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News from May 1999 | |
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Monday, May 31th, 1999
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BIG Emulation News!
Legal Capcom ROMs! That's right, I told you something big was going to
happen. When you purchase a HotRod(tm) joystick
you will also receive a CD-ROM containing MAME, a special version of
the Arcade@Home front-end, and a collection of 100% legal Capcom ROMs!
HanaHo Games, Inc. (the manufacture of the HotRod(tm)
joystick) has secured a deal with Capcom to sell ROM images of classic
arcade games. The HotRod(tm) will go on sale
Wednesday, June 2nd and ship on June 30th. The price will be $179.95(US)
for the -classic model and $199.95(US) for the -se model. Visit the
HotRod(tm) joystick page at the above link for all
the details.
ArcadeOS v2.13 Released:
This version is just a 16-bit version of the 32-bit version v2.12.
This was done because there were some problem with the 32-bit version.
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
cabMAME v0.35 Beta 13 Released:
This arcade cabinet version of MAME adds the following features:
- Added 384x224 and 384x224 'scanlines' PC Monitor modes These modes are for standard PC Monitors and not arcade monitors
- All arcade modes moved over to 'unchained' effectively means that all arcade VGA modes are now triple buffered so you don't need to use vsync/waitvsync to avoid video 'shearing'
- Changed 320x256 to 320x240 Resolution makes more sense and means games run at the right frame rate
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
New MAME History.dat File:
Did I miss this one? Anyway, the latest MAME history.dat file is now
available on the M.A.M.E. section. It includes new history for MAME
v0.35 beta 13 games.
New UltraHLE ini File Being Released Every Hour:
It seems that there's a new UltraHLE ini file being released every hour
all with different version numbers. I was trying to unite the ini
files and patchers to create a standard. However, the people releasing
these sometimes meaningless versions don't have the same vision.
Therefore, I'm taking my ini file underground along will all the new
patches until the insanity stops. If you feel the same way, make sure
you contact the people creating these files and tell them to get with
the program. I'm sick of trying to reason with 12 year olds.
True Reality For Windows OpenGL Released:
This version is supposed to run Waverace 64, but I couldn't get it to
run at all (of course, I have a 3dfx Banshee which only has the Quake
MiniGL client). Download it from the author's site at the above link
and try it for yourself.
MAME Merge 2.31 Released:
This version of MAME Merge adds the following new bug fixes and features:
- bugfix : if the time elapsed exceeded 1 hr the stats displayed "Elapsed time : x:xx:xx am".
- bugfix : when using the scan option long filenames inside zips caused MAME Merge to stop with an error.
- bugfix : if none of the ROMs were found for a particular game, bad dumps were reported as missing even if 'bad dumps must exist' was unchecked.
- The [ESC] key can now be used to close the Source folders, Add folder, and Statistics windows.
Download it from the author's site at the above link.
Pugsy's New MAME Cheats Released:
Pugsy released his update to the MAME cheat database with support for
v0.35 beta 13 games. This version includes 13414 cheats for 1342 out
of 1400 MAME games. Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
Back From a Weekend Away:
Spent the last couple of days out of town (the weather was wonderful,
85-90 degrees and sunny). Updating the site now...
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Saturday, May 29th, 1999
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MAME Merge 2.30 Released:
This version of MAME Merge adds the following features:
- Completely new interface.
- Merge, split and scan routines totally re-written.
- Verify is now called scan which is a more accurate description.
- Full Split is now just called split. It's function in still identical.
- A 'Bad dumps must exist' option has been added.
- The quick scan now correctly checks over-sized ROMs.
- The scan routines can now perform split or merged searches.
- Classic and NeoGeo games can be processed in a single pass.
- Disk space remaining display of the drive MAME Merge is run from.
- The lists of missing games are saved to a single file, 'Missing games.txt'.
- A list of missing ROMs can also be saved with the missing game list.
- A resource file for building clean RAINE 0.20 ROM sets is available.
- A load of other stuff I can't remember or couldn't be bothered listing.
download it from the author's site using the above link.
Retrolamers:
A few days ago,
MonroeWorld
had a psycho stalker make a spoof web site. Now it seems that
Retrogames
has been spoofed as well. Check it out at the above link. Also, here's the
home page
of the people doing these spoof pages.
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Friday, May 28th, 1999
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Voodoo2 12MB for $49.95!:
Yeah, I know it's not the fastest card around, but if you have one
Voodoo2 and want to setup SLI or you have a dated 3D or non-3D card
and want fast 3D graphics for little money, this is the way to go. The
card is refurbished by Creative and includes the SLI pass-through
cables and the software G-Police, Ultimate Race Pro and Incoming. I
also assume it includes a warranty, but it doesn't specify. Act
quickly because I'm sure they're limited in supply.
MacMAME v0.35 Beta 13 Released:
MacMAME v0.35 beta 13 was released. Download it from the M.A.M.E.
section.
On-Line MAME Screen Shots Updated:
The on-line MAME screen shots were updated to include the MAME v0.35
beta 13 ROMs. If you're wondering where the update to the Arcade@Home
screen shots are, I stopped updating them when my computer decided to
not allow me to edit MAME's screen shots anymore (I think it's a video
card issue). In any case, with the next release of Arcade@Home, I'll
be going with
Mame32 QA/Test & Art Dept's
screen shots. They're in BMP format, so if you want to use them today,
you'll have to convert them to PCX format. This won't be an issue with
the next release of Arcade@Home because it supports BMP as well as
PNG, PCX, GIF, JPG, TIF, TGA & PCT images. View the MAME screen shots
on-line using the above link.
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Thursday, May 27th, 1999
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HotRod(tm) Anyone?:
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Forget everything you know about arcade controllers,
HotRod(tm) has arrived! This true arcade quality
control panel is different than others for several reasons. First,
it's built by HanaHo Games Inc.
who's a world leader in real arcade cabinet production (they built the
cabinets for Frogger, Dragons Lair, Zaxxon, and many others). What
does this mean to you? It means they have the
production facility
to satisfy the demand (I'm sure some of you are still waiting for your
V-Sticks to arrive a year later). It's also built like a tank, setup
is as easy as connecting a keyboard (no drivers), and it looks as
slick as it works. It's designed to be used with MAME, with the keys
already setup for the default MAME keys. With it's two joysticks, two
player games and games that require two joysticks (like Robotron) work
like a dream. I beat my Robotron high score by 2 times the first time I
played using the HotRod(tm). Production has
already started and they're scheduled to go on sale at the end of June.
More news on this product as it arrives!
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N64 & PSX Controllers for the PC:
Want to use your N64 or PSX controllers with UltraHLE or bleem!? Well,
now you can through your USB port. This looks like a great project for
me to try some weekend. Check it out at the above link.
Official MAME32 V0.35 Beta 13 Released!
The official version of MAME32 v0.35 beta 13 has been released.
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
New Arcade@Home Front-End!
No, it's not yet released. But I've been putting the finishing touches
on it. I've added many new features, updated it to work with the new
MAME command line switches, and added support for the new PNG snap shot
file format. Yesterday, there were no updates to this site because
nothing good was happening and I was implementing the PNG image file
support. While I was at it, I also added several new image file formats.
Arcade@Home will now view: PNG, PCX, BMP, GIF, JPG, TIF, TGA & PCT
images. I'm working on getting this beta out to my beta testers within
the next few days. The plan is to release this next version of
Arcade@Home about the time MAME RC1 to final is released.
Ultimate Patchers Cheats v8.3b:
The Ultimate Patchers have released their new cheat database for MAME.
v8.3e adds new cheats for new MAME v0.35 beta 13 games. Download from
the M.A.M.E. section.
New KBMAME neogeo.drv Released:
This neogeo.drv adds support for newly dumped Neo-Geo titles to be
played in KBMAME. Download it from the M.A.M.E. section next to the
KBMAME file.
Unofficial MAME32 v0.35 Beta 13 Released:
An unofficial MAME32 v0.35 beta 13 has been released. Download it from
the M.A.M.E. section.
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Tuesday, May 25th, 1999
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New Atari 2600 Section:
I added a new section today for the Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 has a
special place in my heart (was the first really good console game
around). By today's standards, it's limited graphics resolution, colors
and memory (I think it had around 128 bytes of RAM) really date it.
But, if you're my age, you spent countless hours playing these games
while your mom yelled at you to clean your room. Now you can play them
at your leisure while you wife yells at you to mow the lawn. Some
things never change =)
Flyer and Poster Archive Updated:
The Flyer and Poster Archive for MAME has been updated to version 3.1.
This version adds 32 new flyers and brings the total up to 633 images.
Download this from his site at the above link. Please note that the
file format is BMP which Arcade@Home supports in the next release
(which will be released about the time that MAME RC1 is released).
bleem! Beta to be Released Shortly:
Seems that Randy from bleem! has been busy updating bleem!. They are
about to start beta testing the newest version (maybe today). The good
news is that it will be a PUBLIC BETA test, so those of you with
the bleem! CD key will be able to try it out. The folowing features &
fixes should be in this first beta:
- Fixed the "MANAGED TEXTURES" hack. This will allow for better/faster
play on any D3D card that required this option to be checked!
- Added an "EJECT" feature. Many people complained that when they
ejected a CD, it would give them a "Blue Screen of Death" about not
being able to read the CD. You can easily bypass this by first
"RESETTING" bleem, then ejecting the CD. However, in an effort to make
bleem more friendly, we have added this option.
- Memory Cards. Though it doesn't sound like it will be in the first beta
release, the first updated full version release should have the memory
card problem ironed out.
If you've had D3D problems with bleem!, this first beta may help.
There will probably be other features and bug fixes in this first beta
release as well. When it comes available, I'll let you know.
E.M.U+ Beta 13 Released:
E.M.U+ is a modified version of MAME that includes auto-fire and
over clocking. Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
AMAME & PMAME Beta 13 Released:
Rodimus Prime has updated his AMAME and PMAME versions of MAME to the
beta 13 source. Note that the C and ASM core versions are now
combined into one archive. Also, Rodimus wasn't too happy with the
way these versions were working, so if you have a problem, try using
the -vsync option. Download them from the M.A.M.E. section.
Last Update for Neocharity '99?:
Well, it seems this may be the last update for quite some time or maybe
forever for Neocharity '99. If so, they go out with a bang dumping
three new Neo-Geo games: Quiz Daisousasen 1, Quiz Daisousasen 2, and
Neocup 98. Visit their site at the above link.
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Monday, May 24th, 1999
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MAME V0.35 Beta 13 Released!
MAME v0.35 beta 13 has been released. This version adds 58 new games
to bring the total up to 1400 games. New games include:
- Adventure Quiz 2 Hatena no Dai-Bouken [Nicola Salmoria]
- Cyberball 2072 (2 Players) [Aaron Giles]
- Rampart [Aaron Giles]
- Shuuz [Aaron Giles]
- Skull & Crossbones [Aaron Giles]
- Bad Lands [Aaron Giles]
- Grobda [Manuel Abadia]
- Phozon [Manuel Abadia]
- Genpei ToumaDen [Nicola Salmoria]
- The Return of Ishtar [Nicola Salmoria]
- Wanted [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Truxton / Tatsujin [Darren Olafson]
- Out Zone [Darren Olafson]
- Extermination [Nicola Salmoria]
- Minky Monkey [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Marine Boy [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Changes [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Springer [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Hoccer [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Funky Bee [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Sky Lancer [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Zodiack [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Dog Fight [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Moguchan [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Return of the Invaders [Jarek Parchanski]
- No Man's Land [Mike Coates]
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
Shane Monroe Stalker?:
This is just too funny. It seems that Shane Monroe of
MonroeWorld
(formally Insert Coin) has a stalker. I think this person is trying to
make a reference to the girth of Shane Monroe, but I'm not totally
sure. Check out the title link, and explore this site for all kinds of
funny little comments. Make sure you check out the Retro Radio
Episodes, I don't think Shane is quite the size of Jabba, but I could
be wrong. =)
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Sunday, May 23rd, 1999
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Retrocade V1.2 Beta 2 Released!
Retrocade v1.2 beta 2 released! This version includes the following
new games: 1942, Blaster, Dig Dug 2, Mappy, Mario Bros., Mr. Do!,
Toobin', and Vulgus. Also, many games now have sound like: Donkey Kong,
Donkey Kong Jr., Armor Attack, Solar Quest, Space Invaders, Space Wars,
and Star Castle (some require sound sample PAKs). Finally, many bug
fixes and speed-ups have been included. Download it from the RETROCADE
section.
Retrocade V1.2 Beta 2 PAK Files:
Go get the new Retrocade v1.2 beta 2 PAK files. If all goes well, the
binary should be available later today.
Retrocade V1.2 Beta 2 Released to Beta Testers:
Retrocade v1.2 beta 2 was released to the beta testers late last night.
I'm testing it now. If all goes well, a public beta release will be
available within a day. Stay tuned.
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Saturday, May 22nd, 1999
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New bleem! Demo:
A new bleem! demo was released that fixes some memory problems. Also,
the bleem! site is moving to a new server, so if you visit their page
you'll be redirected to an IP address till the domain name resolves
correctly. Download the new bleem! demo from the PSX - bleem! section.
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Friday, May 21st, 1999
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Slow Day, Let's Talk About Star Wars:
I'm not going to get long winded and give a detailed review of the
movie. Just go see it, it's great. Remember, like all Star Wars
movies, they're written for all ages. The movie is very "retro" in
that it casts the same type of magical qualities like the originals.
Just like playing retro video games, The Phantom Menace makes me feel
12 again. The only thing I was disappointed in was that it wasn't
twice as long. Go spend your money on this one.
Nintendo Shuts Down the SNES9x Site:
Nintendo sent a letter to SNES9x's ISP stating that emulation is illegal
and the site was quickly shut down. Maybe Nintendo should review the
Sony vs. Connectix & Bleem cases? To quote Jerremy Koot, webmaster of
SNES9x.com
"I just wanted to let everybody know what has happend to Snes9X.COM. According to my host they have
shutdown the site because it has illegal content, after contacting my host, they have answered that they have
taken offline my site because they have gotten an email from nintendo stating that emulators are illegal.
They are not allowing me access to the site, so until a new host is found, the site is offline ! What Nintendo has
mailed to my host is unknown. The only thing I know is that Nintendo was referring to the following page:
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/faqs/legal.html.
Where they clearly state that their policy is that emulators
are illegal, and thus Snes9x is illegal. They probably won't sue me directly since I live in The Netherlands and
chances are that they would never be able to win the case !
Jerremy Koot"
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Thursday, May 20th, 1999
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Fast Connection Again at Last!!!
Just a few moments ago my ISDN line was reactivated (after almost a
month of being inactive). Ameritech's ISDN installations can only be
described as one word "Shitty". And before you send me e-mails telling
me to get a cable modem or ADSL, don't. The only thing better than a
ISDN line in this area is a T1 which costs about $1200/month for the
line and the internet connection.
Damn, I talked too soon! Ameritech called while I was writing this
to take my line back down to do some more testing. Back to 28.8 :-(
ClrMame v1.37 Released:
This version adds the following:
- misc: now you have the chance to change the mame-path if ClrMame failed to receive data from mame
- fixed bug: small bug while looking for clrmame- and mamefolder
- fixed bug: ClrMame protects too much folders against fix-unneeded check (so it's possible that you still have some unneeded files)
It was released a few days ago, but I missed it :-( Download it
from their site using the above link.
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Wednesday, May 19th, 1999
|
New Jaguar Emulator:
RealityMan (of UltraHLE fame) has started work on a new Jaguar emulator;
Jagulator. As of right now, the emulator isn't available. However,
knowing that it only took a couple of months to put together UltraHLE,
we could see some progress very shortly. Visit his site at the above
link (his new handle is BXNoMercy). Thanks to
Welcome to Namco's
for the news.
Retrocade Beta Released This Weekend?:
Neil Bradley has received sound samples from Zonn for Armor Attack and
Solar Quest and will be included in the next beta release scheduled to
be released this weekend. Not sure if this will be a public or private
release, I'll keep you informed.
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Tuesday, May 18th, 1999
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Cracked bleem!:
It didn't very long to crack bleem! (what, 3 days?) Anyway, there is a
working bleem! crack floating around the net. Even though I did
purchase bleem!, it's copy protection is terrible (takes over a minute
to read the bleem! cd key). In any case, the cracked version passes
the virus test and works like a champ. Please don't e-mail me asking
where you can find it. Also be aware that the one you download could
be a virus. Not to promote piracy, but to try and save you from a
virus, I'll give you these tips: The ZIP file is 584,238 bytes, it
contains 8 files, and the new executable is 840,960 bytes. Again,
DON'T pirate bleem!. Buy bleem!, it's a GREAT emulator. If the copy
protection drives you mad, then you may want to look for this cracked
version to speed things up.
Dith Updates More MAME Samples:
Dith from Dith's World
Has updated the remaining three sound samples: Star Trek, Tac/Scan,
& Zektor. These samples have been cleaned up, and downsampled to
filter out noise and remove frequencies that didn't exist in the arcade.
Download them from the M.A.M.E. section.
ArcadePC Shown at Capcom's E3 Booth:
|
Something interesting is happening between Capcom, HanaHo, and the
HotRod ArcadePC. The picture at left shows 2 of the 10 ArcadePC's on
display at Capcom's 8,000 sq. ft. E3 booth. What's even more
interesting is a comment made on HotRod's
ArcadePC
site:
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"2 of the ArcadePC's are specially rigged up with HotRod control panels
with Compaq PC's and are running a special version of MAME and AAH
hosting a huge collection of Capcom classic ROMS!!"
Like I said yesterday: something big could be happening.
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Monday, May 17th, 1999
|
Most Influential People in Emulation:
There's now an on-line way to vote for the most influential people in
the emulation community. The current number of votes for me is 0.
Let's keep it that way (I don't influence anyone). My crowning jewel
would be to "score" 0 on this list. The only person on the list that I
would say influenced me would be Nicola, maybe the MAME team. Use the
above link to vote.
More E3 Emulation News:
Another emulation-related product was being shown at E3. ZDNet's
GameSpot reports that HanaHo was showing an arcade controller and
upright cabinet (you many have seen them before as the HotRod and the
ArcadePC). HanaHo is a veteran arcade cabinet company that dates
back to Frogger (they were called SEMCO then). They showed the
controllers playing an emulated version of Street Fighter II. A few
interesting comments are made in this article:
"HanaHo expects to announce a licensing deal for classic arcade games
from one of the top companies in the coin-op arcade business at the
show or shortly thereafter."
"HanaHo is expecting to bundle it with ten or more classic games"
I'd keep my eyes peeled on these products, something big could
be happening. Read the full article (with two screen shots) at the
above link.
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Sunday, May 16th, 1999
|
Back @ Home:
Finally, I'm back home from St. Louis. What an idiot, I misspelled St.
Louis in my update yesterday (too much beer). It was an insane
few days. Staying up till 3-5am, and getting up at 6:30am to be on
time for my 8am conferences each day. I'm a little sleepy right now,
but things will return to normal starting tomorrow.
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Saturday, May 15th, 1999
|
Full Version of bleem! Released!
Good news! No need for a long description, just click on the above
link and download it (if you purchased it, that is).
Greetings from St. Louis:
The thin updates are due to by business trip to St. Louis. If you're
from St. Loius and want to take me up on my beerware front-end, don't.
I had my fill and then some last night (the bars are open to 3am here). =)
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Thursday, May 13th, 1999
|
bleem! Site Updated:
Don't even bother going there and reading this update. It talks mostly
about E3 and gives no indication on when the full version will be
released. All that's said about the bleem! release is that
"all is still on track, and going well" and
"Randy is still tirelessly coding". "On track"? "Going well"?
I guess it depends on how you look at things.
ArcadeOS v2.12 Released:
This great DOS-based MAME front-end gets another update. This version
corrects the following issues:
- Fixed Trackball Mouse Bug should now move in both directios
- Fixed write bug to MAME.CFG artwork should now display for games + setting config items should have an effect
- Fixed stack bug in BIOS hook Callus should now run 'In Cabinet'
- Fixed 'blank screen' bug Seems the BIOS hook and a real mode mouse driver can't co-exist at the moment
- Fixed memory leak in 'display info'
- Changed the way clock is read should stop the screen saver from constantly kicking in on some PCs
Download from the Front-Ends section.
cabMAME v0.35 Beta 12a Released:
This small update to the beta 12 version adds the following:
- Added 640x480 mode (PC Monitors only at the moment) This is optional, and ArcadeOS can still run in 320x200 Simply set the 640x480 option in ARCADEOS.CFG
- Fixed Joystick bug
- Should now run under a Windows DOS box
- 'Scanline' mode now compatible with more video cards
- Timings for arcade monitor mode and scanline mode now adjustable
Download from the M.A.M.E. section.
RomCenter V1.40 Released:
This is a Windows utility that manages your MAME ROM files. This version
adds the following features:
- Neo Geo game filter added.
- Neo Geo export tool.
- Flag problem corrected
- 'Play game' button added to contextual menu
- Roms with no good dump known management improved. That correct mame35 b12 flags.
- Write protected roms and zip are correctly handled
- Roms merging process improved.
- Color gradient in windows title...
- Some other bugs corrected
Download it from the above link.
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Wednesday, May 12th, 1999
|
Another N64 "Emulator" Goes Underground:
I'm not even going to mention the name of this "emulator". If I did, I
would justify its existence. On a similar note, the PSX, N64,
Dreamcast, & PSX2 emulator I've been developing is now complete
and I'm taking it underground. I just finished the OpenGL and Glide
code yesterday (before it was DirectX only) and it looks GREAT! It
emulates all consoles SIMULTANEOUSLY at 30fps on a Pentium 90 with an
8-bit ISA video card. It's too bad that none of you will ever see it. =)
Xevious Map:
Slow Day?:
Yeah, a slow emulation day. I had to finish off a project for work
today so I couldn't wait in line for Star Wars tickets. However, I got
a friend of a friend to skip school and get me tickets. It's nice
to see that this country's youth has their priorities straight. =) I
expect him to be calling me shortly so I can get my hands on them.
I'll post a scan of them when they arrive.
|
Tuesday, May 11th, 1999
|
Pugsy's MAME Cheats Updated:
A massive updated of Pugsy's MAME cheats. This version adds 128K in
new cheats for at total of 13078 cheats for 1292 different games.
Download from the M.A.M.E. section under Utilities.
Flyers and Poster Archive Updated Again:
The image archive format has been converted from JPG to BMP. This also
makes it compatible with MacMAME and MAME32 and decodes the images
much more quickly. Download it from the author's site at the above link.
AMAME & PMAME Updated:
The complete set of AMAME and PMAME's have been updated to the v0.35
beta 12 source. Also, Last Blade 2 (lastbla2) and Quiz King Of Fighters
(quizkof) were added. Download them from the M.A.M.E. section.
New bleem! Demo!
The bleem site was updated with information that they can again compile
bleem! Also, they released a new demo which Doesn't have a time
limit! The new demo should also be a little faster. Download the
demo from the PSX - bleem! section and lets hope that the full version
will be released in the next few days.
MAME Cheats Updated to v8.2e:
The Ultimate Patchers have updated their MAME cheats to version 8.2e.
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section under utilities.
Flyers and Poster Archive Updated:
The Flyers and Poster archive for MAME has been updated to version
3.0 (which is 22MB [gulp]). Besides the usual new images added, the
images have changed to JPG format (the reason for the 22MB file).
Looks like I'll wait to download this till tomorrow (when my ISDN
connection gets reinstalled). Download it from their site at the
above link.
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Monday, May 10th, 1999
|
KBMAME's Neo-Geo Driver Updated:
Seems that there were some problems getting Last Blade 2 to work with
the last neogeo.drv. This new one corrects this problem. Download it
from the M.A.M.E. section next to the KBMAME program.
Protecting Intellectual Property:
Here's a great site that states the IDSA's position on protecting
intellectual property. If you want to see the
color version
of these pictures, they've been on my Cabinet Pics section since March
3rd =) Thanks to
Retrogames
for the link.
ArcadeOS v2.11 Released:
This great DOS-based MAME front-end adds the following features:
- Added 640x480 mode (PC Monitors only at the moment)
- Fixed Joystick bug
- Should now run OK under a Windows DOS box
- 'Scanline' mode now compatible with more video cards
- Timings for arcade monitor mode and scanline mode now adjustable
Download it from the Front-Ends section.
MacMAME v0.35 Beta 12a Released:
MacMAME beta 12 has been updated again. This version adds the following:
- The front-end artwork now supports .bmp files. Also, the artwork can be contained in one large
.zip file (e.g. images.zip, cabinets.zip, flyers.zip). The main advantage is that the Win32 MAME
artwork can be used as-is on the Mac now. If a piece of artwork is found in both the large zip file
and as a standalone file, preference is given to the standalone. [John Butler]
- Several more glitches with InputSprocket have been fixed, particularly with devices only
responding the first time through. Hopefully, it should now be on par, stability-wise, with 0.35b10.
[Brad Oliver]
- The new RAVE code introduced in the last release would cause type 3 errors on ATI cards that
were using the new OpenGL drivers. This has been fixed. [Brad Oliver]
- Breaker's Revenge is now working on the Mac. [Brad Oliver]
- New and updated folder icons. [Carlo Noben]
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
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Sunday, May 9th, 1999
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Cold3927 Virus Solved:
It seems that Computer Associates has fixed their Inoculan program so
it doesn't report that MAME and every other program compiled with DJGPP
contains the Cold3927 virus. According to Computer Associates, "beta
4.20b resolves this issue". Contact them for this updated version.
Thanks for Andrew McKenzie for the information.
TRWIN - N64 "Emulator":
Retrogames has several posts about TRWIN, a supposed new N64 emulator.
The latest news from Retrogames is:
More on TRWIN, it's confirmed that it is in fact real. BUT it will NEVER be
released to the public, it's a private project. The pics weren't supposed to be
released, from what I've heard. TRWIN was based on True Reality, but was
completely rewritten and then it was decided to go private. If I get anymore
info, I'll post what I can. I got my info from a MAJOR source in N64 emulation.
All I got to say is "Yeah right". And I've written an
program that emulates the N64, PSX, & Dreamcast and it runs ALL games,
but I'm just keeping it for myself. Yeah right.
bleem! Site Updated:
More comments on the status and problems with the current bleem!
building process. Nothing really new, but it seems that they still
can't get it to compile and/or run. Not even the demo will work. :-(
Sounds like it's time to go back to an older build source and work from
there. To read all the details, check out the above link.
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Friday, May 7th, 1999
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New KBMAME neogeo.drv File Released:
This file adds support for Quiz King of Fighters and Last Blade 2. Download it
from the M.A.M.E. section next to the KBMAME file.
AMAME v0.35 Beta 12 ASM Updated:
AMAME (the PentiumII/III/Celeron/AMD optimized version of MAME) has been updated.
Downlaod it from the M.A.M.E. section.
Tac/Scan Sound Sample Updated:
Seems that the new Tac/Scan was missing a sound sample. It's now been updated
and is available on the M.A.M.E. section.
bleem! Site Updated:
The bleem! site has been updated with comments from Dave, CEO of bleem!
LLC. It's quite lengthy, but here's a juicy paragraph.
Many of you have said, "Just release it, bugs or not!" ... Man, I wish
we could. But unfortunately, that isn't an option with this kind of
problem - we went back and forth yesterday about how we could get
SOMETHING to you and keep our promise, but these errors were making
previously functional stuff like MMX support simply STOP WORKING. In
desperation, we even went so far as to try and remove the
non-functional parts entirely - ripping out MMX and all the most recent
copy protection stuff, but nothing seemed to help -- further
reinforcing the conclusion that the problem is not in the functional
code that makes bleem! do the cool stuff it does, but in the dumb
housekeeping bits that tie it all together.
No offense Dave, but it sounds to me like your code is
imploding under its own complexity. As a fellow programmer, let me
suggest that at this point DON'T start ripping things out of the code,
but instead go back to the last working build and work from there. If
Randy doesn't archive the source from every build, you need to have a
talk with him. If you're developing a freeware program, this isn't
required, but when you're developing a commercial package and you
already have paid customers, you'd better protect your source code.
Without it, you have nothing. Lets hope that Randy's hard drive
doesn't crash, because if he's not archiving build source code, he's
probably not making backups either. Am I finished beating the bleem!
piñata yet? =)
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Thursday, May 6th, 1999
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CEO of bleem! LLC. Speaks:
Here's a long comment from the CEO of bleem! LLC that was made on IRC.
I had to make a few spelling and punctuation corrections (such is IRC)
but nothing was taken out of context:
The program is made of a bunch of little parts - code bits for specific functions
and there are "loaders" that control how these code bits are assembled and run.
We've had many many full, happy versions of bleem - but had to change a lot of
stuff for the final build, to wrap it around the CD. The protection stuff is both
because the program is so small that we'd be screwed if it weren't protected,
people would EMAIL it for Christ's sake. And we could never get to retail if there
were millions of copies everywhere, says the distribution guys we're talking to.
Furthermore, in the 1TRO, Sony made a big deal about stopping us before shipping
even ONE copy because should they win, the damage would be done - pirated copies
everywhere - so we had to defend the strength of the copy protection. And if we
don't deliver, the judge will like us about as much as you guys do right now.
Anyway, in building the new version for the CD stuff, which could not PHYSICALLY
be done until the CDs arrived, the loaders are doing a few screwy things. I'm not
a tech guy, so bear with me. And the closer the date came, the more stressed
Randy got, and the less he slept, and the less likely he was to be able to
effective do all the nitpicky stuff that's required. And today, a weirdness
popped up and instead of dealing with it like he usually does, he was overloaded.
Too much stuff, too little sleep, and very frustrating little errors that take
brain space. So we overestimated our abilities, underestimated the problems, and
pissed everyone off. So I'm sorry, Randy is beating himself up like you wouldn't
believe. He was INCREDIBLY upset not over the bugs, but because he felt like he
let me down, let all of you down, etc. He HAS to fix the loader errors, we're
not talking little stuff for compatibility, the loaders let the damn thing run.
The most important statement is his last. He basically says that Randy
can't get bleem! to run anymore. Earlier, he also stated that it should be
ready in less than a month, but no specific date was mentioned. At this point,
I would recommend that you DON'T ask for a refund. If too many people do, they
may go bankrupt and you may never get your money back (you would loose your nice
bleem! coaster too). A much better way would be to wait for a couple weeks. If
it's not released by then, call your credit card company and request that they
credit your account for a product never shipped.
Please Stop the Virus Reports!
If I get one more e-mail about the Cold3927 virus I'm gonna loose it.
Whatever virus program you are using that says MAME or ArcadeOS
contains a virus is WRONG! Any program compiled with DJGPP will report
this with your bogus virus program. It's what's called a false
positive. Contact your virus program manufacture and tell them to fix it.
MacMAME v0.35 Beta 12 Released:
This build adds the following:
- In sync with DOS 0.35 beta 12. [Brad Oliver]
- The RAVE code has been significantly improved. It will also take advantage of speedups in RAVE 1.6. [Stephen Luce]
- Many bugfixes: the info text in the front-end will use proportional scrollbars under Appearance, the 32-bit icons appear properly in all situations, and the front-end sizes the game list evenly. [John Butler]
- A bug in the CWPro 4 optimizer (different from the others we've found so far) has been identified. It affected the drawing of the text planes in the System16 drivers (e.g. Shinobi). A workaround is in place until CWPro5 arrives. See the file "Build Issues" that comes with the source distribution for the details. [John Butler]
- Analog controls are working again, and mice can be configured via the InputSprocket dialog. Also, InputSprocket was inadvertantly required in b11 - this is fixed. [Brad Oliver]
- A workaround is in place for a bug in 8.6 whereby the menubar would not properly restore its colors for games which use most of the colors in the palette. Details of the workaround are in the file "Build Issues" that comes with the source distribution. [Brad Oliver]
- Memory card files are stored in the "Scores" folder for now. This may change in the future. [Brad Oliver]
Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
ArcadeOS v2.10 Released:
ArcadeOS is a great DOS based front-end for MAME, CALLUS, RAINE and
System16 also written by Brian Lewis. This version adds the following
- ArcadeOS goes 32bit!
- ArcadeOS ported over to DJGPP. This is the same platform as DOS MAME, so you'll need a DPMI server to run it (either windows or CWSDPMI)
- Game info now read directly from MAME, rather than gamelist.txt
- Lots of core changes - should fix a few bugs (screen savers etc)
Download it from the Front-Ends section.
cabMAME v0.35 Beta 12 Released:
cabMAME is a version of MAME compiled by Brian Lewis that adds new
display modes specific for people using MAME with an arcade monitor.
You can download this update from the M.A.M.E. section.
The Last Blade 2 Released:
NAZ has dumped a new Neo-Geo game "The Last Blade 2". You can download it
from Neocharity '99 at the above link. Also, the KBMAME driver to play this
game is avilable on the M.A.M.E. section next to the KBMAME file.
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Wednesday, May 5th, 1999
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bleem! Will Not Be Ready Tonight!
Get your stick and blind fold, it's bleem LLC. piñata time!
Seems that bleem! will not be available tonight as previously stated.
One statement concerns me:
"when a couple freaky bugs popped up in the final assembly, I could
tell it just wasn't going to happen. Exhaustion leads to stupid
mistakes and a buggy final product won't do anyone any good"
I thought the product was already complete? I think most of us would
rather see a first revision that had a few bugs then no product at all
(especially since our credit cards have already been charged). If the
guys at bleem LLC. are reading this, please understand that now it
seems like our money is being used to finance your development. That's
not the way things are supposed to work. The way I see it, I'm now a
financial partner, not a customer. However, financial partners risk
their money in the hopes for a larger return. I'd suggest that you
release whatever you have (working or not) ASAP before someone else
takes legal action against you for this reason, or for credit card
fraud (charging cards without delivering the product is a big no no).
Read their site at the above link for all the details.
Search Engine Spy:
Here's a cool page that shows the last 10 searches done on MetaCrawler.
ROMS and emulation are in the listing quite often. The above link is
filtered so porn type searches are ignored. If you'd like to see the
Unfiltered MetaCrawler Searches,
it's also available (you should probably be 18 to view this page). Is
this an invasion of privacy or what? What will these pages allow you to do?
Well, probably nothing. But if you are the nosey type, you've just found
your new home page =)
bleem! Order Tracking:
The bleem! site has been updated with a shipping tracking program.
Enter your name and shipping city (all caps) and it will reply with
your DHL tracking number. No mention on tonight's bleem! release (less
than 2 hours away). You don't think they forgot about it, do you?
Updated MAME Sound Samples:
Dith's World
has updated many of the MAME sound samples including the new ones just
released a few days ago. These sound samples are better than the
standard MAME sets for two reasons. First, the samples have been noise
reduced to get rid of hiss and static. Also, the large samples have
been resampled to a lower number of samples per second. This
"down-sampling" doesn't reduce the sound quality because you only need
to sample at twice that of the highest frequency produced by the
original hardware. In other words, if the original Zaxxon arcade
hardware could only produce sound up to 10kHz you only need to sample
at about 20kHz (sampling at 44kHz provides no benefit). Most speakers
on arcade machines couldn't produce audible sound above about 12kHz,
so the sound that is in the 12kHz to 20kHz range is mostly noise
anyway. This formula has been used for quite some time. Ever wonder
why CD's use 44kHz? About the highest frequency the human ear can hear
is 20kHz, so they doubled it and added a little headroom to come up
with 44kHz. Anyway, you can download these new samples from the
M.A.M.E. section.
MAME32 v0.35 Beta 12 Released:
Finally, some real news! MAME32 has been updated to the MAME v0.35
beta 12 source. Download from the M.A.M.E. section.
bleem! to be Released Today:
bleem! is scheduled to be released at 5:55pm today (I assume Pacific
time). Cross your fingers and your toes that Sony doesn't put another
roadblock in the way of its release. Seems that it's time to rent
a few PSX games for testing...
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Tuesday, May 4th, 1999
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Auto-Fire MAME v0.35 beta 12:
Auto-Fire MAME v0.35 beta 12 has been released. Download it from the
M.A.M.E. section.
NeoRAGEx v0.5c Released:
For those who need extra speed in NeoGeo games, NeoRAGEx v0.5c (for
Windows) has been released. I find the Neo-Geo emulation in MAME
better (especially the sound), but if MAME is too slow, this is a good
alternative. Download it directly from the above link.
MAME Cheat v8.2b:
The Ultimate Pathchers have released their MAME cheat file version 8.2b.
This version adds support for new MAME beta 12 games. Download it
from the M.A.M.E. section.
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Monday, May 3rd, 1999
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MAME v0.35 Beta 12 Updated:
Because of several complaints that MAME beta 12 had graphics glitches,
I compiled it on my own to insure a pure executable. Also included
in this updated version is the latest history file. If you are having
any problems with MAME, download it again from the M.A.M.E. section
next to the MAME beta 12 download.
New MAME History File:
A new MAME history file was released. This adds history information
to games from within MAME. Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
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Sunday, May 2nd, 1999
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5 Million and Beyond:
Busted through the 5 million mark sometime during my son's 3rd birthday
party. All I've got to say is that 3 year olds can open presents VERY
fast.
ClrMAME 1.36 Released:
Another update for this MAME ROM manager. This version fixes the Pig
Newton problem, certain folders are protected against fix-unneeded checks,
and it won't stop if you press the stop button while receiving data
from MAME. Download it from his site using the above link.
Should Break 5 Million Visitor Mark Today:
Arcade@Home should break the 5 million visitor mark today. The prize
for being number 5 million? Nothing. At 4 million, everyone was
hitting the server so hard, the counter died. Thanks to all who visit
here on a daily basis.
MAME v0.35 Beta 12 Released:
MAME v0.35 beta 12 adds support for 25 new games (for a total of 1342
games). The following games have been added
- Balloon Bomber [Mike Coates]
- Cloud 9 [Mike Balfour]
- Yam! Yam!? [Nicola Salmoria]
- Quiz Tonosama no Yabou (doesn't work well, likely bad ROMs) [Nicola Salmoria]
- Ali Baba and 40 Thieves [Zsolt Vasvari]
- Air Buster [Luca Elia]
- Salamander [Bryan McPhail]
- Mega Zone [Chris Hardy]
- Act Fancer (not working due to bad ROM) [Bryan McPhail]
- Dyger [Nicola Salmoria]
- Combat School [Manuel Abadia, Phil Stroffolino]
- Mutant Night [Leandro Dardini, Mirko Buffoni]
- World Tennis [Zsolt Vasvari]
Also, 12 clones were added. Download it from the M.A.M.E. section.
bleem! to be Available 5/5/99 at 5:55PM:
Seems that bleem! will be available for download this Wednesday. That
is, as long as Sony doesn't file another TRO.
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