MAME ROMs won't load with RetroPie

[wirelessjava2002]

Hi,

Im having problems getting any of the games to work on Raspberry Pi with nitrogen_widgets RP image.

These are 0.37b5 ROM's

I've taken AM out of the equation as can run MAME4ALL from the command line, and it starts with the list of Games that represent my ROM's in ROM path

Hit Enter and get something like:

invaders.h   NOT FOUND
invaders.g   NOT FOUND
invaders.f   NOT FOUND
invaders.e   NOT FOUND
ERROR: required files are missing, the game cannot be run.

XArchiver can unzip the ROM zip files from the downloads folder, but NOT from /root/RetroPie/roms/mame-mame4all/ (Archive format is not recognised)

So, I've established root cause, but don't know how to fix it. Am a Raspberry PI noob see.

I'm hoping this should be a bread and butter question for people who actually know what they are doing.

Thanks in advance.
Paul

[nitrogen_widget]

rpi 1 or 2?
I found on my rpi1 that mame4all didn't work because I compiled it on the rpi2.
I just re-ran the retropie script and re-downloaded it.

Also, did you expand the the install on the SD card?
maybe try right clicking on the ./retropie folder & checking you have set read/write/execute to root.

[wirelessjava2002]

Thanks for getting back to me, very much appreciated.

It's a Raspberry Pi 1 512meg. I've changed the permissions on the ./retropie folder, however didn't fix the problem. (I didn't expanded the memory, but did run the RetroPi setup script)

I've been doing some more playing around, and actually did get it working for a brief period of time . Was playing Phoenix and Space Invaders without any problems.

Things weren't behaving in a consistent way, so I started from scratch:
 1. Used ROM's from my mame4all PSP implementation.
 2. Burned RetroPie/Emulation Station and verified them all to be working.
 3. Re-burned AM from your image, added ROMS to default mame-mame4all/ roms folder
 4. Run RetroPie Setup script
 4. Created ROM list  and scrapped art from within AM

And it worked!! Marvellous

Here's were it went wrong

I changed mame.cfg to make it vertical orientation in Leafpad editor, saved, re-booted and then hasn't worked since. The strange thing was that when i opened mame.cfg to check everything was ok, it was completely empty.

I used the template version and changed the rom path to where the roms were, but noting worked. Changed permissions, re-booted, nothing worked, back to my old error again.

So, I've probably screwed the mame.cfg which may have been my problem all a long. Now I'm going around again, but this time will back the config file up before I touch it.

The Retro Pie setup takes quite a while, so will be back again with my findings.

[nitrogen_widget]

something to think about,
rotating the display in the config file doesn't seem to work all that great if you don't give the GPU ample ram.
I also found that both AM & mame4all need at minumum 190 mb dedicated to the GPU for some games or they just don't launch.
so on my rpi 1 256 i rotate AM.

as for the config.txt.
did you edit it via the rpi or by using a computer with the card plugged into an adaptor?
I get corrupt config.txt maybe 25% of the time when I use my linux PC.

[verion]

@wirelessjava2002

sorry about off topic - but you are first living, breathing person that I can ask about mame on PSP. Until now, I was chasing ghosts - since newest post about mame4all on psp I could find was from 2008.
I have PSP slim (2000) gathering dust that could be put to good use. Can you point me to some resources regarding that subject (how to install, what version of rom, what firmware, etc.)?

Please PM me.

[wirelessjava2002]

@verion Sure, I'll do a step by step guide on what I did to get it running, resources etc. I'll drop you a PM, prob tomorrow.

[wirelessjava2002]

@nitrogen_widget Finally got it all working, thanks for your tips and nudges along the way.

Expanded the SD card this time:

Code: [Select]

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install raspi-config
sudo raspi-config

Backed up mame.cfg just in case it got corrupted again, but used 'nano' as the editor on the RP itself , worked fine this time

Rotate for vertical mode

Code: [Select]

ror=yes

Then used TAB with MAME running to change dip switches for cabinet mode to cocktail
F3 to reset, F2 to save

All set up perfectly, so will quickly stuff it all back in the cabinet I'm making before I break it again.

Again, thanks for you help, very much appreciated.

 

[nitrogen_widget]

welcome.
Hows she running?

got any pics?

[wirelessjava2002]

Still running, which is a bonus 

Working on a custom menu layout at the moment, and just a few finishing touches to do on the cabinet itself (table top cocktail cabinet, not a full blown stand up cab)

Will definitely come back when finished with some screenies and video.

[nitrogen_widget]

I like that.
I've seen something similar to that design on the net.
Did you follow any plans?

[omegaman]

Nice project your're working on there. I think it's time we added a cabinet forum to show off projects like this one. I just picked up a Donkey Kong Jr that I need to restore. It wil be fun to show the before and after pictures.

[wirelessjava2002]

Yes, I'm following the plans from the same guy you mentioned, Jeff Dyer who did a 5 part video series showing each step of building the cabinet from scratch. I wouldn't  have had the confidence to start something like this without those videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf7qSellMlg

That style ticked all the boxes for me, the most important one was 'Your'e making what?, an arcade machine!, over my dead body, that bloody monstrosity isn't coming into the house!' from the wife.

Just slide right under the bed when done and everyones a winner. 

[akafox]

'Your'e making what?, an arcade machine!, over my dead body, that bloody monstrosity isn't coming into the house!' from the wife.

I understand here point of view..but i could think of MANY other worse things you could build in the house..

I setup retropie/emulationstation on my rasp pi modle B+ I never had problem..mame4all is not the best..I had to delete a lot of stuff...and while somegames work..the sound is weird but it works and is there. I know the rasp pi2 is "bigger and badder" but the software will get better too.

I am going to get a rasp pi2 and make a arcade cocktail coffee table...one day *sigh* that way it looks like furniture and "belongs there" now everyone is happy