Newbie Q: Multiple Mame versions

[Robbo]

Newbie here -- Please forgive me if this has been answered before but I did read through the documentation and search the forums and could not find an answer.

I have downloaded Mame32 1.09 (P3 optimized). I am using an old P3 900 Mhz with 512 MB and integrated Intel 82815 graphics that will end up in a Dream Arcades Cab. Can't get Direct3D to work at all with games, but Direct Draw works just fine for my purposes. The problem is that a few vector games (Asteroids, Battlezone) are so slow as to be unplayable. I think this has something to do with embedded art as other vector games (Tempest, Lunar Lander) work fine. I got my hands on an older build of Mame 32 (.84) and Asteroids and Battlezone work fine. Is there any way to work with two different versions of Mame in Game Ex -- the new build for everything and the old one for Asteroids and Battlezone. I don't want to run everything on the old MAME build because I noted that several games have crash problems that way(all I have are 109 Roms).

As an aside I have tried several front ends over the past few days-- Mamewah and Maximus, and like GameEX the best.

Thanks!!!

[emphatic]

You should be able to set up your older version of MAME in another directory with just the roms you need in that rom folder. I know it works, because I did that with an official MAME build that had support for Metal Slug 4 & 5 before they were allowed in MAME.

Just set up one of the emulators to run MAME like this (change label texts to your liking) and change all paths to your paths:

[Emulator_1]

Enabled=True

STARTPAGENAME=Better Vector support for MAME

TITLETEXT=Vector Games

StartPageLogo=Vector

ROMFilter=

RomsInFolders=False

RomPath=R:\MAME\Roms

SnapPath=R:\MAME\Snap

WorkingPath=C:\Emulators\MAME

MapKeys=False

WaitBeforeKeys=

SendKeys=

ReplaceDash=True

ReplaceUnder=True

Capitals=True

RemoveBrackets=False

ShowDesktop=False

Debug=False

MAPFile=C:\Emulators\GameEx\DATA\EMU_1.map

AlsoLaunch=

Command=mame.exe "[ROMFILE]" -rompath "[ROMPATH]" -skip_disclaimer -skip_gameinfo -triplebuffer -nowindow -joy

OLDatZip=

TitlePath=

BoxPath=

LaunchBefore=

LaunchAfter=

CartPath=

Best of luck!

Emph

[Nologic]

LOL I was slow on the draw.

[Robbo]

Thanks!!! Further playing around with GameEx/ROMs revealed that Asteroids Deluxe doesn't have the problem artwork and neither does Battlezone(cocktail). That just leaves Red Baron as a problem that I can probably live without or use the workaround described above.