MAMEWorld Forums - EmuChat - Williams.c possible bug, can someone else try?

Here’s an issue I’ve come across. I was using an old version of MAME and MAMEUI. I downloaded latest versions of both and still have the problem. Can anyone else check and let me know if you get different or same results? (NOTE: Defender works slightly different, so don't check with that game).

On most Williams classic era games (Robotron, Joust, Defender, Stargate, Bubbles, Inferno, Joust 2, Mystic Marathon, Blaster, etc.), there is a 3 button test switch inside the coin door: Advance, Auto Up/Manual Down (AU/MD), High Score Reset. MAME uses keyboard F2 for Advance and keyboard F1 for AU/MD. In an actual real game, the auto up/manual down is not a “push and hold” type button. If you press and release, it goes to the other position from what it was and stays that way, either up or down.

In game over/attract mode, if you press advance, it goes into test screens. At this point certain test screens are impacted depending which direction the AU/MD is currently sitting. Typically pressing Advance takes you to the next self test, i.e., RAM, ROM, CMOS, SOUND, etc. When you get to the sound test, it does one of two things. I don’t remember which way is which so I might have this backwards. If the AU/MD is up, it will just keep repeating the current sound. If the AU/MD is down, it will cycle through all the different sounds (again, I might have that backwards). After going through the sound check, you can press advance to get to the next test.

What I’ve found in MAME is the AU/MD button on the sound self test is not working as it should. When you get to the sound self test, it just sits and repeats the first sound whether you press AU/MD (F1) to up or down position. I have also found if you press F1 several times rapidly, MAME will eventually take you to the next sound. But then it just keeps repeating the sound. I’ve tried holding down the F1, but that doesn’t work (you shouldn’t have to do it that way anyhow). So the bug is when in self test on sound check, MAME doesn’t recognize when F1 is hit. Well, not when you hit it just once. If you hit it several times, it will advance once to the next sound. But then just sit and repeat again. I can’t get it to automatically cycle through the sounds (which is dependent on which direction AU/MD is set). I hope that made sense.

I’ve found this in several games, Inferno, Mystic Marathon, Joust, Joust 2, Bubbles, so I’m guessing the behavior is in all of the Williams.C driver games.

Can anyone else check this and report back?

Joe (joemagiera at ameritech dot net)
[email protected]

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Joe (joemagiera at ameritech dot net)
[email protected]