Updating ROMs: What's all that about?

[TwistedWhizz]

I've had a bit of an enforced exile from MAME recently, due to having to perform a clean install on my PC. Nothing nasty like virus's or anything, it was just getting bogged down with crap. I like to do it every few months or so. Anyway I digress...

I come back to this site, ready to stick my MAME32 and games on the PC again, only to find there's a new version of MAME32 - v115. And I'm now reading about how people are finding that their ROMs don't work on this new version!

So, I'm in a bit of a panic now. I want to use the more up to date versions, but does that mean that each time a new version of MAME is released I have to spend any spare time I have downloading updated versions of my ROMs? I'm pretty new to the whole thing, having only around 850 ROMs so far, so if there is any good advice you have I'd love to hear it. Many thanks.

[FatTrucker]

The first thing to do is use a rom manager like Clrmamepro with the latest mame dat to check your roms for errors.
Clrmame will rename and make any adjustments to your roms to be compatible with the latest mame.
After Clrmamepro has done its thing, it should report any remaining roms that have been updated or re-dumped that now have files missing. You can then use whatever resources you use to obtain updated versions of these roms.

Alternatively you can just use an older version of Mame32 thats compatible with your roms. Older versions can be downloaded here.

If you audit and update your roms regularly its a quick and easy process to keep your mame install up to date.
If (like me) you only update your roms and mame version every 6 months or so it can be a bit of a task to get everything updated.

Mame is unlike most other emulators in that a newer release doesn't necessarily mean it will work better. Mamedev are purely focused on emulated accuracy regardless of issues this causes in terms of playability. If the version you are using works well with everything you want to play there's no specific need to upgrade.
Mame has been getting gently less system and user friendly since V0.106 so it may be worthwhile sticking with a slightly older version for the time being.

[alcoatjez]

If (like me) you only update your roms and mame version every 6 months or so it can be a bit of a task to get everything updated.

Not if you use a MAME-torrent
1. Scan with clrmame
2. Rebuild from your clrmame\backup dir
3. TorrentZip everything
4. Join the torrent @ a nice starting percentage

[FatTrucker]

Unfortunately I'm IP banned from the most popular one (the one you are probably referring to that sounds more like a lapdancing club) from back when I was stuck on dial-up and couldn't maintain a good enough ratio.

[alcoatjez]

That's too bad
Perhaps you could find a nice alternative

[TwistedWhizz]

Mame is unlike most other emulators in that a newer release doesn't necessarily mean it will work better. Mamedev are purely focused on emulated accuracy regardless of issues this causes in terms of playability. If the version you are using works well with everything you want to play there's no specific need to upgrade.
Mame has been getting gently less system and user friendly since V0.106 so it may be worthwhile sticking with a slightly older version for the time being.

Thanks for your advice. I'll take a look into cllrmame etc, but I suspect I'll just stick with my older version like you say and ensure it runs everything I want it to. I think if I get about 2000 roms I'll call it a day. It gets a bit like stamp collecting doesn't it? I like it though. I just wish I had the time to commit to it. If I do stick with say, version 0114, does that mean that as ROMs are updated, the newer versions will cease to work on my MAME?

Thanks again.

[FatTrucker]

Only ones that have changes made to them.

Mame contains hundreds of different arcade systems and drivers and not all of them are worked on or updated on every release.
If the version of mame you are using runs everything you intend to play then there's really no need to upgrade unless a newer version runs a game you would like thats unemulated in the older version you are using.

[Zach]

FT, they have a forum where you can request to be taken off "the list" and basically offer a LOT of other torrents for free download, and then let you upload back to increase your ratio to an acceptable level..

So if this is the place I'm thinking of, you could try that route with the admins.

Anyway I don't think we should discuss this further, as it may spill over into a worse conversation that leads to thread lockage.