Controller Mapping play acts like select button

[Sanctus]

Hi.

I have noticed 2 things that i would like to work as expected, or at least in my point of view.

Situation 1 - Big Box unlocked - "Play" and "Select" mappings are acting as being the same function and i think they shouldn't work as being the same:

On Options/Controller Mappings there are 2 options:

"Play" which i added button "H"

"Select" which i added button "J"

Example:

When we're going around BigBox we should use "J"  to "Select" platforms/games but not to "Play" the game.

When we want to really confirm a game to play, BigBox should ask for the button "H", to "Play".

The way it is now, on the final menu to play the game, pressing "Play" or "Select" works the same...

 

Situation 2 - Big Box locked - "Exit" mappings are always exiting BigBox even though i have Security/Allow Exit While Locked option disabled:

On Options/Controller Mappings there are 2 options:

"Exit" (button(s) to Exit Big Box) which i mapped button combo "Select + Button F" 

"Close" (button(s) to Exit a game/emulator/movie) which i mapped button combo "Select + G"

Example:

When we're going around Locked BigBox the "Exit" mapping shouldn't work when the "Security/Allow Exit While Locked" option is disabled.

 

Let me know what you think about this!

Thanks for your time reading this.

 

[DOS76]

I don't know if you are on the play option and you press select and it plays the game it sounds like its doing exactly what you told it to do. The play button is more of an option to start the game without having to drill down to the final menu to start the game. So from my logic it works exactly as it should.

[Sanctus]

1 hour ago, DOS76 said:

I don't know if you are on the play option and you press select and it plays the game it sounds like its doing exactly what you told it to do. The play button is more of an option to start the game without having to drill down to the final menu to start the game. So from my logic it works exactly as it should.

I'll try to explain better my situation and why i thought what i said.

I am configuring BigBox for a cabinet usage, this cabinet have a real coin system, when the user inserts a coin, the user can press a mapped button to play. This button could be what i explained as the "Play" button which could only be used if a coin were inserted. The user could "Select" all platforms and games... but, to play any, just after pressing "Play" (added coin).

So, about the Situation 1, that's a way of viewing it. (I just have 2 weeks of LaunchBox/BigBox, i don't know if this Frontend is optimized for cabinets with coins system or if there's a way that i don't know of yet).

And, there's the Situation 2 doubt too...

 

[Retro808]

2 hours ago, Sanctus said:

I'll try to explain better my situation and why i thought what i said.

I am configuring BigBox for a cabinet usage, this cabinet have a real coin system, when the user inserts a coin, the user can press a mapped button to play. This button could be what i explained as the "Play" button which could only be used if a coin were inserted. The user could "Select" all platforms and games... but, to play any, just after pressing "Play" (added coin).

So, about the Situation 1, that's a way of viewing it. (I just have 2 weeks of LaunchBox/BigBox, i don't know if this Frontend is optimized for cabinets with coins system or if there's a way that i don't know of yet).

And, there's the Situation 2 doubt too...

 

BigBox is optimized for cabinets with a coin system. My cabs have real coin doors and BB works perfect with it. What @DOS76 was explaining is that Select and Play work as they are designed. If you have "Show Game Details" option set to show in BigBox when you hit "Select" when on a game it opens the Game Details Screen. However, if you hit "Play" when on the game it goes directly to playing the game and skips the game details. So if you map "Play" to the coin trigger it will do what you want. This is how I have it set up.

[Sanctus]

18 hours ago, Retro808 said:

BigBox is optimized for cabinets with a coin system. My cabs have real coin doors and BB works perfect with it. What @DOS76 was explaining is that Select and Play work as they are designed. If you have "Show Game Details" option set to show in BigBox when you hit "Select" when on a game it opens the Game Details Screen. However, if you hit "Play" when on the game it goes directly to playing the game and skips the game details. So if you map "Play" to the coin trigger it will do what you want. This is how I have it set up.

Ok, forgive me if i am not understanding something but, "Select" and "Play", both enter a game (just in different menus) is what i tested and you confirm... right?

What i am now confused is, even if "Play" is mapped to a coin trigger, and if "Select" (free playing) can both enter the game.. i will enter a game without using a coin trigger since i can press "Select" too.

How do we force BigBox to accept enter in a game just with a coin trigger? What am i missing?

[Retro808]

1 hour ago, Sanctus said:

Ok, forgive me if i am not understanding something but, "Select" and "Play", both enter a game (just in different menus) is what i tested and you confirm... right?

 

Correct.

1 hour ago, Sanctus said:

What i am now confused is, even if "Play" is mapped to a coin trigger, and if "Select" (free playing) can both enter the game.. i will enter a game without using a coin trigger since i can press "Select" too.

I will try to explain it in elaborated details.

"Select" is a menu select command. So when you have "Skip Game Details" option in the BigBox menu unchecked "Select" has a certain effect. When you are on the list of games when you hit "Select" is takes you to the game details screen. On that screen you will see an option to "Play" a game. If you highlight that and hit "Select" it plays the game. That is because it is “selecting” the play option. However, if you are on any other option in the game detail screen it will not "play" a game and the "select" button will only select the menu item you are on. When you have an option other than play highlighted if you do hit your mapped "Play" button it plays the game. So in this scenario the mapped "Select" button and mapped  "Play" button behave how you want it to.

If you have the "Skip Game Details" option checked then your mapped "Select" button will have a different effect. When you are on a list of games if you hit the "Select" button now it will directly play the game since you are bypassing the games details screen. So this means in this setting both the "Select" and the "Play" buttons will play a game.

To have it how you want you need to have the "Skip Game Details" option unchecked in the BigBox settings. (Go to Options > General > make sure Skip Game Detials is NOT checked.)

[Sanctus]

I don't think we are on the same page yet...

I have tried unchecking and checking the Skip Game Details, It doesn't matter, in any way i configure, "Select" and "Play" mapped buttons always start a game.

Again, i'm sorry, even for me i am now being stubborn...

If we want to have a coin trigger, there should only exist one button to really start a game, the "Play" mapped button. Or, create another option just for a "Coin trigger".

There isn't a way that i tried that iniciates a game just with the "Play" button. There are always 2 buttons that can start a game, "Play" and "Select". It cant work that way. If so, people don't insert a coin... they just initiate a game by pressing select.

"Select", for coin trigger cabinets, should only work for BigBox menus. "Play" should be the only button to really start a game.

 

[neil9000]

3 minutes ago, Sanctus said:

I don't think we are on the same page yet...

I have tried unchecking and checking the Skip Game Details, It doesn't matter, in any way i configure, "Select" and "Play" mapped buttons always start a game.

Again, i'm sorry, even for me i am now being stubborn...

If we want to have a coin trigger, there should only exist one button to really start a game, the "Play" mapped button. Or, create another option just for a "Coin trigger".

There isn't a way that i tried that iniciates a game just with the "Play" button. There are always 2 buttons that can start a game, "Play" and "Select". It cant work that way. If so, people don't insert a coin... they just initiate a game by pressing select.

"Select", for coin trigger cabinets, should only work for BigBox menus. "Play" should be the only button to really start a game.

 

You are missing the point here, we have to have a "select" button in order to do anything in the UI, how would you change any options otherwise? Of course if you have the "Play Game" option highlighted "select" starts the game, thats just how UI design works, also i certainly wouldnt want it removed under any circumstances, i NEVER use the play button, i find a game and select it, just like 99.9% of our users do.

[Retro808]

4 hours ago, Sanctus said:

I don't think we are on the same page yet...

I have tried unchecking and checking the Skip Game Details, It doesn't matter, in any way i configure, "Select" and "Play" mapped buttons always start a game.

Again, i'm sorry, even for me i am now being stubborn...

If we want to have a coin trigger, there should only exist one button to really start a game, the "Play" mapped button. Or, create another option just for a "Coin trigger".

There isn't a way that i tried that iniciates a game just with the "Play" button. There are always 2 buttons that can start a game, "Play" and "Select". It cant work that way. If so, people don't insert a coin... they just initiate a game by pressing select.

"Select", for coin trigger cabinets, should only work for BigBox menus. "Play" should be the only button to really start a game.

 

I am on the same page as you and understand what you are wanting to do. The way I explained it is exactly how I have it working on my machine. With Game Details Screen activated "Select" button will only play a game if you are in the Game Details and choose the "play" option. Anywhere else in BigBox and on any other menu item besides "play" the "Select" Button only selects that menu item.

To be honest though most people use insert coin when in the game itself. Launch a mame game and you are at the game screen that shows insert coin as if you were in a real arcade. I have not seen many people on our forum post that they want BigBox to only start a game if someone inserts a coin.

If the steps I outlined are not working on your machine we would need to troubleshoot what specifically in your set-up is messing with BigBox controls. 

[Sanctus]

On 2/21/2020 at 10:02 PM, Retro808 said:

I have not seen many people on our forum post that they want BigBox to only start a game if someone inserts a coin.

Yes! That's exactly what i was trying to say, what i would like to have as an option. A coin trigger for entering any game (snes/megaDrive/home consoles basically).

I know that inside an arcade game a coin trigger is "required" to play but this arcade cabinet i'm working on will have mostly emulated home consoles.

So, even though the home console games aren't designed for coin triggers, at least, people would contribute with something even if they can be playing 1hour for example...

Well, i finally understood that there isn't that mode on BigBox now, i would like to let you guys know that there is one interested in that option here!

As for the steps outlined, all is working, except the Situation 2 that i described before.

 

[Retro808]

9 minutes ago, Sanctus said:

Yes! That's exactly what i was trying to say, what i would like to have as an option. A coin trigger for entering any game (snes/megaDrive/home consoles basically).

I know that inside an arcade game a coin trigger is "required" to play but this arcade cabinet i'm working on will have mostly emulated home consoles.

So, even though the home console games aren't designed for coin triggers, at least, people would contribute with something even if they can be playing 1hour for example...

Well, i finally understood that there isn't that mode on BigBox now, i would like to let you guys know that there is one interested in that option here!

Never really seen anyone ask for something like that. To be honest though it is likely something that would not be put on high the list of things to add because of that. Or maybe this was specifically not put in place so people could not use LB/BB as a frontend to charge people money to play games.

11 minutes ago, Sanctus said:

As for the steps outlined, all is working, except the Situation 2 that i described before.

This may be something the team has to look at. The option to Allow Exit While Locked specifically adds the "Exit" menu item to the options when BigBox is locked. I do not know if it was coded to allow/prevent the controller/keyboard button options. I will let them know.

[DOS76]

I mean I seriously doubt that a option will be added so you can charge people to play that isn't really what the software is for its for hobbyist not a commercial product.

[Sanctus]

3 hours ago, DOS76 said:

I mean I seriously doubt that a option will be added so you can charge people to play that isn't really what the software is for its for hobbyist not a commercial product.

What is the difference between adding a coin trigger to a cabinet to play arcade roms or having the coin trigger to play home console games? Emumovies ask us money to help all the work involved, to use bigbox too, why is it a problem for us that use coin triggers to ask coins of 1cent to help pay the electricity and all our work involved? I think your comment didn’t bring anything positive. Sorry.

[Lordmonkus]

The difference is that depending on the emulator being used it's illegal to charge money to use it. Many emulators do not allow its use in a "commercial environment", some are fine with it.

Also, charging people to play roms you don't legally is even more illegal than just downloading those roms.

So if you are using this in a commercial setting it is wrong and illegal and if you are just charging your friends who come over to your house I can't imagine them wanting to be your friend anymore.