Regarding RetroArch MAME & setting up game specific controls

RetroArch Windows devices
#1

I want to set up Robotron 2084 so that it uses the right analogue stick to control the firing like a proper twin stick shooter. I was able to do that by going into Settings --> Input --> User 1 Binds (also made it so that the Y, X, B, A buttons shoot in those directions), but I don’t know how to save those settings for that game only. If I save it under the Settings --> Input --> User 1 Binds --> Save Autoconfig, then it does that for all other games. If I try to save it under Quick Menu —> Overrides --> Game Overrides or Quick Menu —> Controls —> Core Remap, it doesn’t remember the controller settings (I also can’t seem to change the controller settings under the Quick Menu —> Controls). How do I save that control scheme for that game only? I’d love to be able to also save that control scheme for other twin stick shooters.

Also, I’m kind of new to upgrading the MAME libretro. When does the libretro get updated to the latest version of MAME? Is there a schedule, or is it a “It’s done when it’s ready” kind of situation?

Also, if I have the latest romset, can I just overwrite my old roms & have it work? I read something about updating romsets for MAME (standalone, not the RetroArch libretro), and it said that you have to update each version in sequential order, but I don’t quite understand why.

#2

The MAME libretro core doesn’t support the remapping system, as you’ve found. Instead, you have to use MAME’s own internal remapping system (via the TAB menu). It may be helpful to use RetroArch’s “game focus” mode while you do this if you run into weird conflicting behavior.

The core gets updated whenever someone does it. We used to have a guy who did it like clockwork, but he disappeared a few months ago. Dunno where he went, so hopefully he’s okay…

If you get the new ROMs, you can indeed just overwrite the old ones. The upgrading comment is for people who use the update patches.

#3

Thanks for your answers! They were very helpful. Hope the person who updated it regularly is ok.

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#4

Actually, follow up question, since I had an issue after setting up the controls in Robotron 2084. So I was able to get it so that both the right analogue stick & the A/B/X/Y buttons fire in their given directions… BUT after doing that, the game is constantly firing downward (and will fire in diagonal directions if I try firing). I thought that maybe my 8bitdo SF 30 Pro might have had something wrong with it, so I tried my Xbox One controller, and it has the same issue, but is firing diagonally down & to the right, for some reason.

Not quite sure what I did wrong.

#5

that’s weird. Head over to the ‘load core’ menu and try the ‘enable remote retropad’ option. It will show a picture of a gamepad and show you if anything is being spammed.

#6

Tried it, but unfortunately, it doesn’t display direction on the analogue sticks, so if the right analogue stick is somehow being spammed, it wouldn’t show up anyway.

I tried playing Smash TV (similar control style), and when I config the controls the way I do for Robotron 2084, I get the same firing down issue. I also tried Super Mario 64 (where the right analogue stick acts as the C buttons for me), and it works fine. It doesn’t seem like anything is autospamming it, at least not within RetroArch or the actual hardware of my controls. At least as far as I can tell.

Edit: I also tried swapping the settings for the left & right analogue sticks so that left fires, and right moves, and I kept walking down, which confirms that somehow, right analogue stick down is being spammed, but… just not why it’s doing that.

Solution edit: So I swapped to using the Final Burn Alpha libretro, and that allowed me to remap the controls from within RetroArch, and I set it up the way I want to work. This is more of a work around than a solution, but it works just fine for me, so far. Unfortunately, Smash TV won’t launch under Final Burn Alpha, so I’ll have to still keep working on it.

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