MAME ini locations?

[PedgeJameson]

They don't seem to be in the program's folder. Where are they located for the install?

[JoeViking245]

There're are a couple of .ini files located in your MAME's root folder.  But in an attempt to keep things tidy, the rest are stored in MAME's /ini/ subfolder.  Anything in particular you're looking for? Or just ini files for MAME in general?

[PedgeJameson]

Mostly the main mame,ini and the ctlr ini its using. The MAME I use all the time is really set to my liking, and I can't control this to my liking.

[JoeViking245]

Kinda vague. We're here to help you. But you need to provide more details as to what it is you actually need help with.   "really set to my liking, and I can't control this" does really say much. 

Are you talking about standalone MAME or MAME through RetroArch?   (Assuming standalone MAME...) Since you have a MAME set to your liking, I presume you've made changes like maybe shaders and/or other things.  If so, you should be able to find mame.ini in its root folder or in the /ini/ subfolder.

What do you mean by "control"?  Do you mean the controls like which button is the "fire" or "punch" button (as an example) and/or moving up/down/left/right?  And if so, is it just some games you have issues with or all games in general?  Are you using a keyboard/mouse, Xbox controller, arcade cabinet (with actual buttons)?

By default, MAME doesn't load a specific controller config file (located in the /ctrlr/ folder).  If you open MAME and go into General Settings, Input Assignments, Player 1 Controls and set the inputs to your liking, those get save to /cfg/default.cfg.  And that's what MAME uses.

[PedgeJameson]

There is a standalone MAME in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233, but I cannot find the mame.ini where you specified. I did however find the default.cfg.

My other MAME is always pointed to look via it's MAME.ini to a config file in the ctlr folder file called XBOX360.cfg, so I'm confused as to why this setup is different.

[skizzosjt]

1 hour ago, PedgeJameson said:

There is a standalone MAME in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233, but I cannot find the mame.ini where you specified. I did however find the default.cfg.

My other MAME is always pointed to look via it's MAME.ini to a config file in the ctlr folder file called XBOX360.cfg, so I'm confused as to why this setup is different.

If you already have an ini file created from another MAME install and your goal is to reproduce all those same settings, you could copy/paste that ini file to the newer MAME install. Same goes for other customized stuff like crtl remaps and button remaps. Rather than enter all that stuff manually again, save yourself some time and copy those files/folders to the newer MAME install.

[PedgeJameson]

Sure thing for the controls for that default.ini. I just need to find the MAME.ini.

[JoeViking245]

MAME doesn't create mame.ini by default and will use all the default built-in settings.  If you make a change in the General Settings, it will then create the entire mame.ini file.

If you're POSITIVE there isn't one in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233\mame.ini or in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233\ini\mame.ini, and you don't plan to make any other changes to MAME, 

create a new text file in \MAME 0.233\ and in it put 

ctrlr     XBOX360

No more. No less.  Save the file and make sure it's named mame.ini.  Careful not to have it named mame.ini.txt.

 

As an option, and maybe a little more "future proof", edit your MAME emulator in LaunchBox and add to the Custom Command-Line Parameters 

-ctrlr XBOX360

 

[PedgeJameson]

TY, ok to just copy both my CTRL and MAME.ini from my other MAME over?

[PedgeJameson]

3 hours ago, skizzosjt said:

If you already have an ini file created from another MAME install and your goal is to reproduce all those same settings, you could copy/paste that ini file to the newer MAME install. Same goes for other customized stuff like crtl remaps and button remaps. Rather than enter all that stuff manually again, save yourself some time and copy those files/folders to the newer MAME install.

Yeah, sounds like the best plan.

[PedgeJameson]

16 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

MAME doesn't create mame.ini by default and will use all the default built-in settings.  If you make a change in the General Settings, it will then create the entire mame.ini file.

If you're POSITIVE there isn't one in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233\mame.ini or in LaunchBox\Emulators\MAME 0.233\ini\mame.ini, and you don't plan to make any other changes to MAME, 

create a new text file in \MAME 0.233\ and in it put 

ctrlr     XBOX360

No more. No less.  Save the file and make sure it's named mame.ini.  Careful not to have it named mame.ini.txt.

 

As an option, and maybe a little more "future proof", edit your MAME emulator in LaunchBox and add to the Custom Command-Line Parameters 

-ctrlr XBOX360

 

I tried, but I still won't load, I even replaced the default to Xbox360.cfg, but it is still loading a default CFG from somewhere but I don't know.

I managed to bring over my mame.ini file and that works and is trying to load my xbox360.cfg, but I am still getting the one that started when I ran this MAME.

Right now I am just replacing my key settings little by little, and it is saving, but to where?

 

EDIT: I moved all the files from CTLR, CFG and the INI from my first MAME over. Seems to be working, I will keep you posted. Thanks!

Edited November 11, 2022 by PedgeJameson

[neil9000]

2 minutes ago, PedgeJameson said:

Update: The settings I changed for pause and the config menu to my 360 buttons have now been erased, and I can't even use P and Tab now.

This only happens with Launchbox, I love the BigBox and all the extras, but why does this version of MAME have the folders different and keep taking everything hostage?

 

Help if you can, TY.

The MAME that Launchbox downloads comes straight from the mamedev website, it is NOT altered in any way. if the files and folders in your older version are not the same as in the one that Launchbox downloads then either mame changed that structure in the period between your older version and now (although i dont recall that, just the change from mame64.exe to mame.exe) or the version of MAME you had originally is the one that is different and incorrect.

As for Launchbox "taking things hostage" all Launchbox does is add some command line arguments in order to launch mame correctly, it does not touch anything in your MAME emulator folder at all, and as for your pause screen not working suddenly emulators have nothing to do with that, so either you changed some Launchbox settings, or something else is messing with them, cause settings do not just randomly change by themselves, they need manual intervention.

These are the commandline arguments that Launchbox sends to MAME when you launch a game, "-artwork_crop -skip_gameinfo -waitvsync -nofilter -keyboardprovider dinput -rompath %romlocation%" none of these have anything to do with ini files or settings. Artwork crop crops bezels for a bigger game image, skip ghame info does just that skips the sreen which has game resolution and the like, wait vsync turns on vsync, no filter is i think no shaders, and keyboard provider is what allows the pause screens to work correctly, and finally the rom path is just that. So as you can see Launchbox is not touching any of your files at all.

[PedgeJameson]

19 minutes ago, neil9000 said:

The MAME that Launchbox downloads comes straight from the mamedev website, it is NOT altered in any way. if the files and folders in your older version are not the same as in the one that Launchbox downloads then either mame changed that structure in the period between your older version and now (although i dont recall that, just the change from mame64.exe to mame.exe) or the version of MAME you had originally is the one that is different and incorrect.

As for Launchbox "taking things hostage" all Launchbox does is add some command line arguments in order to launch mame correctly, it does not touch anything in your MAME emulator folder at all, and as for your pause screen not working suddenly emulators have nothing to do with that, so either you changed some Launchbox settings, or something else is messing with them, cause settings do not just randomly change by themselves, they need manual intervention.

These are the commandline arguments that Launchbox sends to MAME when you launch a game, "-artwork_crop -skip_gameinfo -waitvsync -nofilter -keyboardprovider dinput -rompath %romlocation%" none of these have anything to do with ini files or settings. Artwork crop crops bezels for a bigger game image, skip ghame info does just that skips the sreen which has game resolution and the like, wait vsync turns on vsync, no filter is i think no shaders, and keyboard provider is what allows the pause screens to work correctly, and finally the rom path is just that. So as you can see Launchbox is not touching any of your files at all.

Thanks, it's making sense now. Got the best of both worlds running now. Hope I don't mess anything up.