I am running .129.
Is the -listbrothers something I have to do on the command line version?
I've only used mame32 and I have never touched any other version.
It is a commandline option, but it works on mameUI, too. The only difference is with mameUI, the output needs to be redirected for you to see it. For example, "
mameui32 -lb mslug > neogeogames.txt" will make a text file listing all the neogeo games, and the clones will list their parent. (
-lb is short for
-listbrothers, and the ">" symbol is doing the redirecting.)
Not all games will be the same but I did use the "input general" for a generic layout but I want to setup neo geo games to be a certain layout as well as other systems like mk and sfII series.
The nice thing about ctrlr file is it can have all you want: a general default map (applied to all games just like input general), a neogeo map (that is automatically applied if and only if the game is a neogeo game), an sf2 map (for sf2 & it's clones), and an mk2r42 for just that specific game if you want. The xarcade.cfg ctrlr file I posted above has a "default" (general) map, and a "neogeo" map for all games that use the neogeo bios. (Look for
system name="default", and
system name="neogeo" for the start of each, respectively; you'll see the neogeo map looks very much like the ones you made.)
If wanted, maps for a specific neogeo game can also be added to the ctrlr file
after the neogeo map, and that will be auto applied to that game (and its clones if it has any). Or a "mk2" map for mk2 all its clones. ("SF2" is a little harder, since it has many more versions with quite a few different parents and different drivers, but cut & paste while just changing the system name to the different parents isn't too hard, or the driver name if the driver has other games that use the same map, ssf2.c for example, but then you might need other maps for the non-fighter games you play that use the same driver, 19xx for continuing example.)
However, since you did all the work you did, it might easier to keep using what you have; depends how many games you want, and how easily they are grouped. Ctrlr files usually have a big setup step if you can't find an already made for you. Maybe wait until you do a big overhaul or upgrade, but since you're still setting up, now might a good time to look into using ctrlr file before you go too far down the other direction to feel happy about switching to ctrlr file.
I do wish there was a ctrlr editor app to automate some the steps creating ctrlr files. Stuff like merging two ctrlr files, or converting from cfg files to one ctrlr file can be done by hand, but apps should be so much better and quicker at it. And -listbrothers might makes it easier to find all the relationships between the games, parents, clones, and drivers for an app, too.
Hmmm...
...Not all games will be the same...
Some neogeo games will have different maps? Or is that SF2 & MK and the like?