Need help on MAME app.

[secrecyguy]

I try to get help at some MAME forums but surprisely, those forums are not very active. So here I am.

I got a Android tablet and use it mostly for Internet and writing. I basically use it as a replacement for a laptop. I realized I don't use it too often so I decided to use it for games.

I just downloaded MAME4droid (0.37b5) and I also download a few ROMs that I enjoy playing in the past.

It took me a while to figure out how to get the app to look for the ROMs on the SDCard. I think I got it right. It shows /mnt/external_sd/ROMS/MAME4all

When I try to use it, it says it can not find the ROMs at all. So I unzip them hoping that it will work now.

Nope, it still does not work.

So I download another app that is a newer version. I believe it's made by the same company too. It still does not work.

I just wondering how do I get it to work? Thanks everyone!

 

[secrecyguy]

I give up! After trying and going to their website, I am going to install another kind of video game emulator.

Maybe someone in the future will have a more user friendly emulator in the future.

 

[mikedt]

Mame4Droid should work, I use it myself. Found the usual cause of things not working and the app not finding them is duff ROM zips, there's no need to unzip them. Thing is with arcade game ROMS because of what they are, i.e. subject to copyright and unauthorised distribution is prohibited, they're coming from whatever sources, there's no guarantee they're any good, until you try them. Have you tried the game zips with the PC version of Mame, to prove that they work?

The other thing is Mame4Droid is nowhere near advanced as the desktop versions, it's based on a much older version of Mame, 0.37b rather than 0.154, which is the current version. Many more modern arcade games are unsupported. but very much anything from the 1970s, 1980s, and early '90s, it has no problem at all. e.g. Pacman, Galaxian, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, etc.

 

[Hordriss]

I try to get help at some MAME forums but surprisely, those forums are not very active. So here I am.

I got a Android tablet and use it mostly for Internet and writing. I basically use it as a replacement for a laptop. I realized I don't use it too often so I decided to use it for games.

I just downloaded MAME4droid (0.37b5) and I also download a few ROMs that I enjoy playing in the past.

It took me a while to figure out how to get the app to look for the ROMs on the SDCard. I think I got it right. It shows /mnt/external_sd/ROMS/MAME4all

When I try to use it, it says it can not find the ROMs at all. So I unzip them hoping that it will work now.

Nope, it still does not work.

So I download another app that is a newer version. I believe it's made by the same company too. It still does not work.

I just wondering how do I get it to work? Thanks everyone!

If your tablet can run it, use the newer version, which is the one linked below, as it has a much higher list of compatible roms:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.seleuco.mame4droid

The roms must be placed in: /sdcard/ROMs/MAME4droid/roms (make sure it matches that EXACTLY, including the capitalization).

Make sure the ROMs remain in their zipped format, otherwise they won't work.

Lastly, you need to make sure the zipped ROM files have the correct name. The name is one of the key things which helps the emulator recognise the roms. For example, the main version of Final Fight must be named ffight.zip, if it's called anything else then it won't work.

The last thought, are you sure the ROMs you have downloaded are working ones? I'm sure you know a bit about this anyway if you've got as far as downloading MAME, but if you need any help as to where to find ROMs which work, send me a PM.

I have got the above MAME emulator working perfectly on my HTC One, so I know the emulator works.