Posted by Druin on 7, 2000 at 5:39 PM:
In Reply to: Druin: Why not just use the Mame tab menu to config keypress speed. (more) posted by Torgo on 7, 2000 at 3:55 PM:
That's engineering for you, trying to solve a problem that's already been solved, using impossible means and wasting resources...
I haven't spent a lot of time in the config menus (took me long enough 2 years ago to realize I could rotate the TRON guy)and I should have guessed there was a sensitivity adjustment when I noticed that some games that should have had identical responses, didn't.
I went into the Analog control setup in the Tab options and found the dial speed and the dial sensitity, and sure enough on the slower responding games I was able to adjust both dial settings until the balance was smooth and Ikari-like, then I went into the faster caliber 50, and noticed it had differnet dial sensitivity presets to make it much faster, so I slowed it down and it started behaving properly, only issuing one step of rotation per button press instead of 2 or 3 with its default super fast spinning.
So with this enlightening good news, people can either make all the games respond fast like Cal 50 or slow or medium...all with the constant interface button press timing and no need to worry about wiring up extra weird controls and memorizing secret commands, and tracking the mysterious hidden settings.
I think you've saved everyone, especially me, a lot of problems!
Thanks for pointing that out!
I really should one day look at all the mame config options. For about a year now I've avoided playing Xain'd Sleena when I upgraded from a P100 to a PII 350, because suddenly it was TOO fast and I couldn't coordinate the double-jumps, and finally this week I asked in a newsgroup if there's anything I can do besides running a computer slowdown TSR, and someone pointed out the CPU emulation speed in the ~ menu I think, and suddenly I can play it at normal speed.
What else am I missing out on...it's probably been solved.
Well I feel much better now, I don't have to worry about re-coding the extra switches and light outputs. I might still make the hardware jumper speed default option a permanent one just for complete user control, that is, if people want to have normally fast button presses for normal feel during caliber 50, and then use MAME to slow it down for Ikari, they can preset it ultra fast in hardware and leave it like that. If they want to normally play Heavy barrel, which is slower responding by default than Ikari even, they can preset the hardware to press buttons longer for normal feeling play in that game but then use MAME to speed it up for Caliber 50.
But that's not too important now that it's possible to use the unit perfectly well no matter what the default hardware is.
Now I can study for tomorrow's ugly Math exam. After that, one more course and I'm an Engineer.
Hopefully I can get a nice job where I can cheaply get professional circuit boards made like the commercial keyboard encoder boards...