Arcade, Arcade Update

Visual Pinball Arcade Update 2.58 to 2.59

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Okay, this is the update that a few of you like Dan have been anxiously waiting for.  🙂

This will add Visual Pinball 9.x.x tables under Maximus Arcade as well as a few bug fixes.  As always, I seem to have forgotten something on my ‘to do’ list. (The ability to just do backups from the loader)  Oh well, I’ll get to it next time.  Free lifetime updates mean that sometimes things get forgotten, lol.  This update is a fairly sizable update.  The archive is about 830 MB, and you will want at least 3GB free on the usb flash key that you use to run the update.

The first thing that you all will notice (for those that auto load right into MAME, or those that have multiple emulators configured), that you will be faced with either MAME or Visual Pinball.  So, if you lost configured emulators, or don’t want the VP choice, you will need to go into MA preferences, by hitting Ctrl-P, and then choosing the Display Order tab to set it up as you wish.

After running the update, you will most probably want to set the display preferences of Visual Pinball as the readme guidelines, or else it won’t be fullscreen and will instead run in a window.  In my opinion, that is a less appealing experience.   As you see on the right, is an example of a VP pinball table running full screen. You may also wish to change some of the default keys to other keys o your choice.  For example, the left and right flippers are left and right shift keys.  That may not work for you, and can be changed.

As always, make sure to read the WhatNew text file through at least one time, as well as read it again when the update .bat file loads it.  Also, pay careful attention to the instructions that appear on the screen while the update is running.  At one point, you will have to change the install path to VP, or it will not properly work. 

Okay, click HERE for the 2.58-2.59 update archive.

If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to me, and I’ll do my best to assist you with your problems. 😉

Now, on to a little bit of news.  RecRoomMasters (maker of the best arcade cabinet kit I ever found) has gone out of business.  For those of you that bought one, I guess your lifetime warranty just ended.  For those of you that procrastinated, and never bought one, you still have hope.  There are other avenues.

A two joystick tankstick with trackball is still available HERE.

A ‘drop in’ spinner control is still available HERE.  (For games like Tempest.)

A full sized ‘naked’ FULLY ASSEMBLED cabinet is HERE. I think it’s a bit more than RecRoomMasters, but it’s assembled.  I think they used to sell these with 250 games, but it may just be the cabinet now.  Email them for details.

Another place that looks pretty cool is the Arcade Guys. Click HERE.

Well, everybody, that gives you a few links in the light of RecRoom Masters demise.  I recommend the tankstick whether you are building a full size arcade cabinet, or if you are just using a console attached to a huge flatscreen TV.  Good quality, and I believe it has a lifetime warranty.

Hard to believe that this arcade console/cabinet has been an ongoing project for 7 years now.  Started with MAME 149, now has MAME 225.  I continue to fix reported bugs (or attempt to, lol), as well as feature additions, so keep your eyes on this blog.  So much easier to do one or two updates at a time.  (Remember, the updates ALWAYS have to be performed in order.)

 

Arcade, Arcade Troubleshooting, Computer - Linux, Computer - Windows

Arcade Troubleshooting Joystick and Gamepad

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This post specifically addresses not being able to make your selection under Maximus Arcade utilizing the joystick or gamepad. I have had a few people mention this issue.  This post doesn’t really apply if you are using a Tankstick in a stand up cabinet or game console.  That is because a Tankstick actually ’emulates’ a keyboard.  However, if you use a game console or external hard drive version with a joystick or gamepad, then this post is for you.  If you are still playing the arcade games with a keyboard, you should check out these two options:  Click HERE for a link to buy a Thrustmaster USB wired joystick like the one pictured above.  Or, if you prefer, you can click HERE for a link to buy a pair of wireless gamepads like the pair pictured above  Both of these options are about $25 with prime shipping.  Once you start utilizing something other than a keyboard to play your games, you will rapidly notice how inconvenient it is to select the ROM using the keyboard.  Much easier to set up the joystick or gamepad to do so.

In order to do this, you will need to enter the Maximus preferences.  Easiest way is to load MA, then hit Ctrl-P.  The preferences utility will load.  I might add that changing the controller prefs, you will NOT need to move the Master ROM List to the top of the games list.  That ‘lock’ only prevents changes to the games lists, not any of the other settings. In the picture just above, you will need to select the Controller tab at the top, and the Joystick tab on the left.  The main thing that HAS to be set is #1 Capture Joystick/Gamepad.  The other settings, #2 through #6 should be fine as they are, but depending on your joystick, you may need to select the other setting in #6.  Something you should do is to select the View tab, like the picture on the right.  This will allow you to know what  buttons are what on your controller.  Necessary, if like me, you need to move a couple buttons around in the configuration.  In my case, using a Thrustmaster, the trigger button was button #1, and the button on top was button #2.  The prefs in the Setup1 and Setup2 tabs were set for button 1 to toggle the Favorites, and the Select was set to button 10, if I remember.  The way to change them around is to highlight the setting then press the little red X at the bottom to delete that button.  Then, you just need to press the button that you want. In the pictures just above, on the left and the right, you will see that I’ve already moved things around so the trigger will select, and the top button will cycle the Favorites.  One other thing to realize that if it’s still not working properly, make sure you don’t have a flight joystick like the Thrustmaster.  If you do, there is usually a side throttle control, mapped to a joystick.  I have taken the liberty to mark it with an arrow in the picture just above on the left.  If that control is moved forward or backward, it will override the joystick being able to select, so make sure it is in the neutral center position.

Hope this posting helps everybody…. 😉

Arcade, Arcade Update, Computer, Computer - Linux, Computer - Windows

Arcade Update 1/2022 B

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If you do NOT have v.2.56 of the Arcade installation, do NOT proceed.

Instead, go here, and apply the four previous updates, and possibly the optional snapshots file:  Arcade Update 1/2022.  (Updates MUST be applied in sequence)  As always, you should perform a backup using your normal PC backup, just in case. (NOT the arcade backup scripts in the installation.)

In the future, you can always just jump to the Arcade Updates  category to check whether you may have missed any updates.  The version that you currently have, whether console or ext hdd, may be checked at G:\version.txt.  I can’t remember, but I think if you have v.2.40, there possibly may be no version.txt.  In the console version, it should report the version number while loading, as long as it’s more recent than v.2.40.

Now that that is all over, here is the download link for the latest Arcade Update file:  Arcade Update 2.56-2.58.  

One note to mention, is that I added a 2 way joystick config for Clowns.  By default, if you check the game’s TAB menu, you will notice that Clowns may be set to Paddles.  You may have to set that to your system as well.  I prefer to take a pic of the settings before I change things on those menus.  These 2 and 4 way joystick configs are most useful if you use an 8 way joystick.

This update also adds a funtion to backup a couple critical 3DArcade directories.

Arcade, Arcade Troubleshooting, Computer, Computer - Windows

Arcade Troubleshooting

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This is a bit on how to troubleshoot issues that you may be having with a Tankstick, by Recroommasters.  It’s a cool joystick/button assembly that will help you to relive a true arcade experience, whether you have the external hard drive, the stand alone console, or arcade cabinet installation of my arcade box. It can be purchased HERE.  😉

First thing to ask is it a button or joystick problem?  If it’s a joystick ‘hanging’ problem, do you have a ‘rom’.ini file in the ini subdirectory for that particular game, addressing the 4 way versus 8 way joystick issue?  So, the first thing to do might be to insure that the tankstick is working properly.

The tankstick basically just emulates a keyboard, so you should be able to just open a blank text file and test button by button, and joystick by joystick to ensure that they ‘type’ the right character.  However, some emulate special keys like ESC, so the diagnostic program might be in order.  You can get it HERE.  No matter which of the three versions of my arcade box you have, in order to run it, you will need the Java Runtime Environment installed.  Download it HERE.  If you are using the external hard drive version, it may already be installed, so you should check.

In checking out your tankstick, you may find that one or more joystick micro switches are not as sensitive as the rest.  So, you may power everything down, turn it upside down, and unscrew the bottom. (The rubber feet do NOT have to be removed, but the little rubber caps on the feet do. Then, when open, adjust the micro switches as the picture on the right. The proper method is to hold the switch closed, and SLIGHTLY bend the arm, in the direction of the arrow, depending on if you want more or less sensitivity.  Don’t worry, this is sanctioned by the manufacturer, and will not void the lifetime warranty.

Also, if a micro switch is bad, there should be spares inside the tankstick.

You shouldn’t need to take your joystick apart, but in case you do, here’s an exploded view on the left.  It also shows you the 4-way/8-way adapter that you reverse if you wish to make them permanent 4-way joysticks. With a little creativity, this would be useful.  You could leave the two center joysticks as 8-way for games like Robotron, and make the two outside joysticks 4-way. However, then with 4-way games, you would have to set MAME to use those as player one/two.  I still prefer my rom.ini file mapping solution.  😉

Now, that you are happy your tankstick is working properly, it’s time to turn our attention to MAME.  As I mentioned before, if it’s a joystick ‘hanging’ issue, make sure you have an .ini file in the G:\MAME\ini\ directory.  The name HAS to match exactly to the name of the rom that you are playing.  If unsure how to accomplish this, you can reach out to me.

The next thing to try is to use the updated X-Arcade controller configuration.  This file is located in the G:\MAME\ctrlr\ directory, and the outdated file is called xarcade.cfg and is from 2007.  There never really was a need to enable this, since the xarcade emulates a keyboard, but using the updated configuration from 2017 might be in order.  You can download the updated file HERE.  Just unzip it, and put X-Arcade.cfg in the directory above.  Then, you have to enable it.  Open the following file G:\MAME\mame.ini file (NOT directory, Jrod, LOL) by right clicking it and selecting EDIT.  Then, look for the section in the pic on the right, and you will make the ctrlr line read just like the example.  Remember, if it seems to make things worse, just blank that line back out.  I recommend copying your mame.ini file somewhere, so you have a backup.  Desktop might be a good place.

Another nice MAME thing to know is how to change your button and joystick mapping.  You can either do that globally, or per game.  I recommend staying away from global changes until you get comfortable. First thing to do is load a game and hit the <TAB> key.  This will bring up the menu on the left.  Cursor down to Input (This Machine) and press ENTER.  Then, the menu on the right will appear.  You will notice the in this example, there is only one joystick.  That is because on my test console, I only have one USB joystick attached.  I RECOMMEND TAKING A PICTURE OF YOUR SETTINGS, SO YOU CAN ALWAYS GO BACK.  Easy to forget. So, the way you change the P1 UP line is as follows:

To add something to the end, you hit ENTER, then you just press that key or move that joystick, so to add joystick3 up to that line, just move joy3 in the up direction. Do that for the four directions, and you can use joy3 just like joy1 in order to test.

In order to go back, you need to blank the line.  Do it this way: Hit ENTER on the line, then quickly hit the ESC key.  That blanks out the line, then Hit ENTER, and cursor up, then ENTER and joy1 up, etc.  Hope this makes sense.  One note, and it’s IMPORTANT.  If your ESC key delay is set to 0 in the Maximus Arcade prefs, you will need to set it to 1 or 2, otherwise when you blank a line, you will exit the rom and you will need to reload it.  Annoying.

Well, I hope that’s given everybody some tips on troubleshooting this Arcade setup.  I’ve already posted the first four updates of the v.2.xx install, with another that will  be released shortly. This is always the way it seems to work.  Release one or more updates, and it spawns another one.  Oh well, keeps me busy in retirement.  😉

Tech, music, and general ramblings…..