[HELP] Custom MAME setup problems.

[Draugr]

Hi everyone.

I am trying to perform a custom configuration for MAME that will see it accessed from multiple computers. Let me explain my setup and what I'm trying to do, then the issues I'm having. I have spent hours and hours the last few days trying to make this work.

I have a Gigabit network throughout my home and a few game/file servers. I want to setup a centralized install of MAME on my more powerful server, then have my various workstations access MAME, and the roms off the file server over the network. I am using Hyperspin FE on my PCs.

To make this simple lets work with the idea of two workstations, although I have more that I need to configure, but if I can get two working, then adding a few more shouldn't be a problem.

O.k so....

Workstation 1 is going to be used for NEOGEO games as it has two NeoGeo X controllers connected to it.

Workstation 2 is going to be used for pretty much all the arcade games as it has a X-Arcade Tankstick connected to it.

What I think I need is to have seperate mame.ini files to configure controller settings, etc... so that each workstation and their controllers can access the games properly. I've tried everything I could think of, but MAME wouldn't read the customized mame.ini file I wrote. I made a mame_neogeo.ini file and configured the paths to the proper locations, but it doesn't seem that MAME reads the mame_neogeo.ini file. I tried putting the ini files in the ini folder and also leaving them in the root folder with mame.exe. Nothing worked. I included the commandline option -readconfig also, but that did not help.

What I'm hoping is that someone might be able to show me how I can get MAME to read a specific mame_xxx.ini file. My goal is that on the NeoGeo workstation, Hyperspin when launching mame would request mame to read the mame_neogeo.ini file to get proper settings and paths relevant to the NeoGeo workstation. When using Hyperspin on my other PC, the default mame.ini would be read.

This doesn't sound like it should be too difficult, but for some reason I couldn't get MAME to read the custom ini and set the various paths properly.

OH... in the .ini file where you add the paths, how do we add lets say the rompath information? I tried the following.


rompath        roms (is the default)
rompath        r:\mame\roms
-rompath      r:\mame\roms

Now ,the above is just an example. The cfg, screenshots, artwork paths also have to be set, but I'm wondering if I'm not using a proper syntax within the mame.ini file to allow mame to read and understand the paths I'm entering.

I also tried putting all that on the commandline when mame.exe launches, but I still had problems.

I know this is a long message and a big mess, but I'm hoping someone might have some advice at least on how to have a centralized installation of MAME and then access it from various workstations of which they may have different hardware connected, thus require different settings, or path locations.

Any help is appreciated.
John

[Chris John Hunter]

 

[Chris John Hunter]

 

[Chris John Hunter]

 

[Chris John Hunter]

 

[Draugr]

Thanks everyone. I thought about the whole graphics, roms, artwork on the server and each workstation with it's own Hyperspin and MAME install, but I wasn't sure if that can be done and also share the high score saves? I'm not worried about the NeoGeo PC and the Complete MAME PC as they will be running separate games so no big deal, but what happens when I have 3 PCs with a separate Hyperspin, and Mame install that will be able to play the same games, but wish to share a central high score file(s) across all those PCs on the network? Can I have the hi folder sit on the server share with the roms, images, artwork, etc... This way if I get the high score on Donkey Kong on PC2, and then later on launch Donkey Kong on PC 4, it would show the high score achieved on PC2 on PC4 as well. Know what I mean?

Thanks again for all the help everyone.

[Chris John Hunter]

I don't think you understood any of the content of my posts so I've given up

[kayser2008]

Thanks everyone. I thought about the whole graphics, roms, artwork on the server and each workstation with it's own Hyperspin and MAME install, but I wasn't sure if that can be done and also share the high score saves? I'm not worried about the NeoGeo PC and the Complete MAME PC as they will be running separate games so no big deal, but what happens when I have 3 PCs with a separate Hyperspin, and Mame install that will be able to play the same games, but wish to share a central high score file(s) across all those PCs on the network? Can I have the hi folder sit on the server share with the roms, images, artwork, etc... This way if I get the high score on Donkey Kong on PC2, and then later on launch Donkey Kong on PC 4, it would show the high score achieved on PC2 on PC4 as well. Know what I mean?

Thanks again for all the help everyone.

YES YOU CAN, you just put the higscore file   DropBox  that mame can acess and then give in the Mame .ini file in the path you just put the path of where  is the .Hi file and sincronize the workstations to have all the same DropBox (name and password) there you will have changes on the highscore file in real time.