VCP03 layout for mala

[Scumgriever]

I'm playing around trying to decide on a frontend for my cab. So far I really like Mala it seems to be the best in terms of versatility and stuff.

I am having a few problems with the VCP03 layout.
It's working beautifully with Zsnes and ePSXe but the Mame layout is giving me a headache.
None of the defineables seem to be appearing.
I have the nplayers.ini file with Mame recognising it. All the definables are set according to the readme supplied with the layout. in the readme it says
 "if you have an nplayers file, make sure it is set in /Mame config/Options/."
but I cant see anywhere to set it in that menu, or any of the other menus for that matter.

I assume this is the problem but if I'm mising something else please tell me, I have a feeling that its somthing niggly that I'm just missing.

[swindus]

Support for nplayers.ini was removed some versions ago. All needed informations are grabbed now from the mame.xml and controls.ini files.

So be sure to point to a controls.ini file on this page and refresh your main game list if you add this later to your config:


Then setup the definables on this tab Mame config -> Pictures & Videos like this:
1: Players
2: Controls
3: Buttons

You can enter the path to the definable images here or enable 'Search definables in layout path' on the tab Mame config -> Options. So there is no need to enter the path information.

Should work then, for me it's working.

[Scumgriever]

Still no luck.

I’ll go through the way I have it set up and hopefully you can tell me where I’m going wrong.

Everything is on an external hard drive (M:\) at the moment which I’m going to put in my cab when it’s ready.

So mame is in m:\mame32

The controls.ini file is in the main mame directory – m:\mame32\controls.ini

I have mala also on the root of the drive – M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7

The VCP03 layout is in -  M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03

With the console folders and buttons/players/controls folders where they were within the mame folder. As follows.

M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\Mame
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\ePSXe
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\ZSNES
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\Megadrive (which I added myself – its jut a copy of the mame.mll and folder that I’ve named Megadrive, I plan to photoshop a megadrive sixbutton controller into it similar to the ZSNES and ePSXe ones. I’ll be happy to share that when I get around to it) – could this be causing problems? It doesn’t seem to work when this is removed so I don’t think its this.

M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\Mame\Players
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\Mame\Controls
M:\MaLa v1.0 RC7\mala layouts\VCP03\Mame\Buttons

Within Mala I have the settings exactly as you have them written in the post above. Trying both pointing Mala to the respective definable folders manually and having it search the layout path automatically.   Still no luck. 

Is it possibly something to do with the way mame is set up? I’m not 100% sure that mame is recognising the controls.ini file. Is it supposed to?
Could it be that I'm using Mame32?

Please help. Mala is absolutely my favourite FE and with this layout working properly it should be awesome, eliminating the need for me to stuff around with the control viewer programs like CPV2 and its ilk which while they look very cool are an extra hassle that if I can avoid I will.

[Scumgriever]

I got angr at the definables part so i went and played with photoshop for a bit.

Here is that megadrive/genesis screen I was talking about before. I hope whoever made the original doesn't mind.
All the images used in this were just pulled straight from the original VCP03 layout for mala, full credit to its creator Tobu, this is purely to help out those with a megadrive emulator as an integral part of their system and love the VCP03 layout like me.

 I'm the first to admit that it isn't the greatest effort but i'm just learning with adobe stuff and it's more than good enough for me.

To use it straight away, just make a copy ofthe 'mame' folder in the VCP03 directory and rename it 'Megadrive' or whatever your emulator is called. then replace the 'VCP03_Mame.jpg' with this file changing 'VCP03_Megadrive.jpg' to 'VCP03_Mame.jpg' .

I've only done a horizontal one so far as thats all I need.

[swindus]

Thanks for the image!

What happens if you use the path to your snaps and the setting 'default (rom)' for the defineables?
Are the snaps diplayed?

[Scumgriever]

Yeah, If I change the definable 1 2 & 3 to 'default (rom)' and point them at the snap folder it show up three nice little pics of the snap in the place where the controlls should go, one in each definable.

[swindus]

Ok, thus it works like it should. 

Did you change/rename any file or folder of the VCP03 layout?

Please download the layout again from the MaLa page and extract it to a new folder. Then point the layout dir in MaLa to this new folder and enable the defineables like described above.

[Scumgriever]

I'm 99.99 percent sure I didn't change anything but I'll go try that now anyway.
I'll report back in a sec.

Thanks for the help by the way.

[Scumgriever]

Still no love. 
Exactly the same problem regardless if I point it to the new one I just d/l or the one I was using.

I tried manually pointing it to the folders and the automatic option, refreshing the game list after each try.

This is really kicking ---my bottom---.

[Scumgriever]

Also, Ive tried using the dos version of mame as well but that doesn't help.

[swindus]

Don't use the DOS version of MAME, use the windows command line MAME.

[Scumgriever]

just tried it in the command line version and it comes up saying 'no mame.ini found create a standard one'? I think I remember it doing this on the first launch before. Could this be the problem?

otherwise it still doesn't seem to be working.

[swindus]

No. What you need is a mame.xml and a controls.ini file. Information from these files are stored in the MaLa game lists, which controls the loading of the defineables. So I have no idea why it doesnt' work here.

[loadman]

Hmmm

Q1) I are sure you are using the WINDOWS command line mame version??

Q2) Please advise what version you are using please.

[Scumgriever]

Q1) I are sure you are using the WINDOWS command line mame version??

Q2) Please advise what version you are using please.

Yeah,
I was originally using Mame32, but now I'm using mame0108b.exe which I downloaded from
http://www.mame.net/downmain.html

The dos version I tried was also from that page, the fourth one down I think.

I have also tried using a few different versions of the controls.ini file - 107 and 108.

Is there some way I can try generating/downloading a new mame.xml? As far as I can see its all I haven't tried. Does Mame generate one when you first launch it or come with it. I forget. <- I may be barking up the complete wrong tree here. the mame.xml file is the part I have least sussed out.

Thanks again guys.

[swindus]

You can create a new XML file with MaLa. There is a button 'Create' next to the path to the XML file in the options dialog.

[Scumgriever]

thats right, I've done that beore.

Look thanks heaps for the help guys, I think I'm going to leave it for a little while I'm going to put this drive I'm using onto another system in the long run anyway so will have to do a bunch of stuff, like installing different bits and pieces and fonts again, so i figure I'll leave it till then for now. I'm happy having stuck a cpanel picture and a marquee into the layout instead and then using a controll panel viewer to show what the plaer should use.

I figure that'll give me a more comprehensive version anway. I do like the neatness of the CPV03 controll layouts so if it suddenly dawns on anyone what I've done wrong do let me know. Just don't lose any sleep over it.

  Thanks again guys.

I'll do the vertical version of that megadrive layout, as small payment.

[Scumgriever]

Ok here you go.

Both the vert and horizontal VCP03 layout .jpg for megadrive/genesis.

I figure someone who is more familiar with the layout creator for Mala can make them into proper layouts. These are all yours Swindus do with them as you please.
Cudos for Mala.

[loadman]

Cool!   

If you ever make a full Layout you might consider uploading it to the mala Website

http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/layout_upload.html