How to save "game remap files" for MAME properly?
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RP3, Retropie 4.1.0, Usb Fightstick controllers, lr-fbalpha emulator (using 0.175/v0.2.97.39 romset).
EDIT To make a long story short, I need controls customized for each MAME game I play so they match how the actual arcade cabinet was setup. I’ve remapped these over a dozen times now, and can’t seem to find any rhyme or reason to where these config files are stored, or in what format they’re stored in. In my backups I have them in these directories and in these formats:
opt/retropie/configs/arcade/”/FB Alpha (saved as .rmp files)
opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/FB Alpha (saved as .cfg files)
opt/retropie/configs/arcade/FB Alpha (.rmp files - I know this one is my HDMI build)In the last year I’ve been trying this, I’m pretty positive I save each games individualized setup the same way through: Quick Menu > Controls > (Make changes for each player's button assignments) > Save Game Remap File.
Can you please help me find a way where I can map these ~120 games ONE last time, then the next time I make a new system, or format mine to try something else, I can just drop these controller config files in a certain folder and it’ll work? Every time I try that they never work so I'm definitely doing something wrong.
Here's what I've tried to keep the same every time: I use RetroPie 4.1.0. Might update to 4.2.XX on rare occasion (haven't tried 4.3 yet). I ALWAYS use the same lr-FBAlpha emulator with same 0.2.97.39 MAME romset. Always use the same 4x Arcade Fightstick Pro USB controllers (and map them the same way each time - could the order I map them in be messing something up?). The only difference I can think of between my three main systems I run, is one is setup for HDMI LCD/LED TV output, one for RGB output via RetroTINK/Pi2SCART board, and the last is for composite output. The only differences between them is the /boot/config.txt, and runcommand-onend/onstart config files for the RGB setup.
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@dochartaigh
FBA is not MAME, so i don't really get the title, but anyway! 0.2.97.39 is not MAME romset, but an FBA one.you should update to the latest FBA (.42). currently lr-fbalpha has had many input changes so i think that should be the first port of call. the inputs in lr-alpha are well curated so i think if you have a sensible control layout in your cab, it will not need any remapping.
it's changed so much i can't really support older versions that i'm not running.
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@dankcushions
Thank you for the reply.I'm downloading 0.2.97.42 now, but since my current FBA romset is compatible with the lr-fbalpha emulator RetroPie 4.1 came with (and I'm using), the save location for the per-game controller configs should not change though, correct? And I could back up accordingly? Which folder? Any idea what has gone wrong before with how I've described I've been doing this? (I'm all about learning how I can do this correctly).
I'm also very curious you mentioned that lr-alpha's control scheme is well curated. If you have a second could you please load up a game like Super Street Fighter II+ (any flavor), and using the default controller configs on the RetroPie Github Wiki, let me know if the top row of buttons is all punches, and the bottom row is all kicks like it should be. ---- By "top" and "bottom" row, on a SNES controller (or Playstation or Xbox for that matter), the top row of 3x buttons is considered Left Shoulder, X, Right Shoulder. Bottom row is Y, B, A. These 2x rows of 3x buttons is exactly how the Sega Genesis 6-button controller is setup - and that controller is the closest relative of how most 'universal' arcade cabinets are setup with 2x rows of 3x buttons as well....and is likewise exactly how MAME proper is setup with their default 1, 2, 3, and 4, 5, 6 button configurations meant for the most universal of setups.
^^I went through that WAY too complicated overview above, because using the GitHub controller layouts with FB-Alpha (or ANY FBA/MAME emulator I've used on RetroPie), you'll find that games like Street Fighter II are mapped incorrectly. FBAlpha does pretty good on the two button games, but everything else 3 buttons and above is usually wrong, and some nearly unplayable without remapping. This is why I have to remap my controller settings in all these games.
Oh, and if I'm totally screwing this up somewhere, my logic is flawed, I'm doing it wrong, anywhere! PLEASE correct me! I'm looking to learn, and this has been my bane of MAME/FBA on RetroPie for the last couple years. Thank you.
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@dochartaigh said in How to save "game remap files" for MAME properly?:
@dankcushions
Thank you for the reply.I'm downloading 0.2.97.42 now, but since my current FBA romset is compatible with the lr-fbalpha emulator RetroPie 4.1 came with (and I'm using), the save location for the per-game controller configs should not change though, correct?
to be clear, it's the latest version of lr-fbalpha i can support. you'd need to update that, alongside the romset (the latest .42 romset won't work properly with the 4.1 version of lr-fbalpha).
yes, per-game controller configs are in the same place, but may not be cross-compatible with the latest version, depending on their contents. input stuff has changed.
And I could back up accordingly? Which folder? Any idea what has gone wrong before with how I've described I've been doing this? (I'm all about learning how I can do this correctly).
you could back them up, but there are loads of places you can record FBA overrides/remaps in retroarch. eg:
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/fba/retroarch.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/arcade/retroarch.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/FB Alpha/gamename.cfg /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/FB Alpha.cfg (i think) /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/FB Alpha/gamename.opt /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch-core-options.cfg /home/pi/retropie/roms/fba/gamename.cfg... and i haven't even got to the .rmp files ;)
so yeah, things quickly get confusing if you go down the remap/override route, and would much prefer to solve these things by proper controller setup, and proper emulator configuration, rather than try to solve bindings via remaps/overrides.
I'm also very curious you mentioned that lr-alpha's control scheme is well curated. If you have a second could you please load up a game like Super Street Fighter II+ (any flavor), and using the default controller configs on the RetroPie Github Wiki, let me know if the top row of buttons is all punches, and the bottom row is all kicks like it should be. ---- By "top" and "bottom" row, on a SNES controller (or Playstation or Xbox for that matter), the top row of 3x buttons is considered Left Shoulder, X, Right Shoulder. Bottom row is Y, B, A. These 2x rows of 3x buttons is exactly how the Sega Genesis 6-button controller is setup - and that controller is the closest relative of how most 'universal' arcade cabinets are setup with 2x rows of 3x buttons as well....and is likewise exactly how MAME proper is setup with their default 1, 2, 3, and 4, 5, 6 button configurations meant for the most universal of setups.
that's not the normal setup, though.
SNES streetfighter 2 was like this:
Y X L B A Rie
LP MP HP LK MK HKThis is how i have lr-mame2003 coded - if you use a SNES controller (or SNES layout on some other controller) it will have HP and HK on L and R, respectively, if you bind a 6 button arcade layout like my example above, it will be the layout you want for capcom fighting games.
now, lr-fbalpha wasn't coded by me, and they have a slightly different approach. i will confirm this when i use it, but my understanding is that layout they have is the 'modern' layout:
Y X R1 B A R2ie
LP MP HP LK MK HKthis is the layout that street fighter IV and most other console fighters have used for the last decade or so. if you by a 6-8 button console fight stick, it will have that layout. the default mapping to a console control pad for a current console will be that layout. for that reason, i may consider changing lr-mame2003 to use the same layout, rather than the 'legacy' SNES one.
i believe lr-fbalpha has a controller option to easily switch back to a 'legacy' SNES layout, so i will confirm all that at some point. this is an area i am interested in making consistent across arcade emulators, but it is a lot of work and i am mindful that people have configs that i don't want them to have to change.
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@dankcushions , thank you for your previous insight. That made me try to figure out how everything works, in regards to button mapping, in lr-fbalpha so I posted on their github with my issues (and tagged you there last week as well). We're still having problems with the default controller mappings not being proper in RetroPie according to barbudreadmon. Basically when the Device Type is set to modern, my 8 button Fightstick should be mapped like such for EVERY game:
(3) (4) (5) (7)
(1) (2) (6) (8)Besides 6-button Street Fighter II style games I’m getting button mappings all over the place, and we're trying to figure out if it is something with how fbalpha is programmed for RetroPie or what. If you would like to read about the exact games I tried, and my results with the button mappings, they can be found at the link below (or if you want me to repost it here - please let me know and again, thank you for your lenghtly last post, it really did help greatly!).
https://github.com/libretro/fbalpha/issues/156#issuecomment-340183189
On a side note, on mame2003, how would you suggest I change the mapping for the service/dipswitch menu? I just did a fresh install of RetroPie 4.3, so I need to test this again to make sure it wasn't my fault, but I think that was mapped to L2 or R2 and I keep hitting it by accident, and I don't see the option to change that when I hit Select+X and go into the controls.
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