GameEx with GPWiz49

[Nailz]

I am hoping someone else here can shed light on how to set up GameEx for use with my GPWiz49 MAX. I have gotten all of the GP Wiz software installed and gotten things working per Tiger-Heli's page Tiger Heli's set49mode and it works great.

I'd now like to get it incorporated into running with GameEx and it's not clear per Tiger's page how to set things up. He has info for MameWah and Emuloader but not much else.

If anyone has done it for GameEx, could you post how you got hings set up? I assume it's something simple I am just overlooking.

Thanks for the help!

[Tom Speirs]

  Nailz said:

I am hoping someone else here can shed light on how to set up GameEx for use with my GPWiz49 MAX.  I have gotten all of the GP Wiz software installed and gotten things working per Tiger-Heli's page Tiger Heli's set49mode and it works great.

I'd now like to get it incorporated into running with GameEx and it's not clear per Tiger's page how to set things up.  He has info for MameWah and Emuloader but not much else.

If anyone has done it for GameEx, could you post how you got hings set up?  I assume it's something simple I am just overlooking.

Thanks for the help!

Ive just had a good look through the forum. I added GP49 to GameEx early in the year with Toonces. Only issue is, from what I can see he never posted his working solution for others using the built in support. Toonces if your out there could you post a description of how to set this up please?

Many Thanks,

Tom.

[Toonces]

  TSpeirs said:

Ive just had a good look through the forum. I added GP49 to GameEx early in the year with Toonces. Only issue is, from what I can see he never posted his working solution for others using the built in support. Toonces if your out there could you post a description of how to set this up please?

Many Thanks,

Tom.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi, Yes, GameEx definately supports the GPWiz-49. In fact, it was the first front end to do so. I originally set the GP-Wiz49's up using a batch file that would set the mode via relays connected to the input buttons based on GameEx determining the mode. Long before Sir Poonga wrote set49mode. Tiger Heli's page is excellent but the support in the other FE's is kind of complicated as you can tell. You have to setup batch files and such. For GameEx, it's increadibly easy to use set49mode, just add c:\set49mode\set49mode.exe [rom] to the run before config and c:\set49mode\set49mode.exe 1943 to the run after config(this is just a game that uses 8 way control, you could use any installed 8 way game that set49mode recognizes to set the controls back to 8 way). That's it in a nutshell. I'll get a little more detailed below.

1. Open the GameEx Config Utility

2. Click on Advanced MAME Settings

3. Enter "C:\set49mode\set49mode.exe [ROM]" (without quotes) in the Run on Launch box.

4. Enter "C:\set49mode\set49mode.exe 1943" (without quotes) in the Run on Exit box.

5. Click Save

6. Click Exit and enjoy your new auto setting joysticks!

GameEx also has internal support for choosing the control type based on controls.ini. This is the support I still use today. set49mode may be a little more sophisticated in it's method for choosing the control type but I have yet to have a problem with any of the selections GameEx has made. You can always modify the mapping by editing controlmap.csv but I've yet to have to do that. Maybe games just play good enough even using the 49 way mode and I've never noticed. I don't know but here's how to use GameEx's built in support (again, looong before the other's jumped on the bandwagon The setup below assumes you are using GroovyGameGear's utility gpwiz49 installed in c:\gpwiz49 vs Sir Poonga's set49mode.

1. Open the GameEx Config Utility

2. Click on Advanced MAME Settings

3. Enter "C:\gpwiz49\gpwiz49.exe [MODE]" (without quotes) in the Run on Launch box.

4. Enter "C:\gpwiz49\gpwiz49.exe 3" (without quotes) in the Run on Exit box.

5. Click Save

6. Click Exit and enjoy your new auto setting joysticks!

I've had my GPWiz49's setup before Randy added USB switching support so mine actually use an 8 relay parallel port interface board connected to the switch ports and a batch file that takes the same mode numbers as gpwiz49 and sets the relays to the correct mode then sets the relays back off. It only takes a few hundred miliseconds for the gpwiz to recognize the button push that sets the modes so it happens very quickly. I may switch the interfaces to the newer USB code and remove some of the hardware from my cab(I already have the replacements chips, just haven't done it yet).

Advantages of one way or the other?

Well, in my opinion, there isn't much. Sir Poonga's set49mode looks like it gives a little finer control over which control is used for every game but as I said earlier, GameEx has done just fine for me and if I really want a mode changed, I could edit controls.ini or controlmap.csv to make that happen. set49mode can also be a little daunting given the flexibility. That's to be expected. With flexibility comes complexity. It's all in what you understand or have the patience to learn. GameEx's support is there. You don't really have to do anything to get it to work other than tell it what program to use to do the switching. The plus side for some people to this method will be that gpwiz49 also flashes up a confirmation screen that shows you the mode whn it switches so you get positive visual feedback on which mode you are using. That might also be hand if you suspect it might be a control issue as to why a game might be harder to play or the controls seem funny. You know exactly which mode you are in before the game starts. This same thing might also be an annoyance for those that don't want the GPWiz49 screen to flash up every time the enter and exit a game.

I've gone on too long now. I hope this helps you get the GPWiz49 going with GameEx. It works wonderfully and the controls are much better than any I've used outside of correct, dedicated controls for every game (impossible on a Japanese sit down!)

Toonces

[Nailz]

That's great Toonces, thanks so much for the assistance, it's greatly appreciated!

Marty

[Nailz]

An interesting follow up to this.... I tried this both ways you suggested Toonces, but can only get it to work for me using set49mode commands. When I use the GPWiz49 commands, GameEx gets hung up, when I ctrl-alt-del out to my task manager, the GPWiz49 GUI is waiting in the background for me to make a selection and then will go into the game once a selection is made.

Not a complaint, I am happy one method works, just interesting the way the other works in my situation, just thought you might want to know.

Thanks again,

Marty

[Brewser]

  Toonces said:

GameEx also has internal support for choosing the control type based on controls.ini. This is the support I still use today. set49mode may be a little more sophisticated in it's method for choosing the control type but I have yet to have a problem with any of the selections GameEx has made. You can always modify the mapping by editing controlmap.csv but I've yet to have to do that. Maybe games just play good enough even using the 49 way mode and I've never noticed. I don't know but here's how to use GameEx's built in support (again, looong before the other's jumped on the bandwagon The setup below assumes you are using GroovyGameGear's utility gpwiz49 installed in c:\gpwiz49 vs Sir Poonga's set49mode.

1. Open the GameEx Config Utility

2. Click on Advanced MAME Settings

3. Enter "C:\gpwiz49\gpwiz49.exe [MODE]" (without quotes) in the Run on Launch box.

4. Enter "C:\gpwiz49\gpwiz49.exe 3" (without quotes) in the Run on Exit box.

5. Click Save

6. Click Exit and enjoy your new auto setting joysticks!

I am new to GameEX and registered yesterday. I have the GPWiz49 setup in my cab but I can't quite get this to work.

Questions:

1. Listed above in step 3 you have the [MODE], is this correct? You only have to put this in or am I suppose to change the word MODE to something else? I don't know what MODE means, is it pulling something from GameEX or controls.ini

2. I tried putting in step 4 for both run on launch and exit and it will run the game but I don't get the gpwiz screen that shows me I am in 8-way mode.

The reason I ask is that I put in exactly as listed above but once you start a game it just crashes and you need to do a CTL-ALT-DEL to kill gpwiz49.

Thanks for the help.

[Toonces]

  Brewser said:

I am new to GameEX and registered yesterday. I have the GPWiz49 setup in my cab but I can't quite get this to work.

Questions:

1. Listed above in step 3 you have the [MODE], is this correct? You only have to put this in or am I suppose to change the word MODE to something else? I don't know what MODE means, is it pulling something from GameEX or controls.ini

2. I tried putting in step 4 for both run on launch and exit and it will run the game but I don't get the gpwiz screen that shows me I am in 8-way mode.

The reason I ask is that I put in exactly as listed above but once you start a game it just crashes and you need to do a CTL-ALT-DEL to kill gpwiz49.

Thanks for the help.

Yes, [MODE] is correct. I think the problem may be with the GPWiz program itself. Randy released a couple of versions and the first ones did not have support for command line options. I don't know which version he supplies with the product or at the default download as I found the one I used in a reply about adding command line support directly from Randy on Arcadecontrols.com. GameEx translates the [MODE] using controlmap.csv and passes the mode number so for example if the game is pacman, gameex looks at controlmap.csv and sees that it's 4 way control and what is actually run is gpwiz49.exe 4 (the map for 4 way control).

I will look into this further with newer versions of gameex to make sure it still works the same way but it will take me a few days to do so. I would recommend using the set49mode method above until then.

Toonces

[Toonces]

One other thing I just thought of. It could also be related to how GameEx selects the mode. If I recall correctly, the mode is chosen based on the output from MAME's listinfo which provides the joystick mode which is then mapped as a number by controlmap.csv. If MAME has changes the format of that output, it could be causing GameEx to not know what mode number to output. Just a thought. I'll try to verify what's going on in my setup soon as I am in the process of updating to the latest MAME/GameEx.

Toonces

[Toonces]

Another quick thing that might help in figuring this out with your config Brewser. Please copy and paste the contents of the batch file C:\Program Files\GameEx\DATA\runitgame.bat (depending on where you have GameEx installed, your path may be different). Navigate to the DATA folder and right click on runitgame.bat and choose edit. Then copy and paste the contents here. That should show the command that is being passed to gpwiz.exe and can tell us if GameEx is interpreting the [MODE] correctly.

[Brewser]

  Toonces said:

Another quick thing that might help in figuring this out with your config Brewser. Please copy and paste the contents of the batch file C:\Program Files\GameEx\DATA\runitgame.bat (depending on where you have GameEx installed, your path may be different). Navigate to the DATA folder and right click on runitgame.bat and choose edit. Then copy and paste the contents here. That should show the command that is being passed to gpwiz.exe and can tell us if GameEx is interpreting the [MODE] correctly.

Thanks for the help but I think I got if figured out. I use [CONTROL] instead of [MODE] and now it works. This must have changed recently. I then ran GameEX in windows mode and Gpwiz now shows what direction is running. If I run in full screen mode it never shows up but it works. I tested it on Qbert and it is in fact diagnal. I also could find dead spots in 4-way games. So everything must be working.

Thanks again.

Brad