General Help Getting Started

[jimdeprado]

I have been reading posts for most of the day and I still can't figure out what I am doing wrong.  I have read Tempest's page on what to do if you need help and I think that I have done everything that Tempest asked for.  If not, I apologize in advance.

I am having 2 main problems.  

1.  No games seem to work.  When I initially installed Gameex I did play 10 Yard Fight.  Now nothing works and I don't even know where to start.

2.  A good portion of my ROMs aren't showing up in the list.  I tried to select (or deselect) the appropriate filters but still couldn't get it working.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Here is my Gameex.ini file

Spoiler

[gameexonline]
streamquality=0
Privacy=0
EnableBackground=True
[general]
Xresolution=800
Yresolution=600
DisplayOnSecondary=False
mamepath=C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Emulators\MAME
mameexe=mamearcade64.exe
rompath=C:\Emulation\ROMs\MAME\Roms
StartWait=False
USeAdvanceMame=False
AdvanceMAMEEXE=advmame.exe
AdvanceMAMEPATH=C:\Emulators\AdvanceMAME
ADVANCEMAMEOptions=-device_video_output fullscreen -quiet -dir_rom "C:\Emulators\Mame32\roms"
UseZinc=False
ZincEXE=zinc.exe
ZincPATH=C:\Emulation\Emulators\ZiNc
ZincOptions=--renderer=.\renderer.znc
Font=Trebuchet MS
TitleText=MAME Games
OnlyWorking=False
AllowImperfect=True
VerifyRoms=True
OnlyRoms=True
NoGameInfo=False
GameFilter=Japan;Korea;Asia;Hispanic;Bootleg;French;German;Hack;Prototype;Hardware;Spanish;(Easy;(harder
GameFilterOn=False
NoAdult=True
NoClones=False
MameOptions=-nowindow -joy -skip_gameinfo -mouse
ArcadeMode=False
UseLargeFonts=True
snappath=C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Media\MAME\SNAP
avisnappath=C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Media\MAME\VIDEOS
AVIFrameSkip=0
flyerpath=C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Media\MAME\FLYERS
cabinetpath=C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Media\MAME\CABINETS
CatverLocation=\DATA\catver.ini
nplayerslocation=\DATA\nplayers.ini
HistoryLocation=\DATA\history.dat
InfoLocation=\DATA\mameinfo.dat
CommandLocation=\DATA\command.dat
ShowGameInfoPage=True
EnableStartPage=True
ShowStartPageFirst=True
skipintro=True
AntiAliasFonts=True
OutlineFonts=False
DisplayBackgroundImage=True
SnapBrightness=120
MusicPlayList=C:\Music
MusicVolume=100

Here is my runitgame.bat file

Spoiler

@ECHO OFF
chcp 65001

C:
CD "C:\Users\Arcade Cabinet\Desktop\MAME GameEx System Pack\Emulators\MAME"
mamearcade64.exe 10yard -rompath "C:\Emulation\ROMs\MAME\Roms" -nowindow -joy -skip_gameinfo -mouse
 

 

[RedDog]

Hey jimdeprado,

Welcome to the forums.We should be able to get you pointed in the right direction.

The runitgame.bat does not indicate anything bad that is obvious. Unfortunately, the entire GameEx.ini contents did not appear under the spoiler you posted (it happens). A log file may also be helpful. Would you do the following steps:

• Start GameEx and try to run a game (10 Yard Fight is as good a choice as any). Even if it fails to run for any reason, that's ok. It will gather some info in the log file.
• Find the log.txt file in the GameEx\LOG folder.
• Grab a copy of the GameEx.ini in the GameEx\CONFIG folder (which you already know how to do).
• Grab a copy of runitgame.bat from the GameEx\DATA folder (again, you know this too).
• Post the files as attachments instead of in spoilers. You can just drag the files to the paperclip icon at the bottom of the window and they will be attached as files instead.
• Let us know what game you attempted to run.

This should give us some background info to start with.

One other question. The version of your roms should match the mame version (for example, if you are running Mame 1.62, your roms should be version 1.62 for best compatibility). Can you say for certain that your versions match across Mame and all roms?

And one other observation: I saw that you have your Roms located on your desktop (which is automatically located within a user directory). While this will not break anything, we usually suggest that everything be set up outside the user folders (such as c:\GameEx, C:\programs\GameEx, etc.). Your call, but I thought I would mention it.

[jimdeprado]

Thank you very much, I certainly appreciate the assistance.

I've attached the 2 files that you requested.  I tried to run 10 Yard Fight.

As for the ROMs, I don't know which version they are, but they are certainly not the newest version.  I am working on getting a new set.  Is there a way to verify the Roms that I have agains the current version of MAME (for the ROMs that haven't changed) and remove the ones that have?

I need to change the directory structure to what you have suggested and will do so shortly.  I thought that I had put everything under C:\Emulation\...., but I will have to check.

Again, I apologize for being so uneducated when it comes to all of this.  I really appreciate your help!

log.txt

GameEx.ini

runitgame.bat

[tthurman]

Welcome to the GameEx forums jimdeprado

You're most certainly in good hands with RedDog's assistance on setup, and once you get your feet wet, it'll be old hat.

If  you're like me then just trying to soak it all in can be a bit daunting to start with, but Tom has gone out of his way to remove much of the learning curve.  You may want to check out this video Simply Austin put together for some helpful pointers on using the material Tom has provided to make it all a bit less cumbersome.

 

[RedDog]

2 hours ago, jimdeprado said:

Again, I apologize for being so uneducated when it comes to all of this.  I really appreciate your help!

We all have to start somewhere, right?

2 hours ago, jimdeprado said:

 Is there a way to verify the Roms that I have agains the current version of MAME (for the ROMs that haven't changed) and remove the ones that have?

Not easily (and it's not worth trying). Mame has a verifyroms command that can be used to check a rom to see if it is incompatible, but not across all versions. In other words, to find out what version a rom is, you would essentially have to download a bunch of different Mame versions and run that command with each of them until you find a Mame that says it is a match. Not my idea of fun.

One thing to know about Mame is that the guys that work on Mame are consistantly changing it to increase compatibility with games. Each new version of Mame could mean small changes or really huge changes. When these changes happen, some roms also have to be updated so they are compatible. Non-compatible roms may work poorly or not at all. So having a matching set of roms is your best bet for things to work as best as possible. There will be many games that will work despite being diferent versions, but the further apart you get, the more problems you will likely come across when trying to run them.

What GameEx does to create it's list based on the settings in your config to generate the list of games that will show up. Since you are unsure about your versions, the best we can do is to check your config so that it is the way you want it and see what you get.

I do not see anything bad about your config (assuming the paths are all correct). It is about as open as you can possibly make it (it is about what I have for mine in fact). You are allowing everything except adult, mahjong, casino, and filtered titles. You have the Verify ROMS option set to Yes. This means that when GameEx is building the list, it is taking your huge list and checking each rom with Mame for compatibility. If it fails the check, it is not included in the final list. Your short list is likely mostly due to the Verify ROMS. You have two options as I see it:

1. If you are comfortable that your current mame and roms work well enough together, turn off Verify ROMS and rerun the list. Then test things out. Keep in mid that you will probably run across games in the list that do not work.
2. Figure out a way to get matching versions and then rerun the list (this would be my sugestion). Please be aware that we won't point you in a direction on how to go about doing this. Hopefully you have learned enough about this hobby to understand why this is and you can figure it out on your own.

Either way, once you have a really big list that appears ok, then you can try changing options to get rid of clones, allowing imperfect games, etc, etc.

 

4 hours ago, tthurman said:

You're most certainly in good hands with RedDog's assistance...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just being helpful is all. There are guys on this forum that really know Mame inside and out. I do ok. I am a pretty nice guy though. That should count for something.  

[DazzleHP]

18 hours ago, RedDog said:

We all have to start somewhere, right?

Not easily (and it's not worth trying). Mame has a verifyroms command that can be used to check a rom to see if it is incompatible, but not across all versions. In other words, to find out what version a rom is, you would essentially have to download a bunch of different Mame versions and run that command with each of them until you find a Mame that says it is a match. Not my idea of fun.

One thing to know about Mame is that the guys that work on Mame are consistantly changing it to increase compatibility with games. Each new version of Mame could mean small changes or really huge changes. When these changes happen, some roms also have to be updated so they are compatible. Non-compatible roms may work poorly or not at all. So having a matching set of roms is your best bet for things to work as best as possible. There will be many games that will work despite being diferent versions, but the further apart you get, the more problems you will likely come across when trying to run them.

What GameEx does to create it's list based on the settings in your config to generate the list of games that will show up. Since you are unsure about your versions, the best we can do is to check your config so that it is the way you want it and see what you get.

I do not see anything bad about your config (assuming the paths are all correct). It is about as open as you can possibly make it (it is about what I have for mine in fact). You are allowing everything except adult, mahjong, casino, and filtered titles. You have the Verify ROMS option set to Yes. This means that when GameEx is building the list, it is taking your huge list and checking each rom with Mame for compatibility. If it fails the check, it is not included in the final list. Your short list is likely mostly due to the Verify ROMS. You have two options as I see it:

1. If you are comfortable that your current mame and roms work well enough together, turn off Verify ROMS and rerun the list. Then test things out. Keep in mid that you will probably run across games in the list that do not work.
2. Figure out a way to get matching versions and then rerun the list (this would be my sugestion). Please be aware that we won't point you in a direction on how to go about doing this. Hopefully you have learned enough about this hobby to understand why this is and you can figure it out on your own.

Either way, once you have a really big list that appears ok, then you can try changing options to get rid of clones, allowing imperfect games, etc, etc.

 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just being helpful is all. There are guys on this forum that really know Mame inside and out. I do ok. I am a pretty nice guy though. That should count for something.  

RedDog knows what he is talking about and he gives excellent advice. I would do it this way: find a MAME that you like and are comfortable with, then find the corresponding romset for it. If it is MAME 1.64 then find a Mame 1.64 romset, if it is Mame 1.43 then find a Mame 1.43 romset, you see where this is going? If you match the right roms with right Mame then you'll be fine. If, however you try to run Mame 1.64 with a Mame 1.43 romset, you will start to get major problems.

Makes sense when you think about it doesn't it

[jimdeprado]

Thanks for all of the help.  I managed to get the entire list up and I will work on getting it the way I want.

One problem that I am still having is that none of the games are loading.  I've put in the files that you requested above.

Thanks, 

Jim

GameEx.ini

log.txt

runitgame.bat

[RedDog]

@jimdeprado In your MAME Settings>Advance MAME Settings>MAME Options, you have a space between the '-' and 'mouse'. Remove the space. I am not sure if this would cause Mame to crash or if it would ignore it, but best be safe. Otherwise, as long as your paths and mame executable filenmame are set correctly, I do not see a problem with your configuration. Double check those to be safe.

If correcting the MAME Options does not remedy the issue, try running the runitgame.bat by double clicking on it (after fixing the MAME Options and trying a test via GameEx. That test will update the runitgame.bat). See if it launches the game.

Also, if the Mame you are using has it's own interface, please confirm that the game works outside GameEx. Just want to make sure we are testing with a working game. I would think Karnov would be a good example since it is an older, simple game. If your Mame has no interface and you do not know how to test via a command line, let me know and I can put a test file together for you to try.

[tthurman]

Tom gave us a wonderful tool a couple years ago with GameEx Online, and why we haven't ran with it I'll never know.

You could request remote assistance, and let someone practiced in the setup of GameEx take a look at your config first hand.

 

[tthurman]

This seems obvious, but I don't recall seeing it mentioned.  While in the Mame section of GameEx, you are doing an "update" each and every time you make a config change in the setup wizard?

[RedDog]

@jimdeprado I had a chance to test the '- mouse' option and having the extra space is definately bad. After running the game, GameEx will go black for a moment and then return to the game page (ie Mame no likey). Hopefully when you fix that up you will be good.

[RedDog]

 

3 hours ago, tthurman said:

Tom gave us a wonderful tool a couple years ago with GameEx Online, and why we haven't ran with it I'll never know.

You could request remote assistance, and let someone practiced in the setup of GameEx take a look at your config first hand.

Heh. I didn't even realize this was a thing. Nice to know.

I personally consider remote assistance to be the last resort for troubleshooting though. One reason I really like the forums for troubleshooting is so that others can benefit from the solutions and details.

 

3 hours ago, tthurman said:

This seems obvious, but I don't recall seeing it mentioned.  While in the Mame section of GameEx, you are doing an "update" each and every time you make a config change in the setup wizard?

Yeah, I know why some people here say that: troubleshooting is easier for us because it let's us throw out compatibility problems as an issue...but saying it is a bit misleading. If updating the games list was a 30 second deal, then I would go with it, but my Mame takes about 15 to 20 minutes. If I had to do that every time I wanted to test something, it would be frustrating.

The only reason you need to rerun the gamelist is if you change a parameter related to generating the gamelist such as a new Mame version, new rom set, and (I believe) new data files such as mameinfo.dat, nplayers.ini, history.dat, etc, etc. For example, changing a parameter in the command line will only impact what is used to generate the runitgame.bat.

In jimdeprados case, we don't know how his rom and mame versions match up. It sounds like he went forward with what he has and I think that is perfectly ok as long as he understands that mismatches may cause him problems. But...I think he is almost there...so once he has a working game, he can rerun the gameslist to check compatibility. After that, any problems he has is likely due to version mismatch or a game just not working with the mame he has. At least he will have a config setup that works that he can fool around with.  

 

Not trying to be a nay-sayer here, cuz you are a pretty good dude and I know that you (like always) are being helpful.  

[tthurman]

I admit I'm going a bit out on a limb on the updating every time thing, but in my experience when dealing with the filtering options, game lists, etc.,  in the MAME config, the update step; or lack of, has appeared to me to have a pretty significant impact.  Perhaps this has changed in recent releases, or I'm completely wrong (not an unusual occurrence), but if for instance you go in and remove "Japan" from the filter options and don't update, then how is GameEx aware of the change without a database update? 

<edit>

I hear ya about the remote assistance thing, and it does represent a certain level of trust.  You allow a specific individual access for the allotted time to check out your setup.  While helping out on testing I allowed Tom, so yeah, I wasn't the least bit worried, but I can see where there would be cause for concern for some, especially when you're new to our community.  It does remove the social side of things here, and satisfaction of learning on your own.  Honestly I think it's a great tool that has mostly flown under the radar.  I've used it to control my GameEx rig from my workstation, and that alone makes it a fantastic plus to me!

 

[DazzleHP]

The "Update List" argument is completely relevant because GameEx is database driven. When you "Update List" you are writing to the database. This is when games get flagged, written off, marked as unusable etc. If you don't Update List (no matter how long it takes) then you are only including roms that have already been flagged as ok under the wrong conditions!.

This is why we insist that you update list each time you make any changes, otherwise the list gets smaller and smaller and sooner enough it's all "I have 32.000 roms but GameEx is only showing 54"

All in all, the reason GameEx is as awesome as it is, is because of the databases, but to get the most out of them, you must respect them.

[RedDog]

@DazzleHP Hmmmm. I may have some learning ta do. The only file I was aware of that was written to for the gamelist is the gameslist.txt file. What database file is it written to?

[DazzleHP]

49 minutes ago, RedDog said:

@DazzleHP Hmmmm. I may have some learning ta do. The only file I was aware of that was written to for the gamelist is the gameslist.txt file. What database file is it written to?

There's a lot more to it, look a lil deeper my friend

[tthurman]

Albeit perhaps not at the same frequency, we all agree on the impotence of the "Update" process within the GameEx interface.  I would be really interested to learn exactly what all the Update process is generating, but regardless, I was taught long ago to update after making any configuration changes to the integrated MAME config.  I have never experienced many problems at all, and have never found myself in a situation where I was faced with repeatedly updating to the point it became a nuisance.  Most of my updating was self imposed due to filter changes.

My point of bringing this up in the first place is because I never saw a post by Jim where he mentions that he specifically did "Update".  Since he is learning the ropes, I'm not sure  he is associating "rerun the list" with "Update"

[jimdeprado]

Sorry, it has taken so long for me to respond.  I made the mistake of going skiing with my kids and my back wound up paying the price.

I finally got everything working, although not perfectly.  Like you guys said, I took out the extra space in - mouse tag and things worked from there.  My rom set isn't matched with the current version of MAME, but I am working on fixing that.  

When ever I change something, if I do not do an "Update List", then nothing changes in GameEx so I figured that every time I change something I now just hit update list.

So far, I love the front end.  Once I fully get MAME working I am going to start pulling in other Emulators (N64, C64, NES, etc).  I really appreciate everyone's help.

[tthurman]

Thanks for the update!

[RedDog]

Hey jim, Glad you are making progress!