"how to" mame beginners

drewpie1895

@herb_fargus no but if your car breaks down you can call a mechanic.

rbaker

@domogram-rovers It's all in the docs. Arcade allows multiple emulators to be used under one heading called "arcade". So I can put all my FBA, MAME and ADVMAME roms in the same folder.

Clyde

@rbaker said in "how to" mame beginners:

@domogram-rovers It's all in the docs. Arcade allows multiple emulators to be used under one heading called "arcade". So I can put all my FBA, MAME and ADVMAME roms in the same folder.

Just a short interposed question: Are there any disadvantages in using the arcade folder instead of the individual emulator folders besides that the latter let you divide the roms for each emulator more cleanly?

rbaker

@clyde None that I can think of. It's there in my opinion for when you build a system that just needs to "work" when those who play do not care what MAME is and have no interest in what version or why there would even be versions.

Clyde

@rbaker Thanks :)

akafox

@drewpie1895 When people say this is easy they are lying. It is easy for us because when understand the ideas and methods of how it all works. Some of us have been using mame for twenty one years now..but know that a lot of us "vets" were at the same point you were..stay calm and game on!

When you say you are on a Mac you mean that you have installed RetroPie on a Mac or that you are using a Mac to connect to a raspberry Pi? Note that we will not connect to the pi over a network at all in my version.

I can not come to you however I am willing to help if you are willing to give me any information I ask for and nothing else. I can give you step by step directions..but again only if you are willing to give me the information I ask for when I ask for it and nothing else...(that includes the above question) and note that we will start from scratch here almost..(i.e. like you have never set up mame or done anything like that to your pi.

Deal?

If so we can start like this:

Transferring Roms

Find a old USB stick and wipe it clean
Then create a folder called retropie on your USB stick
Plug it into the pi and wait for it to finish blinking
Pull the USB out and plug it into a computer
Add the roms to their respective folders in this case retropie/roms/arcade (Remember examples of game file names are dkong.zip 1943.zip puckman.zip gng.zip. if you want to pick the exact games I listed from your set go for it! It would make it easier!)
plug it back into the raspberry pi
wait for it to finish blinking
Restart Emulation Station

I don't care if you can start anything or not..just tell me if the games that you put in there are listed in emulation station now.

@rbaker said in "how to" mame beginners:

@domogram-rovers It's all in the docs. Arcade allows multiple emulators to be used under one heading called "arcade". So I can put all my FBA, MAME and ADVMAME roms in the same folder.

As to that I have all my roms mixed and load from the same folder..most people know what "Arcade" means they don't understand "MAME" or "Final Burn Alpha" I even launch my daphne games form that folder. If it took a quarter to start playing the game goes in there. I got tired of explaining to people what all the "other crap" (as my friend called it) was.

I have gone through EVERY game on the pi to see which ones work and don't and by which emulator they run "best" on. I have a few more to go through...this way I can know without a doubt that the game works and I don't have to "babysit" anyone.

Now that the kiosk mode is back and working wonderfully it has made my life MUCH easier!

ByteThis

@akafox Kudos to you ! I have read this entire thread and you and your humbleness and kindness shines through!

BobHarris

@bytethis I am also surprised by the patience of everyone in this thread. He never listens but they don't give up..it's quite unique on the internet.

edmaul69

@drewpie1895 mame and fba and mess are the only roms i have zipped. Everything else i have unzipped on my hard drive to ensure best loading times.

drewpie1895

@bobharris is it?