Possible Bug in .66

[ErikRuud]

I have moved my MAME system to a different PC and upgraded to .66

I was testing several games to make sure everything was configured properly.  I started up Crazy Climber 2, and the controls were not configured properly.  I hit tab to get to the config menu, and I noticed that the selection arrows kept moving up.  It was like the Up Arrow key was stuck.

I did checking and confirmed that it was only happening in MAME, and not in any othe app on my PC, so I know it is not wiring or an IPAXC issue.

Next I tried the MAME .58 and everything is fine.

I went back to .66 and the problem is still there.  I have also discoveed that I am having the same problem with left arrow.

Example: in Missile Command, the cursor moves to the upper left corner as soon as the game starts.

So far this only happens in MAME .66.  I did not try .65 or .67 because I did not have them handy this weekend.

I am running the windows version on a 233 mhz Pentium MMX pc under Win98.  

Has anyone else run in to this? I tried to look on the MAME Testers furom, but I couldn't find any mention of it there.

I will test with .65 and .67 tonight.

[creatine28]

That happens to me sometimes, but I'm using sidewider pads.  I noticed that if you scroll through the mame config list to fast , or if you just hold a key down too long, it just keeps going. In order to stop it, I just press that same key that was sticking a couple times and it seems to stop it.  Don't know why is does it, but it almost like if you hold a keys down too long, it make the key stick. Hmmm

Does this happen to you without even pressing a key in the config menu?  Now that I think about it, I have had some games that will just act weird, for no reason at all, and I end up have to just playing  the clone if there is one.

I'll try mine out and see if I experience the same thing!  
Missle command and crazy climber 2 right, or is there more?

Steve
 

[ErikRuud]

It happens all the time, In many games.  I have not found one yet that it does not happen in.

It happens before I hit any key in the config menu.  It is also happening outside of the config menu (Missile Command example).  If I hit another key say down arrow, the game accepts it, but then continues to do the up arrows.

I have tried rebooting, re-extracting, running from command line, running from Game Launcher, disabling all background tasks first, disconnecting the keyboard, disconnecting IPAC, disconnecting sidewinder joystick.  Nothing has made a difference.  It happens only in .66, not in any other application that I have tried.

[Tiger-Heli]

Weird, I had no problems with 0.66.  I have seen this happen if a gameport joystick is connected and out of calibration.

BTW, I'd bet 0.67 won't work on your machine unless you compile your own based on the K6 thread below.  (I have a Pentium 200 MMX).

(Just saw you mentioned disconnecting the sidewinder joystick, but it's not plug and play.  Try going through Windows control panel - gaming controls, and removing it there, or going through the calibration routines.)

[creatine28]

Have you  tried using Advanced mame .66?   Just checked and it looks like advanced mame.67 was just released.

[ErikRuud]

I have not tried Advanced MAME at all because I was running under dos until last week.

I'll double check the control panel for the SideWinder.  It did install as plug and play.

[Tiger-Heli]

I have not tried Advanced MAME at all because I was running under dos until last week.

I'll double check the control panel for the SideWinder.  It did install as plug and play.

Ah, USB sidewinder, not gameport.  My bad!!!

[ErikRuud]

My Bad.  I should have been more specific. It is actually a "Sidewinder 3D Pro Joystick" and it is not USB.

I hooked it up for analog games like TailGunner.

[ErikRuud]

OK, here is the story so far.

.67 does not work on my machine as expected.

I tried .65 and .63 and still had the problem.  I tried .63 dos and the problem did not occur.

I then uninstalled a bunch of stuff that I do not need to have on my arcade PC, including Quicken 2000, McAfee Virus Scan, McAfee firewall, SBC DialUp, MS Sidewinder, a bunch of stuff left over from the ATI All In Wonder 128 Pro(now in the E-Machine), and a few other things.

The problem has gone away!! I don't know which one was the culprit, but it is working.

I will have to try re-installing the Sidewinder and see if it still OK.

[Tiger-Heli]

My bet would be McAfee VirusScan.  I had weird problems with later versions of it and MAME previously.

[ErikRuud]

The Virus scan is one of my prime suspects.  All of the stuff I mentioned involved some sort of background process.  I am better off without them taking up memory any way.

Now I just need to figure out why the artwork for some of the games does not want to work.

[SirPoonga]

I had this problem after my friend installed directpadpro to play ddr.  Once I uninstalled the dpadpro drivers I never had the problem.  Guess something conflicting there.

[ErikRuud]

SirPoonga, Which problem are you referring to? Repeating Keys or Artwork?

[ErikRuud]

OK, I got it figured out!

I can make the problem occur at will.

I tried re-installing the MS Sidewinder drivers, and the problem came back.  I thought about it for a while, and then I checked my mame setting.  I had Joystick 0 in my mame.ini, I switched it to 1 and the problem went away!  If I switch it back to 0 the problem comes back.

It is odd that the Sidewinder works even when joystick is set to 0.