[RESOLVED] Updated to 0.162 and not all games showing

[Evilforces]

Hi all!!

Yesterday I've updated my MAME collection to full 0.162 merged set, and as usually updated my emulator MameuiFX to latest version.

I did the update list on the emulator MameuiFX and then go to Gameex and update Mame games list.

I noticed that some games not showing now on my list (and on my favorite list). As example, aerofighters 2 and 3 are missing (but i have this games on MameuiFX)

It's possible Gameex have some bug with new Mame version?

Thanks in advance.

GameEx.ini

log.txt

[Tom Speirs]

Its quite very possible. The new 162 XML output is a real pain and does not allow developers to differentiate between a MAME game and any MESS systems or devices. So people like me have to do there best on trying to filter out the MESS stuff.

All, please post list of "rom" names with issues and I will look.

[Adultery]

Can you keep me posted too Tom? This is gonna impact some plugins and I'm interested in your workaround.

[Tom Speirs]

I will but it really needs something to be added to a future MAME version.

[B2K24]

Its quite very possible. The new 162 XML output is a real pain and does not allow developers to differentiate between a MAME game and any MESS systems or devices. So people like me have to do there best on trying to filter out the MESS stuff.

All, please post list of "rom" names with issues and I will look.

I myself would like an option (if possible) of nothing being filtered.

GameEX already has many ways to navigate through a listing fairly quick or you can just simply type a letter or 2 and launch that game that you want.

For the people wanting filters they should depend on catagory.ini or other methods to do that work for them instead of users being forced upon themselves a filtered game listing.

[tthurman]

I would be interested in seeing an example of your suggested catagory.ini B2K24.

The GameEx filters work fine,once you become comfortable with how to tweak it to your liking, but it seems to me that throwing in MESS will create a mass influx of confusion for a great deal of users.

Yes, I'm one of them, I've never dabled in MESS, and I'm not sure I want too, but I realize it isn't all abouit me

[u-man]

Like i Said , it is possible to create a arcade.ini, to Affect only arcade or ex-Mame so to say. So i guess there is a Filter that only Filters Mame or arcadegames. I May have a Solution tommorow.

I Hope that i could help somehow

[Tom Speirs]

I don't want to be too cocky but I expect the issue will be fixed in a future MAME release.

BK:. Its only filtering completely useless data to us for MAME use. Stuff that is never going to work with GameEx MAME support. So I am not sure I follow you? The other filters can be turned off.

[Draco1962]

I myself would like an option (if possible) of nothing being filtered.

GameEX already has many ways to navigate through a listing fairly quick or you can just simply type a letter or 2 and launch that game that you want.

For the people wanting filters they should depend on catagory.ini or other methods to do that work for them instead of users being forced upon themselves a filtered game listing.

The filtering via GameEx is within the integrated MAME support only. If someone wants to run MAME unfiltered and unfettered by the integrated support and display all the other content that doesn't work as Tom noted, they can run MAME via one of the emulator slots. So there are choices.

[Evilforces]

Latest Gameex version solved my problem.

As always, thanks the good and speedy job of Tom to solve our problems.

Thanks Tom, you are the best!!!

[DazzleHP]

For the people wanting filters they should depend on catagory.ini

The current filters work extremely well and depend on custom built databases, made by GX Staff. While they may not be "up-to-the-minute" accurate with the most recent MAME releases, they are immaculate, comprehensive and reliable.

Relying on anything third party, such as category.ini is a bad move, from any point of view really. I'm sure you would agree if in a similar situation

[tthurman]

I don't want to be too cocky but I expect the issue will be fixed in a future MAME release.

I think so too, especially given the current rapid release cycle. That said, It's always interesting to hear possible alternatives should things prove otherwise.

[B2K24]

The filtering via GameEx is within the integrated MAME support only. If someone wants to run MAME unfiltered and unfettered by the integrated support and display all the other content that doesn't work as Tom noted, they can run MAME via one of the emulator slots. So there are choices.

I'll give that a try because one example I'm thinking of is, if I want to run Game Boy Advance (gba) from MAME, then I launch that machine. I can TAB to MAME's internal menu selecting File Manager/cart After which I can scroll up to [software list] and load any GBA game I wish.

Anyway, I didn't consider the other emulator slots. I'll give that a try. Thanks!

[u-man]

I don't want to be too cocky but I expect the issue will be fixed in a future MAME release.

I dont think that this will happen , because the MAME-devs announced this a while ago:

"Note that output XML is changed so rom managers and frontends need to get updated too." from MAMEDEV.ORG

To be honest, i didnt thought that the MAME devs will do the whole MAME, MESS marriage that way. My understanding from reading the first announcement of this was, it will be a option for those who compile their own MAME to combine MAME with MESS. Now it turns out just to be the opposite . Its not only that i dont like MESS (i hate it ) , i also think MESS is not in that good state to explain such a step.

However i asked mamesick from MAMEUIFX, if he maybe knows a good solution for this. Here is, what he has answered:

"Hi. I believe there's no a simple solution. With the merging MAME-MESS the XML output has changed and there's no distinction between GAMES,COMPUTERS,CONSOLES in the file. The fact I filter all that stuff out in FX is because we don't use the XML list but the internal ARCADE.LST file to create our own. You should try to create a DAT directly from FX at this point but be careful again that in the new XML there's no more a tag "game" which identifies the ROM but a more generic "machine". I know this caused troubles to frontend and ROM managers maintainers."

I didnt had the time to update to v0162, also i dont know, if i will even do this, reading all the trouble that comes with it. Does this also means that a update list in GameEx needs to go through all this software-list bullsh*t ?

I am satisfied with 0161 as I have all the new HLSL stuff, since along time and will wait until this whole MAME-MESS chaos becomes history.

[Draco1962]

Sounds like product suicide to me.. Likely 0.161 will be my last update until they get things sorted as well, if ever.

[Tom Speirs]

I see no reason for MAME Dev not to add a simple value to the XML in a future release unless there is some kind of ideological bigger picture (which has been suggested there may well me).

Its not for me to complain or suggest anything. I am nothing in comparison and GameEx wouldn't even exist if it was not for MAME. It was my love for it that got me motivated.

The situation right now with official MAME and GameEx is you will get some but not all MESS systems in your list if you turn off all the filters. If you use the filters and don't have the mess roms in your paths you will be unaffected. If you have the roms referenced you will get the systems I was unable to filter out.

[u-man]

I think this is a good discussion: http://www.mameworld.info/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=340524&page=0&view=expanded&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1&new=#Post340524

It brings it to the point. I hope it is of any help for you. Tom, you maybe remember the discussion we had about the filtering, look at post# 25: http://www.gameex.info/forums/topic/14917-vip-exclusive-beta-evolution-mame-enhancer-plug-in-need-help/page-2

Maybe its a good time, to implement the changes of filtering which Headkaze talked about there, only if this is finished off course. I still use my method, for faster updates and with all the changes now, i think it is even faster.

You and Headkaze are also very known and nice personalities and i think if you speak a word of rationality to the mame devs, maybe there will be some hope of changes . Especially the .ini filtering, DazzleHP talked about, is a bad thing, because of the dependencies to third party developers. If we can avoid this, we should do this .