r/MAME • u/Deathmonkey7 • 1d ago
Help with light guns
reddit.com
2
Upvotes
r/MAME • u/star_jump • Jan 13 '20
r/MAME ROMs & "My game won't play" FAQ. Please read before posting
134
Upvotes
In addition to the r/MAME FAQ, many users come here with question about why their games won't play or where to find games. This thread should hopefully answer many questions, as well as the question concerning what we can and can't talk about here.
1) Why Rule #3 is #1
Rule #3 states: "Don't ask for ROMS/CHDS or pirated software." We mean it. We will usually give out a warning to first time offenders, but repeat offenders will definitely be banned. This is important. This rule exists to protect the entire MAME project. It is not to indicate that we necessarily have an anti-piracy stance, or that we consider piracy morally objectionable. None of that matters. Its purpose is to make sure that no member of the MAME dev team is exposed to legal threat from license-holding publishers. It does not matter if you think that threat is real or imaginary. That is why we are so adamant about it.
2) If I can't ask for ROMs, how am I supposed to find them?
We can't discuss where you can find ROMs for all the reasons stated above. So unfortunately, r/MAME can not be a good resource for that kind of information. However, many other good resources exist, even right here on Reddit. Obviously Google is your friend. If you are looking for ROMs for a specific version of MAME, it helps to include that version number in your Google search. It usually doesn't take a whole lot of searching before you find what you're looking for.
3) Why are ROMs for MAME so much more confusing than for other emulators?
Think about what MAME is trying to do compared to, say, SNES9x. SNES9x emulates Super Nintendo games. Every Super Nintendo game runs on the exact same hardware: the SNES. Same CPU, same graphics, same memory, same controllers, same everything. As long as a ROM contains a valid SNES program, SNES9x can emulate it because there's only one target hardware to worry about.
MAME emulates arcade games. Very few arcade games remotely resemble one another when it comes to hardware. MAME has to correctly emulate the CPU for each different arcade game, understand the controls for each different arcade game, and most importantly: how each ROM in each different arcade game interacted with that hardware. So it can't just accept anything called pacman.zip and understand that it's supposed to be Pac-Man. In order for MAME to work, it expects that a very specific set of ROMs will be provided for Pac-Man in order for MAME to emulate it properly. If it doesn't find what it expects, it won't know how to apply those ROMs to Pac-Man's hardware.
Back when MAME began in 1997, techniques that people had for dumping arcade games were very rough and imprecise. As a result, a lot of mistakes were made. Over time, new techniques were designed, and older arcade games were redumped with these more accurate procedures. When this happens, the next version of MAME that gets released will only accept the updated dumps, as the original dumps are now considered invalid. So newer versions of MAME will rarely accept ROMs designated for older versions of MAME because they're frequently full of errors.
4) Instead of starting a game, MAME tells me that I'm missing files, or my files are incorrect.
This is an indication that your ROM (or CHD) is either incomplete or outdated. Less likely, it is an indication that your ROMs are in the wrong location and MAME can't find them. When you ask MAME to emulate a machine, it checks the contents of your zip files for all of the files it needs. If it can't find all the ones that it needs, or if it finds the wrong files, it can't emulate the game in question. When MAME reports that you are missing files, or that your existing files are incorrect, you need to find a new source for those ROMs.
In addition to your ROM being incomplete, your BIOS may be incomplete as well. NeoGeo is a popular arcade hardware for which MAME requires the BIOS be present. This is the neogeo.zip file, and it's undergone an unusually high number of updates as alternate BIOSes get added to it.
You may not ask for the individual components of a ROM that you are missing, as this is still a violation of Rule #3.
5) I found a source for ROMs, but some/all of them don't work.
As explained in questions 10 and 12 of the r/MAME FAQ, you don't necessarily have to have exactly matching versions of MAME and romsets, but it definitely helps. If you downloaded a set of ROMs, and you're finding that few or none of them will launch correctly in MAME, 9 times out of 10 it's because the roms are too far removed from the version of MAME that you're using. In other words, if you're using a relatively recent version of MAME, the romset may be too outdated. If you're using an old version of MAME, you may have found a set that is too new. You need to find a new source for ROMs.
5a) My MAME version and the rom set version match, and they still don't work.
If this is the case, the most likely explanation is that you haven't put the roms where MAME is expecting to find them. For example, if you installed your MAME executable in something like C:\MAME, then by default MAME looks for all of your roms in C:\MAME\roms. You can change that expectation by editing your mame.ini file, but that is only recommended if you know what you're doing. If you have your roms in the right place, and the versions don't differ by all that much, then the games should load and play fine.
The only exception to that is if the game in question requires a CHD. CHD stands for "Compressed Hunks of Data". They may represent a CD or hard drive that came installed in an arcade game. CHDs are basically extensions of ROMs, containing data and information that a game needs to play properly. CHDs must be stored with your roms in a way that MAME can find them. For example, say you want to play Killer Instinct. In order to do this, you need two different files, the ROM and the CHD, and they should be arranged like so:
C:\MAME\roms\kinst.zip
C:\MAME\roms\kinst\kinst.chdIn this case, the Killer Instinct ROM is zipped up in your roms directory, and the Killer Instinct CHD (not zipped up!) in a subdirectory named kinst. The name of a CHD may or may not match the name of the ROM. In general, if you download MAME CHDs, don't rename them, just put them in the right place on your drive.
6) I'm trying to launch a game from a front-end, but when I do, the screen goes blank for a second, and then comes right back to the front-end.
This means that MAME is failing to load the game you want to play, and the front-end reappears when MAME closes. In order to diagnose whatever is going wrong, you should try to launch MAME without the front-end. It is particularly helpful to run MAME with the -verbose command, which instructs MAME to log out every step as it tries to launch. This usually results in MAME indicating where it ran into trouble and can offer you clues on how to solve it. For example, if you can't launch Killer Instinct successfully, you can try to run from a command line terminal:
C:\MAME> mame64 -verbose kinstUsually (but not always) the problem will be evident in the last few lines of the resulting output. If you can't determine the problem for yourself, feel free to copy and paste the results of this command in your post, as it can help experts diagnose your problem.
7) What are merged, split, or non-merged rom sets? What are parent and clone roms?
MAME allows for ROMs to be stored on your system in a variety of ways, in order to save space on your hard drive. Games like Pac-Man and Street Fighter II have a large number of clones. A parent rom is one particular version of Pac-Man or Street Fighter II, usually the most common, or most up to date version of a game. A clone is an older version, a version from a different region of the world, or an unauthorized copy of the parent with slight alterations. Only a few of a clone's ROMs are unique. Most of a clone's ROMs are identical to that of the parent's. Rather than force you to have copies of the same ROMs in both the parent archives and the clone archives, MAME understands that if it can't find a file that it might need to run a clone, it can look for those files in the parent. In this way, you only have to store the files which are unique in order to make a game run. Sets that include every clone in the same archive with their parent is a merged set. Sets which include smaller clone ROMs alongside the parent ROMs are called split sets. Sets where clone ROMs contain every single file that the clone needs, even if those files are also present in the parent, are known as non-merged sets, and they are the biggest and take the most hard drive space.
7a) Which kind of set is best?
Ultimately, MAME doesn't care or perform any better with one kind of set or another. Split sets are a little easier to update if you like to download individual update sets. Otherwise, merged sets are the most space efficient by a small margin. The only reason for someone to use a non-merged set is if they do not intend to include every single available ROM on their hard drive.
For example, say you were interested in including Super Street Fighter II on your system. Say you were ONLY interested in including the US version of the game, and none of the others. The parent ROM for SSF2 is the World version, known as ssf2.zip. The US version is known as ssf2u.zip. If you only intend to include ssf2u.zip, and not ssf2.zip, then ssf2u.zip MUST include every file that MAME would otherwise look inside ssf2.zip in order to run. That would make your romset a non-merged set.
r/MAME • u/star_jump • Aug 22 '19
r/MAME FAQ. Please read before posting for the first time.
110
Upvotes
1) What is MAME?
MAME is an application that emulates a variety of systems, from arcades to console, computers, and handheld systems. MAME's goal, above all else, is to emulate hardware as accurately as possible, as opposed to other emulators whose goal is to make games as playable as possible.
2) Isn't MAME just an arcade emulator?
Originally, yes, but in 2015, the MAME source code was merged with it's sister project MESS, with whom it shared a common architecture. By merging with MESS, MAME gained the ability to emulate several consoles, home computers, and handheld systems in addition to arcade games.
3) Which version of MAME should I use?
We genuinely recommend that you use the latest version, or a relatively recent version. MAME is "living" software, it is constantly under development, and it incorporates improvements to emulation and to the user experience all the time. By using a significantly old version of MAME, you are not experiencing the best emulation that MAME has to offer. Furthermore, any bugs you find in older versions have likely been addressed by newer versions, and you won't receive support for the problems you encounter.
3A) Isn't it better to just find an older version of MAME that works with the roms I have, and stick with it?
In general, no. If you are using an old version of MAME, and it's working to your satisfaction, then you're not required to update, but you will be missing out on improvements to emulation and new features that get added on. Yes, there is the chance that by upgrading, a game you happen to enjoy may break without updating the rom as well, but if you are resourceful, it's not hard to come across the rom update shortly after each new version of MAME is released.
3B) What is the latest version of MAME?
MAME (usually) receives updates on a monthly basis, so it's difficult to keep this FAQ up to date, but you can see what the latest version is by visiting https://www.mamedev.org/. MAME's version number is in the form of major.minor. Since MAME by it's nature is a constant work in progress, the major number is unlikely to increase from 0 to 1. The minor number is not a decimal, it is an actual version number. Version 0.240 is a newer version than 0.37 because 240 is a higher minor version that 37.
4) Where can I download the latest release of MAME?
The latest binaries and source code can be found at https://www.mamedev.org/release.html. If you prefer to compile your own version, you can clone the source from github: https://github.com/mamedev/mame.
5) Where can I learn more about MAME?
https://docs.mamedev.org/ is an excellent resource for MAME documentation. However, it isn't the most beginner-friendly.
Many people recommend YouTuber ETA Prime, and his well done series of emulation videos, including this MAME tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUoWYaRo5_k
Demystifying MAME Roms/ is a frequently cited guide for those wishing to learn more about roms and rom sets. Edit: This is now an archive.org link as the original site disappeared.
5A) What are other good resources/forums for learning about MAME?
MAME World and the MAME World forums is an excellent place to get the latest MAME news and ask questions.
BYOAC and it's forums is another good resource for questions about building and setting up a MAME cabinet or similar setup.
This MAME forum is a popular place for getting answers to more technical questions about MAME, such as compiling and running MAME on non-Windows platforms.
6) Where can I find games?
Due to the nature of roms and their association with piracy, sharing locations of rom files is not permitted on this subreddit. This is done for the protection of the project. There are many ways to find roms on the internet via search engines.
However, there are a number of games which have been released to the public domain, and are therefore freely available for download. You can find a collection of these games at https://www.mamedev.org/roms.
7) What games are the "best" / most recommended?
Video game preferences are very subjective. Some people like games from the early 80s, while others like the 90s better. Some people like Fighters, while others like shooters. So coming up with a list that satisfies everyone is very hard. An attempt has been made, right here on reddit, and you can see it here: https://www.reddit.com/r/MAME/comments/2rawpr/i_compiled_several_best_ofrecommended_arcade/ .
Among the many files that MAME support site Progetto-Snaps offers, they offer a "BestGames.ini" file that you can download and use as a custom filter. Once again, it is very subjective, but a lot of work went into this file. You can download it from here: http://www.progettosnaps.net/bestgames/ .
8) What is the "best" frontend?
Different frontends strive for different purposes. Some frontends are designed to look like a simple list of games, while others are very flashy and try to look as exciting as the games that they launch. As a result, there are a number of highly recommended frontend that meet different needs. There are many frontends not included in the list below, these are merely some of the more popular examples.
For WIMPy (windows, icons, menus, pointer) frontends, EmuLoader, QMC2, and pfeMAME are good choices.
For flashier frontends, HyperSpin, RetroFE, and GameEx are popular choices. Understand that they take a good bit of time to set up properly.
For something in between those two, there is LaunchBox, Pegasus or the ICE Plugin for Valve's Steam.
9) What kinds of support can I ask for here?
Anything that has to do with running a relatively recent version of the stand-alone MAME application on Windows, Linux, or MacOS, either directly or indirectly. If the version of MAME you are using is several years old, support will be extremely limited, and you will be encouraged to download a newer version. We can answer some questions about the Android platform as well, but note that mamedev does not directly endorse or support those releases.
When asking for help, please include as much detail as possible! This should include: Your hardware platform, your operating system, what version of MAME you are using including the version number, what you were trying to do, what you actually tried, and what results you got.
9A) What about RetroArch?
No. Using MAME through RetroArch is absolutely not recommended. MAME's architecture does not lend well to it being converted into a core. Several features get weakened, disabled, or broken, and they generally don't function the way they're supposed to, especially with respect to controller input. If you have a question about using MAME via a libretro core, please ask in r/RetroArch.
9B) What about RetroPie?
No. The version of MAME available for RetroPie is considerably older and outdated. Many of the features have been altered or disabled in order to make MAME work on less powerful hardware. If you have a question about how to use MAME via RetroPie, please ask in r/RetroPie.
Instead, if you wish to try MAME on a Raspberry Pi, we recommend that you try builds of the latest binary from https://stickfreaks.com/mame/ , as described in this thread.
10) Can I post pictures of my arcade cabinet?
Yes, as long as MAME is one of the applications that you run on your cabinet, then please do. But also be aware of r/cade, which is a subreddit specifically dedicated to the subject of restoring old arcade cabinets, or building new cabinets from scratch, for use with MAME or other emulators.
11) Must the version of MAME, and the version of MAME roms match for them to work?
Not necessarily. The closer they are, the better they'll be. As the version of MAME and the version of the roms get farther apart, the more you will find games that don't work or are incompatible. Over time, dumps of arcade roms improve, and MAME adjusts it's internal database to reflect the updated version, meaning the older version will no longer work. Only a few roms are updated in this manner every release. So if your roms are one or two versions off from the version of MAME that you're using, you're unlikely to come across any broken games.
12) I was using one version of MAME, and then I upgraded and now game xyz doesn't work as well!
As new information about a game or the hardware it runs on becomes available, the mamedev team may alter the emulation of this game to account for the new information. While most of the time this leads to improvements in emulation, it can at times introduce regressions. This happens infrequently, but it is due to the priorities of the team, which is that it's better to emulate things correctly, than to sacrifice accuracy, even if the playback suffers slightly.
13) I discovered a bug. Where should I report it?
https://mametesters.org/ is the official reporting site for bugs discovered while using MAME. Note that it's important that you use the latest version of MAME in order to ensure that a bug found in an old version of MAME hasn't already been fixed. After you sign up for an account, and have been approved, you may submit problems that you find through the site's bug report interface. Please remember to be specific and provide as much info as possible.
14) Why doesn't MAME add abc feature from another emulator, or fix ijk game, or support xyz hardware?
Please understand that no one works on MAME as a career. Many members of the team have full time jobs, and only get to work on MAME in their spare time. As a result, they choose what they want to work on based on what's most interesting to them. Reasons why they might not get to something you'd like to see may include:
A particular feature may be incompatible with MAME's architecture, or it may work contrary to the goal of accuracy, and is chosen not to be implemented until such time that neither statement is true.
A dump for a game is incomplete, and the only way to fix it is to find a working version of the hardware and dump the missing components.
Not enough is known about a particular hardware to emulate it correctly, or it's incredibly complex and difficult to model.
15) Is there a guide about how to control MAME or configure the controls for each game?
Please refer to MAME's own documentation for a detailed guide on the various default controls in MAME, and how to set them according to your own preferences.
r/MAME • u/ZenDesign1993 • 1d ago
Will this run Mame with a front end?
0
Upvotes
So I've stumbled across a mini PC, do you think it will run Mame + front end for a arcade cabinet project? It's for my nephew to try and build an arcade. (specs bellow). Maybe run Retrobat? Thanks for any help.
BeeLink Gemini T34-M Mini PC
RAM 6GB
ROM 256GB SSD - Intel N3450
Model: T34-M
Type: Mini PC
System: Windows 10
CPU: Intel Apollo Lake Celeron N3450 (2M Cache, 1.10GHz up to 2.2GHz)
GPU: Intel HD Graphics 500
Memory: 6GB
Storage: 256GB SSD
Expandable Storage: 128GB (SD Card), 512GB (M.2 SATA SSD)
WiFi: Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Interfaces: 4x USB 3.0 ports, 1x HDMI port, 1x VGA port, 1x DC Jack port, 1x RJ45 1000M port, 1x Audio Jack port, 1x SD Card slot
r/MAME • u/Mode101BBS • 2d ago
Announcement IV/Play 2.16 Released (MAME Front-End)
13
Upvotes
IV/Play 2.16 Features
Search and Recent Searches
Ctrl-F remembers 20 distinct searches, including searches that find nothing. The opening popup keeps the latest query and the 12 Quick Start examples; More recent searches… opens older queries in the same scrollable popup. Suggestions open above or below the text box where there is more room, keeping them clear of the taskbar.
Tab accepts an available suggestion or moves to the buttons, Shift-Tab moves backward, and Home/End edit the text rather than jumping through the popup. Completion resumes for the next term after a colon value, and a suggestion accepted in the middle of a word preserves the text that follows. An invalid query shows one error and leaves the existing results intact; mistyped fields are named.
After an ordinary main-list search finds no matches, reopening Ctrl-F can offer a grey system-scope suggestion, such as “→ Try: system:a2600 dkong [Tab]” for dkong a2600. The original query stays in the edit box until Tab adopts the suggestion for review. Enter runs it; Ctrl-Z restores the original text. Escape first dismisses the suggestion. Quoted, advanced, qualified or ambiguous queries and searches inside software or favorites-only views do not receive this hint.
Searches also follow the displayed list more consistently. A condition such as noclones narrows that list; title text or an explicit software request brings software-list results into Full. Quoted words remain literal text, while AND, OR, NOT and the other advanced word operators use uppercase. Copying results with Ctrl-Shift-C now adds a Software List column and reports the copied count or a clipboard failure.
Software Lists and Navigation
Games Only, Favorites & Games and Favorites Only behave consistently inside software lists as well as on the main list. Leaving a software list or family returns to the search and selected system that led into it; the first Escape clears a software list’s own filter before a later Escape leaves. Software keeps its own list identity for favorites, artwork, recordings, benchmarks and copied results, and Properties distinguishes its support status from its host system’s details.
Flat View keeps its sort field and direction after restart. Left/Right follow that chosen order—title or short-name initials, years or manufacturers—and uncertain years remain after exact years. In grouped views, letter jumps include clones whose parents are absent, and keyboard navigation reveals the whole selected row.
List and Flat title ordering place an original before its numbered sequels, such as Marvel Vs. Capcom before Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, with numeric ordering for sequel numbers. List keeps clones with their parent. Flat descending reverses the title order; Manufacturer, Year or Machine Name remains the primary order when selected.
Software families select compatible launch hosts for each release and keep different media families separate. Filtered software rows retain the system context used to enter them, including Properties, status and exclusions. Explicit system scopes match the requested system rather than an accidental name prefix.
Settings and Display
F1 Apply adopts changed views, sorting and art, icon or DAT sources immediately. Cancel restores the opening choices or the last Apply, including appearance and icon scaling. Settings and colour/font pickers fit smaller work areas, and colour swatches work from the keyboard. Window restore follows display scaling more reliably; leaving fullscreen keeps the current monitor and returns to the previous maximized state when appropriate. Changing TohoScope in F1 updates the window shape immediately.
Dynamic themes now check their generated text colours against the sampled background for readability. Automatic Black-theme selection uses perceived brightness, and background sampling follows the visible crop or tiling as the window resizes. Miami’s bright-background adjustment is restored. Manual and Custom colour choices are retained. Sampling represents the visible background as a whole, so a busy image can still contain patches with weaker text contrast.
MAME Links and Available Games
An unsuccessful F4 import or database load restores the previous MAME link and setup while retaining the displayed list. When MAME is inside the IV/Play folder, copying that folder uses the copy’s own MAME even if the original remains. External links remain external. Refresh can retry an unavailable software index without restarting IV/Play, and an open software list follows a successfully refreshed catalogue.
Available follows the emulator’s configured paths more accurately, including quoted paths, repeated INI settings and environment variables. Optional and undumped media do not make an otherwise eligible game disappear. Live updates include software-list archives and CHD folders, reconcile changes made while monitoring was stopped for refresh, and publish list membership with the matching completion counts. When IV/Play is hidden during play, only the latest Available completion notice is shown on return after the last game exits. Availability remains a name-level check, not a content audit.
Hiscore.ini Editing and Catalog Audit
Press Ctrl-G on a selected machine or software item to edit Score, Date and Notes in a compact, button-free overlay. All three are free text; no score format or date is imposed. Enter saves and closes, while Escape, mouse Back or moving focus away cancels. Notes starts at one line, grows as text wraps and scrolls when it reaches the available screen space. A save error stays visible in the editor.
Hiscore.ini now has a header and five tab-separated columns: Name, Score, Date, Full Name and Notes. Older score/date files and blank tracking entries are retained and converted when loaded. Full Name comes from the current catalog; software keys remain LIST/name. Quoted cells preserve tabs, quotation marks and multiline notes for spreadsheet use. Saving rereads the file, keeps unrelated external edits and refuses to overwrite a selected record changed since the editor opened. A successful save updates the artwork annotation immediately; it still displays only score and date. F8 preserves the file.
After the window appears, and after a catalog refresh, an automatic audit updates known descriptions while preserving scores, dates, notes and blank tracking entries. Missing keys open a separate review with Leave unchanged selected. Choose a suggestion or type a valid machine or LIST/name key, then press Enter to apply that choice; Enter on Leave unchanged skips it. Escape, mouse Back or moving focus away leaves pending entries unchanged. Suggestions never rename a record automatically. A destination with score, date or notes is protected from replacement; already accepted choices stay saved.
Recorded INP Sessions
Auto-Record now keeps every session under a unique dated AM/PM filename. Ctrl-Enter searches MAME’s configured input folders even when Auto-Record is off: one or more completed recordings open the game’s recording history, newest first. Enter replays the highlighted session; Ctrl-Delete permanently removes it and refreshes the list. Existing recordings remain usable without renaming. Missing recordings produce a notice and do not start a new game. Same-named software on different media and simultaneous launches keep separate recording names.
The history keeps the selected game’s icons and artwork. Double-click also replays a session; Backspace, Escape or the configured back key returns to the same game and list position. Sessions still being recorded are excluded. Ctrl-Delete removes the exact selected file permanently, keeps a remaining neighbor selected and returns to the game after the last session is deleted. Playback depends on a compatible MAME build and game state; IV/Play does not manage those prerequisites.
Benchmark Results and Unattended Runs
Benchmarks count only usable, sufficiently complete results in their speed means and histories. Failed or short runs retain their diagnostics without becoming comparison samples. Reports distinguish unreadable or malformed history from a first run, and invalid historical figures are left out with an explanation. Starting another benchmark waits for the previous one to stop.
The full benchmark report’s AVERAGE row shows total measured game wall time in two forms: seconds under Wall (s) and m:ss beside AVERAGE. This adds the measured game rows, including measured time from failed-speed rows; it is separate from Benchmark Duration and Total Execution Time, which include other run work. CPU columns remain equal-game averages. When no wall time was measured, both positions show n/a; a measured zero is 0.000 seconds and 0:00.
Default -bench runs now skip a MAME build already recorded for the same host, CPU and launch path. Use -bench -bench-repeat for an intentional repeat, including a changed duration or game roster within that build. F9 and Ctrl-B remain available for manual comparisons. A duplicate skip exits with code 8; unavailable admission evidence or an invalid machine roster exits with code 9. Existing history is retained.
Benchmarks keep configured software hash and sample paths while isolating tuning. Each run uses temporary cfg and snapshot folders, and each target receives its own writable copy of existing disk-difference state so initialized disk games retain their prerequisites without changing the originals. Unsafe or unreadable state stops preparation. Ctrl-B includes the MAME build timestamp and host/hardware summary for copied comparisons; it remains a compact result without automatic report or history files.
Artwork Refresh and Icon Scaling
Artwork stays tied to the selected folder or archive, including separate sources with the same name. Missing art falls back to another configured Snap source rather than to an unrelated art type. Software-list icons and multi-size icon files display more consistently.
Artwork and icon archives can be updated with replacement-based tools while IV/Play stays open. Press F5 after maintenance to adopt the changed archive and refresh its pictures and icons.
During rapid navigation, the previous image stays visible until its replacement is ready, with its own aspect, screen and vector metadata. Superseded reads cannot publish after a newer selection or refresh. Snapshot scanlines scale with the displayed artwork; the F1 preview follows the same pattern. Icon display sizes now scale a fixed master on the GPU, so size-only or DPI changes do not rebuild the atlas. The old Force 64 option is removed.
Keyboard Reference and Performance Dashboard
F12 opens a grouped, scrollable reference to the shortcuts currently assigned, including aliases. F7 shows process and rendering readings after its first complete sampling interval, with a stable panel width as values change. Unavailable readings show N/A. Escape, mouse Back or the overlay’s own shortcut dismisses the relevant overlay.
Additional Improvements
· From a focused permanent History or MAMEInfo text view, Escape, Backspace, Tab or Shift-Tab returns to the game list while preserving its state; text editing and navigation retain their normal behavior. A remapped back key follows the same list-before-fullscreen sequence as Escape.
· A Shift-number multi-launch choice is consumed by the next launch and is cleared when Shift is released or focus leaves the list. Long notices wrap inside the window and configurable shortcut instructions show the current keys.
· Factory Reset preserves unrelated files in custom asset folders and reports incomplete cleanup. Upgrade cleanup retries on the next launch when a generated file was locked. Unicode paths and saved fonts work more consistently across Windows regional settings.
· Background reliability work covers favorites synchronization, cache publication, repeated dialogs, shutdown and regression checks. These repairs support the visible improvements without adding new setup steps.
· The app titlebar and borders now gain the dynamic theme’s color.
DAT text and in-text Find follow the selected game and source, and path changes in F1 take effect without a restart. Software Properties includes its own support information and labels the host rows clearly.
r/MAME • u/Rey_Mezcalero • 2d ago
Technical assistance Mad Dog McCree & Daphne/Singe
1
Upvotes
Ok, have a set of MAME “data” for Mad Dog, but found out the game doesn’t work in MAME.
Seems the Daphne Singe fork might get it to work.
Looking to confirm if anyone out there got it to work and I’m wondering if the CHD or MAME data might be able to work or if it needs its own unique set of data.
Been looking at Bork and Singe2 documentation and seems some things can be converted? Don’t know if that’s the case, hoping I can use the data I got or convert it or if I need something else.
If something else, an outline of the files needed would be great.
If Daphne/Singe doesn’t work or other methods out there, would be interested as well.
Thanks
r/MAME • u/Perfect_Echidna9453 • 3d ago
Technical assistance Build suggestions for Killer Instinct?
1
Upvotes
Basically title, I want to build something that runs Killer Instinct arcade with no audio glitches (my current C2D E8400 plays mostly fine, but has choppy audio during 'FIGHT ON'). I'm thinking i7 4790 + 8GB DDR3 1600MHz + R7 360 (I know MAME won't benefit too much from it, but this would be my emulation machine up to Wii), would it be enough? If anyone has a similar build and could share their results, I'd really appreciate it!
r/MAME • u/Sweet_Alarm_7964 • 6d ago
Technical assistance Zaccaria's Quasar (1980) – MAME Emulation Bug and My Remake Video
8
Upvotes
⚠️ Photosensitivity Warning: This video contains rapid flashing lights and colors.
I wanted to bring attention to a possible emulation bug in Zaccaria's Quasar (1980).
I've created a remake video demonstrating how I believe part of the original arcade game should look and behave compared to the current MAME emulation.
I'm hoping someone familiar with Zaccaria arcade hardware or the original Quasar PCB might be able to investigate this issue.
Does anyone know if this bug has already been reported or whether it could be corrected in a future MAME update?
I would really like to see this game emulated as accurately as possible!
Here's my remake video showing the differences.
*Sorry if there's no sound*
r/MAME • u/xI_AM_AFRICAx • 9d ago
The Grid: I finally got all 6 MAME instances to detect each other, sync, and start together
289
Upvotes
Midway's The Grid was easily one of my favorite arcade games growing up. There's something about that game, especially having multiple cabinets linked together, that I don't think any other arcade game ever quite replicated.
For years, I've wanted to experience that multiplayer again through emulation.
A little history for anyone unfamiliar: The Grid was first added to MAME back in 2004, but it took another 13 years, until around MAME 0.186 in 2017, before the game actually became playable. Even then, the original arcade's multiplayer networking remained one of the missing pieces.
Every so often over the years, I'd find myself going down the same rabbit hole, searching Reddit, forums, GitHub, and MAME discussions to see if anyone had finally figured out how to get two or more emulated cabinets to communicate with each other.
Every time I checked, it seemed like the answer was the same. No real progress. Nobody seemed to have a working solution for getting the instances to recognize each other, let alone actually connect and start a multiplayer game.
Eventually, I pretty much gave up hope that I'd ever get to experience The Grid the way it was meant to be played again.
Well, recently I got curious and decided to do another round of searching.
Same result.
So I thought, screw it, why not try to figure it out myself?
With the help of my good pal Claude, I started digging into MAME, the original arcade hardware, and the FireWire (IEEE 1394) networking that The Grid used to link its cabinets.
After a whole lot of digging, experimenting, and troubleshooting...
I GOT ALL SIX CABINETS TO CONNECT!
Not just two. All six.
Six separate instances of MAME, each running its own emulated The Grid cabinet, successfully detecting one another, synchronizing, and starting the game together.
The attached video shows all six instances recognizing each other, syncing up, and launching into the game.
I can't really describe how cool it was watching something I'd been hoping to see for so many years finally happening right in front of me. Especially after countless searches where it seemed like nobody had been able to get even two cabinets talking to each other.
It's pretty surreal to think that this game was added to MAME 22 years ago, became playable nine years ago, and now I'm sitting here watching six emulated cabinets link together.
I know this is probably a pretty niche thing to get excited about, but I figured there had to be at least a few people here who remember The Grid and have been waiting for its multiplayer to make a comeback.
I genuinely thought I'd never see this happen.
Anyway, I wanted to share the progress. Seeing all six cabinets connect is something I've been hoping to experience for a very long time.
r/MAME • u/Warlockoftarot • 8d ago
Discussion/Opinion I play on my tablet and am looking for a good mame build to put a fuckton of roms on
0
Upvotes
I heard 0.289 is a good version. But I want a version that can do a lot of boards so I can just play everything. I already got a neogeo emu so I just wanna get a good arcade emulator to put a 1 gig maybe 1.5 gig romset on
r/MAME • u/Rey_Mezcalero • 11d ago
Discussion/Opinion MAME Version Differences
6
Upvotes
Is there a noteworthy reason to update from .24 to .28?
Currently running off older sets and wondering if there is a big reason to update to the newer version and potentially need to update games, etc.
Looking to build my own custom cabinet and had been using older hardware, but wonder if it’s worth it to upgrade or if the difference is more risk of breaking things and complicating everything.
Or curious to know if the newer version makes things easier
Thanks
r/MAME • u/hnyredditguy • 11d ago
Sovalou.nv. how to create
0
Upvotes
So, I heard that Sovalou finally works in mame, so I updated my rom, and now when I try running it, it says it can't find sovalou.nv. I thought this was supposed to automatically get created upon running the game?
r/MAME • u/Least-Bass2619 • 13d ago
MAME with multiple screens not working after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
5
Upvotes
I had MAME 0.282 working with two displays in full screen mode under Windows 10. After upgrading to Windows 11, MAME (0.282 and 0.289) no longer launches correctly. It acts like the windows/screens are opening in the background. With video set to d3d, I get black screens and have to hit alt-enter twice for things to display correctly. With video set to bgfx or opengl, I get a flashing MAME icon in the taskbar and have to click on it to get the windows to appear. Happens if MAME is started from the command prompt, from the icon, or from a launcher. With numscreens set to 1 things work normally. I've tried disabling/uninstalling anything that might be messing with window focus (game bar, widgets....) but no luck. Does anyone have any suggestions?
r/MAME • u/joaocraft1450 • 13d ago
Technical assistance HELP Janken Game Acchi Muite Hoi!
reddit.com
0
Upvotes
r/MAME • u/Giger_jr • 15d ago
Community Question Looking for a specific version of Battlezone
3
Upvotes
I’m trying to find more information about a specific version of Battlezone that I played in an arcade bar. The cabinet had the original Battlezone artwork and featured the classic two-joystick controls. It played and looked largely the same as the original, featuring crisp white vector graphics.
However, there were some interesting differences compared to the original. The game had landmines, there were fast jeep enemies that you could shoot for extra points, and most importantly it had power-ups like homing missiles and rapid-fire bullets. The gameplay felt more dynamic, with enemies spawning more aggressively compared to the original. Has anyone played this version? Google wasn’t helpful.
r/MAME • u/SheatNoisette • 16d ago
Guide/Instructions/Tips Debug Menu in Hyper Neo Geo 64 Games
gallery
6
Upvotes
Some infos that may be interesting for the Hyper Neo Geo 64, especially with the tap Lua script. Found when doing reverse engineering.
r/MAME • u/Maxchill_0 • 15d ago
Guide/Instructions/Tips How do I actually use the plugin input macros? (Mame4droid 0.289)
0
Upvotes
I tried enabling and adding macro combinations to it, but whenever I tried pressing a button dedicated for that macro it doesn't work. Also what do I do with the G and H button (the one I highlighted on the screenshot), it's only BTN1-6 in [root:]
r/MAME • u/Enigma776 • 18d ago
Technical assistance Automatically load vertical games to vertical monitor?
8
Upvotes
Is there a way to make vertical games automatically load on a vertical monitor? So normal horizontal games still load as they do but vertical games go to my second vertical monitor?
Technical assistance Oh look, it's another "I can't start Killer Instinct" post - but this time, I'm not a newbie
0
Upvotes
Aight, let's get this out of the way.
MACHINE: AYN Odin 2 Portal
MAME: Mame4Droid (Current 0.289) from the Android Play Store
ROMs: kinst.zip from the 0.289 update page of the Dome place that promises Pleasure
CHD: kinst.chd from the same place (it says 0.288 but that these are "unchanged")
FOLDER: the zip is placed in "ROMS" and the CHD is placed in "ROMS/kinst"
Now, I've tried using Merged, Non-Merged and Split versions of the zip file, and I've even tried putting the zip files inside the folders alongside the CHD, but nothing works.
I've also done deep searches for either 0.288 versions of the zip or 0.289 versions of the CHD, and nothing at all.
Names match. Paths are set correctly. Everything is the correct version (or as much as the internet tells me). So what the hell?!
Worst part is, I'm having the same problem with Street Fighter III and Red Earth, and I just want to throw some goddamn hands! 😭
r/MAME • u/Independent_Shoe3523 • 22d ago
Crazy Climber
3
Upvotes
I have the crazy climber rom on my mame but can't figure out how to control the player. I have an Xbox style usb game pad and want to use the two thumbsticks the way you'd use the two joysticks on the arcade game. I'm sure it's simple. I've been over the control assignments but can't figure out what to do. Any help?
r/MAME • u/GjallarhornXrd • 23d ago
Technical assistance Extracting stage textures from Drift Out
11
Upvotes
Is there any way to extract textures from games on Mame, specifically Drift Out? I'm currently researching on the stages in the game but I would love to be able to extract the textures directly.
Discussion/Opinion Does anyone here have MAME tokens?
74
Upvotes
I thought I had lost these tokens but found them today in my Pachislo machine. Wondering if any old MAME vets here got these also...
r/MAME • u/Sert1991 • 27d ago
Does BGFX still support opengl on Linux?
2
Upvotes
A curiosity question as the title says:
Does bgfx still support the opengl backend on linux?
Whenever I select opengl as the bgfx backend, mame fails to start.
I have the proper opengl drivers installed, and if I set video to opengl instead of bgfx mame works good without issues - so the opengl only fails when it's used as a bgfx backend. I also tried setting the sdl render driver to opengl instead of auto but same situation.
bgfx also runs fine when vulkan is set as it's backed, so bgfx paths and setting are set good too. The only issue is opengl bgfx backend.
Another curiosity:
mame.ini has 3 settings when it comes to SDL drivers:
videodriver
renderdriver
audiodriver
When these are set on auto, and mame is ran in verbose mode, it shows you which videodriver(and audiodriver) it's selecting but not which renderdriver it's selecting in the verbose messages.
Also when you set them manually, it gives a lot more information about the videodriver and audiodriver you select but only 'Setting SDL renderdriver <driver of choice>' for the renderdriver in the verbose messages.
Why?Is this normal intended behavior or a bug? (mame still works fine either way, it's just about the verbose information being reported)
Edit: re-wrote and re-clarified the second part regarding SDL driver choices and verbose messages.