Help with Mala

[Arcade Freak]

When i start a game the dos window would just hang and needed to be close using the mouse. then i included the rom path as described by unclet and now i see the starting logo but then the dos window opens really fast with 2 errors and closes right away back to my blue layout ready for the next selection.

any ideas???

to make it easier is there a way i can capture that error window? so i can post it!

the 2 errors that show up...i think as they are reeeaaaally fast is about error:duplicate "something"
error: while passing "something" ...."i think"

thank
 

[loadman]

You need to run the game away from a FE to see the error message properly.

From a command prompt

[unclet]

You beat me to it loadman .... 

I believe you are still trying to get "Mame" working ?

I do not think you have everything configured correctly if you are getting errors in the command window.   Have you tried starting the game outside of MALA to make sure everything works properly first?   

Did you follow the instructions located under the "Confirm Emulator Works via Command Line (Before Adding to MALA)" section in my How-To Guide?

1) Open a command line prompt window (ie: Start\Programs\Accessories\Command Prompt)

2) Change to the emulator’s program folder (where EXE is located) by executing the following command:

example:  cd C:\Emulators\Programs\Mame\   <-- or wherever your EXE is located

3) Execute the emulator application at the command line to start a game manually by providing the emulator executable along with the path to the ROM file:

example:  mame "C:\Emulators\Programs\Mame\roms\puckman.zip”   <-- Use your path here


The example above should start PacMan (or PuckMan in Japan).

Does the game start for you in a command window (ie: outside of MALA)?

If not, then please post the errors you get located in the command window.   

You will also want to provide the following MALA Mame configuration values:

from "Basics" Tab
Mame executable = ?
Rom Info File = ?
Rom Path = ?

from "Additional" Tab
Window State = ?
Command Line = ?

from "Pictures and Videos" Tab
Snap/Title = ?

[Arcade Freak]

Sorry guys for the delay got busy....ran the command from dos and it work. it was really slow to start (1 minute or so) but then it ran pretty good for 384 megs Rams on xp. once the game was done i got a reading of:

average FPS : 2.773308 (78 frames) for donkey kong jr

average FPS: 4.664155 (179 frames) for frogger.

then for the mala:

the mame executable is pointing to the programs\mame\mame.exe

rom info file is pointing to the same place as the executable but originally i got a message about that file mame.xml not being present and it created it.

then the rom path is pointing to the same directory as mame but then in roms and all the zip files are there.

window state is normal

command line is %path%\%rom%.%ext%

then finally the picture and video snap title is oointing at the mame directory then into snaps directory...which its empty at this moment. did not get a chance to place anything yet.

hope i got you everything then if i knew on how to get you a print screen it would have benn much easier...but oh well.

cheers.

[unclet]

Try the following:

command line= %rom%

Not sure why Mame is different in this regard but this is how I have my command line set.   It has been a lon time.

[Arcade Freak]

hi unclet,

ok the games are now loading. the dos window shows up and stays about 45 - 60 seconds before the games starts. the games are running ok but it feels that the loading of something is extremely slow. i know how to hide the window but that does not help the speed.

any idea?

i tried to disable somestuff in windows msconfig but there are alot there and not sure if it would hurt (speed wise) more or less...or if someone could tell me to disable everything but keep certain thing open. it might be easier?

or perhaps the tunning should be through mala or mame?

thanks

[Arcade Freak]

ooopps

[unclet]

Does it start any quicker when you run the game via the command window (ie: not using MALA at all)?

[Arcade Freak]

no same time.

[SGT]

Well I notice that you only get 2 FPS with Frogger which is beyond extremely slow.  Do you know the specs of the PC and the version of Mame you're trying to run?  What version of Windows or are you running dos?  How well does the PC run other applications?

[Arcade Freak]

my pc is 450 mhz, 512 ram, 20 gig hard drive on windows xp no service pack as i thought that i didn't need any upgrades. i do have sp2!!

mame is 0100b, i am not running any other apps...this pc was put together just for this cabinet. maybe i need to turn off some memory hogger.

cheers

[unclet]

Out of my realm of knowledge now ..... sorry

Perhaps you can do a Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up the Windows task manager and then check what current processes you have running to see if anything looks odd.   Perhaps sort by CPU so you can determine whether any process is hogging CPU time.

When you start up your computer do any applications automatically start during the start-up phase?

[Arcade Freak]

Perhaps you can do a Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up the Windows task manager and then check what current processes you have running to see if anything looks odd.   Perhaps sort by CPU so you can determine whether any process is hogging CPU time.

When you start up your computer do any applications automatically start during the start-up phase?

nothing special is running in the task manager. there only about 10 processes running so that is farely clean...i think?? then nothing is being automatically started.

any one else have any ideas...thanks unclet you have been great to help out and appreciated your honesty that windows issues are not your fortay...

if i don't hear from any else in the next couple of days i will try posting somewere else inthe board.

cheers

[youki]

Hi,

I 'd suggest you to  try an older for better performance on your machine.

For the loading time , try in the mame.ini   to add (or modify if already present) the line :

skip_validitychecks 1

I hope it helps.

[Arcade Freak]

For the loading time , try in the mame.ini   to add (or modify if already present) the line :

skip_validitychecks 1

if its present then find but if not does it mather were i put. does it need somekind of order before or after something else?

thanks for your input

[youki]

if not here , just put it where you want. At the begining or the end  it is ok.

make sure it is a new line.

Code: [Select]

skip_validitychecks 1

[Arcade Freak]

hi guys,

THANK YOU SO MUCH guys

i changed that skip valadity check, then i ran msconfig and under the services i disable about 80 % of the services and now the games are loading under 5 seconds...its great.

i also found a great site that tells you all about the services in windows and them some. From this site you can look at the services via alphabetical order but then to see what is running on your pc and how to disable it is through msconfig from the command line

the site is  http://www.theeldergeek.com/

***********************888
Now i have an other issue.........it never stops...

when you start a game is there a way to disable the 2 windows that pop up asking you push the joystick left then right and then the second screen asking you to press any keys.

cheers

[loadman]

Now i have an other issue.........it never stops...

when you start a game is there a way to disable the 2 windows that pop up asking you push the joystick left then right and then the second screen asking you to press any keys.

cheers

Hi,  A serach should reveal many answers to this question 

But I think the best solution is to compile your own version of mame. Not very hard thanks to headKaze great work.

Have a look at this thread:  http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=71845.0

[Arcade Freak]

i might try it but am affraid to screw it up as everything...as its running great now. is there a different way?

Also,

now it being a cocktail table with 2 players is there a switch in mala to tell it that if there is 2 players then to play head to head (if the game permits it)

thanks

[unclet]

As for the left/right thing ....... that is built into Mame so there is no option to remove it, this is why Loadman recommended follownig "headkaze's" compiler thread info.

Now, I am not sure, but does the left/right thing only ask you the first time the game is played?  I mean, try to start the game and have it ask you to press "OK", then after you move your joystick left/right it goes away.   Now if you restart the game from MALA, does it ask you to enter "OK" again or not?

loadman
Do you think it would be feasible to have someone (ie: headkaze perhaps) create an EXE application which would automatically patch the official Mame EXE file directly instead of having to compile everything yourself.   One would assume that if an official Mame EXE was used then a patcher tool could manipulate the actual contents of the Mame EXE file directly.   I think a lot more people might use this type of tool instead of compiling the code themselves.

[loadman]

now it being a cocktail table with 2 players is there a switch in MaLa to tell it that if there is 2 players then to play head to head (if the game permits it)
thanks

That is a mame not mala.  I have a cocktail and had to change te dipswitches one by one on the games that can flip. I vageley recall there is a better way but again it requires recompiling.

loadman
Do you think it would be feasible to have someone (ie: headkaze perhaps) create an EXE application which would automatically patch the official Mame EXE file directly instead of having to compile everything yourself.   One would assume that if an official Mame EXE was used then a patcher tool could manipulate the actual contents of the Mame EXE file directly.   I think a lot more people might use this type of tool instead of compiling the code themselves.

   ahh pass ...   

But re-compiling with HeadKaze's tool is easy. 

How can you stuff up. 

Just set-up the new custom compiled version of mame in a different folder and point mala at that....  If it does not work you have lost nothing as you just can go back and point mala at the original version of mame.