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CrashTest's Screenshots Collection for Mame, version 0.102
http://crashtest.retrogames.com
2005/11/15

1/ About

This file is part of CrashTest's Screenshots Collection for Mame.
(the Official Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator site @ http://www.mame.net/)
Screenshots taken in-game, showing the title, select (if any), versus (if any),
wallpapers and hardware of all games emulated by Mame.

I don't make shots just to get pictures of games. I don't "run, shoot, quit".
I play the games until I think I know it, and then
I take a shot to make me a souvenir, and I share theses souvenirs.
I reshoot games after their emulation is improved.
I don't reshoot games if their emulation is temporarily getting worse.

- How to use
Move the zips to your favorite frontend directory.
Most frontends can use them zipped.
You might want to browse them yourself as most frontends
are unable to show more than one file per romset.
Example :
move snap.zip in your Mame32 snap\ subdirectory,
and you should see shots in the snap tab.
do the same with titles.zip in titles\ subdirectory

Recommended frontends are :
AdvanceMENU @ http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/
EasyMame @ http://www.mameworld.net/easymame/easymame.html
EmuLoader @ http://www.mameworld.net/emuloader/
ArcadeOS @ http://www.mameworld.net/pc2jamma/frontend.html

2/ Modifications

Some shots are modified under certain conditions :

- Half resolution
some games are obviously running in "half resolution".
Shots have a ratio of 8/3 whereas the used screen is 4/3.
If the height is doubled, the shot looks normal.
These shots are pixel-doubled.
It doesn't lose any information, and gives a better look.

- Multi-Screen games
some hardware uses an extra screen, typically for bios information,
or dual player gaming (but each screen shows the same game.)
These shots are focusing on the game itself.
In that case, the picture is cropped to show only one screen of gaming.

3/ Not Working

If a romset is not working correctly,
then the title shot shows as close as possible to the title.
if it's not even booting, then an empty shot is used for the title shot.
if it's booting and crashing/hanging, the title will be shot "as far as possible".

if the game is not playable, even if it's possible to see what in-game would look like 
(typically, due to protection), an empty shot is used for the in-game shot.
I want to show what's playable. In-game is not Attract mode.

If the title screen is reachable but emulation is likely to improve,
and the game runs very slowly,
I sometimes insert a coin to go faster, knowing it will be reshot in next version.

4/ Details

- In-game
Surely the most important shot. instant view of the game, the graphics, the era...
In-game shots are snapped while playing, in action, usually with a Dualshock,
screenshot key mapped to R2, so it's taken while playing
(it really makes a difference on fast action games).

- Title
Information
the game logo is usually made of the game name in a graphical form. (the logo can be a different text).
the name of the game can appear several times (in a logo form or not).
The typical title screen is usually made of the logo, taking an important part of the game screen,
the company name, the copyright, the year. It is usually shown at the end of the introduction.

the name of the game can appear on boot screen. That would make a boot shot, not a title shot.
The logo is usually not on the boot screen.
if there are several possibilities, the Title shot should be carrying the logo.
If the logo is appearing at several moment, there are several reasons to choose the right moment :
If possible :
- the logo shouldn't take the whole screen (that could be a wallpaper shot, not a title shot). Ex : Killer Instinct.
- the logo shouldn't be surrounded by too much text information.

Title shots are taken without a coin being inserted,
except when inserting a coin is the only way to see the title (Last Blade 2, Subroc 3D).

- WallPapers
Used for frontend and take a glance
wallpapers shots are typically showing a picture during introduction or the end. 
Not an in-game shot nor title, usually a picture taking most of the screen, with no text.
Layers are removed via the emulator to make wallpapers look better.

- Hardware
Hardware screen are just showing Hardware bios logo, when possible.

- Clones
every clone has an in-game and title shot.
In-game shots are done at different moments to give a better overview of the clone family.
Select shots are done for clones only if they are different.

- Select
Select shots are done when there is something to select, like Track, Team, Vehicle, Player.
It should show hidden options (bosses in fighters, hidden tracks in racing games....).
For quiz games, it shows the category of questions. 

- Artwork
if a romset has a bezel or backdrop available, and it's not compulsory to have it to be able to play,
all non artwork shots are shot without it.
if a romset has an overlay available, then the non artwork shots are shot with it.
if a romset has artwork available, all non artwork shots are shot with artwork cropped.

so : 
in most case, non artwork shots are shot with overlay, artwork cropped.
if it's required by the gaming, non artwork shots are shot with backdrop and/or bezels. (for example : Armor Attack, Frogs, Warrior, Night Driver)

If something according to these rules has removed some artwork
(area cropped, bezels not shot), then an "artwork" shot is done.
an Artwork shot is a title shot with all pieces of artwork available activated, and no artwork cropping.
If the title is hiding the artwork (like Discs of Tron), then an in-game shot is done instead.

if a romset has some piece artwork available and required by the gaming,
it will be visible on shots.
(you can't play that game if you didn't download artworks.
This artwork is a part of the game, not an extra0)
Artwork shot = everything activated, if not visible already in in-game or title. 
(it's meant to show you what you missed if you didn't download artworks and if it's not shown elsewhere)

- Alternate shots
All titles are shot, all sub games are shot.
Alternate select screens are shot (for example, you select your car, then your track).

5/ Naming convention :

<romset>*.png is a picture taken from the romset.

<romset>.png is compulsory, except when it's a sub game compilation and there is no in-game.

<romset>[_<sub game_number>][-<shot_number>].png

<romset>-<shot_number> means alternate screenshot.
<romset>_<sub game_number> means sub game
shot_number > 0
sub game_number > 0

so all three sub games in 3 wonders are 3wonder_1 / 2 / 3
and alternate titles for Photo Y2K will be photoy2k-1.png 2 3 ...
so alternate title of sub games would be
<romset>_<subgamenumber>-[<shot_number>].

Examples :
if a game has 2 titles or 2 in-game shots, they will be named
<romset>.png and (<romset>-.png or <romset>-1.png)
if the romset has sub games with a title (namco classics, 3 wonders,
capcom sports club...), each sub game number will be the same for
titles, select, in-game
so csclub_1 will always refer to the same game

6/ Easy opinion

Anyone can make a screenshot. 
Emulators are free.
It only takes a few seconds to take a screenshot.
(insert another easy fact here)

So your (insert negative adjective here) screenshot collection
is (insert an even more negative adjective here) !

Even if it would only take you a few seconds to take every screenshot, 
then it will take at least one week to shot all of them. 
Moreover :
- I run and shot every romset, every clone, 
  independently (I don't take a shot of the parent's title and copy it to clones)
- I shoot clones at different moment. typically : 
   parent is shot at level 1, 1st clone at 1st boss, 2nd clone at level 2 ...
- Some games takes long to boot, long to understand, even longer to master.
- I reshoot them if emulation has been improved or 
if I estimate the shot can be improved. For example, if it doesn't gives a good sample of the game:
typically, it happens when I come to play the game a lot, I'll make new screenshots that shows hidden bonus, warp zone...

7/ Distribution

In September 2004 these shots were recompressed and repacked.
Until now, in-game and titles were released in separate update archives.
now all shots are in one update archive.
This update archives are gathered in packs of 10~15 Mb.
Uploaded on newsgroups, and downloadable on my web site as well as mirrors.
Check my web page for up to date information : http://crashtest.retrogames.com

8/ Personal

Don't hesitate mailing if you think a screenshot is wrong.
My email is Cr?shT?st@r?tr?g?mes.c?m

I regret I can't make good in-game screenshots for >2 players games.

Ange 'CrashTest' Albertini
2000-2005
