MAME ROM List

[KoritsuKyu]

Sorry if this is posted somewhere but I couldn't find it in a search.

 

I'm just getting into MAME but I don't want to download every rom ever dumped and just have them there for no reason.

Is there are list somewhere that catalogs all the roms in the set and what they are?  

I found mamedb.com but that seems to stop as of 2008.  Surely there have been roms added since then?

 

Thanks

[sundogak]

21 minutes ago, KoritsuKyu said:

Sorry if this is posted somewhere but I couldn't find it in a search.

 

I'm just getting into MAME but I don't want to download every rom ever dumped and just have them there for no reason.

Is there are list somewhere that catalogs all the roms in the set and what they are?  

I found mamedb.com but that seems to stop as of 2008.  Surely there have been roms added since then?

 

Thanks

this website will allow you to sort by year, genre, etc.  It is updated through current MAME set 0.234.   There are also various lists people have put together of favorites and "all killer/no filler" type deals (some on this site). So just depends what you looking for.  

http://adb.arcadeitalia.net/lista_mame.php

[KoritsuKyu]

Thank you

[sundogak]

Just now, KoritsuKyu said:

Thank you

Also should have pointed out that need to be careful on how you download sets.  Look up MAME "Merged, Split, and Unmerged" rom sets to get more info.  You can use a ROM manager like clrmamepro or ROMVault to "remix" one set type to another but still to have all the source parts. If you mix and match set types then you will likely wind up with MAME complaining it is missing ROMs in that some components needed may be in the "parent" set vs the "child" set.  

For example, Pac-Man is a "clone" of "Puckman" which is the Japanese name and considered the MAME parent. If you are North America based you might just go and download the Pac-Man rom set and depending on where you got it, may miss vital parts from the Parent Puckman rom set (see snap below from above web site that indicates parent/child relationship).  Unless you have a poor internet connection (or really only want a few games) you are much better off downloading a complete ROM set and then taking parts away (or convert to an unmerged set) using a ROM Manager.  Otherwise it can be frustrating in that MAME will stop and say it is missing XYZ component.  

[KoritsuKyu]

Given drive space is not an issue for me, I figure I'm safest to just get a non-merged set and then I can't really go wrong from the viewpoint of missing files.

Is that correct?

[sundogak]

8 minutes ago, KoritsuKyu said:

Given drive space is not an issue for me, I figure I'm safest to just get a non-merged set and then I can't really go wrong from the viewpoint of missing files.

Is that correct?

Correct, unmerged is largest file size in that has all parts and pieces for each game within each zip (so child/clone zips will run if the parent isn't around).  Split sets tend to be the most common, however.  So you could download a split set, use a ROM Manager to convert the zips to unmerged and then pick and choose. For split sets, the child/clone zip only includes the different parts from the parent, but none of the parts from the parent ROM.  So splits can be where you can get into missing parts.  Merged meshes all the parents/clones into one zip and is the smallest size for a set but (historically, not so much anymore) some frontends had issues with merged sets in how to parse the merged zip.  MAME itself as frontend doesn't care (merged, split, unmerged).  But really with moderate speed Internet connection (these days), if you have access to one or other full set pick the one set you know you will use as primary in that it does take some time for a ROM Manager to recombine things into another set type.   

Edited August 1, 2021 by sundogak

[KoritsuKyu]

Yeah OK.  I understand that.  

Thanks, you made that a lot easier that other sources I've been reading.

 

The hardest part will be finding time to actually play the games XD  

[sundogak]

6 minutes ago, KoritsuKyu said:

Yeah OK.  I understand that.  

Thanks, you made that a lot easier that other sources I've been reading.

 

The hardest part will be finding time to actually play the games XD  

As rough idea for a full set for just ROMs (no CHDs and no software set):

• Split: ~ 72GB
• Merged:  ~70 GB
• Non-Merged: ~128 GB

The following are "add-on" sets (they need one of the ROM sets above plus the add-on set files):

• Arcade CHD set is an additional  553 GB. These are typically later era arcade games that had hard drives or CD ROM full images besides ROMs. So quite a bit larger, but you don't have to have the CHD set if looking at early era arcade games only. The website link I gave above will have a flag if game needs a CHD (when you start getting into later 1990s games like Street Fighter III 3rd Strike).  
• A non-Arcade "Software List" set is an additional ~79 GB (this set includes computer type non-arcade emulation software like for home game consoles with cartridges, Apple II, Commodore 64, etc).  
• Software List CHD set ~2.5 TB.  This includes CD ROM and disk image sets for non-arcade emulations (like IBM PC CD ROM software, home consoles with CDs, etc).