I am back ;-) (xMame 1.06 release)

@Thematic

Dunno what the problem.. works ok, at moment 10 users watch this by statistic ..

@Granada
you are right. SDL it's always SDL. Native amiga programms always preferble, becouse it will be much faster and responsive.. But in theory (dunno how it looks like right now), SDL possible to create very fast, it will be works also very fast on a4k. Dunno again, how it in reality, but on 1ghz cpu on my peg2, i have no problems of course with speed, and can't said on which step they start to works slowly.

@Granada

Do not panic. You are comparing apples to oranges. "Early-Day" SDL-ports used a quite different SDL-implementation than xMame. The problem was not SDL, but that this early SDL-implementation was not very efficient. For this reason at some point it was redone from scratch. Still, despite this fact, people come up with the old "SDL is slow" myth again and again. It is not true.

BTW: xMame for OS 4 has always been SDL-based.

About the recent port: So it *does* work now, with the correct config?

BTW: On speed of loading you might try a call of addbuffers... this sometimes does wonders ... and that it is slower might be simply due to the fact that with the new version (due to more added emulations) the executable size is around 10-12 MB bigger... and this takes loading time... remember Mame is a product from the PC world...

Steffen

@MagicSN

Yes, it works with correct config. But crashes on exit if not. But i am personally stay at moment on xneomame from 2005 :) it's a bit faster.

@MagicSN

O.K., your words in my Amiga's harddrive! I'll give the new xMame a try when I'll be back home. The older versions of mame that I spoke of ran on OS 3.x and that must have been ten years ago.

Regards
Ruediger

@MagicSN

does this new version support AmigaInput ? if not, I really hope you add it because MAME games are meant to be played with joypad/joystick and not keyboard
same goes for WarpSNES !

BTW thanks for this new release

xMame does not run on my A4k with OS4 Classic - 128MB of RAM is not enough even for very old games from the early 80's.

Regards
Ruediger

@MagicSN

does not work when using the GUI but works nicely from the shell (>50fps on A1G4).
no amigainput support as expected

@MagicSN

If I try to run the new xMAME with the GUI I had previously installed, I get this crash:

http://crashlog.os4depot.net/cl209

If I run it with the GUI files included with the archive, it runs but the screenshots and icons (for working game, favorite games, etc...) don't show. I copied the tooltypes from the old GUI to the new one.

(edit)

After doing some more research, I found that the version of the GUI I had (that shows the screenshots and icons but crashes the new xMAME) is V .14

The one that comes with the new xMAME archive (that runs xMAME but doesn't show screenshots or icons) is actually and older version of the GUI, V .12

Hope that helps.

(P.S. any chance of mouse support for shooting games? )

@Lio

Quote:

Yes. It is necessary edit xmamerc - joytype 5.

@Lio

As not expected. If I say it works it should be expected to work, not the other way round, wouldn't you say?

AmigaInput support is definitely in this version. It is probably a matter of configuration (I think there was something in xmamerc). Actually thinking of it I think AmigaInput was in the last version as well (at least I played it with that version on my A1, I am now pretty sure of it).
What value have you set the joytype (in xmamerc) to?

As to 128 MB not enough for Mame: Well, I cannot change that.

@MagicSN

In my shootemup demo (os4depot) the AmigaInput only works if the AmigaInput prefs windows is open when starting the program. Maybe xMame has the same problem?

Xeron wrote a comment to the demo about it at os4depot: "There is a bug in AmigaInput. Leave the AmigaInput prefs window open when you run the game. "

@all

Maybe somebody will be in interest. I done 2 videos of mames (aos4.1/mos2.2) on the same hardware (peg2/1ghz)

aos4.1:
1. latest xmame ported by MagicSN (v.106, 2009)

1. metal slug - 3
2. strickers 1945 - 3
3. gunbird - 2
4. mortal kombat - 3

mos2.2:
2. latest mame done by Fab (v.0.120, 2007)

1. metal slug - 3
2. strickers 1945 - 3
3. mortal kombat - 3


Visually, everythink looks the same. But for example for games like Gunbird2 and Striker1945 - mos version a bit more smooth. For games like Metal Slug 3, or Mortal Kombat 3 no any differences.

Only what i catch, that for full screen on morphos, i have some strange 'lines' in up of screen at the begining. And Mortal Kombat 3 in morphos version have no sound (you can see it on video). But i think it's becouse of older sources in Fab's mame.

The gui of morphos version, a bit better (more polished, and nice lookings (with descriptions of games (which take a bit time for building it) ). Also morphos version have "overlay". But from other side, aos4 version have many 'smooth' effects (scanlines, angles, smooth, etc), and size of window are configurable (you can scalle for example little default window to 2-3 times for enjoy).

So, for me, as end users, it's all looks the same. Except some differences in gui, and speed of blitting in some games (indeed i can see, that on aos4 version if works fast, but it's 30-40 fps, on morphos version it's like crystal 60fps and becouse of it 'moving' of game a bit better).

@mufa

Quote:

thx that the trick...

I did not know about this...

@MagicSN

Welcome back and thanks for the updated port.

@MagicSN
#10
About my Amiga, I have an A1, but there seems to be some problem with it, it does no longer work :( BTW: Are Peg2 still available anywhere?
Steffen

OMG! Our tongues are hanging out for the SAM-flex. Please, someone donate to this man a Amiga computer!

@Snuffy

Maybe less money needed for repairing his A1 ??? BTW, no problem for some money.

Maybe better to know his A1 need repairing this part and cost xxxxx euros. (less than a complete SAM and accessories). Of coure, IMHO

@Mrodfr

I am pretty sure it is the harddrive. Anybody having an extra harddrive with fully installed OS 4 lying around by any chance? ^^ (I still can enter BIOS, but no harddrive will boot up)

@Menthos

Was never needed on my system. But I do not have latest OS 4 installed (due to non-working A1).

About joytype setting: Sorry, forgot to document this. Originally I did not document this, as AmigaInput was not public yet (years ago ). Will write a note next time.

Still looking for someone who would write an Installer Script for Mame. Any volunteers?

@MagicSN

Quote:

You haven't your AOS CD or DVD ??? If you have your AOS4, you just need an hardrive for an A1. that not cost too much or maybe one member here could have a spare one for you.

I have a SAM with SATA1 here and no spare HD for you but I could give you the money for a new HD (also because hyperion on your Avatar- you are an hyperion member ???).

But better is to wait a little because maybe one member here could have a spare one for you

@kas1e

On the comment "native Amiga version always preferrable", I still not understand what the difference between a direct Video RAM access using program doing that "native" and one which uses the direct Video RAM access functions of SDL is (using the ASM optimized refresh methods of SDL). True, it is possible to not support direct hardware refresh which would be slower.

Actually IMHO a SDL exe which also uses all features for speedup is preferred to both a native code (due to better portability for a program ported from Linux at least) and SDL without direct hardware access. The "native code" also only can directly render into the buffer, the difference is mainly the calls how the screen is opened.

And yes, I am aware current xMame does not do the direct hardware access way, nor does it support Overlay. The new version (based on 0.131 Mame source) will, though.

Steffen