[RESOLVED] GameEX not finding Spinner / TBall, but Windows and MAME do..?

[Games001]

Hello all.

I recently have been working through an issue of a GGG Hi-Low Push/Pull Spinner (running on an Opti-Wiz 2 encoder board) not working while a Trackball was also on that board.  I installed a second board of the same type and now the Spinner and Trackball work as expected in Windows (11 Pro) and MAME (v258b_64) as well as in the GameEx (v18.55 if I recall) Menus.. but do not work in MAME when it runs through GameEx (note GameEx Device List image below has red pointer showing and moving on the GameEx Menu screens but does not work in MAME when run through GameEx).
Am I missing a setting, command, etc?
Images:

1. MAME Device List shows the Keyboard, both Opti-Wiz 2's (one as mouse and one as lightgun?), and both GP-Wiz controllers (joysticks/buttons)

2. GameEx Device List showing only the keyboard and both GP-Wiz controllers

3 -Video-. GameEx Menu controlled by working spinner

[Draco1962]

Please attach (no copy & paste of contents) copies of your most recent gameex.ini and log.txt files when reporting an issue.

I run a GRS TS-BSP02 Thunderstick GRS USB Button Hole spinner tadded to my X-Arcade Tankstick. No encoder board, both spinner and Tanskstick with mouse connected directly to my PC with USB. Launching Tempest via GameEx integrated MAME settings allows me to select and use the spinner without fail, as does other spinner games.

Have you tried launching Tempest directly from MAME and hitting TAB to see if you get the same results as via launching it from GameEx?

We will need to look at the support files to try to assist further.

[Games001]

3 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

Have you tried launching Tempest directly from MAME and hitting TAB to see if you get the same results as via launching it from GameEx?

We will need to look at the support files to try to assist further.

I will grab the files asap, as the machine is not in my current location.

As to running Tempest or other MAME games..

Spinner and Trackball operate correctly in Windows.

When running a game directly in MAME the Spinner and Trackball seem to operate correctly and show as expected in the Device List and Config Menu.

When running any game through the GameEx Frontend, be it MAME or otherwise, that is where the system seems to lose the Spinner and Trackball in the Device List and makes no attempts at input when trying to change the Config Menu options in-game.  Yet the GameEx Menu screens will react correctly to the Spinner/Trackball input and move the selection line on GameEx's Game List, Menu Bars, etc.

[Draco1962]

What you are reporting is very odd so will definitely need to triage after we receive the support files requested.

I do not have any encoder board to test against and as noted before, I am not able to replicate the issue as reported as I am able to see both via MAME directly or integrated MAME setup within GameEx and GameEx Arcade Edition.

[Draco1962]

BTW can you pull up Tempest in MAME outside of GameEx and provide a screen cap of the Input Devices?

Need to also make sure that the ROM being launched by MAME is the same ROM being launched by MAME via GameEx.

[Games001]

On 12/9/2023 at 6:49 AM, Draco1962 said:

Please attach (no copy & paste of contents) copies of your most recent gameex.ini and log.txt files when reporting an issue.

I believe these are the correct files you are asking for.. please advise if not so.

GameEx.ini log.txt

[Games001]

And an updated video showing some details..

[Draco1962]

The log.txt file shows Tempest running but not specific to the ROM. 

Run Tempest via GameEx again. Go to the Gameex/Data folder & open the 'runitgame.bat' with notepad. Hopefully it will show the commands gameex used to launch your last game and poss8bly the ROM actually invoked.

Another test would be to try setting up MAME as an emulator and running the same ROM there. If it works, then this may point to an issue within the integrated MAME settings.

Either way, I am flagging this for @Tom Speirs attention.

[Draco1962]

@Tom Speirs I am not able to replicate his error. Below is what I see using integrated MAME support - this is correct as I have a gaming mouse, X-Arcade Tankstick trackball, and GRS spinner which show correctly under the mouse inputs when I access any of the Tempest ROMS via GameEx/AE:

[Games001]

I GOT IT!

It seems, though this is a completely fresh install on brand new hard drives, that there was a second copy of MAME v258 on each of the two drives, the primary for Windows and GameEx and on the secondary ROM/Art drive.  GameEx was attempting to run MAME from the C folder, not the Z folder where I have MAME correctly installed and configured.  This is why the frontend could not see the devices or changes as they were being mapped.
Tempest, Discs of Tron, Missile Command.. all tested, now that I have deleted the C folder of MAME and pointed GameEx directly to the correct Z folder.. all working as intended.

Thank you Draco1962 for the efforts to help us find the issue.  Tom.. it's a human or PC error, not the frontend.

[Draco1962]

You're most welcome! I'm glad you got it sorted! What you said jives with what I observed in the gameex.ini for the 😄 installation for MAME. 

Merry Christmas!