Hi,
So I just downloaded RetroArch to my Android phone, and it seems really cool. Tried running a ROM of Defender in the MAME core, and couldn’t figure out how to get the touchscreen controls to respond in-game. I can access the menus and everything, but it seems like I should be binding the touch controls to something, and I can’t figure out how to do that, and didn’t see anything in the docs about it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I just tested it and I think it’s working fine, it’s just stuck in the game’s diagnostic menu or whatever, which I would assume requires fiddling with dip switches to move past.
… Fiddling with dip switches?
edit: By which I mean I have no idea what you’re talking about, but the game does boot into what looks like a diagnostic mode. (“UNIT OK,” that sort of thing.)
edit: per some Googling, the Android version doesn’t appear to have dip switch support?
Yeah, that’s my understanding. I would recommend trying it in standalone MAME, which exposes those options more easily, until you can figure out what exactly you need, and then post back and we can talk with Squarepusher about getting it supported (if it’s not already).
Ok, so Defender’s dip switch setup is apparently weird w/r/t MAME*: hold F1 and F2 to enter service mode, then F1 and F2 to navigate menus, 9 to increase values, F1 + 9 to decrease. I couldn’t get most of these values to adjust in the service menu, but eventually I just added coins (in Windows MAME, the 5 key), then start a single-player game with the 1 key.
Though without access to a keyboard for my phone while RetroArch is running, I’m not really sure how to adjust the coin values or start a single player game through whatever touchscreen interface.
On the dipswitch screen reset the game and it will go pass that screen.
Right, but I’ve still got, as far as I can tell, no way to input keypresses for inserting coins or starting the game.
edit: Kind of gets back to my original question: I can’t figure out how to bind the keys on the touchscreen overlay to… anything.
Do you have the touchscreen overlay on?
Yes. I can’t figure out how to bind the keys to anything. Pushing a button next to a key to bind it does nothing. I’ve tried every button on the Input setup menu. All the keys are bound to “Unknown,” and I can’t seem to change it.
edit: I can access the menus and traverse them with the touchscreen d-pad and A and B buttons, which is how I’ve gotten to the input menu.
For me the keys were already binded. You can try reinstalling retroarch to see if that will help. edit: Are you talking about the keys in the rgui menu? If so the keys are already set for the overlays.
actually you can access all mame related menus with a keyboard and tab key or a ps3 pad r2 button,sadly,all changes you do there are not saved anywhere,so you lost all your changes when you unload the game.
Well, we’re talking about a phone here, so I don’t have a keyboard or controller to hook up to it. Either way, this is for mobile gaming, so I wasn’t intending to carry a controller around to play Defender on the subway.
I am talking about the keybinds in the RGUI menu (I think; it’s the menu accessed from the small button at the bottom-middle of the screen). They just don’t seem to respond in-game, or I can’t figure out which button is bound to “add coins” or “start game.”
Either way, it seems like if I’m serious about these classic arcade games on my phone, I may just have to go with MAME4Droid, since, with MAME ROMs, it’s pretty important to be able to save configs on a per-game basis, which this setup doesn’t seem to allow for anyway.
edit: It does seem like the menu in RetroArch proper will allow for keyboard keybinds to the overlay buttons, which solves that problem, I think. The latter point still stands, though.
Select is to add coins. Start is to start game.
Yup, you’re right, totally does. Didn’t notice whatever feedback it might have been giving me. Thanks!
edit: Touchscreen controls are not the way to play Defender, though. Vagaries of the platform, not the fault of the software.