Multiple mice in .68 (from mame.net from urebel)

[SirPoonga]

Mame supports multiple USB mice on win98 & winME! Up to 3 mice can be seen and treated separately, sort of. Not adjustable (), here's the way the mice are setup:

a)All mice, be they USB, PS/2 or serial, combine their inputs and control player 1.

b)The first USB mouse installed also controls player 2, the next USB mouse also controls player 3.

c) USB mouse 4 and greater (and PS/2 and serial mice) only control player 1.

So USB mouse 1 controls players 1 & 2, USB mouse 2 controls players 1 & 3, and USB mouse 3 controls player 1 & 4. USB mouse 4, and PS/2 mice, and serial mice only control player 1. Since all mice still control player 1, the change won't matter to most people for most games.

Looks like directX 7 does multiple mice. I thought, through info read from MS docs & other online sites, only dx8 and later did this. (Opps) Because of mame's move to dx7, Mame:Analog+ looks like it will be easier to sync with the official mame; I'll try to clean up as much of the analog+ code to dx7 for submittal.

Fow now, however, games like marble madness still need the USB mice + win98 + Mame:Analog+ to get 2 trackball action.

Robin
www.urebelscum.speedhost.com/ or
www.angelfire.com/retro/u_rebelscum or
rain.prohosting.com/urebel

[Howard_Casto]

Sirp Your going to have to explain this one to me...

How is this any different than analog mame before?

[SirPoonga]

This isn't analog mame, this is mame .68!!!!!

[Howard_Casto]

to quote you:  

"Fow now, however, games like marble madness still need the USB mice + win98 + Mame:Analog+ to get 2 trackball action."

so like i said what's the difference if it doesn't actually do anything and you still need analog mame?

[SirPoonga]

Hmm, I haven't look since I have yet to download it.  I;m waiting for the rush to die down.

Can you remap the controls, if so then you don;t need analog mame, or is that what urebel means?

[u_rebelscum]

... Your going to have to explain this one to me...

How is this any different than analog mame before?

It means that 3 & 4 player trackball games can be played with 2-3 USB trackballs as players 2 and up on the official mame, today.  3 & 4 player spinner/360 degree wheel games can be played with 2-3 USB spinners/trackball as players 2 and up on the official mame, today.  
I.E.: Play Red and Yellow cars in SuperSprint with two different hacked USB mice, instead of analog+.  Or the USB optipac instead of hacking mice.  
 
*shrug*  That's the only things for this version of normal mame, a dozen games or so.


In the future:

It means Analog+ code can remove all the ugly compile time #if (dx8) ... #else ... #endif.  It means easier upkeep by myself, easier compile for everyone compiling their own analog+, and no dx5 vs dx8 analog+ builds.

It means I can submit 70-90% of the Analog+ code (after the above clean up), and the code has a semi-good chance of making it into mame.  Unlike the zero % chance before mame went to dx7.

Sometimes, "almost working" features get more attention; mame's current multiple mice feature "almost works".  Even if none of the Analog+ code makes it in, mameDev might see the need to add simular (& better) features, like remapping mice through the ctrlr ini files (or remapping mice period).

It means multiple lightguns is possible for official mame in the future even without the actlabs hardware in the TV lightguns.

"Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon..."

[CitznFish]

Will this ever happen for XP?   Or is it 'unpossible' for XP to see 2 mice?

[u_rebelscum]

Will this ever happen for XP?   Or is it 'unpossible' for XP to see 2 mice?

MS has said it's impossible to do 2 mice separately through directX (like in mame 0.68 & mame:Analog+) for winXP.

However, there is a new, winXP only, way through win32 API called rawinput & rawmouse.  It looks like I should be able to check out this raw stuff over the summer, but no promises on when/if it will be part of Analog+.

[Howard_Casto]

Will this ever happen for XP?   Or is it 'unpossible' for XP to see 2 mice?

MS has said it's impossible to do 2 mice separately through directX (like in mame 0.68 & mame:Analog+) for winXP.

However, there is a new, winXP only, way through win32 API called rawinput & rawmouse.  It looks like I should be able to check out this raw stuff over the summer, but no promises on when/if it will be part of Analog+.

Interesting.... I could setup a small test program if anyone is interested.  

[rampy]

Will this ever happen for XP?   Or is it 'unpossible' for XP to see 2 mice?

MS has said it's impossible to do 2 mice separately through directX (like in mame 0.68 & mame:Analog+) for winXP.

However, there is a new, winXP only, way through win32 API called rawinput & rawmouse.  It looks like I should be able to check out this raw stuff over the summer, but no promises on when/if it will be part of Analog+.

Interesting.... I could setup a small test program if anyone is interested.  

HC, shouldn't you be working on polishing up  DxLax? The 31st draws neigh. =P (just teasing... and waiting)

Rampy

[u_rebelscum]

... XP to see 2 mice?

...there is a new, winXP only, way through win32 API called rawinput & rawmouse.  It looks like I should be able to check out this raw stuff over the summer, but no promises on when/if it will be part of Analog+.

Interesting.... I could setup a small test program if anyone is interested.  

Thank you for offering: I'd really appreciate anything you do.  I'm not up to date about winXP and much of the win32 API; I'm sure you know a lot more then me.

But if you don't have time or don't feel the urge, don't worry; I'll should start testing near end of June.


FWIW, to compile you need the correct headers: rawinput is defined in WinUser.h.  Visual Studio .Net should have them already, but I don't know about older versions od VS.  The current mingw used by mame does not have the needed headers.
I just dl'ed the windows platform (w/ 2003 server) SDK from MS, but don't know how well it will work with mingw.

[SirPoonga]

FWIW, to compile you need the correct headers: rawinput is defined in WinUser.h.  Visual Studio .Net should have them already, but I don't know about older versions od VS.  The current mingw used by mame does not have the needed headers.
I just dl'ed the windows platform (w/ 2003 server) SDK from MS, but don't know how well it will work with mingw.

Actually, mingw does have some good win api support.  It shouldn;t be that difficult.  heck, there is that mame that is compiled in VS.

[Howard_Casto]

agreed

and i was planning on making the test proggie in vb... Just to see if we could get two seperate mice working independant of each other before someone goes to all the trouble of updating mingw.  

One of the wonderful things about vb is you access the api directly (i.e no headers).  I do need more info on it though as it's a farily new api and thus isn't well documented.  

Anyway, I won't even start until after dxlaz is complete.  

[u_rebelscum]

FWIW, to compile you need the correct headers: rawinput is defined in WinUser.h.  Visual Studio .Net should have them already, but I don't know about older versions od VS.  The current mingw used by mame does not have the needed headers.
I just dl'ed the windows platform (w/ 2003 server) SDK from MS, but don't know how well it will work with mingw.

Actually, mingw does have some good win api support.  It shouldn;t be that difficult.  heck, there is that mame that is compiled in VS.

Yes, but I didn't want to say that and then get heat if anyone had trouble.