How to get frame data with Macrolua

Wrote up a hands-on guide here:

http://code.google.com/p/macrolua/wiki/FrameDataExamples

I'll later describe a faster method I've been working on, but it's important to establish the fundamentals in order to have a standard to check against. There's also gonna be a separate wiki page for more general script examples.

The current frame data examples are pretty basic. Feel free to suggest any other kinds of tests, particularly with other types of games.

There should be a new version of MAME released in the next couple weeks, which means Pugsy will update, which means I won't have to refer to a message board thread for the cheat codes that remove frameskip. The ST code is pretty much required to follow along on those first examples.

Comments

[CWheezy]

How do you take the pictures for your blog?.

I want to capture stuff but I am not sure how to go about it

[error1]

how to take an in game screen shot? debends on the emulator, in fba you can pause the game and go to misc/save snapshot.
even if it doesn't have a screen shot feature, at any time you can press the print screen button to copy the screen, and go into paint and paste it.

[CWheezy]

Well taking a picture of throw hitboxes are hard imo, they only last a frame haha.

Is there a way to like, step the emulator?

[error1]

yes the default button is \ in fba

[dammit]

Yeah, use frame advance and the screenshot key, F12 by default.

I just want to say, games/emus that don't have screenshot hotkeys are a real pain in the ass to get pics from.

[error1]

if I want to get a screen shot from a game without pause or screen shot hotkey,
I'll write a macro and record a video in fraps, then pick out the frame I want in vdub

[dammit]

I don't think I could run fraps and keep some of these games at a playable speed. I'd like to have a little app that waits for a hotkey press and quietly gets a screenshot, if there is one.

[error1]

well that's kind of what the printscreen button does, but yeah there are tons of programs that can take snapshots, I like to be able to step through them at 60fps and pick out the best one

[CWheezy]

Thanks, that worked out great for me

[Rufus]

Huh. I got different data for Cammy's standing MK. I wonder if that's an HDRism, or a problem with my methods.

[dammit]

What did you find different?

BTW error, I tried fraps like you said and it's working well. I didn't know it also had a simple screenshot function.

[Rufus]

> What did you find different?
http://www.pedantic.org/~nate/HDR/cammy/clforward.html
HDR is a different game, though.

[error1]

dammit's mk lines up with T.Akiba's Frame Data
http://nki.combovideos.com/flame.html

[dammit]

She has two distinct pre-active sprites and one recovery sprite in non-HD. (The recovery sprite is the same as the first startup, and the boxes are the same for all of them.)

So I think this is only a cosmetic difference.