Is MAME32 Faster than MAME?

[DigDreams]

On most games I can't see a different, but with War Gods I see a huge difference.

If I use MAME32 it runs fine, but when I use the command line version of MAME it runs so slow it is unplayable.

I have tried every combination of settings I can think of, and matched the MAME settings to the MAME32 settings, but I just can't get it to run right.

Is MAME32 just faster then MAME?

[Pi]

If you're using exactly the same version and same settings, then they should run the same way. MAME32 is nothing but a GUI on top of the official MAME. They don't change the core at all. There are minor differences tho, like different defaults, but nothing which will make a game magically faster or slower, once the setting is changed.

You must have overlooked a setting. What you describe is probably the frameskip. In one the default frameskip is auto, in the other is 0. With games like that, you want frameskip 0. Also keep an eye on the sleep and RTDSC settings.

[lokki]

Also make sure both versions of MAME are build with the DRC for MIPS makes a huge difference on wargods/KI etc....

[DigDreams]

I found it!  I don't know why it works like this, but I found it...

In MAME32 I can have "Auto Frame Skip" set to on or off, it makes no difference.  In command line MAME I have to turn "Auto Frame Skip" OFF.  Doing so brings the frame rate up from 4 to 48fps.

How strange is that?  If anything I would have thought it needed to be on.  Oh well - it works now.

Thanks for your help.

[Pi]

Maybe MAME32 has a different way to set frameskip from the GUI. MAME32 also accepts commandline arguments, I bet if you try the same arguments for frameskipping, both will behave the same.

[Dizzle]

Also make sure both versions of MAME are build with the DRC for MIPS makes a huge difference on wargods/KI etc....

What is that, exactly?  I've been unable to get KI working at a truly playable speed regardless of what version I use (command line or MAME32) on my P4 3Ghz.  I gave up but I've never heard those terms used before...

[Pi]

What is that, exactly?  I've been unable to get KI working at a truly playable speed regardless of what version I use (command line or MAME32) on my P4 3Ghz.  I gave up but I've never heard those terms used before...

DRC (dynamic recompiler) for MIPS (the processor used in these games) changes from interpreted cores, almost all the cores in MAME are interpreted, to a compiled version of the original program which is created at run-time (hence the name), so it doesn't have to be interpreted opcode by opcode. The DRC is enabled at compiling time.

AFAIK, DRC for MIPS is enabled by default in all the MAME builds, official or not, except a few ones when the DRC was being bugfixed and whatnot. Be sure to use a recent build, and most importantly for those games, always use frameskip 0.