GameEx Bug?

[bkenobi]

My driving cabinet uses a MS Sidewinder hack to attach the pedals. This works fine for MAME, but it causes problems for GameEx due to the axis not alway staying centered like it should. Anyway, if I touch the pedals it will start scrolling the list and when I let go it will shoot the other way (because either windows or GameEx doesn't understand where the axis SHOULD be). So, the solution is to disable all gamepads.

That's where the problems start though. If I disable gamepads and set the next box in the advanced config to blank, GameEx starts up correctly. If I quit and start again, it crashes. When I go into the advanced config, it still shows gamepads are disabled, but the next box shows "Use all devices" instead of blank.

I need to do a little more testing to verify this is consistently happening, but it sure looks that way at the moment. I will upload 2 configs and the error log later today or tomorrow when I get a chance if this isn't straitened out by then.

[Brian Hoffman]

My driving cabinet uses a MS Sidewinder hack to attach the pedals. This works fine for MAME, but it causes problems for GameEx due to the axis not alway staying centered like it should. Anyway, if I touch the pedals it will start scrolling the list and when I let go it will shoot the other way (because either windows or GameEx doesn't understand where the axis SHOULD be). So, the solution is to disable all gamepads.

That's where the problems start though. If I disable gamepads and set the next box in the advanced config to blank, GameEx starts up correctly. If I quit and start again, it crashes. When I go into the advanced config, it still shows gamepads are disabled, but the next box shows "Use all devices" instead of blank.

I need to do a little more testing to verify this is consistently happening, but it sure looks that way at the moment. I will upload 2 configs and the error log later today or tomorrow when I get a chance if this isn't straitened out by then.

I thought there was an option in gameex for sensitive gamepads.

Oh well that might noot be the fix anyway

[bkenobi]

Yeah, there is. That option is designed to keep GameEx from twitching with joysticks that have a sensetive centering spot (like 49 way and analog joysticks). In this case, I have an analog joystick that is held at one extreme. It basically is supposed to have one axis in only one direction (positive/negative). The way that Windows deals with it though is sorta messed up. When I configure the pedals, it takes the extremes and remaps them to center and extreme. But, when I test it inside the window, sometimes it hangs on the oposite extreme rather than center when it's not being touched.

I don't know if that's clear. I can sketch something out if anyone is interested. Or, perhaps just grab a screen capture to show it, but I'm not near that machine now.

[Brian Hoffman]

Yeah, there is. That option is designed to keep GameEx from twitching with joysticks that have a sensetive centering spot (like 49 way and analog joysticks). In this case, I have an analog joystick that is held at one extreme. It basically is supposed to have one axis in only one direction (positive/negative). The way that Windows deals with it though is sorta messed up. When I configure the pedals, it takes the extremes and remaps them to center and extreme. But, when I test it inside the window, sometimes it hangs on the oposite extreme rather than center when it's not being touched.

I don't know if that's clear. I can sketch something out if anyone is interested. Or, perhaps just grab a screen capture to show it, but I'm not near that machine now.

It makes sence to me.. Unfortunatly I cannot think of a fix as of yet.

[bkenobi]

I would love to come up with a better way of setting up the pedals so that they were correct in windows. That would eliminate a lot of problems. BUT, the main problem is that GameEx keeps reenabling the controller casuing a crash (it appears).

If I disable gamepads, GameEx automatically change the next box to disabled or blank.

[headkaze]

When the option for the joystick to use is empty it means "use all joysticks". So just set it to use joystick #x where x is a joystick that isn't your Sidewinder hack. Maybe try disabling joysticks in the Setup Wizard.

[bkenobi]

I did disable joysticks, and it is disabled when I check. The thing that changes is the joystick to use. I only have 1 plugged in and it automatically grabs that one. Perhaps there is something else that's causing my crashes, but that's where it stops in the error log and that's the only thing that I can see changing in the config file. It sounds like I'll have to look at it a bit more. Thanks

[LB11]

maybe spend $10 on a cheap joystick, shove it in the back of the cab, then do like HK said and tell it to only use that stick?

EDIT: Better yet, you could probably just install a older Joystick port type joystick and not actually have one. Just add hardware and tell windows you have whatever 1axis 4 button stick.

[bkenobi]

Seems like I shouldn't have to do that at all. If the joystick is causing the crash, then it's a bug in GameEx. If it's something else, then it doesn't apply.

I think I will grab a joystick and see if that solves the problem. If so, then it should be fixed in GameEx. If you say disable joysticks, it should automatically set to "Disabled" not "All available joysticks".

[LB11]

That's where the problems start though. If I disable gamepads and set the next box in the advanced config to blank, GameEx starts up correctly. If I quit and start again, it crashes. When I go into the advanced config, it still shows gamepads are disabled, but the next box shows "Use all devices" instead of blank.

Sorry, I didnt read it well the first time. That does sound like a bug to me.

But did you try what I mentioned above?

Just go to the controller control panel and add a new joystick.

pick any of them and let it sit there. See if gameex will allow you to put it in that use joystick x box.

That way you may not have to spend any money on a joystick.

[Tom Speirs]

Seems like I shouldn't have to do that at all. If the joystick is causing the crash, then it's a bug in GameEx. If it's something else, then it doesn't apply.

I think I will grab a joystick and see if that solves the problem. If so, then it should be fixed in GameEx. If you say disable joysticks, it should automatically set to "Disabled" not "All available joysticks".

So what are you saying, even with the option set not to enable joysticks, GameEx is still using one? Where is the option set, setup wizard or advanced config?

[bkenobi]

Like I said earlier, I didn't have time to completely test it out since I ran out of time last night. I was primarily posting what I thought was causing the crashes to see if anyone else had similar problems or another work-around. I spent some time this evening poking around and have isolated what I believe is the cause of the crashes. I don't know what's causing it, but it appears that changing one parameter fixes things.

I am including 4 files:

1) GameEx1.ini - The original, clean installed config file without loading GameEx

2) GameEx2.ini - The config file after launching and exiting GameEx

3) GameEx3.ini - The config file after GameEx crashed on the second startup (NOTE: there are only 3 differences between 1 and 3)

4) log.txt - The error log after the crash which created GameEx3.ini

I was able to get GameEx working again by changing the entries that had changed and were assigned -1 to the value in GameEx1.ini. The problem is that upon launching again, it just did the same thing again. I cannot rule out that the joystick is causing this problem, but it currently looks like that is not the case.

Error.zip