mame2003-plus: hundreds of new games, improved input, features, new bugs - now with runahead support

[markwkidd]

Thank you @Riverstorm for taking so much of your time to investigate and try out the different aspects of the core including the romset rebuilding issues. You were here in the very beginning, before me I am pretty sure!

It might be good to list the mame2003-plus core options, in order of their appearance in the GUI, since that is also one of the ways to share some of the new functionality.

@Riverstorm below the core options I've included a screenshot of the core options in RGUI -- you will see the two new input options are near the top as in the list.

Core options

The first value listed for the core option represents the default. "Restart" indicates that the core must be restarted in order for changes to that option to take effect.

• Frameskip: 0|1|2|3|4|5
• Input interface: retropad|mame_keyboard|simultaneous
• RetroPad Layout: modern|SNES|MAME classic
• Mouse Device: mouse|pointer|disabled - Switch between mouse (e.g. hardware mouse, trackball, etc), pointer (touchpad, touchscreen, lightgun, etc), or disabled. Defaults to pointer in iOS.
• Show Lightgun crosshair: enabled|disabled
• Display MAME menu disabled|enabled
• Brightness: 1.0|0.2|0.3|0.4|0.5|0.6|0.7|0.8|0.9|1.1|1.2|1.3|1.4|1.5|1.6|1.7|1.8|1.9|2.0
• Gamma correction: 1.2|0.5|0.6|0.7|0.8|0.9|1.1|1.2|1.3|1.4|1.5|1.6|1.7|1.8|1.9|2.0
• Use Backdrop artwork (Restart): disabled|enabled
• Specify BIOS region (Restart): default|asia|asia-aes|debug|europe|europe_a|japan|japan_a|japan_b|taiwan|us|us_a|uni-bios.10|uni-bios.11|uni-bios.13|uni-bios.20
• Share 2 player dial controls across one X/Y device: disabled|enabled - Some dial/spinner hardware are actually one device with one axis for each player. This supports that setup, by invisibly breaking down the normal mouse x/y into two separate inputs.
• Dual Joystick Mode (Players 1 & 2): disabled|enabled - Player 1 uses Joysticks 1 & 2, Player 2 uses Joysticks 3 & 4
• Right Stick to Buttons: enabled|disabled - Invisibly remap the retropad's right analog stick to serve as buttons
• TATE Mode: disabled|enabled - Enable if rotating display for vertically oriented games (Pac-Man, Galaga, etc). Requires video_allow_rotate = "false" cfg setting in RetroArch.
• EXPERIMENTAL: Vector resolution multiplier: (Restart) 1|2|3|4|5|6
• EXPERIMENTAL: Vector antialias: disabled|enabled
• Vector translucency: enabled|disabled
• EXPERIMENTAL: Vector beam width: 1|2|3|4|5
• Vector flicker: 20|0|10|20|30|40|50|60|70|80|90|100,
• Vector intensity: 1.5|0.5|1|2|2.5|3
• EXPERIMENTAL: Skip ROM verification: (Restart) disabled|enabled
• Sample Rate (KHz): 48000|8000|11025|22050|44100 - Change this manually only for specific reasons. The audio sample rate has far-reaching consequences.
• MK2/MK3 DCS Speedhack: enabled|disabled - Speedhack for the Midway sound hardware used in Mortal Kombat 2, 3 and others. Improves performance in these games.
• Skip Warnings: disabled|enabled

[Darksavior]

Will you guys take a look at system16 sometime? Games like Moonwalker are only playable with the correct audio in mame2000 with a lower end pi. Mame2010 and fba has huge requirements that still make a pi3b+ struggle.

Just about all the system16 games have audio bugs of some sort in mame2003. Some are unnoticeable until later like in the 2nd level of Shinobi.

[markwkidd]

@darksavior said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

Will you guys take a look at system16 sometime? Games like Moonwalker are only playable with the correct audio in mame2000 with a lower end pi. Mame2010 and fba has huge requirements that still make a pi3b+ struggle.

Have you tried the Moonwalker bootleg in mame2003/mame2003-plus? I've had good luck running it on low-power systems, although not any rpis specifically.

Please post what you know about the system16 audio bugs in the mame2003-plus github repository Issue section. https://github.com/libretro/mame2003-plus-libretro

Someone will hopefully correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think there is an issue report for this in the repos for either versions of mame2003.

[Darksavior]

@markwkidd I've tried the bootleg, yes. Michael Jackson and everything else has a higher pitch.

[markwkidd]

@darksavior said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

@markwkidd I've tried the bootleg, yes. Michael Jackson and everything else has a higher pitch.

I think I have only ever played the bootleg version on an emulator. I had no idea!

[Darksavior]

@markwkidd I asked arcadez back when he was active, and my misreporting of a bug he possibly made (but didn't) + the pressure of breaking the main mame2003 core often enough to cause drama, made him abandon the possible research in going to backporting.

I haven't tried the games in a while, I'll retry them in plus and report my findings on the github if you like.

[markwkidd]

@darksavior said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

I haven't tried the games in a while, I'll retry them in plus and report my findings on the github if you like.

That would be great, thanks.

[Riverstorm]

@markwkidd - Thanks for the options list that's really helpful.

When in mame_keyboard mode <not> operators now work in a Libretro core which is wow.

The Bally/Midway games in 2003+ are great. A couple of classics that I was glad to see working are Rampage and Xenophobe. I moved them back over from AdvMAME and having them running with a decent shader. It's great playing Donkey Kong with full audio vs. missing the stomps, running, etc.. :)

[ClassicGMR]

TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!

[mediamogul]

@riverstorm said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

I moved them back over from AdvMAME and having them running with a decent shader.

With all the advancements the core has seen, I've been considering doing the same. Especially now that we have arcade RetroAchievements. One, thing though; 'Donkey Kong' shouldn't have any problems playing samples in AdvanceMAME. I play the game a lot and they all play fine. Were you on one of the older versions?

[mediamogul]

@classicgmr said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRR!!!!!

Do you prefer the hard stuff, or are you a root beer guy?

[ClassicGMR]

@mediamogul
Root Beer... PHUH
Suntory... PHUH

Gimme a Bud! :)

[mediamogul]

@classicgmr

Ha! I hear you. If I ever owned any one cabinet besides my MAME cab, it would definitely be that. It's freakin' gorgeous.

[ClassicGMR]

@mediamogul Tapper, Funhouse Pinball, Mania Challenge. I'd love to own just those three. :)

Of course my X-Arcade stays too....

[mediamogul]

@classicgmr said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

Funhouse Pinball

Funhouse fun fact; Rudy was actually voiced by Midway legend Ed Boon who was of course one half of the creative force behind 'Mortal Kombat'. He does a damn good job too. 'Funhouse' is easily in my top five pinball favorites and maybe even number one. As odd a choice as it might be, I actually hold Gottlieb's 'Rescue 911' in such high regard that it might even muscle out the likes of 'Addams Family', 'Jurassic Park' and 'Indiana Jones'. That's the thing with pinball machines though. You end up bonding with the physical play style of certain ones that just make sense to you on a fairly personal level.

[Riverstorm]

@mediamogul - I like reading the fun facts! It worked perfect in Advmame. For vector games it's incredible and also good for "regular" games but some games look awful with the built-in simulated scan line options. I'm not sure what those video options are called.

I've grown attached to shaders is the main reason but I also shut off shaders as they create a moire pattern when snapping that isn't present when playing.

I have been redoing all my snaps which is taking a lot longer than I thought. I keep getting caught up in just one more level...just one more! :)

Earlier I meant <not> mapping inputs (not operators) work cleanly now which is nice.

@markwkidd - I see reset is in the options will it get enabled by chance down the road?

[markwkidd]

@riverstorm said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

@markwkidd - I see reset is in the options will it get enabled by chance down the road?

I'm afraid I don't follow - which option?

[Riverstorm]

@markwkidd said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

I'm afraid I don't follow - which option?

Sorry I meant in the TAB menu using mame_keyboard. Reset is there but I couldn't get it to work.

[markwkidd]

@riverstorm said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

@markwkidd said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

I'm afraid I don't follow - which option?

Sorry I meant in the TAB menu using mame_keyboard. Reset is there but I couldn't get it to work.

Ah ok now I follow, that makes sense.

It's an oversight for Reset to still show up in the MAME mapping menu -- it isn't mappable there anymore. :-\

In the case of Reset, the libretro feature has the exact same functionality so the native MAME version is already removed from mame2003-plus. You can reset from the RA Quick Menu or with a RetroArch hotkey. The default hotkey is H.

[Riverstorm]

@markwkidd said in mame2003-plus: 250 new games, new input system, new features, new bugs:

It's an oversight for Reset to still show up in the MAME mapping menu -- it isn't mappable there anymore. :-\

Ah, I saw it there and thought maybe they added it back for completeness of classic features or something. Thanks Mark!