---Triple X--- Xpadder/ X-Arcade/ Xbox360 Issue =]

[Visitor Q]

I am having a slight issue with Xpadder and Mame that maybe someone here can help me with. It seems that when I configure Mame with my X-Arcade and Xbox 360 controller (360 using Xpadder) that sometimes the settings do not stay configured within Mame. This may be due to the fact that sometimes when I start Mame I do not have the 360 controller on so it does not see it and reverts to default settings because it is not there, however when I say default settings though I mean it reverts back to the setting of Mame before I ever make any changes to it. I have not confirmed this yet but I never had this problem just using my X-Arcade in the past, it has only occurred since I started using the 360 controller and Xapdder. I mean Mame is great because it seems that you can set a unlimited amount of commands to each key control but I just wish they would stay that way whether the controller is present or not… Well at least that seems to be the issue from what I can tell at the moment.

Ideas or thoughts?
Thanks.

[u_rebelscum]

Hmm, exact answers will depend on how the xpadder is set up and some amme settings, I think.  Does the xpadder send the same keys as the xarcade, or different?  Why do you have to remap?  Why do you need xpadder in the first place?  Do you have -multikeyboard enabled?  Is it reverting just the xpadder mapped inputs or all?  ("all" assuming you're remapping the xarcade too.)  Are you using the xarcade ctrlr file provided with mamedev's binary?

However, a fixall might be to start using a ctrlr file set up specifically for your, err, set up.  Mame doesn't edit ctrlr files, and you can have game specific maps, as well as general remaps, driver specific, bios specific, and parent/clone specific remaps.  Ctrlr file at the wiki.  (Mame rewrites the cfg files everytime you exit the game.)  Whether ctrlr file is the best (or only) way or not depends on the above questions, though. 

I can help on ctrlr files, but don't want to go too far if you don't want to try it or there's a faster way.

[Visitor Q]

Here is what I think is happening. When my Xbox 360 is turned off and I load Mame running Xpadder with no controller detected, all my Mame settings get reverted back to default. I guess Mame does not know how to handle the controller not being present... It is a 360 wireless controller so it is not always on.

Let me answer your questions a little...

Yes, the Xpadder sends the same keys as my X-Arcade but Mame does not see them as key presses, it sees them as joystick commands. I had another post here and someone had told me they took the support out of Mame that would work with Xpadder so now Xpadder does not work with it. So infact, I don't think this is an Xpadder issue at all looking at this. I think this is an issue of me running Mame without the Xbox 360 controller turn on and Mame not liking it even though my other key press controller (X-Arcade) is present.

So more or less... I just need to make sure that all my controls stick whether the joystick is present or not cause this was never an issue before when I just had my X-Arcade and soon I am going to have a full control panel to deal with including two U360s, 4-Way (key press), Push/ Pull Spinner, trackball and an IPAC 4 so I want to get a handle on this as much as I can before it really gets out of hand! =/

Oh yeah, the X-Arcade has remapped keys.

No Multi Keyboards, not sure if it is enabled.

Hope this answers some of your questions you asked me and gives you a little better understanding of what is going on here for me. Thank you for taking the time to help me so far.

[u_rebelscum]

Yeah, mame is a little picky about remaps to devices it can't see (such as the unplugged xbox controller).  It does sound like xpadder isn't an issue, so mutliplekeyboard doesn't matter.

If you're not using xarcade ctrlr file, but remapped as a normal remap, it's really easy: copy cfg/default.cfg into the ctrlr folder, and point mame's ctrlr option to "default".  The wiki goes into this situation a lot more in depth, including game specific remaps (assuming the reader is starting from scratch).  You can copy game specific cfg files into ctrlr file, but it's cleaner to do it the way described (if you want to was game cfgs, let me know and I'll get some hints, too).

If you're using the xarcade ctrlr file, I suggest editing it, adding in the xbox remapped inputs.  It can get a little, umm, interesting depending on if you remmapped for lots of games, vs only remapped for all games ("Input (general)").  If you remapped only in the general, you can open cfg/default.cfg and ctrlr/xarcade.cfg in a text editor, and copy all the stuff in default.cfg into xarcade.cfg default system section.  You want to leave the inputs that are in xarcade.cfg but are not in default.cfg, and replace the ones that are in both, and add the ones that are only in default.cfg.  Save the resulting file as triplex.cfg or whatever you want, and change mame.ini to point to the new ctrlr file instead of xarcade. (Or just save as xacade.cfg and leave mame.ini the same, but you might want to be able to go back to the original.)

Another way to prevent mame from erasing your remaps is a little "dirtier": make default.cfg (and if remapped specific games cfg files) read-only.  However, this prevents saving further remaps (and for read-only games cfg files, mame can't save the other info some games it saves in the cfg file).  (If the folder was made read-only, then new game cfg files couldn't be created, so those games would always have the OK screen.)

And of course there's the backup, or make copies of, the cfg files, and restore as needed solution, but this can be a PITA to do if you have to do it often.  I really like the ctrlr file option: once done, no need to do anything else.

[Visitor Q]

I am configure Mame in the following way only by using the tab key and then pressing whatever keys to be mapped to certain buttons etc..

So from what I gather here is all I need to do is copy my default.cfg into my ctrl folder and then point mame’s crtl to “default” after I configure using the tab key in Mame. I guess my question is then, what happens when I make changes to my default.cfg then by using the tab key, will they save? Will I have to recopy that file or will it edit anything change and save it correctly to the moved file?

Thanks.

ps. I am not using the default X-Arcade cfg because I remapped all the keys on my X-Arcade using the built in key mapper in the X-Arcade. I did map my Xbox360 in Xpadder to use all the same key presses but like I said, this only works when Xpadder works and in Mame, that is not the case but with my other emualtors, all is well.

[u_rebelscum]

I am configure Mame in the following way only by using the tab key and then pressing whatever keys to be mapped to certain buttons etc..

Only "Input (general)", "Input (this game)", or both?

So from what I gather here is all I need to do is copy my default.cfg into my ctrl folder and then point mame’s crtl to “default” after I configure using the tab key in Mame. I guess my question is then, what happens when I make changes to my default.cfg then by using the tab key, will they save? Will I have to recopy that file or will it edit anything change and save it correctly to the moved file?

The way it works it ctrlr overwrites the defaults, the Input (general) akak cfg/default.cfg file, overwrites ctrlr file, and Input (this game), aka cfg/gamename.cfg, overwrite that.  So you can continue remap with what you've done before, but you might lose them like you have before.

Then there's the moving between versions issues, but you're probably used to these.

ps. I am not using the default X-Arcade cfg because I remapped all the keys on my X-Arcade using the built in key mapper in the X-Arcade. I did map my Xbox360 in Xpadder to use all the same key presses but like I said, this only works when Xpadder works and in Mame, that is not the case but with my other emualtors, all is well.

Mame, unlike 99.9% of othe apps uses RawInput to read the keyboard, and get multiple keyboard support again unlike 99.9% of apps.  This is what makes joy2key & xpadder not work.  (FWIW, I heard xpadder still worked, but I've never used it; I always remap mame instead of the other way around.)

[Visitor Q]

Currently General Input but of course there will be times per game so really both. hahaha I guess I should have just said both. 

So should I program my controls then at this point and more my default.cfg?

[Malenko]

this might not be the answer you want, but why not 2 separate mame set ups, one for wireless controlleer plugged in and one without? you couuld share all the folders with them but have separate inis and exes.

its what Id do instead of bending over backwards to make software work.

[u_rebelscum]

Currently General Input but of course there will be times per game so really both. hahaha I guess I should have just said both. 

So should I program my controls then at this point and move my default.cfg?

Yeah, do the Input (general) like normal, then move the default.cfg file from the cfg folder to the ctrlr folder.  You can rename it if you want.  Then set the ctrlr line to that name; if you didn't rename it, that would be ctrlr default.  Pretty easy.

You'll only have to think of updating your ctrlr file only if you remap something to the gamepad that you don't want to risk losing.

this might not be the answer you want, but why not 2 separate mame set ups, one for wireless controlleer plugged in and one without? you couuld share all the folders with them but have separate inis and exes.

But if you accidentally run the mame setup of the gamepad when isn't not plugged in, you'll still lose the settings, the whole reason Vistor Q asked in the first place.  IMO, not a good alternative.

its what Id do instead of bending over backwards to make software work.

If this is bending over backwards, I should be in the circus.   It would be nice to have a GUI app that could make a ctrlr file, copy over from cfg files, etc, but geeze, what's so hard about moving a file from one folder to another, and changing one line in mame.ini file?  If that's difficult, no wonder ctrlr files are rarely used to its full potential.
[sacasm=off] Adding game/bios remaps by hand is a little harder but IMO still easy.  OTOH, hand updating existing stuff in the ctrlr file can get pretty technical.  If this last one is what's being called "bending backwards", okay I understand why someone who hasn't tried it thinks that way; much like riding a bike or juggling: hard to learn, but once you got it, you never forget.