mame2003-plus: hundreds of new games, improved input, features, new bugs - now with runahead support

[Riverstorm]

@grant2258 - I fully understand what you are the explaining on how it all works and TAB mapping isn't needed for average cases/users who want to get it up and running quickly or have a positive out of the box experience.

For advanced configurations TAB is needed. The things I am not 100% sure on for RA capabilities are <NOT> mappings, dual joystick mappings (left/up, left/down, right/up, right/down, etc.) the ability to assign multiple keyboard keys or controller buttons to a single input. I do this on several games mainly on the controller but also keyboard, such as assigning both shoulders and triggers to flippers in pinball games or multiple gas pedal options. Whatever is more comfortable for the player and they naturally start using. There are other reasons why TAB is still viable too.

I am MAME centric no doubt. It's what I've known for 20 years or whatever the years are now. It has functionality RA is just not capable of doing at this stage of development.

I know you have something in the oven that smells good but syncing MAME and RA inputs then leveraging TAB has worked for me for a few years pretty well and I am most comfortable there. I like when there's more than way to achieve a goal, even if someone deems it 90 vs 100 efficient doesn't make folks stupid ;), the gaming is still fun regardless and fun is the goal here but I'm definitely curious what you have planned.

Also a side bar but still "Plus" related, can you set a field to NONE in Input (this game) on the current commit? Should I open an issue? Clyde and I are both getting the same results when on the current build and I'm sure it worked on older versions. Needing to SSH or work at the CLI to delete a game.cfg to set a field to NONE is a bit extreme.

Anyway thanks for all the amazing updates.

[UDb23]

Just found out that Asteroids discrete sounds were significantly improved in version 125 and 142 of Mame. Details here.
Is mame2003-plus already integrating those enhancements ? If not would it be possible ?

[grant2258]

@Riverstorm no issue needed the defaults are set to something that why they return that the way it should be its not a mistake.

The tab menu will remain Ill be putting a pull request in a bit. I never said at any point the tab menu was going. As you know you can remap in RA as well so both options will still work.

[grant2258]

https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro/pull/450

instructions there enjoy

[grant2258]

@UDb23 it would be best to do an issue on github someone might pick it up

[Riverstorm]

@grant2258 - Thanks, will update tonight when I get home.

Do you have any thoughts on setting a field to NONE in Input (this game)? I tried every combination I could think of on a keyboard and controller but no luck. Even deleting it does no good because it just inherits from Input (general). You can reset it to defaults or change the defaults but you can't set it to NONE. I even tried the @Clyde method of super speed double clicking to no avail but I think I wore off part of the key label.

[grant2258]

@Riverstorm ive alread expained this is expected it set here

https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro/blob/master/src/inptport.c#L403-L854

i dont get why you suddenly need the set to none now you never did before. Just wait for mark to pull the request you can set the tab menu now. when you use the ipac and keyboard if its mapped in your ra config.

This isnt like the way it was before its very similar to keyboard only accept it retropad only it will make sense when you use it. Unfortunately we just have to wait for the req to be pulled. it basically maps the same way a controller does.

[grant2258]

@Riverstorm and @hhromic its ready to compile from source instructions here.

https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro/pull/450

let me know how you get on and take it from there. I do understand where you are coming from @Riverstorm when the only solution before was null the keys or use keyboard only.

The keyboard only option can be added back if this fix doesnt suit your needs there is no reason we cant have both. A topic needs started elsewhere for this though

[Riverstorm]

@grant2258 - Well that was an interesting read/link but I still missed why you can't set a field to NONE. I guess I need it in laymans terms. I figure a bug is a bug so report it. The reasons I report are two-fold. One is because something I use is broken and two simply because it's a bug. Clyde found a bug, I confirmed it and thought it's worth asking. I mean it's an experimental core so why not report them to the core keepers? I've been putting the screws to Plus for considering it a final core and have more bugs to report, should I just skip reporting? I'm not sure what else to say about bugs, you got me. Sooo...does that mean don't expect to set a field to NONE?

[Clyde]

@grant2258 said in mame2003-plus: hundreds of new games, improved input, features, new bugs - now with runahead support:

i dont get why you suddenly need the set to none now you never did before.

I missed that feature in mame2003 and mame2003-plus since I came to Retropie, because the newer MAME versions have it (0.185 in my case).

In a newer MAME, you can set any binding zu none by either pressing DEL without pressing ENTER beforehand or by pressing ENTER to change the binding, but exit the change with a single ESC. This works in both Input (general) and Input (this game). It would be nice to have this backported to mame2003 and/or mame2003-plus.

edit: It may eben a bug, since @markwkidd also suggested here to press DEL without ENTER. But this doesn't work in mame2003(-plus).

[grant2258]

well when you press a key it chages might be the behavior of mame078 i would need to check. What its is setting it to defaults in the source. The defaults are here

https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro/blob/master/src/inptport.c#L403-L854

we can remove all defaults and you will need to set it up like mame to me it looks like the defaults with joystick codes are the ones.

It looks like the bind is only sticking to settings that have a retropad setting so if you want this you will have to set mame up from scratch.

[Clyde]

@grant2258 It may be that you misunderstand me/us or I am misunderstanding you. 😇

The defaults are not a problem and in fact very convenient, that's why @Riverstorm called the deletion of the whole cfg file for a game "a bit brutal". The feature we are missing is to easily delete any existing single binding via the Tab menu, not all of them. Just like it is in later mame versions.

[grant2258]

ok do this go to input general go to p1 start press delete or esc twice will see
it will work as you expect it to when pressing del in this game now.

i think this is actually normal behavior to use the defaults set when setting resetting a key.

Its really up to mark if he want to put work in the tab menu as far as i know its eventually going in 2003+

im going to look into the mame078 see if this is default behavior or something that was introduced here is the best i can do

[Clyde]

@grant2258 Do I have to update mame2003-plus first if my last update was yesterday morning?

I'm asking because in mame2003-plus from yesterday morning, delete does not work and double-esc will only set a binding to none in Input (general), but copy the general binding in Input (this game). See my test results from friday.

Has anything changed in this behaviour since yesterday morning?

edit: changed friday to yesterday morning when I did the test.

[grant2258]

yes change your input mode to mame. it equivalent to mame simultaneous. You guys are choosing to talk about the tab menu unstead of the new implementation so i dont know what to say. Its impossible to anser any questions unless your on the latest commit.

[grant2258]

can you start a new top somewhere on the latest version and we can take it from there so people interested can look at it if they feel like it. This is just bloating this thread with advance setups most people wont use

[Clyde]

@grant2258 I'm updating right now and report back in a new thread.

[grant2258]

@Clyde thanks that way we can deal with what your asking

[Clyde]

@grant2258 Done. :)

[grant2258]

thanks for that clyde helps us keep different issues that need delt with