Play video arcade games: Difference between revisions

(9 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)

Line 9:

==Choosing a Method==

You can install XMAME on your Debian system using apt-get, but you have to set your apt configuration file use a 'non-free' repository due to the license determination. I chose to install a project called AdvanceMame, which adds extra video support features to the MAME project.

You can [http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/search_packages.pl?exact=0&searchon=names&version=all&case=insensitive&release=all&keywords=xmame&arch=any install XMAME on your Debian system] using apt-get, but you have to set your apt configuration file use a 'non-free' repository due to the license determination. I chose to install a project called AdvanceMame, which adds extra video support features to the MAME project. <nowiki>[Aside: AdvanceMame projects, although free software, cost an estimated $2,671,244 to develop. Just another example of the tremendous dollar value that is available in free software, never mind the other values that come with the 'freedom' of the software]</nowiki>

==Installation==

==Installation & Configuration==

Installation is fairly straightforward and typical of many Linux programs, although certainly not at the level of a polished Installer. You go through the basics, namely:

*Download the source,

*Untar it

*configure

*./configure

*make

*make install

And then you have to go through some configuration steps, plus add your ROMs.

The [http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/doc-install.html#1.1 website has an install doc] that you can follow.

Here is what I did. I installed the software in the /usr/local directory, according to the 5 steps listed above. Then I changed to my home directory and created folders to hold my personal configuration file (will generate in a minute), plus my roms etc.

<pre>

greg@liberty:~$ cd

greg@liberty:~$ mkdir .advance

greg@liberty:~$ cd .advance/

greg@liberty:~/.advance$ mkdir artwork cfg diff hi image inp lowcase memcard mp3 nvram rom sample snap sta

</pre>

Once the directories were setup, I copied my artwork, rom and image folders off my Windows machine (where I previously setup AdvanceMame).

The next step was to run advanceMame from the command line, in order to generate the default 'Resource Configuration' file.

<pre>

/usr/local/bin/advmame

</pre>

Note: the software installed itself into /usr/local by default, like the documentation says. However, because the documentation doesn't mention it, I wasn't sure exactly what command I was supposed to issue to run the program. Ie. what is the name of the program executable file? I took a look in the /usr/local folder where there was now an advancemame folder, and in that folder were a few executable files (actually symbolic links) to the same-named files that are installed into /usr/local/bin. The main program executable is called '''advmame'''. So if you've followed me so far, but are unsure of what it all means, I'm just saying that '/usr/local/advancemame/advmame' is equivalent to the command listed above.

Here's what the program told me:

<pre>

Creating a standard configuration file...

Configuration file `/home/greg/.advance/advmame.rc' created with all the default options.

The default rom search path is `/home/greg/.advance/rom:/usr/local/share/advance/rom'. You can change it using the

`dir_rom' option in the configuration file.

</pre>

This was perfect, because I had already created the '/home/greg/.advance/rom' directory, and put all my ROM files in there.

Next, I tried a similar command to setup the AdvanceMenu program (to enable me to run the whole thing from a Graphical User Interface, rather than launch games from the command line.

<pre>

/usr/local/bin/advm

Unable to initialize the mouse driver. The errors are:

event: No mouse found. Check the /dev/input/event* permissions.

raw: No mouse found. Check the /dev/mouse and /dev/input/mouse* permissions.

</pre>

As you can tell, I had some sort of problem with my mouse setup that AdvanceMenu didn't like.

http://www.bernieberg.com/mame/advmame.rc

==Creating a dedicated Arcade Machine==

See [http://www.bernieberg.com/mame/linuxmame.htm this page] for information on how to tweak your start-up script, shutdown script and environment to make a PC-based Arcade Machine

==More Links==

[http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/ The project homepage]

[http://easymamecab.mameworld.net/html/links.htm more links]

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 ==Choosing a Method==
-You can install XMAME on your Debian system using apt-get, but you have to set your apt configuration file use a 'non-free' repository due to the license determination.  I chose to install a project called AdvanceMame, which adds extra video support features to the MAME project.
+You can [http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/search_packages.pl?exact=0&searchon=names&version=all&case=insensitive&release=all&keywords=xmame&arch=any install XMAME on your Debian system] using apt-get, but you have to set your apt configuration file use a 'non-free' repository due to the license determination.  I chose to install a project called AdvanceMame, which adds extra video support features to the MAME project.  <nowiki>[Aside: AdvanceMame projects, although free software, cost an estimated $2,671,244 to develop.  Just another example of the tremendous dollar value that is available in free software, never mind the other values that come with the 'freedom' of the software]</nowiki>
-==Installation==
+==Installation & Configuration==
+Installation is fairly straightforward and typical of many Linux programs, although certainly not at the level of a polished Installer.  You go through the basics, namely:
 *Download the source,
 *Untar it
-*configure
+*./configure
 *make
 *make install
+And then you have to go through some configuration steps, plus add your ROMs.
+The [http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/doc-install.html#1.1 website has an install doc] that you can follow.
+Here is what I did.  I installed the software in the /usr/local directory, according to the 5 steps listed above.  Then I changed to my home directory and created folders to hold my personal configuration file (will generate in a minute), plus my roms etc.
+<pre>
+greg@liberty:~$ cd
+greg@liberty:~$ mkdir .advance
+greg@liberty:~$ cd .advance/
+greg@liberty:~/.advance$ mkdir artwork cfg diff hi image inp lowcase memcard mp3 nvram rom sample snap sta
+</pre>
+Once the directories were setup, I copied my artwork, rom and image folders off my Windows machine (where I previously setup AdvanceMame).
+The next step was to run advanceMame from the command line, in order to generate the default 'Resource Configuration' file.
+<pre>
+/usr/local/bin/advmame
+</pre>
+Note:  the software installed itself into /usr/local by default, like the documentation says.  However, because the documentation doesn't mention it, I wasn't sure exactly what command I was supposed to issue to run the program.  Ie. what is the name of the program executable file?  I took a look in the /usr/local folder where there was now an advancemame folder, and in that folder were a few executable files (actually symbolic links) to the same-named files that are installed into /usr/local/bin.  The main program executable is called '''advmame'''.  So if you've followed me so far, but are unsure of what it all means, I'm just saying that '/usr/local/advancemame/advmame' is equivalent to the command listed above.
+Here's what the program told me:
+<pre>
+Creating a standard configuration file...
+Configuration file `/home/greg/.advance/advmame.rc' created with all the default options.
+The default rom search path is `/home/greg/.advance/rom:/usr/local/share/advance/rom'. You can change it using the
+`dir_rom' option in the configuration file.
+</pre>
+This was perfect, because I had already created the '/home/greg/.advance/rom' directory, and put all my ROM files in there.
+Next, I tried a similar command to setup the AdvanceMenu program (to enable me to run the whole thing from a Graphical User Interface, rather than launch games from the command line.
+<pre>
+ /usr/local/bin/advm
+Unable to initialize the mouse driver. The errors are:
+event: No mouse found. Check the /dev/input/event* permissions.
+raw: No mouse found. Check the /dev/mouse and /dev/input/mouse* permissions.
+</pre>
+As you can tell, I had some sort of problem with my mouse setup that AdvanceMenu didn't like.
+http://www.bernieberg.com/mame/advmame.rc
+==Creating a dedicated Arcade Machine==
+See [http://www.bernieberg.com/mame/linuxmame.htm this page] for information on how to tweak your start-up script, shutdown script and environment to make a PC-based Arcade Machine
+==More Links==
+[http://advancemame.sourceforge.net/ The project homepage]
+[http://easymamecab.mameworld.net/html/links.htm more links]