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Author Topic: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup  (Read 7829 times)

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slug54

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Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« on: July 06, 2002, 10:06:29 am »
Last night during a game of Metal Slug 3 we were up to mission 3 and we both needed to insert coins and press our start buttons to continue. Well as it happened we both hit the start buttons at the same time and  it was GAME OVER! the default config for the I-pac is

shift key = player 1 start
shifted player 2 start = Escape

The bad thing is I have a dedicated Escape button and didn't even need to have that function programmed.

I will be re-programming mine today.

                    Slug54


« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

u_rebelscum

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2002, 02:09:38 pm »
Quote
Last night during a game of Metal Slug 3 we were up to mission 3 and we both needed to insert coins and press our start buttons to continue. Well as it happened we both hit the start buttons at the same time and  it was GAME OVER! the default config for the I-pac is

shift key = player 1 start
shifted player 2 start = Escape

The bad thing is I have a dedicated Escape button and didn't even need to have that function programmed.

I will be re-programming mine today.

                    Slug54

I totally agree.  Having player 1 start as the shift key is disaster waiting to happen for any two player CP.  I re-programmed my IPAC the instant I connected it to the computer.  I suggest either no shift key, or the shift key as a button exclusively used for the shift key.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »
Robin
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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2002, 02:21:27 pm »
There shouldn't be a problem with P1 as shift key.  Just make a different key for escape.  It was an oversight for Andy to make p1+p2 as escape, since these buttons are commonly pressed together on 2 player continue games.  It should have been something less common, like p1+p1button6...  It's really nice though that it's possible to map the regular buttons instead of having a bunch of dedicated menu buttons--very un-arcadelike.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

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JustMichael

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2002, 03:14:41 pm »
In my opinion the P1 + P2 thing was done just like ArcadeOS would let you do.  I guess we should ask Andy why P1 + P2 = ESC.
If you are using a seperate button for exiting Mame, I would suggest programming Mame to use a different key to exit and then connecting the button that I-PAC input.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

u_rebelscum

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2002, 03:57:07 pm »
Quote
If you are using a seperate button for exiting Mame, I would suggest programming Mame to use a different key to exit and then connecting the button that I-PAC input.

But you still should re-program IPAC.  If you don't, every time both start buttons are pressed, the esc key is still sent, not "1" and "2" keys.  So neither player continues / starts a new game. Here's an exaggerated story:

  Two combatants' electronic representations need to continue.  Two "wacks" sound as one as hands hit their start buttons and jump back to the joysticks.  But neither character re-appears on the screen.   "Huh??"  Again, hands shoot out and hit the start buttons, but again, the warriors are in tune, and hit the start keys at the same time.  "WTF!!!"  The time to continue is running out, so two hands begin to frantically hit the start keys repeatedly.  Finally, but luck and chance, the start buttons are not depressed at the same time, and the characters appear on screen.  But, alas, the player's hands are still wacking the start keys instead of controlling the joystick and action buttons, and both characters cannot dodge the oncoming bullets, and, thus, die again.

A mean player 1 could even just hold down player 1 start for ten seconds and prevent player two from continuing.

I say at least re-map that shift key or re-program IPAC so player 2 start is not a "shifted" key.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »
Robin
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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2002, 05:02:57 pm »
I just connected my 1p start button to the p1 7 button, then i reconfigered mame and had a seperate shift key.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

Bill S

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2002, 06:22:59 pm »
I jsut want to chime in that I agree.  A friend and I had this happen 2 times the other day before  I wised up and remapped the shifted P2 start to not be escape.  I too have an ESC key and did not even need this function.  It was a real pisser.
But, it's fixed and will not happen again to me!
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

chris

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2002, 09:31:30 am »
question for you guys, did you have to remap every single key or can you just remap the escape key?
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

Bill S

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2002, 09:59:04 am »
You can simply re-map the escape key.  
Actually, I just re-mapped the shifted 2 key away from escape to p2 start.  That way when P2 hits the button to start, it starts whether P1 is hitting his button at the same time or not.

I like to use the command line tools via ctrl-alt-P.  There are instructions posted at ultimarc's website telling how to program shift functions.

I can never remember exactly what you type to re-map the keys, or I'd be happy to tell you here.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

Andy Warne

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2002, 03:17:11 am »
The reasoning for this default shift key setup is that it's the only practical layout which enables use of the various functions with no dedicated buttons, and with a basic panel.
I figured that if someone wants to have extra buttons and maybe a dedicated shift or esc button, they would not mind re-programming the board to suit. It's set up by default in the simplest way to get a basic panel working.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

Zipper

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #10 on: July 10, 2002, 06:12:35 am »
I'm changing the escape setting to be P1 start (shift) + P1 Button3.

This is never accidently pressed, in the same way Shift + any P1 joystick movement (volume, pause etc.), or shift + P1 But 1 (coin insert) is never accidently pressed.

I too have fallen foul to this 'p1 + p2 start' problem - and when the credits are free, people end up hammering those buttons as much as the main controls!  :P
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »

JustMichael

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Re: Be careful with your I-pac shift key setup
« Reply #11 on: July 10, 2002, 11:04:46 am »
Sounds like sound reasoning to me Andy.  The I-PAC is very easy to reprogram also.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 pm by 1026619200 »