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

[progets]

Ok, try this then.

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -inipath D:\Mame toki


[addcparis]

It works, the game loads

[progets]

I don't think you have more than one mame.ini but it only seems like your mame.ini is loaded when you're in the mame directory on the command line.

The easiest thing to do is to change your AM mame emulator configuration file to something like this

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# Generated by Attract-Mode v2.6.1
#
executable           D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -inipath D:\Mame
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

There are other options but this is probably the easiest thing to do. I don't use groovymame, I'm on a different version of the official mame and likely on a different version of windows so testing any further would be difficult.

I will say that on my setup I did have the same issue on the command line with mame if I wasn't in the mame folder. However, I don't define a working directory in AM and my game launch properly without the -inipath switch.

[progets]

I should also mention that I use root paths in my emulator configuration files. I don't know if this makes a difference but you can try something like this to see if it works too.

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# Generated by Attract-Mode v2.6.1
#
executable           \Mame\Mame64.exe
args                 [name]
rompath              \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


[addcparis]

I tried both, I get the same error.

For info, I've put the AM folder in the Mame folder.

Should I try to put the content of the AM folder in the Mame folder ? I'm wondering if it would get it to start from the d:\mame where I manage to get the command line to work

[akafox]

I have a half a mind to say delete your mame ini and AM and start fresh....

this is too weird 

[addcparis]

I have a half a mind to say delete your mame ini and AM and start fresh....

this is too weird 

That's exactly what I started doing. I deleted everything and I'm starting from scratch.

I'm not even installing AM for now, I'm just trying to get the Mame command line to work from outside the D:\mame folder.
I set the inipath in Mame.ini to where the ini file is, but Mame doesn't look there. Using the -sc command, it pulls an .ini file that doesn't have the rompath and inipath I set, and since I only have one mane.ini file, I can"t figure where he pulls  that other .ini file from.

Next attempt is to put my good mame.ini file in the directory where the command line starts from, I'm going totally blind there.

[addcparis]

Ok some progress here, I made a copy of my mame.ini file and put it in c:\users\me, which is the default folder my command line starts from, and the command line works.

I'm going to install AM now and try, while crossing fingers, that this sorts it all out

[addcparis]

No luck, I still get the same error in AM, it's going with the other mame.ini file that doesn't exist.

I don't understand how this works, is there a default folder that AM runs the mame command line from ? That's probably where I should put my mame.ini file but I don't know how to find that location.

Any idea ?

[progets]

I'm confused. Didn't you say above that this worked?

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D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -inipath D:\Mame toki


[addcparis]

It worked from the command line.

I put the same line (without the rom name) in AM, and I get the error files not found.

[progets]

Setting the "inipath" in the mame.ini is pointless for the mame.ini. If the file is never read then neither are its contents including "inipath" and "rompath".

Once you had the command working from the command line you should just need to adjust the AM emulator file to get it to work.

Try just this

Code: [Select]

# Generated by Attract-Mode v2.6.1
#
executable           D:\Mame\Mame64.exe -inipath D:\Mame
args                 [name]
rompath              D:\Mame\Roms\Mainlist
romext               .zip;.7z
system               Arcade
info_source          listxml
artwork    marquee         $HOME/Mame/Marquee
artwork    snap            $HOME/mame/video;$HOME/mame/snap


[addcparis]

It WORKS ! Yay

Setting up the inipath in AM was not enough though.

AM needs to be run in Admin mode (Right click, properties, Run as admin), even when logged in to windows with an admin account.

I'm all good now, thanks a lot for the help, I'm really happy you helped me sorting it out.

[akafox]

Run in root?...err I mean Admin mode... 

That is bizarre...or is that normal for Windows?