What is GroovyMAME?

[Falk3r]

So, erm... what is GroovyMAME?

I've spent some time reading posts here, but... simply put, why would I augment the default MAME install with GroovyMAME?

Please be gentle...

[mamenewb100]

There isn't any difference except it makes MAME more Groovy.


Ok.. kidding.   GroovyMAME improves on the the minor flaws that original MAME has. Such as screen tearing and stuttering when vertical scrolling. Things that the average person wouldn't notice but will bug you once it's pointed out.

GroovyMAME has the biggest impact on Arcade Monitors or CRT TVs. As it allows you to do things that regular MAME cannot, like doubling the screen refresh on newer 31Khz displays to allow old school scanlines and make the games look how they were designed to display. Also allowing for pre-determined resolutions, so you don't have to go through all the setup hassle of getting every game to look right. You don't have to alter your regular MAME installation at all. GroovyMAME is just a modified MAME executable. Drop it in your MAME root folder, create a new .ini file by typing Groovymame32 (Or whatever the .exe is named) and adding command -cc after it at a command line prompt. This replaces regular mame configuration with enhanced options. Edit the ini to your liking and your set.

So to summerize: It attempts to make your games to look arcade perfect and give you more options.

[Falk3r]

Awesome, sounds like it's what I want then!

Drop it in your MAME root folder

... yeah, I can do that...

create a new .ini file by typing Groovymame32 (Or whatever the .exe is named) and adding command -cc after it at a command line prompt.

... erm, Windows 7, load command prompt as Administrator, navigate to MAME folder, run executible with " -cc" tag and... success?

[mamenewb100]

Awesome, sounds like it's what I want then!

Drop it in your MAME root folder

... yeah, I can do that...

create a new .ini file by typing Groovymame32 (Or whatever the .exe is named) and adding command -cc after it at a command line prompt.

... erm, Windows 7, load command prompt as Administrator, navigate to MAME folder, run executible with " -cc" tag and... success?

Yes it should work then. You will will have to edit mame.ini and change syncrefresh option to 1 in order to get smooth frames.

One thin about GroovyMAME is that it's designed to be run from the command line only. Just clicking the executable usually freezes your pc or won't work like it's supposed to. It works well with Frontends that do the command line work for you.

[Calamity]

... erm, Windows 7, load command prompt as Administrator, navigate to MAME folder, run executible with " -cc" tag and... success?

Hi Falk3r,

Well let's say that GroovyMAME is designed for Windows XP, not Windows 7. There are strong reasons for this, although it's a bit long to explain. It will work work indeed under Windows 7 and you'll get the benefits of improved synchronization, no tearing, etc. but the video magic will be very limited (it won't work basically).

[Falk3r]

 

When you say the video magic won't work, what exactly does that mean?

At risk of admitting how little I understand, here's the requisite components that are either on hand or on order:

Windows 7 (set up)
Arcade VGA 3000 (installed)
MakVision Tri-Mode Monitor (on order)

What am I missing out on by sticking with Windows 7? I guess I'm "just" looking for a system that automatically sets the video settings based on the game. Even if this means I need to set up a config file for each ROM, I think I can handle that...

[Endprodukt]

What am I missing out on by sticking with Windows 7? I guess I'm "just" looking for a system that automatically sets the video settings based on the game. Even if this means I need to set up a config file for each ROM, I think I can handle that...

No need to do that with Groovy Mame and that's the point.

[mamenewb100]

What am I missing out on by sticking with Windows 7?

When I used Windows 7 it always wanted to run games at 60Hz no matter what. So games that ran at a lower refresh would run too fast. I was able to get it to work with Powerstrip but it only worked with one resolution.

Microsoft has been locking down the freedom of their OS ever since XP. Which makes it increasingly difficult to work around for programmers. It's great if you just surf the web or edit pictures but less forgiving on hardware/software modifications.

[lettuce]

When you say the video magic won't work, what exactly does that mean?

At risk of admitting how little I understand, here's the requisite components that are either on hand or on order:

Windows 7 (set up)
Arcade VGA 3000 (installed)
MakVision Tri-Mode Monitor (on order)

What am I missing out on by sticking with Windows 7? I guess I'm "just" looking for a system that automatically sets the video settings based on the game. Even if this means I need to set up a config file for each ROM, I think I can handle that...

If this is going to be a cab just for mame you might be better off using GroovyArcade LiveCD and Calamity's USB installation guide?

[Falk3r]

When I used Windows 7 it always wanted to run games at 60Hz no matter what. So games that ran at a lower refresh would run too fast. I was able to get it to work with Powerstrip but it only worked with one resolution.

So, definitively, if I'm running Windows 7, I will be unable to take advantage of the tri-mode monitor? There will be some games (running at lower frequencies) that will just not work? Guess I should see if I can scrounge up a copy of XP and reformat the machine.

If this is going to be a cab just for mame you might be better off using GroovyArcade LiveCD and Calamity's USB installation guide?

This is just going to be a cab for MAME. I haven't heard of the LiveCD + USB Install guide... I'll do some reading on that today and see what that entails.

[lettuce]

Its in the sticky at the top of this GroovyMame forum page. Maybe rather than installing it to a USB stick install it to your actually HHD. But you can use the USb method to start with and see how you like it, good thing about it is you dont have to delete anything from your HHD you have in the PC atm, as it all boots from the USB stick

[wp34]

Some more information on Windows 7 and GroovyMame here -

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=118411.0

[Falk3r]

Thanks, WP34, "so you're saying there's a chance." 

According to that other thread, if I can enable Direct 3D and this "cleanstretch" option in GroovyMAME, things should sort themselves out... ?

Newbian question -- is there documentation that outlines how to enable D3D and cleanstretch?

[dgame]

They are both options in mame.ini

d3d is the default, cleanstretch is not.

In mame.ini under # CORE SWITCHRES OPTIONS

Change "cleanstretch 0" to "cleanstretch 1"

[Calamity]

Hi Falk3r,

The cool video features of GroovyMAME (custom modeline generation) are achieved in combination with a special hacked driver for ATI cards called "CRT Emudriver", but:

- CRT Emudriver is for Windows XP only.
- CRT Emudriver doesn't work with ArcadeVGA 3000.

So basically with an ArcadeVGA 3000 it's not worth "upgrading" to Windows XP because anyway you're going to have to use Ultimarc's drivers. GroovyMAME will still work but limited to AVGA's stock video modes.

Switching to D3D is done by editing the -video option in mame.ini, it's trivial.

On the other hand, there are good news for you if you have the chance to try GroovyArcade on an usb pendrive, because this system does support ArcadeVGA 3000 with absolutely no limitations with regard to custom mode switching. So I'd just stick with your Windows 7 installation, use GroovyMAME with it, and try GroovyArcade on a pendrive as an alternative if you want to compare.

Finally, there are some extra options you need to tweak to get GM working with an ArcadeVGA, check the main thread for info, no big deal.
 

[mamenewb100]

I feel for you Falk3r because I also started my cab with AVGA and win7. Everyone online was boasting about how you *had* to have an AVGA in order to get arcade resolutions.

Well that was only true if you didn't use programs such as soft15 and crt emudriver. Not only can you use regular old video cards but they are more customizable. But AVGA IS great if you aren't too picky about arcade perfection and just want to play some games straight away.

Your in the same boat I was. Either 1) Keep AVGA and Win7 with decent performance but lacking options. 2) Keep AVGA and scrap Win7 for Linux so you can get full use of your video card and monitor. This option won't cost you anything except getting used to different Frontends and OS. 3) Scrap AVGA and Win7. Get a compatible ATI card and copy of WINXP 64 Bit.

[Falk3r]

Thanks, Calamity. I appreciate the feedback as it helps me to understand exactly what's going on here. I can only hope to give back to the community in a similar manner once I've overcome a few hurtles and see another newb in pain.

Thanks, mamenewb100. What did you end up with in your own system?

I'm leaning towards Option 1 (Try AVGA+Win7) with the future upgrade to Option 2 (AVGA+Linux). This way I can get things up and running, learn a bit, and decide if it's worth going to Linux or not.

I've tried to move my desktop to Linux three times over the years, but it's a steep learning curve.