have made in the system. All of those tables that I needed to run in "exe mode" for B2S becasue I got lag and stutter in vpx now run lightning fast in the standard "dll" B2S, remarkable work!
jarr3 Posted December 26, 2024 Posted December 26, 2024 The last builds on the actions tab now include the SetPos method also in exe mode, so the DLL sends the message to the EXE. Check it out here: https://github.com/vpinball/b2s-backglass/actions
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