A list of games for your perusal that don't work with your MAME2003 core

[creamstick]

Mame 2003 Not Working and problem.txt

I have compiled a list of games from MAME2003 that I have tried that either have problems running or don't run at all, with the problems listed alongside the rom and game name, just in case you were looking for games to try and get running on any further updates to the MAME2003 core. Some of the games are NEO-GEO games, or have required sound bios files and have been tested with these.

Thank you for your work, we all really appreciate it!

[KMFDManic]

Avenging Spirit fixed with latest MAME 2003 Update from gamez-fan. Outrunners is System 32, and works with the slightly older MAME 2003 Core in Extras & Dependencies folder. Some you notated do not run due to needing Bios files. The sound ones are another ballgame. Games are being fixed fairly often and I update the Core every time any changes occur. Keep in mind, you also have MAME 2000, 2010, 2014, FBA 2012, FBA 2016 to cover many game scenarios. I had to edit your post since Rom links or information related to such is generally unfavorable and against the rules on a majority of sites.

[creamstick]

Ah! thanks for the edit, I wasn't thinking. Outrunners didn't work for me with the older core either. I tried running the ones that need bios files by looking on an Italian site to see which bios files they needed and including them. As you can see from the list, so many of them neeeearly work. The game plays fine, but the audio is choppy. The ones marked 'Sound distorted' are all Irem games from varying years, which is weird as many Irem games run perfectly.

Do you have a list of Mame versions you find are most compatible with the FBA cores? I know they have sets of their own, but there are gaps which 'the internet' says can be filled by using the corresponding Mame set. Everywhere seems to have different ideas though. I have seen FBA 2016 listed as compatible with Mame 0.175, 0.178 and 0.179. The 0.179 set doesn't seem to be the one, so I'm about to try 0.178.

Keep up the stellar work!

[gingerbeardman]

The core info page in the RetroArch interface should give you a start to reply to fill the bios holes. It includes checksums you can match.

[KMFDManic]

@creamstick Accuracy of Emulation has gotten better and better over the years. But, as a result, as you progress from MAME 2003 to MAME 2010 to MAME 2014, for example...with a game like Night Slashers. It works, but runs slow! The later Cores are more CPU Intensive and run somewhat slower with the more CPU Intensive Games, of course:) I run 75 percent of Arcade via MAME 2003 for many reasons. The ease of use as far as configuring controls, the Cheats that adaptively work with them now, a majority of games run faster (System 32 Games on the slightly Older Variant), and, even CPS2, Neo-Geo, run quite nicely. The other games, such as ThunderBlade, CPS3 Games, I test out and choose between FBA 2012, FBA 2016, MAME 2010, MAME 2014, to see which one fares best for any given one. Remember, if using FBA 2012, you can use the CPS1, CPS2, CPS3, Neo-Geo Variants, which are all incredibly small! This allows you to still use another Arcade Core (Over 20 Mb typically, and still be good on space). I suggest finding the Core you like most, then doing a majority through it, then finetuning with an alternative Core for the remaining games. Me, personally, it is definitely 2003! As far as sound, especially with Irem. Sound is a very complex thing to emulate, especially without feedback from the original people who had worked on that aspect of the Games. So much can go into fixing issues, if reveals were made about some of the technical aspects of the original programming. In the case of Atari 2600, for instance, many of the original programmers are fairly reasonably reached, and are more than happy to talk "shop". I was particularly interested in the AI & Algorithms in games, as they are so amazing for the time. I even did a video on Ai & Algorithm manipulation based on some of my general knowledge with emulation. And, this experience also helped me nab a Platinum Trophy on Atari Flashbacks for PS4.

Here is my AI & Algorithm Video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQbnIkEDSIQ

And, of course the trophy for Atari Flashback Vol 1:)

https://psnprofiles.com/trophy/5372-atari-flashback-classics-vol1/1-platinum-trophy

For the record, many many people messaged me on PSN asking, HOW THE HELL, when it came to platinum'ing the Game. But, it pretty much came down to learning the AI & Algorithms for each game. Every game you play, no matter how well designed, can be easily manipulated or exploited, once you take just a few minutes to learn what makes it tick! This being a given, that is what would truly help on the programming portion of fixing Audio/Video, etc issues in these games:) Thanks for reading!

[KMFDManic]

This will be closed since it is more of a Discussion Venue, than an actual issue. These are known bugs, due to the complexity of emulation. They come with the territory. But, feel free to follow-up with any findings in the near future, and I can always communicate with the proper people to possibly achieve some fixes to add to this Core.