Does anyone use MAME for emulating computers and consoles?

[sgordon777]

I was told to do this and downloaded the "SL" ROMset, but the support for computers, like Apple2e is a joke, half the required files are missing. I'm asking in case maybe I'm doing something wrong or downloaded the wrong files. As someone who used MAME a while back, the whole situation now just seems confusing and frustrating. I can't find consistent information about anything anywhere but I want to give it a chance if it can work.

[sgordon777]

I was told to do this and downloaded the "SL" ROMset, but ie seems that support for computers is a joke. For Apple2e more than half the required files are missing.

I managed to get it to work for apple2e by searching google for the missing files and going on a wile goose chase to a bunch of random trashy sites to download the files one by one, but what a mess and I'm afraid to even try it for the other 10 or so computers and consoles I want to emulate.

Does anyone else use MAME for emulating computers like apple2, c64, amiga, and consoles like atari2600, atari800 and others

Is there another ROMSET I can try (I got 246 SL)

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by sgordon777

[Headrush69]

MAME support for the Apple 2 series is fantastic.

My guess from the limited information is you downloaded the Software Lists package but your still missing the BIOS/Device roms MAME needs.

The software lists are the actual disk images, cartridges, etc that run on a system.

MAME still needs some core files to emulate the machine. My guess is you are missing these files still.

I don't use Software lists for Apple 2, but trying to run it from a command prompt will tell you exactly which files are missing. 

Something like

Quote

mame.exe apple2e brucelee

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by Headrush69
Fix spelling.

[JoeViking245]

MAME hasn't really changed much except you don't have to use mess.exe for software lists.  You do need to still make sure your romset, be it softlists or the regular arcade machines set, and the MAME emulator are the same version.

The softlist sets only contain the 'game' ROMs.  You still need the appropriate BIOS and support files that can are found in the arcade fullset.  If you have both of these and your folders are setup correctly, if you're getting "file missing" errors, then most likely you have mismatched romsets and executable.

 

Apple's not the easiest softlist to be starting with, but here's a really good writeup that should help get you going.  It's for the IIGS. But hey, close enough.  

 

I believe this should also help with your issue of using 1 emulator with various platforms requiring various command-line parameters.

[Lordmonkus]

Do I use it to emulate computers and consoles ? Not really, but I have set it up to emulate some of those systems. I have found that it is only worth using when no other good option exists which is rare outside of the obscure systems that have very few to no emulators for it.

I have always just used regular rom downloads, never used the software list stuff.

Based on what you listed here I would suggest using WinUAE or FS-UAE for Amiga, Vice for C64, Stella for Atari 2600 and Kat5200 for Atari 800.

[Lordmonkus]

Merged threads, there was no need to post the same thread and question twice.

[Suhrvivor]

I only use MAME for Arcade games (I actually use the Arcade64 fork build), any home system that is worth a damn have a better emulator than MESS or MAME, the ones that don't are obscure platforms that are not worth it in my opinion.

[sgordon777]

11 hours ago, Headrush69 said:

your still missing the BIOS/Device roms MAME needs.

 

I'm still trying to come up to speed on this and likely confused by the terminology, but I thought there were ROMS and SL ROM sets both for "content" and BIOS. I downloaded Both the Romset and SL Romset for "Bios/Devices":

 

MAME 0.246 ROMs (bios-devices).zip

MAME 0.246 Software List ROMs (machines-bios-devices).zip 

 

I dumped all the zip file from these zips s into two folders, and added the folders to the Mame "rom folders"

When I try to run mame64 apple2e, I get this:

C:\util\mame246>mame apple2e
342-0133-a.chr NOT FOUND (tried in apple2e)
342-0133-a.chr NOT FOUND (tried in apple2e)
342-0135-b.64 NOT FOUND (tried in apple2e)
342-0134-a.64 NOT FOUND (tried in apple2e)
342-0132-c.e12 NOT FOUND (tried in apple2e)
Fatal error: Required files are missing, the machine cannot be run.
 

(Note, some systems do run, ie a2600 works fine)

When I searched the above files recusively, I still didn't find the required files to emulate apple2e (mame is telling me what files it needs when I try to run it, ie: mame64 apple2e)

I *was* able to finally get the emulated apple2e booting, but not util after manually collecting the required files from over the internet and my old collection of MESS zips to piece together the BIOS files needed and sticking them into rom/apple2e folder. I did NOT find the required BIOS files in either my Merged 

Another issue I had is that the core is really stupid about looking in zip files... I had to literally take individual files out of .zip archives and stick these files directly in the rom/apple2e folder. SOmetimes the system would look in .zip files, sometimes it wouldnt, it seemed to depend if the .zip files had the name "apple2" in it?

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by sgordon777

[JoeViking245]

If you are intent on using MAME for emulating Consoles and Computers [which is fine...] (i.e. Atari 5200 and Apple IIe) vs. other emulators as recommended above, ALL the files needed to do so are available in:

MAME 0.246 ROMs (merged)  [or  MAME 0.246 ROMs (non-merged)]
MAME 0.246 Software List ROMs (merged)  [or   MAME 0.246 Software List ROMs (split)]

And of course you will need the MAME 0.246 executable.  Note: mame64.exe is now simply mame.exe  If you have these 2 Full Sets, there's no need for the two you show.  (Hint: scroll down just a little further on that site to see the Full Sets)

 

When you manually collect the required files from over the internet and old collections, you run the risk of obtaining mismatched files or incomplete zip files.  That is, you might end up with 1 file for MAME v0.179, another for v0.201 and one for 0.246.  Or possibly the zip file is from a split set for a clone, missing needed files that are in the parent zip.  The point here is, get the 2 Full Sets for the same version and be done looking for files.

Once you have those 2 Full Sets, it's a matter of putting them in a good folder location in which MAME can find and setting the proper command-line parameters.  Then of course the most important part, playing games.

[sgordon777]

>> ALL the files needed to do so are available in,,,

Very happy to hear that. However, they're not in the .246 full sets *I* have. I've dumped the name of every single archived file in every zip in each full set to a text file so I can search and the files mame is complaining about simply aren't there. I must have a bad copy or somehow am still confused about which sets I'm downloading.  I'm using *that* site and qBitTorrent for downloads.

>> And of course you will need the MAME 0.246 executable.  Note: mame64.exe is now simply mame.exe  

Yes, I am using 246. I use it successfuly for arcade games and some consoles (eg a2600). Your right it is mame.exe, not mame64.exe

Question about how Mame searches for files because I am having trouble with that too, even on the arcade side:

Each fullset is a folder or zip file (depending on how you download it) containing a million other zip files, each containing a bunch of ROM images. What level do I have to unzip these? Where (relative to my /rom folder) do I have to put the files?

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by sgordon777

[JoeViking245]

49 minutes ago, sgordon777 said:

What level do I have to unzip these?

Never!

 

49 minutes ago, sgordon777 said:

Where (relative to my /rom folder) do I have to put the files?

You can put them anywhere you want.  But for ease of explaining and to get you up-and-running, place the contents of your downloaded torrent folder into your ../MAME/roms/ folder. 

The Full Set (MAME 0.246 ROMs) contains a ton of zip files.  Place all the zip files into /roms/.  (if you have the Non-Merged set, there'll be about 39,886 zip files)  Should look something like:

The softlist Set (MAME 0.246 Software List ROMs) contains a bunch of folders.  Place all the folders into /roms/.  (if you have the Split set, there'll be about 605 folders)  Should look something like:

 

49 minutes ago, sgordon777 said:

they're not in the .246 full sets *I* have.

If you have the Full Sets, they are.  If not, then they are an incomplete 'full set'.  What set type do you have?  Merged, Non-Merged or Split.  If you got the ones I mentioned and they came from pleasuredome's github site, then the files are there.  If when downloading, you unchecked a bunch of the files (to possibly speed things along), that could cause an issue.

What specifically are you attempting to run (console/computer and game_rom) and what file(s) is it saying you're missing?  Knowing that can help point you to where it's supposed to be, within you Full Sets.

[sgordon777]

Yep, looks like I was taking the wrong files, I thought I just needed the "bios-devices" set, not the full set (which I now see is much, much larger).

Thanks so much for setting me straight on this, much appreicated!

[JoeViking245]

Looks like you didn't grab the MAME 0.246 Software List ROMs set.  Because it should have had a folder called a2600.  And in that folder should have been a bunch of zip files.  Including adventur.zip.

Are all the a2600 roms unzipped?  If you have still the original zips, put them in this folder:

R:\atari2600\a2600\   So Adventure will be like so... R:\atari2600\a2600\adventur.zip   You don't need to add "a2600" to the rompath.  THEN try your command "mame a2600 adventur"

If you don't have the zips (for some odd reason), instead of the above folder structure, simply try the command "mame a2600 adventure.bin".  Not sure if that'll work.  If it doesn't, try the full path.  "mame a2600 R:\atari2600\adventure.bin"  That I know will work.  But it's MUCH easier to have the zips in their original folder (a2600 in this case).