Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide

[TerryRed]

 

The "Baller" Installer (made by Nailbuster) is an easy "all-in one" installer (that is virtual pinball community friendly) that will install FP / BAM / VPX / Pup / PinEvent / Popper, and two PuP based tables (1 VPX table and 1 FP PinEvent table).

 

It's created in a way that will automatically install and setup everything based on what you tell it during the install in regards to your layout (desktop / cabinet / 3 screen, 2 screen, etc) and resolution (4K or HD).

 

 

 

More info and link to the Baller Installer is here:

 

https://www.nailbuster.com/wikipinup/doku.php?id=baller_installer

 

 

 

This guide is now completely updated and renamed as the Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide

 

I discuss the basics of how Pinup Popper works with Future Pinball, how to customize your launch script and Games Manager options, how to use Popper to make PinEvent tables automatically work correctly with PuP-Packs, and how to use the files from the Future Pinball and BAM Essentials AIO package.

 

• I now have all my guides and tutorials in PDF format
• this new guide has been created to be used with the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package
• all my guides and tutorials are now only included with the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package

 

 

 

You can download the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package (and the Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide) here:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=51600&st=0&p=520783

 

 

 

A video tutorial that walks you through this guide can be seen here:

 

 

 

 

 

Chapters

 

00:00 Start

00:50 What is Popper and Baller Installer?

03:30 Desktop users

05:14 DMDExt, DOFLinx, FP Backbox

07:23 Popper Launch and Close Script

07:54 Launch Script Options Examples

09:58 REG ADD commands

11:46 Lookups

12:21 How Launch Script works with Games Manager

18:22 Add a new Option in Launch Script, Lookups, Games Manager (Reflections on/off)

26:48 Close Script

28:42 Keep Displays ON (Games Manager)

30:43 How to Install and setup a PinEvent table and PuP-Pack to use with Popper

42:24 PinUpdater

44:42 Closing

 

 

Edited December 6, 2023 by TerryRed

[outhere]

Terryred The  guide master - Thank you for all the nice Guides

[TerryRed]

Added examples of how to NOT use DMDExt or NOT use DOFLinx on a per table basis for PinEvent tables

[ludespeedny]

Hey Terry, love your guides! I found issues with recording in pinup player and fixed some things in the bat file to get OBS working. Is there somewhere to submit the changes so it can be in the next versions?

[scorpio1968]

thank you Terry  great as always 👍

[H3RBSKI]

i followed this today and got, sonic 1.2, halloween and jaws all working great. turned the cab off, came to play tonight and tried loading all 3 tables and now the pup dmd/ssf isnt working at all. nothing has changed from when i turned the cab off this morning. Is there anything i can check to see what may be stopping it working? pup packs on my vpx tables work fine still

Edited April 10, 2022 by H3RBSKI

[TerryRed]

I have updated this page:

 

- changed launch and close script examples to have "PinEvent" in Games Manager disable the FP Backglass / Arcade mode as well as now "closing" DOFLinx by using Taskkill. There is no need for a separate NO_DOFLinx entry using this method.
- it's better to completely close DOFLinx for PinEvent tables, as using DOFLinx commands (to "disable" DOFLinx) have been causing it to crash creating other problems and still preventing DOF from working in PinEvent tables. Taskkill works for everyone everytime.
- close script will re-run DOFLinx when exiting a FP table (if DOFLinx was already running this won't have any effect or cause problems)

[TerryRed]

Baller Installer Future Pinball Tips page has been updated:

- added new info about the "FP and BAM Essentials AIO" package
- updated DMDExt info and Popper launch examples
- removed outdated info

[TerryRed]

Small change in the example launch script, to be more in line with the Baller Installer launch script.

 

Old example was:

 

START "" "[DIREMU]\FPLoader.exe" /open "[GAMEFULLNAME]" /play /exit /arcaderender /STAYINRAM

 

 

Updated example is now:

 

START "" "[DIREMU]\BAM\FPLoader.exe" /open "[GAMEFULLNAME]" /play /exit /arcaderender /STAYINRAM

 

 

 

 

Note that [DIREMU] (which is Launch EXE Folder) will point to the FuturePinball folder (based on the drive letter and location it was installed), not the BAM folder

 

 

 

 

Neither is right or wrong. It just depends on your setup and settings.

 

As I've always said, you must always check your drive letter and directory paths for where your apps are installed when using "any" example, as not everyone will always have the same setup.

 

In this case I wanted to have the examples match the pics and Baller Installer. So if in doubt... try the updated examples with Baller Installer setups.

 

[TerryRed]

Updated DMDExt launch script example to use the Future Pinball folder's path to run dmdext.exe

 

There should be a copy of dmdext.exe and DmdDevice.ini installed in the Future Pinball folder (this gets installed when you install the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package.

 

 

[TerryRed]

Do NOT use Windows 8 Compatibility!

 

In the past, previous Windows updates caused Future Pinball to crash for some people. The easy solution was to set FPLoader.exe to Windows 8 Compatibility. Newer Windows updates and newer BAM updates have long since solved that issue.

 

In my guides, I have only ever recommended to set this to FPLoader.exe "if having crashing issues". Since that is no longer the case, I no longer recommend that as even an option. If you are having crashing issues, update your Windows, update your GPU drivers, sound drivers, etc. (disable the Nihamic driver / services if you have them installed, as it causes problems)

 

I have found that enabling Windows 8 compatibility causes FP-BAM to have serious performance issues! (ball stuttering, etc) Make sure you do NOT have this set on either FuturePinball.exe or FPLoader.exe (and in BAM Open VR folder if using that)

 

[TerryRed]

This guide is now completely updated and renamed as the Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide

 

I discuss the basics of how Pinup Popper works with Future Pinball, how to customize your launch script and Games Manager options, how to use Popper to make PinEvent tables automatically work correctly with PuP-Packs, and how to use the files from the Future Pinball and BAM Essentials AIO package.

 

• I now have all my guides and tutorials in PDF format
• this new guide has been created to be used with the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package
• all my guides and tutorials are now only included with the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package

 

 

You can download the FP and BAM Essentials AIO package (and the Popper and Baller Installer Tips Guide) here:

 

https://www.vpforums.org/index.php?showtopic=51600&st=0&p=520783

 

 

A video tutorial that walks you through this guide can be seen here:

 

 

 

Chapters

 

00:00 Start

00:50 What is Popper and Baller Installer?

03:30 Desktop users

05:14 DMDExt, DOFLinx, FP Backbox

07:23 Popper Launch and Close Script

07:54 Launch Script Options Examples

09:58 REG ADD commands

11:46 Lookups

12:21 How Launch Script works with Games Manager

18:22 Add a new Option in Launch Script, Lookups, Games Manager (Reflections on/off)

26:48 Close Script

28:42 Keep Displays ON (Games Manager)

30:43 How to Install and setup a PinEvent table and PuP-Pack to use with Popper

42:24 PinUpdater

44:42 Closing

Edited December 6, 2023 by TerryRed