MAME bashing... and an idea

Burn4Evr

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I really don't understand the MAME bashing except for many many people do it wrong. Having 5000 games on it, making frankenpanels, having games that don't perform well in MAME all on the same cab.
To do it right I believe you need to shink down the size of the game list and make sure the controls fit the games ..... no 8 ways on classic 4 way games and such.

I have a somewhat evil idea, but have no clue how to pull it off....
Have 5 or so versions of the same game.... lets say Ms.Pacman
Have a row of Ms.Pacs all in conversion generic cabs
a real PCB and real monitor
a 60 in 1 and real monitor
a MAME with LCD
a real PCB with LCD
and 60 in 1 LCD

And see who can tell which one is which.... then again maybe Ms.Pac is too common.... maybe something rarer would make things more interesting.....
Any thoughts?
 
Fewer games is definitely key. I have mostly pins, but I do have 1 MAME machine. It was a trashed Ms Pacman that had been converted into a MK1. I installed a trisync CRT vertically, 4/8 way ball top sanwa, 3 buttons, trackball, and spinner. I have about 90 games running through AtomicFE on Win7 with an ArcadeVGA.

It can be done right, you just have to step back from the insanity and keep it simple.

LCDs are crap, they have no business in a proper MAME setup. You can spot them from a mile away. Very flat and very sharp.
 
I don't think MAME belongs in ANY cabinet made before 1984, no matter what shape the cabinet is in. Hell... I'm not even a fan of conversions.

These games are considered classics for a reason, and should be restored to their former glory since most of them are getting harder to find with each passing year. Alot of games between 83-'87 were made in low numbers to begin with thanks to the crash.

MAME should be kept to newer cabinets since many of them just don't fall under the realm of classics, or are just generic cabs to begin with.
 
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If you are going to do it, make sure you write down all of the differences and document as much as possible. Then submit the bugs to mametesters. Sooner or later, someone may be interested in fixing the issues. They definitely won't if they don't know about them.

testing 60 in 1s is pointless since no one is going to fix the emulation problems on those.

Games in MAME can look great on an LCD. It just takes more work.
 
You can go a step further and run classics at their native screen resolutions in mame and run that to a real arcade monitor and all of a sudden, there's no difference with some games. From what I have personally noticed over the years is that the peeps at mamedev are actually more interested in dead on accuracy than some 'klov types" that can live just fine with a 60 in 1 and ancient, unadjustable emulation on a board.
Emulation can also bring back to life a dead dedicated game as well, if you go through all the work to make it a dedicated mame, not a "Frankenpanel".
 
Here is my thought. I will be building a Hyperspin cabinet and will not care what anyone says. I bought a gutted Merc cabinet which I think is perfect size for 2 player 6 button. I will customize the control panel and marquee to have a classic look. Also no flat panel tv. I am putting my Sony tube TV in to again, keep the retro look. I measured out my basement and can maybe fit 10 games (that's really pushing it). I want so many more. I hope this is accepted in the community but if not, oh well.

Now what I'm against.
Gutting a vintage cabinet yourself to turn it into mame/hyperspin. I can kinda understand getting a gutted PAC Man or gutted DK but don't mame it. I would say they're 25-30 "classic" cabinets you don't mess with. You do your preservation society duty to restore that, don't mame it. Merc is in my top 20 but seeing its not really "classic" and was bought as a gutted, conversion, I think I'm excluded from any grief.

Your thoughts on my statement?
 
My thoughts on your hyperspin in a mercs cab?

How about Maximus Arcade in a Mercs cab instead - Since it was already converted into a single slot Neo Geo when I bought it.. Sadly not the best of control panel layouts either.

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My 6 button control panel - used scrap wood. Yes, feel free to make fun of my work, as I personally don't care. It's only temporary anyways for the time being and it does the job. This is not in my actual lineup but in my work space area for my niece and myself to enjoy only.

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Now back to the OP. I'm not one to Mame bash, if done correctly and in good taste. Hell it's what brought me into the whole arcade collecting world.

Some things I just personally would rather in a dedicated cabinet then on Mame. The emulation on KI / KI2 is great. I play it often on my cab, but it's just better on the actual game control panel and PBC's since they do have their flaws.

Example being that right now the hard drive is a little corrupt on my War Cab turned KI.. So I can't do any Ultra's or Humilations. Nor can I let a 2 player game timer run out.

The game will reset itself and there has been time's the cab actually YELLS - DANGER! at me. I would never experience that in Mame.

Everyone has their own thoughts on Mame, and hell it's all over these forums, some people love it, others hate it.. to each their own, but I'm happy with my setup. My game lists aren't too crazy. I really could eliminate a lot of the games I don't play, but I keep them in my list for easy reference, if a game does happen to pop up on CL. I like to try before I buy if you will..

The Merc's cab will find a place in the lineup soon enough once I find a proper game I want in there. I don't have the resources to track down everything and convert it back to it's former glory so it will forever remain a conversion until (if ever) sold.
 
I really don't understand the MAME bashing except for many many people do it wrong. Having 5000 games on it, making frankenpanels, having games that don't perform well in MAME all on the same cab.
To do it right I believe you need to shink down the size of the game list and make sure the controls fit the games ..... no 8 ways on classic 4 way games and such.

I have a somewhat evil idea, but have no clue how to pull it off....
Have 5 or so versions of the same game.... lets say Ms.Pacman
Have a row of Ms.Pacs all in conversion generic cabs
a real PCB and real monitor
a 60 in 1 and real monitor
a MAME with LCD
a real PCB with LCD
and 60 in 1 LCD

And see who can tell which one is which.... then again maybe Ms.Pac is too common.... maybe something rarer would make things more interesting.....
Any thoughts?

Yes, I think the most important thing on a MAME cab is getting the controls right - if you've got a trackball, then ONLY trackball games should be shown. If you've got a 4-way, then ONLY games that used a 4 way should be shown. And so on.

I think too many people (when I first considered the idea, I had this problem) get the thought that they should be able to play anything on one box. But after thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that that just makes a big damn mess, and takes away from the enjoyment of the games.

As to your line-up - I'd love to see that. If I had the money, I'd get a matching set of cabs that were made for kits, paint them all the same, etc, and try it out. The hard part would probably be in getting the monitors to all look basically the same (same brightness, etc). If you don't do that, then you'll seriously bias the results (people like brighter monitors if they aren't paying attention).
 
Here's my idea of a similar experiment. Put Ms. Pac/Galaga on a dedicated cabinet with a washed out CRT and one directionbroken on the joystick like at our local theater, and a smaller repro cabinet with a PC, LCD and MAME running the same game and all controls working and count the quarters after a month.

No fair using a 60 in one with bad sound and laggy controls, the MAME has to be top of the line. You can even fix the broken joystick on the original Ms Pac/Galaga but you have to leave the worn out cabinet, smelly joystick shaft (for some reason every one I ever played had that metal smell) and burned CRT.

You can update your MAME PC but not so much on the dedicated machines. Take it from an Op's standpoint, waiting two weeks for replacement parts that are no longer in production vs. readily available cheap PC parts. This doesn't even enter into the home collector market.

I love my MAME cab, since it's working 300% of the time more than my dedicated cabs but you can have my dedicated cabs when you pry them from my cold, dead, cramped fingers. Still, with today's players, unless they are already enthusiasts I think they'll go for clean sharp graphics, new controls and a clean cabinet over worn and beat for the same price.

Kit cars in the 1970's and 1980's went through a similar fad phase.
 

What a whiny bitch. People like that are the reason MAMEDev are sometimes hostile to users.

There are plenty of emulators that focus on hacking the games to make them play faster. MAME is not one of those.

I remember when they added real sound emulation to Donkey Kong. My computer couldn't run the new version. I was very happy to see the improved accuracy in my favorite game, and I built a new computer to be able to play it.
 
I think MAME is a great tool. As someone mentioned a few posts above, it's a great way to bring back a dead dedicated classic through emulation. I personally restored a SF2 Red Z Back cabinet a couple of years ago and decided to go the MAME route. From the exterior you can't tell. I set it up properly with each games proper resolutions and for the most part, they are true to the real thing. I'm very happy and wouldn't change a thing.

At the moment I am restoring an old Galaga machine that had a dead board and bad wiring when I got it so I don't feel bad for restoring it with a new JAMMA harness and a 60 in 1. It's also a great way to enjoy other classics such as PAC man etc. Not everyone can afford a working Galaga board and this in my opinion is a happy medium. I save the cabinet from the fire pit and give it another chance.
 
What a whiny bitch. People like that are the reason MAMEDev are sometimes hostile to users.

There are plenty of emulators that focus on hacking the games to make them play faster. MAME is not one of those.

I remember when they added real sound emulation to Donkey Kong. My computer couldn't run the new version. I was very happy to see the improved accuracy in my favorite game, and I built a new computer to be able to play it.


I agree.... That guy is a tool. I don't know who is worse... Him or that other buttplug David Foley. Trying to copyright Mame (which he had nothing to do with) and then selling games he did not have the rights to sell. Theses two idiots should be locked away together.
 
Yea personally I don't see the problem with a well done mame cabinet. When I think of a mame cabinet though I'm thinking of it as a generic arcade emulator cabinet. So games like the model 2 ones would be run off the model 2 emulator which runs them a lot better then mame does.

Anyway personally I prefer a good lcd as the led backlights on newer ones don't bother me like the flicker old crts can have(and some older lcds as they use cathodes as well). I know they are not perfect for old games but I play to have fun, if the game isn't perfect I'm not going to notice.

As far as mame layouts go I think the xgaming tank stick is pretty close to one of the best setups. Remove the 8th player button that is on them for consoles and you have a really good layout. 6 buttons in 2 rows cover most 3, 4, or 6 button games and the extra 1 button below them gives you for in a row for things like the neo geo games. Put some buttons near the trackball for menus instead of the side and you have a very good amount of games covered.

I haven't tried the selectable 4/8 way switches but if they are worth anything then it might be a good option.

Personally at some point I'm thinking of a pedestal setup with an lcd tv on a stand or on the wall behind it kinda like the current golden tee's. If I do it will have the setup listed above(unless I go with a 4 player setup which I don't think I'll do) with 2 light guns as well on the sides. Wouldn't be perfect but I think it could be done well and I don't have the room for all of the systems. As it stands now I have 4 cabinets and my room for them really can't hold many more.


Now I will say I wish mame had netplay in it like the model 2 emulator does. I'd love to build a racing cabinet setup that could play the old classics head to head. I know I could do it with the model 2 emulator and some pc games but I'd like more. Its the only way I'd see ever having a racing cabinet setup.
 
I personally **LOVE** Mame. Yes, I have a few dedicated cabs (Playchoice 10 dual, Ms. Pac-Man, Final Blow), but I live in a small condo, and do not have the room. I have an X-Arcade tankstick, and a very well configured Mame attached to an NEC Superbtrite Multisynch monitor, so the games look GREAT! Even the vectors with the SuperBright turned on look great. The thing I really like about Mame is the rare and prototype games that you will not find anywhere else. NewPuck2, Puck-Man, Speed Coin and others.
 
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