choplifter: 2nd player flipped?

[TheShanMan]

I tried doing a 2 player game of choplifter (bootleg) tonight, and when the 2nd player started the video was upside down. I went to video options and tried turning off cocktail (assumed that was the problem), but as best as I can tell this isn't cocktail mode (cocktail mode has 2 mirror images simultaneously). I couldn't get it to be "normal". I tried rotating it, but then player 1 was upside down. I'm running version .125. I also tried the unprotected version of choplifter - same problem.

Am I doing something wrong or is this a current problem with the choplifter driver?

[NOP]

Have you checked the cabinet dipswitch for cocktail/upright?  They normally default to upright, but maybe it's been switched to cocktail on you, or perhaps the function is inverted.

I didn't see anything in mametesters.org for it, so you might have something new.

If I get a moment tonight, I'll give it a shot to confirm-I'm running 125u6.

This type of stuff happens a lot.  When I was scanning through my collection, there were several bugs in cocktail modes that showed up-I don't think cocktail machines get a lot of lovin from the developers during the testing cycles, so it's up to us to help find the bugs!

-jeff!

[Tafoid]

Looks like a bug related to some DIP Switch changes a few releases back.
I'd encourage someone report this to MAMETesters.org when possible.

[TheShanMan]

Thanks Tafoid. I'll report it. NOP, I did check the dipswitch too, and it was set at upright.

Despite not having a cocktail cab I've also gotten the impression that cocktail mode doesn't get a lot of lovin. One of these days I'd like to have one to add to my collection!

Just curious: is the 2 mirror images the way cocktail mode is supposed to look for choplifter? I always assumed that ALL games that can operate in cocktail mode flip when it's the next player's turn. I guess that wouldn't make sense for simultaneous play games, but am I wrong in regard to alternating play games?

[Tafoid]

If a game supports a Cocktail mode (or any screen flipping/rotating) - this will be taken care of through emulation.  The Video Options in MAME are there to allow users to adjust the orientation or display of the screen but has nothing to do with the native emulation of these features.  So, no... the 2 screen flipped display (cocktail) in Video Options is merely an alternative appearance - not how Choplifter would look with authentic cocktail emulation.

[NOP]

yeah, cocktail mode should really be called "split screen mode" or something other than cocktail mode (although I understand why it's called that)

Only certain games support true cocktail modes (ie, screen flips back and forth as players alternate turns) settable with a dipswitch.  The main headache with that for the mame devs is that the controls also have to switch between players with the screen, so the game itself must have the code to switch controller inputs.  This has got to be a lot of work to truly test out, since you'd need 2 sets of controls.  I've run into a couple games where the screen flips, but the controls don't.



This cocktail mode video setting is a way for simultaneous multiplayer games to be played on cocktail machines by dividing the screen in half and providing the proper view for each player from their positions at either end of the table.  This is a way for people like me, who only have a traditional head-2-head cocktail machine, to play Joust, as otherwise one player would be looking at the screen upside down.  I personally love that option, although I wish I didn't have a standard res monitor-Joust gets very, very tiny on my 19" screen.

[TheShanMan]

Submitted: http://mametesters.org/mantis/view.php?id=1928

[Stoneman]

Set Dipswitch to Upright. Press F3 for Reset the game.