Using P2 controls for player 2

[bmuse]

Regarding this topic/thread:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,39429.0.html

I need to accomplish the same thing -- have MAME allow player 2 to use the P2 controls on my SlikStik.

[Howard_Casto]

There really isn't a solution. 

Everything those posters suggested in impractical. 

See the thing is, there isn't a cfg/ini/ctrlr file just for alternating player games.  Without such an option, you are going to have to manually check all games to see if they are alternating, and manually remap in mame via the menu accordingly. 

The games are supposed to be played that way.  Have player 2 sit back and just trade places when you are done. 

[Tiger-Heli]

If you don't want to re-compile, your only viable solution is re-mapping each 2P alternating game so that P1 uses either Joystick 1 or Joystick 2.  Note that this will also allow either player to mess up the other one (since both sticks will control the player at all times).

[bmuse]

Could I remap Globally, and then reconfigure just the few simultaneous games I want (like Mario Bros) using "This Game Only"?

[Tiger-Heli]

Could I remap Globally, and then reconfigure just the few simultaneous games I want (like Mario Bros) using "This Game Only"?

Yes, although I think there are more 2P simultaneous in a full MAME build than 2P Alternating, but it depends which games you want to support.

Short answer is yes, you can.

[Brewser]

I have not tried this on my ipac4 but I think you should be able to remap all the keys with either a slikstik or and ipac. Basically making the p1 and p2 identical. On my old X-Arcade they had a switch mode on the back so you could configure your CP for up to 3 different configurations. You just had to hit the back button and move the switch on back. I wonder if you could do a mode change on the ipac or the slikstik or if you could setup a batch to have mamewah make the switch for you.
Anyone doing this now? Does anyone have a batch file with the 2p alternate games mapped to both joysticks?

[Tiger-Heli]

I have not tried this on my ipac4 but I think you should be able to remap all the keys with either a slikstik or and ipac. Basically making the p1 and p2 identical. On my old X-Arcade they had a switch mode on the back so you could configure your CP for up to 3 different configurations. You just had to hit the back button and move the switch on back. I wonder if you could do a mode change on the ipac or the slikstik or if you could setup a batch to have mamewah make the switch for you.
Anyone doing this now? Does anyone have a batch file with the 2p alternate games mapped to both joysticks?

Your idea will work, but it's more trouble than it's worth.

In other words, you could set up a 2palternate.ipc file and a 2psimultaneous.ipc file, create batch files to load the appropriate file and then MAME, and have your frontend launch the batch files instead of MAME directly, but it's easier to just make the required changes in MAME, plus you don't have to wait for the I-PAC to be programmed before launching the game.