Philips CD-i in Launchbox

[JoeViking245]

You don't need to add anything to the rompath other than "software".  MAME knows that cdi (cdimono1) is in the Software Lists and thus knows to look for a subfolder called "cdi". So to be clear, at the command prompt if you type "mame64 cdimono1 -cdrm hotmario", Hotel Mario will start up and you can play it?

(completely close out the above) If you open [standalone] MAME, double click on "CD-i (Mono-I) (PAL)" do you see a list of 459 cdi 'games'?  Then if you [scroll to and] double click on "Hotel Mario (Euro)" you say it won't start up and you can't play?  What does the the error message say in the red box that pops up?

40 minutes ago, stevaside said:

Get a "error unknown option" message when trying to start a game in Launchbox

Is that a LaunchBox error message or one from MAME?  Is that all it says?  Can you take a screen shot of it?

It's odd that it works from the command line but not directly in MAME.  That said, it's not even worth trying to get it to work in LB at this point.  I did a little messing around and that's why I asked about possibly having 2 mame.ini files.  It's also odd that if you got it to work from the command prompt and at least started the game before exiting, that it didn't create a cdmono1.ini file.

Lastly (for now) does you inipath look like above?  (starting with a   .;   [period semi-colon])

[stevaside]

48 minutes ago, JoeViking245 said:

You don't need to add anything to the rompath other than "software".  MAME knows that cdi (cdimono1) is in the Software Lists and thus knows to look for a subfolder called "cdi". So to be clear, at the command prompt if you type "mame64 cdimono1 -cdrm hotmario", Hotel Mario will start up and you can play it?

(completely close out the above) If you open [standalone] MAME, double click on "CD-i (Mono-I) (PAL)" do you see a list of 459 cdi 'games'?  Then if you [scroll to and] double click on "Hotel Mario (Euro)" you say it won't start up and you can't play?  What does the the error message say in the red box that pops up?

Is that a LaunchBox error message or one from MAME?  Is that all it says?  Can you take a screen shot of it?

It's odd that it works from the command line but not directly in MAME.  That said, it's not even worth trying to get it to work in LB at this point.  I did a little messing around and that's why I asked about possibly having 2 mame.ini files.  It's also odd that if you got it to work from the command prompt and at least started the game before exiting, that it didn't create a cdmono1.ini file.

Lastly (for now) does you inipath look like above?  (starting with a   .;   [period semi-colon])

Yes, games seem to start fine with the command in command prompt

Yes, the list of 459 CDi games shows, double clicking Hotel Mario or any game I have shows errors, I'll upload a screenshot of that one & Tetris..which BTW seems MAME wont even let me take a screenshot with the usual FN + Backspace combo, kept showing a black screen as the image so I wound up using my phn to take a pic ..ughhhhh

The "unknown option" error was what LB showed, but now trying to start a game in LB shows an empty command prompt window for half a second before it closes

& yes ini path looks exactly like that

I just can't believe I made it this far & can actualy play Cdi games, but for some reason not in LB or clicking in MAME app itself. So damn frustrating this console

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by stevaside

[JoeViking245]

I really have no idea why it works from the command line and not directly in MAME.  Unless your testing using different installations of MAME (i.e. in different folders or different .exe's in the one folder like mame64.exe and mame64_backUp.exe or even worse, mameui.exe) and/or you have different copies of "hotel mario (1994)(philips)(eu).chd" (i.e. one variant in your ../roms folder and another in your ../software/cdi/hotmario folder).  And/or maybe you actually do have 2 mame.ini files.  (I bring this up again because that's the only way I was able to reproduce it working from the command line and not directly in MAME)

As for having the 'incorrect checksum', that's probably an issue too.  Hotel Mario (EU) has had the same checksum since ver 0.142.  But that doesn't explain why it works from the command line and not directly in MAME.  Unless there's something to be said from the 1st paragraph.  

Since you promise it works from the command line, it will work in LB.  (As will ANY emulator or program.)

1)  Make a copy of your mame.ini file and [re]name it cdimono1.ini  Make sure the rompath is set to roms;software inside of it.

2)  For the game, point to 'a file that doesn't exist'.  But make sure you point to the correct MAME folder and then ../software/cdi/hotmario.zip  (yes. a zip file that's not there) 3)  Setup your MAME emulator to "Don't use quotes..." and "Use file name only..." (it should be by default)  Also make sure you're pointing to the 'correct' mame64.exe.  4)  Setup the Associated Platform with the Platform name EXACTLY as you have it called in LB and the Default Command-Line Parameter as "cdmono1 -cdrom".  (Note "-cdrm" works as well.)

5)  Be sure to SAVE all your changes and now launch Hotel Mario.

6)  If this don't work, I really don't know what to tell you other than go back to page 1 of this thread and reread everything as I am pretty much out of subsequent suggestions.

   

[stevaside]

11 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

I really have no idea why it works from the command line and not directly in MAME.  Unless your testing using different installations of MAME (i.e. in different folders or different .exe's in the one folder like mame64.exe and mame64_backUp.exe or even worse, mameui.exe) and/or you have different copies of "hotel mario (1994)(philips)(eu).chd" (i.e. one variant in your ../roms folder and another in your ../software/cdi/hotmario folder).  And/or maybe you actually do have 2 mame.ini files.  (I bring this up again because that's the only way I was able to reproduce it working from the command line and not directly in MAME)

As for having the 'incorrect checksum', that's probably an issue too.  Hotel Mario (EU) has had the same checksum since ver 0.142.  But that doesn't explain why it works from the command line and not directly in MAME.  Unless there's something to be said from the 1st paragraph.  

Since you promise it works from the command line, it will work in LB.  (As will ANY emulator or program.)

1)  Make a copy of your mame.ini file and [re]name it cdimono1.ini  Make sure the rompath is set to roms;software inside of it.

2)  For the game, point to 'a file that doesn't exist'.  But make sure you point to the correct MAME folder and then ../software/cdi/hotmario.zip  (yes. a zip file that's not there) 3)  Setup your MAME emulator to "Don't use quotes..." and "Use file name only..." (it should be by default)  Also make sure you're pointing to the 'correct' mame64.exe.  4)  Setup the Associated Platform with the Platform name EXACTLY as you have it called in LB and the Default Command-Line Parameter as "cdmono1 -cdrom".  (Note "-cdrm" works as well.)

5)  Be sure to SAVE all your changes and now launch Hotel Mario.

6)  If this don't work, I really don't know what to tell you other than go back to page 1 of this thread and reread everything as I am pretty much out of subsequent suggestions.

   

I followed all those steps 100%, checked again & there were no other versions of MAME set anywhere in CDi settings & still no luck. "Error:Unknown Option" is what I get

Hotel Mario & Tetris, both games I tried w the command prompt did seem to launch & play fine

 

[JoeViking245]

It's something in how you setup your games or MAME in LB then.  

Show a snapshot of Associated Platforms  in Edit - Emulators - MAME for your Phillips CDi Platform.  I've never seen LB show the error message "Error: Unknown Option"  But.....   coincidentally... MAME will show that exact same text if your Default Command Line Parameter is wrong.  For example if you have 

cdimono1 -ccdrm

you will get

Error: unknown option: -ccdrm

 

[stevaside]

4 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

It's something in how you setup your games or MAME in LB then.  

Show a snapshot of Associated Platforms  in Edit - Emulators - MAME for your Phillips CDi Platform.  I've never seen LB show the error message "Error: Unknown Option"  But.....   coincidentally... MAME will show that exact same text if your Default Command Line Parameter is wrong.  For example if you have 

cdimono1 -ccdrm

you will get

Error: unknown option: -ccdrm

 

I've tried all sorts of combinations too & still got the error (space after cdimono, no space, with the keyboard command, without, cdrm, cdrom....)

[Headrush69]

It’s not going to work because you are passing the -cdrom option but you are only passing the file name.

So you are trying to start Mame in “software list” mode which doesn’t take parameters like that.

Options are either remove -cdrom option or run in regular mode, leave the command line and pass the entire rom path. The advantage of that is you don’t have to maintain the software path structure and can just throw all the images in a folder and import them like any other rom. Also, there won’t be checksum checking and the media you acquired that isn’t exact to the one in the software list might still run.

Edit: It will run, but the -cdrom option is extraneous when using MAME in software list mode. MAME gets this information from the hash file so it just ignores the command line option,

The following 2 commands are equivalent in software mode:

Quote

mame64.exe cdimono1 -cdrm hotmario 

mame64.exe cdimono1 hotmario 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Headrush69
Added info

[JoeViking245]

@stevaside The last picture you attached tells me your trying to put the 'cdimono1 -cdrom' command line parameter on the Default Command-Line Parameters: for the Emulator itself.  This is not where it goes and make sense why you'd be getting that error.

In the image above (several posts) under Step #3, note that, on the Details tab [under Edit Emulator], the Default Command-Line Parameters: is simply

-keyboardprovider dinput

No more.  No less.

On the next tab to the right, Associated Platforms is where you put the Default Command-Line Parameters for the Platform itself as shown in the image below step #4. 

Can you show us snap shots of your Details tab and your Associated Platforms for your MAME emulator?

[stevaside]

6 hours ago, JoeViking245 said:

@stevaside The last picture you attached tells me your trying to put the 'cdimono1 -cdrom' command line parameter on the Default Command-Line Parameters: for the Emulator itself.  This is not where it goes and make sense why you'd be getting that error.

In the image above (several posts) under Step #3, note that, on the Details tab [under Edit Emulator], the Default Command-Line Parameters: is simply

-keyboardprovider dinput

No more.  No less.

On the next tab to the right, Associated Platforms is where you put the Default Command-Line Parameters for the Platform itself as shown in the image below step #4. 

Can you show us snap shots of your Details tab and your Associated Platforms for your MAME emulator?

Well looks like we've finally solved this. I just deleted that from the emulator command line paramaters, but kept it in the associated platforms. It was in both.

That still didn't get my games to start at first, another command prompt window with a bunch of text popped up that was so fast I couldn't make out what it said.....until I tried Hotel Mario which loaded right up. Then I realized that one worked because I changed the text in the launch field to software\cdi\hotmario.zip like you said. I went around & did that to other games, changing it to say .zip & they worked too. This still makes no sense to me, how telling it to open a file that doesn't exist works, but the path to the actual rom doesn't, but hey what can I say? I can finally play these damn games in Launchbox now. Thank you SO damn much for all the time you put in trying to help me with this. I searched all over the web & wouldn't have possibly figured all this out without you.  Hopefully some day I can guide someone else out there losing their mind trying to get this obscure system running lol

&oh [EDIT} one more question if you don't mind. Any idea how to save/load states in this? From what I remember with arcade games in MAME, I was always able to press the key I assigned to save state & it would save the game. Doing that with CD-i games brings this up & I don't see any way to create a save state

....& [EDIT #2] My controller config doesn't seem to want to save for long. I can play a few games & it's fine, but then later on in the day load up another & everything I set is gone & I have do the process all over again. Any way to permanently set my gamepad controls so this tops happening?

Another thing, and this might be game specific. Tetris will randomly cut the music off on a level & once i finish it, the game crashes & I have to exit out. Really dissapointed, that is a really unique port with that relaxing, hypnotic music & backround visuals lol Was looking fwd to playing it more

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by stevaside

[JoeViking245]

3 hours ago, stevaside said:

how telling it to open a file that doesn't exist works

Because when you checked the box to "Use filename only without file extension or folder path" it's only adding "hotmario" to the default command line parameters for the particular Platform being launched in.  

3 hours ago, stevaside said:

Any idea how to save/load states in this?

Exact same way you do with Arcade roms.  Looks to like you pressed {F7} to load a save state.  Try {Shift}{F7}.  (just like Arcade)   

4 hours ago, stevaside said:

Any way to permanently set my gamepad controls so this tops happening?

That talks about doing it per game.  If you only need to remap for cdi in general (as opposed to game specific)....

Edit you MAME emulator and in the Associated Platforms tab ONLY, change the Default Command Line Parameter from "cdimono1 -cdrom" to

cdimono1 -cfg_directory cfg\cdi -cdrom

Save.  Load a cdi game. Press {Tab} to bring up the MAME menu and set the controls as you normally would.  Play the game.  Exit the game.

Note: That's for softlists.  If you're having the issue in Arcade, see here

 

 

[Headrush69]

5 hours ago, stevaside said:

This still makes no sense to me, how telling it to open a file that doesn't exist works, but the path to the actual rom doesn't, but hey what can I say?

 

1 hour ago, JoeViking245 said:

Because when you checked the box to "Use filename only without file extension or folder path" it's only adding "hotmario" to the default command line parameters for the particular Platform being launched in.  

When we supply the filename only, we aren't really passing a file to MAME.

As I mentioned above, when using MAME in software list mode, (which means just using hotmario in our example), we are just telling MAME the title of the software we want to run. It looks this up in the hash file for the cdi system, and from that gets the information about the media to use and how Mame connects to it. So as a CD-ROM for this system. That is why the directory structure must be exact.

If you run MAME in non-software list mode, you pass MAME the entire filepath/filename to the media you want to launch. As long as MAME can find any other files it needs like bios files in one of the paths you have listed in roms line in your mame.ini file, it will launch just fine.

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Headrush69

[stevaside]

On 12/29/2020 at 6:00 PM, JoeViking245 said:

Because when you checked the box to "Use filename only without file extension or folder path" it's only adding "hotmario" to the default command line parameters for the particular Platform being launched in.  

Exact same way you do with Arcade roms.  Looks to like you pressed {F7} to load a save state.  Try {Shift}{F7}.  (just like Arcade)   

That talks about doing it per game.  If you only need to remap for cdi in general (as opposed to game specific)....

Edit you MAME emulator and in the Associated Platforms tab ONLY, change the Default Command Line Parameter from "cdimono1 -cdrom" to

cdimono1 -cfg_directory cfg\cdi -cdrom

Save.  Load a cdi game. Press {Tab} to bring up the MAME menu and set the controls as you normally would.  Play the game.  Exit the game.

Note: That's for softlists.  If you're having the issue in Arcade, see here

 

 

I've always set the save state to the S key on my keyboard & the load state to the L key...& also to the left & right trigger buttons of my gamepad for load state/save state. I use a seperate MAME version for arcade games & that has always worked fine. I set the same keys for this one I'm using just for CDi & it does not work, but gives me that message in screenshot I posted. I noticed the default was SHIFT + F7 though

The MAME I'm using for arcade lets you hit TAB & set custom controls for whatever specific game you're playing too, but this one with CDi dosn't seem possible. I went to the old thread you posted about custom settings for individual games & kind of see how it's done but still lost. If say, Tetris is the only CD-i game I want custom controls for, because I hate how the gamepad button is the default to fast drop the tiles instead of down button on the D PAD like every other Tetris I've played...what exaxtly would I type in the custom command line parameters under the edit game/emulation ? I noticed your example said BBC in the text & IDK if that's meant for another system or what...also how would I even set the custom controls I want? Would I have to enter a command in that first, then load the game, set controls & It would save it for Tetris alone??

I entered the command you mentioned to pemrnanently save my controller config in CDi so hopefully it stays the way I want it from now on

 

 

Edited December 31, 2020 by stevaside

[JoeViking245]

4 hours ago, stevaside said:

The MAME I'm using for arcade lets you hit TAB & set custom controls for whatever specific game you're playing too, but this one with CDi dosn't seem possible.

It is possible.

 

4 hours ago, stevaside said:

what exaxtly would I type in the custom command line parameters under the edit game/emulation ?

cdimono1 -cfg_directory cfg\cdi\tetris -cdrom

cdimono1 is the softlist you're loading.  The 'cfg\cdi' part is the folder your particular games' config files will be saved in.  For example

D:\Emulators\MAME\cfg\cdi\tetris\

The tetris folder will hold 2 files.  And it's no coincidence that 'tetris' is the rom name for the game you're wanting to save a specific controller configuration for.  

In the other forum post, "bbcb" is a different soflist (Acorn BBC Micro Model B).  And "abc" is the rom name used in the example.

4 hours ago, stevaside said:

I entered the command you mentioned to pemrnanently save my controller config in CDi so hopefully it stays the way I want it from now on

That's good.  That will load 'that' controller configuration for all cdi games you load unless you add a game specific command line here

 

[stevaside]

On 12/31/2020 at 8:24 PM, JoeViking245 said:

It is possible.

 

cdimono1 -cfg_directory cfg\cdi\tetris -cdrom

cdimono1 is the softlist you're loading.  The 'cfg\cdi' part is the folder your particular games' config files will be saved in.  For example

D:\Emulators\MAME\cfg\cdi\tetris\

The tetris folder will hold 2 files.  And it's no coincidence that 'tetris' is the rom name for the game you're wanting to save a specific controller configuration for.  

In the other forum post, "bbcb" is a different soflist (Acorn BBC Micro Model B).  And "abc" is the rom name used in the example.

That's good.  That will load 'that' controller configuration for all cdi games you load unless you add a game specific command line here

 

I just set that command line for Tetris under edit game/emulator, but when I launched the game it seemed all my CDi controls I configured were wiped out again. Not sure if it was due to entering that custom command line for Tetris, but at least for now after reconfiguring, I can tell all games have the same controls with Tetris being the exception. Just hope reconfiguring over & over isn't going to be a constant thing, I've had similar problems using the other MAME for arcade in the past as well, seems every now & then it just loses everything I set & I have to redo it all

For some reason I thought the "input this machine" was setting everything universally in this case, sorry I got that mixed up.

Got the save/load for CDI working fine now too, guess I forgot how it was just a matter of it asking me to hit a button to save a game since their weren't any prvious saves. I overlooked that, dumb move on my part. I've really never used save states in MAME for arcade much before at all

Thanks again for all the time you've took to help me get this going!

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by stevaside