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MAME - Xbox Controller Config (ctrlr file)


Buddy Dacote

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I will try my best to keep this short and sweet, but I got the most recent mame  installed and setup and running. I am using this with Bigbox to play on my living room TV, and was wanting to find a quick pre-made XBOX controller config file to get me up and rolling quickly. I know about setting up controls from the General Input and Machine Input, but was hoping to get something that would take care of most of the basic setups for me (trying to work smarter not harder with this). 

I already found this post at arcadecontrols.com downloaded both the original version from AldousHxlE as well as the revised version from Kinks. Placed the .cfg files in the ctrlr folder, and added the name to the mame.ini file ( I tried both versions). Only thing is when I go back to check the General Inputs in MAME, all I see are keyboard commands. No joystick commands. I'm using a wireless XBOX One Controller and checking the cfg folder my default.ini file is still in its original state since installation.

Am I missing a step or does the most recent MAME version not support this setup anymore? Am I correct to assume that if the ctrlr file worked properly I should see joystick commands on the proper controller input fields?

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26 minutes ago, Buddy Dacote said:

I will try my best to keep this short and sweet, but I got the most recent mame  installed and setup and running. I am using this with Bigbox to play on my living room TV, and was wanting to find a quick pre-made XBOX controller config file to get me up and rolling quickly. I know about setting up controls from the General Input and Machine Input, but was hoping to get something that would take care of most of the basic setups for me (trying to work smarter not harder with this). 

I already found this post at arcadecontrols.com downloaded both the original version from AldousHxlE as well as the revised version from Kinks. Placed the .cfg files in the ctrlr folder, and added the name to the mame.ini file ( I tried both versions). Only thing is when I go back to check the General Inputs in MAME, all I see are keyboard commands. No joystick commands. I'm using a wireless XBOX One Controller and checking the cfg folder my default.ini file is still in its original state since installation.

Am I missing a step or does the most recent MAME version not support this setup anymore? Am I correct to assume that if the ctrlr file worked properly I should see joystick commands on the proper controller input fields?

Im a littlle confused as to what you are asking.  MAME supports any controller, but it needs to be set in the MAME UI itself.

You seem to understand the difference between machine and general controls.

32 minutes ago, Buddy Dacote said:

I already found this post at arcadecontrols.com downloaded both the original version from AldousHxlE as well as the revised version from Kinks. Placed the .cfg files in the ctrlr folder, and added the name to the mame.ini file ( I tried both versions). Only thing is when I go back to check the General Inputs in MAME, all I see are keyboard commands. No joystick commands. I'm using a wireless XBOX One Controller and checking the cfg folder my default.ini file is still in its original state since installation

That sounds wrong to me, i have no idea what "AldousHxlE" is. You have pressed "TAB" on your keyboard right with a game loaded?

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AldousHxIE and Kinks were the creator (and revisor) of the Xbox ctrlr file they made/linked in the arcadecontrols.com link.

My hope/goal is to find a pre-made xbox controller setup that takes care of most setups (the above ctrlr file, they made custom configs for NEO GEO games vs CPS). But when I plug in the ctrlr file in mame.ini I don't see those changes when I open MAME and look at the Input's in either the General or Machine Input menus. All it shows is keyboard setups. 

I am assuming if the ctrlr file is working I would see those joystick inputs in both Input Menus as well as the keyboard Inputs, right?

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Thanks Lordmonkus, but was hoping for something possibly quicker. That's why I was seeing if a premade ctrlr  ( cfg ) file would take care of most of that setup. Supposedly the one I linked to at arcadecontrols.com works for others, just can't get it to work on mine. Push comes to shove I'll just manually set them up, but was hoping to speed up the porcess.

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Just now, DOS76 said:

At this point wouldn't configuring be quicker than waiting for a solution?

I'm confused. I assumed that the ctrlr file IS the solution, I was asking to see if anyone here had any idea as to why the ctrlr file isn't adding the changes to my inputs. If this isn't the solution I am looking for (specified in my first post) then let me know, and I will just do it manually. But I hate to spend hours doing everything manually when I have the solution already, I may be missing one simple step to get it to work.

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3 minutes ago, Lordmonkus said:

What I posted takes all of 5 seconds to do, it's really fast and easy to do.

 

I guess my concern with just a general setup is do the controls translate well between fighting games, NEO GEO games, CPS games and so on? I like the idea of the ctrlr file they made because it looked like they did the grunt work of giving you the best configurations for different button layouts, thus avoiding the pitfall of having to go into the Machine Inputs... can a proper ctrlr file help with that or am I going to have to suck it up and tweak the Machine Inputs as I go along?

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1 minute ago, Lordmonkus said:

Setting a good General layout will cover the vast majority of stuff perfectly fine but for games with oddball controls you will want to do some per Machine configs.

Agreed, i have a default that is set on my arcade stick, its setup like street fighter 2. I have buttons 1,2 and 3 on the top row, then 4, 5, and 6 on the bottom. That works for 99.9% of games. Then the odd balls that dont i do a machine controller bind.

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@Buddy Dacote

I tried that "kinks" ctrlr file you referenced in the link (I hadn't realized could remap multiple ways in one file by machine type so that was cool). I use a XBOX One wireless as well so our setups are similar.  It seems to remap with keyboard and joystick as expected (see screen snap of 1944 CP1 controller maps vs Neogeo game where can see the buttons are remapped based on machine type) when tab in using the "kinks" ctrlr file.  So you might double check a couple areas to verify pulling in correct file.  It sounds like you placed the downloaded cfg file into the ..\mame\ctrlr directory so that is first item.  Then in your mame.ini file check that the file name is the same but don't include the CFG extension in name.  I had an existing cfg I had made called "xbox2player" so I just renamed the downloaded one to what I had for testing.  As long as the mame.ini reference and cfg file match it should be golden. I don't necessarily like all the mappings of buttons with XBOX controller but may borrow some of them items they I had in their file.  I had a much more simpler one (just two player only) \ which like Neil9000 and Lordmonkus stated above, typically works for bulk of the games.  Either way, you will want to get the ctrlr mapping issue figured out so whatever mapping choose is fixed so MAME doesn't have issues of resetting controller maps if forget to turn on controller before launch MAME.    533750242_Screenwith.thumb.png.7a52e5a57d9092955047165647eeedd4.png Untitled.thumb.png.a8d96ccfcc1da844ca419d06525b5a6b.pngCapture.PNG.5989f31a2cde40d8faa3cde90e87acd0.PNG

Edit:  As I was messing around noted (at least) the following problems with the "kinks" file.  1) Don't map the right stick at all, so problem with games like Robotron where just run around but cannot shoot...death results quickly! 2) there are extra spaces in the select and coin commands which seemed to cause funky results when starting games (stopped when deleted them).  The Neogeo machine also had some extra spaces in the button commands.  3) they used a "remap" set of commands to map the UI arrow keys to the number pad in start of file. Don't see why since arrow keys not used anywhere else, plus they use the incorrect command for number pad key binding so number pad up/down don't work anyway because have extra "_" in them. 4) pedal/paddles don't look quite right but didn't try them.  5) the player 1 keyboard bindings were removed so would have issues if using for say Apple II emulator game with keyboard (i.e, Castle Wolfenstein). 

 

 

Edited by sundogak
added in issues noted with file
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@sundogak

 

Glad you got it working.  The thing that still boggles my mind is that your screen shows (what I assume) the input fields filled in based on the ctrlr file... which is good. The only problem is I couldn't get it to apply the new input commands. I know I did everything right because if you place the wrong .cfg name in, mame.ini, MAME will crash. Sounds like you did everything I did, so now I am left scratching my head trying to figure out how to get it to work. I'll look everything over again tonight to see if I can get it working again.

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One other thing to try and meant to mention in earlier response is to go to the ..\MAME\CFG\ directory and rename/delete the "default.cfg" and try again.  In theory it regens the default file automatically but something to verify.  Also check in same directory that the game you are testing doesn't have any unwanted controller mappings in it.  Beyond that not sure why wouldn't be taking the CTRLR file (whatever you decide on using) as primary other than trying a vanilla install of MAME in test directory somewhere and working backwards. 

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  • 2 months later...

Anyone find a resolution ? Im having similar issues. Im using 2 wireless xbox one controllers and 2 xbox 360 controlllers (via wireless dongle) with mame64 181 and i can map all 4 controllers in general input perfectly. As soon as i exit, no mapped inputs for any player are there. Always deletes what i have mapped.  I tries making default config file read only before closing mame......no change. I live any advise.  Its driving me nuts. I use the exact same thing with my 4player cabinet and have zero issues.

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What works for me is creating or downloading the ctrlr file I want, and putting it in the ctrlr folder. Then, in Launchbox, I add to the MAME emulator the parameters -ctrlr MAME (that's the name of my ctrl file, could be whatever you call it). This loads the ctrl file with the emulator, and it works consistently for me. 

Edited by TheNewClassics
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54 minutes ago, TheNewClassics said:

What works for me is creating or downloading the ctrlr file I want, and putting it in the ctrlr folder. Then, in Launchbox, I add to the MAME emulator the parameters -ctrlr MAME (that's the name of my ctrl file, could be whatever you call it). This loads the ctrl file with the emulator, and it works consistently for me. 

I do not have any folder named this that i can find?....... should i create one in root of mame folder and download a ctrlr file as a guide to try this tip?

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