Homebrew Mame 2003 Plus

[Wiimpathy]

I've just answered in pm about a similar issue(black screen!?) in latest retroarch and mame2003 cores. It's a new feature that can be annoying for custom cores like those. Just lazy now, I'll quote my answer :

In Retroarch menu you may have to setup your cores directory. Go to Settings->Directory. Don't remember how it's called exactly.
Another important thing maybe. There is an automatic cores association now thanks to .info files. By default, they don't exist for split mame cores. Look in my latest lightgun builds, they are in /apps/retroarch-wii/info : mame2003_plus_coreA_libretro.info etc...

 

[TheManHimself]

Look in my latest lightgun builds, they are in /apps/retroarch-wii/info : mame2003_plus_coreA_libretro.info etc...

Having trouble finding your lightgun builds. The latest version of MAME in this thread is the v.4, and I'm not seeing anything on your github. Any chance for a link?

[edit] Is there a way to make individual .info files out of the single MAME 03 plus .info in /retroarch-wii/info folder? Like if I were to copy it for each individual subcore, label it appropriately would it run?

[edit] Alright now i have 7 identical MAME 2003-plus cores. On the right track; I think I've got this down. Just need to figure out what text to change in the .info to differentiate between them. Thanks for the info *cough* on the .info: would have never noticed it without you!

 

[niuus]

I just updated Retroarch from 1.7.6 to 1.8.5 (btw, perceivable performance gains in Last Blade 2, running off of your VM FBA!), and when I try to open an archive with one of the MAME 03 cores selected, it puts up a list of other suggested cores, excluding the option for use current core. I know that MAME 03 plus was built with 1.7.6, so it may just be a compatibility issue with the newer release. Do I need to revert back to my old Retroarch folder setup to get this to work, or is there some esoteric RA setting that allows you to boot up with the current core like in previous versions?

Were there performance issues in Last Blade 2? I always played it at 60fps.

 

[TheManHimself]

Were there performance issues in Last Blade 2? I always played it at 60fps.

Just during the opening animation, especially with Kaede's sword flash. I mean the game runs like money; it's a super minor thing haha. I really do play that game too much: I don't know why the demo movie stutter is important to me, but it's just one of those thngs I guess

That being said I get stack dumps with the Neo Geo VM included in the latest build, but for some reason it works fine if I throw in the V6(?) newest version that I got from the thread. probably has to do with the size of the core I guess.

 

[Wiimpathy]

Having trouble finding your lightgun builds. The latest version of MAME in this thread is the v.4, and I'm not seeing anything on your github. Any chance for a link?

[edit] Is there a way to make individual .info files out of the single MAME 03 plus .info in /retroarch-wii/info folder? Like if I were to copy it for each individual subcore, label it appropriately would it run?

[edit] Alright now i have 7 identical MAME 2003-plus cores. On the right track; I think I've got this down. Just need to figure out what text to change in the .info to differentiate between them. Thanks for the info *cough* on the .info: would have never noticed it without you!

Lightgun builds : https://gbatemp.net/threads/retroarch-lightgun-support.548089/
Probably too buggy to use them but you'll find those .info files.

About performance, are you saying it's better in V6 than in latest Retroarch builds? It weird, it shouldn't be that different. But, you're right that the dol being larger it's not good for stability when ram is at max.
This kind of stutter happens in SNK vs. Capcom intro too. Always at the very same spot. Pfiou, I've starting this game a million times to test.
It's due to this nand file mapping. It's a bit slow and there could be dirty page(fail) in nand sometimes. The stutter in intro should disappear the 2d time it plays though.

 

[TheManHimself]

Alright I've edited the .info files, and MAME 03 is now working!

About performance, are you saying it's better in V6 than in latest Retroarch builds? It weird, it shouldn't be that different. But, you're right that the dol being larger it's not good for stability when ram is at max.

I got a code dump when I tried to play LB2, Garou, and KoF 98 (and SF III Third Strike, and JoJo), so I couldn't tell you about the latest Retroarch build haha. I used the custom cores from my old RA folder until I realized that the fact that there was an official CPS3 core meant that your VM cores were already included. I wasn't able to get a game running from either of those cores, so I ended up reverting to the old ones.

Now the real crucible is to see if GMOTW's Terry's stage during round 3, with the 5FPS slowdown on the bridge, is playable with this mix-and-match setup.

[edit]
(Still unplayable... Only in dreams. If you've already optimized the crap out of your core, I don't see it getting better, haha)

 

[Wiimpathy]

You mean you couldn't start any games in any of the stable official Retroarch from there : https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms
If so that's annoying.
The vm code is in official core fo some time. Some versions have issues. Clean retroarch install (no previous cfg)?
Sigh, that's why recommend using the builds(neo V6 here) from this thread...

About the slow fps in that game, is it the same issue that should be fixed in V6?

 

[TheManHimself]

You mean you couldn't start any games in any of the stable official Retroarch from there : https://www.retroarch.com/?page=platforms
If so that's annoying.
The vm code is in official core fo some time. Some versions have issues. Clean retroarch install (no previous cfg)?
Sigh, that's why recommend using the builds(neo V6 here) from this thread...

About the slow fps in that game, is it the same issue that should be fixed in V6?

Let me jump over to the other thread so I don't derail MAME 2003 with Neo-Geo talk haha. I'm pretty sure I have V6 though. I'll have to double check. I know a while back there was some slowdown on the waterfall stage, but that was fixed with v4. I don't remember reading any posts about Terry round 3: I only found it recently because I hadn't been to round 3 on that stage for whatever reason.

 

[BadPeach]

Hello everyone, i am very grateful for your work! i am new with the wii and all about this. I downloaded the mame v.04 , everthing works fine with the cores ( i m using roms from an blog's user that wrote in this thread, he did a custom mame cores that sounds bad for my wii (pal), but the games,roms found in it works good with Wiimpathy 's Mame v0.4 2003 plus cores. I know it's stupid but i don't know where or how find romset, or single roms for these 03 cores. I tried from archive.org MAME 0.78 , but they doesn't work, and i dont know, this is my bad, how to know in which cores folder i have to put them, i really dont know anything about .dat file.
I also downloaded Capcom core from here , but the roms that i tried take me back to the homebrew channel. Have i to update RA version ? but the version for Mame 2003 plus is the 1.7.6 and it does work perfectly with that bunch of roms i have.
I saw that RA last release has Mame 2012 core...is it good and better than Mame 2003 plus ?

thanks !!

 

[RunningSnakes]

You are using the Best version of MAME available for the Wii. Look for MAME 2003 Plus Reference non merged roms, that is the set you want. Are you referring to core H as the Capcom core? If so look for.....

https://gbatemp.net/threads/mame2003-compatibility-list.551556/

 

[BadPeach]

RunningSnakes thank you very much! Ok I will try it today.
I don't know if core H is the same of what I was talking about, I downloaded from this thread a Capcom_core, I don't remember in which thread's page! Anyway if you are saying that core H, let you play Capcom roms I will test this. So I could play games like Cadillac and dink, Final fight, ecc with core H ? Or
do you think that these run better with Fba?

 

[RunningSnakes]

For those games mentioned, you need to use FBA CPS1 core. The MAME cores are outstanding, but larger games are a problem. The MAME cores support many games & memory stability becomes unstable. Core H only supports around 20 games, none of which you posted. FBA is also very picky, you generally have to have the correct romset. Check out mundo wii hack. There are guides, tutorials, emulator updates, just a great site.

 

[JuanMena]

RunningSnakes thank you very much! Ok I will try it today.
I don't know if core H is the same of what I was talking about, I downloaded from this thread a Capcom_core, I don't remember in which thread's page! Anyway if you are saying that core H, let you play Capcom roms I will test this. So I could play games like Cadillac and dink, Final fight, ecc with core H ? Or
do you think that these run better with Fba?

For CAPCOM CPS1, CPS2, Cores: Look for "Retroarch Wii Cores" and download a zip containing the cores. There will be a CPS1, CPS2. FINALBURN ALPHA and MAME 2000 cores.
Use CPS1 and CPS2 for Capcom games aimed to be used with that hardware.

For CAPCOM CPS3: Download the CPS3 Core from OP's post. Finding compatible Roms are a hazzle. I downloaded a zip containing the cores and some CPS3 games from a youtube video. I could never make downloaded CPS3 roms work with OP's CPS3 core.

For MAME cores: MAME 2000 core is not compatible with all roms and all romsets. It's a hit or miss thing. A rom from a certain set might not work with this core, but if you download that same rom FROM A DIFFERENT SET it could work.
Same for MAME 2003 split cores.

Also, don't forget that there's a MAMEWII emulator that's been updated to load more than 150 roms. That was a long time ago though.
But I've expanded my dong MAME library thanks to Retroarch and MAMEWII. Roms that might not work with MAMEWII will work with MAME Cores... and roms that won't work with MAME Cores might work with MAMEWII.

 

[BadPeach]

RunningSnakes thanks! In the first post I was just talking about Mundo hack wii ! Rogero did a great work, and before discover gbatemp and this thread I tried his standalone cores for fbalpha, cps1 e cps2. But I don't know why, I had problems with audio and speed with his standalone cores, (maybe he customized the cores with some audio settings for Brazil !?!) I don't know....this issue I have not with wiimpathy cores. So can you suggest me where to find fba alpha, cps1, cps2 and neo geo cores? Or all these 4 togheter just for play with capcom or neo geo roms ? (i played puzzle bubble with mame 2003 plus, but it doesn't look good )
Another question, what about all the bubble bobble games ? Taito 's titles run good with 2003 mame?

Thanks !

Edit

Juan Mena thanks to you too!
So are you saying that I could build a retroarch with Mame 2003 plus cores, fba, cps1, cps2 and neo geo ?
I saw mame cores run in RA v 1.7.6; have i to download the fba cps1 ecc from the same version ? Or I can download the new versions?
It's very complicated for me sorryyyy

 

[JuanMena]

RunningSnakes thanks! In the first post I was just talking about Mundo hack wii ! Rogero did a great work, and before discover gbatemp and this thread I tried his standalone cores for fbalpha, cps1 e cps2. But I don't know why, I had problems with audio and speed with his standalone cores, (maybe he customized the cores with some audio settings for Brazil !?!) I don't know....this issue I have not with wiimpathy cores. So can you suggest me where to find fba alpha, cps1, cps2 and neo geo cores? Or all these 4 togheter just for play with capcom or neo geo roms ? (i played puzzle bubble with mame 2003 plus, but it doesn't look good )
Another question, what about all the bubble bobble games ? Taito 's titles run good with 2003 mame?

Thanks !

1 & 2 are playable with MAME Core B.
Just those.

 

[BadPeach]

Are you talking about bubble bobble ?

 

[JuanMena]

Are you talking about bubble bobble ?

Yes

 

[BadPeach]

Did you see my edit ?

about build retroarch indipendent cores ?

 

[JuanMena]

Did you see my edit ?

about build retroarch indipendent cores ?

Please excuse my late response, I was painting.

It is complicated at first.

Supposedly, with every new version of Retroarch, the cores gets updated too.
But most of the times they're not.

I'm using Retroarch 1.7.5 with new and old cores. I certainly cannot tell which version of the cores I'm using.
I downloaded a zip containing cores for the Wii version of Retroarch and that zip included among them the CPS1, CPS2, Finalburn Alpha and Mame 2000 cores. So, from that zip I'm just using CPS1, CPS2, FBA and MAME2000.

For Neo Geo and CPS3 I'm using the cores from this thread: https://gbatemp.net/threads/large-neogeo-games-support-and-cps3-tests.493767/

I've encountered many errors with sound using CPS1 and CPS2, again, can't remember which version of the cores exactly.
What I did is that I tested cores from different versions until I sort of "Hit the spot".

Remember that the Wii is quite un-powerful, and many Arcade games (for MAME) won't run as a result.
But some old classics from 1997 and backwards are compatible with both MAMEWII and Retroarch's MAME2000 + MAME2003 cores.

MAMEWII is a stand alone Mame emulator.
Retroarch is capable to emulate MAME2000 and MAME2003 cores. The MAME2003 cores are split into many stand alone cores, as MAME2003 core is too huge for the wii to handle. That's why we have Mame Core A, Mame Core B, Core C, D, E, F, G, but they're all part of MAME2003.

Bubble Bobble 1 and 2 are compatible using MAME 2003 Core B. But trying to load Bubble Bobble 3 onwards is impossible due the lack of power of the Wii.

And CPS3 roms are hit-or-miss... I never made CPS3 roms work until I found one video on youtube containing a link to Mediafire with the core and roms. They worked and now I can play some CPS3 games (have in mind that the CPS3 library of games consists of ONLY 6 GAMES) so it's not a huge loss.

So far... I've tested roms from different sets using the Mame 2003 cores, and while there's a compatibility list in the thread I gave you above, some if not most of the roms from that set are not running for me.

 

[JuanMena]

@BadPeach
Tell me which games you would like to play, and I'll tell you which cores you must get.