8. Front End - Big Box
1. Big Box v. Launch Box
LaunchBox is a gaming library front end by Unbroken Software. Omega uses LaunchBox to provide a single place on your computer to organize and run your games (and emulators). Big Box (also made by Unbroken Software) is a special version of LaunchBox designed to be used for larger screens. When Omega loads and the startup video either finishes or is interrupted the user ends up at the Big Box main wheel or menu (see screenshot). This is the “front-end” of the arcade system in Omega and is what users normally see when they use their arcade machines. This is what is used to load the tens of thousands of games on EHA Omega machines. When you leave the menu system and go to the Windows Desktop you exit Big Box through the Big Box Unified screen (see screen shot). This section will go through Big Box in detail.
To simplify it, when a user wants to organize and sort their games and/or add or change menus for their games they would use LaunchBox (see screenshot below). When a users want to play games, then they would use Big Box (see screenshots above). LaunchBox and Big Box are different but related. LaunchBox is covered in the next section in more detail.
Note: There are several icons on the Windows Desktop for LaunchBox and Big Box. As explained previously, if a user turns on their machine a start-up video is played and Big Box is loaded. If the user Exits Big Box (explained later in this section) they are placed at the Omega Windows Desktop.
If the user wants to reload Big Box from the Windows Desktop there are two options. The first is to load Big Box from the Windows Task Bar at the bottom of the screen (see the red circle at the very bottom of the screenshot). If the user does not have a marquee on their machine this is fine. The second option (for users with a marquee) is to use the larger Big Box icon on the desktop. If the a user hovers over the larger Big Box icon it will say “BigBoxWithStartUpMarquee.” If a user has a marquee on their EHA machine they should use this icon to load Big Box. If a user double clicks on the “LaunchBox” icon on the Omega Windows Desktop (circled in red), LaunchBox will load (see screenshot above).
2. Big Box Overview
When your EHA Omega machine loads, it is set to automatically load Big Box and play a start-up video. Note, as the system is loading it will pause at the Windows Desktop. There is nothing to do at this point, just let the machine “boot-up” and eventually the Windows desktop will disappear and the start-up video will play. Allow the start-up video to play for 30 seconds so Big Box can fully load. After 30 seconds, push any button or push any position on any joystick to stop the video. You will then be at the Big Box main wheel/menu (see previous screenshot of the Big Box Main Wheel/Menu).
3. Big Box Basic Commands
Big Box includes the menus you see (see previous screenshot), but it also the commands that are used to load a game, pause a game, exit a game, create favorites, control settings in a game, etc. Like any new system, Big Box will take a little bit of time to learn, but eventually it will become second nature to you. Big Box uses the Joysticks and various button combinations on your Joystick/Control Panel to execute commands. Users can also use a keyboard to execute commands in Big Box. This section will explain in detail how Big Box works and the various commands you can execute to load and control games. Below is the standard Joystick/Control Panel layout (as shown previously) and a short table of basic Big Box menu controls/commands. Appendix 1 and 2 contain a more comprehensive list of commands (it may be helpful to printout either the list below or Appendix ½ and have one of them posted near your machine for quick reference). Please note: Player 1 has been abbreviated to P1, Player 2 to P2 and so on. The table below shows a list of basic Big Box commands/controls for EHA machines. Additional details for most commands are contained later in this section.
Big Box Basic Menu Controls/Commands Table
NOTE: As mentioned in the Introduction and Overview section over time there have been changes in the key layout and commands of the EHA Joystick/Control Panel. Generally, on all EHA machines, a user moves forward in the Big Box menus by pressing Player 1's START Button. Moving backward through Big Box menus depends on the type of the user's machine. If a user has a newer 2-player EHA machine (after 6/2022) or previous 2-player and 4-player machines the user move backwards in the menus by HOLDING DOWN Player 1's START button and then Pressing Player 2's START Button. If you have a newer 4-player EHA machine (after 6/2022) you move backwards in the menus by HOLDING DOWN the [SHIFT] Key - which is Player 3's Button 7 (Player 3 - 4th button from the left on the top) and then Pressing Player 2's START Button. If a user has an older Keywiz machine, to move backwards in the menus, HOLD DOWN the Shazam button (which is a custom [SHIFT] key) and then Press Player 2's START Button.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Move Up or Down in a Big Box Menu |
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| Select an Option in the Big Box Menu System (and Move Forward in the Menu System) |
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| Move Backwards in a Big Box Menu |
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| Exit/Quit a Game at Any Time and Move Back to the Big Box Menus |
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| Add Credits to a Game |
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| Start a Game |
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| To Exit Big Box (and Go to the Windows Desktop) |
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| To Shut Down/Turn Off or Reboot the EHA Machine |
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| Game Emulator Settings, Favorites & Other Options |
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| Favorites |
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| Search by Letter for a Game Title |
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| Search for a Game Title in a Wheel |
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| Global Search |
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| Big Box System-Wide Pause & Restart a Game |
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| Access Player Menu (mapping peripherals, cheats, etc. – MAME – Arcade Classic Games) |
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| Restart a ROM (MAME – Arcade Classics Games) |
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Moving Forward in Menus and Games - Press Player 1’s Joystick UP and DOWN to scroll through the menus and/or game titles.
Selecting a Wheel or Game - Press Player 1’s START button to select a wheel from the main wheel or to select and play a game.
Moving Backward in a Wheel/Menu - HOLD Player 1’s START Button/[SHIFT] key and then press Player 2’s START button to go backward in the menu system.
Quitting a Game and Going Back to a Wheel or Menu - HOLD Player 1’s START Button/[SHIFT] key and then press Player 2’s START button to stop a game while you are playing it and go back to the wheel or menu.
To Exit Big Box (and Go to the Windows Desktop) - HOLD DOWN P1’s START Button/[SHIFT] and Press P2’s START Button multiple times until you get to the “Big Box Unified” screen (see previous screenshot). Then, use Player 1’s Joystick to navigate to “Exit” and press P1’s START button to exit Big Box.
To Shut Down/Turn Off or Reboot the EHA Machine - HOLD DOWN P1’s START Button/[SHIFT] and Press P2’s START Button multiple times until you get to the “Big Box Unified” screen (see previous screen shot). To shut down or turn off the machine, point with P1's Joystick to “Shut Down” and Press P1's START Button. Alternatively, to reboot the machine, at the “Big Box Unified” screen select “Reboot” and Press P1's START Button. A user can also exit Big Box and then from the Windows Desktop shut down or reboot the machine by clicking on the Windows “Start” button in the lower left of the Desktop.
Game Emulator Settings, Favorites & Other Options -Go to a game wheel (i.e., TeknoParrot) and then navigate to a game (i.e., Star Wars Battle Pod), do not load it yet. Press P1’s Credit/Coin button ($). This will open a menu (see screenshot) with many options including what emulator to launch the ROM with, whether to hide the game title in the Big Box menus, whether to mark it as a favorite or unmark it and other options. A user can make a number of technical changes here if desired. However, it is recommended to not make such changes unless the user is high knowledgeable about these areas.
Searching by a Letter for Game Titles – At a game menu/wheel, more Player 1’s Joystick LEFT or RIGHT to search for game titles. Just move the cursor to the letter you want to search for. For example, say you want to find a “Batman” game. Go to the wheel from the man menu you want to search in - say PlayStation 1. Navigate to the PlayStation 1 wheel and then press Player 1’s START Button to select it. Now, press Player 1’s Joystick LEFT. An alphabet will be displayed. See screenshot. Press Player 1’s Joystick LEFT or RIGHT to get to “B” and then Press Player 1’s START button to select “B.” You are then taken to all the games in that wheel that start with the letter B (in alphabetical order).
Search for a Game Title in a Wheel – In a game menu Press Player 1’s Joystick LEFT or RIGHT to get to bring up the alphabet search. Instead of clicking on a letter, click on the first icon which is a magnifying glass (search feature). An on-screen keyboard is displayed. You can enter the name of a game to search on here using Player 1’s Joystick or the keyboard. Use Player 1’s START Button to enter the search. Enter “ESC” on the keyboard to back out of the results to the main wheel.
Global Search – Press Player 2’s COIN button to bring up a Global Search. You can enter your search and get results for all games on Omega. Press “ESC” to get out of the results for that search. Alternatively, a user can go to the “Big Box Unified” screen and click on “Search” and enter your global search there. See screenshot.
LaunchBox System-Wide Pause (This works on ALL games in LaunchBox)– HOLD Player 1's START Button/[SHIFT] Key and Press Player 1's Joystick DOWN - This will pause the emulator and the game. To resume the game click on “Resume Game" and Press Player1's START Button. See screenshot.
Accessing the MAME Player Menu - “Input (this machine)” (MAME games ONLY) - HOLD Player 1 START Button/[SHIFT] Key and Press Player 1 Joystick RIGHT – This allows a user to make changes to the MAME game including being able to map devices (this is covered in more detail later in this manual in the section on mapping). For example, here a user can remap fire buttons, remap joystick controls, change a game so it is controlled by a steering wheel, flight stick or an Xbox/PlayStation type controller, etc. See screenshots.
A critical thing to remember is that you should never change the selection “Input (general).” This globally changes ALL games on your arcade machine. When you go to remap a game, always select “Input (this Machine)” (see photo). This will only remap the current game and not all of the games on your machine. This distinction cannot be overstated. Again, when you remap a game ALWAYS select “Input (this Machine).” To select “Input (this Machine)” use the P1”s Joystick to navigate to it and then push P1’s START Button.
This photo shows the mapping layout for the Marvel v. CapCom game. To change the controls you would highlight the item to change (like P1 Up – Player 1 Up directional), push P1’s START Button to erase it and then press the new button or joystick direction or peripheral to map the new item to. To return to the game, you would select “Return to Previous Menu” and press P1’s START Button and then select “Return to Machine.”
4. Big Box Main Menu/Wheel and Sub Menus/Wheels -
There are many menus or wheels available from the Big Box Main Wheel. Unfortunately, they are not alphabetized. Some of the more popular subwheels are:
| Wheel | Description |
|---|---|
| Arcade Classics (MAME) | Classic arcade style games |
| MAME 4-Player Games | MAME games specifically for 4 players |
| Favorites | The user's favorite games (more about this later in this section). |
| TeknoParrot |
Has more recent games ( typically the year 2000 and forward). TeknoParrot also includes a user-interface with customizable options. |
| Sinden Light Gun | Light gun games that work well and which are set up for Sinden light guns |
| IR Light Guns | Light gun games that work well for GUN4IR and Aimtrak light guns |
| Racing Games | Include a wide variety of racing games |
| Time Crisis | Wheel dedicated to just the Time Crisis franchise |
| PC Games | Wide variety of PC Games |
| X Box, PlayStation 1, 2, 3, | Wide variety of XBox and PS games |
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NES, SNES, N64, GameCube and Related Ninetendo Systems |
Wide variety of Nintendo games |
| Adult Wheel |
Games with nudity and adult themes (this wheel can be turned off - see later in this section) |
Note: It is best to load light gun games through the IR Light Gun Wheel or Sinden Light Gun Wheel instead of going through a specific emulator (Arcade Classics, etc.). The reason is that the games are specifically mapped correctly for Light Guns, and not other devices. See later in this manual for a section on light guns.
Favorites Wheel
In the Big Box Main Wheel there is a wheel called “Favorites" (see screenshot). In Big Box a user can mark a game as a “Favorite." In like manner, a user can “Unfavorite” a game as well. The “Favorites” wheel includes all games marked “Favorite.” Omega comes with a number of games marked “Favorite," but you can unmark them if you wish.
To mark a game as a “Favorite,” go to a game (but do not load it yet). For example, you could navigate to the TeknoParrot Wheel and then navigate to the game called “Grid.” Now, press P1’s Credit/Coin button ($). This will open a menu (see screenshot). Notice that one of the options is “Favorite.” User P1's Joystick to scroll down to “Favorite" and then Press P1's START Button. Grid is now marked as a Favorite and it will show up in the Favorites wheel (after you close out of Big Box and restart). On the menu it says “Unfavorite.” If a user wants to “Unfavorite” a game they would Press P1's START Button on “Unfavorite” and the game will not be on the “Favorites” wheel any longer. To get out of the menu Hold P1's START button/[SHIFT] Key and Press P2's START Button or alternatively you can press the [ESC] key on a keyboard.
Turning Off the Adult Wheel
Omega comes with a number of games that include nudity. The games are listed in the Adult wheel, but also show up in separate wheels (like MAME or whatever platform the game was for). The adult wheel can be hidden and the games can be removed from any platform wheels as well.
HOLD DOWN P1’s START Button/[SHIFT] and Press P2’s START Button multiple times until you get to the “Big Box Unified” screen (see screenshot). Then, use Player 1’s Joystick to navigate to “Omega Settings" and then Press P1's START Button.
The Omega Settings screen is then displayed (see screenshot). Use P1's Joystick to navigate to “Adults-Only Wheel.” Press Player 1's START button to toggle between “Adults-Only Wheel: Hide Playlist and Games” (this means the Adult wheel will be hidden and the games will be hidden on their platform wheels", “Adults-Only Wheel:Hide Playlist (this means the Adult wheel will be hidden, but the games still show up on their platform wheels), and “Adults-Only: Show Playlist” (this means the Adult wheel shows up on the Big Box Main Wheel.
Active Marquee
Notice in the screenshot above that the “Omega Settings” screen has a number of options for a marquee (also known as an “active marquee").
If you have a marquee on your EHA machine this is where you can set the resolution for it. For example, many active marquee resolutions are 1920 wide (“Marquee Width: 1920”) and 340 tall (Marquee Height: 340). (Note: you can go to the Window Desktop and right-click and select “Display Settings” to find out what this is). If you need to change it, use Player 1's Joystick (or the arrow keys on a keyboard) to navigate to “Marquee Width” or “Marquee Height”, and then and move Player 1's Joystick left and right (or left and right arrows on your keyboard) to change the resolution. The active marquee resolution in LaunchBox should be the same as in “Display Settings.”
On “Marquee Stretch” (see screenshot above), use Player 1's Joystick (or the arrow keys on your keyboard) to navigate to this option. Press Player 1's START Button to toggle this option between “Fill” or “Preserve Aspect Ratio” (if you want it to have black bars on either side).
“Marquee Vertical Alignment” - This is for older marquees where you may have to physically move the window of the marquee to the top of the screen. If you have a more recent marquee, just leave this on “Center”; if you have an older one, change this to “Top” by using Player 1's START Button or the [ENTER] key on a keyboard.
If you made any changes be sure and navigate to “Apply Setting and Exit” and press Player 1's START button.
NOTE: YOU MUST REBOOT YOUR MACHINE FOR ANY CHANGES TO TAKE EFFECT IN LAUNCHBOX/BIG BOX. A
If you have a custom active marquee video that came with your EHA machine, or if you want to make one yourself this video goes in the folder entitled “Startup Marquees go here" on your Windows Desktop. Note: this folder operates as a playlist. If you have more than one, your machine will randomly play one of these.
“You Don't Deserve to Play This Game, Ha Ha Ha” Sound
When a Windows critical error occurs you will hear the corresponding sound “you don't deserve to play this game, ha ha ha.” While a little disconcerting, this is a verbal clue that a critical error has occurred.
Updates to LaunchBox/Big Box – Updates to LaunchBox/Big Box are good and will add features to the software. As a note, updates to Windows are turned off until 2049 – this is to give users a stable environment. These can be resumed if a user wants to turn them on – and while they should not “break” something in Omega, it is possible.
Adjusting Sounds in Big Box Menus
One way to adjust sounds in Big Box Menus is to create your own sounds and revise the existing ones. See this video.
You can also turn sounds on and off in Big Box. As with anything else, be careful. To do this, go to the “Big Box Unified” screen (by backing out of all the menus). Navigate to “Unlock" (see the previous “Big Box Unified” screenshot(s). Press Player 1's START Button. Enter 1 1 1 1 and navigate to “Done," then, Press Player 1's START Button. Navigate to “Options” and Press Player 1's START Button. Navigate to “Sound” and then Press Player 1's START Button (see screenshot). Experiment with unchecking these boxes (see the red box below) depending on how much sound in the menus you want or do not want. When you are done back out of Big Box and then restart.
For a number of Big Box and Omega How To Videos See the videos at the end of the Quick Start Guide and in the Frequently Asked Questions.