Print

[SumDumGuy3]

I have been working on collecting things like thumbnails and preview videos and help screens for various games/programs. Well, they are all pretty easy to find with the exception of the help screens. And I began to make a few of them myself and quickly realized how time consuming it can be to try to make them. I began to think as well, What about those who don't have a computer networked with their xbox, don't have any image editing software or skills, blah blah blah... In comes idea...

1) So I thought, wouldnt it be cool, if when you went to launch a help screen, if it would first change for the game help images, and failing that it could check for like an xml file. If found it would contain nodes with Title, Description and Button Descriptions. Then it could just use the preview image of the game in a corner, and for each node have a page with a centered Title at the top, a description and then a list showing premade pictures of the buttons, with a string describing what it does. That would be very easy for anyone to make their own help screens and very low bandwidth to share.

2) Ok, so that is nice for quick easy to make help screens but what about people who are a freak over one game. and maybe they want to have or make help screens with some kick... maybe they want to include screenshots or video clips. It could even turn the help screens into a tips and tricks screens too, how to overcome the boss on level x type thing... or how to complete a triple flip with a quadriple twist landing in a handstand, nosegrind, blah blah blah... or how to find that secret compartment that you have read over and over but still cant find it, well now watch it...

Anyway, just an idea. Not that MXM needs anything to take it over the edge... as far as I am concerned all of the other dashboards are nice but they are not for the serious xbox modder

just my $.02...

Thanks,
SDG  <

[geniusalz]

I think the idea of xmls defining mappings has been discussed before now.

I like the idea of tips/tricks videos.  To work well, it will require a server not unlike the preview video server, which is on http://www.xbox-skins.net right now.  The big question would be to find someone who is willing and capable of making the tips videos.  <

[SumDumGuy3]

Ahhh, I will do a search on the xml part... thx

Glad you like the idea of tips/tricks videos. I would love to say I would do it but I dont even play any games on my xbox... my son does, but the only thing I play with on it is hardware/xbmc/mxm-actionscripts/and homebrew utilities. Once every 4 months or so, I might play a game for 10 minutes but that is about all I can stand... hehe... Anyway, I just like to come up with ideas and if they are something I can implement (an actionscript, VB for Win32... blah, blah blah) then I like to do some coding... No C++ for now... I keep starting on it and then I get side tracked... So I will have to leave that to "The Master" aka BJ for now...     <

[geniusalz]

Well, I should be asking someone else for this; someone who has experience, but could you implement some features in gamesave manager? It's just that I don't find much time nowadays to work on scripts, so it would be cool if you could finish off what I started.

Ofcourse, you'll need to play around with it somewhat, but I think it will be a good learning experience.  <

[SumDumGuy3]

Well, you are probably right... Flattspott or someone that is already upto speed could probably get it done a lot faster. Don't get me wrong... I will be looking the script over to see if I can finish it off... would be awesome if I could. But if you can get someone else to do it, then your chances of getting it finished before xbox 2 comes out are going to greatly increase... I am just tend to over comit and get spread too thin. So I know thats not a very good answer, but that is all I've got at the moment... If I do find some time and I am able to make some progress with it you will be the first to know.

Thanks,
SDG  <

[flattspott]

We could add the move stuff to the Games DB me and koldfuzion start way back when.

The helpscreens could be made from the DB and the interal game thumbnail/icon    <