Highscores not working?

[Gaston77]

I have downloaded the Highscore.dat latest version. Placed this in the MAME folder and pointed mame to the "hi" folder. Is it normal for some games not to retain their highscores or did I do something wrong.

Sorry if this has been covered one billion times before.
Thanks for the help!

[Howard_Casto]

It would depend on the game, some aren't supported in the file yet, others use nvram, which mame supports but you have to have the folder setup ect....

[Minwah]

Highscore support has now been removed...you didn't mention what version of MAME you're using tho...

[TOK]

Highscore support has now been removed...you didn't mention what version of MAME you're using tho...

Wow, thats a huge bummer. My buddies and I have a high score contest going on in various games. Nothing makes you want to play a game more than seeing someone elses name at the top of the high score roster on YOUR machine!

I'm currently at .99, and it looks like I'll be staying with an older version of MAME for as long as possible.

[Gaston77]

 

Highscore support has now been removed...you didn't mention what version of MAME you're using tho...

I am using v 1.03. I noticed that some games do indeed create .hi files but most games which I play don't support the feature. Bummer...

[u_rebelscum]

Highscore support has now been removed...you didn't mention what version of MAME you're using tho...

I am using v 1.03. I noticed that some games do indeed create .hi files but most games which I play don't support the feature. Bummer...

Hiscore was removed in 0.107u1.  However:

If the original game saved the high score between boots, it will be saved in the nvram (and wouldn't have a .hi anyway). 
If the game driver supports "save state" and you use it, high score will be saved.

About 11 to 15% of the games in mame list with the support save state flag in the listxml: 11% if you count all games, 15% if you only count games with "good" driver status listed in listxml.

[brophog]

The real problem is most of the older games, the ones you really care if they have a high score, are the ones that needed the hiscore.dat compatibility.

I also still use .99 and it would take one heck of an update for me to use anything newer. There are several little changes like this that make some of the newer updates less cab friendly. Even then, I'd likely to use an updated version simply for those few games added in the update and not as the main.

[NIVO]

its time to install that 5" lcd now for a hiscore list   

[jelwell]

I probably won't upgrade to 107 anytime soon. But I thought i'd pass on this advice since I've already seen talk of people adding the code back to custom builds of MAME 107 to bring back hi score support.

Rather than having to re-add hi score support to every future version. Maybe add it once, run your games with .hi files and then use save states to save your scores out, then you can wipe out the .hi file. I think an automated tool could even be released. Basically mame hard coded to load the .hi file then write out the new save state file for each game that has a .hi file. I'm not even sure what the save files look like, presumably their files.

Joseph Elwell.

[MKChamp]

Rather than having to re-add hi score support to every future version. Maybe add it once, run your games with .hi files and then use save states to save your scores out, then you can wipe out the .hi file. I think an automated tool could even be released. Basically mame hard coded to load the .hi file then write out the new save state file for each game that has a .hi file. I'm not even sure what the save files look like, presumably their files.

Joseph Elwell.

You're still doing a custom build :-) Also, the main issue I have is that I believe save state formats may change from version to version(more frequently than anything that could kill a .hi file) and thus you may lose that galaga hiscore you're so proud of. I have no problem with the save state route...once is sturdy and in-place. As of now, it's not *quite* there for me to lose the .hi files route.

[javeryh]

So there's really no high score saving anymore?  I just upgraded to .108 and I think I might go back.  The entire reason for playing the old games is to compete for high scores.

Are there any plans to add this back in?

[u_rebelscum]

So there's really no high score saving anymore?  I just upgraded to .108 and I think I might go back.... 

Are there any plans to add this back in?

It is replaced by the more complete (auto)savestate.  This saves the high scores as well as everything else.  The only problem with savestate is that (ATM) not all games that were in hiscore are supported yet.

(AFAIK) There are no plans to re-add the hacky, bug introducing, not-a-debugging aid, only high score saving "hiscore" to official mame.   Plans to remove it had been in the works for a year or so (but without a set cutoff date) before it was finally removed, to give time for people who use and want hiscore to help port over to the savestate method.  Since the delay didn't seem to motivate adding support to those games for savestate but to delay the porting instead, and bugs were still being reported when it was the hiscore's fault and not code in mame (well, besides that mame supported hiscore ), so the reason to delay was determined to be less productive than the reasons to remove it.

The entire reason for playing the old games is to compete for high scores.

If that floats you boat, fine, but you don't speak for my reasons for playing old games.  I play because it's fun, the memories, and the challenge.  Others play for the joy of seeing ol' school games running again.  [shrug]

[Bill Mote]

Well that just sucks.  I have 0.86 running and my HDD crashed.  I took the opportunity to refresh everything to 0.109.  I noticed Donkey Kong wasn't saving it's highscore and figured I'd forgotten something.  Guess not.

dot

[FrizzleFried]

Donkey Kong happens to be one of the games that uses SAVESTATES.   Not only do savestates save highscore,  they save  your game as well.  When you leave a game,  you will come back at the exact same place/time/etc that you left.

Good stuff...we just need more games to support it...

[javeryh]

Hmmm... I downloaded something called hsdat7 and unzipped it to my mame folder and certain games seem to be saving high scores (I'm using mame .106).  Am I going crazy?

[Bill Mote]

Donkey Kong happens to be one of the games that uses SAVESTATES.

I'm on a completely fresh install.  Can you explain how to turn this feature on for all games that support it?

dot

[Banacek]

Donkey Kong happens to be one of the games that uses SAVESTATES.

I'm on a completely fresh install.  Can you explain how to turn this feature on for all games that support it?

dot

Pretty sure all you have to do is change 'autosave' to 1 in the mame.ini:

#
# STATE/PLAYBACK OPTIONS
#
# state                   <NULL> (not set)
autosave                  1

Hope that helps.

[Zeosstud]

On a fresh install of mame .109 after you create the mame.ini file all you have to do is exactly what Banacek said and you will be good to go with save states.

Personally I have been goofing with the save state stuff for the last few weeks and it works as advertised with most of the games I care about.  Donkey Kong and Galaga come to mind.  The problem is, I dont like it.  If I am playing a game of Donkey Kong and the wife calls and says "Dinner Time" I will generally hit esc and head upstairs (she is a good cook and also pretty hot, I DONT want to make her mad) with save states I can come back and bam right back to where I was, if I was the only person that ever played the mame cab that would be great.  However, I am not, so if the kids or a friend come over to play and I am not right there to explain to them what has happened it just confuses them.  If your having a party and games are being started and stopped all night, most of the time right in the middle of a game save states just add to your headache as the host, any of you that do this know what I mean. 

If you do enough searching and read enough posts and PM a few of the brighter people on this board of which "I" am NOT one, you can get enough information to compile your own version of mame .109u4 with hiscore.dat support.  If you read even more you can learn how to edit mame.c and get rid of the pesky OK screens that also make hosting that party a pain in the butt.

God Bless Aaron and all the mamedev's for the incredible program they provide for us and the same to the people who take their time to make is possible for us to configure said program the way "we" want it to run.

Zeosstud

[javeryh]

On a fresh install of mame .109 after you create the mame.ini file all you have to do is exactly what Banacek said and you will be good to go with save states.

Personally I have been goofing with the save state stuff for the last few weeks and it works as advertised with most of the games I care about.  Donkey Kong and Galaga come to mind.  The problem is, I dont like it.  If I am playing a game of Donkey Kong and the wife calls and says "Dinner Time" I will generally hit esc and head upstairs (she is a good cook and also pretty hot, I DONT want to make her mad) with save states I can come back and bam right back to where I was, if I was the only person that ever played the mame cab that would be great.  However, I am not, so if the kids or a friend come over to play and I am not right there to explain to them what has happened it just confuses them.  If your having a party and games are being started and stopped all night, most of the time right in the middle of a game save states just add to your headache as the host, any of you that do this know what I mean. 

If you do enough searching and read enough posts and PM a few of the brighter people on this board of which "I" am NOT one, you can get enough information to compile your own version of mame .109u4 with hiscore.dat support.  If you read even more you can learn how to edit mame.c and get rid of the pesky OK screens that also make hosting that party a pain in the butt.

God Bless Aaron and all the mamedev's for the incredible program they provide for us and the same to the people who take their time to make is possible for us to configure said program the way "we" want it to run.

Zeosstud

I agree completely with the save states.  The goal of my cabinet is to make it as user friendly as possible for when I have people over.  I couldn't believe the questions I was getting regarding switching games, starting games, inserting coins, etc. and I was just running Gamelauncher.

Any chance you could explain how to get rid of the OK screen?  It's killing me!!  THANKS!!

[MKChamp]

Multiple ways of doing it. Look in mame.c and change this line:
ui_display_startup_screens(!settingsloaded && !options.skip_disclaimer, !options.skip_warnings, !options.skip_gameinfo);
 
to this:
ui_display_startup_screens(!1 && !1, !1, !1);