[Solved] Mame, can't start games in Attract Mode

[addcparis]

Hi everyone,
I have just finished setting up attract mode, but I can't get it to launch games. Games launch well from Mame UI. My plan is to create multiple mame lists and put different roms in there (Shmup, beat etc...) but for now I'm just putting one list to test and that one doesn't work.
Any help is appreciated, I feel I've set it up right but obviously didn't !

Thank you

Here is the error log

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Attract-Mode v2.6.1 (Windows, SFML 2.5.1 +SWF +7z +Curl)
avcodec 58.54.100 / avformat 58.29.100 / swscale 5.5.100 / avutil 56.31.100 / swresample 3.5.100

Config: D:\Mame\Attract Mode\attract.cfg

*** Initializing display: 'Main List'
 - Loaded master romlist 'Main List' in 2 ms (213 entries kept, 0 discarded)
 - Constructed 2 filters in 0 ms (426 comparisons)
 - Loaded layout: D:\Mame\Attract Mode\layouts/Attrac-Man/ (layout.nut)
 - Working directory: D:\Mame
*** Running: D:\Mame\Mame64.exe toki
Error executing command: 'D:\Mame\Mame64.exe toki'

And my Attract mode config file

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# Generated by Attract-Mode v2.6.1
#
executable           D:\Mame\Mame64.exe
args                 [name]
rompath              D:\Mame\Roms\Mainlist
romext               .zip;.7z
system               Arcade
info_source          listxml
exit_hotkey          Escape
pause_hotkey         Num1+Down
artwork    marquee         $HOME/Mame/Marquee
artwork    snap            $HOME/mame/video;$HOME/mame/snap
And my Mame config for the rompath

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# CORE SEARCH PATH OPTIONS
#
homepath                  .
rompath                   "roms;D:\Mame\roms\Mainlist"
hashpath                  hash
samplepath                samples
artpath                   artwork
ctrlrpath                 ctrlr
inipath                   .;ini;ini/presets
fontpath                  .
cheatpath                 cheat
crosshairpath             crosshair
pluginspath               plugins
languagepath              language
swpath                    software

[progets]

Go to the command prompt and run

Code: [Select]

D:\Mame\Mame64.exe toki

and post the result.

[addcparis]

Hi and thanks for your help. Here is what I get from the command (sorry it's a screenshot attached, I couldn't find the log file)
The game launches well from Mame64 UI, I have the same problem with all the games

[akafox]

remove the

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roms;
and make it

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rompath                   D:\Mame\roms\Mainlist
then try to run it from the command line (by the way the command line output IS your log..err to a point)

Mame is not finding your roms...yes I know they run from the GUI and all..however (and don't ask I don't know why) but that doesn't matter.
All attract mode does is type:

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mame pacman
for you in the command line so you don't have to. If the command line doesn't work..then no matter what you do to attract mode you are out of luck.

It's your ini path trust me. I can not load games from the GUI..but they load just fine in the command line.
ALWAYS TEST FROM THE COMMAND LINE! That is how Attract Mode works.

Let me know if that helps..and report any new errors (if any) but i would bet all you have to do is change your path in the mame.ini like I showed you ans it will work from the command line...and thus from AM.

[progets]

This is showing that when you run mame from the command line that it can't find some of the files that are needed for the game.

Are all of your roms (including BIOS files) in the same folder? If not you'll need to add them to the "rompath" in your mame.ini.

What type of mame rom set do you have? merged, non-merged or split?

Are you sure the "D:\Mame\Roms\Mainlist" path is correct for your roms?

[progets]

Also, there is no need for the quotes (") in your mame.ini rompath. This could be your issue too.

[addcparis]

I changed the rompath, removed the " " and tried again, I'm still getting the same error, exact same as the one I posted above. I also checked that my rompath was right.

I use groovymame 0.221 with the corresponding romset. I use the merged set. Also I don't know if it helps but I checked in the rom and the files that are listed missing are present in the rom.

[addcparis]

I made a (small) progress after searching online.

In command line, if I start by going to my mame folder
d:\mame

Then type mame64.exe toki

The game launches properly.

I don't know what to do next though, thanks for the help

[akafox]

I use groovymame 0.221 with the corresponding romset. I use the merged set. Also I don't know if it helps but I checked in the rom and the files that are listed missing are present in the rom.

Run that by me again? Are you saying the the files that mame lists..are missing in the zip file? Yes you NEED those files in the zip file for mame to load them of course.


[/quote]

I made a (small) progress after searching online.

In command line, if I start by going to my mame folder
d:\mame

Then type mame64.exe toki

The game launches properly.

I don't know what to do next though, thanks for the help

Sounds like a exe path problem to me. Honestly i have not touched windows in years and don't have the time to load a VM to help sorry...
However going from your toki that works...

In AM go to the setup screen for the emulator config...beside the working path....  type

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D:\mame

then save it...then try to load toki and let me know

[addcparis]

I added in working directory D:\Mame

But same error.

When opening last run log in AM the working directory shows like this though

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D:\Mame/
Which I find strange

[akafox]

You are using groovymame?....

could I ask you to use vanilla mame and report back for me?

[progets]

Are you sure you don't have more than one mame.ini?

From the command line try these and see what the rompath shows for each.

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -sc | more


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d:
cd Mame
Mame64.exe -sc | more


[addcparis]

Are you sure you don't have more than one mame.ini?

From the command line try these and see what the rompath shows for each.

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -sc | more


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d:
cd Mame
Mame64.exe -sc | more


Bingo ! You are right.

The first one shows
ROMPATH     Roms

The second one shows my actual rom path (d:\mame\roms....)

When I search for mame.ini there is only one file that shows up though, the one with the correct rompath.

How can I find the second one ?

[progets]

Try this on the command line without being inside your mame folder.

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -rompath D:\Mame\roms\Mainlist toki


[addcparis]

Try this on the command line without being inside your mame folder.

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -rompath D:\Mame\roms\Mainlist toki


I get "Error opening translation file English"

Then the game launches properly