Question about MAME ROMs naming conventions

[Cynicaster]

Hi all:

I’m fairly new to MAME, so please forgive me if this is a stupid question. 

I’m wondering—what is the deal with games that have multiple instances in the game list?  For all games that have this, they appear to be either different “sets”, “versions”, or “revisions”.   

What differentiates set 1, set 2, set 3, etc?

What differentiates version 1, version 2, etc?

What differentiates revision 1.2a, revision 1.4b, etc?

Specifically, do these refer to ROM dumps of different physical hardware configurations, or are they simply revisions in the emulation of a single set of physical hardware?  Can anybody clarify?

[boardjunkie]

Most of the time its just a revision. When players got too good at a certain software version, the mfgr would make alternate roms available to distributors that would change up gameplay a bit so players couldn't use their "old tricks" to play forever on a single credit. Pacman had several revision rom swaps available.

It can also be due to a bug in software that was corrected. These were usually made available to operators who purchased the game at no charge since it was the mfgr's problem.

Then there is the unofficial hacks that came on the market from companies such as General Computer. These were commonly advertised in amusement publications like Star Tech Journal and Replay. There was several available for Missile Command, Asteroids, Galaxian, Pacman, etc. Some were just speed-ups, some changed gameplay more drastically.

[Paul Olson]

Revisions are updates released by the manufacturer. You will probably want the latest one to get new features or bug fixes. Sets are numbered in the reverse order. Set 1 is the original game, or the one that is most commonly used. For example, dkong Set 1 is not the original version, but is the updated version that doesn't allow you to sit safely on the ladders. This is considered to be the "real version", so it is labelled as Set 1. The original is Set 2, I think.

These numbers change often as different versions are found. A lot of the Set 2, Set 3, etc are bootlegs.

[Cynicaster]

So, if I understand you guys correctly, they all correspond to different versions of code that at one time or another were in circulation.  Ok, that's the main thing I was wondering about; I thought maybe there were cases where the revisions corresponded to tweaks in the emulation, and not the actual code itself. 

So, where there are multiple sets for a given game, I should typically play "set 1" if I want to play the "real" version (or at least, the version most widely accepted as "real")?

 

[boardjunkie]

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. They're all "real" if a revision of the same game. So play the one you like best....
The aftermarket hacks are usually under a different name, IE Super Missile Attack for the Missile Command one.

[newmanfamilyvlogs]

So, if I understand you guys correctly, they all correspond to different versions of code that at one time or another were in circulation.  Ok, that's the main thing I was wondering about; I thought maybe there were cases where the revisions corresponded to tweaks in the emulation, and not the actual code itself. 

So, where there are multiple sets for a given game, I should typically play "set 1" if I want to play the "real" version (or at least, the version most widely accepted as "real")?

 

The contents roms themselves will never be modified as part of the emulation. What does occasionally happen is filenames are changed to more accurately reflect how the chip they represent was labeled on the board. Also new chips are occasionally dumped, or old chips re-dumped if the old one was wrong.

The naming of these files and what's expected to be in them are what is updated between mame versions.

[Paul Olson]

So, if I understand you guys correctly, they all correspond to different versions of code that at one time or another were in circulation.  Ok, that's the main thing I was wondering about; I thought maybe there were cases where the revisions corresponded to tweaks in the emulation, and not the actual code itself. 

So, where there are multiple sets for a given game, I should typically play "set 1" if I want to play the "real" version (or at least, the version most widely accepted as "real")?

 

My general rule is to use Set 1 and the latest Rev.