Does the LCD Topgun work with a secondary monitor?

[The cranky hermit]

I have one computer and two monitors, connected to a Geforce 6800nu AGP 8X. It is set to dualView mode, which is necessary because the primary monitor is widescreen, and the secondary monitor is 4:3. Both are LCDs. MAME32 is set up so that the front-end runs on the primary monitor, and the game runs on the secondary monitor.

I would like to use a lightgun with the secondary monitor, but my worry is that when I fire it at the secondary monitor, the hits will only register on the primary monitor. Is it possible to get the LCD Topgun to behave correctly on a secondary monitor, and if so, what do I need to do?

[kagem]

From what I understand of the Topgun, the monitor has nothing to do with it at all.  All the gun sees are the led stands which you place at the sides of the monitor.  So it should work fine for you, but since I don't have one and I'm basing this only on what I've read about it, you might want to wait for confirmation from someone else.

[Lilwolf]

Yup... it would work with 4 monitors stacked if your video card handled it...  Or a picture frame on the wall (cant think how you could use it).  But more useful is projection screens or some other non-standard monitor.

[The cranky hermit]

I don't think my question is understood. I know that I won't have any problems firing at my secondary monitor and having it register a hit. My concern is WHERE the hit is registered. I assume that if I mounted the led stands on a picture frame and fired at the picture frame, it would register hits on my primary monitor. If that is the case, why would it be any different if I mounted the led stands on the secondary monitor and fired at the secondary monitor?

[Silver]

I see what you are asking.

The issue is actually an OS/Mame one - you will be able to calibrate the topgun so just "see" the 2nd monitor. I assume when using a mouse in windows, you can move across both monitors in one motion (ie the mouse spans both monitos - I'm guessing here as never used dualview). How this is interpreted by mame - while mame has focus - is the key.

If I recall, when using a mouse in lightgun games on a dual monitor setup, while mame has "focus", all movements of the mouse are restricted to the second monitor where mame is - you physically can't get the mouse pointer to appear on the primary monitor. I would *guess* that as such, the gun(s) would perfectly.

I'm sure someone with the topguns has 2 monitors (I don't otherwise would test). But they need to test when in a similar "spanning" mode, not just a screen cloned mode.

[The cranky hermit]

>>you will be able to calibrate the topgun so just "see" the 2nd monitor
Are you implicitly saying that this can be done, or do you not know?

>>I assume when using a mouse in windows, you can move across both monitors in one motion
You assume correctly. But, the vertical position is not relative. The primary monitor runs at 1280x768, and the secondary monitor runs at 1600x1200. If the mouse cursor is on the primary monitor at the very bottom, 768 pixels from the top, and I move it to the right, it will emerge on the left side of the secondary monitor 768 pixels from the top, a bit below midway. If the cursor is on the secondary monitor and is more than 768 pixels below the top, and I move it to the left, it will not cross over.

>>If I recall, when using a mouse in lightgun games on a dual monitor setup, while mame has "focus", all movements of the mouse are restricted to the second monitor where mame is - you physically can't get the mouse pointer to appear on the primary monitor.
That is consistent with my observations.

[crashwg]

>>If I recall, when using a mouse in lightgun games on a dual monitor setup, while mame has "focus", all movements of the mouse are restricted to the second monitor where mame is - you physically can't get the mouse pointer to appear on the primary monitor.
That is consistent with my observations.

The gun is nothing more than a mouse to your computer right?  It should act in the same maner and be restricted to the second monitor where mame is...

[Gh0sty]

it works, i use it on my 2nd. monitor (dual view)

[Silver]

it works, i use it on my 2nd. monitor (dual view)

Ah cool, verified.

I was going to offer to test this as I could hook up a second lcd over the weekend with my radeon card, now no need!

[Lilwolf]

but if you calbrate it on your second monitor... in windows when you click, it will click on that location on the first monitor.

BUT!

If you run mame on the second monitor it should be fine... I haven't tested this, but since mame captures all the mouse presses, it wouldn't care.

I wouldn't plan around this without testing it first.   you WILL have a problem in windows (and many other emulators) and you probably will get it to work with mame when you tell it your on the second monitor

[SQrL]

I works just FINE!

I play most of my games on my cab, but I also have a TV connected to my cab (tv sits on a shelf near the cab) as a second monitor.  You can tell MAME to run specific games on any target monitor.  So for me, all my "light gun" games auto launch in full screen on my TV (which I use to play all my LCD Topgun compatible games).