What is new in MAME front ends

[jukingeo]

Hello all,

It has been a while since I been here last and since I been messing around with MAME.

Back in the day, Arcade OS was the big thing happening and while it was good, it was pretty complicated to set up.  I ended up with Mamewah.

I would like to know what is a good front end to use now.

I have made the decision that I am no longer going to be bothered with arcade type monitors and just use SVGA or Digital using a standard computer card.  With flat screen monitors coming down in price,  I really do not see much use for a heavy CRT based system anymore.  So naturally I am looking for the best possible picture quality using a front end.

More then likely I will be using a Windows XP system for my computer.

I remember I set up Arcade OS with the DOS version of MAME.  I no longer use this system as it is fairly dated and old.

So what I am looking for is a good looking front end that doesn't look windowsish and one that I can easily set up with WinXP.

I would like monitor rotatability.  I would like all the controls to operate the front end without the need for 'special' or extra keyboards or button banks.

I would like the front end to also show control usage diagrams as well.

So with that in mind, I am curious to know what is out there nowadays.

Thank You,

Geo

[Extreme8]

Knock yourself out.

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/Front-Ends

[shorthair]

Atomic. (Though mGalaxy might be hip.) Has MEGA custom options, and a hearty crew working on it, as well as (for me) the easisest to get up and running: set two paths and it'll play. Plus the default layout is pretty neato, and video-oriented at that.

(Game Ex is windows-like - which I dig, except that it shouldnt' make you add other emulators from a list; they should just be selectable by check box cos they're already available, just on stand-by.)

I thought ArcadeOS was just for PC to Jamma?

[loadman]

I thought ArcadeOS was just for PC to Jamma?

Nope  .. Although it is quite dated now I would only recommend for a old pc.

I used it years ago as my FE in my Cab

My FE Path has been:
ArcadeOS
Game Launcher
MaLa

[scurvy]

i think that gameex has more options, literally hundreds.. i'm using gameex now, but i havent found all the options you speak of in atomic fe.

[tspeirs]

Nope  .. Although it is quite dated now I would only recommend for a old pc.

I used it years ago as my FE in my Cab

My FE Path has been:
ArcadeOS
Game Launcher
MaLa

Me too, except for the last one.

ArcadeOS was pretty much the only way you could get MAME working on an arcade monitor until Ultimarc brought out the ArcadeVGA card. Prior to that it took a lot of work setting up AdvanceMAME,  prior to that DOS MAME supported Arcade Monitors. ArcadeOS was intended for running on Arcade Monitors, although there were other ways than the PC 2 Jamma project, mainly Ultimarcs J-Pac. If you just want a simple MAME Cab, don't need to run windows, and have a supported video card it should still work fine.

[SGT]

i think that gameex has more options, literally hundreds.. i'm using gameex now, but i havent found all the options you speak of in atomic fe.

Literally hundreds of more options than which FE?  Don't know much about AtomicFE, but Mala has a ton of features.  With its plugin system, the sky's the limit.  Check out the plug-ins that are already available.

[tspeirs]

.

[SGT]

So please no more mine is better than yours stuff, as it oftens turns nasty.

Relax, this is a discussion board.  I do not know Gamex or AtomicFE so I cannot say Mala is better.  I would like to know what Gamex has extra in case I want to take a closer look.

[FrizzleFried]

I use MAMEWah in my two stand up cabinets and MALA in my cocktail.   I actually PREFER MAMEWah to any other FE,  but it is a ---smurfette--- to set up.  MALA comes close,  easier to set up,  but I have a couple persisting issues that keeps it from being my favorite.  I have messed a little with AtomicFE and like it,  but it's too CPU intensive it seems to work as well as I would like with my cocktail cabinet...but then again,  I have only spent maybe an hour total messing with it.  I used GameEX for a short time as well (a couple days),  but decided to go to MALA after playing with it for a while.

They ALL do their jobs well,  it's a matter of which YOU prefer.

GameEX seems better suited for a PC monitor...

MALA, AtomicFE, and Mamewah all seem to work fine with an arcade monitor...

Again,  I love MAMEWah,  and setting it up isn't so hard for me now that I have put the time in to learning it,  but for the first timer (as I was when I decided on using it),  the setup is a bit daunting...and the non-existent documentation,  changes from one version to the next,  etc. make it a ---smurfette--- to get up and going for the 1st timer.   BUT,  if you like a challenge,  go for it...you'll be better armed to deal with the other FE's (and will realize just how much of a ---smurfette--- Mamewah is once you check them out).

[shorthair]

Yeah, to a less-experienced degree, what FF said. I can see Mamewah being cool - and have the idea it may be best suited for arcade conditions.  Atomic has video options, as well as some others things, but that's just too much for me. However, unlike GameEx, it doesn't require you to fill out everything. GE is a neat idea - an all-around media device, including gaming - and, no, it doesn't make you use those...BUT, it does make you make paths for things like video snap in Mame.

Talk about being an MS kind of thing. I just want to see if it works. Then, just like MS, it may work the first time....it may not work, but will with a bunch of pain in the ass effort....or, and this is the goodie, it'll work - then not work. At least it isn't a tease when it doesn't work, cos it just stays not working. Back to number two.

[DrumAnBass]

I am surprised that more people around here don't use 3D Arcade for an FE... Some really amazing 3d arcade environments have been created. Yes it is tricky to customize but it is really an amazing piece of software. There is also a 3d Arcade DVD 2.0 that includes pretty much everything you need except R0MS. Check it out here: http://3darcade.mameworld.net/
Wiki for it here: http://tinyurl.com/2xkc6c