MAME and the evil controller config

[DeadVoivod]

This is one thing I don't understand. Every time I start MAME, whatever version, the controls are reset to NONE. Even though my default.cfg contains all the mapped entries for controls, when I go to the settings inside MAME, it says NONE. Why does it not take it from the default.cfg? 

Ok, I noticed after starting it again, it puts NONE into the code:

<system name="default">
        <input>
            <port type="P1_JOYSTICK_UP">
                <newseq type="standard">
                    NONE
                </newseq>
            </port>

And even if I remove the NONE line completely, it adds it straight away again with the next launch.

Tried now again to put the default.cfg to read only, but I remember doing that some time ago, and that also failed due to I don't know what. 

Edited November 5, 2020 by DeadVoivod

[JoeViking245]

Set it up in MAME how you want it.  "Save Configuration" [in MAME].  Exit MAME.  Edit mame.ini to have writeconfig = 0.

[DeadVoivod]

My writeconfig is already set to 0. 

[Headrush69]

Is your device dynamic? (Sometimes attached, sometimes not? Or is Windows changing it’s ID)

Once you set up static IDs for Mame devices, I find moving my config changes into a ctlr file fixes the issues with Mame resetting inputs for dynamic devices. It just ignores them if the device isn’t attached and doesn’t change the file.

[DeadVoivod]

Hm? I'm using 2 8BitDo controllers via bluetooth, they are never attached, and I know that Windows likes to change the one which is DInput today to XInput tomorrow and vice versa. 

How can I give it a static ID in Windows? It really seems to mess both of them up all them time. They are also both the same controllers. They are 8BitDo SN30 Pro+ controllers (one is SN edition, the other G edition). Obviously Windows recognizes them as both the same. 

[Headrush69]

It’s just a static ID for Mame.

Mame static IDs

 

[JoeViking245]

Here's some discussion about getting and setting the MAME static ID's.