Custom settings for standalone MAME emulator

Hi, I want to tweak something, but don't know how the folder structure works.

These are my custom files for MAME standalone emulator:

Code:

\emulators\mame\artwork\*
\emulators\mame\cfg\*
\emulators\mame\crosshair\*
\emulators\mame\ctrlr\*
\emulators\mame\folders\*
\emulators\mame\ini\*

After try and errors, I found out mame.ini must be put in the dir:

Code:

\bios\mame\ini\*

And the ctrlr files must be put in the dir:

Code:

\saves\mame\ctrlr\*

The others still need to try.

Is there a proper place to put those custom files to manage easier?
Or any different approach to accomplish what I am trying?
Thanks.

Hello,

For mame :
- ctrl : saves\mame\ctrl
- artwork : saves\mame\artwork
- crosshair : we do not change so in the emulator is OK
- cfg : bios\mame\cfg
- ini : bios\mame\ini

Thanks for the quick reply!

I wonder if there is a better way to keep them all in one place?
Is there a way to change those paths that Retrobat read?

Thanks.

Hello,
No, these paths are harmonized with libretro:mame and sorted so that they don't get erased with updates.

Maybe one day we'll do some clean up but not until we find the best structure...

Hello,

If you don't want to change the location of your custom folder/settings for the MAME standalone emulator (like me) you can edit the custom mame config file (es_systems_mame.cfg - FAQ) and add a command to the mame64 emulator like this:

<command>%HOME%\..\emulators\mame\mame.exe %BASENAME%</command>

This way MAME will launch as it would when you double click on the mame.exe file itself. Hope it helps.

Why would you want to do that ? It makes you loose all RetroBat integration like shaders, bezels, multimouse, etc.

Yes, it's a trade-off. In my case I already have all that setup (controllers, hotkeys, etc) on MAME and wanted to maintain one single installation/setup. Initially my problem was that I couldn't launch roms that have bios dependency because I keep the roms and bios files in separate folders (for organization purposes) and I have that configured on the mame.ini file. But when launching a standalone MAME from a front-end (ES based ones specially) they overwrite the rompath in the mame.ini and not load the bios. Also, tried to add it to the \bios\mame\ini\* path but still didn't work. So, just launching MAME as is was good enough for me. I still have the benefit of scraping them.

I am a big fan of integration/automation myself and love features like the save manager but for me it's good to have some flexibility for when I need. Right now Retrobat is my favourite front-end but I like to try things out now and then and when I do it will be easier to move things (standalone emulators) around. Just trying to get the best of both worlds.