Author Topic: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?  (Read 4849 times)

PixelFreak

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What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« on: January 05, 2018, 08:40:11 PM »
OK, again, Linux/AM noob.

I understand the different layers (or at least I thought I did) with respect to running Attract Mode (front end) on a Raspberry Pi 3, running Raspbian and RetroPie with AM on top (hopefully that is correct?).

I am having the hardest time looking up and learning about "Arcade."

Here's my problem.

Got a preimaged SD card from a provider, but as far as I can tell it's running RetroPie (as it's how I configure the software using retropie_setup.sh) and it's the directory in /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/

I immediately made an image of the card when I received it to make sure I had a backup since I knew I was going to hork it up in some horrible way.

When I go to run Donkey Kong in my Nintendo Classics display, it references dkong.zip (Donkey Kong US set 1).  The emulator choice (in the description/options) indicates that it calls Arcade to emulate the game.

The first four or five times I play, it plays great.
About the fifth or sixth time I try to play, it corrupts visually (sound and game still plays, but display corrupts with purple and pink Mario heads on top and bottom - middle goes black).  Again, the game responds (I can hear quarters added when button pressed, hear game start with intro, etc. - just no display beyond Mario's heads lining the top and bottom).

If I reimage from scratch (ugh, takes 1 1/2 hours because it's a 200Gb card!), I can reproduce this.

Workaround has been to select MAME (Advance) as the Emulator, and then I had to add the samples, but the game works (although the sound is slightly off and slightly delayed).  I don't want to play in this emulator for those reasons.  It works perfectly in Arcade the first couple of times.

Can reproduce the problem by reimaging and playing a few times, then corrupts.
EmulationStation also does same thing.

I have even pulled down the ROM from another source, overwritten the dkong.zip file, and that file doesn't even take the first four times before it corrupts - it corrupts out of the gate in Arcade if Arcade has already corrupted the first/original file (hopefully that makes sense).

Any ideas on what I can do to have Arcade play Donkey Kong without the corruption?

TIA,
PixelFreak

akafox

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Re: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2018, 10:23:01 AM »
Are you asking what an arcade emulator is? 

Quote
When I go to run Donkey Kong in my Nintendo Classics display, it references dkong.zip (Donkey Kong US set 1).  The emulator choice (in the description/options) indicates that it calls Arcade to emulate the game.

There are many "arcade emulators". MAME being the most popular..then you have ZiNC, D.I.C.E., Win Kawaks, Raine, Nebula. An arcade emulator is software that emulates the software of a hardware arcade cabinet. Or simply makes your computer be (or think it is) something else. A nes emulator makes your computer think it's a nes..etc...etc...

As for YOUR issue an arcade emulator on retropie is:
  1. A MAME libretro core
  2. A Final Burn Alpha libretro core
  3. Advance MAME (a stand alone emulator)
  4. PI MAME (a stand alone emulator)
  5. PI FBA (a stand alone emulator of Final Burn Alpha)

For your game you will want to use Advance mame  (advmame) or the mame 2003 core. Hell for that game you could use the mame 2010 libretro core. It will work just fine in advmame though (at least it does for me).

Your sound being off has nothing to do with retropie or advmame has everything to do with linux. This same problem occurs on linux PCs as well (spent two nights finding a solution long ago).

here is a snip of my advmame.rc (configuration) file: (it is found in /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc)

Code: [Select]
          from my pi:                                from my pc:
device_alsa_device default           device_alsa_device sdl
device_alsa_mixer channel            device_alsa_mixer channel
           ---                                  ---
device_sound auto                    device_sound auto

look at the lines I posted here from my pi...do yours have the same thing? If not try the sdl change.
To do this you need a keyboard attached to your pi. then:
 1. From emulation station..press F4 this drops you to a terminal (command line in windows)
 2. type
Code: [Select]
cd / press enter
 3. then type
Code: [Select]
sudo nano /opt/retropie/configs/mame-advmame/advmame.rc press enter
 4. use the arrow keys to move down to the line that reads device_alsa_device
 5. then change anything AFTER the device_alsa_device (i.e. default or sdl)
 6. press ctrl+x
 7. press y
 8. press enter
 9. now type
Code: [Select]
emulationstation to get back to emulationstation

From emulation station start donkey kong but use the advmame emulator NOT the advmame 1.4 or anything else

post if you have any more problems. Also note that we here at attractmode have nothing to do with the retropie project. You would need to go to the retropie fourms. However also note that you are not using an official image so you will get little help there. We can try to help you here..but again an unofficial image..anything can be changed..thus causing problems...
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PixelFreak

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Re: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2018, 04:18:44 PM »
First of all, I want to thank you for your thoughtful and informative post.

I think I am not expressing myself very well.

I get what a software emulator is...but I can't figure out what "Arcade" emulator is...

I can't find any reference that "Arcade" is an emulator program (like FBA, Mame4all, etc.), but when I am in attract mode and go to the options, under emulators - "Arcade" is set as the emulator choice for most of the arcade cabinet style games.  There is also an "Arcade" folder in all the configs on my image - but no executable or actual program that is called Arcade.  Ugh.  This is why I am so confused.  Attract mode lists it as a possible emulator choice, and is default for a majority of my games that were coin-op style games (otherwise known as arcade games).  And there are directories and config files that use Arcade as the filepath (for example /opt/retropie/configs/arcade; /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade; /home/pi/.attract/emulators/Arcade.cfg; etc.)

Here is the Arcade.cfg file contents:
Code: [Select]
# Generated by Attract-Mode v2.2.1
#
executable           /opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh
args                 0 _SYS_ arcade "[romfilename]"
rompath               /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade
romext               .fba;.zip;.FBA;.ZIP
system               Arcade
info_source          listxml
import_extras        /home/pi/.attract/mame-config
artwork    boxart          /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/boxart
artwork    cartart         /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/cartart
artwork    flyer           /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/flyer
artwork    marquee         /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/marquee
artwork    snap             /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/snap
artwork    wheel           /home/pi/RetroPie/roms/arcade/wheel

So, that's why I am trying to figure out what the hell "Arcade" actually is - a front end?  Don't think so, that's Attract Mode...(in my setup).

What am I missing?

keilmillerjr

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Re: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« Reply #3 on: January 07, 2018, 05:33:54 PM »
I have zero retropie experience. So I have idea that may help.

Edit / create attract emulator config as necessary. arcade.cfg was likely created as a template to be used as a starting point.

https://github.com/RetroPie/RetroPie-Setup/blob/master/scriptmodules/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh

Your first param is video mode, then system flag, then system, then rom.

Check /opt/retropie/configs/SYSTEM/emulators.cfg for emulators.

Let me know if what I said helps or not and I can try to help more.

Setti

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Re: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« Reply #4 on: January 07, 2018, 08:21:19 PM »

Got a preimaged SD card from a provider, but as far as I can tell it's running RetroPie (as it's how I configure the software using retropie_setup.sh) and it's the directory in /home/pi/RetroPie-Setup/

The first four or five times I play, it plays great.
About the fifth or sixth time I try to play, it corrupts visually (sound and game still plays, but display corrupts with purple and pink Mario heads on top and bottom - middle goes black).  Again, the game responds (I can hear quarters added when button pressed, hear game start with intro, etc. - just no display beyond Mario's heads lining the top and bottom).

From the AM configure / Emulators Screen - You will see many systems that are listed, but not all systems have roms.
"Arcade" is usually one of those.

The easiest way to check what you have on your SD card is to SFTP into the PI and look in each of the rom directories.
/home/pi/RetroPie/roms/

You will probably see some folders, but no rom images in "Arcade"

Most likely you will need to look for:
mame-advance
fba (final burn alpha)
or one of the other mame emulators to see where the roms are.

Not all games will run correctly on a single emulator. Most of my stuff is split between Advance Mame 3.5 and Final Burn Alpha.

As far as the screen issues, make sure your video "Snaps" are not too HiRes. I have to use standard 4:3 videos from EMU Movies with mmal as the video decoder.
When I first ran my Pi , I tried to use HD video with software decoding and had some overheating issues.

Running retropie is very fun and rewarding, but it takes alot of reading and research to work thru many of these issues.
There are alot of factors. Old versions of Retropie with Advance Mame and AM had issues.

Read this thread.. It may help.
http://forum.attractmode.org/index.php?topic=1777.0

One last thing to check regarding your video issues.
Make sure you are not seeing an onscreen warning from your pi.
A lightning bolt is undervoltage.. which may indicate a power supply issue.
There are 2 temperature indicators that can appear on screen. One for 80-85C and the other for over 85C.

Hope this helps some.

Setti






akafox

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Re: What the hell is "Arcade" - emulator?
« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2018, 12:26:48 AM »
I have everything dumped into my arcade folder..if you had to put a quarter in to get in to start it's in there. Everything. All my roms are mixed. I have some that work with mame 2003 some that work with advmame 1.4 some with advmame 3.5 some with fba and some with mame 2010. and yes even daphne.

Just note that it is a pain to set them up..yes I did it one by one per rom..and STILL working on them. The last thing I want to do is "fix" the controls. that is trackball and spinner games..ones that will work I keep..if i can not set them up to use a joystick they are out..

it can be done IF you are willing to do it..but it is time and patience.

Note that any time will show up even if it has an empty folder in it. You have to make sure you have the correct romset as well for the right emulator!

As for your reference to "Arcade" you are seeing the script that is used in retropie..NOT an executable or binary. Retropie DOES NOT call any program directly only a script..and this one is called "arcade". Any game you run from the arcade folder used that script to launch..this is true from any system..the scripts are named by system for ease of use and programing (of course).

Code: [Select]
executable           /opt/retropie/supplementary/runcommand/runcommand.sh
args                 0 _SYS_ arcade "[romfilename]"

every bit of that works together and calls that script..then it looks in that script for that "agrs" line

When i was using MAMEWah I had a game called dkong.nul a zero byte file. It was just a place holder so the game would be listed. From there on launch it placed the text dkong into the command line..which called a dkong.ini file..which was read and then used the command line configuration in that ini file to launch the game. Thus it allowed me to use more than one emulator but keep all my games in one folder. This is what RetroPie is doing. "Arcade" means nothing...just a placeholder..it depends on what emulator that script calls because you tell it to use that emulator instead of say advmame as a default.

Just so you know dkong will run in mame2010 just fine try that. As for your corruption problem with advance mame..that does not make any sense to me. No not saying it doesn't happen...this IS a computer and software we are talking about....just saying it weird beyond reason to me anyway.
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