launching speed with command line

[Jayme65]

Would one please help me understand why launching "Mame Windows command line version" takes a lot more time than launching from a command line with "Mame32qa"?

Doing it with the first takes a rather long time...when it's instantaneous with the second!
(I'm on XP)

I'm asking this cause I'm thinking of doing a frontend as a programming exercice...and this was one of my first test.
Which version of Mame do the other frontends generaly use? and (if there's one) what's the trick to speed up command line launching with the windows command line version of mame?

Thanksvery much for your help;-)

[youki]

Are you sure you are runing the same rom?  the same version of mame and mame32qa when you did your test?

Do you have a mame.ini?    may be one have the Skip_validitychecks flag activated in one and not the other.


Because between mames (at the same version level) there is not a big difference for the loading time.

[Jayme65]

youki, thanks for your reply!

I'm running the same rom with those 2 mame version just unzipped.
On the rom I tested ("88games.zip"):
6 seconds with MameWindows command line  version
1 second with Mame32qa

[youki]

look if you have a mame.ini  in your mame folder , if not , put one and modify or add the line :

skip_validitychecks 1

a try to again, to see if it is better.

[Jayme65]

Damn it!
You were right from the beginning!
Yes, indeed, THIS makes the difference; I suppose that Mame32qa integrates this by default.

But...where is it written? I've read all the "windows.txt" text in the "docs" folder...and no trace of those skip_...  apart from skip_gameinfo?

Anyway..thanks VERY much Youki!! ;-)

[Jayme65]

Yet another question if you don't mind:
is it possible to send multiple command with the command line?

for instance:

mame.exe 88games.zip -skip_disclaimer -skip_gameinfo

...doesn't work!
What is the proper syntax to add multiple commands?
Thanks!

[youki]

Your command is correct , it should work.

But i think on recent version of mame some flag skip_  have diseapear. So it is may be your problem in that case.

You can try to put the  rom name at the end too . But it should work if your mame recognize the flags.