Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone

[Folly]

Update :

The database and the add-mamedev-systems.sh are updated to match mame0252.

I also added a W.I.P. version called mamedev.sh.
This version differs from the add-mamedev-systems.sh.
Rather then generating and installing the generated module-scripts like add-mamedev-systems.sh does,
mamedev.sh will install systems directly without generating and installing module-scripts.
This script is also cleaned up a bit and installing a system works faster.
However, since this version doesn't generated module-scripts,
systems can't be removed by selecting the module-script from the experimental packages.
That's why it's a W.I.P. (Work In Progress) version.
So keep in mind, removing a system has to be done manually.

Without interfering each-other both versions can be added in :
/home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/ext/RetroPie-Share/scriptmodules/supplementary

For the mamedev.sh script you can use the same install procedure as mentioned in post 1.
Just used the name mamedev.sh instead.

[Folly]

Hi @DTEAM,

How is it going, everything ok ?

Today I installed channelf and noticed that there is no media when downloading the gamelist for channelf.

Is it gone or has it never been added ?

I also found that the games are not properly sorted in emulationstation.
I would like to change the range Videocart-1 - Videocart-9 to :
Videocart-01 - Videocart-09
Adding the zero makes sure that the games are properly sorted in the list of emulationstation.

[DTEAM]

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

Today I installed channelf and noticed that there is no media when downloading the gamelist for channelf.
Is it gone or has it never been added ?

I deleted it because it's now available on Screenscraper and the result is better with that site. Sorry, I forgot to mention it.

New Edit: Maybe I added some missing videos. If it's the case, I'll put those media on the drive

[Folly]

@DTEAM

I tested channelf with retroscraper and the result was very good.
So I agree, we don't need the predefined gamelist anymore.

I suggest removing the whole directory channelf so there is no misunderstanding about whether there is or isn't a full gamelist+media set.

Do you agree ?

[DTEAM]

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

Do you agree ?

Yes

[DTEAM]

@Folly

MAME 0.253 is released

https://www.mamedev.org/?p=523

No tsimquest and tmegaman3

New classich = Bandai Race Time

[Folly]

@DTEAM said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

No tsimquest and tmegaman3

Very strange that they are still not added.

New classich = Bandai Race Time

I will update the database when https://www.progettosnaps.net/ is updated. Curious if "Bandai Race Time" is added when I do an update on the classich.ini.

Btw did you try the nabupc of 0.252.
I did, but you have to run a server program locally.

[DTEAM]

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

Btw did you try the nabupc of 0.252.

Not yet

[Folly]

@DTEAM

Is it something for making a thread ?

[DTEAM]

@Folly said in Development of module-script generator for lr-mess, lr-mame and mame standalone:

Is it something for making a thread ?

Yes or on Old Computer Appreciation Thread

[Folly]

Update to mame0253.00 :

• racetime manually added in classic.ini and good.ini
• database mame0253_systems_sorted_info added
• update scripts add-mamedev-systems.sh and mamedev.sh

[DTEAM]

@Folly

Race Time is now on the gamelist.xml
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1R01U_4xjpBLMYn1FjdhFWFCJnGxHCac6

[Folly]

@DTEAM

Did you also find some artwork ?

[DTEAM]

@Folly
I created a video and put a picture of the original box, Nothing fancy.

[DTEAM]

@Folly

MAME 0.254 released

For now I see 2 new classich games:

Galaxian (Bandai)
Bandai Gunfighter

[Folly]

253.03 :
Change the way the retroscraper-remote dependencies are checked and installed :

• checking and installing is done when the retroscraper line is selected (so no check, in the beginning anymore, when starting the mamedev.sh modulescript)
• except for pip, all others python modules are checked and installed with fixed versions (which makes it faster and easier)
• speed is improved by sending "pip list" to a variable which is used in the for loop
• using the variable increases the speed about 10 seconds on a pi4 (from about 18 seconds to about 8 seconds)
• update all retroscraper python module dependencies to the latest versions

253.04 :

• add proper detection for system astrocde (Bally Professional Arcade)

[Folly]

@DTEAM

Hi,
I decided to wait with updating the script to 0254.
This because it takes quite a lot of time and I also noticed that the binaries of lr-mame and lr-mess are still on 0.251.
I think updating is better when also lr-mame and lr-mess more in sync or at least more up to date.
For now I want to use the time to improve some stuff if I can.

Nevertheless if someone already runs standalone mame 0.254 the Galaxian (Bandai) and Bandai Gunfighter can be added in the proper folder and can be played.

Discussions of moving lr-mame and lr-mess to 0254 :

• https://github.com/libretro/mame/issues/349
• https://github.com/libretro/mame/issues/352

[Folly]

EDIT :
The scripts can be found here.

• first issue has been fixed in this commit
• change test versions to 253.07
  • test versions can now update itself using 00-workdir-00
  • moved TEST scripts to 00-workdir-00/supplementary/
  • fix github download function for ubuntu 22.04 using a different string variable which fixes downloading retroarch joypad autoconfigs
  • Mark them as TEST versions
• change test versions to 253.08
  • add sha1sum of updated runcommand.sh which improves adding %SOFTLIST% variable in runcommand
• for more improvements see here

---

@DTEAM

I have been busy for 3 days now and I am about ready to share a major update.
I made quite some changes in the runcommand loaders, adding new replace tokens to improve many things.
The standard %ROM$ and %BASENAME% are such replace tokens.

I added :

• %ROMDIR%
  The "%ROMDIR% token" that can be used to add the rompath in a runcommand.
  When using a runcommand using %BASENAME$, the rom can always be found, even in a sub-directory. This also makes it possible to categorise roms in different folders within a roms directory.

• %DQUOTE% :
  Though the "%ROMDIR% token" does not have double quoting.
  Why? Because lr-mame and lr-mess can't cope with it.
  For this reason the "%DQUOTE% token" is added.
  The "%DQUOTE% token" can be placed in other places to get the runcommand working especially when using subdirectories that have spaces in them.
  For MAME standalone this will work :
  -rompath /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame;%DQUOTE%%ROMDIR%%DQUOTE%
  For lr-mame and lr-mess this will work :
  -rompath %DQUOTE%/home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame;%ROMDIR%/%DQUOTE%
  All other attempts to add double quotes to runcommands in a different way failed so using the "%DQUOTE% token" seems to only way to go.

• %CLEANBASENAME% :
  The "%CLEANBASENAME% token" is needed for creating a proper per game config directory so mame system configs can be created per game.
  For MAME standalone this would not be necessary but lr-mame and lr-mess can't cope with spaces and double quotes in the wrong places.
  Therefor the "%CLEANBASENAME% token" can be used which removes all spaces and special characters and is without any double quotes.
  The "%CLEANBASENAME% token" could also be used to make a clean savestate file.

• %SOFTLIST% :
  The "%SOFTLIST% token" is needed to force proper softlist loading.
  For example pacmania is in msx1_cass and in msx2_cart.
  If one loads a game with a basename loader, for example pacmania, which comes from msx2_cart, then normally the the soflist msx1_cass has priority over msx2_cart.
  So mame thinks it's pacmania from msx1_cass but it is actually pacmania from msx2_cart.
  To fix this issue we need to force the correct softlist before the "%BASENAME% token".
  The %SOFTLIST% token is the last folder name where the rom is in plus an extra => :.
  For pacmania we will have to place it in the folder "msx2_cart".
  In the loader you will see it as %SOFTLIST%%BASENAME%, eventually for pacmania it will look like this "msx2_cart:pacmania".
  If the rom is in a rompath without => _ then the "%SOFTLIST% token" will be empty and mame will guess the correct softlist.
  If "%SOFTLIST% token" gets a value for some reason, because a _ char is in the path, then mame will refuse to load the game.
  A check in the runcommand.log will reveal the issue.
  ( although it's an improvement, for example, msx1_bee_card softlist will not benefit from it, as it needs the beepack inserted as a slot. So softlists that need slot options will still not work with the regular basename loaders )

To be able to use these tokens they have to be in the runcommand.sh script.
My new scripts are able to add that runcommand.sh.

My both scripts start now with a clean mamedev_csv array now.
Now both scripts work fine when switching from one to the other.

I also made a minor change to the run_mess.sh script to accommodate spaces in the rompath.

Perhaps I forgot something will look at that later.

I would like to discuss the new stuff before I commit because it's quite a change and testing needs to be done.

What do you think about the changes and the testing ?

[Folly]

@Ashpool

You are welcome to join in and test the new scripts.

[Ashpool]

@Folly Well, I am just creating a fresh ubuntu vm to get a "fresh" base... on the raspi install I tried it on (manual retropie install over raspberry legacy os), 1st thing i noticed/came into trouble was the Game and Watch Setup. The Script (still) lists mame/lr-mess/lr-gw, and this post of yours sounded that mame/lr-mess are still usable, but the es_systems.cfg just lists .mgw|.MGW as extensions and only lr.gw is available as an emulator from within the runcommand menu.
But that OS "install" has become a mess in recent time and i am just waiting for an excuse to dump it in favour of bullseye 64bit (as that install wasn't really meant to incorporate retropie at 1st, retropie not supporting that ain't really a drawback here), so it may be a "just on my system"-case and not a fault from your script.