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    Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

    Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Help and Support
    messoverheat
    31 Posts 7 Posters 4.1k Views
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    • mediamogulM
      mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
      last edited by

      @spudsmctoole

      I use it for Bally Astrocade and Fairchild Channel F. For their time, they were both very impressive systems. The version of Pac-Man for Astrovision is especially mind-blowing when you look at the other home alternatives.

      RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive

      S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • S
        SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
        last edited by

        @mediamogul How did you get the Astrocade to work?

        mediamogulM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • mediamogulM
          mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
          last edited by mediamogul

          @SpudsMcToole

          I used AdvanceMESS, which is installed alongside AdvanceMAME and I in-turn installed the Astrocade BIOS (astrocde.zip) to /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/rom/. Afterwards, I createad a directory named 'astrocade' at /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/ for the ROMs and then another directory named 'astrocade' at /opt/retropie/configs/ where I copied /opt/retropie/mame-advmame/advmess.rc, so the system could have its own unique config file. Also, in /opt/retropie/configs/, I created a emulators.cfg file with the following contents:

          astrocade-advmess = "/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/bin/advmess astrocde -cfg /opt/retropie/configs/astrocade/advmess.rc -cart %ROM%"
          default = "astrocade-advmess"
          

          Finally, I edited /opt/retropie/configs/all/emulationstation/es_systems.cfg to include:

              <name>astrocade</name>
              <fullname>Bally Astrocade</fullname>
              <path>/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/astrocade</path>
              <extension>.bin .BIN</extension>
              <command>/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 0 _SYS_ astrocade %ROM%</command>
              <platform>astrocade</platform>
              <theme>astrocade</theme>
            </system>
          

          That should do it, but below I'll also include my /opt/retropie/configs/astrocade/advmess.rc as a reference. There, you'll see a few settings that refine the picture and also setup analog control for the games that need it. All in all though, it's not too dissimilar from the settings you find in AdvanceMAME.

          debug_crash no
          debug_rawsound no
          debug_speedmark no
          device_alsa_device default
          device_alsa_mixer channel
          device_color_bgr15 yes
          device_color_bgr16 yes
          device_color_bgr24 yes
          device_color_bgr32 yes
          device_color_bgr8 yes
          device_color_palette8 yes
          device_color_yuy2 yes
          device_dpi_pclock_low 31250000
          device_hdmi_pclock_low 0
          device_joystick auto
          device_keyboard raw
          device_mouse auto
          device_raw_firstkeyhack no
          device_raw_mousedev[0] auto
          device_raw_mousedev[1] auto
          device_raw_mousedev[2] auto
          device_raw_mousedev[3] auto
          device_raw_mousetype[0] pnp
          device_raw_mousetype[1] pnp
          device_raw_mousetype[2] pnp
          device_raw_mousetype[3] pnp
          device_sdl_samples 512
          device_sound auto
          device_video auto
          device_video_cursor auto
          device_video_doublescan yes
          device_video_fastchange no
          device_video_interlace yes
          device_video_output auto
          device_video_overlaysize auto
          device_video_singlescan yes
          dir_artwork /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/artwork
          dir_crc /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/crc
          dir_diff /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/diff
          dir_hi /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/hi
          dir_image /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/image
          dir_inp /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/inp
          dir_memcard /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/memcard
          dir_nvram /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/nvram
          dir_rom /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/rom
          dir_sample /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/sample
          dir_snap /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/snap
          dir_sta /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/sta
          display_adjust none
          display_antialias yes
          display_artwork_backdrop yes
          display_artwork_bezel no
          display_artwork_crop yes
          display_artwork_overlay yes
          display_aspect auto
          display_beam 1
          display_brightness 1
          display_buffer no
          display_color auto
          display_expand 1.0
          display_flicker 0
          display_flipx no
          display_flipy no
          display_frameskip auto
          display_gamma 1
          display_intensity 1.5
          display_interlaceeffect none
          display_magnify auto
          display_magnifysize 640
          display_mode auto
          display_pausebrightness 1
          display_resize integer
          display_resizeeffect none
          display_restore yes
          display_rgbeffect none
          display_rol no
          display_ror no
          display_scanlines no
          display_skipcolumns auto
          display_skiplines auto
          display_translucency yes
          display_vsync yes
          include 
          input_hotkey yes
          input_idleexit 0
          input_map[event10] auto
          input_map[event11] auto
          input_map[event12] auto
          input_map[event13] auto
          input_map[event14] auto
          input_map[event1] auto
          input_map[event2] auto
          input_map[event3] auto
          input_map[event4] auto
          input_map[event5] auto
          input_map[event6] auto
          input_map[event7] auto
          input_map[event8] auto
          input_map[event9] auto
          input_map[key_0] auto
          input_map[key_1] auto
          input_map[key_2] auto
          input_map[key_3] auto
          input_map[key_4] auto
          input_map[key_5] auto
          input_map[key_6] auto
          input_map[key_7] auto
          input_map[key_8] auto
          input_map[key_9] auto
          input_map[key_a] auto
          input_map[key_again] auto
          input_map[key_alt] auto
          input_map[key_asterisk] auto
          input_map[key_b] auto
          input_map[key_back] auto
          input_map[key_backquote] auto
          input_map[key_backslash] auto
          input_map[key_backspace] auto
          input_map[key_break] auto
          input_map[key_c] auto
          input_map[key_capslock] auto
          input_map[key_closebrace] auto
          input_map[key_colon] auto
          input_map[key_comma] auto
          input_map[key_copy] auto
          input_map[key_ctrl] auto
          input_map[key_cut] auto
          input_map[key_d] auto
          input_map[key_del] auto
          input_map[key_diesis] auto
          input_map[key_doublequote] auto
          input_map[key_down] auto
          input_map[key_e] auto
          input_map[key_edit] auto
          input_map[key_end] auto
          input_map[key_enter] auto
          input_map[key_equals] auto
          input_map[key_esc] auto
          input_map[key_f10] auto
          input_map[key_f11] auto
          input_map[key_f12] auto
          input_map[key_f13] auto
          input_map[key_f14] auto
          input_map[key_f15] auto
          input_map[key_f16] auto
          input_map[key_f17] auto
          input_map[key_f18] auto
          input_map[key_f19] auto
          input_map[key_f1] auto
          input_map[key_f20] auto
          input_map[key_f21] auto
          input_map[key_f22] auto
          input_map[key_f23] auto
          input_map[key_f24] auto
          input_map[key_f2] auto
          input_map[key_f3] auto
          input_map[key_f4] auto
          input_map[key_f5] auto
          input_map[key_f6] auto
          input_map[key_f7] auto
          input_map[key_f8] auto
          input_map[key_f9] auto
          input_map[key_f] auto
          input_map[key_fctn] auto
          input_map[key_find] auto
          input_map[key_forward] auto
          input_map[key_g] auto
          input_map[key_graph] auto
          input_map[key_h] auto
          input_map[key_help] auto
          input_map[key_hold] auto
          input_map[key_home] auto
          input_map[key_i] auto
          input_map[key_ins] auto
          input_map[key_j] auto
          input_map[key_k] auto
          input_map[key_l] auto
          input_map[key_lalt] auto
          input_map[key_lctrl] auto
          input_map[key_left] auto
          input_map[key_less] auto
          input_map[key_lshift] auto
          input_map[key_m] auto
          input_map[key_menu] auto
          input_map[key_minus] auto
          input_map[key_move] auto
          input_map[key_n] auto
          input_map[key_numlock] auto
          input_map[key_o] auto
          input_map[key_open] auto
          input_map[key_openbrace] auto
          input_map[key_p] auto
          input_map[key_pad_0] auto
          input_map[key_pad_1] auto
          input_map[key_pad_2] auto
          input_map[key_pad_3] auto
          input_map[key_pad_4] auto
          input_map[key_pad_5] auto
          input_map[key_pad_6] auto
          input_map[key_pad_7] auto
          input_map[key_pad_8] auto
          input_map[key_pad_9] auto
          input_map[key_pad_asterisk] auto
          input_map[key_pad_colon] auto
          input_map[key_pad_diesis] auto
          input_map[key_pad_enter] auto
          input_map[key_pad_minus] auto
          input_map[key_pad_plus] auto
          input_map[key_pad_slash] auto
          input_map[key_paste] auto
          input_map[key_pause] auto
          input_map[key_period] auto
          input_map[key_pgdn] auto
          input_map[key_pgup] auto
          input_map[key_play] auto
          input_map[key_plus] auto
          input_map[key_pound] auto
          input_map[key_print] auto
          input_map[key_q] auto
          input_map[key_quickload] auto
          input_map[key_quote] auto
          input_map[key_r] auto
          input_map[key_ralt] auto
          input_map[key_rctrl] auto
          input_map[key_record] auto
          input_map[key_restore] auto
          input_map[key_rew] auto
          input_map[key_right] auto
          input_map[key_rshift] auto
          input_map[key_s] auto
          input_map[key_scrlock] auto
          input_map[key_semicolon] auto
          input_map[key_shift] auto
          input_map[key_slash] auto
          input_map[key_space] auto
          input_map[key_stop] auto
          input_map[key_store] auto
          input_map[key_t] auto
          input_map[key_tab] auto
          input_map[key_u] auto
          input_map[key_undo] auto
          input_map[key_up] auto
          input_map[key_v] auto
          input_map[key_w] auto
          input_map[key_x] auto
          input_map[key_y] auto
          input_map[key_z] auto
          input_map[p1_dialx] auto
          input_map[p1_dialy] auto
          input_map[p1_lightgunx] auto
          input_map[p1_lightguny] auto
          input_map[p1_mousex] auto
          input_map[p1_mousey] auto
          input_map[p1_paddlex] mouse[0,x] mouse[1,x] mouse[2,x]
          input_map[p1_paddley] mouse[0,x] mouse[1,x] mouse[2,x]
          input_map[p1_pedalbrake] auto
          input_map[p1_pedalgas] auto
          input_map[p1_pedalother] auto
          input_map[p1_stickx] auto
          input_map[p1_sticky] auto
          input_map[p1_stickz] auto
          input_map[p1_trackballx] auto
          input_map[p1_trackbally] auto
          input_map[p2_dialx] auto
          input_map[p2_dialy] auto
          input_map[p2_lightgunx] auto
          input_map[p2_lightguny] auto
          input_map[p2_mousex] auto
          input_map[p2_mousey] auto
          input_map[p2_paddlex] mouse[0,y] mouse[1,y] mouse[2,y]
          input_map[p2_paddley] mouse[0,y] mouse[1,y] mouse[2,y]
          input_map[p2_pedalbrake] auto
          input_map[p2_pedalgas] auto
          input_map[p2_pedalother] auto
          input_map[p2_stickx] auto
          input_map[p2_sticky] auto
          input_map[p2_stickz] auto
          input_map[p2_trackballx] auto
          input_map[p2_trackbally] auto
          input_map[p3_dialx] auto
          input_map[p3_dialy] auto
          input_map[p3_lightgunx] auto
          input_map[p3_lightguny] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_a] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_b] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_bet] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_c] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_chance] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_chi] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_d] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_double_up] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_e] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_f] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_flip_flop] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_g] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_h] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_i] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_j] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_k] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_kan] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_l] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_m] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_n] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_pon] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_reach] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_ron] auto
          input_map[p3_mahjong_score] auto
          input_map[p3_mousex] auto
          input_map[p3_mousey] auto
          input_map[p3_paddlex] auto
          input_map[p3_paddley] auto
          input_map[p3_pedalbrake] auto
          input_map[p3_pedalgas] auto
          input_map[p3_pedalother] auto
          input_map[p3_stickx] auto
          input_map[p3_sticky] auto
          input_map[p3_stickz] auto
          input_map[p3_trackballx] auto
          input_map[p3_trackbally] auto
          input_map[p4_dialx] auto
          input_map[p4_dialy] auto
          input_map[p4_lightgunx] auto
          input_map[p4_lightguny] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_a] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_b] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_bet] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_c] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_chance] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_chi] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_d] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_double_up] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_e] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_f] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_flip_flop] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_g] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_h] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_i] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_j] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_k] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_kan] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_l] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_m] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_n] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_pon] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_reach] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_ron] auto
          input_map[p4_mahjong_score] auto
          input_map[p4_mousex] auto
          input_map[p4_mousey] auto
          input_map[p4_paddlex] auto
          input_map[p4_paddley] auto
          input_map[p4_pedalbrake] auto
          input_map[p4_pedalgas] auto
          input_map[p4_pedalother] auto
          input_map[p4_stickx] auto
          input_map[p4_sticky] auto
          input_map[p4_stickz] auto
          input_map[p4_trackballx] auto
          input_map[p4_trackbally] auto
          input_map[safequit] auto
          input_map[service_coin5] auto
          input_map[service_coin6] auto
          input_map[service_coin7] auto
          input_map[service_coin8] auto
          input_steadykey no
          lcd_server none
          lcd_speed 4
          lcd_timeout 500
          misc_bios default
          misc_cheat no
          misc_cheatfile /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/misc/cheat.dat
          misc_difficulty none
          misc_eventdebug no
          misc_eventfile /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/misc/event.dat
          misc_freeplay no
          misc_hiscorefile /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/misc/hiscore.dat
          misc_lang none
          misc_languagefile /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/misc/english.lng
          misc_mutedemo no
          misc_quiet yes
          misc_ramsize auto
          misc_safequit no
          misc_smp yes
          misc_timetorun 0
          record_sound yes
          record_sound_time 15
          record_video yes
          record_video_interleave 2
          record_video_time 15
          script_coin1 
          script_coin2 
          script_coin3 
          script_coin4 
          script_emulation 
          script_event1 
          script_event10 
          script_event11 
          script_event12 
          script_event13 
          script_event14 
          script_event2 
          script_event3 
          script_event4 
          script_event5 
          script_event6 
          script_event7 
          script_event8 
          script_event9 
          script_knocker on(kdb, 0b100); wait(!event()); off(kdb, 0b100);
          script_led1 on(kdb, 0b1); wait(!event()); off(kdb, 0b1);
          script_led2 on(kdb, 0b10); wait(!event()); off(kdb, 0b10);
          script_led3 
          script_play 
          script_safequit 
          script_start1 
          script_start2 
          script_start3 
          script_start4 
          script_turbo while (event()) { toggle(kdb, 0b100); delay(100); } off(kdb, 0b100);
          script_video wait(!event()); set(kdb, 0);
          sound_adjust auto
          sound_equalizer_highvolume 0
          sound_equalizer_lowvolume 0
          sound_equalizer_midvolume 0
          sound_latency 0.05
          sound_mode auto
          sound_normalize yes
          sound_samplerate 44100
          sound_samples yes
          sound_volume -3
          sync_fps auto
          sync_resample auto
          sync_speed 1
          sync_startuptime auto
          sync_turbospeed 3
          ui_color[help_other] 000000 808080
          ui_color[help_p1] 000000 ffff00
          ui_color[help_p2] 000000 00ff00
          ui_color[help_p3] 000000 ff0000
          ui_color[help_p4] 000000 00ffff
          ui_color[interface] 000000 ffffff
          ui_color[select] 000000 afffff
          ui_color[tag] 247ef0 ffffff
          ui_font auto
          ui_fontsize auto
          ui_helpimage auto
          ui_translucency 0.8
          input_map[ui_pause] keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,a]
          input_map[ui_reset_machine] keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,b]
          input_map[ui_snapshot] keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,y]
          input_map[ui_save_state] keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,q]
          input_map[ui_load_state] keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,l]
          input_map[ui_configure] keyboard[0,tab] or keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,x]
          input_map[ui_up] keyboard[0,up]
          input_map[ui_down] keyboard[0,down]
          input_map[ui_left] keyboard[0,left]
          input_map[ui_right] keyboard[0,right]
          input_map[ui_select] keyboard[0,enter] or keyboard[0,a]
          input_map[ui_cancel] keyboard[0,esc] or keyboard[0,w] keyboard[0,t]
          input_map[p1_up] keyboard[0,up]
          input_map[p1_down] keyboard[0,down]
          input_map[p1_left] keyboard[0,left]
          input_map[p1_right] keyboard[0,right]
          input_map[p1_doubleright_up] 
          input_map[p1_doubleright_down] 
          input_map[p1_doubleright_left] 
          input_map[p1_doubleright_right] 
          input_map[p1_doubleleft_up] 
          input_map[p1_doubleleft_down] 
          input_map[p1_doubleleft_left] 
          input_map[p1_doubleleft_right] 
          input_map[p1_button1] keyboard[0,b]
          input_map[p1_button2] 
          input_map[p1_button3] 
          input_map[p1_button4] 
          input_map[p1_button5] 
          input_map[p1_button6] 
          input_map[p1_button7] 
          input_map[p1_button8] 
          input_map[p1_button9] 
          input_map[p1_button10] 
          input_map[p1_start] 
          input_map[p1_select] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_a] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_b] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_c] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_d] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_e] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_f] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_g] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_h] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_i] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_j] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_k] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_l] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_m] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_n] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_kan] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_pon] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_chi] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_reach] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_ron] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_bet] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_chance] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_score] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_double_up] 
          input_map[p1_mahjong_flip_flop] 
          input_map[p2_up] keyboard[0,3_pad]
          input_map[p2_down] keyboard[0,4_pad]
          input_map[p2_left] keyboard[0,1_pad]
          input_map[p2_right] keyboard[0,2_pad]
          input_map[p2_button1] keyboard[0,6_pad]
          input_map[p2_button2] 
          input_map[p2_button3] 
          input_map[p2_button4] 
          input_map[p2_button5] 
          input_map[p2_button6] 
          input_map[p2_button7] 
          input_map[p2_button8] 
          input_map[p2_button9] 
          input_map[p2_button10] 
          input_map[p2_start] 
          input_map[p2_select] 
          astrocde/input_setting[p1_paddlex] keydelta:20,centerdelta:20,sensitivity:20,reverse:1
          astrocde/input_setting[p2_paddlex] keydelta:20,centerdelta:20,sensitivity:20,reverse:0
          astrocde[home_pi_retropie_roms_astrocade_bally_pinball]/input_map[p1_button1] keyboard[0,l]
          astrocde[home_pi_retropie_roms_astrocade_bally_pinball]/input_map[p2_button1] keyboard[0,q]
          astrocde[home_pi_retropie_roms_astrocade_bally_pinball]/input_map[p2_down] keyboard[0,b]
          
          

          RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive

          S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • S
            SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
            last edited by SpudsMcToole

            @mediamogul Cheers for that, but it's not working for me - I get dumped straight back to the Retropie menu for every ROM, not even going through the MESS splash screens first.

            I'd already figured most of it out for a couple of other systems, as noted here:

            https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/19816/getting-control-inputs-to-work-in-advmess

            ...but for the Astrocade with your files above I'm not even getting as far as I did with those - the BBC and Astrovision do at least both boot to their respective systems, I just can't get any sort of input to register.

            I've got every conceivable BIOS file and variant in the directory you specified, called ASTROCADE.ZIP, ASTROCDE.ZIP, ASTROCDW.ZIP, ASTRO.BIN and BIOSWHIT.BIN. I've got all the game files in .BIN format in the usual ROMS directory in a folder called ASTROCADE.

            Can I just check a couple of things quickly to see if I can get to the bottom of it?

            (1) When you say "in /opt/retropie/configs/, I created a emulators.cfg file with the following contents:", do you mean just in the root CONFIGS folder, or inside the CONFIGS/ASTROCADE folder? (I've tried both with no discernible difference, but it'd be good to rule it out as the possible problem source.)

            (2) In the line astrocade-advmess = "/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/bin/advmess astrocde -cfg (etc), is that spelling at the end ("astrocde" with no "a") correct? (Same again, have tried both ways but just trying to narrow things down.)

            (3) When you say to put the BIOS files in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/rom/, is that right? I've been putting the other ones in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/rom. (Once again, have tried both.)

            mediamogulM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • mediamogulM
              mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
              last edited by mediamogul

              @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

              (1)

              The files should be located at /opt/retropie/configs/astrocade/emulators.cfg and /opt/retropie/configs/astrocade/advmess.rc

              (2)

              It is spelled right there. That argument is meant to specify the driver that AdvanceMESS will use. It also means that I made a typo when referencing the BIOS name, which should be astrocde.zip. I'll correct it above.

              (3)

              The path that AdvanceMAME will check for its BIOS files is specified in the advmess.rc. You should check yours to see what it's set to, but I would advise the path be different than your MAME files so that it's easier to manage separately.

              RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive

              S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • S
                SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
                last edited by SpudsMcToole

                @mediamogul said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                The path that AdvanceMAME will check for its BIOS files is specified in the advmess.rc. You should check yours to see what it's set to, but I would advise the path be different than your MAME files so that it's easier to manage separately.

                Which path? dir_image? dir_rom?

                Otherwise I'm perplexed. I'm doing everything you say and I've got all the files where they should be and I'm still getting dumped straight back to the menu. I can't find anything different that I'm doing to what I'm doing with the BBC and Arcadia setups, but those are working except for inputs.

                For clarity:

                (1) I've copied your emulator.cfg file and put it in /opt/retropie/configs/astrocade/

                (2) I've copied your advmess.rc file and put it in the same folder.

                (3) I've copied your lines for es_systems.cfg and added them into mine.

                (4) I've got astrocde.zip, containing astro.bin, in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/rom (and also in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-advmame/advmess/rom)

                (5) I've got my game ROMs as unzipped BIN files in /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/astrocade

                But I don't even get as far as the MESS warning screens.

                mediamogulM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • mediamogulM
                  mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
                  last edited by mediamogul

                  @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                  Which path? dir_image? dir_rom?

                  dir_rom

                  But I don't even get as far as the MESS warning screens.

                  After it fails to launch, post the contents of your /dev/shm/runcommand.log to pastebin.com and let's see if we can't find where the breakdown is happening.

                  RetroPie v4.5 • RPi3 Model B • 5.1V 2.5A PSU • 16GB SanDisk microSD • 512GB External Drive

                  S 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • S
                    SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
                    last edited by SpudsMcToole

                    @mediamogul Okay, huge breakthrough, thanks to the tried and tested "flail around hitting buttons at random and see what happens" method.

                    When I use this as the .RC file:

                    debug_crash no
                    debug_rawsound no
                    debug_speedmark no
                    
                    device_alsa_device default
                    device_alsa_mixer channel
                    device_color_bgr15 yes
                    device_color_bgr16 yes
                    device_color_bgr24 yes
                    device_color_bgr32 yes
                    device_color_bgr8 yes
                    device_color_palette8 no
                    device_color_yuy2 no
                    
                    device_joystick auto
                    device_keyboard sdl
                    device_mouse auto
                    
                    device_raw_firstkeyhack no
                    device_raw_mousedev[0] auto
                    device_raw_mousedev[1] auto
                    device_raw_mousedev[2] auto
                    device_raw_mousedev[3] auto
                    device_raw_mousetype[0] pnp
                    device_raw_mousetype[1] pnp
                    device_raw_mousetype[2] pnp
                    device_raw_mousetype[3] pnp
                    
                    device_sdl_samples 512
                    device_sound auto
                    
                    device_video sdl
                    device_video_cursor auto
                    device_video_doublescan yes
                    device_video_fastchange yes
                    device_video_interlace no
                    device_video_output overlay
                    device_video_overlaysize 0
                    device_video_singlescan no
                    device_video_clock 10 - 150 / 30.5 - 60 / 55 - 130
                    
                    dir_artwork /home/pi/.advance/artwork:/usr/local/share/advance/artwork:/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/share/advance/artwork
                    dir_crc /home/pi/.advance/crc
                    dir_diff /home/pi/.advance/diff
                    dir_hi /home/pi/.advance/hi
                    dir_image /home/pi/.advance/image:/usr/local/share/advance/image:/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/share/advance/image:/opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/image:/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/bbcmicro
                    dir_inp /home/pi/.advance/inp
                    dir_memcard /home/pi/.advance/memcard
                    dir_nvram /home/pi/.advance/nvram
                    dir_rom /home/pi/.advance/rom:/usr/local/share/advance/rom:/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/share/advance/rom:/opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/rom
                    dir_sample /home/pi/.advance/sample:/usr/local/share/advance/sample:/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame/share/advance/sample
                    dir_snap /home/pi/.advance/snap
                    dir_sta /home/pi/.advance/sta
                    
                    display_adjust none
                    display_antialias no
                    display_artwork_backdrop no
                    display_artwork_bezel no
                    display_artwork_crop no
                    display_artwork_overlay no
                    display_beam 1
                    display_brightness 1
                    display_buffer no
                    display_color auto
                    
                    # Below widens the screen to 16:9
                    # display_expand 1.35
                    
                    display_flicker 0
                    display_flipx no
                    display_flipy no
                    display_frameskip auto
                    display_gamma 1
                    display_intensity 1.5
                    display_interlaceeffect none
                    display_magnify auto
                    display_magnifysize 640
                    display_mode auto
                    display_pausebrightness 1
                    display_resize fractional
                    display_resizeeffect none
                    display_restore no
                    display_rgbeffect none
                    display_rol no
                    display_ror no
                    display_scanlines no
                    display_skipcolumns auto
                    display_skiplines auto
                    display_translucency no
                    display_vsync yes
                    
                    include 
                    input_hotkey yes
                    input_idleexit 0
                    input_map[event10] auto
                    input_map[event11] auto
                    input_map[event12] auto
                    input_map[event13] auto
                    input_map[event14] auto
                    input_map[event1] auto
                    input_map[event2] auto
                    input_map[event3] auto
                    input_map[event4] auto
                    input_map[event5] auto
                    input_map[event6] auto
                    input_map[event7] auto
                    input_map[event8] auto
                    input_map[event9] auto
                    
                    input_map[key_0] joystick_button[0,18] or keyboard[0,0]
                    input_map[key_1] joystick_button[0,8]  or keyboard[0,1]
                    input_map[key_2] joystick_button[0,9]  or keyboard[0,2]
                    input_map[key_3] joystick_button[0,10] or keyboard[0,3]
                    input_map[key_4] joystick_button[0,11] or keyboard[0,4]
                    input_map[key_5] joystick_button[0,12] or keyboard[0,5]
                    input_map[key_6] joystick_button[0,13] or keyboard[0,6]
                    input_map[key_7] joystick_button[0,14] or keyboard[0,7]
                    input_map[key_8] joystick_button[0,15] or keyboard[0,8]
                    input_map[key_9] joystick_button[0,16] or keyboard[0,9]
                    
                    input_map[key_a] auto
                    input_map[key_again] auto
                    input_map[key_alt] auto
                    input_map[key_asterisk] auto
                    input_map[key_b] auto
                    input_map[key_back] auto
                    input_map[key_backquote] auto
                    input_map[key_backslash] auto
                    input_map[key_backspace] auto
                    input_map[key_break] auto
                    input_map[key_c] auto
                    input_map[key_capslock] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,1] or keyboard[0,capslock]
                    input_map[key_closebrace] auto
                    input_map[key_colon] auto
                    input_map[key_comma] auto
                    input_map[key_copy] auto
                    input_map[key_ctrl] auto
                    input_map[key_cut] auto
                    input_map[key_d] auto
                    input_map[key_del] joystick_button[0,17] or keyboard[0,del] or keyboard[0,backspace]
                    input_map[key_diesis] auto
                    input_map[key_doublequote] auto
                    input_map[key_down] auto
                    input_map[key_e] auto
                    input_map[key_edit] auto
                    input_map[key_end] auto
                    input_map[key_enter] joystick_button[0,19] or keyboard[0,enter]
                    input_map[key_equals] auto
                    input_map[key_esc] auto
                    input_map[key_f10] auto
                    input_map[key_f11] auto
                    input_map[key_f12] auto
                    input_map[key_f13] auto
                    input_map[key_f14] auto
                    input_map[key_f15] auto
                    input_map[key_f16] auto
                    input_map[key_f17] auto
                    input_map[key_f18] auto
                    input_map[key_f19] auto
                    input_map[key_f1] auto
                    input_map[key_f20] auto
                    input_map[key_f21] auto
                    input_map[key_f22] auto
                    input_map[key_f23] auto
                    input_map[key_f24] auto
                    input_map[key_f2] auto
                    input_map[key_f3] auto
                    input_map[key_f4] auto
                    input_map[key_f5] auto
                    input_map[key_f6] auto
                    input_map[key_f7] auto
                    input_map[key_f8] auto
                    input_map[key_f9] auto
                    input_map[key_f] auto
                    input_map[key_fctn] auto
                    input_map[key_find] auto
                    input_map[key_forward] auto
                    input_map[key_g] auto
                    input_map[key_graph] auto
                    input_map[key_h] auto
                    input_map[key_help] auto
                    input_map[key_hold] auto
                    input_map[key_home] auto
                    input_map[key_i] auto
                    input_map[key_ins] auto
                    input_map[key_j] auto
                    input_map[key_k] auto
                    input_map[key_l] auto
                    input_map[key_lalt] auto
                    input_map[key_lctrl] auto
                    input_map[key_left] auto
                    input_map[key_less] auto
                    input_map[key_lshift] keyboard[0,lshift] or joystick_button[0079_0006_3,2]
                    input_map[key_m] auto
                    input_map[key_menu] auto
                    input_map[key_minus] auto
                    input_map[key_move] auto
                    input_map[key_n] auto
                    input_map[key_numlock] auto
                    input_map[key_o] auto
                    input_map[key_open] auto
                    input_map[key_openbrace] auto
                    input_map[key_p] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_0] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_1] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_2] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_3] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_4] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_5] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_6] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_7] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_8] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_9] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_asterisk] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_colon] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_diesis] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_enter] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_minus] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_plus] auto
                    input_map[key_pad_slash] auto
                    input_map[key_paste] auto
                    input_map[key_pause] auto
                    input_map[key_period] auto
                    input_map[key_pgdn] auto
                    input_map[key_pgup] auto
                    input_map[key_play] auto
                    input_map[key_plus] auto
                    input_map[key_pound] auto
                    input_map[key_print] auto
                    input_map[key_q] auto
                    input_map[key_quickload] auto
                    input_map[key_quote] auto
                    input_map[key_r] auto
                    input_map[key_ralt] auto
                    input_map[key_rctrl] auto
                    input_map[key_record] auto
                    input_map[key_restore] auto
                    input_map[key_rew] auto
                    input_map[key_right] auto
                    input_map[key_rshift] keyboard[0,rshift]
                    input_map[key_s] auto
                    input_map[key_scrlock] auto
                    input_map[key_semicolon] auto
                    input_map[key_shift] auto
                    input_map[key_slash] auto
                    input_map[key_space] auto
                    input_map[key_stop] auto
                    input_map[key_store] auto
                    input_map[key_t] auto
                    input_map[key_tab] auto
                    input_map[key_u] auto
                    input_map[key_undo] auto
                    input_map[key_up] auto
                    input_map[key_v] auto
                    input_map[key_w] auto
                    input_map[key_x] auto
                    input_map[key_y] auto
                    input_map[key_z] auto
                    input_map[p1_dialx] auto
                    input_map[p1_dialy] auto
                    input_map[p1_lightgunx] auto
                    input_map[p1_lightguny] auto
                    input_map[p1_mousex] auto
                    input_map[p1_mousey] auto
                    input_map[p1_paddlex] auto
                    input_map[p1_paddley] auto
                    input_map[p1_pedalbrake] auto
                    input_map[p1_pedalgas] auto
                    input_map[p1_pedalother] auto
                    input_map[p1_stickx] auto
                    input_map[p1_sticky] auto
                    input_map[p1_stickz] auto
                    input_map[p1_trackballx] auto
                    input_map[p1_trackbally] auto
                    input_map[p2_dialx] auto
                    input_map[p2_dialy] auto
                    input_map[p2_lightgunx] auto
                    input_map[p2_lightguny] auto
                    input_map[p2_mousex] auto
                    input_map[p2_mousey] auto
                    input_map[p2_paddlex] auto
                    input_map[p2_paddley] auto
                    input_map[p2_pedalbrake] auto
                    input_map[p2_pedalgas] auto
                    input_map[p2_pedalother] auto
                    input_map[p2_stickx] auto
                    input_map[p2_sticky] auto
                    input_map[p2_stickz] auto
                    input_map[p2_trackballx] auto
                    input_map[p2_trackbally] auto
                    input_map[p3_dialx] auto
                    input_map[p3_dialy] auto
                    input_map[p3_lightgunx] auto
                    input_map[p3_lightguny] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_a] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_b] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_bet] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_c] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_chance] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_chi] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_d] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_double_up] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_e] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_f] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_flip_flop] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_g] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_h] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_i] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_j] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_k] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_kan] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_l] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_m] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_n] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_pon] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_reach] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_ron] auto
                    input_map[p3_mahjong_score] auto
                    input_map[p3_mousex] auto
                    input_map[p3_mousey] auto
                    input_map[p3_paddlex] auto
                    input_map[p3_paddley] auto
                    input_map[p3_pedalbrake] auto
                    input_map[p3_pedalgas] auto
                    input_map[p3_pedalother] auto
                    input_map[p3_stickx] auto
                    input_map[p3_sticky] auto
                    input_map[p3_stickz] auto
                    input_map[p3_trackballx] auto
                    input_map[p3_trackbally] auto
                    input_map[p4_dialx] auto
                    input_map[p4_dialy] auto
                    input_map[p4_lightgunx] auto
                    input_map[p4_lightguny] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_a] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_b] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_bet] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_c] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_chance] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_chi] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_d] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_double_up] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_e] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_f] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_flip_flop] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_g] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_h] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_i] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_j] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_k] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_kan] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_l] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_m] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_n] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_pon] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_reach] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_ron] auto
                    input_map[p4_mahjong_score] auto
                    input_map[p4_mousex] auto
                    input_map[p4_mousey] auto
                    input_map[p4_paddlex] auto
                    input_map[p4_paddley] auto
                    input_map[p4_pedalbrake] auto
                    input_map[p4_pedalgas] auto
                    input_map[p4_pedalother] auto
                    input_map[p4_stickx] auto
                    input_map[p4_sticky] auto
                    input_map[p4_stickz] auto
                    input_map[p4_trackballx] auto
                    input_map[p4_trackbally] auto
                    input_map[safequit] auto
                    input_map[service_coin5] auto
                    input_map[service_coin6] auto
                    input_map[service_coin7] auto
                    input_map[service_coin8] auto
                    input_map[ui_cancel] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,8] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,10] or keyboard[0,f7]
                    input_map[ui_mode_next] keyboard[0,f24]
                    input_map[ui_mode_pred] keyboard[0,f24]
                    input_map[ui_reset_machine] joystick_button[0079_0006,4] or joystick_button[0079_0006_2,4] or keyboard[0,f9]
                    input_map[ui_toggle_debug] keyboard[0,f24]
                    
                    input_steadykey no
                    
                    lcd_server none
                    lcd_speed 4
                    lcd_timeout 500
                    
                    misc_bios default
                    misc_cheat no
                    misc_cheatfile cheat.dat
                    misc_difficulty none
                    misc_eventdebug no
                    misc_eventfile event.dat
                    misc_freeplay no
                    misc_hiscorefile hiscore.dat
                    misc_lang none
                    misc_languagefile english.lng
                    misc_mutedemo no
                    misc_quiet yes
                    misc_ramsize auto
                    misc_safequit no
                    misc_smp no
                    misc_timetorun 0
                    
                    record_sound no
                    record_sound_time 15
                    record_video no
                    record_video_interleave 2
                    record_video_time 15
                    
                    script_coin1 
                    script_coin2 
                    script_coin3 
                    script_coin4 
                    script_emulation 
                    script_event1 
                    script_event10 
                    script_event11 
                    script_event12 
                    script_event13 
                    script_event14 
                    script_event2 
                    script_event3 
                    script_event4 
                    script_event5 
                    script_event6 
                    script_event7 
                    script_event8 
                    script_event9 
                    script_led1 on(kdb, 0b1); wait(!event()); off(kdb, 0b1);
                    script_led2 on(kdb, 0b10); wait(!event()); off(kdb, 0b10);
                    script_led3 
                    script_play 
                    script_safequit 
                    script_start1 
                    script_start2 
                    script_start3 
                    script_start4 
                    script_turbo while (event()) { toggle(kdb, 0b100); delay(100); } off(kdb, 0b100);
                    script_video wait(!event()); set(kdb, 0);
                    
                    sound_adjust auto
                    sound_equalizer_highvolume 0
                    sound_equalizer_lowvolume 0
                    sound_equalizer_midvolume 0
                    sound_latency 0.05
                    sound_mode auto
                    sound_normalize yes
                    sound_samplerate 44100
                    sound_samples yes
                    sound_volume 0
                    
                    sync_fps auto
                    sync_resample auto
                    sync_speed 1
                    sync_startuptime auto
                    sync_turbospeed 3
                    
                    ui_color[help_other] 000000 808080
                    ui_color[help_p1] 000000 ffff00
                    ui_color[help_p2] 000000 00ff00
                    ui_color[help_p3] 000000 ff0000
                    ui_color[help_p4] 000000 00ffff
                    ui_color[interface] 000000 ffffff
                    ui_color[select] 000000 afffff
                    ui_color[tag] 247ef0 ffffff
                    ui_font auto
                    ui_fontsize auto
                    ui_helpimage auto
                    ui_translucency 0.8
                    
                    280x210/display_resize fractional
                    320x192/display_mode sdl_1824x984
                    320x192/display_resize fractional
                    320x192x59/display_mode sdl_1824x984
                    320x192x59/display_resize fractional
                    336x225/display_mode sdl_416x288
                    336x225/display_resize fractional
                    320x204/display_mode sdl_1920x1080
                    320x204/display_resize fractional
                    800x300x50/display_mode generate-double
                    
                    bbcbp128[home_pi_retropie_roms_bbcmicrochuckieegg_chuckie]/script_play delay(750); simulate_key(key_scrlock,75); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_i,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_n,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_space,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_u,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_k,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_i,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_e,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_space,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_e,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_g,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_g,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_enter,75); delay(75);
                    
                    bbcbp128[home_pi_retropie_roms_bbcmicroelite_elite]/script_play delay(750); simulate_key(key_scrlock,75); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_i,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_n,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_space,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_l,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_o,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_d,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_enter,75); delay(75);
                    
                    bbcbp128[home_pi_retropie_roms_bbcmicroplanetoid_planetoid]/script_play delay(750); simulate_key(key_scrlock,75); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_i,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_n,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_space,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_l,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_o,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_d,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_enter,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_scrlock,75); delay(75);
                    
                    bbcbp128[home_pi_retropie_roms_bbcmicrothrust_thrust]/script_play delay(750); simulate_key(key_scrlock,75); simulate_key(key_c,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_a,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_i,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_n,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_space,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_t,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_h,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_r,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_u,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_s,75); delay(75); simulate_key(key_t,75); delay(200); simulate_key(key_lshift,200); simulate_key(key_2,50); delay(200); simulate_key(key_enter,75); delay(75);
                    
                    input_map[p1_up] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,0] or keyboard[0,up]
                    input_map[p1_down] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,1] or keyboard[0,down]
                    input_map[p1_left] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,1] or keyboard[0,left]
                    input_map[p1_right] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,0] or keyboard[0,right]
                    input_map[p1_start] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,7] or keyboard[0,1]
                    input_map[p1_select] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,7] or keyboard[0,5]
                    input_map[p2_up] joystick_digital[0079_0006,0,0,0] or keyboard[0,r]
                    input_map[p2_down] joystick_digital[0079_0006,0,0,1] or keyboard[0,f]
                    input_map[p2_left] joystick_digital[0079_0006,0,1,1] or keyboard[0,d]
                    input_map[p2_right] joystick_digital[0079_0006,0,1,0] or keyboard[0,g]
                    input_map[p2_button1] joystick_button[0079_0006,1] or keyboard[0,a]
                    input_map[p2_button2] joystick_button[0079_0006,3] or keyboard[0,s]
                    input_map[p2_button3] joystick_button[0079_0006,5] or keyboard[0,q]
                    input_map[p2_button4] joystick_button[0079_0006,0] or keyboard[0,w]
                    input_map[p2_button5] joystick_button[0079_0006,2]
                    input_map[p2_button6] 
                    input_map[p2_button7] 
                    input_map[p2_button8] 
                    input_map[p2_button9] 
                    input_map[p2_button10] 
                    input_map[p2_start] joystick_button[0079_0006,4] or joystick_button[0079_0006_3,10] or keyboard[0,2]
                    input_map[p2_select] joystick_button[0079_0006,4] or joystick_button[0079_0006_3,10] or keyboard[0,6]
                    input_map[ui_up] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,0] or keyboard[0,up]
                    input_map[ui_down] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,1] or keyboard[0,down]
                    input_map[ui_left] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,1] or keyboard[0,left]
                    input_map[ui_right] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,0] or keyboard[0,right]
                    input_map[ui_select] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,2] or keyboard[0,enter]
                    input_map[ui_record_start] 
                    input_map[ui_record_stop] 
                    
                    

                    ...(almost) everything miraculously works! I have keyboard access on BBC, and it also works for the Arcadia and Astrocade (although not, bizarrely, Fairchild Channel F).

                    The only tiny problem left with the BBC is that because Tab is a key on the BBC keyboard, MESS doesn't recognise it for accessing the menu, and I can't figure out how to fix it because the keyboard map code is all incomprehensible bollocks like this:

                    input_map[key_tab] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,1]
                    

                    Which is annoying, because if I could figure out the maps I could either enable Tab and set controls via the menu, or just set the joystick directly in the RC file to Z, X, /, : and Return and take care of about 90% of BBC games straight away.

                    (I've tried pasting in the line from the Astrocade RC file after I've mapped Tab to a joystick button, which is this:

                    input_map[ui_configure] keyboard[0,tab] or joystick_button[0079_0011_2,7]
                    

                    but that doesn't seem to do anything in the BBC file.)

                    But yeah, otherwise that RC file is the Rosetta Stone and I have no clue why.

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                    • mediamogulM
                      mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
                      last edited by

                      @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                      The only tiny problem left with the BBC is that because Tab is a key on the BBC keyboard, MESS doesn't recognise it for accessing the menu

                      You might try something like:

                      input_map[key_tab] keyboard[0,tab]
                      input_map[ui_configure] keyboard[0,lalt] keyboard[0,tab] or keyboard[0,ralt] keyboard[0,tab]
                      

                      In theory that would allow the BBC environment to use the 'Tab' key as its own, while the config menu would be invoked by either 'LeftAlt+Tab' or 'RightAlt+Tab'.

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                      • S
                        SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
                        last edited by

                        @mediamogul Hmm, nope. Adding those lines has no discernible effect - pressing either Alt with Tab just acts like a normal BBC tab.

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                        • ?
                          A Former User
                          last edited by

                          I would like to thank mediamogul. Those Astrocade instructions worked perferct.
                          Just one thing to add to the advmess.rc, this for joystick support.
                          Scroll down to these lines and make sure they look like so.

                          input_map[p1_up] auto
                          input_map[p1_down] auto
                          input_map[p1_left] auto
                          input_map[p1_right] auto
                          input_map[p1_button1] auto
                          input_map[p1_button2] auto
                          input_map[p1_button3] auto
                          input_map[p1_button4] auto
                          input_map[p1_button5] auto
                          input_map[p1_button6] auto
                          input_map[p1_button7] auto
                          input_map[p1_button8] auto
                          input_map[p1_button9] auto
                          input_map[p1_button10] auto
                          input_map[p1_start] auto
                          input_map[p1_select] auto

                          That should work for whatever controller you are using for player 1.
                          One thing that I noticed was that the actual emulation wasn't very good. Lots of flickering, and often garbled sprites can be seen ,on some games, at the top of the screen. The sound was also a bit crackly, popping, and other weird sounds. I used the same Advmess as the original instruction, so perhaps a newer version has many fixes.
                          Off to try BBC emulation, and a few other systems.

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                          • mediamogulM
                            mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
                            last edited by mediamogul

                            @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                            Alt with Tab just acts like a normal BBC tab.

                            Ha! Well, that was me assuming that 'Alt' wasn't used in the BBC environment, but if it is, it would just put you back at square one. I've run into this before with other emulated computer systems that map the majority of the keyboard. While there might be a more elegant solution out there, I ended up mapping keys for emulator functions that weren't used in the emulated environment. Normally, I'd say to open up the options menu to discover which keys aren't already being used, but in your case you can't open up the options menu to check. If your physical keyboard has media controls, I doubt they would be in use here. For example, you might try using:

                            input_map[ui_configure] keyboard[0,playpause]
                            

                            @John_RM_70

                            That should work for whatever controller you are using for player 1.

                            Those are indeed likely to be the sanest default settings. One word of warning however, is that when set to 'auto', AdvanceMAME/MESS will grab whatever controller is assigned by the OS as js0 and js1 for players one and two respectively and so on down the line. Seeing as how this assignment often varies between sessions, it can create issues with setups that require the player controls to remain constant.

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                              SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
                              last edited by

                              @mediamogul said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                              @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                              Alt with Tab just acts like a normal BBC tab.

                              Ha! Well, that was me assuming that 'Alt' wasn't used in the BBC environment, but if it is, it would just put you back at square one. I've run into this before with other computer systems that map the majority of the keyboard. While there might be a more elegant solution out there, I ended up mapping keys for emulator functions that weren't used in the emulation environment. Normally, I'd say to open up the options menu to discover which keys aren't already being used, but in your case you can't open up the options menu to check. If your physical keyboard has media controls, I doubt they would be in use. For example, you might try using:

                              input_map[ui_configure] keyboard[0,playpause]
                              

                              Sadly my keyboard is a basic one with nothing like that. But the BBC doesn't have an Alt key, so goodness knows what's going on.

                              https://acorn.huininga.nl/pub/software/BeebEm/BeebEm-4.14.68000-20160619/Help/keyboard.jpg

                              I've tried everything I can think of in terms of editing the RC file manually, both trying to get the menus up and trying to hardcode the joystick to keys, especially around these lines:

                              input_map[p1_up] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,0] or keyboard[0,up]
                              input_map[p1_down] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,0,1] or keyboard[0,down]
                              input_map[p1_left] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,1] or keyboard[0,left]
                              input_map[p1_right] joystick_digital[0079_0006_3,0,1,0] or keyboard[0,right]
                              input_map[p1_start] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,7] or keyboard[0,1]
                              input_map[p1_select] joystick_button[0079_0006_3,7] or keyboard[0,5]
                              

                              but nothing has any effect. I know people HAVE managed to get the MESS menu up in the BBC emulator, but Lord knows how they did it.

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                              • mediamogulM
                                mediamogul Global Moderator @SpudsMcToole
                                last edited by mediamogul

                                @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                                BBC doesn't have an Alt key, so goodness knows what's going on.

                                Still, it may be using the 'Alt' key as a stand-in for some other key. If you could find one key that isn't being used, you should be able to access the menu. Below is a list of all the available options.

                                a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z, n0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0_pad, 1_pad, 2_pad, 3_pad, 4_pad, 5_pad, 6_pad, 7_pad, 8_pad, 9_pad, f1, f2, f3, f4, f5, f6, f7, f8, f9, f10, f11, f12, esc, backquote, minus, equals, backspace, tab, openbrace, closebrace, enter, semicolon, quote, backslash, less, comma, period, slash, space, insert, del, home, end, pgup, pgdn, left, right, up, down, slash_pad, asterisk_pad, minus_pad, plus_pad, period_pad, enter_pad, prtscr, pause, lshift, rshift, lcontrol, rcontrol, lalt, ralt, lwin, rwin, menu, scrlock, numlock, capslock, stop, again, props, undo, front, copy, open, paste, find, cut, help, calc, setup, sleep, wakeup, file, sendfile, deletefile, xfer, prog1, prog2, www, msdos, coffee, direction, cyclewindows, mail, bookmarks, computer, back, forward, closecd, ejectcd, ejectclosecd, nextsong, playpause, previoussong, stopcd, record, rewind, phone, iso, config, homepage, refresh, exit, move, edit, scrollup, scrolldown, leftparen_pad, rightparen_pad, intl1, intl2, intl3, intl4, intl5, intl6, intl7, intl8, intl9, lang1, lang2, lang3, lang4, lang5, lang6, lang7, lang8, lang9, playcd, pausecd, prog3, prog4, suspend, close, brightnessdown, brightnessup, macro, mute, volumedown, volumeup, power, compose, f13, f14, f15, f16, f17, f18, f19, f20, f21, f22, f23, f24

                                EDIT: Anyone know what the 'coffee' key is?

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                                • ?
                                  A Former User
                                  last edited by

                                  Got it working great.
                                  Followed Spud11's post, and partly mediamogul's astrocade posts.
                                  Just fired up Planetoid, looks good.
                                  Tried a few bbc disk commands, and they too worked - *cat, *!boot , etc....
                                  It's 2am here, so off to bed. Tomorrow, I will test a real BBC Master, alongside the Pi, and post some screens from the same games.
                                  Whats weird is that my BBC Master has a Pi Zero inside it, running as a co-pro, along with usb and a CF HD. Amazing what people are doing with the Pi, even adding it to it's big old granddad, the BBC.

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                                  • mediamogulM
                                    mediamogul Global Moderator @A Former User
                                    last edited by

                                    @John_RM_70 said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                                    Tomorrow, I will test a real BBC Master, alongside the Pi, and post some screens from the same games.

                                    Very nice! I look forward to seeing how it holds up.

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                                      SpudsMcToole Banned @mediamogul
                                      last edited by SpudsMcToole

                                      @mediamogul said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                                      @SpudsMcToole said in Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS:

                                      BBC doesn't have an Alt key, so goodness knows what's going on.

                                      Still, it may be using the 'Alt' key as a stand-in for some other key. If you could find one key that isn't being used, you should be able to access the menu. Below is a list of all the available options.

                                      Gah. My best bet out of this lot was probably "lwin", but that does nothing either.

                                      0_1541156114382_lwin.jpg image url)

                                      I booted the emulator up and tried every key at the command prompt, and the only one that had no discernible effect on either the BBC or MESS was F12, but that was no good either. How in the heck are people getting the menus up?

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                                      • ?
                                        A Former User
                                        last edited by A Former User

                                        Here are 2 wholly un-scientific images from a real BBC Master, and a Raspberry Pi 3b+ running Advmess.

                                        The hardware
                                        https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/924/jgjFDN.png
                                        https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/922/xNrlqc.png

                                        Just 2 images, for now.
                                        https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/923/6qkdSb.png
                                        https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/xq90/921/qKm7Jx.png

                                        Can't get images working, so only links for now. The first image under "Just 2 images, for now.", is the BBC Master.
                                        You can see the Pi isn't running in the correct aspect ratio. But overall, it's not bad for composite. The Master is RGB Scart.

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                                        • mediamogulM
                                          mediamogul Global Moderator @A Former User
                                          last edited by

                                          @John_RM_70

                                          Very nice. When I got into retro emulation years ago, I made a decision to focus my attention on North American games only, mainly due to there being more titles there alone than I could ever play in a lifetime. However, I've constantly found that the European computer systems are just too hard to ignore. Some of the most original game concepts I've ever seen originate there and the hobbyist spirit is arguably stronger than any other area of gaming.

                                          The first stretch of free time I can find, I plan to start exploring these games and their history more deeply. My first brush has been looking at rivalry between Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry, which led me to the BBC docu-drama 'Micro Men', but I can't help but think that production was a bit embellished for entertainment, similarly to the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates television docu-drama, 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' as seen in the trailer below.

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                                          • ?
                                            A Former User
                                            last edited by

                                            You should also give the Amstrad CPC, a go. Great games, and when programmed properly they were often very colourful games that looked best across all the 8-bit computers. I got the Pi Amstrad emulator working, and it looks and runs great. Again, I own the real thing, but I can't use the same TV as the Pi, since the Amstrad came with it's own 14" monitor. So a comparison isn't apples to apples. But it's close.

                                            That Micro Men docu, was good. But, like you said, a few liberties were taken when it came to Sir Clive. I believe he was portrayed a bit too nicely, probably for TV. Some people from that era have said he has often a bit of a bastard, and wanted things completed yesterday.

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