MAME 0.212 Initialize and quit right after (AdventureVision / Sega Genesis)

[Glatcholo]

Hello there

I am trying to use MAME 0.212 on Launchbox to run the AdventureVision and Sega Genesis games as a test before importing all my other roms from other systems and I have 2 main problem.

The first one is that when I try to launch one of the games, I see MAME doing a "initialization" and quit right after. Using MAME directly, I can run those games without problems. In the import Wizard, I asked it to not move the file (so It can point to MAME one). I also tried importing Sega Genesis games and I have the same problem when I run them.

The second problem is that it refuse to import Space Force, one of the four AdventureVision games for some reason, despite being in the folder and being playable on MAME

Launchbox and MAME are in their own folder, but both of them are in a global folder.

Software Lists is version 0.202 (according to guide, If it work on MAME, it should work on Launchbox as well)

Any helps would be greatly appreciated (Picture attached for emulator settings)

Edited August 10, 2019 by Glatcholo

[spycat]

If your using a software list then tick the box Use file name only... and see if your games launch.

All four games in my advision sw list launch ok, but will not if this box is unset.

If that doesn't work, then check that you have the advision.zip bios installed.

Edited August 10, 2019 by spycat

[Glatcholo]

I have done the test, and the games still doesn't launch (same error). I already have the bios for the Adventure Vision as it is required by Vanilla MAME in order to run the games. In fact, anything that I try to run in MAME (NES, Genesis, AdventureVision, Game & Watch) doesn't work on Launchbox but work if I run it directly throught MAME. Ive read many reason, such as rom path (ive double checked and they are exactly the same) and something about MAME 0.212 not working like its predecessor and causing trouble in Launchbox. 

[spycat]

If your rom paths are ok in LaunchBox, then all I can suggest is to check your Associated Platforms fields for errors.

By the way, I'm using MAME 0.212 without any LaunchBox issues.

 

[Glatcholo]

Hi, ill take a look for it. Suprised that it doesnt work for me. Did you do any specific configuration for MAME or you all leaved at default? I find it pretty strange that it doesn't work... I checked the associated platforms fields and I don't have any errors.

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by Glatcholo
more information

[Retro808]

36 minutes ago, Glatcholo said:

Hi, ill take a look for it. Suprised that it doesnt work for me. Did you do any specific configuration for MAME or you all leaved at default? I find it pretty strange that it doesn't work... I checked the associated platforms fields and I don't have any errors.

 

Can you share a pic of your Associated Platforms tab for Mame and a pic of the platform list on the left side of Launchbox showing the platform names for these 2 systems?

[spycat]

Apart from setting the Associated Platforms fields up, there really isn't anything else to set in LaunchBox for MAME apart from ensuring that your paths are ok.
Do you have any arcade games using MAME in LaunchBox and if so, do they run ok in LaunchBox?

MAME issues in LaunchBox are usually down to Associated Platform errors, rompath errors, or ini file location errors (this is a regular issue when using MAMEUI).

Out of curiosity, could you post a capture of your Associated Platforms window for your MAME emulator?
 

[Glatcholo]

Hello again

Here a picture showing the two system and the Associated Platform list. Ill be honest though, im not too sure how this Associated Platforms tab works, so I assumed I just had to type the console's name.

The path for each rom is something like this : ..\MAME\roms\advision\defender.zip 

Could it be a potential trouble?

Edited August 11, 2019 by Glatcholo
information add

[Retro808]

I believe you would need to add a command line to tell Mame to run the console. For example for Sega Genesis in the "Default Command Line" box you would put "genesis -cart" but do not include the " ". It has been a while since I messed with consoles in Mame. I am not sure what it would be for AdventureVision. It is probably "advision -cart". It is usually a short name such that GameBoy Advance would be "gba -cart".

The Associated Platform tab is where you enter the exact platform name you imported games into for the emulator that will run those games. So what you did was exactly the purpose of the Associated Platforms tab.

[sundogak]

I would try this:

1) setup another MAME emulator as a test (so don't mess up your working MAME).  Call it MAME_MESS or something like that.

2) Associate this MAME version with Entex Adventure Vision. Under default command parameters put "advision" with no quotes.  See second screen shot

3) Under the Edit Emulator panel make sure to check the "use file name without file extension or folder path" (it will gag MAME if has file path or "zip" in the name used to launch). See first screen shot

4) What MAME is wanting (and seems to deviate from the normal -cartslot method) is a command like "mame.64.exe advision defender" 

5) I tried launching via command line with full path and doesn't work for some odd reason (works with Apple and other computer software lists so not sure why deviates).  It needs to just be the simple rom name and not path (see last screen shot).

 

[DOS76]

yeah without a command argument in the line specifying  the system and media type its never going to work so once you add that it should work.

[sundogak]

I shouldn't post when it is late, particularly for MAME... so ignore what posted earlier. 

This will work for what you want without setting up another instance of MAME (which works but why have two?).  The software list command dump doesn't seem to have the correct flag.  "-cart" is the correct one for both advision and genesis. With that flag then you can leave MAME setup to use the full ROM path. SO here is the correct MAME settings in LB for both Sega Genesis and Advision.

You need this in the command line parameters  for Advision and Genesis, respectively:

advision -cart

genesis -cart

I had used the wrong MAME flag when tried last night thinking it was "cartslot" and "mdslot" (which are what is listed in MAME command -list dump).  Anyway, the above should get you going with normal MAME setup.  You can use the non-flag version like I originally captured (i.e,. without the -cart) for both but then it has to be with no path or extension, only the ROM name and likely not how you have your original MAME setup to do. The full path with -cart flag is what I was trying to get to yesterday, so what I would suggest. 

One other thing when messing with software lists is to also consider using a specific INI file if options are different in MAME.ini. In my case for Arcade games, I use save states but prefer not to for most other things.  In that case need to either add command switch in LB in same line as the "-cart" (i.e., -noautosave) or add that to a "genesis.ini" and "advision.ini" in INI directory.  Just depends on what you want/have in your MAME.ini.

Alternatively, you can add "-statename %g/%d_cart" if want the save states by machine and then game.  If using a machine specific INI, say for Genesis.ini it would be added in as:

autosave                  1
statename                 %g/%d_cart

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by sundogak

[Glatcholo]

This has solved most of the problem! Thanks you! The solution was to set it correctly in the associated platform. For some reason however, NES Games still have that bugs, but when I did it for Adventure Vision, Fairchild Channel F, Genesis and Atari 2600, they boot correctly. Im trying to investigate why its happening... nes -cart is what is present for the Nintendo Entertainment system in the associated platform list

 

EDIT : Creating a second instance of a emulator in Launchbox and checking "use file namy only without file extension" and unchecking "Extract ROM Archives" will make everything work for the NES and broke the other system mentioned (second instance solve it for all)

Edited August 12, 2019 by Glatcholo
extra info

[sundogak]

You might double check no space between dash or correct entry for NES and associated platform title is the same. The setup is the same for NES as the others:

nes -cart

You also shouldn't uncheck "use file name only..." or "extract ROM.." for any of them if using the -cart flag in the default parameters.  These two screen shots work with NES, Genesis.

 

[spycat]

Just to clarify things here, there is a difference between emulating a game using a software list and emulating a game using a direct media call.

Games in a software list need the Use File Name Only... box checked.
Also, your MAME ini file's rompath needs to know where the software list folder is (it's normal practice to put it in your MAME roms folder).
The Default Parameters need only have the system, there's no need to add a media option as it doesn't make any sense here and MAME will not expect it and will just ignore it.
And, if you wish, you can just point LaunchBox to the game's software list name minus it's extension instead of the path to the game.

Launching a game using a direct media call needs the Use File Name Only... box cleared.
Your MAME ini file doesn't need to know the game's location, but LaunchBox does of course.
The Default Parameters need both the system and media options.

The choice of the Adventure Vision as a testing ground was unfortunate and confusing in that the software list has the games dumped in bin format, a format that is also compatible with Adventure Vision games using the direct media call emulation.

A software system such as the NES has the nes software list games dumped in a format that will not allow them to be emulated as direct media which only accepts the nes, unf and unif formats.
And that's why the nes software list doesn't emulate using direct media emulation. It works fine when proper software list emulation is used.

Software list dump formats vary, with some in a format that direct media calling also supports, others have what I would call, for want of a better term, an arcade style look to the files within the game roms.

As a rule, games suitable for direct media emulation will have a format that the dedicated emulators such as AdViEmulator, ColEm, Nestopia and so on would also use.