MAME Installation
The MAME Torrents available on Pleasuredome were created in a way that their contents can be used directly in MAME or frontends, without the need of copying, moving, renaming, compressing, or extracting any files or folders.
Setting up MAME
Create the ini files with the appropriate command:
mame -createconfig
Edit the mame.ini file created on the same folder of the emulator executable and add the corresponding paths. Example:
rompath roms;C:\PD\MAME ROMs;C:\PD\MAME CHDs;C:\PD\MAME SL ROMs;C:\PD\MAME SL CHDs samplepath samples;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\samples artpath artwork;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\artwork ctrlrpath ctrlr;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\ctrlr cheatpath cheat;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\cheat snapshot_directory snap;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\snap;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\snap_SL
The cheat.7z, snap.zip and snap_SL.zip archives in the root folder of the MAME EXTRAs are seen by MAME as folders.
For the cheats to work, you need to manually enable them. To do that, you have two options:
1) Edit the mame.ini file (permanent change):
cheat 1
2) Start the emulator with the following command (must be done every time you play):
mame gamename -cheat
Edit the ui.ini file created on the same folder of the emulator executable and add the corresponding paths. Example:
historypath history;dats;.;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\dats categorypath folders;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs\folders cabinets_directory cabinets;cabdevs;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs cpanels_directory cpanel;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs pcbs_directory pcb;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs flyers_directory flyers;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs titles_directory titles;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs ends_directory ends;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs marquees_directory marquees;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs artwork_preview_directory "artwork preview;artpreview";C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs bosses_directory bosses;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs logos_directory logo;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs scores_directory scores;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs versus_directory versus;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs gameover_directory gameover;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs howto_directory howto;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs select_directory select;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs icons_directory icons;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs covers_directory covers;C:\PD\MAME EXTRAs
The hiscore plugin is for games that didn't save the score when the machine was turned off or unplugged (not all machines had NVRAM to keep their high scores):
plugins 1 plugin hiscore
The contents of the MAME Multimedia torrent (soundtrack, videosnaps and videosnaps_SL) can't be used by MAME; they are supposed to be used by frontends.
Setting up Software Lists on MAMEUI
The software which is in software lists is controlled by XML files found in the hash folder (defined by hashpath in mame.ini).
MAMEUI is a bit different than MAME: mame.ini is in the ini folder.
If nothing shows on the "SW Items" tab, then either the machine has no Software Lists, or the hash files were not found.
If the hash files exist, MAME will look for the Software Lists' files in the ROMs folder(s) defined by rompath in mame.ini, by default the roms folder.
Loose software are software that are not part of MAME's Software Lists (files that were picked up here and there).
The idea is to have a separate folder structure for them.
The root of the folder where these files are is by default the software folder (defined by swpath in mame.ini).
If you won't use loose software, you don't have to set up this folder.
In the GUI this folder is called "Software File Base".
Make a subdirectory for each system, named however you want.
Let's say you have some extra Genesis ROMs, so in my case I have E:\DATA as my "Software File Base", then I have E:\DATA\Genesis for loose Genesis games.
So, right-click on the machine "Sega Genesis (USA, NTSC)", select Properties, click on the "Software" tab, insert the Genesis folder, click on OK.
Then click some other system then Genesis, and those extra ROMs will show up on the "SW Files" tab.
The main thing is that both "Software File Base", and the game's folder be set up and actually exist, and be different from each other. If you don't do that, nothing shows in "SW Files".