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  1. Version 1.0.1

    953 downloads

    In memory of Chris J. Wren Thanks go to.. Wizard for MFME Geddy & Bugs for their classic (used as a base for this) Shortcuts included in the text file This was redrawn from the flyer by me in 2008 and has sat on an old hard drive since, a case of me being disillusioned by the fact that the more elements i had to redraw i felt no closer to where it should be. So i have decided to release it the way it was finished back then, probably a purists nightmare.. Take it for what it is.. Nick. **Update** Should be fixed now, knew i would cock it up.
    53 points
  2. Guys, I've been asked to forward a message to you all on behalf of Chris's family. They have been reading all your messages of condolence, and also this virtual wake thread. This was penned by his niece, Amy. "I've spent time reading the comments on the forum and honestly I cannot believe the impact he's had on people. I spent the afternoon reading his virtual wake aloud to his sister and his dad and it was so amazing to see how loved and respected he is. We are so grateful that you've let us into just a fraction of this part of his life. I feel lucky to have had an uncle who touched the lives of so many. So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It turned a very sad day into something which sparked joy. Our choice of Pinball Wizard for the end of the service is now more meaningful than we even knew." Very touching words, and so wonderful that all the love for Chris within the community has brought joy to the family at the darkest hour.
    53 points
  3. There has been a slight development on information. Thanks again to the member behind the scenes that put me in contact with the right people, I will let them step forward if they choose to. 24th August 2020 was the day that Chris passed away. * He will have family representation at his funeral so due to Covid conditions that makes it impossible to attend in person. I have given the funeral directors my name and number and asked them to pass it onto the family. I have also written an email to them as well that they will pass on. * This came from the funeral director but cannot be 100% certain that I heard this right based on forum events and a comment I heard elsewhere. ( edited 09/08/21 )
    48 points
  4. Today marks exactly a year to the day since our friend Chris last visited this site, this is the eve of August 9th 2020, the last time he every logged into Desert Island Fruits or communicated with any of us. Looking back – it was hell on earth and I as others were going frantic trying to find out if he was ok. We were in the middle of lockdown in Covid-19, unable to travel and unable to reach out and get a response from Chris in any form. As some of you know I had approached the police for a welfare check, it was a huge shock to us all what had happened when we found out and this check was now not needed. I am still unhappy at the failure of the police to even progress or come back to me when I was chasing them for some help last year and to this day. They never responded back to me on the welfare check I raised against the case number sits very badly with me. It changes nothing – but still makes me very upset to think about it. If it was not for a member on this site who found an entry online for his funeral, who knows when we would have found out what had happened to the man that gave us everything for nothing. Perhaps even to this day still not known. He was a friend to all of us in different ways. When we did find out that he had passed away to at least answered the question – tragically the worst way it could ever have been answered. The positive that happened is that we were able in one form or another to let his family know how damn awesome he was and everything that he had given the world for nothing return. I wrote a letter to the family that the undertakers passed on and there was representation from this community at the funeral. I understand that the knowledge of us and what he had done gave his family them some comfort in his passing and his legacy continues to this day with every release. We also had the chance to celebrate his life in the virtual wake that we did – I am very proud of everybody that posted there. I do feel as a year has passed this is now the right time to lock that post. A time-locked memory for all to see that will be pinned. That is the only change I am making to this area, the rest remains as it is – the memorial virtual forum to talk about our friend – start new thread – join others as long as it’s respectful. My thoughts have always been with the passing of Chris; how do we mark the year anniversary of his passing for this site ? I think really the best I can do is simply a post like this to honour the great talent that Chris was. I am going to try to keep names off this as everybody has been involved to one extent or another and the fear here – is that I miss somebody and that is not the goal – this is why I mention no direct names. Today, I would hope that Chris would be proud that his legacy does live on – and as a community – we carried on and the evidence is here today to see. This also shows the brilliant coding of his emulator and really, we are a plus one year down the line and everything is still working – that shows what a perfectionist he was and how right he got it. I recall before one of the releases, around v19 I was asking when was he going to do it and he was always just there and then find something else that needed fixing. These fixes were so minor in my eyes at times – but Chris wanted it perfect and it really as in the end – especially if you look at the journey from the original Fruit.Exe. I do often wonder if Chris knew that the time was near. This is partly because of a post by a member here or perhaps a PM I saw ( I can’t remember which ). There was a comment that when he fixed the reels in M1AB to make the spinning sound work, it was noted that Chris had some kind of urgency to get that in and done. That was the last real update we saw of MFME. He certainly said nothing to me directly – but it was a comment that was made last year and has always been in the back of my mind. If the comment was valid, then on reflection Chris was never one to be “soft” and if he was aware that this was the eve of what was going on, then I do believe he would have wanted people to carry on and treat him as they always did, that would have been on his terms and I believe he got that if he had any awareness. He did know how well loved he was. The “Wine for Wizard” campaign really touched him and as the scene size that we were – he was very well recognised for what he did and the way that many of you came forward to support him, really did touch him and have some wonderful private messages surrounding that. Through the years of knowing him, I know that he was very fond of animals – especially cats and we had quite a few chats about cats over the years. He no longer had his, but we’d often chat about mine and he would be very enthusiastic about them. If he had still had his, I’d have tried to adopt and take care of his once we knew what had happened. Looking at what can be done from this site, I want to do something on behalf of this site in honour of him and what I believe he would approve of. My first thought is to site funds that keep the lights on here. Once I know that everything has been cleared in terms of subscriptions, bills and everything else this is what I am going to do. To honour Chris and his fondness for our furry friends, this site will make a substantial donation to the Cats Protection League at the point this year there is nothing less to pay – sometime in December 2021. From this point onwards – knowing his fondness for cats – that will also be the chosen charity of this site should we do anything again in the future for a charity. Substitutional means every remaining penny will be passed over in the charity donation. This will be done once I am certain all the costs are covered and clear and I will publish the transfer in the reserved post that is below this this one. With a gesture like this, there is no need to be concerned. This is no different to when we did the “Wine for Wizard” campaign. That being said – you all know I am a man of my word – if I have messed up and let’s say in 2022 all donations literally stopped dead. I will cover the bills personally until the end of 2022 as I will not allow a donation to a charity to damage this site. Anything I do here with the charity donation the site will not be impacted if I make a mistake. Equally – if anybody wishes to exclusively donate towards this as well via this site who has already donated – feel free to use the donation system but you must send me a PM directly stating that this is for the charity pot. You will get a badge in your profile – without the PM, the donation will be considered site funds and not ring-fenced and I won’t know to add the badge. You will get the large badge just as I have on my profile unless you ask for the smaller one ( no cat footprints ). Just mention that anybody that donates who does not already donate, that will not be going to the charity – that is to support the site – the site always comes first and that is not ring-fenced. This site gives us ex-gamblers so much and has literally saved lives and we can do more and this is what we do. Giving to a charity and one that I know Chris would approve of will give support to our furry friends and so something to help others as well and is a simple but correct gesture to do. I look to the future now. Over the past year, we have had a hell of a lot of layouts from all the designers that give life into the emulator and we are also seeing the development of the arcade simulator that will continue to breathe new life into the scene. I never believed for a single minute that the passing of Chris was the end for MFME, I knew just how damn good the emulator was – but I never expected to see the development of a third party application that scrapes layout and displays them in a virtual arcade. That is some brilliant work there. I think in football, the phrase “it’s not over until it’s over” is true for this scene as well. While we have such skilled coders around us – then the emulation scene will still go from strength to strength. Before you all wonder what I am talking about, there was a post that I read sometime around 3rd July. A member had joined here and was discovering MFME for the first time. Even after his death, Chris continues to “wow” people and this will continue. We also have had so many new layouts this year and great designers still release. Some maybe on a break now – but they still frequent the forums and we’ve seen releases. Speaking of releases – we have a lot of foreign machines these days – I know Chris would have loved to have played them. This again is credit to his emulator that can be supported by the designers who make pictures into magic which is the wonder of what Chris have us with MFME. The greatest threat on the horizon was Windows 11 during the past year. That is not so much a threat now as it is looking like MFME plays well with that and we are in a great place going forward. Today, right now. What we have here is a brilliant community – and if Chris is looking down and can tear himself away from his virtual coding he is likely doing, he’ll be pleased with what we’ve done and how we’ve behaved. This site is a credit to the man – you are each a credit to the man – the man himself was a credit to human beings with a solid decency that did everything for nothing. It is always worth remembering that in a way, you can reach out to Chris as his account is still here and untouched. You can PM him and say whatever private words you wish and your comments will be between you, yourself and god. Private – time locked and you can say whatever you want. That gives me a feeling of comfort for some strange reason that the man I knew for over twenty years still has a private message box that is his and his alone. The funeral for Chris is technically one marker we can use to celebrate Chris, but I choose personally for the sake of knowing the last time he visited and knowing he visited daily, my marker will be August 9th every year for the post Wizard era. Tomorrow, August 9th 2021 marks the first day of the second year that we last saw our Chris on this site. He would have been delighted with what this community has done and how it has continued to grow. Everybody that remembers him – thank you for keeping the flame alive. Everybody that never knew him – look around you – this site, this membership and everything that is done here is because of that one great man, Chris Wren. Even in his passing Chris will still be helping others and his reach will also be touching the hearts of pet owners as we support The Cats Protection League at the end of the year. Peace out… …and Chris, I still miss you mate so much.
    46 points
  5. Oh Chris. I really don't know where to start. So let me start with my day today. The day of your funeral. The day I spent doing what you loved. This morning I woke up and went to collect a fruit machine. Yes, another Maygay. After driving home I struggled, as usual, to get the machine in the house on the laughable home made ramp I built all those years ago. It was 26 degrees today and the sweat was pouring off me. An hour later the machine yielded and was in my shed, the ramp now broken. Just like my heart. Yes that's the shed already stuffed with machines, stuffed with parts. I learned from the master on that one. This afternoon the roms were in my new reader being dumped ready for a layout. I then fired up MFME to check the roms and thought about the reason I wanted emulation all those years ago. Solid Silver. So I went back to my old development folders and found the folder of six different versions I started and abandoned. Hundreds of hours of work. Nowhere near the time you put into coding of course. So I found the most recent and tried to load it and of course dat files are no longer supported. So I took the long road, loaded into 5.1 saved out and back into 20.1. Each time being forced to read your copyright notice to the end. Each time reminding me, (c) C.J.Wren. Once the layout loaded, I was horrified. It looks awful. No wonder I abandoned it, for the sixth time. Then I remembered how far I have come since I abandoned the last one and the reason I have progressed so far. Your emulator. When I started this my artistic skills were truly awful. Stick men, blocky cars with two wheels, a sun with a smiley face. That was about my limit. Then you changed all that. I was always interested in emulation and sought out Spectrum, Amiga, SNES etc then wondered one day about fruit machines. The idea was somewhat preposterous, why would anyone want to play a fruit machine on their PC? Of course I searched anyway not expecting to find anything. Of course I didn't. I checked again, and again, and again as time passed. Then I eventually found your Nifty Fifty demo. Credit limited, very classic layout, no sound. Laughable now - but I was hooked. When Nifty Fifty starts it says "HI THERE". Yes it's cheesy, but you really did have me at "hello". I spent the rest of that afternoon in the office reloading the demo trying to beat my previous bank. Not a single iota of productivity. I must have reloaded it a hundred times or more. Highest bank? God knows. It was so long ago - but like so many of us a day that sticks in the mind. We all remember the day we discovered fruit machine emulation. Your emulation. So then started the journey. The forum sign ups, the downloads. The Hovel, Poundrun. Me seeking the elusive Solid Silver. Buying my first machine (Nudge Nudge Wink Wink) and finding you on ICQ. The nervousness, the trepidation as I typed. I thought why would you waste your time talking to me? I need not have worried. A few days later I am visiting you in person to dump the roms. Oh. My. God. I couldn't believe it. You lived alone. You lived my dream. As you led me through the house showing me your collection of pinballs, arcade cabinets and parts I was in awe. Star Wars upright in your kitchen? WTF! It was heaven. Heaven of course until you then showed me your garage. An unbelievable collection of MPU3's. Never seen anything like it before, your garage door was like stepping through a portal straight into an early 80's arcade. Your personal babies. Not a chance I could play them! Then at some point you achieved my dream, my personal holy technological grail, M1 emulation. I started taking this a bit more seriously. I visited you several times over the years. More roms to dump, some bits of tech for you to look at. I remember your excitement at the program card you hadn't seen before. You wouldn't let me leave with it! Some months later, it was emulated. Of course it was emulated. You relished the challenge with insatiable hunger. Any feature I requested, duly considered if not always implemented. Any bug I raised, later fixed. You even emulated mechanical machines from schematics showing just how far you were willing to go to achieve the perfect emulator. Your dedication surpassing all others. Of course the journey hasn't been without its upsets and turmoils. I don't need to remind you of these. I had to personally remove myself from FME for a while. You did too. While I was engaged in other serious matters, you were still there working on some of the bugs we discussed. The emulator grew and grew. What a treat to come back to. Blended lamps, wonderful. Untold new techs. Multi player boxes. Video support. Your never ending drive for perfection. When I look back at the years gone by I now realise what MPU34 and MFME are. They are windows into our personal pasts. It's like your great aunt who you see once a year pulling out the photo albums. You see yourself, 10/20/30/40 years ago. In this case the photo album is the emulator. Everyone has their favourites from their past. When they discover your emulator and a DX for the machine they used to play, you transport them back in time. You tap their personal history, their memories. As they play and think about the times they used to play the real machine, holidays they were on, towns they visited. That's MFME. Everyone's own personal history book. Every book with different pages. Every player with different favourites. So Sunday night happened. On my phone, browsing the fruit machine groups on facebook I saw the announcement with a link to Desert Island Fruits. The news was you had been taken from us. I immediately dropped everything and went straight to the PC. As I read Harveys words I couldn't believe it. It must be a joke. Then I saw the funeral list. Christian J. Wren, Ilford. I knew where you lived. Then it hit. This was serious. Devastating news. Then the replies came. The outpouring of grief. Bloody hell. I was grieving, others were too. We were united in grief. Equally shocking, the amount of emotion for someone most of us have never met. The words people posting hitting home like right hooks. So many of us in tears. Why was I personally so upset? All you did was dump some roms and have a laugh with me a few times. Of course, it's that hook you have. Your life's work on all of our PC's. Our personal history books, open and playable. The emulator connects us all. All thanks to you. Then my eyes were further opened. It's not just a few hundred UK fruit machine players here. Just last night I saw a comment on Degsys YouTube video from a member of the German scene and how you touched their lives too. They are running their German machines in the emulator. Your emulator is not just national, it's worldwide. You have literally touched the lives of people around the globe. Now the development is over. There won't be a 20.2 (c) C.J.Wren, at least not on this earth. My personal anger is palpable. Some bastard illness or accident has befallen you. Cruelly denied you the chance for your own perfection when you were so close. We don't know what the cause was, but I hope we do eventually find out. Something to direct our blame, our anger. Our Wizard taken from us at least 30 years too early. Will this anger bring you back? No. Will it lead to a new emulator release, no - but it sure will help us feel better with something to blame. Of course you are no doubt the angriest of us all. You never got to fix that coin mech bug, that video machine will never run properly, you know the list. I know exactly what you are thinking up there. Why are we wasting time on this when we could be working on layouts? Just let us have our moment. To let you and your family know how you have personally touched our lives, changed our lives. The addicts you have cured. The escape you have provided. The entertainment you have given us. Literally the lives you have saved. Yes Chris, you did what so many of us fail to do in life, you made a difference. As I am typing this out I wonder if I can post it. Does it need little improvements here and there. Small changes. It's your fault sir. That drive for perfection you have fired within me. Like so many layouts before now this message will never quite be good enough - but post it I must. I must because I have to let you know what a difference you have made to my life, to all of our lives. The emulator that took me out of my destructive means of escape, arcades. The emulator that then became my means of escape, without the cost of credits. The emulator that then became my cost, buying machines and storing them! I can only hope that there is a heaven on the other side. No doubt when you arrived in heaven and were asked what you wanted in paradise, it was a PC and a spiritualised copy of your development environment. There's still work to be done, after all. Maybe you can look up Roy Howell and get a bit more info, he's hopefully up there with you somewhere, nothing like a bit of inside knowledge from the top man. As for us, what else can we do but do what you want, such is your power. We will carry on. Find machines. Dump roms. Create layouts. Remember that sixth version of Solid Silver? The dream you realised for me? Yes of course I will start again. In 4k. With your shiny new 20.1 emulator with all the features I so desperately wanted so long ago that you have poured your time into. It's the only way I have to honour your memory, using your creation to the best of my ability. Will the layout ever be finished? You know the answer to that one Chris - but I will get it out there for you, dedicated to your memory. Your life changing emulator. I could type so much more Chris. Then like usual, I will miss the deadline. So in its imperfect form, it's time to release this work in progress. v1.0 of my memories of you, my eternal thanks. So it's farewell my friend. It is my hope that one day we will meet again. I'll bring my roms and my spirit warehouse of every machine ever made. You will bring your perfect MFME v65.3, (c) 2065 C.J.Wren. We will share a beer. Share some more memories. Pump out some fixed layouts for the FME afterlife. Can't wait.
    44 points
  6. Tomorrow marks the burial of our dear friend Chris. There are many of us that would love to be at his funeral and wake but we know that Covid conditions make this impossible and there is no reason that this cannot be done online. If you feel you would like to be part of this, please post a picture of yourself toasting Wizard taken after 15:45 tomorrow with a message of what you would like to say to this thread. It does not matter if your drinking tea or whatever, this is a symbolic gesture. Please no comments beyond your post and message on this thread, we have a thread for that and I will remove any that do happen. This thread will be locked forever in time when the lights are switched back on here. That will likely be the evening of 16th September. I hope that this is ok and is one way that we can bring ourselves together to mark tomorrow as one, virtually.
    42 points
  7. Chris - there are a million words I could write - they will save for another day, but just know this. You took me on a magical journey and delivered dreams for people like me and saved me from god knows what with my gambling addiction. I am proud to have known you and hope you are looking down on us with the angels. Thank you and rest in peace - you were fantastic and brilliant - truely one of a kind. Sleep well my friend. Harvey.
    41 points
  8. Was not sure where I should post this really, but I think this area is a suitable place and the core message is… You have made him Proud I was never a spokesman for Chris although at times it felt like I was during the dark times of the inner circles and everything else where I had felt nudged enough ( no joke meant ) to end up posting the odd thing that he was more concerned about then myself – but the key message here there were factions that caused the scene to be broken and they needed fixing. Chris fixed those factions as per a new MFME and as this new dawn of MFME came and more importantly he came back into the spotlight, there is one important thing that I think I need to share ( just to correct something I read a good while ago but there was no point in bringing it up ). He never – regardless of how it would look wanted to step on toes. I am 100% certain that if @Guitar had carried on with Amber, MFME would not be where it is now based on conversations. It was only when things were pretty dead on any development front and it was clear nothing was going to change from Chris and his point of view, things changed. There was also one other change which is the T&C from MAME meant he felt more comfortable with a release and the world had moved on since the excitment from years earlier. I know that Chris was very proud of what you as a scene had done, but this is not the proud of back then I am talking about here and would make me look at posts all the time that pleased him ( as well as those that did not – lol ). I am talking about the proud now of after his untimely passing. We know he made the engine but the scene made the lifeblood of the emulator. The life blood is all the designers but also people like @Amot and @Gary that provided resources. I believe @Mavroz was also key to some parts. I know there are more - but I also know people work in shadows so I choose to keep some names off this list - but know - you were valued, he was not always very good and saying thank you. The consumers of the product were also lifeblood of his engine such as @Chopaholic and @Big J for videos and questions, decide who fits where as well as all the members across all the sites. Since his untimely passing, this site has carried on, DADsFME has carried on ( thanks @dad ) and we are still here with all the sites still alive. I was delighted to see @Retrofruit appear and also @yippee and as a scene I feel that we are actually all a little bit closer then what were were before. While members have taken this very hard about what has happened – looking down from the great arcade in the sky, we have carried on and I actually see a very bright future for here. Let me do some call outs as to why ( and I know there is a lot of name dropping - apoligies for those that I miss - but you get the idea )… @tspeirs has a great front end that if people choose, that can bring a whole new level of immersion for cabinets to life. Some of our designers are still releasing such as @vectra666, @Clo06, @hitthesix, @wearecity, @Multi Retro Man, @slotsmagic and so on. We have new designers coming in such as @Pootis Spencer and I’ve seen a preview of his work and think you are in for a treat. We have new concepts and technologies coming in such as the AI upscaling that @johnparker007 has shared. @Geddy is still doing sterling work behind the scenes for a certain functionality of the emulator and this site. @Chopaholic is still doing his videos. @pete_w works tirelessly in the background ensuring that our servers stay and continue to work. These are just a few of the callouts and I am sure that @Pook and @Tommy c will be with us again soon when they feel they want to dip their toes back into the FME pond and I hope people that have been further distant such as @Ploggy create the odd layout again as well ( 28 Plays Later ! ) ! The above is why I think as a scene you have made him proud. If I was ever to be prompted again by Chris to post something that he would like to say ( which is why I had to share that opening part ) it would be… You carried on – you really did – my Life’s work is not Wasted This is a very different landscape to what we had eight weeks ago – but it is still an important part to note that he would be pleased that we are still here and there are a lot of grass roots of very exciting stuff that I think we are going to see. It is very hard to pick up again after such a terrible event - but as these grass roots of a new direction for MFME has started - I think as a scene and a small scene, we have done the man proud by what has happened since the lights were turned back on on the FME community across various sites. Thank you for keeping the flame alive – and oh a bit of bad news – this sites domain has been renewed for a few more years. Oh and in other news, I have some MPU2 layouts that @MDS made. He only recently joined this site, but I have reached out to him to ask if he would consider releasing. They are classics - but they are too good not to be with the world and I think Chris would have liked them shared ( but @MDS would need to make that choice ). There are still things to see - and if every machine that can be done on the current emulator represented a star - the night sky is still full of thousands of stars.
    40 points
  9. Thank you Chris, thank you for bringing so much joy into my life through your amazing creation. Over the last 19 years I've been through some bad times, and it's no exaggeration to say that your emulator is something that has always managed to bring me comfort when things have been dark. I think I can say that here at DIF without sounding insane, as I'm among fellow FME nutcases. Like many people here, a fruit machine emulator was literally a dream for me, and as such, you truly made my dream, and the dreams of so many others, come true. Even though you are gone, what you made will continue to bring happiness into the lives of many, and every time I load in MFME from this day forward, I will pause for a moment to say a quiet 'Thank you' to you. Gone far too soon, but you leave a legacy behind you the likes of which most of us can only ever dream of. Your light has gone out, but we will keep the lights of the scene and the communities you made possible, very much turned on, and as such, you will live on with us in spirit.
    40 points
  10. I light a candle for you Christian and hope it stays lit forever, I light this in memory of you and take a few moments for your family and friends too who will miss you just as deeply, I feel it for them too immensely In life there are rare individuals that come along and bring something great into this world and not just emulation but a great many things just like you did. I hope you had a great journey into the afterlife and can bring just as much love and enjoyment to them like you did me. You are a gent, you are a great man. Your heart, your spirit, your essence still runs within me and that will never change and for the time I have been here you brought me magic and light, for what you gave me is something I could never forget. I will pop in from time to time to send you a message and take it easy on those up there they are beginners and will need your tutelage they might not be quick learners like down here. I won't say Goodbye but will say see you around and feel free to pop into your home here from time to time.
    39 points
  11. 'The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and you have burned so very brightly.'
    38 points
  12. Version 1.0.0

    678 downloads

    Next up is this Vamp' Tastic multi-stake/multi jackpot machine from Reflex the Club Version of Hit the Dracpot (i have roms for the Awp but images atm are poor) Thanks goto Fruitsnappa for the roms Infection for the images used including screenies of the hi lo numbers and various reel symbols etc Wizard for showing me how to do or find the Led's/RGB's for the disco buttons and for Mfme Shortcuts are written on the image and notes upon the game opening Play this in MFME V19'8+ The seven segs for the Dond type feature maybe the wrong way around If they are you can easily swap the parts around via edit mode, let us know if they are i hope everything else is ok with it. Enjoy and Happy Gaming!!!!
    37 points
  13. You are and always will be a truly remarkable guy - your memory will live on here in FME land for many more years to come... You are at peace Chris and we all send our love to you, Daryl x
    36 points
  14. RIP Chris You will never be forgotten
    36 points
  15. To Chris, Thanks for your creation which you shared with us all to enjoy over the years. MFME provides me with the opportunity to remember the memories, times and places in my life especially throughout the 1990s. The most important thing MFME provides me with is memories of playing particular machines with my best friend who passed away a few years ago. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to remember those times. Rest well my friend. Si.
    36 points
  16. Chris, No amount of Thanks will ever be enough. You wrote an amazing piece of software that brought you, me, and everyone else to one place. It helped people battling addiction. It gave us happy feelings of nostalgia, and it gave us a never-ending stream of conversation that hasn't stopped for 20 years solid. It forged friendships between people who were unlikely to ever cross paths without you. No doubt about it, for us here you changed the World. Not many people can say they've done that. Sleep well, till we meet again. Ian
    36 points
  17. RIP Don't know what else to say! Thank you for everything you've given us
    36 points
  18. This one is for Chris, truly the saddest time we have had to face as a community. R.I.P Chris and again thanks for all you did for us.
    36 points
  19. To Chris, You will be greatly missed. Rest in peace. Andrew.
    36 points
  20. Raising a glass to wizard who presented me with a hobby lasting almost 20 years. No other person has changed my life in the way he did and I will be forever grateful. I was at work today and TBH not noticing the time at all, but for some reason I stopped what I was doing and checked my phone - bang on 3pm so I stood still and had my own private two minutes in absolute silence. During that period it dawned on me what massive effect he actually had on my life with his creation of MFME. I brought me to a communiity which I'm proud to have been a part of and in which I have made lifelong friends. Thank you Chris - for everything!!
    35 points
  21. 'Some of us are born to move the World...' A tip of the coffee cup to you sir... may you fly high and soar with the angels.....
    35 points
  22. Rest in peace buddy. Thank you for everything. Sleep well Chris ..........
    35 points
  23. To Chris (Wizard) There are no words that I can say that hasn't already been said apart from a simple thank you so, from my heart I say, Thank you and Rest in peace. Chloe x
    35 points
  24. Hi Chris, So sorry you have left us in body. But you will always be with us in spirit and your legacy will live on forever. Thanks for the thousands of memories you made possible and heres to the thousands yet to come. Safe journey Steve
    35 points
  25. Wizard. A little toast with a Pepsi as i don't drink. Many thanks for what you have given us all. Your legacy will live for a long time to come. Sleep well. Fruitsnappa.
    35 points
  26. I don’t do pictures, not a pretty face you see. but say here on my tea break, and coincidentally a work mate is now playing “you raise me up” a stringed version and yes you did raise us all up, lifting the bar emulation wise every time an update was released. You did it better so we had to respond but releasing better layouts your first recent update v5 was a milestone for me pushing my mini layouts in to the mega large realm of the many other creators we had layouts I made which wouldn’t run, double impact with it’s tri-banded reel, the only one around apart from hip hop but you implemented the band into I think v6.1 flip band layouts with the three coloured lamps within a few other of my layouts became a reality due to your updates cannonball run with its five lamp colours in one reflex and £100 roms i bet there’s loads more I asked for minor things to make my life easier, no problem for you it came within the next update some members would say tuff make do with what you’ve got!!! Not you, you went that extra mile to reach perfection. As for continuing with layout creation etc it should carry on as he didn’t continue with the update for it all to be lost in time and we All need to work as a team and put ALL personal differences aside for the sake of all he’s done. Personally as a tribute to the great man I’d love to see the very first classic/dx be given a v20 makeover. move only tea at work but here’s to the great wizard who cast a spell over us all I hope you’re playing your emulator in 777 heaven somewhere
    34 points
  27. A double for Chris. Rest in peace old boy.
    34 points
  28. Hi Chris/ Wizard. Thank you for supplying us with an amazing emulator, and for allowing us to.relive our youth. Thanks for the memories Wizard/ Chris Rest in peace Chris never to be forgotten Andy
    34 points
  29. Chris, Thanks for not only for the most amazing bit of software and your ridiculous knowledge, but for bringing a like-minded bunch of people together. It's been an interesting 20 or so years and I'm sure you'll be keeping an eye on all of us to see what happens next. I only hope you knew in life how much people admired you, and if not, you will see it now. Rest in peace. SM
    34 points
  30. Chris.... "Wizard" I could'nt believe my luck back in 2003 when i googled "Fruit machine emulation" and stumbled upon the fairplay campaign which was where i found your brilliant emulator for the first time. I was on a mates PC as i didn't yet own one, but after seeing Eastenders fruit machine playing exactly like the real thing, and finding the Fruit Emu site and downloading more, It felt like a thousand christmas's had all come at once. Your magical piece of programming, - MFME was the reason i saved up to buy my own PC and in April 2004 i was playing your brilliant emulator on my own PC and it was like a dream... i just could not believe i was playing REAL arcade fruit machines in my own bedroom! Thank you for creating the masterpiece that is MFME, and making mine, and countless other people's dreams come true. It is such a shame you are gone too soon... 55 years is such a short time. I hope you had a wonderful life, and hope you are now wherever, you would of wished to be yourself. Take care, Chris. You are a legend.
    34 points
  31. Dear Chris, You have no idea how much pleasure I`ve had running classics from my youth. None of this would have been possible without you. Cheers, and may you rest in peace. You will never be forgotten. Gary
    34 points
  32. Chris From the moment I found out about FME back in 2003, you have always been a shining light. Let your light now shine brightly in the great arcade in the sky. be at peace brother
    33 points
  33. Chris. there are a lot of people who quite litraly owe you their lives, including me. Without MFME i would still been in "personal destruction mode". i owe you my life, my home and my marrage.... i thank you Sir.. Now RIP, Chris. You will be dearly missed...
    33 points
  34. Even though your out of sight, you will never be out of mind. I think you had an idea of how many people you did make happy with wine for wizard. We would all be happier if you was still here. I thank you from the bottom of heart for the smlies you put on my face over the years, my friend. R.I.P Chris AKA Wizard.
    33 points
  35. Chris, I cannot find the words to tell you just how much your emulator means to me, to (mis)quote one of our great leaders: 'Never in the field of emulation has so much been owed by so many to so few' RIP Wizard Pete
    33 points
  36. Version 1.0.1B

    252 downloads

    NOT A NEW LAYOUT!!!, just a re-vamp, made slightly bigger this time!! (just keeping my hand in mfme / Pshop whilst moving out... i found the old png's from a forthcoming topic of the 1024wdx i did, Enlarged them and added a tad more sharpness/contrast still not found how to increase the volume on this, also some lamps are still not 100% correct
    32 points
  37. Thank You Chris for saving us all from our personal 'demons' with your amazing Emulator. i have made many new friends and learnt a lot about Fruit machines thanks to all your hard work of coding your fantastic programmes and the sites that evolved from this. I raise a glass to you sir, thanks for everything. Be at rest Ricardo.
    32 points
  38. Wizard a toast to the legend without you MFME would not be what is is today without your dedication and hard work Rest In Peace and thank you for everything cnj
    32 points
  39. Version 1.0.0

    467 downloads

    So here it is my first layout (well technically second as my first was Rich & Famous many many moons ago). Its been great fun to be able to do layouts again especially with the new tools in MFME. Lamping is so much easier nowadays compared to years ago! Decent photos were used for stitching together and the reels were recreated from scratch. NAME: Overload MANUFACTURER: Barcrest CABINET: Genesis SYSTEM: MPU 5 STAKE: 30p 85% £25 Jackpot Thanks to the following for help with the layout: @Wizard For the greatest emulator ever coded. @Steveir For the classic layout which I used for the lamp numbers and configuration. @infection For pointing me in the direction of the artwork @BL4K For the YouTube video which I used many times for reference @vectra666 For help with the overlays and testing @slotsmagic For the reel images @bungle For Lamping help and general guidance. Finally thanks to the following for Beta testing and spotting some silly mistakes: @Reg @Chopaholic @wearecity @vectra666 @slotsmagic
    31 points
  40. Version 1.0.0

    276 downloads

    One of Barcrest finest clubbers of the late 1990's (afaik) the big brother of ooh ahh Dracula and the father of son of Dracula a fang fest of fun and entertainment to be had. Thanks goto @BruceGeorge - for the 1024 he made ages back, used for lamping references and some of the blank reel symbols the happy ram from his layout is included within this layout, renamed. @Tommy c - for the hi lo reel from ooh ahh dracula (needs a v20.1 update) @infection - for the usual images gained @johnparker007 - for the AI upscale of the top jackpot decals £150/£250 @WonkySausage - for the hi lo reel help and of course never forget the great late @Wizard for mfme's past n present. Shortcuts written within the notes Enjoy and Happy Gaming!!!!
    31 points
  41. Version 1.0.0

    273 downloads

    thanks to wizard for mfme. massive and real kudos to @monkeyboypaul for his incredible patience and support with images and time to allow me to recreate a part of my playing years in such a way. thanks to @vectra666 for the lovely cabinet, the coin effects and the continued assistance to get things working when i lose my patience! there is a forum wide knowledge that i'm a bad listener and as such these are as big as i can make them, that means they'd stutter with the middle lamp blended. I have therefore used my artistic lack of skill to lamp it as best possible to avoid any slow down in attract etc.. ( yes i'll learn now ) I've used the best parts of many images to add as many true to life representations of the machine, i've used on images for multiple lamps in lamp test mode from the images provided in the hope to increase the effect and pleasure gained from a bashing. I was tempted to redraw (badly) you'll all be glad I didn't! never was the best game of all the monopoly and definitely the jpms of the era but has a place in my heart for it's pure "sets appeal" just to add, as my health has been improving i've found myself out and about again, this is a total opposite to the year before and is why i've been less visible recently, I'm just taking this opportunity to once again thank all users and many need singling out tbf but all in all, I am so glad to the site for the help and support afforded me in many ways through a hard time, i've got some wips, i've got the passion still and i'll be about here and there (gutted eh ) It's been great seeing new designers making strides into the scene and long may that continue. best wishes to all. Woodsy.
    31 points
  42. Today would have been Uncle Chris (Wizard)'s 56th birthday. I'm sure he's been in your thoughts a lot over the last 5 months, but let's keep him in our thoughts even more so today. x
    31 points
  43. Chris, you were a gentleman, a scholar, a genius, a friend, and a brother to us all. never did we dream that one day we would be playing all our favourite fruit machines on the p.c and remembering our misspent youth.(happy days) but!! you realised that dream with your passion with your brilliant emulators. not only that, but you saved countless people from the dreaded curse of gambling and losing everything they had. you have had a big impact on us all and we thank you for that. your parents must be very proud of you, because i know we all are. may you rest in peace my friend, and may god bless your family and friends at this sad time, and give them strength to carry on. god bless ... seb
    31 points
  44. R.I.P. Wizard It takes a special person to devote so much of their time creating something and then to make it freely available to everyone for free, you Sir well and truly fall in that category. Like others on here i had no interaction with you but it still feels like losing someone we knew, which i think is down to how much your creation impacted on our lifes. Thank you for the joy you have given me over the last 14 years and i hope you had a decent send off and you certainly deserve it. Now if you'll excuse me i'm going to spin around and hammer that JPM behind me and toast every jackpot in your memory.
    31 points
  45. To Chris, Thank you for the good times and the best of times. Truly a game changer for many many souls. I hope your legacy will last for years RIP
    31 points
  46. Wizard, RIP Thank you for the amazing emulator and thank you for the memories. Craig.
    31 points
  47. Wizard, Thank you for the gift of MFME. You have given me so much joy, your legacy will live on forever. Rest in Peace.
    31 points
  48. Good Morning All, On a day where I have to do some reflection on my job ( for a task I've got to do later ) it's also time to reflect on this site and why we are here. It is MFME that @Wizard has given us. We've thanked @Amot for the very generous supply of resourses, but the elephant in the rom is what about MFME, what about @Wizard who puts tireless hours into the pot to make this happen - the decks need to be balanced here to show our thanks and this is how I propose to do this. Due to my job, family and other commitments and expecations I am only slowly starting to get back into MFME. This site actually takes a lot of admin with the new souls, but that is my cross to bear but is nothing considering the man hours that Wizard has put into coding MFME. I am also trying to pick up some legacy programming from about thirty years ago - so my time is pretty full... ...now consider this... ...my time maybe full but it does not compare to all the hours that have gone into MFME for the past twenty years and still go on. I don't think anybody can really understand the depth of work here - even in the dark years of MFME with no product - Wizard was coding on and on and on. It's time to say thank you as a scene and the below is a statement as admin of this site what I am going to do at Desert Island Fruits. "Wine for Wizard" From the time of this post until the end of June 2020, all donations given will be given directly to Wizard at the end on 1st July 2020. Years ago, I passed my thanks to him as his emulator had taken me off the machines where I had been known to put entire wages into a machine and have nothing for a month and I don't regret a penny of that. I do believe that I am not a lot different from other people here and if you want a chance to buy some Wine for Wizard, this is your moment. If you are a non-supporter of the site and you donate, you still get your 2020 donator badge and the special badge below as well as your access - but all money will be kept in a pot and transferred to Wizard. If you do support and already have a donator badge, then you will get a special badge like this as you have access. If you do choose to buy Wine for Wizard but you DO NOT want this badge that shows your support and maybe encourages some new members to also buy wine, then PM me as soon as you've donated and I'll make sure I do not apply it as per your wishes. Now begins the celebration of MFME and a two month window to support Wizard for twenty years he has put into MFME and why this site exists today and I hope he can buy himself a machine he likes or something like that from what we do as a scene. Thank you all for reading and thank you Wizard.
    31 points
  49. Version 1.0.1

    583 downloads

    Here it is, I'm pretty happy with how it's come out. If anything is obviously wrong, let me know - I will update it if required! Only doing a £15 version at the moment, I will consider the £5 version later. NOTE - I designed this on my two gaming PCs, this is a UHD layout and does feature a fair few blended lamps so will potentially not run well on lower specced / older machines. I do apologise if that is the case! Thanks to @Reg for graphical advice and hints, and @Boulderdash for playtesting - do note that I have done some work on this after testing and may have introduced new errors, so again, if you find issues, let me know Notes copied from the layout :
    30 points
  50. I raised a toast this afternoon to you Chris. Thank you for all your hard work. Steve
    30 points
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