Run different Rom Sets In Mame

[CRTGAMER]

Run different Rom Sets In Mame
Every time Mame has an update, many of the Roms have to be downloaded again to match the new check sums. This can be maddening; finding a complete Rom set for a given version of Mame. Though not a programming trick magic, this is such an easy work around.

Choose the style Mame you prefer, there are so many varieties out there. I just use the standard Mame32 and MameUI64 which have a very useful GUI front end. List by year, genre, manufacturer, controller, vector, raster, etc.



1. Install one of the downloaded Mame files with all the subfolders in the root of the C drive.

2. Place the Roms, Sound Samples and various Screenshots of Artwork, Cabinet, Cpanel, Marquee, Title Screen, etc. in the appropriate directories.

(You can leave all the various files zipped)

3. Unzip each additional version of Mame in its own SEPARATE Directory. Copy JUST the MAME.EXE file into your initial install directory of Mame. Create shortcuts for each EXE.

Run whichever Mame supports a given Rom
I have Mame32 0.80 for Roms that I do not have the latest checksums; and the newest MameUI64 for the latest Roms. There are other versions of Mame in the directory as well. All the MAME.EXE files are in the same root folder sharing all the same sub folders of Roms, Screenshots and Sound Samples.

I placed a couple of Mame shortcuts at the very top Task Bar on the left and used different Icons for a quick identification. Note the short Favorites list, this is remembered in the various versions of Mame. There are unusual Arcade games listed in my favorites, some very very good obscure imports!

Mame GUI.JPG (145.35 KiB) Viewed 4658 times

There is a exclusive cart game on the SNES and only to the Japan market (Gussen Oyoyo) that has a different name for the original Arcade game called Risky Challenge in that Favorites directory. Give it a try, you'll then want to find the SNES cart as well as the disc (Japan only) versions for Saturn and PS1 consoles!

[ExedExes]

Tell me about it. Things that usually change between versions -

1) Parent ROM name changes. For example, if the main ROM was the US version, and they change it to the World version. That requires the ROM itself to change status as well as the name in some cases, especially if a new territory version or other change is done.

2) When they take/make new BIOS files. Good example: Atari System 1 BIOS required to run those arcade games that were originally using it.

3) New EEPROMs/other files properly emulated, thus taking them out of their original ROM sets. Example: The EEPROM kerfluffle with .136 and Atari's arcade games (again), various changes to Neo-Geo based games and their EEPROMS, the latest issue with the various separated Namco EEPROM files (namco51.zip, etc.)

All that just to keep your version and ROMs current. Those little files that become a part of the ROM set or are merged out of the original drivers requiring you to hunt them down.

[dogman91]

There is a SNES exclusive game (Gussen Oyoyo) that has a different name for the original Arcade game called Risky Challenge in that Favorites directory. Give it a try, you'll then want to find the SNES, Saturn and PS1 versions!

...huh?

Anyway thanks for this guide; it got maddening trying to get an old rom of Battletoads arcade working earlier before.