ES and Keypad

[Tirguy]

Hello...

I do not know if i'm in the good forum but i've meet a problem with my configuration.
First, i've dowload RetroPie source and compil it on my x86 computer. I have used ./Retropie-Setup in order to import and compil core of the different console gaming, asset, theme, etc...

My problem is that in some condition, keypad xbox360 is not recognise... Here is the sitiuation :

• I use Linux Lubunt 18.04 with minimal software / application in it
• I've installed lightdm as Display Manager and LXDE as Desktop
• I've lauched emulstation when i was on my desktop LXDE and keypad has been detected and configured...
• I've made the /etc/lightdm/lightdm.conf file in witch i've put the line "session-wrapper=/usr/bin/emulationstation" in order to lauch the emulstation binary before the desktop...

But when i reboot or restart lightdm, EmulStation restart too without the Desktop, but my keypad and keybord are not detected by ES !!!

Does someone know what's happend ?

I've tried to find solution since one week before write here, but found nothing about this configuration - mostly i've made my own configuration on x86 and not took a solution ready to start ;-)

Thank's for your ideas...

Thierry
PS: sorry for my bad english...just hope you'll understand what is my problem

[mitu]

Install a minimal window/desktop manager like matchbox or openbox if you don't want a full desktop environment and auto-start EmulationStation after the window manager is started. Note that EmulationStation needs a console terminal for runcommand to work, so you should launch it from an xterm session and not standalone.

[Tirguy]

@mitu
I thinking that EmulationStation could start in a standalone application like Kodi do.
OK i will try it this evening... I will tell you if it's OK or not
Thank's for answer.
Thierry

[Tirguy]

@mitu
It's now OK with keypad... But when i lauch games, it's allways the same problem : application seems to not find files...
For exemple:

root@mediacenter:/dev/shm# cat runcommand.info
arcade
advmame-0.94
/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/gberetb.zip
/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame-0.94/bin/advmame "gberetb"

and

root@mediacenter:/dev/shm# cat runcommand.log
Parameters:
Executing: /opt/retropie/emulators/advmame-0.94/bin/advmame "gberetb"

ES lauch the game as we can see it in the LOG file, but nothing come.
When i try to lauche the game from a terminal console with the command

/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame-0.94/bin/advmame "gberetb"

i have this answer :

pi@mediacenter:/dev/shm$ /opt/retropie/emulators/advmame-0.94/bin/advmame "gberetb"
AdvanceMAME - Copyright (C) 1999-2003 by Andrea Mazzoleni
MAME - Copyright (C) 1997-2003 by Nicola Salmoria and the MAME Team
2-ic82.10g NOT FOUND
3-ic81.10f NOT FOUND
1-ic92.12c NOT FOUND
7-1c8.2b NOT FOUND
6-ic9.2c NOT FOUND
5-ic10.2d NOT FOUND
4-ic11.2e NOT FOUND
577h09 NOT FOUND
577h10 NOT FOUND
577h11 NOT FOUND
ERROR: required files are missing, the game cannot be run.

whereas i have in the file gberetb.zip :

root@mediacenter:/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade# unzip -v gberetb.zip
Archive:  gberetb.zip
 Length   Method    Size  Cmpr    Date    Time   CRC-32   Name
--------  ------  ------- ---- ---------- ----- --------  ----
      32  Stored       32   0% 1996-12-25 00:32 c15e7c80  577h09.2f
     256  LZMA        122  52% 1996-12-25 00:32 e9de1e53  577h10.5f
     256  LZMA        100  61% 1996-12-25 00:32 2a1a992b  577h11.6f
   16384  LZMA       8190  50% 1996-12-25 00:32 41fa3e1f  577l01.7c
   16384  LZMA      10528  36% 1996-12-25 00:32 240836a5  577l02.8c
   16384  LZMA       9926  39% 1996-12-25 00:32 ae29e4ff  577l03.10c
   16384  LZMA       5408  67% 1996-12-25 00:32 ccecda4c  577l04.3e
   16384  LZMA       6236  62% 1996-12-25 00:32 523a8b66  577l05.4e
   16384  LZMA       4404  73% 1996-12-25 00:32 0f1cb0ca  577l06.5e
   16384  LZMA      10988  33% 1996-12-25 00:32 4da7bd1b  577l07.3f
   16384  LZMA       4832  71% 1996-12-25 00:32 883933a4  577l08.4f
--------          -------  ---                            -------
  131616            60766  54%                            11 files

Does someone have an idea of the problem ?

Thank's for all your answer,

Thierry

PS :

root@mediacenter:/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade# ls -l gberetb.zip
-rwxrwxrwx 1 1026 users 62220 mai   24 15:12 gberetb.zip

[mitu]

@Tirguy said in ES and Keypad:

Does someone have an idea of the problem ?

Yes, it's a commmon 'issue' with arcade emulation - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Arcade/. Make sure you have the right ROMset for you emulator and you'll not have this kind of problems.

[Tirguy]

@mitu
OK, il will check my ROMs to be OK with my emulator... even if it looks strange...

On the other end, when i lauch in ES a game for ATARI7800 like Asteroid, i have :

root@mediacenter:/dev/shm# cat runcommand.log
Parameters:
Executing: /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-prosystem/prosystem_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/atari7800/retroarch.cfg "/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/atari7800/Asteroids (1987) (Atari).a78" --appendconfig /dev/shm/retroarch.cfg

and nothing appear on the TV... whereas when i lauch the same game with the same line in a terminal, it works !!!

Have you explanation about this ?

For information, i have resolv some access rights problem in /opt/retropie/configs/ : all "retroarch.cfg" files does not had the good right access... they was in 600 (if i remember) whereas the should be in 644. It seems that the make script that deploy all files on my computer does not put the good access right ! May be an issue for you ? ;-)

[Tirguy]

@mitu

I've test something else in a terminal :

/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mame2016/mamearcade2016_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/gberetb.zip

... and it works !!!

So, my ROM seems to be good...

In my example for "Green Beret", ES lauch the ROM with this binary

/opt/retropie/emulators/advmame-0.94/bin/advmame

Whereas it should launch it with the command

/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mame2016/mamearcade2016_libretro.so --config /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/gberetb.zip

Where can i change it ? It's not clear for me...
There is something not clear in documentation - or i miss something ?!
How ES choose the good core to lauch the game ? is there somewhere a configuration file ? I know the "es_systems.cfg" file that define directory for each ROMs of the differents console type, the platform of the console, etc... But i do not have found the file where the binary for a core/console is define... ???

[mitu]

@Tirguy said in ES and Keypad:

How ES choose the good core to lauch the game ? is there somewhere a configuration file ?

This is set up in the runcommand configuration - where you can choose which emulator is used by default for a system or for a specific ROM - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Runcommand/#runcommand-launch-menu. EmulationStation doesn't know which 'rom goes with the emulator', as I said before, make sure you have the correct arcade ROM for the emulator you're using instead of trying out all arcade emulators to see which one works.

[Tirguy]

@mitu
Does it means that i must configure my core in the libretro / RetroArch gui ?
Because in the Wiki you say :

Each time you load a ROM there is an option to open what is called the Runcommand Launch Menu. This is accessed by pressing any button on a controller (the bottom face button is recommended as to not accidentally change anything) or pressing any key on a keyboard, while the prompt in the image below is displayed or right after a launching image disappears if you have those setup.

But i've never saw the prompt witch one you speak about...
I just only saw ES launch something - the core with game arguments ? - saw my Windows Manager... and come back to ES without seeing anything else, even if i try to press any button.

So, i wonder how can i configure it : according your Wiki, we must configure core in the GUI.... But as i do not see with GUI it is and how to access it, may be, there is file(s) to configure somewhere... or how can access to this screen :

It's not really clear...

[mitu]

The it means you don't see the runcommand launch screen. Are you properly launching EmulationStation from a terminal ? The runcommand menu is shown in the terminal, using dialog.

[Tirguy]

@mitu

Arrrrggggggg !!!!
It works !!!!!! but only when i launch ES in a terminal :-(
I will find a solution for that now later...

Last question : does ES and Retropie need sudoers ?
If not, i should modify authorization in /opt/retropie/configs : actually all files are for root:root and not for my user "pi"
As runcommand try to write in the .cfg file, it couln't !!!

[mitu]

It works !!!!!! but only when i launch ES in a terminal :-(

This is exactly what I said in my first reply. This is how it's configured the RetroPie launcher - as outlined in the docs.

Last question : does ES and Retropie need sudoers ?
If not, i should modify authorization in /opt/retropie/configs : actually all files are for root:root and not for my user "pi"
As runcommand try to write in the .cfg file, it couln't !!!

The /opt/retropie/configs shouldn't be owned by root - there's something that you maybe changed, because the RetroPie-Setup scripts ensure the folder is owned and writable by the installation users.

The sudo rights for the install user is needed for installing additional packages and for adding the necessary configurations needed for RetroPie. This is one of the first steps outlined in the installation docs.