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Author Topic: MAME netplay  (Read 3773 times)

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anchounio

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MAME netplay
« on: May 15, 2022, 05:51:10 pm »
In order to run 2 player/screen games in my LAN, such as F1 Exhaust Note or World Rally 2, I think the best solution would be to use a server/client app with MAME. It seems this is not integrated in MAME natively and the apps that do this are very very old, like Kaillera or ClientServerMAME.

Is there any newer application or method for doing this?
« Last Edit: May 16, 2022, 03:44:56 am by anchounio »

buttersoft

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2022, 07:08:21 pm »
I'm not aware of any newer options for MAME myself, maybe look into what the FGC uses for SF2 or games like that. I must admit to being slightly miffed by the request though. If the PCB's were built to link up, why would you want to use netplay over LAN, why not just link the two instances directly?

Also, does F1 Exhaust Note link? I thought only its sequel F1 Super Lap did! I must go check that one out.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2022, 10:52:11 pm by buttersoft »

anchounio

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2022, 04:45:15 am »
I'm not aware of any newer options for MAME myself, maybe look into what the FGC uses for SF2 or games like that. I must admit to being slightly miffed by the request though. If the PCB's were built to link up, why would you want to use netplay over LAN, why not just link the two instances directly?

Also, does F1 Exhaust Note link? I thought only its sequel F1 Super Lap did! I must go check that one out.

Neither f1 exhaust note nor world rally 2 link. They run a 2 player game mode using 2 monitors. MAME show 2 game screens. The games were made to allow a maximum of 2 players. It is similar to OutRunners but with no link posibilities.

Fightcade uses Final Burn Neo. I've tested it, it runs world rally 2 and f1 exhaust note but it only allows to disable player2 screen, not player1, so it wouldn't be a solution for me.

Right now I'm trying to build mamehub, which seems to be a sucessor to kaillera and ClientServerMame:

https://github.com/MisterTea/MAMEHub

buttersoft

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2022, 07:09:07 am »
Ahh, that makes more sense :)

And sorry, i haven't looked at Netplay much, so i can't help with that.

anchounio

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2022, 07:42:21 am »
Don't worry. Your help is always appreciated  ;)

If I'm succesful with mamehub I'll report my results here, as well as a guide to use it.

MrThunderwing

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2022, 08:39:33 am »
In order to run 2 player/screen games in my LAN, such as F1 Exhaust Note or World Rally 2, I think the best solution would be to use a server/client app with MAME. It seems this is not integrated in MAME natively and the apps that do this are very very old, like Kaillera or ClientServerMAME.

Is there any newer application or method for doing this?

I'm a bit confused by your wording here mate, are you trying to setup actual Netplay or just a LAN? You can link a lot of the Sega Model 1 and System 32 stuff natively in MAME:

anchounio

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2022, 09:18:28 am »
In order to run 2 player/screen games in my LAN, such as F1 Exhaust Note or World Rally 2, I think the best solution would be to use a server/client app with MAME. It seems this is not integrated in MAME natively and the apps that do this are very very old, like Kaillera or ClientServerMAME.

Is there any newer application or method for doing this?

I'm a bit confused by your wording here mate, are you trying to setup actual Netplay or just a LAN? You can link a lot of the Sega Model 1 and System 32 stuff natively in MAME:


Just netplay.
I'm trying this for the games that don't allow LAN link, such as f1 exhaust note of World Rally 2.

MrThunderwing

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2022, 01:42:41 pm »
Ahhh, I see. Get stuff like the 2 player Outrunners working across a network Kaillera style.

buttersoft

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2022, 11:14:38 pm »
Hmmm, you can make a MAME game with two screens display only the first, but is there a way to show only the second? Not something i've ever tried to do...

anchounio

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #9 on: May 17, 2022, 03:52:00 am »
Hmmm, you can make a MAME game with two screens display only the first, but is there a way to show only the second? Not something i've ever tried to do...

Yes, it is possible.In the Video Settings you can disable any of the 2 screens. You can also disable the sound for any of the screens  ;)
Now you see how I am going to do this, hehe.

I've been testing mamehub and it definitely won't work for me. It requires each computer to be connected to the internet. That won't be the case in my LAN.
Now I'm considering using retroarch. It is supposed to have netplay support in its "current mame" core, which is supposed to be a recent version.

I cannot use old versions of mame, cause world rally 2 wasn't working untill 2018 and f1 exhaust note did not allow 2 players' double screen untill 1-2 years ago more or less.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2022, 09:24:07 am by anchounio »

Fursphere

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #10 on: May 26, 2022, 09:27:54 am »
Not sure if this is what you're looking for exactly, but I've got two Arcade/MAME cabinets side by side, both setup as independent cabinets.   Using RetroArch w/ the FBNeo Core, I can get various MAME game running in 3/4 player mode across the two cabinets.  You have to enable the advanced settings menu in RetroArch, then tell each RetroArch install which player slots to 'grab' when they connect.   

I have Cabinet 1 grab players 1 & 3, and Cabinet 2 grab 2 and 4.  This is so if I link up 2 player games, it still works.   (like Marble Madness or something - one trackball on each cabinet). 

RetroArch with the default netplay code assumes 1 player for each install (cabinet / computer), so first Retroarch to 'host' the game is player 1, then the next to join is player 2, next player 3, etc...   It's not programmed to allow player 2 on cabinet 1 join, or player 2 on cabinet 2 join with the default settings.   I guess it assumes everyone is alone and using the internet.   At least the options are there in the advanced settings.

This works great, but is a little clunky to setup.   I haven't tried any driving/racing games this way, but I do have Golden Axe, X-Men, Simpsons, Gauntlet, and a bunch of others working in 4 player mode this way.    (I have a 3rd cabinet in a state of disrepair right now - if I fix / finish it, in theory I could get a 6-player X-man game running using the same methodology - make it request players 5 and 6 basically).

Edit - Launchbox / Bigbox front end has RetroArch netplay built right into the front end, so its easy to host/join games this way too.   Don't have to use RetroArch's horrible interface, or command line once you get it all figured out.
« Last Edit: May 26, 2022, 09:30:28 am by Fursphere »

flybynight

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #11 on: May 31, 2022, 05:49:33 pm »
This question was posted on the mame reddit recently. Some of the devs replied saying they were surprised nobody has implemented it yet.

I'd be happy with old kaillera integrated with modern groovymame (4 player simpson across 2 cabs).

There are devs out there implementing netplay rollback code to gameboy advance emulators but nobody giving mane the netplay love.

You can netplay games that had native multiplayer built in. Many driving games support that. It works over the Internet too if both sides are fibre and there is a low like say 4ms ping. You have to port forward and enter the public IP addresses or use a site to site vpn.

anchounio

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Re: MAME netplay
« Reply #12 on: October 29, 2022, 05:44:24 am »
In the end I gave up the idea of linking two instaces with kaillera, netplay or clientserver.... In the case of kaillera, it is too old to support these games in 2 players mode. For netplay or clientserver I had other issues.

By now, I'm playing these games in a twin cabinet just by connecting a second monitor in the PC where I'm running the game.

You can use 2 monitors in mame with the -numscreens parameter. For example:
mame.exe wrally2 -numscreens 2