Build Your Own Arcade Controls Forum
Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: Havok on September 29, 2006, 07:43:39 am
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There are always questions on which FrontEnd is "best" so to get an idea of which are the most popular here, let us know! These are from the wiki, so let me know if I missed any...
Also, please drop a comment about why you choose which one you did.
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I use registered GameEx. Not sure if you should have a spot for registered v. the nag screen version... :dunno
Good poll though.
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You should let us choose multiples.. I've got MAMEWah running on my main cab, but am currently building a classics cab that'll be running AdvanceMenu in DOS... So...
:)
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I use registered GameEx. Not sure if you should have a spot for registered v. the nag screen version... :dunno
Good poll though.
I'd rather combine, just to get an easy to see number of GameEx users. Good idea. Perhaps another poll?
You should let us choose multiples.. I've got MAMEWah running on my main cab, but am currently building a classics cab that'll be running AdvanceMenu in DOS... So...
:)
Good idea - however looks like I can't add the multiple option once the poll starts. So, I guess you can vote your "favorite" ?
I think it will be interesting to see the results...
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If possible, please make an addition to your poll and request comments for why they use the front end they use.
And I don't see any option for "All of them". ;D
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I use MALA because it seemed easier to get running than mamewah and some others, plus it lets me fully customize my experience.
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If possible, please make an addition to your poll and request comments for why they use the front end they use.
And I don't see any option for "All of them". ;D
Excellent idea - added..
I didn't give an option for all, since nobody uses Dragon King..
>:D
j/k Howard!
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GAME EX IS THE BEST HANDS DOWN.
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Why do I use mameWah?
To be honest, the only two frontends I've tried are mameWah and Mame32's GUI. I have been using mameWah for a few years (2), and it does everything that I want it to. It's stable, and even though config was difficult in the past, I'd say that it is now much easier with the new config directory structure.
So, the main reaons I'm still using mameWah is that it works (and works well), I have it configured perfectly for my cab, and I haven't seen anything else that wows me enough to try to learn a whole new system.
Maybe I'm just too lazy.
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GameEx... Why GameEx you ask? Ease of configuration and I only play emulated games in my Home Theater via MCE2005. The animated themes are well done too.
-G
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GameEx in my newest mame machine, ArcadeOS in the others. GameEx becaues it rocks as a jukebox, karaoke, emulators, sorting, etc... ArcadeOS because its the most rock solid way to set up classic mame machines for kids.
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Why do I use mameWah?
To be honest, the only two frontends I've tried are mameWah and Mame32's GUI. I have been using mameWah for a few years (2), and it does everything that I want it to. It's stable, and even though config was difficult in the past, I'd say that it is now much easier with the new config directory structure.
So, the main reaons I'm still using mameWah is that it works (and works well), I have it configured perfectly for my cab, and I haven't seen anything else that wows me enough to try to learn a whole new system.
Maybe I'm just too lazy.
Same here. Actually just migrated from v1.61 to v1.62b12, and really love the individual game ini option (finally can get pong, galagads and galaga84 running along with the other games, as if all of them belonged to the same rom set).
Cheers, :cheers:
Congui
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I use MALA because it seemed easier to get running than mamewah and some others, plus it lets me fully customize my experience.
Ditto!
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I used to use 'command prompt',
Then I used 'batch file'
:laugh2:
:lame: OK Where was I?
I accept and understand that GameEX is a great and popular FE but something does not sit right with me that it is compared in this list with FE's that don't have financial backing other than donations.
Anyway ::)
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Gameex, because it was simple to setup, had support for all the emulators that I wanted, and had a professional look to it that I felt other fe's lacked. Also the great community it has behind it.
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AtomicFE, hands down. Awesome support from its author! A developer who is willing to listen to the request of the users and constantly make improvements to the front end. Stunning animated layouts. Support for every arcade and console system most have ever heard of. It
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I use MALA because it seemed easier to get running than mamewah and some others, plus it lets me fully customize my experience.
Ditto!
That's why I use Atomic FE
I jumped on it when atomic was brought to BYOAC
others I tried were To hard to set up. Atomic comes in and boom I had a nice screen,
Mame 32, and real crappy sound... I asked about it... ( the sound) the author got back with in minutes and explained it was a demo sound and showed me how to replace the mp3
all others were to hard to set up for me.
I have noticed the farther along any frontend gets the harder it gets to set up...
( but that is because the extras we ask the Fe to do)
not to take any fame from mamewah his is #2 for me
its like the dummies books VS idiots books
Dummies is more simple ...... idiots books are more advanced
I can use the dummies books... most isiots books are more advanced than I wish to go
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I use GameEx currently, and originally MameWah.
I feel both are very nice and worth a try...tho GameEx far out does MameWah when it comes to features.
If your doing a cab...I feel its a toss up between the two....if your doing a media PC...there is only one choose and thats GameEx.
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I like MaLa because you can do some neat things with the layouts that I have not seen in any other FE. If you are a great graphic artist or you can find help from someone who is, MaLa can look very slick.
Also the easy LED support was a feature that I had to have.
The built in jukebox is also nice.
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I am quite new to all this and GameEx seems to be the one for me: direct support from the author, steady row of upgrades based on feedback/wishes from users, great helpful community of enthusiasts.
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Tastes great! Less filling! :laugh2:
But seriously, I don't think it's fair to judge an FE based on its popularity. Everyone has different needs and each FE has features that appeals to different users. It doesn't take anything but a little bit of your time to try the FE's that appeal to you and see which one you like the best.
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I'm using MAMEWAH but I'm seriously considering switching to MALA. I ran into a problem, on a friend's cabinet, with MAMEWAH that I could not get around so I put MALA on his machine - and I was amazed at the simplicity.
Joseph Elwell.
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Gamex is my personal favourite.
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:notworthy: GameEx! Very easy to config the FE. The interface is cab friendly. Support for many emulators not just mame. Still in active development. Great community. Capable of creating custom layouts via. Theme Editor.
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BTW, please don't accuse Tom of shilling. Someone (not Tom) posted a message on his forums asking people to vote in this poll.
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Also there's another issue regardling how valid this poll is going to turn out, namely time.
Once the average joe gets their arcade cab setup we never hear from them again unless they run into problems, so obviously the very old fes aren't going to get as many votes. I know a lot of people with afx on their (now ancient) mame cabs and it's still chugging away.
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I imagine what this poll is trying to point out is the latest favorite, not the number of users dedicated to one front end. That's why they keep popping up from time to time.
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BTW, please don't accuse Tom of shilling. Someone (not Tom) posted a message on his forums asking people to vote in this poll.
I made that post, and so what? The GameEx community is on the GameEx forums, not here, so I wanted the poll to be fair. FE's that don't have their own support forums get more traffic from their users here because that is where they get their support.
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BTW, please don't accuse Tom of shilling. Someone (not Tom) posted a message on his forums asking people to vote in this poll.
I made that post, and so what? The GameEx community is on the GameEx forums, not here, so I wanted the poll to be fair. FE's that don't have their own support forums get more traffic from their users here because that is where they get their support.
Well the question is, why would you care? I pitty anoyone who would actually look at the results to this poll and make a decision based on it.
Try em you idgits!
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BTW, please don't accuse Tom of shilling. Someone (not Tom) posted a message on his forums asking people to vote in this poll.
I made that post, and so what? The GameEx community is on the GameEx forums, not here, so I wanted the poll to be fair. FE's that don't have their own support forums get more traffic from their users here because that is where they get their support.
Well the question is, why would you care? I pitty anoyone who would actually look at the results to this poll and make a decision based on it.
Try em you idgits!
It's just a bit of fun, but yeah don't take the poll too seriously everyone. All FE's have their good points about them. There are some FE's that may not get as much traffic here as some of the more modern or more active FE's so it's not ever going to be very accurate.
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Haha - I was wondering what was up with the GameEx votes: they all just seemed to come in around the same time, and overwhelmingly so. Looks like we've got a mini cult going on here!
;D
Just don't drink the KoolAid if Headkaze says so though...
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
I would suggest Atomic for your cab - with all the plug and play modules you've got the emulators already setup to work...
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Just checked out Atomic's site. Looks like you have to use THEIR modules. Problem with that is in the file extensions. All my 2600 ROMs are BIN files, IIRC. I'd have to rename them LNK or whatever they required for their module. :(
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
Looks like a job for GameEx. With it's new install wizard. Setting up a FE has never been so simple.
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Like I said, try them all, it won't cost you anything. I use MaLa - here's a handy guide to setting it up: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=56010.0
I find Mame32 a little difficult to use with an arcade keyboard. Assuming that you don't expect your users to "get under the hood" with your machine, just about any FE will work fine - ease of use is what they're all about. It's the set up that can be a pain sometimes.
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Like I said, try them all, it won't cost you anything. I use MaLa - here's a handy guide to setting it up: http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=56010.0
I find Mame32 a little difficult to use with an arcade keyboard. Assuming that you don't expect your users to "get under the hood" with your machine, just about any FE will work fine - ease of use is what they're all about. It's the set up that can be a pain sometimes.
It is a bit "minimalist." Still, they don't go "under the hood" at all - they want strictly plug-n-play. I'm the plugger and they are the players. :)
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
Looks like a job for GameEx. With it's new install wizard. Setting up a FE has never been so simple.
Looks promising. When I get back to my DSL hookup, I'll download the vid. Looks are a bit vanilla, I suppose, but if it works, it's okay by me. :)
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It is a bit "minimalist." Still, they don't go "under the hood" at all - they want strictly plug-n-play. I'm the plugger and they are the players. :)
My 13-year-old and his friends have no trouble at all with my MaLa set-up. I suspect your family wouldn't have any problems with any FE on that cab. Try a few and get their feedback.
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Just checked out Atomic's site. Looks like you have to use THEIR modules. Problem with that is in the file extensions. All my 2600 ROMs are BIN files, IIRC. I'd have to rename them LNK or whatever they required for their module. :(
Use the multisystem_angelscry.exe - it emulates the 7800, which can run 2600 .bin images...
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
Looks like a job for GameEx. With it's new install wizard. Setting up a FE has never been so simple.
Looks promising. When I get back to my DSL hookup, I'll download the vid. Looks are a bit vanilla, I suppose, but if it works, it's okay by me. :)
There are many custom layouts to choose from. Either dl a new theme or create your own with its Theme Editor. I agree the default layout is a bit bland.
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Bump to keep to poll alive - let's get some more votes!
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Using Mamewah at the moment because it was easy to set up and make simple but decent looking backgrounds for. Although I did originally plan to use AdvanceMenu but it gave me a few issues when trying to run more then one emulator off it for some reason :dunno I also did look at Mala and was impressed with it but given the computer I'm using in the cab I don't think it would have ran too well.
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MAME32 for Girlcab. Just wanted something easy for the primary users and MAME32 is pretty straight-forward.
I'll be using a different front end for MY cab, tho. One that can run MAME plus 2600, 5200, NES, Coleco, etc. emulators. Haven't researched enough yet to decide. . .
I would suggest Atomic for your cab - with all the plug and play modules you've got the emulators already setup to work...
Unless you are using a 49 way. :P
EDIT Dec 28th 2006-
Atomic Rocks if you are using 49 ways, LED Wiz, and an AVGA. Plus if you are using an LEDWiz, you do not have to buy a special chip to use it, it works right out of the bubble wrap. If you have access to some graphics software, you can make the killer FE interface. If you have video editing or animation software, it just gets sicker. It can be as easy of as difficult as you decide to make it. You can dip your toe in and test the water, then when you are feeling a little more brave you can do a more feature rich set up. :cheers:
BTW, was using MAMEWah and PowerMAME32 prior to AFE. PM32 was fine on a computer monitor, but is hell on the eyes at 640 x 480 on an arcade monitor. MAMEWah was great I just wanted the ability for 49 ways and LEDWiz without having to have an engineering degree to get there.
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Bump to keep to poll alive - let's get some more votes!
I think it confirms what I thought to be the current popular 4 FE's for Cabs being installed/tinkered with at the moment.
What else were you wanting it to reflect out of interest?
Plus if you are using an LEDWiz, you do not have to buy a special chip to use it, it works right out of the bubble wrap.
You don't with MALA either.. ;)
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I tried many of the listed Frontends before settling for AtomicFE. This Frontend allows for any emulator to be run either by plugin (which sets everything up automatically for you) or by command line (so you can tweak it exactly how you want). Many of teh other frontends (inc. GameEx and MameWah) had problems executing the command lines properly. With AtomicFE you can also run all the games from one big sorted list (even from different emulators or PC games etc.), which I prefer as opposed to having to preselect an emulator first. The list can be alphabetical or in any order you like and it has a favourites option as well! It's free (unlike GameEX), doesn't require you to install other software (like GameEx's - Net.Framework!) and has a great support forum to answer all your emulating whims! 10/10 I.M.H.O.
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This thread is 2 months old. Why do people feel the need to search out old threads and reply to them?
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Because this thread contains information which is still relevant for people who are deciding which frontend to use :) That's what a thread is for - so you can go back and read peoples advice.
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AtomicFe
Native support for and autoswitching of 49-way joysticks.
Very easy to configure as well as customize
Phenomenal support by developer
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Because this thread contains information which is still relevant for people who are deciding which frontend to use :) That's what a thread is for - so you can go back and read peoples advice.
The problem is a poll like this will never give an accurate representation of a front-end's popularity. Also every FE has it's own set of features that is best suited depending on your needs. Generally the wiki is the best summary of features, then testing them out yourself is a good way to see if it's for you. I'm not against the poll, I just think it's never going to be accurate.
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It's just for fun - don't be a hater, Headkaze.
:-*
Besides - here we've got a new user that actually searched for something on the site, rather than posting the same old question. Welcome to BYOAC RedMistPete, and welcome to the AtomicFE user community!
:applaud:
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Thanks :)
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It's just for fun - don't be a hater, Headkaze.
I don't hate anyone! :cheers:
Not even when you try to troll me!
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It's just for fun - don't be a hater, Headkaze.
I don't hate anyone! :cheers:
Not even when you try to troll me!
:P
Hope you had a Merry Christmas old man...
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Hope you had a Merry Christmas old man...
Hope you had a Merry Christmas too, wipper snapper! :P
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Generally the wiki is the best summary of features, then testing them out yourself is a good way to see if it's for you.
As long as the programmer keeps up the wiki page(s) for any new/dropped features.
The problem is a poll like this will never give an accurate representation of a front-end's popularity.
Though the poll may not be accurate on the numbers it will give you a good feel for the popular FEs. I also feel that the pool here is a good representation of the usage in this active community. The popular ones listed above are the ones that should be tried first. Another thing to look for is the update history, when was the last update and how often are updates available. What type of update occurred is also important, bug fix vs feature update.
My personal preference is GameEx mainly because of the way it interfaces with windows XP and the fact that my cab is used for more than just emulation games. It also doubles as a backup computer for the kids to do their homework. The update history is active with both bug fixes and feature updates. If my cab was solely for emulation then I might choose one of the other popular front ends and maybe even use a different OS.
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Mala-Mala-MoMala-BananaFana-FoFala...
So far it's been a dream, aside from a few things here and there which I'm left to understand would be problems with whatever FE I'm using...
I'm also keeping my eyes on Maximus Arcade...
Maximus Arcade-Maximus Arcade-MoMaximus Arcade- BananaFanaFoFaximus Arcade....
Doesn't quite work....
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Oh yeah...people ---smurfette--- when people DON'T search for something... and people ---smurfette--- when people DO search for something (and respond to it).
Damned if ya do damned if ya don't.
Classic.
BTW: Mamewah is the funk-a-listic-shiznit in my book.
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Now were talking! Mala and MameWah are about to take the lead :P
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Now were talking! Mala and MameWah are about to take the lead :P
And the winner is.... The end user! ;D
Hey I think the question should be 'What FE do you use on your 'CAB'
.. Mame32 is great to use on your PC but it's bit lame on your Cab for various reasons
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Hey I think the question should be 'What FE do you use on your 'CAB'
Hehe, but if we did that, GameEx would lose at least half of its votes!
:o
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:troll:
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Updated my original comments.
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We should have a Poll on 'What is you fav FE Poll' :laugh2: >:D
It had to be done...
Have a nice day everyone and enjoy the FE that works for you in you Cab
We are all very lucky as most of them Kick Butt!
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Atomic FE for me , plug and play , I can't work anything else , suits me great :notworthy:
lots of help when needed :cheers: