Mame4all-pi: How to change/backup default keyboard config

[patrick500]

Hi,
I use Mame4all-pi for MAME roms with Retropie2.3 and emulationStation2 on piB+.

Mame Roms start correcly but excepted ‘Escape’ and ‘F3’ (reset game), my keyboard doesn’t “respond”.
I know to start game, I need to press ‘5’ or ‘6’ to insert coins. But because I use a french keyboard, the keys ‘5’ and ‘6’ are not available without SHIFT. So the game doesn’t know I want to play :(

-> I would like to configure keys to map to another ones.

With the other emulators, once they start, I can use the ‘F1’ key to configure input (ie:snes…). But it doesn’t work with Mame4all-pi.

In es_system.cfg file, I can read :
<command>/opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh 4 “/opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame %BASENAME%”</command>

In /opt/retropie/configs/mame :
the file retroarch.cfg is empty. Just it says “all settings made here will override the global settings for the current emulator core”

Inside /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame.cfg I can read keyboard config but without information about ‘insert coins’. Only information about 1player config (and nothing about player#2 config too).

-> I don’t know where I can change keys in a config file.
-> Do you know the name and location of this file ?

Then I have started manually mame (program) in /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi, I have started a rom and I have pressed TAB. In the menu I have changed some keys and the ‘5’ and ‘6’. It WORKS.

Now I would like to backup my configuration. Does someone know which file I need to backup ? (and how to check my own configuration (key-map) in the defined file?)

Thx for your help.
Patrick.

[Floob]

The mame file is:
/opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame.cfg

You can see the ascii key setup in there.
For example, escape is ’27’
http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/ascii-control-characters/escape-ascii-code-27.html

Game specific and the default ingame controls are here:
/opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/cfg/ (although you cant edit these with a text editor)

[chdez77076]

While in-game use the tab key.

[Floob]

When you run mame, it uses tab to bring up the main menu.

[patrick500]

Hi
about /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame.cfg it doesn’t reflect the reality.
In this file only P1 is configured in [frontend] Section, but in fact I have configured lot of other keys in the graphic mode (with TAB to call the menu).
And we can read in this file, lot of Key-fonctions are missing : only Button A is defined and nothing more about the others.

I will test to change the configuration with the graphic menu and backup/restore the default.cfg in /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/cfg

[petrockblog]

the frontend input configuration in mame.cfg is for the built in mame4all launcher/GUI which we do not use.

[Floob]

Buzz: It does use it, as thats where you can use settings like border etc.. to sort out overscan with MAME.

patrick500: The mame.cfg file in there isnt for the in game controls, they are in the cfg directory, but I dont think these are editable with a text editor. You need to use the in game menu using TAB to alter these.

Some basic details here:

[petrockblog]

I am referring to the “frontend input configuration” under the section

[frontend]
#Keyboard controls for frontend only

that is for the built in launcher/frontend which we don’t use in retropie.

[patrick500]

Thanks for your help.

In conclusion :

1.
To change the MAME input configuration:
Start Mame in text mode with typing: ./mame
Lauch a game (rom)
Press ‘Tab’ to enter inside the GUI menu and choose ‘Input (general)’
Change input configuration (keys, joypad…)

2.
To backup and restore Mame input configuration :
-> backup and restore the file : /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/cfg/default.cfg
This file is NOT editable.

3.
Other MAME configuration is stored in: /opt/retropie/emulators/mame4all-pi/mame.cfg

[petrockblog]

sounds right to me.

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