MAME 0.164 - Further 7800 Emulation Accuracy

[Trebor]

Thanks, that would be great, interested as to how well Mame emulates the 7800.

 

Just wondering if there is a chance of a 5200 setup aswell? or could i just change the bios file and edit the files all to 5200 rather then 7800?

 

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend 5200 emulation under MAME. It is in pretty bad shape. Despite POKEY sound emulation being most outstanding, a vast number of games have graphical issues. The ANTIC/GTIA emulation needs a serious overhaul. It was broken many moons ago.

 

Kat5200 and Altirra are excellent choices for experiencing the 5200. They couple solid emulation of the hardware with many bells and whistles.

[+TwentySixHundred]

No worries thanks i will have to have a look

[Trebor]

Just place the attached in the folder named "roms" - do not unzip - leave as is: a7800.zip

[+TwentySixHundred]

Just place the attached in the folder named "roms" - do not unzip - leave as is: a7800.zip

Thanks but still got the same issue, it's kind of got me scratching my head wondering why it wont recognize the 7800 BIOS.

[Trebor]

It appears the internal software list is being accessed which requires the expected matching CRC32 ROM file to be placed inside the software/a7800 folder.

 

Navigating to where the actual game ROMs are stored through File Manager instead, and selecting the ROM image accordingly, is what needs to be done. It will appear in the screen being view listing the actual file names and not an internal software list. A list of games with some grayed out will not be seen; rather, it only lists the ROMs present with their respective filename.

 

 

Presuming what's being preformed to initial the latest MAME release (v0.183), is just double clicking "mame.exe" or "mame64.exe", and none of the shortcuts are being utilized from the opening post:

1. Highlight "Atari 7800 (NTSC)" and press 'Enter'.

2. Highlight "[start Empty]" and press 'Enter'.

3. When/If "BIOS Selection" appears, ensure "Atari 7800" is highlighted and press 'Enter'.

4. When/If the Atari 7800 information screens appear, press any key to continue.

5. When the vertical scrolling color bars appear, press the 'Tab' key.

6. Use the arrow keys and highlight "File Manager" and press 'Enter'.

7. Navigate to the path in which the game ROMs are stored. Arrow keys move up and down the list, 'Enter' key selects and 'Esc' key backs out from selection.

*EDIT:

Noticed you're from Australia, so you may have a greater interest in utilizing "Atari 7800 (PAL)" for step 1. Instead of the vertical scrolling color bars, Asteroids will be running, respecting step 5.

Ensure in addition to the a7800 NTSC BIOS file archive, the a7800p.zip BIOS ROM archive is also placed under the "roms" folder. Attached here: a7800p.zip

Covering all bases, download the 7800 ROM PROPack for game ROMs containing accurate headers, including proper configuration assignments.

[+TwentySixHundred]

Ah thanks, starting to make some progress now however still havent managed to boot a ROM yet but so close.

 

Downloaded the ROM pack and prefer to run NTSC ROM's anyway so thats all good.

Changed the location for game ROM's and i can find them listed but fails to boot saying missing CHD's.

Following your step process has got me this far.

[Trebor]

It appears the internal software list is still being accessed, instead of the actual available ROM list. Notice the difference between the screen shots posted:

 

 

If the file extension (I.E. *.a78) is not seen and a folder path is missing from the top, with just a game name, the internal software list is being accessed.

 

From what is evident in your capture, and one way to access the internal software list, is after following step 6 and selecting "File Manager", "[software list]" is chosen next. Rather than choosing "[software list]", navigate to the path in which the ROMs are located after "File Manager" is selected, as stipulated in step 7.

[+TwentySixHundred]

It appears the internal software list is still being accessed, instead of the actual available ROM list. Notice the difference between the screen shots posted:

 

MAME_LIST_DIFF.png

 

If the file extension (I.E. *.a78) is not seen and a folder path is missing from the top, with just a game name, the internal software list is being accessed.

 

From what is evident in your capture, and one way to access the internal software list, is after following step 6 and selecting "File Manager", "[software list]" is chosen next. Rather than choosing "[software list]", navigate to the path in which the ROMs are located after "File Manager" is selected, as stipulated in step 7.

Ok got it thanks! I was expecting to have the list there on boot not realizing i have to start the 7800 bios first then navigate to the game ROMs folder. After booting the empty cart then TAB file navigation they all work. Abit different concept to other emulators i use but thats all good atleast i can find and play them now. Thanks for helping, well time to fire up some classic 7800 games, cheers