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Looking for front end FAQ
Ed ONeill:
I just finished my first mame project and I have some questions about front ends and wanted to do some reading before posting dumb or repeated questions questions.
so is there a FAQ on front ends out there ?
Thanks
Ed
SirPeale:
Hm...not that I'm aware of. Any specific questions?
Ed ONeill:
I have many ...I am so confused :-[
I tried finding out answers to my questions but I can't seem to find them.
Here is my situation:
I just built my laptop mame and I am not sure if I need a front end or not. The laptop will not only be used for mame but for other things as well.
So here are a few questions
1. Is a front end just like mame 32 but nicer looking?
2. How do I know if I need a front end ?
3. Are front ends only for use with arcadeos?
Signed
Ed
EndTwist:
Those questions want to make me twitch :-\
Anyways,
1. There are many such as MAMEWAH, Kymaera, VertiWAH, and a number of others.
2. If you are using DOS mame (which is what you NEED to use with a frontend) then you need a frontend. Also if you want to run games from a sorted list using a joystick or some such item.
3. ArcadeOS is NOT an operating system. It is JUST a frontend. I should shoot the author for calling it an OS...AGH!
screaming:
--- Quote from: Ed ONeill on June 23, 2004, 09:46:42 am ---1. Is a front end just like mame 32 but nicer looking?
--- End quote ---
Generally yes, but harder to install and configure.
However, most of the popular front ends will have the ability to list more than one emulator. For example, MAME32 can only list MAME-compatible games whereas MAMEWAH, Dragon Kind, and Kymera can list games from MAME, Project64 (Nintendo 64 emulator), ZSNES (Super Nintendo emulator), etc.
--- Quote from: Ed ONeill on June 23, 2004, 09:46:42 am ---2. How do I know if I need a front end ?
--- End quote ---
If you want to navigate your game list and launch games using a reduced set of keys (i.e. a control panel with a joystick and a couple buttons) and/or want to have a nice, customizable interface then a front end is what you would want to look into. Otherwise, stick with MAME32 for MAME games and the other emulators for their games.
Most of the time when people build arcades that have a bunch of games in them, they want other people to be able to play them as easily and with as few questions as possible. A front end allows you (the arcade owner/builder) to make a nice easy interface for people to use to navigate the game list without giving them the option of going into the menus and fudging things up.
Just think about all the time you spent trying to figure out MAME32, what all the menus options do, what you need to do to configure the roms and making sure all the options are set correctly for your games.. Most people don't want to explain all that every time someone just wants to use their arcade machine to play a game.
--- Quote from: Ed ONeill on June 23, 2004, 09:46:42 am ---3. Are front ends only for use with arcadeos?
--- End quote ---
Despite the 'OS' moniker in 'ArcadeOS', it's really just a front end like MAMEWAH, Dragon King, Kymaera, Game Launcher, etc. The fun part is messing around with all of them to figure out which one you like the best!
I don't know much about the features of ArcadeOS and how they differ from the other front ends out there, other than it works great with an arcade monitor (I'm using a TV).
Any front end you come across will have these features in common:
- List games
- Hide whichever operating system you're using.
- Limit the ability for your players to get in and mess around with the operating system.
- Launch games using a customizable keycode (meaning, you can launch a game by pressing a button on your control panel once).
- Display some sort of graphic relating to the game. Game Launcher will show you the title shots and screen shots, while MAMEWAH, Dragon King and Kymaera will allow you to customize what gets shown and where on the screen it's placed: Marquees, screenshots, cabinet pictures, control panel pictures, whatever.
Some front ends have different/more options than other front ends. Dragon King has "support" for the more cutting edge features but it's a little harder to set up, while MAMEWAH is a little easier to set up and manage but its features lag a little behind Dragon King. Kymaera is relatively new, but is very promising. 3D Arcade is pretty new too and takes a very unique approach to "listing" the games.. I definitely recommend checking that out at least, especially if you only have a relative few games on there.
I hope this helps, and maybe this could be the start of a "Front End FAQ" thread?
On the ArcadeControls website there is a software section with a bunch of links to a lot of the front ends out there.
-Steve