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[RESOLVED] Ultrastik plugin not working for me

surface tension

By surface tension
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surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

Posted
Posted

Hi. I'm looking for some help to get Headkaze's Ultrastik plugin working on GameEx. I've read through a lot of threads here and on other forums and tried everything I've found which may be causing an issue. I'm pretty sure I had this set up a few years ago on a system with the same configuration, but there must be something subtly different I'm doing.

System:
Windows 10 Home premium 64-bit
Account with user privileges
MAME 0.124
2 Ultrastiks set to output mode into a minipac
Latest version of GameEx

The plugin is enabled in the manager and in GameEx.log:
- Loaded plugin Ultrastik 1.23
- Pluginultrastik initialized OK
- Nothing else appears during ROM load

GameEx.ini shows the plugin is set to enabled

Gameslist.xml is present

Debug is enabled in pluginultrastik.ini
- Pluginultrastik.log isn't created, but an empty file named pluginultrastik without an extension is created.

Any help is appreciated as I've hit a brick wall!

Thanks.

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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Posted

Before updating my version of MAME I have been in touch with Andy @ Ultimarc regarding this. I sent him a copy of the dll from the plugin zip and he told me this is out of date and pointed me to the sdk zip which contains 32 and 64 bit versions of the plugin.

I tried the 64 dll first as I'm in W10-64 but this threw up errors in the log. I then tried the 32 dll which didn't display any errors, but it didn't show any sign it was loading maps either. QBert felt like it was working in diagonals, but it's not a game I ever play so I couldn't be sure.

Should there be something in the log.txt to show when the plugin is loading maps? Or is this in the pluginultrastik log? The latter is still being generated as an empty file. Working or not, should this have something in it?

Thanks

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

Posted
Posted

Yeah I'm the author of the UltraStik plugin and offical dll's. I did update the plugin a while back but have yet to post it.

Please try this one... PlugInUltraStik.zip

Let me know if it works and I'll do an official update.

EDIT: Also are you using the Plugin Manager to enable the plugin? There is a bug in that too that needs fixing. You can download an updated version from... PluginManager.zip

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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Hi Ben/Tom

I found some time this weekend to get onto this. I'm pretty confident the maps were loaded as I used QBert, but again, there was no log created for the ultrastik plugin. It updates the pluginultrastik (no extension) file modified date, but still no contents.

But there exists another problem which I was actually seeing before but didn't report at the time. But with further testing, it appears to be linked to using the plugin.

So with the plugin enabled, and it is pretty consistent for each time you start GameEx then select a ROM to load, you just get a black screen. You can't Esc to exit, though most of the time you can alt-tab (to Windows), then again (back to GameEx). Worst case I hit the power button (sleep), then again and I'm back in GameEx.

One other thing I've noticed with the above is when using alt-tab twice, I can then get the ROM to run. But if I alt-tab, then hit the active GameEx icon in the task bar, it takes me back to the pre ROM launch screen, but there is no text on it, just some empty menu boxes.

I've attached 3 log files;

1 - Plugin disabled with the ROM loading as expected.
2 - Plugin enabled with the ROM not loading
3 - Plugin enabled with the ROM loading (after repeating 2 then selecting ROM again)

Any help here is appreciated, thanks.

log1 - plugin disabled.txt

log2 - plugin enabled, no game.txt

log3 - plugin enabled, game.txt

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

Posted
Posted

Can you please make sure you have the latest GameEx installed.

In the PlugInUltraStik.ini please remove the '#' from the start of the following line: 

#Debug=true		# Used for debugging.

Then run GameEx again and you should get some log output.

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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  • Author
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The install of GameEx is a couple of weeks old. I also have the # removed to enable debugging.

I'm running from a user account, so could it have something to do with admin privelidges?

  • 2 weeks later...
surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

Posted
  • Author
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OK I've installed the updated plugin. The plugin is definitely working, though I'm still not getting a log file - just the same extension-less pluginultrastik file.

I'm still having the issue with the plugin enabled where it won't load the ROM. I have a bit of a pattern - in the ten times I've just loaded GameEx, the ROM won't load first time and I get a black screen which requires alt-tab to get out of. I do this by alt-tabbing straight back to GameEx. I can then seem to load a ROM. In this instance, the plugin has reprogrammed the sticks. I know this as I've been using Q-bert to test.

So I'm not sure where this leaves things. I'll attach the log.txt again for when the ROM didn't load in case there's something to be had.

Thanks for your time so far.

log.txt

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

Posted
Posted

The debug output should be working for the plugin if you turn it on in the ini file again. Please check.

PS Be aware that if you have the GameEx_Background.exe process running it will lock the plugin dll's.

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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Yes, it's in debug mode. If I delete the pluginultrastik file it gets regenerated (with no content).

Can you elaborate on your PS please? I have just searched and I see a thread where (back in Aug 15) Tom said it was a new feature for GameEx Online. I'll have to check in the settings if this is active.

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

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I just checked and I'm getting the log output.

Try following these instructions:

1. Download and install the latest version of GameEx
2. Reboot your PC
3. Download PlugInUltraStik.zip and extract to C:\GameEx\PLUGINS overwriting the files
4. Run Plugin Manager and make sure the UltraStik plugin is enabled
5. In the PluginManager click on Configure and then "Edit Configuration"
6. Edit the following line like so (removing the '#' character at the start of this line) then Save 

Debug=true        # Used for debugging.


7. Run GameEx and launch a game, then exit GameEx
8. Open PlugInUltraStik.log located in C:\GameEx\PLUGINS

Let me know if it's still empty.

I also recommend you make sure your UltraStik's have the latest firmware (v2.5) (For instructions go here)

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

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Thanks for your patience Surface.

I tried your PLUGINS folder and I didn't get any log. I tried downloading the plugin and that didn't work either. It appears I must have screwed up the upload so I have uploaded the latest version again.

Sorry about that. Please try the download again and fingers crossed it works this time!

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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Hi Ben

I hate to say it, but I'm getting the same thing - an empty file.

To confirm, the date for the dll is 23/1/17. Is that correct?

I don't know if they are linked, but there are 2 things going on here - The U360 logging and the blank screen.

Another observation I can offer up is when exiting GameEx, most of the time I can't use the mouse buttons for a good 30 seconds, which actually looks like there's an invisible window layer on top of what is visible. If you click on whatever window is up it loses focus, but you can interact with the task bar.

Saying that, they must be linked somehow as this doesn't happen when the plugin is disabled.

Thanks
Dan

headkaze GameEx God (Top Rank)

headkaze

Posted
Posted

I just compiled and uploaded it again so the date for PlugInUltraStik.dll should be 2-2-2017. I also updated PacDrive32.dll. So grab the latest.

Can you try unplugging your U360's and see if you get the debug output.

The reason I asked you to reboot in the earlier post is because when you exit GameEx and have the GameEx Online "Run in background" setting enabled it will lock the PlugInUltraStik.dll file so you will not be able to overwrite it.

So can you also turn off this setting in GameEx and make sure "GameEx Background.exe" isn't running in the background using Task Manager.

GameExOnline_RunInBackground.png

surface tension Advanced Member

surface tension

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I've grabbed the latest zip and that's now on my system with pacdrive dll,(though the date for this is 1/3/16).

I have unplugged the U360s and this did not cuase the log file to be written - only the empty one as before. However, there is no black screen when loading a ROM.

I thought I had stopped GameEx "Run In Background" but after running the wizard, it appeared not! So I have stopped this before performing the above and no difference.

 

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