The NEW Build Your Own Arcade Controls
Main => Software Forum => Topic started by: Zebidee on November 10, 2007, 03:14:31 pm
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(http://scarvell.net/wiki/images/0/06/Newzinclay320x240min.jpg)
I noticed some people are having some Zinc setup problems so I thought I'd post this to help out. The following is most useful for users of MameWAH 1.62+, but will work with almost any front end if tailoring of FE config files is done. I'm posting this on a separate thread so that it doesn't get lost (and maybe it'll get stickied?)
The attached .zip file contains everything you need! This includes the ability to automatically map keys over to mame defaults for each game, loaded each time you run zinc. This way, you don't need a reprogrammable IPAC etc to play. Zip file includes:
- zinc.dat (info on each game)
- catver.ini (category info)
- Winterblast's Controller controller plugin v1.6
- controller.cfg ; and
- Individual .ini files for each game (stored in /zinc/ini directory), which will be loaded from the command line by MameWAH.
Additionally, in the "\Mamewah_files\zinc" directory you'll find my own MAMEWAH setup files for launching Zinc and configuring kleycodes on the fly. These Mamewah files include a basic (but quite cool 8) ) layout designed for the 321x240 mode that arcadeVGA and Soft15khz support, so it is perfect for an arcade monitor.
If you are using Mamewah or a similar front end, download this zincwah.zip file and unpack it into your c:\zinc folder. Then look in the new "c:\zinc\mamewah_files" directory and copy that "zinc" folder ino your ..\Mamewah\config directory. File paths used assume that you have zinc in "C:\Zinc", so you'll have to change files references as necessary to suit your setup.
That's it! You can look at the details by going through the .ini files. The most important part is the emulator command line, where [name] is equal to the game number (from 1 - 71).
c:\Zinc\Zinc.exe [name] --use-controller-cfg-file=c:\zinc\ini\[name].ini{nodosbox}{safelaunch}
Note that for each game, a specific .ini file is loaded and used to map keys in the controller. There is also a "controller.cfg" which zinc calls by default.
Cheers and good luck, Zeb. ;D
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Thanks for the help, Zeb! I've found ZInc to be a great substitute for MAME on some of the 3D games on my P4 1.8 ghz system. Oddly, though, while Zinc runs Tekken 3 well, it barely runs Tekken at all. It runs at about 70% with MAME on my system, but it's choppy as heck with Zinc. I guess that's why it's important to experiment with the different emulators to see which one(s) are best for the games that you want to play!
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Heh.
You just gave me an excuse to play tekken, on both Zinc & Mame. Yeah, Mame played tekken lots better! Mame has improved a lot for some games, but many still run better under zinc (like Soul Edge and Cool Boarders).
Soul Edge IIc is a key comparison for me because I have the original PCB (Version IIc) in a cabinet in my shed, and enjoy playing it. My 4 yo daughter likes it too because it has "tough girls" in it :o beware of the future fellas .... :)
Under zinc, Soul Edge IIc runs OK, close to full speed on around P4 1.8Ghz+ minimum
By comparison, I just fired up Soul edge on Mame on my main cab (P4 3.2Ghz, 1G ram, AVGA2, mame 118u2 I think?) and it played better than I've seen in earlier versions, but still with a lot of stutter & glitch. Oh, I left it on while typing this post and it just hung the PC on me.
Both Zinc & mame seem to miss some of the background textures for Soul Edge on certain scenes ?? :dunno
I reckon that zinc will eventually be forgotten as mame progresses and the average PC speed marches on. I think that the authors are working on other stuff including mame now, so I guess the future is clear ....
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Hey Zeb,
Can I use my MAME ROMS to play in Zinc? Or do I need separate ones? Thanks.
Red
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Can I use my MAME ROMS to play in Zinc? Or do I need separate ones? Thanks.
That will probably work for some games, but not for others. It really depends on whether MAME uses the same ROM dumps as Zinc or not. As Zinc is a couple of years old now and Mame marches on every week, it is impossible to be sure. Try it out!
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I reckon that zinc will eventually be forgotten as mame progresses and the average PC speed marches on. I think that the authors are working on other stuff including mame now, so I guess the future is clear ....
last i heard, the author of zinc was saying he would not release a new version until the evil 'mame32 plus plus' was abolished =)
(this was a version of mame by a japanese guy borrowing some of the psx drivers from zinc)
i'd sure like an update, zinc emulates a ton of fun games
but yeah...i think you're right...eventually everything will probably get rolled up into mame thanks to continued development and faster & faster cpu's....
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I can't get it to work. I tried running it from the command line and it gives me "ERROR: cannot open renderer plug in"
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I can't get it to work. I tried running it from the command line and it gives me "ERROR: cannot open renderer plug in"
Sounds like you are having a problem calling the renderer plugin.
What renderer (renderer.znc) file are you using? Is there such a file in the same directory as your zinc.exe? What IS your command line?
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There's no such file in the directory.
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I think you might find this file helpful, unzip it to your zinc directory
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Thank you. That did the trick. :cheers:
Zebidee The only way I could get it to load games through mamewah was by changing {nodosbox} to {dosbox}
Since I use usb gamepads. What would be the best way to configure them? I would like to use one universal configuration for all games.
Which line would I modify in my mamewah config as to not use individual cfg's.
Edit: I modified zinc.ini to not use the individual controller cfg files by removing some lines in it.
Now it reads: emulator_commandline C:\juegos\zinc\Zinc.exe [name]{dosbox}{nosafelaunch}
This way it uses the default keys. Since I use a gamepad I can map those keys using xpadder or joytokey.
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Everyone's computer system seems to respond a bit differently to the {dosbox}{nosafelaunch} et al settings. Just play with them and do what works for you :dunno
Zinc's controls are inflexible and were originally designed for a home desktop PC environment, using gamepad/joysticks or an actual keyboard with two people crammed onto it (bad for most games cabinets). Some of the standard jotstick button mappings were a bit wierd too. The INI files I posted in the earlier zincwah.zip simply map standard MAME cabinet buttons to the joystick/gamepad buttons used by Zinc. So you may be perfectly alright using zinc's default keymap settings if you want to use a gamepad.
If you are keen, tou can edit the INI files yourself to change keymappings. Refer to the dik_codes.txt file (also in the zincwah.zip) to work out what codes correspond to which keys.
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Great guide Zebidee im also having the same problem with the no dos box command is there any way to get around this? also it shows the frame rate in the corner of the dos box can this be removed. Thanks again for all your help so far
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Thanks Marky.
Edit your ..\zinc\renderer.cfg in notepad. Note that here you can set Fullscreen and ShowFPS options (assign 0/1 values). Try:
Fullscreen=1
ShowFPS=1
Next, try experimenting with these executable command line parameters in your zinc.ini for Mamewah. If you use Mamewah 1.62+, Remember, NO SPACE between then end of your cmd line and these parameters.
{dosbox}{nosafelaunch}
{dosbox}{safelaunch}
{nodosbox}{nosafelaunch}
{nodosbox}{safelaunch}
;D
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Thanks buddy it worked a treat im so happy I used the nodosbox safelaunch command and altered the render cnf file as you stated. Iv been trying to get this to work for near on 2 years with no joy and now its done all hail Zebidee :notworthy:
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Game on! :woot
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With such great sucess with my Zinc setup im now wondering if you could help me with my other emu's. Iv tried using my original ini files which I got from cpviewer website but they no longer work with latest mamewah. Is there a set way of setting up emu's with the new version? I currently have
NES
SNES
GENESIS
GBA ADVANCE
NINTENDO 64
And would like to get them all up and running again.
Cheers :)
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### nes.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Nes
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\juegos\Nes\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].dat
nms_file
catver_ini_file auto:[emuexepath]\catver.ini
list_generation_method rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\juegos\nes\fceu.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{nodosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths C:\juegos\Nes\snaps;
movie_preview_path C:\juegos\Nes\videos
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
### snes.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Super Nintendo
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\juegos\Zsnesd\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].dat
nms_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].nms
catver_ini_file auto:[emuexepath]\catver.ini
list_generation_method rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\juegos\Zsnesd\zsnesw.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{dosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths C:\juegos\Zsnesd\snaps;
movie_preview_path C:\juegos\Zsnesd\videos
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
### genesis.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Sega Genesis
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\juegos\Genesis\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].dat
nms_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].nms
catver_ini_file auto:[emuexepath]\catver.ini
list_generation_method auto:rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\juegos\Genesis\fusion.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]" -gen -fullscreen{nodosbox}{nosafelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths C:\juegos\Genesis\snaps
movie_preview_path C:\juegos\Genesis\videos
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
### gba.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Gameboy Advance
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\juegos\Gameboy Advance\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].dat
nms_file auto:[emuexepath]\[emuexename].nms
catver_ini_file auto:[emuexepath]\catver.ini
list_generation_method auto:rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\juegos\Gameboy Advance\visualboyadvance.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{dosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths C:\juegos\Gameboy Advance\snaps
movie_preview_path C:\juegos\Gameboy Advance\videos
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
### n64.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Nintendo 64
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\juegos\n64\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file
nms_file
catver_ini_file
list_generation_method rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\juegos\n64\Project64Wrapper.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{dosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths C:\juegos\n64\snaps
movie_preview_path C:\juegos\n64\videos
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 0
select_random_game 0
saver_type saver_commandline
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 30
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
For Nintendo64 download the wrapper and edit Project64Wrapper.cfg with your paths.
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Cheers buddy ill try them out :)
**UPDATE** Tried them out buddy and alter the relevant areas but mamewah wont create a games list it says no games, any ideas why mate?
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Which ones? Are you roms are in zip files?
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All of them mate, iv tried changing the code around to see if iv made any mistakes but no joy. Yes my roms are zip files
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Make sure your rom folders are not set to "read only". Right click on your rom folder>properties, then uncheck "Read Only" then try to generate the lists again. If that doesn't work create a different folder and move your roms there.
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The folder was read only so changed that but it didnt work nor did the creating new folder thing either. :dunno I cant see what problem could be
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Well I why don't you post your modified ini's to see where the problem lies.
Or you can download this pack: AutoMamewah 1.62.zip (http://www.divshare.com/download/3417344-003) it contains the following systems all setup and
ready to go. All you have to do is place the roms, snaps, and videos in their
corresponding folders. It runs at 640x480 60hz.
32x
Gameboy Advance
gameboycolor
gamegear
Genesis
lynx (you need a bios image called lynxboot.img)
mame (you need to include your own version)
mastersystem
n64
Nebula
neogeopocket
nes
Raine
Winkawaks (to exit it's necessary to press ENTER to pause the game, then Alt+F4 to exit)
zinc
Zsnesd
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Hey dude still having problems iv tried everything and didnt really want to have to post again as I feel like a right dick but I really cant figure this one out.
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mamewah folders plus this is my snes ini file
### Super Nintendo.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Super Nintendo
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\Super Nintendo.dat
nms_file
catver_ini_file
list_generation_method dat_file
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\zsnesw.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{nodosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths auto:[emuexepath]\snap;[emuexepath]\titles;[emuexepath]\marquee;[emuexepath]\control;[emuexepath]\cabinet;[emuexepath]\flyers;[emuexepath]\boxart;[emuexepath]\cart;[emuexepath]\art9;[emuexepath]\art10
movie_preview_path auto:[emuexepath]\previews
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
PLease note iv changed many different parts to this ini the latest being the dat_file part.
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No problem. Just post your screenshots but with the address bar showing.
From what I can see. list_generation_method should be set to rom_folder
list_generation_method rom_folder
and also change {nodosbox}{safelaunch}
to {dosbox}{safelaunch}
Are you having problems generating a game list?
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Hope this is what you were after mate, your right in saying I cant create a games list
### Super Nintendo.ini (mamewah v1.62) ###
emulator_title Super Nintendo
### List Generation Settings ###
rom_path C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\roms
rom_extension zip
dat_file C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\Super Nintendo.dat
nms_file
catver_ini_file
list_generation_method rom_folder
### Execution Settings ###
pre_emulator_app_commandlines
emulator_commandline C:\EMULATORS\Super Nintendo\zsnesw.exe "[rompath]\[name].[romext]"{dosbox}{safelaunch}
post_emulator_app_commandlines
general_app_commandlines
### Artwork Settings ###
artwork_image_paths auto:[emuexepath]\snap;[emuexepath]\titles;[emuexepath]\marquee;[emuexepath]\control;[emuexepath]\cabinet;[emuexepath]\flyers;[emuexepath]\boxart;[emuexepath]\cart;[emuexepath]\art9;[emuexepath]\art10
movie_preview_path auto:[emuexepath]\previews
movie_artwork_no 1
enable_fuzzy_search 0
history_dat_file auto
history_dat_artwork_no 2
### Screen-Saver Settings ###
enable_music_in_screensaver 1
select_random_game 0
saver_type gamelist_slideshow
movie_path
movie_fullscreen 1
quit_delay 0
saver_commandline
### Additional Settings ###
music_path
lcd_display_file_path
description_display [description]{scroll}
### Settings used by MAMEWAH ###
current_list 0
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I meant like this.
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My mamewah folder doesnt have a lot of the things yours has maybe this is the problem
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I meant with the address bar to verify the paths like this.
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Like this?
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Ya, that's what I meant.
Well everything seems setup correctly. I have no idea what your problem might be.
The only thing I can tell you is to download the preconfigured Mamewah pack I made and see if that works for you.
Mamewah Pack 1.62.zip (http://www.divshare.com/download/3417344-003)
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Iv tried the pack and managed to get it working like a charm I cant thank you enough. My only slight problem and I say problem as its very minor is I cant get the mouse icon to dissapear on the gameboy advanced emu its there on rom load up and while im trying to play games can it be disabled as it doesnt turn up on the rest of the emus.
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Your welcome. I'm glad it's working out for you.
I managed to create a little work around. Just download the zip file and unzip it inside C:\
What it does is it waits about 2 seconds then it moves the cursor to the top left hand corner of the screen.
gba cursor 2 corner.zip (http://www.divshare.com/download/3377243-c9f)
If anyone know a better way to do this i'm open to suggestions. The ideal thing would be for some type of program that edits the registry to make the cursor invisible and stays in memory then on exit {autoquit} it makes the cursor visible again.
I need to investigate why it does this, since in my other arcade's pc it seems to disappear once the rom is loaded but on my test pc the cursor appears. :dizzy:
Note: This work around resets gba.ini back to default so if you've made changes to it you'll have to modify it again if you have no idea what i'm talking about then that means you haven't. ;D
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Hey Gonzo,
Just realised that for some reason certain games no longer work since I set up this Juegos all in one set up Bubble bobble when selected crashes the whole set up it just freezes doesn't load up as well as a whole list of other games that used to work fine. Plus my anti virus software shows up most of the mame exe as containing viruses and is asking me to remove them. A part from that im well happy with this easy set up method.
Can you help me with fixing these problems my plan is to order a new Mame rom set as mine is an older version I ordered 1.22 i think and was thinking of getting that version of mame would that help?
Advice very welcome
Thanks - Marky
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What Anti-virus are you using? Some av's are detecting Winkawaks as a trojan (AVG for one, this is a know false positive.) It might also be giving you false positives for some of the wrappers used.
What version of mame are you using, and do you have the romset for that version? That might be the problem why some games are not loading.
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I have been using version 097 and that rom set too think that goes back to 2005 when I first started this project :( I am indeed using AVG so im glad its a false detection. My new rom set arrives on Monday so I will start from scratch I will use the Jeugos auto set up add in the mame version for the new romm set 1.22 and need to configure zinc so it has mame controls. Fingers crossed no Bubble Bobble issues.
Cheers again Gonzo I'll update you shortly.
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**UPDATE**
Have the discs now its version 123 of mame iv just downloaded the MAME 0.123 sources in self-extracting 7zip format (Windows only) file and gonna give it a go it looks very different to the mame 097 version from 2005 iv been using is there anything major I need to know to set it up or is it pretty straight forward?
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Well here's mame 0.123 ready to go. Just extract it in C:\
Mame 123 for Mamewah Instalable 1.62 (http://adrive.com/public/b21c26483247f10a8282596967ab30a8a785fd7414dc0cd4df1cb21b82ca101e.html)
I used rom_folder_vs_dat_file as a the list generation method (check out mame123.ini inside Mamewah's config folder) this is the easiest way to generate a list in mamewah for arcade emus.