Changes in Robotron since 95u3?

[JCKnife]

I know that a recent MAME update changed the Robotron speed, supposedly (something about blitters, way over my head). When I was out at E3 they had a real Robotron cabinet and I totally kicked ass on it--way better than I can do on my own cabinet (my best is 370,000 at home).

I have not updated since about .94 so my question: is Robotron slower / easier / better in current MAME?

[Chris]

I wonder if the difference was the leaf-switch joys on the real machine giving you better control...

[JCKnife]

I'm using Happ P360 opticals so the control is great but the throw is significantly longer. I'm thinking about swapping in the shorter spacers made for a metal CP even though I have a wooden one. But I like the longer throw on SFII and stuff...

[Grasshopper]

Apparently, from what I've heard, Robotron in MAME is actually too fast. On a real Robotron machine when there are lots of sprites on the screen at once the processor cannot cope and the game slows down in a way that the programmers probably didn't intend. This is a deficiency of the original hardware that MAME doesn't emulate properly yet.

[lokki]

Hi,
From
http://aarongiles.com/weblog/archives/2005/04/index.html

Basically the issue is that the blitters in mame are too fast. And some games used the timing of the blitter to control the speed.

there have been some comments that MAME is now much closer to real thing. But some purist claim it is still not perfect.

[Lilwolf]

Its not faster 80% of the time (early on that is).

Just the original machine hardware had troubles displaying all those little guys on the screen.  So when the screen was filled, it actually slowed everything down.... Even when the processor itself wasn't being pushed (since it was waiting on the blitter). 

Most arcade games didn't have this problem since they double buffered or something similar so that slow blitters wouldn't actually slow down the processors.... But robotron was one.

So anyway, now when you get to the full levels, it will be noticably slower.  You find that you can make it to the outside ring easier now.  But the end of the same level will be the same/old speed.

[JCKnife]

Like where do you start to notice a difference? Level 9?

(I know, I should just go ahead and update, but inquiring minds want to know!)

[ddockery]

Does anyone have a MAME cab and an origina they can run side-by-side?  I know before they changed it, MAME would lap the original in 30 or so times through the attract mode.  I wonder if they synch up now?

[2600]

It's impossible for them, or even two cabs to be in sync.  Even if both are trying to display 60.000 Hz, one of the clocks is going to be like 60.0001 Hz.  Which means eventually one will lap the other.