FBA vs. MAME

markwkidd · 15 May 2018, 13:49

@markwkidd How do I file an issue report? I have a couple issues I found.

Also, I can't seem to pull up the Tab menu in mame2003+. Is there a different hotkey for the mame menu? I need to change some per game controls in there.

Great!

You can file issues in the github repository: https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro

There is also a new forum thread: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/17766/mame2003-plus-250-new-games-new-input-system-new-features-new-bugs

mame2003-plus's default input mode is retropad -- you can get into the MAME menu in retropad mode by pressing Select + X and toggling MAME Menu in the core options.

You can also change your input mode to mame_keyboard to switch to a traditional all-keyboard mode where the Tab will launch the MAME Menu.

finally, you can set the core option to simultaneous mode which will read inputs form the keyboard and from the retropad simultaneously, as in "classic" mame2003.

Loggahead · 15 May 2018, 14:35

@markwkidd Ah! Very cool! I'll play around with the Mame menu inside the retropad menu and see if I can do what I need to do there. Very cool! If I have to do the all-keyboard mode, will that mess with my controller mappings at all? I basically keep a keyboard behind my cabinet's coin door that I use when needed but my IPAC2 is programmed as 2 separate controllers instead of keyboard keys.

I'll get a couple of the issue submitted. Thanks for all of the help! I like where this 2003+ is going!

markwkidd · 15 May 2018, 14:50

@loggahead said in FBA vs. MAME:

@markwkidd Ah! Very cool! I'll play around with the Mame menu inside the retropad menu and see if I can do what I need to do there. Very cool! If I have to do the all-keyboard mode, will that mess with my controller mappings at all? I basically keep a keyboard behind my cabinet's coin door that I use when needed but my IPAC2 is programmed as 2 separate controllers instead of keyboard keys.

I'll get a couple of the issue submitted. Thanks for all of the help! I like where this 2003+ is going!

Nice, thanks!

The concept is that if you are using a retropad (including a keyboard or arcade controls seen that are set up as a retropad!) that you should be able to do anything you need to configure mame2003 without using the mame_keyboard at all.

mame_keyboard is really oriented towards people who have controls and other aspects of their configuration that are based around the legacy MAME keyboard interface. As the retropad mode improves, even those folks might be able to switch to retropad, but for the forseable future the mame_keyboard mode will be there so they can keep the workflow they're used to.

Do I understand right that you're saying you only use the keyboard for configuration? I'd appreciate it greatly if you could let me know if there are parts of your configuration you still can't reach without the mame_keyboard input being active.

Loggahead · 15 May 2018, 15:17

@markwkidd said in FBA vs. MAME:

you still can't reach without th

That is correct on the mame_keyboard. I ONLY use it if absolutely neccessary and that typically only happens when I need to modify a specific game's controls that isn't possible in the Quick Menu. For example, I needed to map Robotron on my cabinet to use my P2 joystick as the "P1 Right Joystick".

I'll start using the retropad menu and see if I come across any limitations.

grant2258 · 19 May 2018, 09:11

anyone else finding robocop is running bad on fba on retropie?

Darksavior · 19 May 2018, 09:57

@grant2258 I thought the opposite. Though the intro music does start a second later and not immediately like in mame2003, at least fba has sound effects for insert coin, when you obtain a gun, and probably other sound effects missing from mame2003. Also, I noticed mame2003 (I'm using plus) is a bit brighter than fba. I don't know which one has the correct brightness but I'll go with fba.

In terms of performance? I wouldn't know. My pi3b+'s at 1.5ghz.

FBA

Mame2003-plus

grant2258 · 19 May 2018, 10:11

@darksavior said in FBA vs. MAME:

ss

dont mean sound just performance you can adjust the brightness in 2003+

grant2258 · 19 May 2018, 13:17

hhmmm i think i will update my pi some neogeo games need a little boost as well 2+b 30 3+b is worth the update. Ill put lakka on the pi im using now. Pi hut here i come :D

robertvb83 · 19 May 2018, 19:18

@loggahead said in FBA vs. MAME:

@markwkidd said in FBA vs. MAME:

you still can't reach without th

That is correct on the mame_keyboard. I ONLY use it if absolutely neccessary and that typically only happens when I need to modify a specific game's controls that isn't possible in the Quick Menu. For example, I needed to map Robotron on my cabinet to use my P2 joystick as the "P1 Right Joystick".

I'll start using the retropad menu and see if I come across any limitations.

i just stumbled on this and now im very excitet. i searched the whole internet i thought this wasnt possible! can you help me please? im not sure if this is what you did... i have two zero delay arcade controllers (for 2 players). how exactly did you manage to configure robotron to use p2 Joystick as second Joystick for p1? i dont know how to use or what the mame keyboard is

markwkidd · 19 May 2018, 19:56

@robertvb83 are your zero delay encoders seen as a keyboard or as a gamepad?

robertvb83 · 19 May 2018, 20:52

@markwkidd they are each seen as a seperate gamepad
they are detected as dragonrise usb controllers in autoconfig

markwkidd · 19 May 2018, 20:56

@robertvb83 said in FBA vs. MAME:

@markwkidd they are each seen as a seperate gamepad

Great. I wanted to know what part of the code that this investigation would begin with.

Here's what I think is the situation: I don't think the code we have accommodates the Robotron input scheme but if you're willing to come over to github and work through it with me I believe there are at least two possible tidy approaches to solving this that are ultimately not going to take more than an hour or two to figure out.

Could you please post an issue in github with the words Robotron controls in the title? https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro/issues

grant2258 · 19 May 2018, 20:59

@markwkidd said in FBA vs. MAME:

the co

mark its the same controller as im using its a gamepad input :)

markwkidd · 19 May 2018, 21:02

@grant2258 said in FBA vs. MAME:

@markwkidd said in FBA vs. MAME:

the co

mark its the same controller as im using its a gamepad input :)

That can't hurt! @grant2258 this is what I mean by two possible ways to fix this:

I think there is some unused MAME code which we might be able to activate
Or we might just look at the MAME code and port/move it to the libretro input processing in mame2003.c

robertvb83 · 19 May 2018, 21:05

@markwkidd done git hub issue

i dont know what you are talking about, but please tell me what i can do to help :-)

UDb23 · 19 May 2018, 22:26

@robertvb83 said in FBA vs. MAME:

how exactly did you manage to configure robotron to use p2 Joystick as second Joystick for p1?

There is an option specific for dual joystick games in lr-mame 2003.

The other way to do that is to use the Mame TAB menu to remap input of joystick 2 to joystick 1 (gamepad 1 in your case). Have you tried already?

robertvb83 · 19 May 2018, 22:29

@udb23 the option in lr mame is not working for me because i use seperate usb controllers for p1 and p2...
however via mame menu i finally made it work!

@grant2258 oh my god you are right it is working! via mame menu i can assign the p2 buttons totally flexible. i did not know about this possibility i always used retroarch menu...
THANK YOU! i was close to giving up here after searching the compkete internet (grant was pointing me into that direction ib github issue discussion)
its so cool to play robotron now like its meant to be played!

markwkidd · 19 May 2018, 22:35

Sorry we're now hopping back and forth between here and github.

In conclusion @robertvb83 , do I understand correctly the "Right Stick to Buttons" option is not relevant to setting up the joystick on a player 2 for games like Robotron? (From its name I would have not expected so but sometimes things have different/additional functions . I have never used that core option!)

grant2258 · 20 May 2018, 01:16

@robertvb83 said in FBA vs. MAME:

@udb23 the option in lr mame is not working for me because i use seperate usb controllers for p1 and p2...
however via mame menu i finally made it work!

@grant2258 oh my god you are right it is working! via mame menu i can assign the p2 buttons totally flexible. i did not know about this possibility i always used retroarch menu...
THANK YOU! i was close to giving up here after searching the compkete internet (grant was pointing me into that direction ib github issue discussion)
its so cool to play robotron now like its meant to be played!

@markwkidd done you a solid he made this automatic for you. if you compile the source it will just work needs testing in other dual player player games though nice job mark!

to test you will need to delete your cfg/robotron.cfg

grant2258 · 20 May 2018, 03:09

@robertvb83 said in FBA vs. MAME:

@udb23 the option in lr mame is not working for me because i use seperate usb controllers for p1 and p2...
however via mame menu i finally made it work!

@grant2258 oh my god you are right it is working! via mame menu i can assign the p2 buttons totally flexible. i did not know about this possibility i always used retroarch menu...
THANK YOU! i was close to giving up here after searching the compkete internet (grant was pointing me into that direction ib github issue discussion)
its so cool to play robotron now like its meant to be played!

Yes this is one of my concerns of moving over to a complete retroarch input system.

It will rip apart a perfectly working flexable system (tab menu) and doesnt have the functionality to do all the options the mame tab can do(yet). Retroarch is also not very user friendly to remap easily imho but thats just my thoughts.

Im curious how fba handles this situation