Linux Mint Gnome MAME

[Goochman]

So I wanted to setup a Linux box to run MAME. I have an older AMD dual core CPU which runs WinMame just fine - I figured with Linux lower overhead it should be no problem........

 

I have a few issues I was hoping folks could help with - I installed MAME 0.158 with the Gnome frontend.

 

1. I have an Arcade controller which doesnt map 100% to the default Linux mame settings (its KEYPD8 for Up vs UP). I know how to change this while in game but cant seem to find where I can modify my keyboard settings universally.

 

2. MAME seems to be running about 90-95% of speed - is there something that can be set for this to run faster? GNOME has like no tuning parameters to look at. SOund is a bit choppy due to speed issue.

 

3. The cabinets are not displaying properly on the screen

 

any help appreciated.

[fujidude]

Try using MAME (the latest onmes in the Mint repositrory are actually SDL MAME) and use QM2C as your front end. I just set that up on a Mint 17.1 core i5 laptop and it works good.

[Goochman]

Im a bit of a Linux newbie - I saw SDLMame mentioned somewhere else but dont know where to get/install it. I went to the SDL installer but SDLMame was not listed when I searched for it.

Edited February 6, 2015 by Goochman

[omegadot]

I used mint, wahcade, mame with an xarcade and it's pretty flawless.

[fujidude]

Im a bit of a Linux newbie - I saw SDLMame mentioned somewhere else but dont know where to get/install it. I went to the SDL installer but SDLMame was not listed when I searched for it.

SDL MAME is no more because MAME itself has become an SDL app. In other words the SDL MAME fork remerged with the MAME project. So just get the lates or fairly recent MAME. The MAME in the standard Mint repo is SDL enabled already.

[fujidude]

I used mint, wahcade, mame with an xarcade and it's pretty flawless.

 

I ran across wahcade, but after researching a fair amount went with QM2C. There certainly are a few MAME front ends out there.

[omegadot]

 

I ran across wahcade, but after researching a fair amount went with QM2C. There certainly are a few MAME front ends out there.

 

It's an ok front end. I'd probably swap it if I wasn't lazy. It does just sort work, though.

[Goochman]

Thanks for the replies - let me see if I cant provide a bit more detail on my problem.

 

I downloaded MAME and unzipped it, but that came with a MAKE file and it didnt run/build so after googling I found 2 options:

 

1. Find SDLMame under the Synaptic Manager and install it - SDLMame was not available in the Synaptic Manger but I guess thats due to it becoming core as mentioned above

 

2. I saw this posted : "sudo apt-get install mame gnome-video-arcade" - this installed the version of MAME I have but the GNOME frontend doesnt allow for any real option changes and doesnt support my HotRod controller board. Any changes I make to keyboard mappings are not saved.

 

Being a Linux newbie Im a bit baffled on what to do here. I do have MAME installed - I can run MAME without GNOME but it also doesnt appear to want to save any keyboard mapping changes I make.

 

Since MAME is installed and I can run a game how easy is it to install wahcade or QM2C? Will they find my MAME install automatically? Do both of them allow a # of CONFIG changes through their frontend which carry through when running a ROM?

[Goochman]

Im putting this in a separate message since I think this is the problem I have with slowness/studdering audio. Can someone clue me into where I would find/change this library so MAME uses the alternate one for sound? I am clearly having this problem. I have an older CPU but under windows games like MsPacMan run just fine under MAME - I would think any version of Linux MAME should perform better than Windows Vista.

 

"I know this may sound weird, but there are good chances you've problem with PulseAudio. Yes, even for slowness and crashes. Enable the universe repository (I guess you already have if you're playing with MAME), replace any installed package named libsdl1.2debian-* with the libsdl1.2debian-pulseaudio package.

I've been reported that sometimes you have to install libsdl1.2debian-all instead of libsdl1.2debian-pulseaudio. Sound should appear next time you run MAME (thanks to Philippe Paget). Try both and see what works best for you."

[omegadot]

So for mapping I just launched mame by just typing mame into the termainal then used my keyboard + control deck deal to set the bindings manually. It was a little funky since partway through you'll lose some bindings to the stick and have to sorta go between each for input. I know nothing of your controls, so I'm not sure if what I did would work for you.

[Goochman]

I think IM going to give up on this project - I can get my way around Linux but I figured this should be pretty simple........I uninstalled the Gnome MAME install and found a nice page with the QM2C frontend/installer.

 

It suggested installing a modified version of MAME and provided a link - did that no problem. It had me run a bunch of commands Im not familiar with but all was good. I then went to install the QM2C piece and it came up with "packge install/not found" type errors which I have no idea how to fix.

 

On the bright side the version of MAME that installed ran MsPacMan ok so maybe the audio lib fix was included. It also saved my joystick mappings for direction but for some silly reason didnt save my change for "quarter".........

 

I also have no idea where all the MAME files were put. In the "games" folder there is the launcher for MAME, in the usr/local/..../MAME folder I can find the roms, cabinet, etc... folders. I cannot however find a folder with any of the MAME configuration files.........MAME also doesnt use the cabinet pics for some reason.

 

The HotRod controller board I have maps to the original MAME layout. The biggest change that happened years ago was the Quarter Insert key was moved from "3" to "5" - otherwise its about 99% the same as an XArcade. Its not on the Windows frontends they have various keyboard mappings already defined so you dont have to mess with mappings.

 

I tried wahcade frontend but it didnt default to my MAME install - it had all the directories mapped to places which didnt exist (some "emulation" folder branch) - even modifying the values produced nothing. It also didnt appear to have any option switches from what I could tell .

Edited February 9, 2015 by Goochman

[Goochman]

I took another crack at this and found another website that had a normal/simple install command for QMC2 - this frontend is what I was looking for. It surfaces alot of the options needed to play. Im trying to use my HotRod.cfg keyboard file with this but its not taking it for some reason. Not enough time to play with it today. Sound is still off but it works.

 

baby steps............

[omegadot]

For linux, configuration or really any user files, will usually be in your home directory with a period before then to cause them to be hidden by default. mame would put it's stuff in a .mame folder. If you type "which mame" it should tell you where the executable lives. I did find that some versions of wahcade didn't let you know if you closed the wahcade-setup without saving. But yeah, I usually find Linux emulation to be a slow dance where I occasionally didn't know all the moves. I'm used linux personally and professionally for like 15 years now or something so it's all in stride for me at this point but I usually don't recommend it.

 

Then there's the fact that these projects tend to get abandoned a lot.

Edited February 9, 2015 by omegadot

[fujidude]

In the specifics of the OP's situation (Mint, recent MAME install etc.), the MAME executable can be found in:

 

/usr/games/

 

The executable is called simply "mame"

 

If you want to make a ini file for it to use, the best place is in each users own home directory. Simply execute mame with a -cc switch to create a ini file in the home folder. Keep in mind, if you use a front end to mame, such as QMC2, you really don't need to create a ini file. The front end takes care of launching mame with the configuration you want. You use the front end software to set up what you want.

 

ROMS etc should be stored in:

 

/usr/share/games/mame/

 

I didn't make that location up. That is one of the default places the mame .ini file will check (besides ~/.mame/ ). There is no disadvantage to storing the stuff in the common directory for a single account, but there is the advantage if more than one account wishes to use them. So I suggest that spot.

[Goochman]

Thanks fujidude - If I can get the keyboard straightened out I think Ill be ok - QMC2 handles everything like WinMAME config wise. I loaded all the cabinet files and such but they arent displaying. Hopefully Ill get some time to play around and get everything running.

 

Id rather run this from Linux vs Windows Vista since its a 100% MAME cabinet and my family tries to use it when I am not home. With Vista you sometimes never know what will happen during boot time.

[fujidude]

Glad I can help Goochman. Besides your reservations about Win Vista, I find the no cost Linux to be more attractive with it's open architecture etc. No need to waste a Windows license unless running Windows software is a requirement (and WINE can't handle it well).