Can someone explain CHD files to me?

[ragnar]

I might get the CHD files for Dragon's Lair.  But my understanding is that Mame does not run it.  It's hard to find any definitive information about CHDs on the internet.

Reading more, it seems alot like Mame does not like CHD files at all and that Daphne is preferred for Dragon's Lair.

So, does Mame work with CHD files?  Partially?  I just have no clue really.  I would love to have Dragon's Lair working on my cab but i don't know what to do.  Are there any specific CHDs that are worth getting that do work with Mame?

If I do get CHD files, it is my understanding that you would put the zipped rom file (area51.zip) in your Roms folder.  You would then create a folder called Area51 in your Roms folder.  And inside of the Area51 folder you would put the unzipped Area51.chd file.  Do I have this part correct?

Thanks!

[fibreoptix]

Im a noob at this stuff but CHD's are basically disc drives that heavy graphic games (Like Dragons Lair) used to store the video clips. I can't remember what the C stands for but the HD is Hard Drive.

Edit: Sorry Just read your post fully. From my understanding yes Mame does support CHDs and yes that's how you would use them.

[Thenasty]

CHD = Compressed Hunks of Data

It could be FROM CD/Laser Disc like the Dragon's Lair or Hard Drives like Area51.

Putting the CHD unzipped in its ROMNAME folder will work.
Have the small ZIP in the rest of the ZIP ROMS
Like you said above, it should work.

[ragnar]

Thanks for the responses.  Very fast!

Can someone recommend CHDs to get?  Right now I am going after Killer Instinct 1 and 2.

Area 51 would be cool if I had a light gun .... hrmmm ... light gun ... hrmmm.  Nahhhh, next cab.

If you have a trackball, Simpsons bowling looks fun.  Not my scenario either.

Does Dragons Lair work with Mame?  I read that it does not.

[vorghagen]

It's not always graphics that are in CHD files, just anything that's too big to fit in the standard board memory. All the rhythm games like DDR and Beatmania have CHD files to hold all the music.
As for which CHDs to get, just go through the games you want to play on your cab - if it has a CHD, get it.

[ragnar]

It's not always graphics that are in CHD files, just anything that's too big to fit in the standard board memory. All the rhythm games like DDR and Beatmania have CHD files to hold all the music.
As for which CHDs to get, just go through the games you want to play on your cab - if it has a CHD, get it.

I didn't even know KI1 and KI2 were in the arcades.  Room mates in college lovedthat game.  I never dedicated time to get good at them though.  Now is my chance ;-)  have to get my u360 working good with fighters though.  Too touchy right now.

[Paul Olson]

Dragon's Lair is not supported in MAME. Laser Disc game support was added fairly recently, but the popular ones are not in there yet. I would guess that they are in no hurry to get those in there since Daphne works well enough to keep the masses over there. Digital Leisure is still actively selling DVDs of those games, so it is probably best for MAME to hold off for the time being.

[ragnar]

I read somewhere out there on the Internet that the makers of Dragon's Lair asked the Mame developers to not support the emulation of Dragon's Lair.  Could be true.  If so, it is nice seeing the two communities acting nicely with eachother.

[Louis Tully]

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[DCsegaDH]

Can someone recommend CHDs to get? 

If you're a Street Fighter fan, give Street Fighter III 3rd Strike a try. It's pretty fun. I lose a lot but it's still fun.


 
-L

You don't need the CHD file for SFIII, you could just get the "no cd" version like I did.

[Louis Tully]

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[DCsegaDH]

You don't need the CHD file for SFIII, you could just get the "no cd" version like I did.

  
It's a cool game either way.

Yeah, it is. I was just saying it's easier to get than searching for the CHD file on the web because I can't use torrents.

[ABACABB]

Yes, the no cd version works but it's in Japanese.  I guess even though it is in Japanese there is still a lot of English mixed in the game as well.  So there are only a few words in Japanese that you probably wouldn't understand but still, when it is just as easy to get the US version working just by donloading the CHD for the game, why not?

I believe the CHD file you need for SFIII 3rd Strike is : 865uab02.chd

[Malenko]

Yes, the no cd version works but it's in Japanese.  I guess even though it is in Japanese there is still a lot of English mixed in the game as well.  So there are only a few words in Japanese that you probably wouldn't understand but still, when it is just as easy to get the US version working just by donloading the CHD for the game, why not?

I believe the CHD file you need for SFIII 3rd Strike is : 865uab02.chd

LOVE the user name. genesis bloodcode FTW!

[DCsegaDH]

Yes, the no cd version works but it's in Japanese.  I guess even though it is in Japanese there is still a lot of English mixed in the game as well.  So there are only a few words in Japanese that you probably wouldn't understand but still, when it is just as easy to get the US version working just by donloading the CHD for the game, why not?

I believe the CHD file you need for SFIII 3rd Strike is : 865uab02.chd

Actually you're right, I'm downloading the chd right now. The USA (CHD) one is better, thanks

[scofthe7seas]

Doesn't that CHD take like 10 minutes to load on the first boot? I know that happens on some games, annoys me to death.

[Louis Tully]

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