Start with a version that matches your rom-set ???

[maximebeauvais]

Hello,

I'm trying to install mala and mame. I have done it several time befor with no problem.

This week, I'm trying the install on a new PC and it is not working.....Error could not find the rom, could not play the game...etc

After looking at the BYOAC Wiki, I have found this (see below).

My question: What does this mean: start with a version that matches your rom-set?

Does that mean that all the rom that I have will not work with the latest Mala version? Or the latest mame version mame0.150?

Thanks to help



FROM THE BYOAC WIKI:
     Download the Windows command line version of MAME from the MAMEDev Release page.
    Extract MAME in a directory on your harddisk (eg c:\mame)
    Optional: Download catver.ini (adds game genre information)
    Optional: Download controls.ini (adds game control information)
    Optional: Download history.dat (adds history/descriptions for each game)
    Copy all optional files into your MAME directory
    Download MaLa from the download page
        Remember you don't have to use the latest version as that is not always the best in terms of speed. Start with a version that matches your rom-set
    Extract or install the program on your harddisk
    Execute MaLa

The options dialog will open


    Point the MAME executable to your mame.exe file
    MaLa will create a mame.ini and a mame.xml file for you if not found
    Enter a rom path and a snap path
    Close the dialog and MaLa will ask you to refresh the main game list.

[zanna5910]

Its referring to Mame version.

[maximebeauvais]

so your saying that all the rom that I have downloaded several year ago will only work with a specific mame version? Now that mean, that I have to go back and try different version of mame.

so that could be why I'm not able to play game.

[zanna5910]

I didn't say that.  Some may not work because the rom has changed that your newer mame version is looking for, some may not work with the mame version matching the rom version because its a bad dump or download.   Plus more...

You will have the highest level of potential success by matching the mame and rom versions.

[JDFan]

Each version of MAME that is released has some changes and updates to the program and some roms will also have changes (ie. if a game has been updated so that the sound works better in a new version then the old rom will no longer work with the new version) - Sometimes the names of the roms change or sometimes the supporting roms are relocated into different folders (ie. Midway sound system roms are now in their own folder rather than inside the rom folder of each game that uses them, so newer versions of MAME will be looking in the new folder for those roms rather than inside the game rom package and thus will not find them so the game will not work) -etc. etc.

So you will have much better luck if you use a rom set that is designed for the specific version of MAME you are going to use (or using the Updates to update your rom set from the version you have to the version of MAME you will be using (Update with each update from the rom version to the new version not just going from the old version to the newest as the intermediate update are needed along the way (ie. don't update from .139 directly to 0.150 go from 0.139 to 0.140 then 0.141 the 0.142 etc.) -- Some roms from older sets will still work if there has been no changes to them but chances are most of the set will be broken esp. if they are a few years old.

[maximebeauvais]

Just for the record:

My problem was:

I was using my rom DVD (from 2006) with mame 0.150.

On my DVD, there were a mame version: 0.104.

So I have installed that version of mame with all the rom and YES it work.

I had no clue the we had to use the good romset with the good emulator.

THANKS

[JDFan]

 Yeah there's been a lot of changes since .104  -- eventually you may want to find a newer version to download (wouldn't suggest going through the update process as there is probably more to download that way than just getting an entire new set.) 

[Fursphere]

Research CLRMAMEPRO - learn how to build a rom set to the version of MAME you are using.

[Bambam1963]

You simply need to pair the romset (the collections of zipped rom files/games) with your version of MAME (Emulator).  For example, you need MAME 0.150 to run a MAME 0.150 romset.  MAME does not like other versions of romsets.  MAME 0.139 will not play MAME romset 0.150 and alternatively it is not meant for MAME version 0.150 to play a version 0.139 romset.  They need to be paired for there to be harmony in your cab.

Additionally MAMEUI is a great version to mess around with as it tells you which roms are actually functioning and what rom to use for each specific game.  Having said that, some roms need another rom (parent) to work properly.

Bambam