Mala and mame res tool

[Czapala]

ok I finally got my AVGA card in so I connected everything up (including the 27" Betson).

I had some strange issues which I posted in the Monitor forum:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=56383.0


So I thought I would try the Mame resolution tool.  It apparently needs mamewah to be installed. Which is not a problem (I guess, I have never done it).

Which leads me to my question.  I chose to go with MALA for ease of use. (not to mention the great write up by UncleT)
When I was trying to decide which FE to use, I read a lot and people mentioned that with MALA you did not have to mess with ini files.
(Is there a question in the near future? )  YES!

If I go to the trouble of installing mamewah and use the mame resolution tool to configure a bunch of ini files to make my AVGA & Betson combo look good, Is MALA going to recognize and use them?


P.S. The reason I got the AVGA & Betson was specifically so I could have all these native resolutions.

P.S.S.  I am assuming that it is not MALA but when MALA calls MAME.  Then MAME uses the ini files.  But I just want to make sure.

P.S.S.S.  Plus I am at work and can't do anything till I get home but post on the forums! 

[loadman]

I chose to go with MALA for ease of use. (not to mention the great write up by UncleT)
When I was trying to decide which FE to use, I read a lot and people mentioned that with MALA you did not have to mess with ini files.

To clarify, you don't have to edit .ini files to set up mala. The Ini's still exist it's just that they get changed by the pretty MaLa gui

I assume this tool is just a easy gadjet that creates individual .ini files for each game, setting an appropriate resolution.

If you plan on having separate .ini files for each game then mame will look at those for sure. I have a few games that I have made separate ini files for as I want them to run a little differently, and all works well.

By the way there is no reason why you can't have MaLa and MameWah on the same PC (I have that and Atomic too)

I plan on using an arcade monitor when my PC monitor breaks (and the wife lets me buy one)

If I go to the trouble of installing mamewah and use the mame resolution tool to configure a bunch of ini files to make my AVGA & Betson combo look good, Is MALA going to recognize and use them?

Swindus uses an arcade monitor

Anyway, to answer your question I can't see why that would not work.

I just had a look at it and it looks like a very nice tool.

But to be sure, just have a go and use the tool to set up a few games and try it! 

Nothing to lose!

[swindus]

I am assuming that it is not MALA but when MALA calls MAME.  Then MAME uses the ini files.  But I just want to make sure.

Right. Works for me on my arcade monitor. I built the ini files with avres but it should work with the resolution tool too.

[Czapala]

I am assuming that it is not MALA but when MALA calls MAME.  Then MAME uses the ini files.  But I just want to make sure.

Right. Works for me on my arcade monitor. I built the ini files with avres but it should work with the resolution tool too.

Well last night I ran the avres tool and it created ini files for all the games.  But when I launched the games (through MALA AND commandline MAME) I found the setting a bit off.  I went into a couple games.  In Pac-Man I could not see the bottom and top.  Then I launched a fighting game (X-men vs SF) and there was a border of a couple of inches at the top.

If I use the mamewah res tool and use the test button (which launches the game).  Then use my monitor control to re-size the screen for each of the native resolutions(and the games that are in those res sets), will those "adjustments" be saved once I generate the ini's? ( for all the games in each set)

Or is there an easier way than going through all the native sets to test it out? 

[swindus]

It's normal that some games (for example vertical games on a horizontal monitor) are a bit out of scope if you run them in the native resolution. With the resolution tool you can change the resolution for a group of games with a specific resolution to a slightly smaller resolution that fits on the monitor.

Don't know if your monitor can save the adjustments you made, but it isn't saved to the ini files.

Another way to fit the monitor scope is to use hardware stretch but I would prefer the native resolution.