Tafoid

MAME 0.201 It’s the end of another month, and time for your scheduled MAME release, with more of everything we know you love. In a last-minute update, we slipped in a major performance for bgfx video output. It’s particularly noticeable when using cropped artwork, and there’s no longer a big performance penalty for bringing up the menu over the emulation on macOS. Another core improvement is support for TAP/TUN networking on Windows, providing a big performance improvement when connecting an emulated system to a network on the host machine. From the department of things considered lost to time, MAME 0.201 allows you to play as Chuby the octopus, in the incredibly elusive Spanish game Night Mare. Unfortunately the sound ROMs were missing, so you won’t be able to hear Chuby speak, and we still need to be on the lookout for the export version known as Clean Octopus. And speaking of rare games from Spain, two more Magnet System titles have been dumped: A Day in Space and The Burning Cavern. Newly dumped versions of supported arcade games include prototypes of Halley’s Comet (Taito) and Dog Fight (Orca), a newer version of the original Master Boy (Gaelco), and the Korean release of Raiden II (Seibu Kaihatsu). A redumped ROM allowed Psychic Force EX to run correctly. The vgmplay logged music player has had a big update in this release, with support for several more sound chips and a comprehensive software list. And this brings us to audio improvements, which seem to have all crowded their way into this release. We have fixes for long-standing sound bugs in Twin Eagle, Targ and Spectar. Sound in Amazing Maze is no longer cut off after thirty seconds or so. There are some big changes for QSound and Taito Zoom ZSG-2 that should make things sound nicer. There’s also preliminary support for the NEC PC-FX’s HuC6230 SoundBox, but be aware it has a DC offset so you’ll hear a big thud when you start or stop it. Recent improvements in NEC PC-98 emulation have seen dozens of titles promoted to working status, and we’ve added another batch of dumps from Neo Kobe Collection. There are a number of fixes that improve TI-99 floppy and cassette support in this release. InterPro systems can now be used via a serial terminal in configurations without a video card or keyboard. At long last, the Apple //c Plus can boot from its internal floppy drive. Other improvements to computer emulation include better keyboard support for Amiga systems, and improved GPU emulation for the HP Integral PC. Of course, you can get source and Windows binaries from the download page.

MAME 0.200 Todays MAME release has two consecutive zeros in the version number! The only other time that happened was over twelve years ago! Although MAME version numbers are are just an incrementing number, by a series of coincidences, MAME 0.200 delivers several major changes. First of all, if youre building MAME with Microsoft Visual Studio (MSVC), youll need Visual Studio 2017. Weve dropped support for Visual Studio 2015. Starting this month, were building the official Windows binaries with GCC 7.3 this probably wont affect you (we still support building with GCC 5 and up). Were mirroring tagged releases at GitLab (source only) and SourceForge (source and binaries), so if for some reason youre unable to access GitHub, youll still be able to download official MAME releases. MAME 0.200 includes replacements for the memory system and callback API. This will enable new functionality and make MAME development more straightforward. The artwork layout system has also had an overhaul which opens new possibilities. Weve tried our best not to break things, but if you do find something wrong, let us know at MAME Testers, or on our IRC channel #mame on the freenode network. In arcade emulation this month, we have a number of new versions of supported titles, including a very rare prototype of Led Storm Rally 2011 and three more Street Fighter II': Champion Edition bootlegs. Dreamcast/NAOMI colours are greatly improved thanks to snickerbockers, and cam900 fixed some graphical effects in Gals Panic 3 and Billiard Academy Real Break. Enik Land improved emulation of the Sega Master System, Game Gear and Mega Drive VDPs, covering more corner cases. The really exciting emulation improvements this month are on the computer side. There are lots of improvements for UK home computers, including better Camputers Lynx tape support (with lots of additions to the software list), re-worked Acorn System emulation, and support for Acorn Bus slot devices. Weve got a brand-new modernised Apple IIgs driver, with improvements in just about every area. Also, Wayder updated the Sharp 68000 software list, correcting and organising the entries and adding the latest clean dumps. But even more exciting is the fact that, thanks to Patrick Mackinlays gargantuan effort and persistence, the CLIPPER-based InterPro 2000 workstation now works well enough to install and run CLIX (a UNIX operating system). As far as we know, this is a first for MAME. The improvements to SCSI, CD-ROM, and serial emulation also benefit other emulated computer systems. Instructions are on the MAMEdev wiki if you want to try it out. As usual, you can get source and Windows binaries from the download page.

Yup. They both work fine for me locally with current MAME available from mamedev.org Both rom zip files (assault and assaultp) are in a folder which is identified in mame.ini in ROMPATH line They both pass a -verifyroms test from command-line as well. I can't figure why it doesn't work for you. There are no special bioses/devices that seems to be linked. Is the assaultp.zip file valid and not corrupted?

You'll need the parent romset "assault.zip" as well - since all but the two unique "assaultp" rom chip dumps will be sourced from there. If you have them both in your rompath, the game should load what is needs from "assault.zip" then use "assaultp.zip" for its unique data.

It is in current MAME, as: assaultp Assault Plus (Japan)

Basically. MAME spits emulation out at the original known refresh rates when possible. CRTs are/were much more forgiving about such things in the past and had a wider range of frequencies it could operate. Nowadays, LCDs are often stuck at 60hz although that situation is slowly improving with GSync and Freesync video/monitor combinations which in many instances allow flawless adjustment to output display Hz with modern equipment.

Rom updating is not difficult and happens a lot less than people feel it does. http://choccyhobnob.com/tutorials/demystifying-mame-roms/dishes out a good deal of understanding concerning MAME roms. There are websites, torrents and even usenet newsgroups (remember those?!?) that have updated romsets/CHD files. Google is your friend. If you are in for the long haul, learn to use a rom manager/organizer and it'll identify/detail precisely what you are missing.

Loading media should work equal as well, so long as the path (with a space in the folder/filename must be surrounded by quotation marks) is reached and the roms/bioses are set up correctly for the machine to operate. It shouldn't matter where your MAME is installed. Sometimes Windows UAC and other controls might get in the way at times, though.

Sounds like screen tearing which happens on scrolling games. You can use a video syncing command (such as waitvsync) to attempt to eliminate this from showing up. Depending on the refresh rate of the machine being run in emulation, you may experience sound drops or stutters as the emulation syncs to the current display's Hz.

Regarding the official documents - they are currently being worked on. Much of it is still work in progress. The command line you have will work fine provided the you make sure of the following from a default install. MAME.exe resides in c:\mame (full path=c:\mame\mame.exe) astrocde.zip (bios) in c:\mame\roms (full path=c:\mame\astrocde.zip) galactic.bin in c:\mame\roms (full path=c:\mame\roms\galactic.bin) *NOTE: MAME can detect .zip and .7z as well, so you can compress your image if desired and use that filename (galactic.zip or galactic.7z)* There is good information at the mess.org forums which should be mostly still correct and just hasn't been modernized and reapplied to MAME's documents yet: http://www.mess.org/mess/howto?s[]=load&s[]=software#software_handling .... or if you want to use the organized softlist archives http://www.mess.org/mess/howto?s[]=load&s[]=software#software_lists

This is an informational post concerning MAMEdev's increasing community and social media presence. == FORUMS == For decade now (since June of 2007), MAME has not had an official forum dedicated to the project and its community. There are some boards moderated by MAME developers at bannister.org covering focusing on the former sister project MESS, and the former derivative build SDLMAME (both of which have since been integrated into MAME). Both boards are still active, as they have been for a very long time, but they were never really MAME's "project home". Of course, we cannot forget the MAMEWorld forums where the frequent MAMEdev presence has given some users the impression that it was MAMEdev's official forum, while in truth it never was. Long story short, we have been quietly running a forum which has been open to the public for a few of months now. You can now visit and sign up for an account at MAMEDEV Forums. Please note that all new accounts must be approved and activated by an administrator, which currently takes hours or days, so don't panic when you find you can't post immediately after registering. Secure your handle now! == IRC == In case you missed the the announcement we made alongside the release of MAME 0.173, MAMEdev now has official presence now on IRC. In the past, many MAME developers could be found on the EFnet channel inherited from the former sister project MESS. As we've switched to a completely Free and Open Source license, freenode is a natural home for the MAME community. The freenode network has been supporting Free and Open Source communities since the late 1990s, so we're in good company there. Freenode provides features like IPv6, SSL transport, nickname registration and SASL login, cloaking and channel services. Unlike EFnet, freenode isn't arbitrarily blocking large ranges of European IP addresses, and isn't as prone to netsplits. Most IRC clients come pre-configured for the freenode network. If you're manually configuring your IRC client, the server is chat.freenode.net on port 6667, or port 6697 with SSL. Freenode also provides a web-based interface to their IRC network if you want to chat without installing a dedicated IRC client application. We have two public IRC channels: #mame for general discussion with the MAME developers and community, and #mame-dev which focuses on discussion related directly to MAME development. Both channels are open to anyone interested, but #mame-dev requires you to register on freenode and authenticate with SASL or NickServ, help at this LINK. MAME developers frequent both channels, and with our global reach, you'll likely find at least one of us online at any time of day or night. == SOCIAL MEDIA == MAMEdev also has a few other official communication channels including: * Twitter * Facebook * Imgur * Instagram We encourage anyone who follows the project or would like to get more information to subscribe or follow us on one or more of these channels.

Usage has changed: -> mess odyessy2 -cart voice -cart2 bees - should start the Killer Bees cart with voice enabled.

MESS is very capable with many consoles and computer, including the Colecovision and Adam and makes a nice alternative even in non-windows platforms (Mac, various Linux OS) Here are some links for MAC binaries: http://sdlmame.lngn.net/ (MAME and MESS) for Intel Mac OSX http://mirrors.xmission.com/mame/mac/sdlmess (MESS) for PowerPC Mac OSX http://mirrors.xmission.com/mame/mac/sdlmame (MAME) for PowerPC Mac OSX Check here for other non-Windows targets: http://wiki.mamedev.org/index.php/SDL_Supported_Platforms

http://www.mess.org/mess/howto#software_lists A good read through that should explain well enough. On the short end, it works like MAME in that you just provide a setname which is located in the HASH/systemname.xml file and you launch it like you would a MAME game (mess genesis sonic3 - for instance) when the rompath is set up properly. I haven't use MESSUI in a while so I'm not sure if it is set up to use softlists specifically. You might be better off getting the Official MESS release from http://mamedev.org and them download QMC2 located at http://qmc2.arcadehits.net/wordpress as your front-end. This one allows use of virtually any option MESS can muster and is under constant development. MESS (and MAME) UI are both suffering from code rot and inability to keep up with MAME in regards to changes in code from the emulator project.

To be fair, the Atari Computer/400/800/XL/XE/5200 driver stuff are a bit outdated and in dire need of rewrite to bring it back to what used to be fairly good standards. Current MESS (0.158) boots to title, starts and seems to play ok for me (0.158). I used the softlist entry for it which has the following details: (from a5200.xml) software name="spcedngn" rom name="spcedngn.bin" size="16384" crc="b68d61e8" sha1="127ed1c31c3e85d10212eee7b9e6d71aef7dd891" So long as that crc matches and software is set up in rompath correctly, one should have no problem running it. Most popular systems have a softlist will be the best way to run any software through said system. In many cases, there are special flags included which tell the emulator how to map the media so that it loads and plays properly. You can still use the old picker style of interaction, but that might not run if there is special mapping or other setup required outside of normal.

As far as MESSUI, I haven't used it forever but I think the saving is compulsory and unless you unmount the cartridge it won't stop using it. Cassettes shouldn't be any harder to mount than cartridges with MESSUI, as I remember. Mounting images isn't that hard with the internal UI either, simply TAB (after your get partial keyboard emulation with "Scroll Lock" key), and choose File Manager, then Cassette and browse for the file you want.

I'd try looking for either a coco.ini (in INI folder) or coco.cfg (in CFG folder) and see which one is retaining information (likely CFG). If you've used the MESSUI at all I think it stil auto-saves all that information you last used in the .cfg files for each system you used and may be interferring with command-line usage.

The "official" page for MESSUI releases are hosted here: http://messui.the-chronicles.org/

While I don't think it's fair that a whole project should be prosecuted over a particular game either not working or regressing in behavior, it might be a comfort for you to know that there has been recent improvements, fixes and lots of work done on "pokey" in the last couple weeks. The bug you mention appears to have been addressed and resolved: http://mametesters.org/view.php?id=501 Why not try version 0.146 from http://mamedev.org and let us know how it works out.

Still haven't gotten MESS to work either. I'd be happy as well as other MESS devs would be happy to try to assist you in getting MESS working for you. Much of what MESS was.. a Wiki containing information on use of hundreds of consoles, computers, calculators and others were recently lost to a catastrophic server crash. The official MESS forum is more than adequate to be used to answer usage questions or assistance with anything related. http://forums.bannis...ostlist&Board=1 Would not be surprised if I was not the only MAME or MESS dev that frequents here, either. If joining another forum isn't your style - I'm sure you could ask question here as well which I can attempt to help with. MAME and MESS to have minimal internal UI's which can be used for basic game selections and modification of options per-game. Both emulators require a certain bit of ability to run and edit text files (.ini) to get things set up precisely how you want. While many users prefer the hands-on approach each project brings - there are as many that prefer to be given a list of games and or computers to run, hit enter and be done with it. That's where front-ends come in. It was mentioned earlier and highlighted where I mentioned I made my own front-end... it's not like I hoard it or keep it secret. I don't go out of my way to advertise it either. But, I'm happy to link you: http://mameload.mameworld.info and will, again, be happy to answer any questions related to setup or using my program, MAME or MESS. Also, for the uninformed, SDLMAME, which is also contained within the officially distributed source, can be compiled on virtually ANY devices, computers and OS's which support SDL.

The base UI code which drives MAMEUI, MESSUI (in turn other MAMEUIFX, MAMEPlus and other alternate "built-in MAME" type front-ends) have been around since 1998 and the core code simply is showing signs of not keeping up and being a Window Only program. MAME changes the way it does things and UI must conform if it wishes to continue to be an effective front-end. While there are a few that have recently worked to keep UI working, most developers would rather spend time with the actual emulation efforts than trying to keep an essentially "dead" UI working. This is why UI is on the way out and the cross platform QMC is being viewed as a suitable replacement in many peoples' eyes. As far as front-ends go - you have simple, you have complex, you have eye candy, you have functionality.. all sorts of front-ends cater to different needs, usually based on the desires of the author themselves. For example, I have a front-end I made for myself, ML (mameload). It starts fast, allows use with many mame, mess versions, different emulators, capable and functional and allows configuration/change with little modification. It's downfall as is that it's not a very 'pretty' front-end in that is misses that eye candy most other Front-Ends are build around from. Anyway, there are dozens of front-ends - your best place to try them out would be to check out the BYOAC Wiki: http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Front-Ends

It's known. It is not vandalism.. but the server's crash rendered everything stored to be wiped out leaving no backups available to them. I'll just take a bit of time to rebuild from caches and other sources.

If it's a mapping issue, the quickest and most painfree way would be to delete "default.cfg" in your CFG folder. The downside is that you need to remap any exotic/non-standard mapping.. but it should work by just doing that.

"cheat.dat" is only valid for MAME 0.126 or earlier. Anything later requires the cheat.zip to be placed where cheat.dat was. It's no longer one big honking file which MAME reads completely everytime it starts, but an XML file for each game that has cheats. Not only does this mean quicker startups, it allows for quicker and more focused editing (if that's your thing). http://cheat.retrogames.com is your source for both formats.

Therein lies the issue.. the problem with this bug isn't in the driver itself, but in a component which the game uses. The bug report itself has some answers as there was some research done last year to determine that it's an issue with the sound chip implementation. The second note states pretty well what the issue appears to be. http://www.mametesters.org/view.php?id=501 It's a matter a finding someone who knows the chip well to be able to come up with a solution which doesn't break other games (in this case, Tempest doesn't work at all with the reverted code). I have no doubt that someday it will be fixed. You've found a solution in your case - but to get upset at people for not being able to fix a regression is a bit disheartening, to be honest. I often use DOSBOX as well and have found it to be more than adequate for a even a marginally obsolete machine to allow playing old MAME versions without issues. Very useful for regression testing as some bugs have been around for well over a decade.