Help with using Stella

[Firegecko]

Whenever I start the Atari 2600 game "Fast Food" using Stella, the game controls itself. Why is this? How do I play the game?

[ulaoulao]

I think you just need to hit f1 or f2. The original atari did that. I think f1 is the reset and f2 is the level select. The game will play until you first hit reset.

[Firegecko]

I pressed F1, now nothing happens at all.

[ulaoulao]

I just tried it on mine, I had to hit f2, then f1, then the fire button. Have you set up your controllers?

[Firegecko]

No, I have to use a keyboard.

[ulaoulao]

press f2 then f1 then fire ( what ever button you mapped to it ). I always found it frustrating to get to work, and I just hit f2 and f1 and fire until it started to work. I never really took the time to learn how the atari was intended to work, and some games just woudl not start at all. Its not the emulators its just common atari knowledge ( that of which most of us dont have or remember ).

[Firegecko]

how do i change my controls?

[ulaoulao]

Well first off you should be using stella 3.3, if not, than try it ;)

Stella 3.3:

run the exe
click the options button below.
click input settings.
pick the control you wish to map in the scroll box.
click map
it will wait for you to press the desired button.

Here is what you should see
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQCD-piMaHJkSZbi9Eabr2_2PVPUKb3Oru-XCJOcFHwRKPgn1bZ

Here is the doc for stella
http://stella.sourceforge.net/docs/index.html

[Firegecko]

there are many to choose from, who do I know what one to pick?

[ulaoulao]

P0 stands for the first player so...
"p0 joystick fire"

[Firegecko]

Nothing happens. I press F2, then F1, then fire, and nothing happens. The lips are just sitting there. Do I have to keep pressing them? Do I have to hold the keys?

[ulaoulao]

I just loaded my burger time and didnt need to hit anything it just was in play mode? Have you mapped the up down left right keys, what happens if you hit left or right? Is you guy moving on its own?

[Firegecko]

Yeah, I mapped out the directional keys. When I start, the game is playing on its own. When I hit F2 or F1 it just stops and the lips are sitting there. Nothing is happening. I press the directional keys, and the fire button, but it just sits there. When I press F1 a 1 appears at the top of the screen. When I press F2, a 2 appears. If I press it again, a 0 appears.

[ulaoulao]

What about your player, what is he doing?

[Firegecko]

Just sitting there.

[ulaoulao]

LOL, ok then its doing what it should. I dont think you are mapping things right? Or there is some issue with stella reading your keyboard.

click on "P0 joystick left" and tell me what is in the action box at the bottom. Also do you have a standard keyboard with arrows and a key pad? Try the key pad with numlock on and if that does not work with it off. Remember you need to map it each way you test it.

[Firegecko]

The keyboard I am using is the one on a Macbook Pro laptop. The action box says:
Left, JO/AO/-, JO/HO/Left

[ulaoulao]

I think your issue is because its a mac, just my thought. you could try to use the keypad ( if you have one ) so that it types 8 4 6 2 instead. My last thought is to clear the field first.

in option , once you are at the screen where you map a key, first press erase. The values in the action box should go away. Then click map and press the key you want. If it shows up you need to contact the stella guys. If it does not show up, then that keyboard is not working with stella. Again you can ask them for help. If you want the defaults back click reset.