I tried removing the es_input.cfg and re-setting them. The controller still went up from time to time in menus so I mashed up then clear, clear then up, hold up then clear, hold clear then up a few times (I don't actually know how the clear function works). All good now :-)

@BuZz I deleted the driver though, even sudo purge sixad

@caver01 thanks for such a quick reply, I thought this might be the case, and it would make sense to do the re-wiring to suit UAE4arm, before re-mapping MAME using your config suggestion!

@dansharpy said in Completely lost- noob warning!:

ok so ive just downloaded a different rom and put it in its relevant folder so think it may have been a problem with the rom download. Thanks for your help anyway!

What was the extension of the rom file you uploaded to your Pi? Open it and see if there are more files in it.

No, I have not access samba shares via the mac before. I do have file sharing enabled. arp -a returned the following
Kxxxxxx-Mxxxxxx-MacBook-Pro:~ kxxxxxxxxxxxxx$ arp -a
? (10.xxx.x.x) at f4:3e:9d:3:65:15 on en1 ifscope [ethernet]
? (10.xxx.xxx.xxx) at ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff on en1 ifscope [ethernet]
Kxxxxxx-Mxxxxxx-MacBook-Pro:~ kxxxxxxxxxxxxx$

it does not find the Pi

@spruce_m00se for using tons of db9 controllers i recommend either a vision-daptor or ultimate pc interface (upci is 2player version. Has some other controllers the vision-adapter doesnt have. Both made by the same person.) The master system also has the two extra pins as functiong buttons. They match the same button numbers as start and mode button on the genesis mode. He added these so i could use my db9 modified nes and turbografx/pc engine controllers. He makes some other controller adapters too. His adapters truly are the best i have ever used.

@Dominus yes. Google things like "retropie doom" and it tells you about replacing the wad file. Googling the others will tell you how to do it for quake and duke nukem 3d and wolfenstenstein 3d/spear of destiny. Plus tons of other doom engine/mods are explained how to do in the doom wiki

@jukeltruck
Glad you where able to figure this one out. I double checked my system and I already had libvlc5 installed. For others reading this, this is what you type in to install it:
sudo apt-get install libvlc5

@ret_1213

The files work fine for booting in... Basilisk on Mac.

If you haven't already, you'll also need to copy the information from ~/.basilisk_ii_prefs on your Mac to opt/retropie/configs/macintosh/basiliskii.cfg on the Pi.

I tried to remove the USB dongle for the mouse/keyboard today, and it resulted in a lot longer playing time before freeze. This freeze issue is definitely related to controller hookup!

I have had a weird experience 2 times... i let the frozen screen hang, and after a good while, the game resumes ?!?! Well, the controller connection is lost, even though the controller LEDs are still lit. If i turn off the controllers and turnthem back on again, they won't pair wih bluetooth.

But it means that i can maybe pull some log files - I'm just not experienced enough to know which logfile woud be relevant, and how to pull it. Maybe someone could help me out in this regard??

@Macaque said in Quick Mame Question:

Yes, with the .dat files, you can use a tool called 'clrmamepro' to create a new rom set which inlcudes only the roms listed in the .dat. The tool runs under windows rather than on the Pi itself.

Thank you. Just rebuilt me romset and everything is much cleaner :) gonna do the same for FBA next.

@Everett1954

I can always ask a generic controller question.

You can do so and someone may be able to help. However, you'll always be working at a disadvantage in regard to troubleshooting any problems going forward, as you will never be sure exactly what was changed in the image that could be a contributing factor. This will not only exhaust your own time, but also that of others trying to help you.

@herb_fargus the scraper only grabs metadata and box art, not wheel art or video snaps, correct? Thanks again for the quick replies you guys are the best.

@ChoccyHobNob unfortunately not that I know of. There has been some work done on enhanced filtering with a SQLite backend and system order may be part of that but I'm not sure where that's at, it's a large change and may be a while before implemented

@Meldrak have you checked out the option in the retropie setup? there is now an option in the retropie setup that first boot kodi and when exiting it starts up emulationstation.