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Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: scrotty on February 10, 2013, 02:42:57 pm

Title: Two simulataneous, different games on a dual display cabinet?
Post by: scrotty on February 10, 2013, 02:42:57 pm

Given a dual display cocktail cab like this one peteinbrum created (link on avsforums (http://www.avforums.com/forums/retro-gaming/1233089-my-dual-screen-mame-cocktail-unit.html)):

(http://www.avforums.com/forums/attachments/retro-gaming/173630d1270739972-my-dual-screen-mame-cocktail-unit-dsc_0369.jpg)

Is there a way to sometimes have the display simply mirror the exact same image (as the picture shows) AND, on occasion, allow the players to play completely separate games simultaneously?

In other words, sometimes the players would want to play the same game together and so would see the same image on their respective displays. But at other times they want to play completely different games as if this was two separate arcade cabinets that just happened to be joined under the same table. A Siamese Cocktail, so to speak.

TIA!
Sean

Title: Re: Two simulataneous, different games on a dual display cabinet?
Post by: matsadona on February 11, 2013, 03:57:21 am

In theory it should be possible to run two parallel instances of MAME, assuming that you have different inputs mapped etc. However I have never tried it, and there might be reasons (bad coding or other dependencies unknown to me) why it isn’t possible.
However I have tried that exact thing with the SEGA M2 emulator…

Title: Two simulataneous, different games on a dual display cabinet?
Post by: scrotty on February 11, 2013, 11:48:20 pm

Quote from: matsadona on February 11, 2013, 03:57:21 am

In theory it should be possible to run two parallel instances of MAME

Thanks for the response, matsadona! I was hoping there was a single build of MAME that itself could manage running two simultaneous games. But given the lack of response I'm guessing not.

Title: Re: Two simulataneous, different games on a dual display cabinet?
Post by: nexusmtz on February 17, 2013, 12:37:34 am

Yo1Dog did this a few years ago. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,98933.msg1048073.html#msg1048073 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,98933.msg1048073.html#msg1048073)
Unfortunately, he hasn't been around lately, and I don't think he ever shared his code.

At least you know it's possible, and, for Yo1Dog, it was easy.

I did something similar to what you're looking for using two VMWare virtual machines and two gamepad hacks, but his method would be much more elegant for a MAME-only solution.

You might try sending him a PM to see if he still has the code on hand.

Title: Two simulataneous, different games on a dual display cabinet?
Post by: scrotty on February 18, 2013, 10:10:50 pm

Quote from: nexusmtz on February 17, 2013, 12:37:34 am

Yo1Dog did this a few years ago. http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,98933.msg1048073.html#msg1048073 (http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,98933.msg1048073.html#msg1048073)
Unfortunately, he hasn't been around lately, and I don't think he ever shared his code.

At least you know it's possible, and, for Yo1Dog, it was easy.

I did something similar to what you're looking for using two VMWare virtual machines and two gamepad hacks, but his method would be much more elegant for a MAME-only solution.

You might try sending him a PM to see if he still has the code on hand.

Awesome! Thanks nexusmtz!