Handling the infinite tedium of split ROM sets

JimmyFromTheBay

These days it seems like you can't download a single MAME ROM that isn't missing some files, because some genius decided that we needed to separate out tiny fragments of BIOS for the sake of purity or something.

(Random example: I just downloaded strahl.zip only to find that it won't run because it's missing a single file from nmk004.zip, so I have to fanny about finding that and then adding the file to Strahl before it'll run.)

Now of course I could just put nmk004.zip in my ROMs folder, but then EmulationStation will be an ugly mess with hundreds of things in its lists that aren't games. So my point/question is: can I shove all the BIOS files somewhere that Retroarch will find them for loading things, but won't display them?

(I already tried /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame, /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame2003 etc, does nothing.)

Or am I going to have to individually micro-manage thousands of ROM files for the rest of my life?

(This stuff drives me nuts. The other most irritating aspect of "split" sets is that if you want a particular version of, say, Pac-Man that isn't the "master" one, then the split and merged sets are BOTH essentially worthless. You have to patch it together yourself from all the pieces. And all to save about 20K in memory space/bandwidth.)

JimmyFromTheBay

@JimmyFromTheBay Doh, put this in the wrong section cos I'm too grumpy and it's too late to delete, can someone move it please? redface

mitu

EmulationStation already hides the known BIOS rom files from MAME/FBNEO, for the systems marked as arcade system. Do you have an example where hiding doesn't work ?

YFZdude

@JimmyFromTheBay
Well you can always look for a full nonmerged romset so one zip file = one game with no missing files.

But I will say that is harder to find if you are using current mame / fbneo romsets since no one wants to upload that much data every few weeks. In that case it is worth considering using clrmamepro. I have a working folder set up on my desktop and when I want to update my romset I can download the .dat file and scan for changes or missing items. Then download the smaller split files I need, dump them in the working folder and have it straighten things out for me so I end up with a nonmerged set outcome.

JimmyFromTheBay

@YFZdude said in Handling the infinite tedium of split ROM sets:

@JimmyFromTheBay
Well you can always look for a full nonmerged romset so one zip file = one game with no missing files.

But I will say that is harder to find if you are using current mame / fbneo romsets since no one wants to upload that much data every few weeks.

Yeah, theremoved MAME2003 reference set is a lovely proper one, but everything more recent seems to be a trainwreck. And sadly ClrMAMEPro makes my brain explode.

sleve_mcdichael

@JimmyFromTheBay said in Handling the infinite tedium of split ROM sets:

Yeah, the [REDACTED] MAME2003 reference set is a lovely proper one,

I don't think you're supposed to say even that much. Rule 3 and all...

mitu

.. Yeah, the [site removed] MAME2003 reference set..

@sleve_mcdichael is right. @JimmyFromTheBay can you please don't mention ROM sites, even if it's the archived one ?

Folly

@JimmyFromTheBay said in Handling the infinite tedium of split ROM sets:

I already tried /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

Just an alternative for you.
I am surprised you never tried this :
If you install the arcade category from the add-mamedev-systems.sh script the rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame will be added in the loader lines for lr-mame and mame.
(only in the loader lines created by this script, I have to mention)
So then the less important roms can be placed in :
/home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame

Just have a try !