How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles
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@AndersHP I mean that you need a set newer than 0.78 to reliably generate a 0.78 set from it. So I used a 0.111 set to generate a 0.78 set. It would present a problem (probably) if I tried to generate a 0.111 set from the 0.78 set. I followed the video on the wiki page and it works every time.
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@AndersHP
I posted this around here a while ago, hopefully it will help. It runs on the pi, it may run on a Mac as well though I don't know if the 7z util is installed on a Mac by default.If you want to automatically pull North American files from a large zip bundle, first unzip the bundle into a directory. The result will be a directory filled with 7z files. If running on the pi, as opposed to a linux workstation, you will need to install 7z utilities for the next step with:
sudo apt-get install p7zip-full
Now, change to the directory with the 7z files and run the following command:
while read line; do i=$(7z l "$line" | egrep '\((W|U|UE|JU|JUE)\)( \([^\)]*\))?( \[!\])?\.[^\.]*$' | tail -1 | sed -e 's/^.* \(.*\)$/\1/g'); if [ -n "$i" ] ; then echo "Extracting $i from $line"; 7z e "$line" "$i"; fi; done < <(ls -1 *.7z)
This takes a while to run on a PC (10-20 min) and will take longer on a pi, but the end result is the extraction of all North American from the 7z files with very little manual work. After this just move the extracted files to the rom directory and you should be set. Using the totally made up file extension, .nes, the command would look something like this:
mv *.nes <rom folder>Note: If you want something special, like an English translation of a Japanese only game, you'll have to manually extract.
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@rbaker said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
@AndersHP I mean that you need a set newer than 0.78 to reliably generate a 0.78 set from it.
Why is this?
I don't think I really grasp the differences yet.
I thought a .78 set was about the roms versions, and as soon as I used something newer than this, the Pi would struggle or be incompatible.Do you recommend the .78 Lite Dat file for the .111 romset then? And everything pretty much works? Because the .111 is not even mentioned here https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/MAME#advancemame-1.4
Also, what video? Sorry for all the answers..
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@AndersHP Well over time, as each new set come out, the roms change. Some may change, some may not change. Each emulator needs a specific set of roms, e.g. 0.78 is needed for lr-mame2003. Now if you pick a dat file that allows you to generate a 0.78 set, you really need to run it on a full set of more recent roms than 0.78 as the dat file will be looking for all the roms needed to put together a 0.78 set from the set you have selected. If you pick a set less than 0.78 then it is unlikely to have all the necessary files needed to correctly build the 0.78 set. This is because 0.78 didn't exist when the lesser set was created.
and as soon as I used something newer than this, the Pi would struggle or be incompatible.
You would use newer rom sets with lr-mame2010 or advmame. You cannot use newer roms with lr-mame2003. Have a read of this:
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/2859/how-to-use-mame-with-retropie-help-guide/Once you have, the next place to go is:
is to the video.There is no question that it can be confusing but it is actually an exact science when you get what is going on.
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@rbaker Thanks for the links. I read them, but still:
I read everywhere, including the first sticky you link to, that for RetroPie users, mame2003 0.78 is preferred, as well as FBA.
Sorry if I'm being pedantic here, but if I use a 0.111 romset to generate my 0.78 romset, and have to use lr-mame2010 (which Github states as "experimental") or advmame to run it, how is it still the recommended 0.78 mame2003 solution?
Or let me rephrase; do you know why mame2003 0.78 is recommended if you made a fully working romset for a 0.111 romset playing on lr-mame2010, using the 0.78 dat file?
Also; if we're straying from the recommendations of the 2003 romsets, then why not go all-in and use something newer that 0.111?
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@AndersHP You have got completely confused. You cannot use a 0.78 set on lr-mame2010. You do not have to use lr-mame2010. You are simply using a newer set of roms and a dat file for 0.78 to generate a 0.78 set that can be used in lr-mame2003. I use lr-mame2003. I use a 0.78 set that I created myself by applying the 0.78 dat file to a full set of 0.111 mame roms in Crlrmamepro.
So (0.111 set + 0.78 Dat lite)+Clrmamepro = 0.78 set for use in lr-mame2003.
So in an attempt to unpick your confusion:
I read everywhere, including the first sticky you link to, that for RetroPie users, mame2003 0.78 is preferred
I agree and use it.
but if I use a 0.111 romset to generate my 0.78 romset
Yes, you can use a 0.111 romset or any other set that is verifed as being > 0.78 to generate a full 0.78 set.
and have to use lr-mame2010
This is the line that confuses me most. Why do you think that you now need to use this emulator?
do you know why mame2003 0.78 is recommended if you made a fully working romset for a 0.111 romset playing on lr-mame2010, using the 0.78 dat file?
Now i'm in trouble. I have not "made a fully working romset for a 0.111 romset playing on lr-mame2010" - this line makes no sense to me. I have taken a set of roms verified to be 0.111. I have applied the 0.78 dat file to the set using clrmamepro. Once complete, I have a folder on my desktop which now contains a 0.78 set that i can now use in lr-mame2003.
if we're straying from the recommendations of the 2003 romsets
We are not. I use the 0.78 2003 romsets. I just happened to have a 0.111 set in full. No need to go searching for a 0.78 set when the dat file allows you to generate any set of your choice.
I hope that is a bit clearer?
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Sorry for the confusion.
@rbaker said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
You would use newer rom sets with lr-mame2010 or advmame. You cannot use newer roms with lr-mame2003.
In my mind, a 0.111 romset is newer than 0.78, so that's what I gathered from what you wrote.
Damn, communication can be hard!So what you say is that it's the DAT file that makes the romset version?
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@AndersHP said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
In my mind, a 0.111 romset is newer than 0.78
It is newer, that is my point. What do you mean? You use it to create an older set by using the dat file. That is the purpose of the dat files. At this point I am thinking that you might not understand that some rom files in a set never change over the years but some do. Just because it is a newer set, doesn't mean that you somehow create a newer "0.78" that requires some newer emulator.
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So what you say is that it's the DAT file that makes the romset version?
Yes, you pick a dat file and so long as you have a newer reference set than the one you want, you can use clrmamepro to generate it.
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@rbaker OK, so why use a 0.111 romset? I should just use my brand new FBA 0.2.97.39 romset with the 0.78 DAT file?
There's no reason for anyone to download other than the latest MAME romsets, as long as the DAT files of all the different romsets are available?
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@AndersHP said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
so why use a 0.111 romset?
I already said that I just happend to have it.
There's no reason for anyone to download other than the latest MAME romsets
Well it's massive. Huge. Much better to download a verified 0.78 set if you have no sets. Some people are not comfortable with clrmame pro. My point is that before I started the download of a 0.78 reference set, I decided to grab the dat file and follow the video. It worked for me. So now, no need to grab the 0.78 set.
I should just use my brand new FBA 0.2.97.39 romset
No because it's FBA, not MAME. I have downloaded that set for use with FBA, in particular Neo-geo and CPS. Yes, there are similarities but MAME supports some games that FBA doesn't and vice versa. It could work but it might not. I certainly wouldn't spend time trying that.
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@rbaker OK, thanks for the clarifications. I will continue what I'm doing, and consider getting a newer set if many ROMS don't work, and still use the 0.78 Lite DAT. So far I've not tested that much but everything has worked, actually. But essentially, the newer, the greater chance of bugfixes or something like that, right? Even though I'm using the 0.78 DAT.
On another note: are you saying that all of your MAME games work? Even those in the compatibility lists on Github that's marked with red? Or have you not tested these?
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if you wanted to downgrade a newer or current mame romset to an ancient mame romset (like mame 0.78) then it probably will give poor results unless you also have the corresponding downgrade pack (or whatever they're called). 13 years or mame changes make things tricky.
IMO if you're rebuilding romsets then you have already messed up. just download the right set. they're very available.
(unless like @rbaker you happen to have a close set like 0.111, then you're maybe ok)
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@dankcushions said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
IMO if you're rebuilding romsets then you have already messed up. just download the right set. they're very available.
(unless like @rbaker you happen to have a close set like 0.111, then you're maybe ok)
@rbaker said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
you need a set newer than 0.78 to reliably generate a 0.78 set from it.
So..... ... ? I'll just stick with my initial plan, I guess...
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@AndersHP said in How do you organise romsets? MAME and (in particular) consoles:
you need a set newer than 0.78 to reliably generate a 0.78 set from it.
My knowledge stops with the tutorial video. The commentary from @herb_fargus was helpful in suggesting this.
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