Using a Gamepad with MAME

[racketboy]

I admit I haven't been spending much time with MAME the last few years and I'm trying to get it set up with a gamepad. (on a PC)
I can't seem to get my controls mapped. Maybe I'm missing something....
Also, since some ROMs have different settings than others, how likely is is that global setting will work with most games?

[ga5ket]

I had some odd problems getting my gamepad to map correctly, eventually I tracked it down to a read-only ini file. Once I set that correctly everything worked ok. A single mapping seems to be fine across all the games I've played on it, but I use it mostly for shmups, so my experience is probably limited in that regard

[marurun]

I use MAME32 and I haven't had any trouble with any of my game pads. Just make sure MAME is set to recognize the pad and then config it at the game intro.

[racketboy]

I use MAME32 and I haven't had any trouble with any of my game pads. Just make sure MAME is set to recognize the pad and then config it at the game intro.

Since I don't have it front of me right now, excuse the stupid question:
Do I have to configure each game? Or are there some global settings?

[marurun]

You know the MAME game menu where you select DIP switches and everything? Load a game, any game. Hit tab to bring up the menu. There's an option for changing game-specific keys and an option for changing universal keys. It's a pain to scroll through them all and change them, and on some games you'll want game-specific controls (game-specific trumps universal).

[fastbilly1]

You could also use something like JoytoKey and remap the buttons on the joypad to the standard MAME controls. I just remap the universal. However getting a trackball to work as a trackball is alot tougher than it should be.

[baphomet_irl]

I think what I did was set up my controls once, then did the 'set as default' option, and from then on if anything didnt work, Id make an individual map by right clicking the ROM itself in the MAME window.

Tbh thou, Ive pretty much never had to do this, as most arcade games (apart from Street Fighter II and its many, many relations), use 4 buttons at MOST, and the 6 buttons on my stick will usually have them somewhere. The only reason I tend to need to remap is if im playing a shmup and the bottom left or bottom middle button is not set to primary fire I have to change it, I have to have my primary fire in the bottom row