Question about fixed resolution...

[DigDreams]

My main MAME machine (the one going in the cabinet I'm building) has a strange resolution issue...  When I run MAME32 everything is fine, but when I run MAME it only works on some games, others just show a blank screen.  I need to run regular MAME since my frontend uses it (3D Arcade).

I can get around this by fixing the reolution to 640x480x32 in the MAME.INI file, but I'm not sure if that is the best setting.  I works in 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768.  Is 640x480x32 the best choice?  Are their games that need a higher resolution than 640x480?

Also, if anyone knows how to fix the auto-switching function, please let me know - obviously I'd rather let it autop-switch.  I matched all my MAME32 settings in the MAME.ini, but it still dies on about half the games.  I am guessing it is using video modes my card supports but not my monitor, but I don't know why it acts different from MAME32...

As I am building a small "Bartop" cabinet first - I am using an old GoldStar 15" CRT monitor with a Vodoo 3000 AGP card if that helps at all...

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

- DigDreams

[SirPeale]

I can get around this by fixing the reolution to 640x480x32 in the MAME.INI file, but I'm not sure if that is the best setting.  I works in 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768.  Is 640x480x32 the best choice?  Are their games that need a higher resolution than 640x480?

...

As I am building a small "Bartop" cabinet first - I am using an old GoldStar 15" CRT monitor with a Vodoo 3000 AGP card if that helps at all...

That's likely your problem right there.  Force your resolution to 640x480.  Your monitor likely doesn't support higher res.

If it does, you have other issues.

[DigDreams]

If I force the resolution it works fine in 640x480, 800x600, and 1024x768.  Which is best to use?  Are there any games that require more than 640x480?

[SirPeale]

Ah, I gotcha.  I wouldn't go any higher than 640x480.  Less if you can.  Medium res is something like 400x300 or something, and standard is 320x240.  These are approximations, of course.