Faster syncing compo4all-mame pnd beta .. please check it ASAP and report!


skeezix

Internal Development
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Mar 11, 2003
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www.codejedi.com
I'd like to update the main repo with this new build, but please give it a hit first!

Let me know if it works, or if it doesn't work. (People always forget to report when things work, which is just as important as when they don't work ;)

If I can get a couple 'this works', I'll promote it to the repo post-haste!

http://www.skeleton.org/tmp/compo4all-mame.pnd

Changes are minimal:

- on game start, it will only sync down the game default hi file in question (and wipe out the other games ... just to be sure); this should effect a full reset on start of a game, quickly.

- on game finish, it will only sync games hi files that are found, and that have changed 'today'

So in theory, if you happen to change games within MAME, it'll still find those scores and try to sync them up; few people would try that however, opting to enter/exit through the launcher, and so want it nice and quick.. this will work fine for that too.

Note: the word 'wipe out' above is not as threatening as you think; normally on start it pulls down all the .hi files ('just in case'), and then on game exit it pushes them up and deletes them (all one by one.) So now its going to just delete them all and pull down the one you're starting, and then on game exit it just scans for any .hi files found and syncs them up. In general, for most people, it'll pull down 1 file and send up 1 file, much faster than doing it for 50 files one at a time.

jeff
 
If you want to see whats up .. check the /tmp/pnd_run.... output log and you'll see the before/after sync bits noted.

jeff
 
Just tried it with 3 games, all worked and score synching was near instant!

10/10
 
Will have to try this!

Also, hope the new games get in soon.

Will report back.

EDIT:  This thing works GREAT!!

Not only that, NOW it allows me to play DigDug and be scored for it with deleting thr .nv file.

Hey, Skeezix, since you have it deleting .hi files already...can you have it auto-delete the danged .nv file on your synch too?

That way we would no longer have to manually ditch the .nv file...and some other games, that used ,nv files might work where before they didn't, like Berzek and New Rally X.

Skeezix, you freaking ROCK!!

My DigDug problems are solved!!

UPDATE:

My DigDug problems did NOT exactly solve.

I ran into the same problem again.

I figured out what caused it, though.

I adjusted settings on DigDug, because I like my controls different from the default setup.

If you adjust ANY settings on DigDug...you will then have the same problem I did.

I even went in to the andavnce folder where all the control modifications are kept and wiped out everything it had on DigDug...forcing it back to defaults...still no scoring.

I resorted to wiping out and replacing my ENTIRE C4A appdata folder.

It now works.

Word to the wise, never fool with the settings, dip switches or anything else on DigDug or you'll be in misery like I was.

Other games I have set custom controls for...no problem.  But DigDug will have none of it.

SO...after updating C4A...It appeared to work for me...so I then re-set my custom controls...and there it was.  No scoring on DigDug again.

So I wiped my entire appdata file again, and started from scratch.  I even re-created my profile, lol

And, again, DigDug now scores.

It also correctly wiped out the old score under the old profile...with my new score on the new profile...which I had set up identical to my original profile file.

So it knew that I was the same person...same profile.

Now, once again, DigDug scores me.  But you cannot deviate from any of the default settings on the game, or misery will ensue.
 
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I don't post here very often but I had to log in to say thanks for this update, it's fantastic!

I tried a couple of games and they both synced almost instantly  :D

Would it be possible to have the all time high score listed alongside the high scores for the current month in the launcher?
 
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Nice, a couple of quick games and no issues whatsoever. Very fast.

Great release. Thx 
 
Sounds good.

Skeezix, can you see if you could also make it delete the digdug.nv file on a sync after game, too, so that we don't have to?
 
Repo version updated!

Cheers :)

If we can get a high volume of play this month, I'll put in a new server version end of month or middle of next month, which has some enhanced features..

jeff
 
I figured out what caused it, though.

I adjusted settings on DigDug, because I like my controls different from the default setup.

If you adjust ANY settings on DigDug...you will then have the same problem I did.

Word to the wise, never fool with the settings, dip switches or anything else on DigDug or you'll be in misery like I was.
There shouldn't be any tinkering with the dip switches anyway, that's where things like difficulty and lives are changeable!

Changing normal settings (Fn+TAB) should be OK, I use my own defined controls on Dig Dug and it hasn't caused any problems at all. Were you using the 'save config' option perhaps? When you redefine keys there should be no need to save, the changes are retained anyway, I wonder if the problem on your end might be if the inbuilt config save option was used?
 
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Works like a treat, perfect, thanks a lot!

Finally it's fun again to play C4A games :D
 
I figured out what caused it, though.


I adjusted settings on DigDug, because I like my controls different from the default setup.


If you adjust ANY settings on DigDug...you will then have the same problem I did.


Word to the wise, never fool with the settings, dip switches or anything else on DigDug or you'll be in misery like I was.
There shouldn't be any tinkering with the dip switches anyway, that's where things like difficulty and lives are changeable!


Changing normal settings (Fn+TAB) should be OK, I use my own defined controls on Dig Dug and it hasn't caused any problems at all. Were you using the 'save config' option perhaps? When you redefine keys there should be no need to save, the changes are retained anyway, I wonder if the problem on your end might be if the inbuilt config save option was used?
Yes, I did not know about the Fn + TAB option to change controls...and then no need to save them.

I was changing my controls in the same place where you would change the dip switches, etc.  and then saving that config...so that my preferred controls would ALWAYS be set.

Are you telling me YOU were able to change the default button config on DigDug...thru Fn + TAB...no need to save them...and it worked...and then the next time you play, the buttons are as you like them??  Or do you have to set them every game?

Seeing as you use your own defined controls on DigDug yourself, I am gathering you found the same problem where the default controls are a bit clumsy.
 
I figured out what caused it, though.


I adjusted settings on DigDug, because I like my controls different from the default setup.


If you adjust ANY settings on DigDug...you will then have the same problem I did.


Word to the wise, never fool with the settings, dip switches or anything else on DigDug or you'll be in misery like I was.
There shouldn't be any tinkering with the dip switches anyway, that's where things like difficulty and lives are changeable!


Changing normal settings (Fn+TAB) should be OK, I use my own defined controls on Dig Dug and it hasn't caused any problems at all. Were you using the 'save config' option perhaps? When you redefine keys there should be no need to save, the changes are retained anyway, I wonder if the problem on your end might be if the inbuilt config save option was used?
I actually thought the dip switch part of this Mame had been disabled to only allow for controller configs. Hopefully these features haven't been used for cheating ^_^

Chris
 
Yes, I did not know about the Fn + TAB option to change controls...and then no need to save them.

I was changing my controls in the same place where you would change the dip switches, etc.  and then saving that config...so that my preferred controls would ALWAYS be set.

Are you telling me YOU were able to change the default button config on DigDug...thru Fn + TAB...no need to save them...and it worked...and then the next time you play, the buttons are as you like them??  Or do you have to set them every game?
Yes, press Space (or it can be Fn+Tab if you've already twiddled the controls menu, initially just Space brings up the menu) and change the controls 'for this game'. No need to save, the controls defined are retained without having to save.

For games that need sharp turns like this, I use keys like on the old home computers - L/R = Q/E Up/Down = I/N and game button X for fire in this case!
 
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EXACTLY!

You need sharp turns in this game and the D-Pad is not very friendly to this.

So...Space...which is what brings up the menu...same menu where dip switches could be changed...this is where I was going to change my controls.

You are telling me...you can change the controls there, DO NOT SAVE THEM...just go back to game...

And then, next time I come to play the game...my controls will already be as I want...or do I have to then set them every time I want to play?

See, I was saving them...because I wanted them to be retained for the game, so that I would not have to set them all the time.

But this caused the game to somehow not send my scores back.

Now, in other games where I have set controls, this was never an issue.  Only with DigDug.

SO....if the control set is not retained all the time, I guess I will just suffer the D-Pad, instead of setting keys for my directions, as I had been doing...in order to make it more responsive to the need for quick, sharp turns.
 
That is what I am saying. You don't need to save your config if all you've done is redefine controls - those changes are automatically saved (at least in every game I've ever played on it, I've redefined controls for 99% of the games!).
 
That is what I am saying. You don't need to save your config if all you've done is redefine controls - those changes are automatically saved (at least in every game I've ever played on it, I've redefined controls for 99% of the games!).
So that's your secret!

That, and I guess a misspent youth. ;)
 
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Good, then.  I can re-set my custom controls on DigDug...just don't hit anything to SAVE...and they will srtill save, but should not affect the scoring on C4A.

Good to know.
 
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