Please Help Me Like MAME

[Scumbum]

I want to like MAME , I want to use MAME , but every version/setting I've tried doesn't seem to make much difference , it just feels laggy and off .

The biggest test is I have original dedicated arcade games , Donkey Kong , Donkey Kong Jr , MsPacman , Defender , Robotron , Joust , Galaxian , Pengo ........and I play those games on MAME , then go play my original dedicated games and instantly I can feel the difference . MAME feels off . I'm really sensitive to input lag and it just makes the games not fun if they don't respond correct .

I really wanna to play MAME because its so convenient and doesn't have breakdowns like the the old original arcade games do , but its never really any fun because it always feels off .

Any advice on what MAME version to use and what settings ?

I'm only interested in playing games pre-1984 .

My Computer is a P4 , 1.8 Ghz , 1 gig ram , WinXP , ATI x800 video card , with a CRT PC monitor . My video card has TV outputs , S-video and composite .

[leonk]

You need to spend some more $$$ to get rid of the lag and have arcade quality video. Something like jpac and arcadevga go a long way to make it pixel perfect with no keyboard lag. Read on Ultimarc's web site why regular keyboard encoder is not good for gaming.

[Scumbum]

You need to spend some more $$$ to get rid of the lag and have arcade quality video. Something like jpac and arcadevga go a long way to make it pixel perfect with no keyboard lag. Read on Ultimarc's web site why regular keyboard encoder is not good for gaming.

I'll clarify a little ,

How it looks , monitor wise , I'm not worried about at the moment , the problem I have with MAME is the gameplay . I want to play it and have it "feel" like the actual PCB . Thats my main concern .

I've been using some USB gamepads , RetroUSB NES controller and the Saitek P880 gamepad .

I have built a MAME cab in the past , using the jpac and arcadevga , when they first came out . And back then never got it to feel right .

So I'm not gonna build another MAME cab until I am happy with the gameplay .

Alot of people only care about how MAME looks , they get it all set up in a MAME cab , using a real arcade monitor and are fine with the slight lag or don't even notice it . All I care about is the gameplay . If it looks arcade authentic , great thats a plus , but it has to be solid gameplay or I don't wanna play it .

It sucks , I've been gaming since the early 80's , so all that CRT classic gaming is ingrained in me and I notice the slightest lag .

[Ed Oscuro]

Try the latest version of this

Other thoughts: Get fast computer, unplug unused USB devices / eliminate CPU-hogging tasks, try disabling multicore rendering

[justice99]

I'm only interested in playing games pre-1984 .

What about CoinOps on Xbox ? It's plug and play with pixel perfect and looks great !

[zaphod]

most important is to

a) get an actual CRT

this removes all display lag.

Add on to that, a decent keyboad based arcade stick.

THis shoul remove most, if not all, lag.

Some games lagged even on original hardware.

[antron]

So he's already built a cab right before, so he's tried it with a CRT, and proper input. Maybe that was a good while back when MAME wasn't as mature, and he just needs to try this combination of everything again. Try the shmupmame Ed linked too first.

[Scumbum]

Try the latest version of this

Other thoughts: Get fast computer, unplug unused USB devices / eliminate CPU-hogging tasks, try disabling multicore rendering

I'll try that MAME version and try what you said .

[Scumbum]

most important is to

a) get an actual CRT

this removes all display lag.

Add on to that, a decent keyboad based arcade stick.

THis shoul remove most, if not all, lag.

Some games lagged even on original hardware.

Do PC CRT monitors lag since they are higher resolution ?

Does anyone sell a keyboard based gamepad or joystick ? Or would I have to build one using a jpac ?

My ATI x800 video card has S-video and composite outputs , so I can run on a regular TV .

[kamiboy]

PC CRT monitors should be lagfree regardless of supported resolution.

[Overkill]

http://www.arcadeworlduk.com/

For X-arcade controller likes, etc. I have an X-arcade with PS2 keyboard input, but i think they are replacing with usb input now

[Scumbum]

http://www.arcadeworlduk.com/

For X-arcade controller likes, etc. I have an X-arcade with PS2 keyboard input, but i think they are replacing with usb input now

What I really want is a 4-Way Joystick or Gamepad . The X-Arcade are 8-Way , not the best for classic games .

So basically , USB controllers Lag ? Thats what everyone is getting at ?

[Overkill]

USB controller i use the standard xbox 360 controller, but sometimes i have to use the Xpadder program http://www.xpadder.com/ with it. Basicly is a program running when you play, that simules the keyboard, and even mouse. I didn't notice any lag, but maybe someone more used to time critical games could talk about it

[Ed Oscuro]

I had decent success using a 360 pad for some shmups, but it's not ideal. Keyboard is actually a great controller many times.

[Scumbum]

I had decent success using a 360 pad for some shmups, but it's not ideal. Keyboard is actually a great controller many times.

Interesting , these old games only use a few buttons , I wonder if I could learn some keyboard skills to play games like Donkey Kong .

[Deca]

Keyboard for life. You'll find many of the better players around these parts prefer keyboard in general.

As a general rule I play anything on mame (aside from fighters or racing games) with keyboard and anything on console with a stick.

[Ed Oscuro]

I had decent success using a 360 pad for some shmups, but it's not ideal. Keyboard is actually a great controller many times.

Interesting , these old games only use a few buttons , I wonder if I could learn some keyboard skills to play games like Donkey Kong .

BTW, I only mention unplugging USB stuff because it is a potential source of CPU cycle drain and lag, but probably not notable on most recent systems. All your peripherals are going to be USB; I wouldn't recommend looking for a PS/2 equipped computer or motherboard.

[Scumbum]

I had decent success using a 360 pad for some shmups, but it's not ideal. Keyboard is actually a great controller many times.

Interesting , these old games only use a few buttons , I wonder if I could learn some keyboard skills to play games like Donkey Kong .

BTW, I only mention unplugging USB stuff because it is a potential source of CPU cycle drain and lag, but probably not notable on most recent systems. All your peripherals are going to be USB; I wouldn't recommend looking for a PS/2 equipped computer or motherboard.

My gaming computer is from 2005 , is that too old ? Would USB still be an issue ? Cause I think that might be the problem .

[Scumbum]

Keyboard for life. You'll find many of the better players around these parts prefer keyboard in general.

As a general rule I play anything on mame (aside from fighters or racing games) with keyboard and anything on console with a stick.

How do you and others , setup your buttons ?

[AeroCityMayor]

Recommended MAME setup for "close" emulation:

CRT
PS/2 connectors (in spite of what has been said earlier)
Intel Core i7 (but I still run my trusty E8500 C2D stock)
64 bit operating system
64 bit mame build
which ever front end floats yer boat (I love AdvMENU)

Your current hardware setup is woefully underpowered for MAME, particularly in the dicsrete sound emulation of the "oldies" you profess to like. IMVHO you shouldn't be playing anything older than mame.106 on that rig.

Also, you'll never get frame for frame 100% emulation with MAME. What you can do is get the differences to within your personal tolerance.

Just my 2p

HTH

Cheers,

Ralph.

[Scumbum]

Recommended MAME setup for "close" emulation:

CRT
PS/2 connectors (in spite of what has been said earlier)
Intel Core i7 (but I still run my trusty E8500 C2D stock)
64 bit operating system
64 bit mame build
which ever front end floats yer boat (I love AdvMENU)

Your current hardware setup is woefully underpowered for MAME, particularly in the dicsrete sound emulation of the "oldies" you profess to like. IMVHO you shouldn't be playing anything older than mame.106 on that rig.

Also, you'll never get frame for frame 100% emulation with MAME. What you can do is get the differences to within your personal tolerance.

Just my 2p

HTH

Cheers,

Ralph.

Thanks for the feedback .

You say I shouldn't be playing anything older than mame.106 . So with my underpowered PC , using the latest version of MAME is best ?

[AeroCityMayor]

Sorry, buggered that up, didn't I

I meant to say anything newer/more recent than mame.106!!

Cheers,

Ralph

[Ed Oscuro]

Old versions of MAME might be faster in each game, but many games were far worse in that version than they are now. At the very least it can't hurt to get some more data here and at least try the newer Shmupmame builds before doing anything desperate.

2005 is rather old for MAME, but it should be able to play many '90s era games pretty well (been a long time since I used anything of that vintage but for example even an old low-end CPU like a Celeron will perform pretty well.

PS/2 connectors (in spite of what has been said earlier)

I didn't deny that PS/2 could potentially give more speed (although some dispute this), but I still recommend against it. I don't even know of a good modern joystick for the PS/2 port, and I don't know how many PS/2 "clicky" keyboard are still made (that aren't also $140+). Likewise, buying a computer or motherboard just because it has PS/2 ports is silly. And on this matter, the makers of the I-PAC even weigh in favor of USB. All good current joysticks for PCs are natively USB. And probably if you are having any USB issues, a quick trip to the maker of your computer's USB controller manufacturer to pick up the latest drivers will sort things out nicely.

The one area where PS/2 seems to be undeniably better is that it has n-key rollover by default (so they say; but again you can get a great USB keyboard that is practically no different from an NKRO keyboard if you do a bit of sleuthing). A keyboard can be tested for problem key press combinations here.

Where I come down is - keep whatever you have without guilt, whether it's a PS/2 keyboard or a USB keyboard. But if you want to look at joysticks anytime soon, USB is the way to go. Ditto for mice, where USB is the only realistic solution. Mice work very well as fake lightguns or trackballs in MAME.

[Scumbum]

Old versions of MAME might be faster in each game, but many games were far worse in that version than they are now. At the very least it can't hurt to get some more data here and at least try the newer Shmupmame builds before doing anything desperate.

2005 is rather old for MAME, but it should be able to play many '90s era games pretty well (been a long time since I used anything of that vintage but for example even an old low-end CPU like a Celeron will perform pretty well.

PS/2 connectors (in spite of what has been said earlier)

I didn't deny that PS/2 could potentially give more speed (although some dispute this), but I still recommend against it. I don't even know of a good modern joystick for the PS/2 port, and I don't know how many PS/2 "clicky" keyboard are still made (that aren't also $140+). Likewise, buying a computer or motherboard just because it has PS/2 ports is silly. And on this matter, the makers of the I-PAC even weigh in favor of USB. All good current joysticks for PCs are natively USB. And probably if you are having any USB issues, a quick trip to the maker of your computer's USB controller manufacturer to pick up the latest drivers will sort things out nicely.

The one area where PS/2 seems to be undeniably better is that it has n-key rollover by default (so they say; but again you can get a great USB keyboard that is practically no different from an NKRO keyboard if you do a bit of sleuthing). A keyboard can be tested for problem key press combinations here.

Where I come down is - keep whatever you have without guilt, whether it's a PS/2 keyboard or a USB keyboard. But if you want to look at joysticks anytime soon, USB is the way to go. Ditto for mice, where USB is the only realistic solution. Mice work very well as fake lightguns or trackballs in MAME.

Very good read there about USB being an advantage over PS/2 . I like my NES RetroUsb controller , glad to see its not causing lag.

I need to try the old versions of MAME , maybe thats the problem I'm having . I'm just interested in playing the old classics arcade games pre 1984 ,

[antron]

Very good read there about USB being an advantage over PS/2 . I like my NES RetroUsb controller , glad to see its not causing lag.

A poor driver or OS issue could throw this possible advantage out the window.

[Ed Oscuro]

Poor drivers are just a fact of life, so I recommend always searching out newer ones for your hardware. Unfortunately they can be rather difficult to figure out (requiring some interpretation of very arcane strings from within the Device Manager, if you don't already know the make of your USB chip). Firmware updates are provided for some recent USB controllers but trying to update these has caused some people to lose USB functionality, so it's not at all a straightforward process yet.