Williams Multigame ROM (questions/download)

[spystyle]

Howdy,
Is the William's Multigame ROM emulated?

If not could someone write a driver for it?
(I have no idea if this is a tall request or not)

I'd really like to make a William's multigame cabinet (using emulation)

Dig it?
Craig

[TheGatesofBill]

I don't think there is a driver for it, if one is written I'll add it to No Name. I'm not quite sure why someone whould want it though, just use a FE.

[SirPeale]

I don't think there is a driver for it, if one is written I'll add it to No Name. I'm not quite sure why someone whould want it though, just use a FE.

Because it includes a lot of the classic Williams titles in one neat package with a built-in front end.  If you haven't played it somewhere, I suggest looking one up.  It's really nifty.

I tried to hack in a driver really quickly using the Robotron parameters, and it didn't work:

Code: [Select]

H:\mame84src>mame wmg
Error in RomModule definition: rom_512k.bin out of memory region space
Unable to initialize machine emulation

And since I know very little about emulation programming, I know I won't be the one to get this to work.  Here's the driver.  Rename to 'zip'

[TheGatesofBill]

So this is all of it? Just the two files? And do we have any more info on this beast? Its just the same hardware as Robotron?

EDIT: I like the first few bytes of rom_512K.bin, "Hey Mark... Get outta here...".

[TheGatesofBill]

I did get it to load up (it did nothing though). However, doing some research it seems like the kit adds a daughterboard which would need to be emulated.

[spystyle]

Here is the homepage, it may contain usefull info :

http://www.multigame.com/williams.html

and the manuals :

http://www.multigame.com/MANUALS.HTM

and all the cool features of the new menu are listed here :

http://www.multigame.com/williams_menu.html

Williams multigame is too cool for school!

[SirPeale]

I did get it to load up (it did nothing though). However, doing some research it seems like the kit adds a daughterboard which would need to be emulated.

You did?  What did you do to the memory register?  Or did you make it just like Robotron?  That's what I did at first, but it gives you a black screen.

Well, if it's emulated, good, if not...oh well.

[TheGatesofBill]

I did it in the wee hours of the morning, I'll try to figure out what I did though (or if I was just hallucinating). At this point the only thing I can remember about it is working on it. Looking at the page again, it does look like some things were changed in the hardware (one board changed, one board added), and therefore something will need to be changed in / added to MAME.

Okay, I just looked up my code:

Code: [Select]

ROM_START( wmg )
        ROM_REGION( 0x80000, REGION_CPU1, 0 )
        ROM_LOAD( "rom_512k.bin", 0x0000, 0x80000, CRC(975516ec) SHA1(571aaf9bff8ebfc36448cd9394b47bcfae7d1b83) )

        ROM_REGION( 0x17000, REGION_CPU2, 0 )
        ROM_LOAD( "snd_32k.bin", 0xf000, 0x8000, CRC(1d08990e) SHA1(7bfb29426b3876f113e6ec3bc6c2fce9d2d1eb0c) )
ROM_END
No idea if it makes any sense, or what I changed. However, trying to load it does just go to a black screen. I need to stop working at things really late at night.

[SirPeale]

Looks like you changed the ROM REGION.   I think the memory handlers need to be addressed.  Not exactly sure how the multigame daughtercard handles all this.  Perhaps selective addressing.

[spystyle]

The author's e-mail is : clay@yahoo.com

(as posted on the Multi William's homepage)

It's a longshot, but perhapse he would be willing to answer some of these questions if we e-mailed him.

Maybe he would spare us a clue?

I would ask him but I don't speak code.

[SirPeale]

He may help, but I doubt it.  Would you suddenly want your baby being emulated like that?  Then he wouldn't have a kit to sell.  Well, I'm sure he'd sell to the die-hards, those people who need original hardware.

[TheGatesofBill]

Well, if he turns out to be so opposed to the emulation of it, should we really be emulating it?

[spystyle]

Well, if he turns out to be so opposed to the emulation of it, should we really be emulating it?

I say emulate the planet!

[SirPeale]

Well, it wouldn't hurt to ask.  Worst case scenario, he gives you the finger.

[NickS]

I really hope a driver does exist, or can be written, for Williams Multi Game in Mame. I was fortunate to try out one and I must say it is far better than using a frontend with the williams games. Particularly due to the unique start up procedure with Williams roms which does not give a smooth transition between games. With the Multi Williams roms you just have the start up once at the beginning. The menu also has some other nice features as documented on the multi williams site. I must also admit I have bought one of phoenix.com's full multi williams artwork packages in readiness for a dedicated williams cab. I highly recommed checking it out.

[spystyle]

I really hope a driver does exist, or can be written, for Williams Multi Game in Mame. I was fortunate to try out one and I must say it is far better than using a frontend with the williams games. Particularly due to the unique start up procedure with Williams roms which does not give a smooth transition between games. With the Multi Williams roms you just have the start up once at the beginning. The menu also has some other nice features as documented on the multi williams site. I must also admit I have bought one of phoenix.com's full multi williams artwork packages in readiness for a dedicated williams cab. I highly recommed checking it out.

I agree that the Multi-William's artwork is a fantastic tribute for William's fans.

See this thread about a custom Multi-William's overlay :
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=13366;start=msg110756#msg110756

You can even use the control panel overlay as a cutting template, easy and cheap

Dig it?
Craig

 

[creatine28]

Wonder if something like the 96in1 driver could be created for the Williams games?


http://d_widel.tripod.com/main.htm

[TheGatesofBill]

The 96in1 driver isn't complete yet. "// TO DO: CPU and Graphics Banking, without which this is unplayable :-(" I'll be willing to bet we would need the same thing for the Multi-Williams.

[NickS]

Hello,

Did anyone manage to find out anything new on this topic ?.

[spystyle]

Hello,

Did anyone manage to find out anything new on this topic ?.

Not that I am aware of...

[SirPeale]

I know I have not worked on it any more, basicalyl because I know *nothing* about emulation programming.

[TheGatesofBill]

The problem is banking. If memory serves, PacMAME had support for that, but the relevant code doesn't work with current versions of MAME. The 96in1 and WMG drivers both need banking, and therefore neither work. I have no idea how to implement it, so I hope someone else does.

[spystyle]

I don't speak code, that said, if you can post your question for the author I'll e-mail it to him, maybe he'll help us...

The problem is banking. If memory serves, PacMAME had support for that, but the relevant code doesn't work with current versions of MAME. The 96in1 and WMG drivers both need banking, and therefore neither work. I have no idea how to implement it, so I hope someone else does.

[SirPeale]

The problem is banking. If memory serves, PacMAME had support for that, but the relevant code doesn't work with current versions of MAME.

What if you used a previous version of Mame?

[EndTwist]

The problem is banking. If memory serves, PacMAME had support for that, but the relevant code doesn't work with current versions of MAME.

What if you used a previous version of Mame?

Exactly what I was thinking...

[TheGatesofBill]

What if you used a previous version of Mame?

Someone could try going back to the PacMAME source and adding in WMG, but I don't think I will. I'm more interested in getting No Name MAME up to speed. Maybe in the future if someone doesn't beat me to it.

[SirPeale]

Was the PacMAME source ever available?  I have binaries galore, but never saw the source.

[mp2526]

I don't speak code, that said, if you can post your question for the author I'll e-mail it to him, maybe he'll help us...

Clay is pretty busy right now trying to fill back orders of his products and I believe he is actually doing another run of his multi-williams boards (He wasn't selling enough so stop producing them until this recent run, I lucked out and managed to get one from a reseller though).  He is a pretty friendly guy, but like someone mentioned may not like the idea of his product being emulated.  Although it actually is already being emulated by the guys who make the jamma version here, and I can guarantee they probably won't help.

http://www.arcadeshop.com/multi-williams/multi-williams.htm

[TheGatesofBill]

Was the PacMAME source ever available?  I have binaries galore, but never saw the source.

It definately is, I have most of the changes in No Name (not including banking, as it won't compile).

[paigeoliver]

Clay might not mind, his kit has been a poor seller ever since the JAMMA multiwilliams boards came out.

The JAMMA ones can't be the same as his, as they add the OTHER Williams games to the mix.

[clay_cowgill]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the praise of the Williams Multigame, glad some of you liked it.

It's not been emulated in MAME per-se (although I did the development work using MAME-- probably something around 0.36 or so).

Emulating it wouldn't be hard, but it would be a fair bit of work.  There is extra hardware floating around in the kit that handles a bunch of functions-- remapping memory, modifying hardware functionality on the ROM board, completely replacing the "widget" I/O board with a new one that knows how to handle inputs from all the games, plus some non volatile memory...

(AKA, it would be a lot of work to do just to get a menu!)  Probably the main useful thing that the menu does is to allow 'fast boot' which skips the "rug test" on the williams games.  MAME could approximate this by doing a memory/register snapshot (save) right after the self-test completes and just start the game at that as a load point.  (Not sure if there's an automagic way to do that or not?)  The other functions like control input test, monitor tests, enabling and disabling games, etc. are kinda pointless for MAME...

I don't want to release all the hardware functionality information on the kit just yet (I just bought all the circuit boards and parts for one last run of the kits) since I've had problems with my kits being cloned and sold to undercut my price-- so I'm a little sensitive about it.  I don't really care what happens once I quit making something, but when I've got $$$ tied up in component inventory I want to keep my cards close to my chest.    (That's one of the reasons why there are two, good sized programmable logic chips with security functions on the design.)

-Clay

[Edgedamage]

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for the praise of the Williams Multigame, glad some of you liked it.

It's not been emulated in MAME per-se (although I did the development work using MAME-- probably something around 0.36 or so).

Emulating it wouldn't be hard, but it would be a fair bit of work.  There is extra hardware floating around in the kit that handles a bunch of functions-- remapping memory, modifying hardware functionality on the ROM board, completely replacing the "widget" I/O board with a new one that knows how to handle inputs from all the games, plus some non volatile memory...

(AKA, it would be a lot of work to do just to get a menu!)  Probably the main useful thing that the menu does is to allow 'fast boot' which skips the "rug test" on the williams games.  MAME could approximate this by doing a memory/register snapshot (save) right after the self-test completes and just start the game at that as a load point.  (Not sure if there's an automagic way to do that or not?)  The other functions like control input test, monitor tests, enabling and disabling games, etc. are kinda pointless for MAME...

I don't want to release all the hardware functionality information on the kit just yet (I just bought all the circuit boards and parts for one last run of the kits) since I've had problems with my kits being cloned and sold to undercut my price-- so I'm a little sensitive about it.  I don't really care what happens once I quit making something, but when I've got $$$ tied up in component inventory I want to keep my cards close to my chest.    (That's one of the reasons why there are two, good sized programmable logic chips with security functions on the design.)

-Clay

Well I just like to say nice work anyway.