Updated Arena plug-in

[Carlzilla]

I decided that since my old Show Profile Suite didn't quite work as well as I had hoped, that I'd revamp it a bit.

Then I realized I didn't have the source any longer.

Long story short, I took the arena data files that I had compiled for that program, wrote a much smaller and simpler solution to adding arenas and attendance information to your cards.

This strips out the wonky (but cool) show logo and theme song and just gets down to the nitty-gritty and adds arena and attendance information.

I've tested this using a VMWare virtual machine running Windows XP 32bit, and it seems to work happily on there. If it's giving you trouble, you probably need to install the .NET Framework 3.5

To install, simply uncompress to your root TNM7SE directory. I've already put everything where it needs to go.

To use, book a "show opening" from the booking screen, then when the match starts you'll be prompted to open a location file. These are located in your TNM7SE directory under the ARENAS subdirectory. I've included files for USA, Mexico, and Japan. You can create your own (or add to these ones) in notepad using the following format

[Arena Name]
[Capacity]
[Location]
[blank line for neatness sake]

The blank line is MANDATORY and must be included, even on the last entry in the data file. Also, don't include the brackets.

It's also worth noting that this will overwrite your old Show Profile Suite "Show Opener". Which didn't work very well anyway, but it's worth noting, since you can't have both.

Your best bet is to uninstall all the Show Profile Suite files before installing this. To do this, find the ProfEd, ArenaEd, and Opener files and directories in your TNM7SE/PLUGINS folder and delete them.

Attachments:

[snabbit888]

Good to see you back around these parts, Carl. How's the family?

How does the program actually determine attendance? Is it based on star quality, randomized, it doesn't?

[Carlzilla]

Jun 30, 2013 2:00:56 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

Good to see you back around these parts, Carl. How's the family?

How does the program actually determine attendance? Is it based on star quality, randomized, it doesn't?

Thanks. The family is good.

It's an equation that does have a random component, as well as some non-random ones.

Attendance = (Arena Capacity * a random %) + (a minimum attendance number that is based on your show type and the arena capacity - a maximum number of unsold tickets based on your show type and the arena size)

The way it works out is that PPVs and TV Tapings sell a lot more tickets than house shows. PPVs seem to sell out most of the time.

[snabbit888]

Is there a spot where you indicate what type of show it is then, when you're booking?

I'm going to play around with this more early next week - have Monday and Tuesday off work. Just trying to get an idea of what's what.

[snabbit888]

Well, as cool as this sounds, it doesn't seem to work through DOSBox, so, nevermind.

[Carlzilla]

Jun 30, 2013 2:52:07 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

Is there a spot where you indicate what type of show it is then, when you're booking?

I'm going to play around with this more early next week - have Monday and Tuesday off work. Just trying to get an idea of what's what.

Yeah, you have 3 choices: House Show, TV Taping, and PPV.

I thought about adding one more for things like Wrestlemania, which is pretty much a guaranteed sell out, but didn't. I could pretty easily if it's wanted.

I also added a date selection box, but it's totally optional for those people who use their own dating systems.

[Carlzilla]

Jun 30, 2013 3:02:50 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

Well, as cool as this sounds, it doesn't seem to work through DOSBox, so, nevermind.

Yeah, like all my other plug-ins, it's windows based. That means you need to be using either an older computer, or an XP virtual machine for it to work properly.

Honestly, I see no real reason to use DOSBox when VMWare Player is free. I guess the only downside is that you need a Windows XP disc, but everyone and their mother has an old Windows XP disc laying around someplace.

www.vmware.com/products/player/overview.html

[snabbit888]

Bigger issue is getting it set up. I'm a little gun-shy in trying to do it on my own.

[Carlzilla]

It's super easy.

I'll post a step-by-step one of these days.

You basically just install the program, set some real basic options like the virtual machine's HDD size and ram, then install the OS straight from the disc.

[snabbit888]

It sounds easy enough, other than figuring out where to find a copy of XP with a key that still works.

[Carlzilla]

Here's the step-by-step, since it's super easy it won't take me long to type it up.

1) Download VMWare Player: www.vmware.com/products/player/overview.html

2) Install it

3) Open VMWare Player and click "Create New Virtual Machine"

4) Select to install the OS from a disc, an ISO, or leave the HDD blank.

(If you have a WinXP disc, put it in your CD drive and select the disc option, or if ye be a dirty pirate bastard (ARRGGHH!!) pick the ISO option and select the ISO file.)

Hit next.

5) It'll ask your for your CD key and Windows XP user information. Fill that in and hit next.

6) It'll ask you for a Virtual Machine name. Call it TNM4Lyfe! or don't...it's up to you. It'll also ask your where it can save the virtual machine, you don't need to change that unless you really want to. Hit next.

7) It'll ask you some questions about HDD space. It defaults to 40GB. That's more than enough for XP and TNM7. You could probably get away with 20gb. For the record, I just left it at the default 40. Pick how big you want your HDD to be and then hit next.

8) It'll pop up a hardware overview. Click customize hardware and find the "memory" section. It'll have a little slider which will be set to 512mb. This is on the low end for XP. Set it to anything between 1GB and 2GB. Since it's not 64bit, you don't need anything over 2GB. Click OK.

9) Click Finish and watch it do it's thing.

10) Play the virtual machine from the VMWare Player and download all the TNM stuff you want through the normal channels.

11) You've probably been playing TNM so long that you don't need me to walk you through the setup of that...

[Carlzilla]

Jun 30, 2013 3:28:44 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

It sounds easy enough, other than figuring out where to find a copy of XP with a key that still works.

Torrents

I don't usually condone piracy, but in cases like this where the software is pretty much run it's course and is not really available reliably anymore...

[snabbit888]

Thanks, Carl. That's awesome.

Does VMWare allow you to copy files from my "real" machine until the virtual machine?

[Carlzilla]

Jun 30, 2013 3:40:28 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

Thanks, Carl. That's awesome.

Does VMWare allow you to copy files from my "real" machine until the virtual machine?

It does indirectly. You need to power off the virtual machine before you can change the setting though.

After the machine is powered off, from the main VMWare Player window highlight the virtual machine and hit 'Edit virtual machine settings'

Then there's a tab at the top called 'options'

From there there's a section called 'Shared Folders'

You need to enable that, and then select which folders are shared.

[Carlzilla]

Here's an editor for the arena files. It's pretty simple to use, just make sure you hit "Save Entry" before moving to the next one or quitting, as it doesn't automatically save.

www.mediafire.com/?6mo4eddvxtm5ti6

[Carlzilla]

I noticed there's a lot of "old school" feds in the circuits section. I compiled this list of arenas based on the 1990 WWF tour schedule. It includes almost every US and Canadian arena that the the WWF stopped at in 1990. Many have been in use since the '50s, so they'd work well for feds from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s.

Just the .dat files (unrar to your TNM7SE/ARENAS folder):
www.mediafire.com/download/svl5jocu4fnidvn

or

The entire updated Show Opener package (unrar to your main TNM7SE folder):
www.mediafire.com/download/pseapau5rh9uv0u

[Carlzilla]

Because I'm a bored guy, I updated again.

The new feature is that you can include information about your commentary team. It has up to 3 spots: one for color, one for play by play, and one extra color or guest spot.

You can enable each separately or use none at all.

It'll output like this:

Madison Square Garden
New York, New York
Thursday, July 4th, 2013
20000 / 20000
A SOLD OUT ARENA!
Your commentators are Gorilla Monsson, Bobby Heenan, and Jesse Ventura

The date and commentary team are both optional, and if you don't use them, they will be omitted.

Use this link to get the updated version, as I can't change the file in the first post:
www.mediafire.com/?pseapau5rh9uv0u

[snabbit888]

I really need to get this setup. This sounds awesome. Stupid new Windows!

[Carlzilla]

Jul 4, 2013 19:31:43 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

I really need to get this setup. This sounds awesome. Stupid new Windows!

I don't know how you guys managed to play without the windows based plug-ins. Circuit Editor alone is MANDATORY for me.

I stupidly didn't think about it being a hassle to reenter the commentary team every time, so now I'm getting it to save the commentary team every time. So now you can create a database of commentators and select from them without having to type it in every time.

[Carlzilla]

There's a shot of the running plug-in. I'd show you the Play-by-Play and Color Commentary drop downs...but they're full of my immature test names, like Sweet Sassy Vagina and Chet Cocknballs.

[snabbit888]

Jul 4, 2013 19:51:12 GMT -5 Carlzilla said:

Jul 4, 2013 19:31:43 GMT -5 snabbit888 said:

I really need to get this setup. This sounds awesome. Stupid new Windows!

I don't know how you guys managed to play without the windows based plug-ins. Circuit Editor alone is MANDATORY for me.

I stupidly didn't think about it being a hassle to reenter the commentary team every time, so now I'm getting it to save the commentary team every time. So now you can create a database of commentators and select from them without having to type it in every time.

Just got used to not using the Windows stuff because I didn't really think it was an option. Haha.

[Gordon]

Glad to see you around, first of all.

Since I'm a DosBox user, I got the "program cannot be used in..." blinking message while trying to operate the Show Opener from within TNM itself.

When trying to operate it from an MS-Dos shortcut, I chose the 90s. dat file which seemingly worked, yet produced very strange fonts.

I was so thrilled with the idea of having new arenas, that I've almost found myself thinking about editing in the 90s arena data into the original arena. dat file which turned out far more complicated than I expected it to be.

Is there any possible other way around this?

[Carlzilla]

Jul 6, 2013 19:35:37 GMT -5 Gordon said:

Glad to see you around, first of all.

Since I'm a DosBox user, I got the "program cannot be used in..." blinking message while trying to operate the Show Opener from within TNM itself.

When trying to operate it from an MS-Dos shortcut, I chose the 90s. dat file which seemingly worked, yet produced very strange fonts.

I was so thrilled with the idea of having new arenas, that I've almost found myself thinking about editing in the 90s arena data into the original arena. dat file which turned out far more complicated than I expected it to be.

Is there any possible other way around this?

At the risk of sounding like an asshole, stop using DOSBox.

I posted a tutorial up there and in the "help" section on how to set up and use a free program called VMWare Player to run Windows XP for TNM7 enjoyment. You do need to get a Windows XP disc or ISO, and how you do that is up to you.

I hate DOSBox, I won't use it, I won't program for it, it's basically sub-par trash in my eyes when MUCH better options exist for running DOS based programs. So if you won't switch, there's nothing I can do short of tell you that you'll have to continue to hand edit every entry into your old arena.dat file for the old (and bugged) arena plug-in.

Now, I guess I should be sort of nice here... if you can post the old DOS based arena plug-ins data file, I MIGHT be able to create a convertor program, depending on how different the data files are.

[Carlzilla]

OK, so I found the format of the old Arena export files and created a program that will convert my .dat files to an .axf file which can be imported in the old arena program (the file I found was for version 1.2, so you may need version 1.2 or higher). You run this from windows, outside of TNM, select the .dat file you'd like to convert, and it'll do the rest.

IT ONLY OUTPUTS TO ONE FILE - converted.axf

This means you need to import or rename that before converting another .dat file if you plan on converting more than one. If you don't, it'll overwrite the existing converted.axf.

I've included a pre-converted version of my WWF 90s Arena.dat for your convenience.

www.mediafire.com/download/pzedfzn6rghhdiv

Though I'd still be interested in a copy of the old plug-in if anyone has it.

[Gordon]

First: thanks for the effort. Much appreciated.

I've tried running the 90s version you've included through DosBox, while reaching the list of arenas, I've got a mixture of numbers and weird symbols, with the only clear writing being "what arena would you like to choose" and "again, what arena?". Could this be an XP language issue by any chance? tried both English US AND UK to no avail.

Just to make sure I've done it all the right way: I've renamed coverted.axf to arena.dat and placed it at plugins/arena.

My apologies for all of this hassle. If you'll say there's nothing else to be done, I guess I'll be moving along to VKMWare and hoping all of the other plugins (circuit editor, ratings editor, etc.) would work out fine using it.