audio letency option in 68 (for people with sound problems)

[Howard_Casto]

What this new option does is help eliminate sound pops by making windows "calm down" when it's playing a bunch of sounds.  Set it to 4 and it should all but eliminate sound problems on even the worst sound card.  

[Odonadon]

What this new option does is help eliminate sound pops by making windows "calm down" when it's playing a bunch of sounds.  Set it to 4 and it should all but eliminate sound problems on even the worst sound card.  

Finally, an answer to my prayers.  Thanks Howard!

Oh, and whomever added that option to MAME

Odonadon

[AceTKK]

Did it work Odonadon?  I've been following your situation for a while now.

-Ace-

[Odonadon]

Did it work Odonadon?  I've been following your situation for a while now.

-Ace-

I have an idea.  How about I try it?    I actually haven't gotten around to it.  I appologize already for that, I should always make time for the arcade.    I'll let you know as soon as I test it out.

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

I tried it on a machine that  I was having issues with (thought it was the sound card) and it almost completely cleared it up.  The only games I still get static on are ones that are notoriously bad to begin with (the the mk series) and even then the static is dramatically reduced.  

Your mileage will probably vary, but I'm anxious to hear peoples results with the option.  

[Aceldamor]

The option has completly eliminated my echo and static in UMK3 and KI.

Fantastic add in!!!!

[Odonadon]

Well, the garbled static-y noise seems to be fixed, but the constant skipping and such is as prevalent as ever.  Damn.

Odonadon

[SirPoonga]

Actually, this option has slowed my system down and did not fix the problems I have in turfmast.

[Odonadon]

Actually, this option has slowed my system down and did not fix the problems I have in turfmast.

Now that you mention it, I think Afterburner II is worse.  I don't get the garbled static, but the game seems slower and the sound skips more.  Hmm...

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

Well, the garbled static-y noise seems to be fixed, but the constant skipping and such is as prevalent as ever.  Damn.

Odonadon

Skipping is probably a hardware related issue and that's why it didn't get fixed.  

[Odonadon]

Well, the garbled static-y noise seems to be fixed, but the constant skipping and such is as prevalent as ever.  Damn.

Odonadon

Skipping is probably a hardware related issue and that's why it didn't get fixed.  

Well, I doubt that as there is no skipping in DOS.  But Radiator PM'd me with some suggestions to try with my Radeon 7500 card settings in Windows that seemed to have fixed this problem for him, so you may be right after all, HC

Odonadon

[Wade]

Why don't you switch to the DOS version of mame?  I went with DOS from the start because I knew it was inevitable that I'd run into a lot of problems with Windows.

Wade

[Howard_Casto]

Why don't you switch to the DOS version of mame?  I went with DOS from the start because I knew it was inevitable that I'd run into a lot of problems with Windows.

Wade

Let me answer this one...

1. Dos became obsolete the instant windows 95 came to be.  

2.  Dos cannot handle beefy systems with high resources as it was designed prior to systems with 1 gig + processors, multiple gig harddrives and 256 + megs of ram.  

3.  Mame finally supports hardware accelerated features.  If you use the dos port you are out of luck.  

4.  If you are running mame and only mame then that is fine, but most of the newer emulators are windows/xwindows(linux) only.  

[Odonadon]

Why don't you switch to the DOS version of mame?  I went with DOS from the start because I knew it was inevitable that I'd run into a lot of problems with Windows.

Wade

I initially was running DOS, but I ran into a few of the problems Howard layed out.  Mainly the lack of multiple emulator support and hardware accelerated features (d3d, effects, and such).  

However, I will be the first to testify that overall, MAME runs better in DOS if you use the right video card with proper VESA support in DOS.  At least on my machine, which is what I'd consider a pretty average one - 450MHz with 128Mb RAM.  It can't run MK or KI full speed, but that's about it

I, personally, still prefer the Windows port, even though I'm having these sound problems.  I've not got (thanks to the recent thread about great PC software to play on a MAME cab) a total of 6 seperate programs that aren't supported in DOS running straight from my fe - GameLauncher.

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

That's your problem right now.  An "average" mame pc running windows is about a 800mhz- 1 gig with 256 + megs of ram.  Your's is slightly below average.

[Wade]

Why don't you switch to the DOS version of mame?  I went with DOS from the start because I knew it was inevitable that I'd run into a lot of problems with Windows.

Wade

Let me answer this one...

1. Dos became obsolete the instant windows 95 came to be.  

2.  Dos cannot handle beefy systems with high resources as it was designed prior to systems with 1 gig + processors, multiple gig harddrives and 256 + megs of ram.  

3.  Mame finally supports hardware accelerated features.  If you use the dos port you are out of luck.  

4.  If you are running mame and only mame then that is fine, but most of the newer emulators are windows/xwindows(linux) only.  

1.  Obsolete for home PC users, yes.  Totally obsolete, no.  There was (and still is) LOADS of industrial, governmental, and business software that runs on a DOS platform.  Dos can do many things that Windows can't do.  The more common things are the ability to run reliably and for very long periods, the ability to run maintenance free, the ability to run on embedded systems or with a small footprint, the ability to control time sensitive applications, the ability to perform (mame/this thread is a good example), etc.  Windows has problems with all those.

But this isn't a Windows vs. Dos thread, just pointing out that Dos still has a real place in certain applications, a Mame arcade being one of them.

2.  This is true to a degree.  I use Windows 98 Dos and an Athlon 1700+, 512M ram, etc.  I don't think DOS has any problem using these resources.

3.  Sad to hear this and I am dreading the day that the Windows version action performs better than the DOS version (but doubt that day will come).  What hardware accelerated features are there, are they graphics related or what?

4.  Good point.  I tend to forget that not everyone has a dedicated Mame cabinet.  A lot of people don't even have cabinets, and use their main PC to play games.  I guess I should restrict my DOS-pushing to people with a mame cabinet.

Wade

[Howard_Casto]

4.  Good point.  I tend to forget that not everyone has a dedicated Mame cabinet.  A lot of people don't even have cabinets, and use their main PC to play games.  I guess I should restrict my DOS-pushing to people with a mame cabinet.

Wade

I think you misunderstand.  Many people have multi-emulator cabinets, not just mame cabinets.  This has nothing to do with playing mame on your desktop pc.

Also you are misinformed on the reliabliity of dos and the performance of windows mame versus dos mame.  Dos can physically see the extra resources, but it cannot access them properly and thus they are wasted.  Also windows mame has outperformed dos mame for some time now.  You have to discount the fact that windows needs a larger resource footprint than dos though.  

[radiator]

Also windows mame has outperformed dos mame for some time now....

i think that depends on what hardware you're using (and i'm not just talking about PC hardware)

ie, my setup is an AthlonXP 1700 (running @ 2.1Ghz), 512Mb ram, etc etc, but DOS mame runs better on my system (I've told this story time and time again, but running windows MAME gives sound problems when either tripplebuffer or waitvsync are enabled, whereas the DOS version runs flawlessly whatever options are enabled)

in general though, you are right, there's just a minority who have problems with win mame

 

[Odonadon]

i think that depends on what hardware you're using (and i'm not just talking about PC hardware)

ie, my setup is an AthlonXP 1700 (running @ 2.1Ghz), 512Mb ram, etc etc, but DOS mame runs better on my system (I've told this story time and time again, but running windows MAME gives sound problems when either tripplebuffer or waitvsync are enabled, whereas the DOS version runs flawlessly whatever options are enabled)

Has anyone, ever, gotten the impression that HC works for M$?  Only guy I know who preaches it's Windows OS's every chance he gets  

MAME gives you problems in Windows?  Just upgrade your hardware - it's not a software problem.  Nope - don't want to hear it.  It's not software.  Reminds me of a guy who I used to work with - any Windows related problem on a client's PC and he immediately went and checked BIOS settings first - even for an MS Word problem!

Yeah, we can attest to that, eh Rad?  

Odonadon

[Howard_Casto]

Like it or not windows is THE os that hardware developers must make their products work with.  If a piece of hardware doesn't perform well in windows then it has a flawed design or drivers as nobody in their right mind designs hardware for dos or linux.    Now do you get the point?

[Wade]

4.  Good point.  I tend to forget that not everyone has a dedicated Mame cabinet.  A lot of people don't even have cabinets, and use their main PC to play games.  I guess I should restrict my DOS-pushing to people with a mame cabinet.

Wade

I think you misunderstand.  Many people have multi-emulator cabinets, not just mame cabinets.  This has nothing to do with playing mame on your desktop pc.

I understood, I was just providing an example of some people who would be using mame in a completely different manner.

When I say "mame cabinet" I specifically mean a cabinet dedicated to playing video games with M.A.M.E (not other emulators).  I am aware there are other arcade emulators out there.  I don't understand why people would want to emulate home game systems, but I know a lot of people include that in their game cabinets.

I wanted my machine to be as much like a real arcade game as possible, with the exception of being able to select a variety of games.  I didn't want the equivalent of a home PC stuffed in a cabinet so I'd have to use it standing up.  I just need to keep this in mind when I suggest using DOS, because a lot of people have different purposes for their cabs.

Also you are misinformed on the reliabliity of dos and the performance of windows mame versus dos mame.  Dos can physically see the extra resources, but it cannot access them properly and thus they are wasted.  Also windows mame has outperformed dos mame for some time now.  You have to discount the fact that windows needs a larger resource footprint than dos though.  

Please elaborate.  I may be misinformed about DOS resources.  I only assume that all that RAM, HD, and processor are being utilized.  It is obvious the CPU and HD are used.  I have run many games, and haven't run into a performance problem.  What exactly are the limits of the RAM usage in DOS?  Does it only use the first 128 megs or what?  What ROMs are RAM heavy and would test my machine's RAM usage?

Even discounting the Windows footprint, I haven't seen any evidence to suggest windows mame outperforms DOS mame.  On every system I have tried it on (p133, K6/2-450, Athlon 1700) DOS mame has always performed better.  Both with sound and FPS.

I'd even be interested in theories of how Mame could perform better in Windows.  Given enough RAM, mame is all about processor speed.  I don't know of any way that Windows can enhance a processors performance (only take away performance).  I suppose some drive controllers would be faster in Windows but drive performance has never been a mame issue AFAIK.

I am not saying I don't believe you or want to argue about it, I'm just asking for some support of the claim, because I haven't personally seen anything to suggest that Windows mame performs better.

Let it be known that I'm not a huge DOS advocate.  I wouldn't say Windows is better than DOS, nor vice versa, that is too broad a statement.  I would just say that they are good at different things.

Wade

[rampy]

I think what HC is trying to say is:

DOS ->old and busted
WINDOZE -> New Hotness

=P

Enough of the will smithisms though.  Use what works for you.  There are pro's and con's to each... and compromises made either way.

*shrug*

rampy