Old Computer Appreciation Thread

[testudo]

@Folly
Pretty sure used lr-mess .241 when re-installing Archimedes. I am not sure if it was using version .240 or .241 of your script though. The BIOS was definitely installed with v.241.01 of your script.

I had initially used this loader command, but it stopped working:

lr-mess-aa310-bios_310-flop = "/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch --config /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/retroarch.cfg --appendconfig /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/retroarch.cfg.add -S /home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes -s /home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes -v -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so 'aa310 -bios 310 -rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes/ -cfg_directory /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/lr-mess -c -ui_active -flop %ROM%'"

From the start, I have really only had success using the lr-mess versions of the loader commands, regardless of the system being emulated. With few exceptions, the MAME options fail to work.

This is the loader command that is working successfully:

lr-run_mess-aa4401-bios_310-4Mb-flop-autoframeskip = "/home/testudo/RetroPie-Setup/scriptmodules/run_mess.sh /opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/retroarch.cfg \aa4401 /home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame\;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes  -autoframeskip -cfg_directory /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/lr-mess -ui_active -bios 310 -ram 4M -flop %ROM%"

[Folly]

@testudo

Tanks for letting me know what you did and that looks good.

Very strange that the plain mame and lr-mess loaders won't work properly.

lr-runmess uses the same lr-mess indirectly by making a .cmd file and then running that with lr-mess. After stopping the game that .cmd is removed again.

Can't point my finger on it on where it goes wrong.

[Folly]

@testudo

Can you test a minimal mame command in the cli for me.
This way we will try to load "aa310" with "-bios 310" directly without commands that are generated by my script.
I would like to know if this works.
With this we eliminate everything that has to do with my script.

So exit emulationstation with F4, then type :

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame aa310 -bios 310

You can speed up the typing by using the <tab> key to automatically add the directory names :

/o<tab>/r<tab>/e<tab>/ma<tab>/ma<tab> aa310 -bios 310

The UI is off by default this way so you have to use the "scroll-lock key" to activate.
Then you can escape with the "esc key"

Can you let me know if it boots into the 310 OS ?

[testudo]

@Folly said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame aa310 -bios 310

No success.

testudo@testudo-HP-Pavilion-dv7-Notebook-PC:~$ /opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame aa310 -bios 310
Error opening translation file English
0296,041-01.rom NOT FOUND (tried in aa310)
0296,042-01.rom NOT FOUND (tried in aa310)
0296,043-01.rom NOT FOUND (tried in aa310)
0296,044-01.rom NOT FOUND (tried in aa310)
cmos_riscos3.bin NOT FOUND (tried in aa310)
acorn_0280,022-01_philips_8051ah-2.bin NOT FOUND (tried in archimedes_keyboard aa310)
Fatal error: Required files are missing, the machine cannot be run.

aa310.7z and archimedes_keyboard.7z BIOS files are located in /Home/RetroPie/BIOS/mame.

[Folly]

@testudo

Do you have this line in /opt/retropie/configs/mame/mame.ini ? :

rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame;/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade;/home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

(and also in the linked directory : /home/pi/.mame/mame.ini ?)

/Home/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

EDIT !!! :
You mean :
/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

[Folly]

@testudo said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

testudo@testudo

I see that you do not use "pi" as username but "testudo".
That might be the problem.
The rompath should be :
/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame; etc.

I found that the rompath in the plain lr-mess loader is incorrect :
-rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes/

That is also an issue.

[Folly]

@testudo

Do you have testudo in mame.ini ? or pi ?

I will look at my script and try to fix the problem.

[Folly]

@testudo

I did 2 commits.
In the first one I converted all /home/pi to /home/$user.
(but I mistakenly used an older script)
In the second commit I pushed back the last update that I mistakenly erased.
https://github.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Share/commit/bbf6608399c250745613995a1db4c5378cb72213
https://github.com/FollyMaddy/RetroPie-Share/commit/b166a085236357032632850a9c038f2259bb4805

Get this new 0240.03 script and reinstall all the aa310 again.
That should fix the problem for my script at least.

We still have to look into the mame.ini.

[Folly]

@testudo said in Old Computer Appreciation Thread:

aa310.7z and archimedes_keyboard.7z BIOS files are located in /Home/RetroPie/BIOS/mame.

Just to make sure, your bios files have to be in :
/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

If everything is ok the original mame module-script should have created this line in /opt/retropie/configs/mame/mame.ini ? :

rompath /home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/mame;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/arcade;/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

When you have above, then the mame command you tried earlier should work now :

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame aa310 -bios 310

[testudo]

@Folly

Apologies, in my haste I did not fully/correctly list the directory locations:

/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame
/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes

<testudo> is used in the mame.ini rompath line code for both file locations:

rompath                   "/home/testudo/MAME;/home/testudo/MAME/MAME ROMs;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms;/home/testudo/RetroPie;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms;/home/testudo/RetroPie;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms"

Reinstalled using script 0240.03 and no significant changes. The one being that I can now get to an OS screen using both:

mame-aa310-bios_310-flop = "/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame -rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame\;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes -v -c -ui_active -statename archimedes/%BASENAME% aa310 -bios 310 -flop %ROM%"

and

lr-mess-aa310-flop = "/opt/retropie/emulators/retroarch/bin/retroarch --config /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/retroarch.cfg --appendconfig /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/retroarch.cfg.add -S /home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes -s /home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes -v -L /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mess/mess_libretro.so 'aa310  -rompath /home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/archimedes/ -cfg_directory /opt/retropie/configs/archimedes/lr-mess -c -ui_active -flop %ROM%'"

Still, <lr-run_mess-aa4401-bios_310-4Mb-flop-autoframeskip> is the only option to fully boot to the game.

Tried updating the both mame.ini to:

rompath "/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/mame;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms/arcade;/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame"

and executed:

/opt/retropie/emulators/mame/mame aa310 -bios 310

to no success. No OS screen, just the same error as above.

<lr-run_mess-aa4401-bios_310-4Mb-flop-autoframeskip> does work with those rompath locations however.

[Folly]

@testudo

Hopefully we are getting there.
Btw. I never noticed that issue in my script, totally overlooked ;-)
If we find it, it would be a major improvement for the script.

This is what I seeing now :
This path is still missing from your mame.ini (from the line you send me) :
/home/testudo/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

Your line :

rompath                   "/home/testudo/MAME;/home/testudo/MAME/MAME ROMs;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms;/home/testudo/RetroPie;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms;/home/testudo/RetroPie;/home/testudo/RetroPie/roms"

Should be no problem :
Spaces cannot be used, I think (try to remove this one):
/home/testudo/MAME/MAME ROMs
And remove the quotes => "

The loader mame-aa310-bios_310-flop still has -rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame in it.
Seems It's not updated correctly.

[Folly]

@testudo

What OS are you using for RetroPie ?

Is your :
/home/pi/.mame/mame.ini
the same as :
/opt/retropie/configs/mame/mame.ini
?

/home/pi/.mame is a link to /opt/retropie/configs/mame
So the mame.ini in both directories should be the same file.

[testudo]

@Folly
OS is Ubuntu 20.04

/home/<user name>/.mame/mame.ini 

/opt/retropie/config/mame/mame.ini 

are the same.

[Folly]

@testudo

If you checked my last recommendation and everything looks good but it still doesn't work...
Then we are on a dead end again.

Ubuntu 20.04, not sure, probably ok but could also be a part of the problem.
I can remember that I have had differences in how quotes are handled in other OSes. This can influence the process of finding the correct rompaths.
That is probably something that has to be tested.

When we have a good idea we can always take a look a second time.

Obviously, my script is already improved by this discussion, so that is already very nice ;-)
Thanks !

[testudo]

@Folly

Sadly, it appears we did hit a dead end after trying your latest recommendation. I also tried with and without quotes for the rom path entry, to no avail.

I can access my games using the lr-run option, so I am happy.

Thanks for your patience and persistence. You are a great value the Retro community.

[duglor]

@testudo Anyone up for making an entry for this game within the ES Theme, comic book? :)

[duglor]

@duglor @Folly @testudo Is the game, Hamsters, a demo only? Everywhere i find it, it says DEMO. hmmm

[Folly]

@duglor

You need to specify what system you are running Hamsters in.
I have seen you talk about Archimedes so first you need to have that part of the theme.
For the New Comic Book Theme you have to go here :
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/9211/new-comic-book-theme/1259

A game gamelist entry has not much to do with a theme.
Gamelists can be used for more themes.
If you use MAME or lr-mess for Archimedes this is probably the best place to discuss it :
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/32188/creating-es-gamelists-with-media-for-mame-lr-mess

If above not suits then it's best to create a new thread.

[buzzardbait]

Reviewed the first post in this thread.. How do you configure a controller to work with AlephOne? I know the original Marathon controls were on a keyboard, but is there any trick to getting the game to work with a PS2 or equivalent controller?

I've tried before and gave up, but seeing the mention above made me want to try and get it working again.

[DTEAM]

@buzzardbait

Follow steps 10 to 13 here : Tutorial: Handheld and Plug & Play systems with MAME

It’s a good starting point if you are using MAME.