X-Arcade & Tankstick Exit Issue Workaround - Maximus 2.10

[DeLuSioNal29]

** Originally Posted by Jeremy from X-Gaming **

Hello all,

I am Jeremy from Xgaming, Inc., and I'm going to try see if I can help find a workaround or fix for this issue until mameseer is able to nail it down once and for all. Please know that we have not been in touch with him, so we don't know anything more than you do at this point. He is more than welcome to contact me directly if he wishes.

First and foremost please do not trash the software or mameseer in this thread as it will only get it closed…take that to another thread please.

I am basing this off of our Maximus Arcade and MAME setup guide and files here: http://www.xgaming.com/support/questions/102/

If I am correct in my findings, this problem has nothing to do with the X-Arcade at all, but may indeed a small bug in the Maximus software or Windows 7.
EDIT: This may be a problem in Windows 7 only, please confirm your O/S and whether you have the same problem.

To replicate the bug consistently, simply hold any numpad direction (2,4,6 or 8 = Joy1 on the X-Arcade) and then hit the Shift key (= Button 4 on the X-Arcade - LK on SF, LP on MK). Now when you try to exit a game you will see the bug. Furthermore, if you do the same combination while in the Maximus menu, you will see that direction will get stuck. You can also see it happens in the X-Arcade Test Program. Bug identified.

The workaround options until there is a fix are:
Option 1. Spin Joy1 in a complete circle before exiting a game. If you get the black screen don't panic, just spin joy1 again and use the exit command again.
Option 2. Turn off numlock when using Maximus (now joy1 on the X-Arcade acts like arrow keys)
Option 3. Reprogram the X-Arcade to use different keys for Button 4 (Shift) or Joy1, change settings in Maximus to match.
Option 4. Use one of these methods to make the X-Arcade act as a gamepad in windows instead of a keyboard: http://www.xgaming.com/support/questions/61/

I also have a few workarounds if you do get the black screen bug so you don’t have to reboot the PC:
1. If you move joy1 in all directions (or technically just the direction it got stuck in), you can then use the Exit Game command to get back to the Maximus menu.
2. Hit ALT+TAB and then ALT+F4 to close Maximus.
3. Hit the Windows key (or CTRL+ESC), then right-click on the taskbar button for Maximus and choose close.

I have also noticed that you cannot exit Maximus using ALT+F4 unless you first hit Alt+Tab. I don’t know if this is related or helpful.

Please try these solutions out and see if my findings are correct, or if there is more to it that I have missed.

- Jeremy

[DeLuSioNal29]

I have additional information which may help MA users and X-Arcade users.

As Jeremy stated, the issue is when a direction is held (i.e. a direction on the left joystick) and the shift key (button 4, SF LKick) at the same time. 

Here are some observations I noticed about MA software behavior and X-Arcade input:
[SNIP!]
-I noticed that if Windows 7 determines that the XArcade is a certain type of keyboard a (MCIR 109), the button layout for the XArcade is different.  This makes me wonder if the issue might also have to do with what drivers are being used for the XArcade unit (or maybe even other interface hardware).
-Most interesting is that I can reproduce the "sticking direction" behavior mentioned in this thread within the web/java based XArcade test tool.  Hitting a direction, and pressing shift (button 4) displays the joystick as being stuck in a direction.  You can see the keys being stuck, and the graphic shows the joystick leaning a certain direction.  Again, you can get out of this "stuck direction by pressing Shift and spinning the joystick all the way around.

It's interesting to me that I can reproduce the behavior outside of MA.  By no means this infers that there is nothing wrong with MA, just that there may be something wrong with what the software interface which receives these button presses.  I would appreciate any input from MA representatives and X-Arcade staff regarding these findings.

Actually you can get it to stick in our test program using your NUMPAD directions and the SHIFT key together with no X-Arcade attached. This very well may be a Windows 7 issue rather than a Maximus software one.

But since you can reproduce it without an X-Arcade (and with competing hardware encoders), the problem is definitely not X-Arcade specific.

Good find. Can anyone reproduce on non-Win7 environment?

[DeLuSioNal29]

Hello guys,

I don't have the tansktick but I wrote this small tool that turn off the num lock, so you can use with the "Run application on startup" option if you wish.


http://files.arcadecontrols.com/details.php?image_id=3630

Best regards

JF

[DeLuSioNal29]

Ok I'm installing Windows 7 as I type. I well let you guys know if the bug happens in W7.

Anyone have some bug-spray? Yet it happens in windows 7.
Over all everything runs good and fast. Out of all the stuff I have on the arcade cab one game stopped working,and that was SwitchBall. No changing the W7 boot screen or shelling (hiding windows). Overall I feel like my cab  had a really nice make-over!

[kaptainsteve]

Hello,

Yes, i get the bug in XP with exiting any game.   

I use XP, I-pac and Dynamo Cabinet control panel.  When exiting a game, it sometimes (very frequently) goes to a black screen where the only way out is to right click the mouse, exit the emulator, exit the FE and restart the pc.

With another FE (Ultramame) I had a similar issue when exiting where I'd get an error popup saying "Unable to intialize direct draw"  with Mame in the upper left corner.

But, I don't think it's mame because simply using mame does not reproduce this error nor does changing millions of settings, like the direct draw setting.

I still can't figure this thing out.

Anysuggestions welcome!

Thanks.

Steve

[nipson]

I'm confused on this issue. If I run the turn numlockoff executable when MA boots up, do I have to turn Num Lock on when I choose a game and begin an emulator or do I need to reprogram the Tankstick for joypad 1 to use the arrow keys too?

EDIT: Nevermind, figured it out. I just left numlock off, but for some reason all of my emulators see it as on. Maximus hasn't locked up on me one bit.

[Anpanman]

Didn't X-Arcade buy the rights to Maximus?  They still haven't fixed this? 

[kaptainsteve]

Hello guys,

I don't have the tansktick but I wrote this small tool that turn off the num lock, so you can use with the "Run application on startup" option if you wish.




http://files.arcadecontrols.com/details.php?image_id=3630

Best regards

JF

Thanks.

 I put this in the Maximus folder and chose to run it on startup but do I enter anything in the command line box?


Can I just put it in the pc start folder?

It's not the a frontend  or a Mame problem, I'm getting it now all the time exiting games with Mala or Maximus Arcade?

Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks for your time.

Steve

[kaptainsteve]

I think that part of the problem may be that it is a 'focus' problem.  I set the "priority" setting in Maximus to high and the problem seems to have almost gone away.  It came back once during a game that seemed not to run very well (I got an older machine) and used up too much resources and I couldn't exit it.  Fairly regularly I still can't exit games.  I do have an older machine.  But, no one seems to have found the solution to this bug?

[kaptainsteve]

The "escape" problem is a quirk with Windows & (the older) Ipac.  I changed the endoder/interface and switched out the Ipac.  Problem solved.  I bought one of them cheap 2 Player Arcade Controller Xin-Mo USB PC Encoders, installed it, and no more escape issues and a few other quirks.  The encoder can be had for a little more the 20 bux on Ebay and I highly recommend it.  But, there are some things.  I have an old dynamo cabinet with a Street Fighter control panel with only 6 buttons for each joystick and a P1 and P2 button for a total of 14 buttons.   That is not a lot to run Mame along with other emulators behind Mala.   So, if you don't have a lot of buttons, you won't have the flexibility that the Ipac offers due to it's "shift" functions.  Again, I have a first and second generation Ipac and both had the same issues.  My point is I don't have a clue if the new Ipacs have the same issue as the old.  They probably don't.  The Xin-Mo is a USB encoder and so are the new Ipacs which might be the game changer.  The Xin-Mo runs on Windows Gamepad software, which does limit you some.  If you know about the new Ipacs and if they've solved that "escape" issue, please comment...

[Anpanman]

There's still no fix for this?