MAME FAQ: Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator 4l126x

You most probably have heard of MAME and MAMEUI. We're currently working on a MAME tutorial, so you can play those great arcade games again on your Windows PC. In the meantime, here are some frequently asked questions and, more importantly, their answers. There's also a good tutorial on youtube. 6v6r41

MAME

What is MAME? 71l36

MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. It's software that emulates arcade machine hardware. MAME doesn't have a interface; you'll have to type in commands on a command line to get it going.

What is MAMEUI? r384q

As MAME does not have a graphical interface, it's hard to use it within a graphical environment such as Windows. MAMEUI is MAME with a graphical interface (GUI), which basicly means you have a list of games, you can manage your games within the GUI and you can start them with a mouse click (or two).

Why use MAME if there's MAMEUI? 1f511v

If you're a Windows , there's no point in using MAME instead of MAMEUI. Unless you just love command lines. Or you want another interface. Then you can use MAME with a separate interface, called front-end, such as mGalaxy or IV/Play.

What's a ROM file? 5i2r6d

Arcade cabinets have one or more ROM (Read Only Memory) cartridges which contain the game(s) you can play. The information in these ROMs have been converted to files, hence the name ROM files.

So what's this thing about MAME versions and ROM compatibility? 4f5m4r

In many cases, every new version of MAME most likely will need a new version of the ROM file(s) of the game. Why? Both are an interpretation of respectively the cabinet hardware and the ROM cartridge(s). When MAME is updated, it might need data that wasn't included in older ROM files. Just for the sake of perfect emulation and gaming experience. So when you're using MAME 0.155, you'll have to look for version 0.155 game ROMs. You could try older versions of course. If they don't work, you'll know why.

What do the coloured squares in MAMEUI mean? 5p4vn

Games with a green or light green square can be played with MAME(UI), provided you have the correct ROM file(s). Games with red squares cannot be played. However, you might encounter ROM files of those red squared games. They are in the list for the moment that a MAME update does allow you to play those game ROMs. Until that moment you'll have to live with the fact that you can't. You can try though; the list isn't 100% accurate.

MAME controls y246x

Some handy keys, in case you're lost:

  • 5 - Insert Coin
  • 1 - Start
  • Arrows - Move
  • Ctrl - Action Button 1
  • Alt - Action Button 2
  • Space - Action Button 3
  • Mouse - Analog Control (needed for some games)
  • P - Pause
  • ESC - Quit MAME
  • F2 - Service Mode
  • Tab - MAME Options Menu

Looking for a tutorial? 3g6l6

There are a lot of tutorials on youtube, a lot of crap ones too, we found this one to be the most informative.

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