Forums · Help???
Yes i can help you :)
I actually only started doing this myself. Do you have MAME32? If you haven't got it then download it here: http://www.emulator-zone.com/download.php/emulators/arcade/mame/mame32/Mame32v.97_Binary.exe (..:Credit to http://www.emulator-zone.com/::.)
MAME is generally the best arcade emulator, and MAME32 is the Windows version which is very easy to use. There are other arcade emulators which are also quite easy, but MAME supports are lot more games and is a good emulator for beginner arcade players. Once you have it, if you know which Arcade ROMs you have are for MAME. Then simply move all of them in their .zip format, into your MAME32 folder under '*/mame32/roms' directory. Don't bother about extracting the .zip files as MAME32 can simply play them as .zip files. :D
When you've moved all your MAME .zip ROM files, open up MAME32. Go to File -> Audit all games. MAME32 will now be searching it's ROM directory for all games that it supports. Wait for it to finish, then click on 'Available' in the list of categories on the left hand side. You will see all MAME ROMs that MAME has found in it's ROM directory and supports. Now all you need to do is double click on the game you wish to play and it will unzip it from it's archive then begin to load it.
A screen will come up giving you information about the ROM. This includes any problems that the game may have (if MAME doesn't fully support the game), type 'ok', and your in. Press 'tab' and you can change settings in the game and the emulator such as Player Controls, Graphics Settings, Sound Settings .etc. Also make sure you check what the keys to load coins and start players are.
Normally you will press '5' to put a coin into the machine (yes that's what's so cool about the arcade emulators), and then '1' to start the game. But if there are multiple players playing you may need to also press '6' '7' or '8' to put in a coin for 2P, 3P, or 4P respectively. You'll also need to press '2', '3' or '4' to start their games. You should look through the key configurations but these should be the defaults. Set them up to your own liking though but i think these are fairly good places to put the keys. :)
Now that should be it, some games will require a sound sample in order to play sound (such as Donkey Kong). These will usually come with the .zip file somewhere that you should put in the '*mame32/samples' folder. If you can't find the file search the internet for it.
I hope that satifies your queries, good luck playing those MAME ROMs, the other emulators you will probably be able to work out for yourself as they are very similar to MAME, if not simpler as they only support one type of machine. If you have any more questions then feel free to ask here or you can check this FAQ which explains a lot about MAME and arcade emulation in general: http://www.mame.net/mamefaq.html
Have fun! ;)
I actually only started doing this myself. Do you have MAME32? If you haven't got it then download it here: http://www.emulator-zone.com/download.php/emulators/arcade/mame/mame32/Mame32v.97_Binary.exe (..:Credit to http://www.emulator-zone.com/::.)
MAME is generally the best arcade emulator, and MAME32 is the Windows version which is very easy to use. There are other arcade emulators which are also quite easy, but MAME supports are lot more games and is a good emulator for beginner arcade players. Once you have it, if you know which Arcade ROMs you have are for MAME. Then simply move all of them in their .zip format, into your MAME32 folder under '*/mame32/roms' directory. Don't bother about extracting the .zip files as MAME32 can simply play them as .zip files. :D
When you've moved all your MAME .zip ROM files, open up MAME32. Go to File -> Audit all games. MAME32 will now be searching it's ROM directory for all games that it supports. Wait for it to finish, then click on 'Available' in the list of categories on the left hand side. You will see all MAME ROMs that MAME has found in it's ROM directory and supports. Now all you need to do is double click on the game you wish to play and it will unzip it from it's archive then begin to load it.
A screen will come up giving you information about the ROM. This includes any problems that the game may have (if MAME doesn't fully support the game), type 'ok', and your in. Press 'tab' and you can change settings in the game and the emulator such as Player Controls, Graphics Settings, Sound Settings .etc. Also make sure you check what the keys to load coins and start players are.
Normally you will press '5' to put a coin into the machine (yes that's what's so cool about the arcade emulators), and then '1' to start the game. But if there are multiple players playing you may need to also press '6' '7' or '8' to put in a coin for 2P, 3P, or 4P respectively. You'll also need to press '2', '3' or '4' to start their games. You should look through the key configurations but these should be the defaults. Set them up to your own liking though but i think these are fairly good places to put the keys. :)
Now that should be it, some games will require a sound sample in order to play sound (such as Donkey Kong). These will usually come with the .zip file somewhere that you should put in the '*mame32/samples' folder. If you can't find the file search the internet for it.
I hope that satifies your queries, good luck playing those MAME ROMs, the other emulators you will probably be able to work out for yourself as they are very similar to MAME, if not simpler as they only support one type of machine. If you have any more questions then feel free to ask here or you can check this FAQ which explains a lot about MAME and arcade emulation in general: http://www.mame.net/mamefaq.html
Have fun! ;)
Well i've found full MAME sets on torrent sites and P2P. So unless your prepared to pay over $20 to a stranger you don't know, downloading is much more preferable, as what's the chance your actually going to play all 1000)+ games? Unless your a collector this service is not really for most users.
What i do, is i use the 'Filter Option' to search MAME32 for different ROMs that exist (Ctrl + F, then use the 'desc' filter, leave this filter blank when you've finished searching). When i find a ROM i want, i then look for it's ROM Name (should be a 4 to 10 letter abbreviatinon of the name of the game) and search for it here: http://www.snesorama.us/temp_roms.php
Either way though, MAME Burners can save you plenty of time, and they're not likely to Rip you off like some sellers on Ebay. Do remember that it's still illegal to buy from them so make sure you know what your getting into ;)
What i do, is i use the 'Filter Option' to search MAME32 for different ROMs that exist (Ctrl + F, then use the 'desc' filter, leave this filter blank when you've finished searching). When i find a ROM i want, i then look for it's ROM Name (should be a 4 to 10 letter abbreviatinon of the name of the game) and search for it here: http://www.snesorama.us/temp_roms.php
Either way though, MAME Burners can save you plenty of time, and they're not likely to Rip you off like some sellers on Ebay. Do remember that it's still illegal to buy from them so make sure you know what your getting into ;)