Mame2003 (0.78) - which folder do ROMs go?

groviar

I'm new with Retropie and just getting started. I'm trying to set up several emulators including MAME. For MAME I already have the MAME2003 reference set (0.78) from READ THE FORUM RULES!. I understand MAME2003 strikes a good balance for MAME and Retropie. So where do I copy the roms into? Do I copy the .zip files over to retropie\roms\arcade? Or is it recommended they go somewhere else? It seems there are a couple places the roms can go for MAME so I'm a bit confused on this. What's the recommended way for ease of use?

Also, do I need to worry about the samples folder that came in the reference set?

And do the CHDs work or do I leave them out?

My specs:

Pi Model or other hardware: Raspberry Pi 3 model B
Power Supply used: CanaKit 5V 2.5A Raspberry Pi 3 Power Supply / Adapter / Charger (UL Listed)
RetroPie Version: 4.1
Built From: Pre made SD Image on RetroPie website
USB Devices connected:
Controller used: Xbox One

BuZz

@groviar

Please do not post a support request without first reading and following the advice in https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/3/read-this-first

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/MAME/
https://retropie.org.uk/docs/lr-mame2003/

groviar

So what did I do wrong? I have looked at those pages which is why I'm asking in here. I'm confused as to which folder is recommended to place the roms. There can be a couple different folders that people use it seems.

BuZz

@groviar

You didn't provide any information that is requested when posting. The directories are documented.

mame-libretro or arcade as it details in the docs. Either - all arcade emulators are available from the arcade folder. only the libretro ones (excluding lr-mame2000) are available for the mame-libretro folder. There is no recommended - it depends on how you want to organise stuff.

lr-mame2003 docs page mentions the samples etc. needed for some old games.

groviar

I appreciate the help. I still don't know what I did wrong since it was a basic question and it didn't seem to require any additional information. I asked because there seems to be some debate on which is the better place to put them. As a newbie to Retropie, I wanted to see what is recommended for ease of use without over-complicating things. If I just want to run my MAME2003 roms, is arcade the better folder to use?

Ah, I see you expanded a bit to your post. Thank you. For ease of use without having to select the right emulator each time I click a ROM, is the arcade folder better?

BuZz

@groviar it makes no difference - apart from the logo in emulationstation if you have a single rom set.

Regarding what information is required, how do you know what information we need and what we don't? Especially when it comes to things like Mame as the advice may be different depending on what hardware you are running on. Also what version of RetroPie. We ask for people to please read / fill out the information - it often is needed to advise.

groviar

Okay, my fault for not listing my specs. I'll add it to my first post.

I missed the samples section of the lr-mame2003 docs page. So that answers that question. From what I understand the hardware doesn't have the processing power to handle the CHDs so I'll leave them out. I guess I'll just use the arcade folder for now and see how it goes.

groviar

One other thing - do I need to create a "mame2003" subfolder in the arcade folder for my ROMs?

/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/mame2003

It lists it like this in the doc page. Or do I just put the zipped ROMs directly into the arcade folder?

EDIT: Nevermind, I think I've got it figured out. Looking deeper into the GitHub page I see it lists the correct folders for my version of MAME, so I'll go with those as it seems to make the most sense:

Roms Dir: /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/mame-libretro
Samples Dir: /home/pi/RetroPie/BIOS/mame2003/samples/
Binary Dir: /opt/retropie/libretrocores/lr-mame2003
Config Dir: /opt/retropie/configs/mame-libretro/retroarch.cfg

Thanks again.

caver01

Most of us who use ARCADE do so because multiple versions of MAME and FBA befuddles users who don't know or care about the difference. For example, I use lr-mame2003 for most games, but vector games I use AdvanceMAME., and NeoGeo I use FBA. So, I show my system to a friend who is non technical, and he wants to play Joust. Great. Use MAME. Next, he wants to play Asteroids, but it is not in the list. Where is it? Oh, that's in a different MAME. What? Why? Now let's play Metal Slug. FBA? What is FBA?

You see, I would need to explain the technical reasons behind the use of different emulators to someone who doesn't know or care. I may have my titles memorized as to what emulators they use, but he will have to hunt through three lists to find what he wants to play without any clue as to why.

Solution: Arcade. By putting everything into Arcade, I can setup which emulator gets used to launch each game with the RUNCOMMAND. I can mix zip files from different romsets together (of course I need to keep track of them in a spreadsheet or something) so they work with the emulator I want, but the whole list will be under one group in Emulation Station. That's the beauty of Arcade. The user can find and launch them all and does not know or need to know which emulator I have configured to launch each ROM. Sure, it's harder for me to setup and keep everything straight, but it is easier for users who don't need to know the details.

I suggest setting up separately first. If everything works under one emulator to your satisfaction, great. No need to change anything. But if you end up trying different versions of MAME (and corresponding ROM versions) because you like ehow one runs better than another, you might consider moving everything into Arcade once you have them working.

zer0star

Seemed like a very valid question to me. It's 2020 now and those pages can still be confusing to new users.

dankcushions

@zer0star it states where to put the roms here: https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/wiki/Arcade#step-3-transfer-roms-to-raspberry-pi - i don't know a better way of wording it.

nda246

@dankcushions younguys are condescending assholes. Those pages may make since to you but for people that aren't tech savy it doesnt. They know how to read they just dont know.what it means. I can read the word filofel but if I dont know what it is or means the fact I can read it doesnt matter. His question was perfectly fine
Some people pit in arcade folder amd assign emulators some put in specific emulator folders. How hard would it have been just to answer his question? The arrogance and condescension of some of you tech people is rediculous. I get a lot of help from some great people on other forums. But you assholes must limit to github amd say read and then flame for asking questions. Fuck this forum.

nda246

@dankcushions cause your jerk ifnyou cant help domt comment. Everyone reads thos github pages. They are extremely vague to people without computer knowledge. But hey if flaming new guys makes you feel smart go for it. You wont have a forum long.