AdvanceMame help needed

[Dougmeister]

(P200, Win '98 booting straight to DOS, Ensoniq sound card, S3 video card)

Following the steps here:

http://members.cox.net/mame1/software.htm

and stuck on these parts:

Now enter VBEV to edit the resolutions. Follow the same proceedures as those covered in the AdvMame video configuration of the following chapter. Disable all resolutions except 640x480. This is all we need for ArcadeOS and any more would tend to overfill available memory.

How do you "enter VBEV"?  Is it a file to edit or a program to run?  All I can find is a batch file 'vbev.bat', that when I run it gives this message:

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"The AdvanceVBE utility is active.  Disable it before running vbev."
2nd question:

Now run ADVCFG -ADVMAMEC. This will walk you through your initial setup of your monitor.

When I run *this*, I get the following error message:

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"No text modes available for your hardware.
Please check your 'device_video_p/h/vclock' options in the configuration file.
Eventually add a specific modeline named 'default_text'".
Any ideas?

[Dougmeister]

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"The AdvanceVBE utility is active.  Disable it before running vbev."
Ok, figured out that "vbe /u" would unload that utility.  Did that, then when I type "vbev", it runs "advv -vbev" and I guess it runs, but the monitor (Compaq MV540) beeps at me and I get:

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Out of frequency range.
Set resolution lower or see monitor user guide.

No idea where the user guide is.  Help?

Also, when I type "vbe /l", it lists a whole lot of video modes (supposed to edit those down somehow?)... then it says:

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"You have a VBE version prior of 2.0.  Probably you want to install a software VBE BIOS before AdvanceVBE."
What does *that* mean?

Edit: Would it just be easier if I pulled the ATI All-in-Wonder 128 out of my other computer and used that instead of whatever this S3-based card is?

[JoyMonkey]

Sorry, that Advance Mame setup page I sent you to is a little out of date now, but the principles remain the same.

It looks like you've set up AdvMame to use resolutions that your monitor can't handle. Regular SVGA monitors won't display most arcade resolutions; this is why people mostly use arcade monitors with AdvMame.

The ATi card will support a lot of real arcade resolutions, but your monitor might have trouble displaying them. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it though; it'll beat your S3 card.

[Dougmeister]

So the S3 card is a losing proposition then?

Does anybody think that it will ever work (S3 video card, Compaq MV540 monitor?)

[JoyMonkey]

What exactly are you trying to do?

You'll never get that PC monitor to display native arcade resolutions, no matter what graphics card you use; they're just not built for it. Thats why people wanting to display real arcade resolutions go with a real arcade monitor.

Older ATi cards based on the Rage chipset (like you have) are able to display a lot of arcade resolutions, so an ATi card (or even better, an ArcadeVGA if you want to run Windows) with an arcade monitor and AdvanceMame is usually the most authentic way to go. It sounds like you've already started to set up Advance Mame to run on an arcade monitor; this is usually the trickiest part.

[Dougmeister]

Sorry I wasn't more explicit.  I don't have an arcade monitor and probably won't for a while.

I do have:

• an old relic of a computer (P200, 128 MB RAM, 4GB HD, 4 MB STB Video card)
• a spare 15" monitor
• an empty arcade cabinet, and
• some joysticks/buttons.

In addition, my main computer has 2 video cards, one of which is an ATI All-in-Wonder Pro 128 (Rage).

Since the computer is not a work-horse by anyone's standards, I assume that I'll pretty much need to run DOS Mame.  I don't care about newer games; I'm happy w/ the 80's.

Short-term, I want to use what I have, with minimal investment (i.e., the joysticks, etc.), to get a working arcade machine.

Long-term, my goal is to get an arcade monitor or TV.  But as I said up above, that most likely won't happen for a while.  Does that help?

[JoyMonkey]

Since you're not using an arcade monitor, I wouldn't bother with AdvMame if I were you; there's very little advantage using it with a regular PC monitor. I'd use an old version of regular DOS mame, maybe Mame 0.66 i686 optimized. Set the default resolution to 640x480 and you're all set.

[Dougmeister]

Thanks, JM.

Why an old version of DOS mame?  Is it because there is no more a "true" DOS MAME, just the Windows command-line version?

[JoyMonkey]

Thanks, JM.

Why an old version of DOS mame?  Is it because there is no more a "true" DOS MAME, just the Windows command-line version?

Yep.

The regular Mame executable is Windows only, they usually put out a DOS port of it shortly after the regular one is released. Since Windows aplpications won't be too snappy on that P200 and you mostly want to play classics, DOS would be a much better option.

[GadgetGeek]

Since you only want to play the classics, look into Vantage.  Runs great on a P120 and I helped a buddy set it up to work just fine on a P75.  ArcadeOS as the front-end.  "only" about 80 games (but it looks like Peale is spearheading an effort to expand that a bit).

[bloodyviking77]

maybe also think about raine (www.rainemu.com) There is a dos version that runs pretty well and is lightning quick compared to mame. (I'm using a p11-400).

(incidentally I've posted a question over on monitor/video about getting arcade monitor mode to work properly in raine . . . anyone have any thoughts??)