Spyhunter

[Rocky]

I built a special Control Panel for Spy Hunter (the reason I got into MAME and Arcade collecting in the first place)

I used information from this link to build the wheel part and hack it and the pedal to the joystick port
http://www.gunpowder.freeserve.co.uk/wheels/main.htm

My panel has a wheel similar in looks to the original Spy hunter with 2 thumb and 2 trigger switches, a 2 speed shifter, plus a Van button, plus a player1 start button.

Here's my problem and request for help:

1. The spy hunter driver uses a toggle switch for the gear shifter. I am having problems getting my shifter to work right when I shift quickly (virtually every time   ). I was wondering if some of you programmer types could tell me where to look to change the source code to be more like Outrun (which has a separate input for low and high). This is actually how the original game played anyway.

u_rebel....
SirP....

2. I would like to change the default settings in the service mode (F2) so that it only needs one coin to start.  Any idea where I can change this.

Thanks for helping me.  I'm a has-been amateur programmer (started in the 70's and now I'm obsolete   )

Thanks for any help you can give me!


Rocky

[jerryjanis]

Take a look at in mame\src\drivers\mcr3.c in the section, "INPUT_PORTS_START( spyhunt )".

This is the line:

PORT_BITX(0x10, IP_ACTIVE_LOW, IPT_BUTTON6 | IPF_TOGGLE, "Gear Shift", KEYCODE_ENTER, IP_JOY_DEFAULT )

[Tailgunner]

Actually both the upright and sitdown Spy Hunter cabs use a single cherry switch for the shifter.

Changing the service mode default for number of coins to start isn't something you'll find in the MAME driver. You'd have to hack into the game program itself to change that.

[u_rebelscum]

1. The spy hunter driver uses a toggle switch for the gear shifter. I am having problems getting my shifter to work right when I shift quickly (virtually every time   ). I was wondering if some of you programmer types could tell me where to look to change the source code to be more like Outrun (which has a separate input for low and high). This is actually how the original game played anyway.

As said prior, the original only had on switch.  IIRC, open (not pressed) is low, closed (pressed) is high.  The driver uses a toggle so the person wouldn't need to hold down a key on the keyboard.

Look at the line jerryjanis posted, remove the "IPF_TOGGLE" flag (including the "|" just in front of it) and recompile mame.  Then map you high gear to the shift "button".

2. I would like to change the default settings in the service mode (F2) so that it only needs one coin to start.  Any idea where I can change this.

Hmm, it doesn't look like this is saved in nvram.  If the original game didn't save this setting when the plug was pulled, mame wouldn't save it either.  However, if the original was supposed to save it, then this is a bug in the mame driver.

Thanks for helping me.  I'm a has-been amateur programmer (started in the 70's and now I'm obsolete   )

Thanks for any help you can give me!


Rocky

Old school is cool!  
Mame is in C, and the driver and core code doesn't have any of the new or windows-only stuff; you only have to worry about that in the windows specific code in the src/windows folder.  Mame drivers use a lot of MACROS, so if you don't mind not knowing how the macros do it, "all" you need to know is what the macros are supposed to be "saying" if you only want to edit the drivers.

Take the "INPUT_PORTS_START( spyhunt )" macro.  It means "the list of inputs for spyhunter start here".  See?  Not too hard (except that there's a lot of macros).

[Tailgunner]

Hmm, it doesn't look like this is saved in nvram.  If the original game didn't save this setting when the plug was pulled, mame wouldn't save it either.  However, if the original was supposed to save it, then this is a bug in the mame driver.

The original uses a backup battery to keep the settings/high scores stored in RAM while the machine is powered off. The Mame version acts like a cab where the battery is dead, minus all the associated problems from it leaking acid all over the PCBs.

[Rocky]

Thanks for the information. I didn't know that the original used only one micro-switch  

I'll try the changes to the gear shift input that was suggested.  I looked for the information about the coin input, and I couldn't find anything, so you are probably right about it being in the ROM.  I remember that the one I used to play at the five and dime would default to 1 coin on startup, so I figured I could change it, it was probably using a battery to save the settings.

You guys are really groovy  (is that old-school enough?   )


Rocky

[Rocky]

Just wanted to let you know that I made the change in the mcr3.c file and my shifter works great now.

Spy Hunter is so much fun to play with the right controls!!!


Thanks,


Rocky

[jerryjanis]

Just wanted to let you know that I made the change in the mcr3.c file and my shifter works great now.

Spy Hunter is so much fun to play with the right controls!!!


Thanks,


Rocky

Congratulations on getting it all set up!

I have a question about Spy Hunter.  I used to love playing that game as a kid.  I think I remember that sometimes it was great fun, and then other times when I shifted into high gear, I would go too fast to control and die die die.  As an adult, I've only seen the high gear send me flying way too fast.  Probably the times that it was great fun was before I ever understood that I should be shifting into high gear at all.  Can you explain to me what the deal with high gear is?  Why does it kill me so?  How do you play Spy Hunter?

[_Iz-]

Just wanted to let you know that I made the change in the mcr3.c file and my shifter works great now.

Spy Hunter is so much fun to play with the right controls!!!


Thanks,


Rocky

Congratulations on getting it all set up!

I have a question about Spy Hunter.  I used to love playing that game as a kid.  I think I remember that sometimes it was great fun, and then other times when I shifted into high gear, I would go too fast to control and die die die.  As an adult, I've only seen the high gear send me flying way too fast.  Probably the times that it was great fun was before I ever understood that I should be shifting into high gear at all.  Can you explain to me what the deal with high gear is?  Why does it kill me so?  How do you play Spy Hunter?

I think you need to ease off on the lead foot when you're in high gear...  

[u_rebelscum]

Spy Hunter is so much fun to play with the right controls!!!

I have a question about Spy Hunter.  I used to love playing that game as a kid.  I think I remember that sometimes it was great fun, and then other times when I shifted into high gear, I would go too fast to control and die die die.  As an adult, I've only seen the high gear send me flying way too fast.  Probably the times that it was great fun was before I ever understood that I should be shifting into high gear at all.  Can you explain to me what the deal with high gear is?  Why does it kill me so?  How do you play Spy Hunter?

I think you need to ease off on the lead foot when you're in high gear...  

... plus map (& use) an analog input for the pedal instead of a button, so you can ease off on the lead foot.

[Rocky]

jerryjanis,

what those guys said...

Spy Hunter is only playable with an analog wheel and an analog pedal (plus 4 buttons really handy for the weapons).  You can't just floor it or you die. In low gear, you go too slow to make it very far in the game.

Man, there's nothing like playing the game with the proper controls and having that Peter Gunn theme playing in the background as you waste the bad guys  


Rocky

[Aceldamor]

High gear served 2 purposes....

First, if you managed to get to the 2nd fork in the road where you enter the weapons van for the 2nd time before time ran out, it gave you a bonus life.

Second, as you get farther, you need to hit high gear to avoid getting tagged from the back by the cars with the sything(sp) wheels.

[Rocky]

Actually,

When the timer runs out, you get one bonus car, unless you've scored 18,000, in which case you get two bonus cars.

Also, playing Spy Hunter in low gear only is like surviving only the cherry board of pacman and saying you know how to play it.    

[Howard_Casto]

The real issue is the fact that it's not in the arcade.  The original machine had a physical limiter which kept top speed at about 80%.  In mame no such thing and thus you can go much faster than you are supposed to.