New Guy...trouble with sound in some games

[chooka1]

I would highly recommend trying the official build of MAME to get things set up and then switching to FX after you get everything working. If you do it that way, you can eliminate any problems caused by your build first. After you get the vanilla version working, we can see about switching to your build of choice. Also, are you using the same version of MAME as your roms? I see that you are using version 0.120 of MAME FX. Are your roms also 0.120? If you try the vanilla build, try to get that same version, or consider updating to the new version which would be easier to get a hold of.

Ben Kenobi,

Thank you for your time and patience. It's frustrating as MAME works great on my computer upstairs but not on the new computer arcade downstairs.

I downloaded the new version of MAME (u.122 I think) and it seemed to run better. Metal Gear X (my test game) ran better---sound OK, no real tearing but the background screen images didnt scroll super smoothly like they do on my upstairs unit.

The other small problem is I copied the high score dat file into the new MAME directory and scores arent being recorded. Any ideas?

Dumb question, but how do I determine if my roms are also .120? Can I download the old .120 MAME from the MAME website?

Other possible solutions, I could change the bios and allocate 128 mb to the onboard video card instead of the current 64mb?

I could also look into a graphics card (my upstairs computer has one)?

Thank you again!

Chad

[chooka1]

You may want to try 'waitvsync' instead of triplebuffer. I've had better luck with this for some games. I have custom ini files and adjust for games that experience tearing individually using triplebuffer or waitvsync vs. changing my main Mame ini so I don't mess up sound in other games.

Interesting article on some of these settings, tearing and monitor tweaks here: http://www.retroblast.com/Articles/RetroBl...itor-Tweaks.php

Great idea...thank you. I have an LCD, any problems with using that command on an LCD?

Can you point me in the direction of how I can learn to do individual .ini files if your suggestion works?

Many thanks!

Chad

[bkenobi]

I seriously doubt that the video memory is the problem. MAME doesn't require much video memory since it's primarily rendered in software. As long as you can run directx, you should be fine. For the more demanding games, you would be much better suited looking at your CPU first and system memory second.

I didn't realize that you had things working the way you want on any machine. Knowing that, I would consider copying the MAME.ini file from the working machine to the non-working one (making a backup of the original. In fact, it would be best if you copied all files in your MAME directory to the other machine, but that could be a LOT of data. If you have the same installed version of MAME and the same MAME.ini file, you should get things going if you use the same command line.

[chooka1]

I seriously doubt that the video memory is the problem. MAME doesn't require much video memory since it's primarily rendered in software. As long as you can run directx, you should be fine. For the more demanding games, you would be much better suited looking at your CPU first and system memory second.

I didn't realize that you had things working the way you want on any machine. Knowing that, I would consider copying the MAME.ini file from the working machine to the non-working one (making a backup of the original. In fact, it would be best if you copied all files in your MAME directory to the other machine, but that could be a LOT of data. If you have the same installed version of MAME and the same MAME.ini file, you should get things going if you use the same command line.

Ben kenobi,

Sorry if I wasnt clear. My other mame is on an external hard drive which I hooked up to the new arcade machine and it had trouble running on the new arcade machine. The new machine has more memory on board but no additional graphics card like the old unit. The old unit is attached to a monitor and the new one attached to a TV. I will try and hook up the external hard drive again and see if it runs better for some reason.

Thanks!

[chooka1]

Ben kenobi,

Sorry if I wasnt clear. My other mame is on an external hard drive which I hooked up to the new arcade machine and it had trouble running on the new arcade machine. The new machine has more memory on board but no additional graphics card like the old unit. The old unit is attached to a monitor and the new one attached to a TV. I will try and hook up the external hard drive again and see if it runs better for some reason.

Thanks!

Guys, just about there....downloaded MAME u122 and it seems to work much better with -waitvsync and -tripplebuffer. Thank you.

IF I may indulge you for just a little more help...

1) With the new MAME I need to reconfigure some of the games. Terminator 2 problems. 1) Two "add on" reticles appear that dont seem part of the game. 2) I have a trackball and it only moves the recticle up and down not left to right. Worked fine before, any ideas?

2) I cant get the hi score to work. I downloaded the latest version: http://www.mameworld.net/highscore/download.htm

which appears to maybe only support up to u113. Any workarounds or is that just a problem?

3) Finally, on GAME EX menu the arrow (from the mouse) appears every now and then and disapears when I move the joystick. Any way to avoid that?

4) Last...how do I tell which version of MAME my roms are designed for?

Many thanks!I really appreciate it!

Chad

Chad

[Brian Hoffman]

Okay thats just a few questions huh?

Firt grab a copy of headkazes mame compilier. Then goto mame.dev and download the source. Use the supplied patches.

This by default will add support for hiscore, Toggle the crosshair overlays OFF by default, Remove some nag screens and stuff.

Second of all not every release of mame requres you to get a new set of roms. Some times they get redumped or renamed. Most times there are just new sets added. So to awenser your question there is no real way.

Using a rom manager like clrmampro works because your version of mame will generate a list of supported games by CRC then your rom set is scanned and the roms that are 100% will be moved etc...

Mame in recent builds re did the way controls are handeled so you may have do do some slight adjustments.

and add the -mouse for trackball

Im glad its all coming together for you.

[bkenobi]

3) Change your mouse icon to one that's not going to be seen. For example, there's one that comes with the instant sheller app that is just a single black dot. You won't notice it if it does show up.

4) I don't know an easy way to figure out what version of the rom set you have. I personally would just go to one of the locations that roms are available and resync your rom set (assuming it's torrentzipped). I can't go into any more detail without taking a chance of violating the rules here, so I'll just leave the rest for you (it shouldn't be too complicated if you've gotten this far )

[shaunopp]

Can you point me in the direction of how I can learn to do individual .ini files if your suggestion works?

Mame will look for an ini file named after your rom in a folder named 'ini' in your mame directory. So, for example in my mame root directory is a folder named 'ini' inside of which is a file named 10yardj.ini (just a text file with the .ini extension) that looks like this:

## 10yardj ##

screen0 \\.\DISPLAY 1

switchres 1

hwstretch 0

bezel 0

backdrop 0

resolution 256x240

resolution0 256x240

Any of the commandline switches should work here and override the main mame ini file as long as you name it the same as your roms.

1) With the new MAME I need to reconfigure some of the games. Terminator 2 problems. 1) Two "add on" reticles appear that dont seem part of the game. 2) I have a trackball and it only moves the recticle up and down not left to right. Worked fine before, any ideas?

The two 'add-on' reticles are Mames built in ones, press F1 to make'em go away. Also, about calibrating the guns for T2, see this page: http://mamedev.org/devwiki/index.php/FAQ:Games

2) I cant get the hi score to work. I downloaded the latest version: http://www.mameworld.net/highscore/download.htm

which appears to maybe only support up to u113. Any workarounds or is that just a problem?

Not compatible with the most recent versions of Mame. HeadKaze's Mame compiler adds this I believe though. See this thread: http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?showtopic=4856

3) Finally, on GAME EX menu the arrow (from the mouse) appears every now and then and disapears when I move the joystick. Any way to avoid that?

Believe this is by design otherwise you wouldn't know where you're going when you're mousing. Like everything else in GameEx you can probably turn it off, not sure how.

4) Last...how do I tell which version of MAME my roms are designed for?

With a tool like clrmame the datfile use to verify the roms should correspond to the version of mame you're running.

[bkenobi]

Yes, if you have the correct datfile for the rom set version, it will match up perfectly. BUT, if you don't know what version you have, you would be guessing and checking. With 122 full versions and many 'u' builds, you would have to check quite a few times to get the exact build (unless you knew when you downloaded it).

[chooka1]

Yes, if you have the correct datfile for the rom set version, it will match up perfectly. BUT, if you don't know what version you have, you would be guessing and checking. With 122 full versions and many 'u' builds, you would have to check quite a few times to get the exact build (unless you knew when you downloaded it).

Ben Kenobi and shaunopp:

Thank you both for your help. We are down to the nitty gritty and I really appreciate the help getting there.

I like the idea of the compiler but I have never done any compiling. Is there an FAQ quide on how to do it and what programs I should download? I am very nervouse about screwing everything up!

Thank you again!

Chad

[bkenobi]

Go to the thread linked above and follow the directions. Yes, it's step by step.

[chooka1]

Go to the thread linked above and follow the directions. Yes, it's step by step.

Ben Kenobi,

Thanks....I took a quick look at it. Hmm...I'm not the best at computers and I am having trouble following exactly what to do, especially because there seems to be a discussion about what works and doesnt work. Ill read it again and see if I can figure it out. If I do, what exactly does compling do for MAME? Is the current version .122 a "64 bit" version for purposes of that thread?

Worst case I can live without the hi score saves. The only other lingering problem is getting the trackball to move left and right on T2.

Many thanks...you have been an awesome help.

Thanks again!

Chad

[bkenobi]

By compiling MAME, you gain NO advantage over a standard build in performance. What you gain is the ability to customize certain things. That thread talks about a few patches that will give you some extra features as well as changing the defaults of a couple things.

1) Add hiscore.dat

2) Change the default to off for the gun sights (you can still hit F1 to toggle them)

3) Remove nag stuff (e.g., "Hit OK to continue")

4) Remove drawn boarder

5) There was one other thing I can't remember ATM...

[chooka1]

By compiling MAME, you gain NO advantage over a standard build in performance. What you gain is the ability to customize certain things. That thread talks about a few patches that will give you some extra features as well as changing the defaults of a couple things.

1) Add hiscore.dat

2) Change the default to off for the gun sights (you can still hit F1 to toggle them)

3) Remove nag stuff (e.g., "Hit OK to continue")

4) Remove drawn boarder

5) There was one other thing I can't remember ATM...

Ben Kenobi,

Is there a thread or FAQ on how to first do the compiling? Is the way it works that you run a compile (not quite sure what that means) and then run these patches discussed in the thread to add features? IS there a good guide for morons like me on how to do this?

Thanks for going above and beyond!

Chad

[bkenobi]

Read the thread. It's not that long and it explains everything very clearly. It tells you what to download with a link for each item, what to select when running, and what order to do things in. Seriously...it's not a big deal.

[jthompson]

Read the thread. It's not that long and it explains everything very clearly. It tells you what to download with a link for each item, what to select when running, and what order to do things in. Seriously...it's not a big deal.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the thread above is in reference to compiling a 64 bit version of mame. Just so there is no confusion, I believe the thread chooka1 would benefit from the most is http://www.gameex.info/forums/index.php?sh...amp;hl=compiler.

Hope this helps

Jay T

[bkenobi]

Hehe, I never clicked on the link cause I assumed it was the right one. Yes, the link JT just provided is the one I thought you were looking at. Sorry for the confusion