[RESOLVED] Odd trackball issue

[Gildahl]

I have GameEx setup using the configuration wizard's MAME settings and it works fine. The other day I decided to create a special arcade "Top 10" menu that would be separate from the main MAME game list. So I went ahead and made a parallel configuration of MAME as just another emulator, along with a custom map file. After doing so, all of the games in my new "Top 10" list work perfectly--except one. Centipede.

Centipede is the only trackball game in the list, and when I run it from my "Top 10" list, the trackball (an Ultimarc U-Trak) is so sluggish the game is hardly playable. If I run it from the main MAME list, it is always fine. I confirmed from the log that the command line being executed is exactly the same for both, and I confirmed that the command line works fine when run outside of GameEx. The only time I get a sluggish trackball is when launching Centipede from the "Top 10" list. It is truly bizarre.

I can "fix" the issue by increasing the analog sensitivity, but this makes the game overly sensitive when launched from the other menu. The only thing that seems to be different when I view the log is that something called RawInputHook is configured and launched before the game when the game is launched from the MAME menu, but is not launched when I start the game from the "Top 10" list. Could this be the issue? Does anyone have a thought on how I might address this?

Dave

[Draco1962]

When reporting a possible GameEx bug or error, please ensure you submit a copy of your log.txt and gameex.ini file so we may quickly assist you. Please refer to this link for additional information. Please attach these files in your reply

One thing you may want to look into is your anti-virus or anti-malware software as this may be interfering with the rawinputhook.exe as one member reported here. The file is safe and may need to be loaded as an exception within your anti-virus/anti-malware programs(s).

[Gildahl]

When reporting a possible GameEx bug or error, please ensure you submit a copy of your log.txt and gameex.ini file so we may quickly assist you. Please refer to this link for additional information. Please attach these files in your reply

One thing you may want to look into is your anti-virus or anti-malware software as this may be interfering with the rawinputhook.exe as one member reported here. The file is safe and may need to be loaded as an exception within your anti-virus/anti-malware programs(s).

I don't think it's a anti-virus issue. All inputs work just fine. It's just that there is a distinct difference in trackball performance when you launch a game from the MAME menu vs. launching the same game from an emulator menu. That's all.

Anyway, I can work around this by launching from a separate MAME installation and just configure the analog inputs to higher sensitivity when launching from the emulator menu. I was just theorizing that RawInputHook is only used by the MAME menu and that this might be why the performance is different. Not so much a bug as an oddity.

[Gildahl]

I found the source of this issue. In the emulator settings, I had the "Advanced Config" set to "[Mapping Off] Exit (Process Close)". Once I cleared this setting, the trackball issue went away.

Dave

[Tempest]

Thanks for posting the solution.

Edited April 24, 2013 by nullPointer
This topic has been marked as resolved and is now closed. Please begin a new thread if you are experiencing any similar issues.