NVRAM files for SFIII, etc?

[DeLuSioNal29]

Hey there,

I'm running the new MAME .150.  I'm wondering where this new version stores the "cache" files for the following games?  They are not in the NVRAM folder.  Basically, the games listed below require that you "build out" the game before it runs (First time only).  But I don't want to have to keep doing this each time I install MAME on a new cabinet.  I'd like to just copy over the already built cache files.

SFIII
Raiden Fighter Jet
etc.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

DeLuSioNaL29

These

[Haze]

in the nvram folder...

[DeLuSioNal29]

Thanks for the confirmation Haze!  I knew I wasn't' crazy.  I finally managed to figure it out...

Turns out, I had created the NVRAM folders on my external drive and when I was looking for them I was checking my PC.  Duh.     So yes, they were indeed in the NVRAM folder.

That said, I'm wondering why no one has thought to post the NVRAM files (All of them) in a downloadable format, so we don't all have to go through this every time.  Is that even legal?  Anyone?

Nonetheless, thanks for helping out with my brain fart...   

DeLuSioNaL29

[Haze]

Thanks for the confirmation Haze!  I knew I wasn't' crazy.  I finally managed to figure it out...

Turns out, I had created the NVRAM folders on my external drive and when I was looking for them I was checking my PC.  Duh.     So yes, they were indeed in the NVRAM folder.

That said, I'm wondering why no one has thought to post the NVRAM files (All of them) in a downloadable format, so we don't all have to go through this every time.  Is that even legal?  Anyone?

Nonetheless, thanks for helping out with my brain fart...   

DeLuSioNaL29

well with CPS3 and SPI you'd effectively be posting ROM files (the games copy the data from CD, putting the data in the Flash ROMs, or in the case of SPI they copy the sound data from the cart into a flash ROM near the sound chip on the motherboard)

some sets (the 'NOCD' sets in CPS3) have the Flash ROMs pre-programmed, and don't check for a CD.

Modern versions of MAME actually save out a file for each of the Flash chips rather than one big blob, so if you use '-romident' on the ones dumped out by CPS3 you'll see they actually match the ROM files used by the NoCD sets.

With SPI in recent MAME versions be very careful not to interrupt the process or you will render the game unbootable (and presumably on the real  PCB, bricked) due to the region security check that is involved in the flash process - the motherboard region is stored in the flash rom on the motherboard and must match the program rom on the game cartridge, but the flash is temporarily blanked during the flash process.

Taito Gnet works in a similar way to SPI but without that security stuff ;-)

Simpsons bowling is another, several other Konami CD based platforms too.

Things like Deco Cassette of course aren't flashing anything, the countdown is actually the loading of the game so you'd have to use save states to bypass that (I'd question the legality of posting save states for those because again they'd contain all the game data)

The countdown period some of the Cave SH3 games have (Mushitam, the sequel to Uopoko for example) is also loading / decompressing game data to RAM, not flashing.