Pro tip for anyone thinking of installing MESS

[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.)

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[mediamogul]

@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'.

[SpudsMcToole]

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

[A Former User]

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.

[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.

[SpudsMcToole]

@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.

[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?

[A Former User]

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.

[mediamogul]

@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.

[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.

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?

[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.

[mediamogul]

@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.

[A Former User]

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.