Extracting game controls from MAME?

[Witchboard]

I have a few games that I'm wanting to check the controls (4/8-way 2/4 buttons) and I haven't had any luck with KLOV or SortInfo.  Are there command line switches I can do to pull the info from MAME without downloading the ROM sets first?

[SirPoonga]

SortInfo gets the info from mame.

mame is inaccurate.  hence the controls.dat project.

[Witchboard]

I'm wanting to kind of run SortInfo backwards.  Instead of searching for games that use an 8-Way and two buttons, I want to see what controls a specific game uses.  Is that possible?

[Minwah]

I'm wanting to kind of run SortInfo backwards.  Instead of searching for games that use an 8-Way and two buttons, I want to see what controls a specific game uses.  Is that possible?

Just find the game in MAWS and look: http://www.mameworld.net/maws/

But as SirP said, the info available from MAME is inaccurate (to say the least) if you want to know the original controls.

[Witchboard]

Thanks guys.

Who would you consider more reliable?  MAWS (MAME) or KLOV?  I know they both have errors, but here's an example.  KLOV says that Valkyrie No Densetsu is an 8-Way 2 button game, where MAWS says it's 3 buttons.  How do I know which one is correct, if either?

[PacManFan]

I've got built -in support for that in Kymaera. It can even show you a picture per game for the controls (4way,8 way,trackball, etc..)
It takes the info from the listinfo/listxml data.

-PMF

[Witchboard]

If your pulling it from the listinfo, wouldn't it have the same info as MAWS?  I'm just trying to verify what games use what controls.  I guess I may just have to download them and check individually.

[SirPoonga]

KLOV is not accurate at all.  MAWS is jus toutput from mame, also not accurate.
This is part of why controls.dat was started.
I haven't looked at maws recently, but to see if they are correct Look up Discs of Tron (see if it says tball or the correct controls) and Big Event Golf (see if it says 1 or 2 buttons, 1 being correct).

You can check out the games in controls.dat so far.
http://fe.donkeyfly.com/controls/gamesbycontrol.php
Note that clones of those listed games probably have the same controls.  There are a few that don't.

[Witchboard]

Very nice.  Thanks SirPoonga.