This is a great guide to using VP:
http://cold1.topcities.com There
is a VBScript reference here
The following FAQ is really old. Is it here in case it accidentally
helps anybody. FAQ. This is list of common questions and
answers people have had with the tech beta When I try to
download it, it stops without finishing and tells me it's done. I
can't unzip the resulting file.
I'm having video problems, or I get errors about buffers
when trying to play.
I can't get music to work.
Is Visual Pinball going to support integration with
WPCMAME, to create accurate reproductions of existing pinball games?
I am new to scripting and I'm not sure how to
start. Is there a tutorial?
What is the licensing model of Visual Pinball? Is
it shareware, freeware, a demo?
The limit to image size seems to be 1000x1000.
How do I add/remove control points from a wall, target,
or light?
What size image do I need to apply to the table?
Are there going to be built in shapes, images, and
sounds?
Is there going to be an export function for
images/sounds?
What is the Field Of View option on the main table?
Is there a way to change the background color for
the table, or set an image?
Can I put a trigger on a ramp?
I am having problems changing the color of objects.
Q) When I try to download it, it stops without
finishing and tells me it's done. I can't unzip the resulting file.
A) One user found his C: partition was full, and had to clear out his Temp
folder to get it. One user had success using Getright (http://www.getright.com)
after failing initially.
Another user had this to say (I'm not an expert on using the briefcase, so
I'll use his words) "Instead of downloading to my briefcase, which
never gave me a problem, I downloaded to my temp file."
All in all, I'm not sure why people are having this problem, it may be
that my host has a time-out limit for downloads or something. If
possible, I will try to find a better place to host the file.
Q) I'm having video problems, or I get errors about buffers
when trying to play.
A) If you are seeing some objects missing or being drawn wrong, try
downloading the dogfood build, there is an important fix in it which
will solve some problems. This is a verified fix for people
with voodoo3 cards.
If your screen resolution is below 912x764, try going to Preferences/Video
Preferences and changing the window size to something below your
resolution.
If you continue having problems, please send me mail or post to the
forum with your operating system, video card, color depth, and any
other system specs you can think of. That way I can at least
try to group together the people who are having problems and try to
figure out what is causing it.
Q) I can't get music to work.
A) Right now, Alien Reactor is the only table with music. So
don't bother trying to get it to work with Top Speed or Wild West. Q)
Is Visual Pinball going to support integration with WPCMAME, to create
accurate reproductions of existing pinball games?
A) It looks like a good project to plan for. There are some
technical difficulties to overcome. Q) I am new
to scripting and I'm not sure how to start. Is there a tutorial?
A) Although there is no tutorial yet, looking at the script for the
existing tables will help quite a bit. VB is meant to be easy to
learn, so don't be afraid to look. There is a VBScript reference here.
You have to ignore the stuff that has to do with web pages - it's not
separated very well.
Well, while I'm here I might as well go over the basics. There are
three main sections to script. There is the header section, which
defines global variables that any script function can look at and use,
which looks like this "Dim Score". There are event
handlers, which look like this "Sub Bumper_Hit()", that are run
when something happen on the table, in this case when the ball hits a
bumper named Bumper. Lastly, there are subroutines, which look like
this "Sub AddScore()", which are called from event handlers to
perform common tasks. Pinball logic is usually not bad to
understand, its just a large number of simple event handlers. If you
look through the event handlers of existing tables (look for the
underscore '_'), you can get a good feel for how it works. Q)
What is the licensing model of Visual Pinball? Is it shareware,
freeware, a demo?
A) The current tech beta (and dogfood build) are freeware. The final
version may be different, but that's to be decided. Q)
The limit to image size seems to be 1000x1000.
A) Direct3D limits textures to 1024x1024. VP does not check and
error on larger sizes yet. Q) How do I
add/remove control points from a wall, target, or light?
A) If you right-click inside the object, near a wall, you will get an Add
Point option. If you select a point and hit the Delete key, it will
go away. There should be Edit/Delete from the menu, but as was
pointed out to me, it's not there. Q) What
size image do I need to apply to the table?
A) Any size image (below the limit) will work, the image will be stretched
to fit. The default table size is 1000x2000, so your artwork should
be twice as high as it is wide in order to look right. If you go to
the menu option File/Export/Blueprint, it will give you a bmp that you can
start with, since it shows the layout of your table. What I do is
create an image with layers in Paint Shop Pro (http://www.jasc.com),
add the exported image as a layer, and then I can fade in the outline to
draw things in the right spot, and fade it out to save as a bitmap to
import into VP. Q) Are there going to be built
in shapes, images, and sounds?
A) Yes, I want all of these eventually. If there is a light or wall
that you want to copy the shape of of, simply copy it, and then paste it
onto your table. You can scale and rotate it as needed by right
clicking and selecting the proper option. Q) Is
there going to be an export function for images/sounds?
A) I would like to put one in, although this would in some ways comprise
the ability of the table designer to keep their work to themselves.
Maybe an option. Q) What is the Field Of View
option on the main table?
A) This will eventually be in the help file, but since some people have
asked: FOV is a common term in 3D rendering; it refers how wide the
scope of vision is. A low FOV gives tunnel vision - you can only see
what's directly in front of you, and object do not get smaller as they get
farther away. It is what the table would look like if somebody stood
far away and photographed the table with a telephoto lens. A large
FOV gives a fisheye lens effect, with objects shrinking very rapidly as
they get farther away. The value used is pretty much a matter of
preference. Q) Is there a way to change the
background color for the table.
A) Not yet, but there certainly will be. A help file (VPinball.chm) is included in the tech beta download.
There is a shortcut to it from the start menu folder. It is admittedly
incomplete, but you may find answers there. For a reference on the table scripting language,
which uses Visual Basic scripting edition, look here. |
