How hard is is to get mame running???????///

[thehammer12]

How hard is it to get mame running on a gaming computer, I was thinking about getting a gaming computer,  and building a mame cabinet, but from reading on mame.net and here byoac, it seems hard, am I missing something or what

[daywane]

any PC will do.
gaming
mac
linux

hard as you make it.

[Tiger-Heli]

How hard is it to get mame running on a gaming computer, I was thinking about getting a gaming computer,  and building a mame cabinet, but from reading on mame.net and here byoac, it seems hard, am I missing something or what

Getting it running for 5% of the newer games (Cruisin USA, Blitz, etc) takes a really good machine.

Getting it running for PacMan, OutRun, Galaga, Street Fighter, etc. requires something on the order of a 1Ghz machine, and not an especially good one (although an older version would be helpful).

Getting the ROMS can be a pain, but we can't discuss that here - but you could find the answers.

Getting it set-up and working, refer to http://www.mameworld.net/easyemu/ and the MAME menu on the left side of that page.

[thehammer12]

Well on average how long would the process take, is it worth it for mame or is there any other software that is good, and has alot of games, I saw one this past weekend in schaumburg, il has over 4,000 games from pacman to double dragon to some racing game maybe midnight, but it was sure great.

[thehammer12]

can I ask what are roms, and why are they are needed

[Tiger-Heli]

Well on average how long would the process take, is it worth it for mame or is there any other software that is good, and has alot of games, I saw one this past weekend in schaumburg, il has over 4,000 games from pacman to double dragon to some racing game maybe midnight, but it was sure great.

Most likely that was MAME - it supports some 5,000 games.  Being able to play the games truly arcade accurate is priceless.  It would take about 15 minutes to get setup and running if you have all the correct files, but tweaking the settings could take a while, but you can do that at your leisure.

[Tiger-Heli]

can I ask what are roms, and why are they are needed

Check the FAQ at www.mame.net.  MAME emulates the hardware - the chips and circuit boards in the arcade games.  ROMS are the software that was burned on the chips and they are usually copyrighted so you shouldn't own them unless you have the rights to them.

If you have access to usenet, you could ask about them there.  If not, post back and I'll shoot you a PM on Monday.

[thehammer12]

oh I see alright thanks alot, is there any other options besides mame or no

[Nailz]

No offense, but you've been a member since December and you are still needing to be directed to the FAQ?  Read a few things before asking the obvious please.

[thehammer12]

I mean I get it, just some of it isnt so easy to understand and yeah I been a member since december but with college and the girls, its a little hard to pay attention to my arcade games. So please, bare with me

[daywane]

well there is
vantage
raine
callus
mame is king of the hill right now.
here is a link to other arcade EMU's ( other then MAME )
http://www.zophar.net/marcade.html
I would get mame 32 if I was you
you do not need a 1 gig PC. all my cabs have 700mghrtz right now
except my MS Pac and it has a 200 mghrtz plays vertical old school games fine
even with XP pro and mame 32 on it

roms are the game its self. also stand for "READ ONLY MEMORY" rom in short

[Howard_Casto]

I mean I get it, just some of it isnt so easy to understand

I love these dumb, rhetorical, questions (and by "Love" I mean absolutely hate).

You just answered your own question man, it is hard.... for you!  What does it matter if we think it's hard or not?  We won't be setting it up, you will.  If you've looked things over since december (distractions aside) and you are still confused then I'm guessing it's going to be hard for you to do. 

So next time actually think before asking a question that we can't possibly answer for you. 


(Note to self:  Man it's good to be back!)

[thehammer12]

Sorry man I am lazy as ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, I am gonna give it a try and if I dont get it, I will have someone do it, so anyone in local chicago area wanna help out let me know, thanks guys I will go over the faq again.

[Tiger-Heli]

PM sent.

[Navmaxlp]

I mean I get it, just some of it isnt so easy to understand

I love these dumb, rhetorical, questions (and by "Love" I mean absolutely hate).

You just answered your own question man, it is hard.... for you!

[thehammer12]

gotcha, thanks for the info, alot of people on here were saying also to go with mame32 so I guess it looks like the choice I am going wiwth.

[KenToad]

I had a bit of a hard time figuring things out when I first started but, once you get it, you realize how easy it actually is.

I found out about Mame in 2002, found a few sites with the roms and actually unzipped the roms.  It worked, but what a messy directory.  I couldn't figure out what the h*ll was up with the news on Mameworld.net.  It was information overload.  I was one of those guys who said "can't I just download some of my favorite games and get started already." Now, I really enjoy the "complexity" (relative to buying a PC or console game, that is) of Mame.  And by complexity I mean power, with the incredible ability to modify the program to suit so many sets of needs.  Now, it seems like there are so many more resources and so many more builds of Mame that it might be easier to get started, but I'm guessing that it's actually harder.  I like to read instruction manuals, but when there are fifteen to a hundred instruction manuals and really no definite starting point.  Also, some are well done and some aren't so well done.  So, it's an investment in time at least, if not obsession and monetary sacrifice, as well.  I don't mind seeing some new folks here reminding me of the early days of my own obsession. 

Cheers,
KenToad

[Navmaxlp]

Yeah I agree, hardest part for me was finding the right directions to go with the right program. For instance, don't follow the procedure for installing mame while installing mame 32. Trust me, it doesn't work.

Best advice I can give you with mame 32 is, if it doesn't work correctly and easily the first time without a lot of downloads and file tweaking, you're not doing it right.

[spriggy]

I mean I get it, just some of it isnt so easy to understand

I love these dumb, rhetorical, questions (and by "Love" I mean absolutely hate).

You just answered your own question man, it is hard.... for you!

[thehammer12]

hmmm

[D5A1AC]

Do you want to get mame set up so your pc is dedicated to mame? If so, heres a site(that everyone is most likely familiar with) which will save you a lot of time:

http://www.upup.us/old/2003_09_01_old.html#106469688462437353

It took me about 10 mins to set up and test. I'd say anyone who can follow instructions could get thier pc set up like that. I'm keeping a log of everything ive done to get my pc "cabinet ready" if youre interested I could send you that too?

[MrBond]

Just for starting with MAME, it doesn't get any easier than MAME32.

[Joystick Jerk]

Grab Mame32 and a couple roms, and just start messing around. You'll pick it up in no time. I just starting mame'ing myself a couple weeks ago and I've already picked up all the ins and outs of Mame32, and I'm starting to mess with the command-line versions now and their associated front ends.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention that EasyEMU has a several comprehensive, easy to understand guides that will help you get various versions of Mame up and running.

[tommy]

I mean I get it, just some of it isnt so easy to understand

I love these dumb, rhetorical, questions (and by "Love" I mean absolutely hate).

You just answered your own question man, it is hard.... for you!