Custom Mega-Drive Controls

annomatik

Hi! I have 2 8bitdo M30 controls, set up in a layout similar to SNES controllers:

X=west, Y=north, B=east, A=south

This is the control-scheme I'd like to use for all cores -- except the mega drive one. The only way I found to play mega drive games with the A / B / C buttons of the controllers was to add

input_y_btn = "5"

to /opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/autoconfig/Pro Controller.cfg

Of course, this means the "C" button is used for all of the cores -- not just PicoDrive. So I tried putting the line into all kind of configs, where it is ignored. I tried:

/opt/retropie/configs/megadrive/retroarch.cfg and
/opt/retropie/configs/all/retroarch/config/PicoDrive/PicoDrive.cfg

I wasn't successful with overriding the config through the in-emulation menu either (setting is ignored, even when "saving core config") and have already been searching for more than three hours.

Where should I put that line? Even better -- how would I tell PicoDrive to use the M30 controller fully as a 6 button Mega Drive controller? Unfortunatelly, it is not detected as a "M30 gamepad", but as a generic "Pro Controller".

Thanks!

mitu

@annomatik said in Custom Mega-Drive Controls:

I wasn't successful with overriding the config through the in-emulation menu either (setting is ignored, even when "saving core config") and have already been searching for more than three hours.

You should be using the Core Input Overrides to have per-core (or per-content-dir) button mappings - https://retropie.org.uk/docs/RetroArch-Configuration/#core-input-remapping.

Where should I put that line? Even better -- how would I tell PicoDrive to use the M30 controller fully as a 6 button Mega Drive controller? Unfortunatelly, it is not detected as a "M30 gamepad", but as a generic "Pro Controller".

That's probably because you've started the controller in Switch mode, instead of the default XInput (PC) mode. With the recent update to the controller firmware, I think it's preferrable this way, the XInput mapping is kind of broken.

annomatik

Yes, exactly -- I used the "Switch" mode, which I saw recommended somewhere. And even better -- today, the controller paired flawlessly, then I paused a game for a longer period, the controller turned off... And since then, I cannot pair any more. Both controllers just showed the "wandering led light" and did not connect any longer, even after a reboot (shutdown -r now).

I disabled the on-board bluetooth -- which worked fine until then -- and attached an usb-bluetooth dongle -- now, both controller connect as if nothing happened.

Anyways. I still cannot save the "core input overrides". What I tried:

start a Mega Drive game - in my case Aladdin. "C" should shoot apples, but "X" actually does.
enter the RetroArch menu ( "-" + "Y" )
press "A" to exit the Quick Menu
enter Cog Wheels --> Input -> User 1 Binds
change "User 1 Y" to 5 (was set to "Auto: 2")
enter Quick Menu -> Overrides -> Save Core Overrides (Retro Arch tells me "saved successfully")
Goto "Resume"

And, well, the Apples are still shot with "X". "C" is ignored.

mitu

@annomatik said in Custom Mega-Drive Controls:

enter Cog Wheels --> Input -> User 1 Binds

What version of RetroPie/RetroArch are you using ?

annomatik

RetroPie: 4.5.15 on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ (Raspbian Stretch)
RetroArch: 1.7.9

mitu

I don't recall an issue with that particular RetroArch version w.r.t. overrides - try another configuration for the C button, just test it in-game until you find the right combination and then save the input remap.

annomatik

How would I do that? Is there a certain text file I can edit to accomplish that?

mitu

@annomatik Just use the same RGUI control menu to change the button/configure the input until it works correctly, then save the core input remap.

annomatik

Thanks, I seem to be an other step closer to the solution. When I remap "User 1 A" from 3 to 5 in the RetroArch In-Game menu, the control scheme is as I'd like it to be. And now, it kind of makes sense -- the buttons are listed the other way round.

Controller: A (0) - B (1) - C (5)
RetroArch: C (0) - B (1) - A (5)

Next step would be to save this as a PicoDrive core-setting. I tried Quick Menu -> Overrides -> Save Core Overrides, but unfortunatelly, this does not seem to work. There's a toast telling me that the Overrides have been saved successfully. But this is very missleading as it resets the configuration.

So, when I use "Save Core Overrides", the "C-Button" mapping is gone (reset to "Auto 3"). If I just remap the button, the button works as it should within the current game. But of course, as soon as I go to a different game, I have to remap the button again.

mitu

@annomatik said in Custom Mega-Drive Controls:

Quick Menu -> Overrides -> Save Core Overrides

Why ? Did you even look at the doc page I mentioned ? It's not core overrides, it's Save Core Remap File and it's right there in the Controls menu.

annomatik

Well, I don't have that option.

What I have is:

Save Core Overrides
Save Content Directory Overrides and
Save Game Overrides

from these, "Save Core Overrides" made most sense to me. Where else could I look?

mitu

@annomatik Please re-read and understand what I've said earlier.

annomatik

Thanks, that doesn't seem to work either. Am I doing this right?

Cogs -> Input -> User 1 Binds -> User 1 A -> Set to "5".
Result: Works as it should in current game session
Quick Menu -> Controls -> Save Core Remap File
Quick Menu -> Resume
Results: Works as it should in current game session (No Reset!)
Select + Start to exit game
Start Aladdin again
Result: Settings not saved, Shooting Apples with "X" again.

So, when I go to Cogs -> Input -> User 1 Binds -> User 1 A, it says "3" again. Not 5.

It doesn't save either :-(

mitu

@annomatik said in Custom Mega-Drive Controls:

It doesn't save either :-(

Can you check if your remap is saved ? Should be in \\retropie\configs\megadrive (a .rmp file).

annomatik

There is a file in configs/megadrive/PicoDrive, but only there. It's called "PicoDrive.rmp" and contains:

input_libretro_device_p1 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p2 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p3 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p4 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p5 = "1"
input_player1_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player2_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player3_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player4_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player5_analog_dpad_mode = "0"

...no Button 5. In /configs/megadrive, I only have emulators.cfg and retroarch.cfg .

mitu

@annomatik You should remove any configuration overrides you've saved and re-do the remap. Look into \\retropie\configs\all\retroarch\config\Picodrive and see if you have any .cfg files saved, then delete them.

annomatik

Yes, there was a configuration override in configs/all/retroarch/config/Picodrive , which I've removed now. My megadrive-bezel is gone now, but save of the input config still does not work (even though there's a toast telling me that it saved).

mitu

Try removing again the .rmp. file and re-save again the controls remap for the core.
If that doesn't work, then post a debug log from RetroArch taken while you re-map the controls. You can enable debug logging from the runcommand launch menu; the resulting log file should be in /dev/shm/runcommand.log - upload it to pastebin.com.

annomatik

Thanks, still not working. PicoDrive.rmp looks again like before -- the "Button 5 " config is not in there.

Here's the debug-log: https://pastebin.com/LDLXLaEh

mitu

I don't understand why the remaps are not found, but here's how it works for me.

Mapped the M30 controller (Switch mode) normally for ABXY, then chose Z for Left Shoulder and C for Right Shoulder, and the controller L/R shoulder buttons I mapped to the shoulder Trigger buttons.
Picodrive starts with this default configuration for P1 (note that on the left there are the physical button names).

Remaped Picodrive's P1 to look closer to a 6 button MD controller:

After saving the remap for the core, this is the resulting .rmp file:

input_libretro_device_p1 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p2 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p3 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p4 = "1"
input_libretro_device_p5 = "1"
input_player1_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player1_btn_a = "1"
input_player1_btn_l = "0"
input_player1_btn_r = "8"
input_player1_btn_x = "10"
input_player1_btn_y = "9"
input_player2_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player3_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player4_analog_dpad_mode = "0"
input_player5_analog_dpad_mode = "0"

Now, this should work fine, except that Alladin's default bindings are:

A - Throw
B - Sword
C - Jump

I suppose there's an alternate config in the game's options that makes C as the Throw, so that's why you say it should be used for throwing apples.

My controller .cfg file is here - I labeled the buttons based on the physical named to match the M30's configuration. The Select button is mapped on the left 'Star' button under Start.

You can use the controller .cfg and then try the .rmp file I posted, checking in RGUI how it's mapped from the M30 buttons to the MD controls.