"Secret" Mame Debug Keys Messing Up My Cabinet? 3dfx Popup?

[sureshoe]

My cabinet has 4 players with lots of buttons (good and bad).  I'm running out of keys to map and as my kids have been playing NFL Blitz, a strange popup appeared when they mashed keys.  I tracked it down to the backslash key - which apparently shows the 3dfx debugger?  I found this thread, but no answer:
https://www.reddit.com/r/MAME/comments/aoun78/what_is_this_screen_called_that_pops_up_in_mame/

Now, I feel like NFL Blitz is stuttering... have I turned on debug mode or something accidentally?  Are there settings where I can disable this?  I can't find it.

Also, while mashing keys - holding down a button mapped to the L key and pressing other keys will cause weird game pausing (like I'm "rewinding").  I have gone through all the menus and blanked out any key configs I can find that hint of this.

Nothing is mapped to backslash or L in mame on-screen.  Any help would be appreciated.

[pbj]

Get a joystick encoder that supports 4 players via one USB connection.  In Windows you are asking for trouble with a keyboard encoder and that many players.

[sureshoe]

Hmm, OK - I'll have to check that out.

I do find it odd that there are key mappings in Mame that I can't find though.  Are there forums or somewhere else I can check to track these down?  My Google-fu is not proving very effective.

[PL1]

I do find it odd that there are key mappings in Mame that I can't find though.  Are there forums or somewhere else I can check to track these down?

Some buttons aren't mapped by default in MAME, but there are I-Pac defaults for them.

Change out the modifier keys to avoid problems.

1. Overlapping defaults
There's an overlap in the I-Pac4 defaults for P2B5-P2B8 and P3 Joystick. (both use I, K, J, and L)



2. Modifier keys
Good advice from BadMouth here.

There are five default MAME "modifier" keys that can cause problems:
- P1B1
- P1B2
- P1B4
- P3B1
- P3B2

Scott

[sureshoe]

For the modifier keys - I'm hoping I'm not being dense here, but in MAME, I'm not using either SHIFT, CTRL, or ALT. 
On the Ipac, I have gone through and disabled the SHIFT function, that caused me a lot of grief originally.

The main thing now is the backslash - which I'm just not using now.  That apparently kicks off a 3dfx debugger, and I can't figure out how to disable that function, so the backslash is off limits.

The 3 player left/right are still a bit of an issue.  When mapped to J or L, I get odd behaviors on NFL Blitz where part of the screen flickers.  I'll post some more detail later, I just haven't had a chance to isolate each behavior.  It's a bit maddening.

So on the modifiers - am I being dense, or is this what you're referring to?  The Shift, CTRL, ALT, and Ipac shift?  I think I've explicitly set everything else.

[PL1]

The 3 player left/right are still a bit of an issue.  When mapped to J or L, I get odd behaviors on NFL Blitz where part of the screen flickers.

No idea what is causing that.   

So on the modifiers - am I being dense, or is this what you're referring to?  The Shift, CTRL, ALT, and Ipac shift?  I think I've explicitly set everything else.

Modifier keys and IPac shifted functions are separate subjects.

Modifier keys combined with other keys can trigger unwanted Windows functions.
- "ALT" + "TAB" ==> change focus to another window.
- "CTRL" + "w" ==> close window.

IPac shifted functions are a way to access admin functions without having to press dedicated admin buttons on your control panel.
- When you press P1 Start, the IPac starts looking for another button press.
- If you release P1 Start before pressing a button with a shifted function ==> "1".
- If you press a button with a shifted function before you release P1 Start, the shifted function keystroke is sent.
-- P1 Start + P1B1 ==> "5".
- List of default IPac shifted functions here.
- There's a list of PROs and CONs regarding shifted functions in the FAQ.  (See wiki link above.)


Scott

[sureshoe]

Yeah, I actually think I have all the modifier stuff sorted out.  I banged my head on that a while ago. 

I actually think there may be some weirdness or buginess in Blitz, because I haven't seen this in other games, but I truthfully haven't fully debugged (it's a 2 player game, I'm not going to hack the 3 player control).

Interestingly - I found a related thread that's old where he complains about the J-key and vanishing sprites, but doesn't get an answer.
https://www.reddit.com/r/MAME/comments/5s0sx9/weird_problem_with_nfl_blitz/

I'm probably going to look at tweaking it to use gamepad encoding on the ipac or look at getting a joystick encoder like pbj mentioned (although not sure what that involves).

[pbj]

If you can flash the ipac to simulate joysticks, do that.  The encoder I had in mind was the Paradise Arcade Lono but it looks like that's off the market.  I have one in a box I've never used and you can't have it.

[PL1]

If you don't mind "rolling your own", another 4 joystick gamepad alternative is the KADE maxArcade based on the MattairTech MT-DB-U6 board. (Select "Atmel DFU" bootloader)
- Uses KADE Loader software.
- There are 3 pre-configured maxArcade firmwares.  Use "USB/HID Joystick x 4".
- Pinout here.
- You might want to use euro-style terminal strips for easy connect/disconnect.
    Wires from controls ==> euro-style terminal strips ==> jumper wires ==> MT-DB-U6 board


Scott