Viewing Issue Advanced Details
ID Category [?] Severity [?] Reproducibility Date Submitted Last Update
06661 Gameplay Minor Always Aug 15, 2017, 14:23 Sep 13, 2017, 23:11
Tester MrGW View Status Public Platform MAME (Self-compiled)
Assigned To Resolution Open OS Linux (64-bit)
Status [?] Acknowledged Driver
Version 0.188 Fixed in Version Build 64-bit
Fixed in Git Commit Github Pull Request #
Summary MESS-specific 06661: coco, coco2, coco3: Unable to use the LEFT arrow in the Coco drivers while in NATURAL keyboard mode
Description This also appears to be an issue when navigating MAME's built-in UI. It did not exhibit this behavior in the previous release of MAME.
Steps To Reproduce Load MAME with a coco driver
Use MAME's UI to select NATURAL keyboard mode
Type some characters. LEFT arrow key will not move to the left
Use MAME's UI to select EMULATED keyboard mode
Type some characters. LEFT arrow key moves left and deletes the characters
Additional Information
Github Commit
Flags
Regression Version
Affected Sets / Systems coco, coco2, coco3
Attached Files
 
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Notes
8
User avatar
No.14097
Tafoid
Administrator
Aug 16, 2017, 10:54
edited on: Aug 16, 2017, 10:55
Using mame64 coco3 -ui_active -natural, I cannot replicate this with current Git, 0.188 or 0.187 officially produced binaries for Windows. You state 0.188 in this report.. is this true? When you mention the built-in UI has issues I have to think you (perhaps mistakenly) changed the mapping for the LEFT in the driver or overall config to something other than "Left or Backspace" which is default mapping.

Try clearing any coco related .cfg/.ini files or install a new version of MAME in another folder and see how it performs.
User avatar
No.14109
B2K24
Senior Tester
Aug 18, 2017, 00:42
In both modes (partial and full) the left arrow moves left and deletes the character. Is this expected behavior?
I'm not very familiar with this hardware.
User avatar
No.14110
Tafoid
Administrator
Aug 18, 2017, 02:24
edited on: Aug 18, 2017, 02:24
AFAIK the current behavior is the correct one.. while "Left or Backspace" are allowed with emulated keyboard, -natural allows only the arrow to move/delete as backspace does not exist on a Color Computer keyboard.
User avatar
No.14113
Robbbert
Senior Tester
Aug 18, 2017, 16:07
edited on: Aug 18, 2017, 16:08
Just tested, works fine here with latest git.

Maybe try deleting your cfg files for those systems.
User avatar
No.14115
Robbbert
Senior Tester
Aug 18, 2017, 23:30
edited on: Aug 19, 2017, 08:58
User hasn't responded since this was logged, and nobody can find anything wrong, so closing.
User avatar
No.14120
MrGW
Tester
Aug 19, 2017, 22:28
Robbbert - I will try compiling the latest version from git (as you specified) and let you know the results. Thank you.
User avatar
No.14178
Bletch
Developer
Sep 9, 2017, 12:42
The fundamental issue here is that the natural keyboard support in MAME doesn't support multiple bindings.

The fact is that the left arrow key on a CoCo is from all practical purposes, a backspace key that happens to have a picture of a left-facing arrow on it. In normal CoCo usage, the primary purpose of that key is to do a backspace, and scenarios where it behaves like a left arrow is the exception rather than the rule.

A CoCo user using MAME (or any other emulator) would expect either the backspace or the left arrow key on their keyboard to trigger this input. JeffV's emulator from the early 90's did this, as has every emulator since. MAME does this in normal keyboard mode, but not the natural keyboard mode only because of this limitation.
User avatar
No.14185
MrGW
Tester
Sep 13, 2017, 23:11
Hi Nathan -- thanks for explaining this behavior.