ARpiCADE_5 - for Pi4 or Pi5

[cool_factor]

FrizzleFried and Dee2er, I sure hope you two are swapping notes real good and combine all these fixes into a download for the rest of us...lol.

[dee2eR]

@cool_factor
I'll make an update with the latest changes and the older update and mame269 all as one update soon.

Thank you for testing Paragon. If version 7 fixes the issue you guys are having it is very good news.

@FrizzleFried
in case you missed the edits I made to the post on the previous page I have hiscores saving in both 251 and 269 now. I currently have both MAMEs sharing the same hiscore files, it seems to work fine and hopefully wont cause issues.

[cool_factor]

@Dee2er

Yes, hopefully Paragons version 7 fixes things. I searched for what changes were made and can find nothing. Strange. Every update I've ever done tells you what's been improved or fixed... As mentioned, out of town until Sunday afternoon. I plan on testing the "fixed" sd and burning a fresh one for comparison.

@Frizzlefried
Hope to achieve your level of editing one day..

[FrizzleFried]

Honestly... truly... no kidding...

I'm a hack. I just try stuff and if it breaks... I go back. If it works... I go forward. One thing I am, is persistent.



I'm gunna attempt Dee2ers edits today when I wake up a bit (6:52AM here)...

[dee2eR]

One thing I forgot earlier was for 269 hiscore you will also need to copy the plugins.ini from .mame to .mame269. Otherwise it's the same edits to 269s mame.ini as 251s (point it to the same places as the lines I showed for 251).
EDIT: and you will know if you get the plugins working as there will be a new plugin category in the MAME tab menu.

[FrizzleFried]

Will be getting to work on this soon. BTW... any plans/eta/etc on re-compiling .251 /.269 without the error screens? Wondering if I should spend time putting a "final" beta together to play for a while or if I should play around a few more days for you to get that (what is likely) final piece of the puzzle (well, will MAME it's NEVER 'final' but you get my drift).



Thanks BTW!

EDIT: Hhhmmm.. I didn't think about the fact that I am still installing .269 via the updater in the cabinet meaning that I can't fix the high scores for it doing it that way. It seems I'm a gunna have to manually do the .269 edits first... and because I tend to do 'one thing at a time' then test (I can't count how many times I've made multiple edits only to find out I broke something and have to figure out what edit broke it) it seems I'm gunna be a little busy for a bit.

[FrizzleFried]

Welp... that failed. Trying again.

EDIT: Welp... 2nd try got a little further. I got artwork. Emulator shows up in Attract Mode (under emulators)... but does not work. Just loads and falls back to the menu immediately. Obviously... I missed something.

>sigh<

Back one image and try again.

EDIT #2: Oh, I've been meaning to ask. I notice everything I seems to be pointing to a folder called FIRMWARE. My FIRMWARE folder is empty... all the stuff is in FIRMWARE.BAK ...

...obviously a backup folder. I ... assume ... that it automatically points from FIRMWARE to FIRMWARE.BAK?

Should I make FIRMWARE.BAK just FIRMWARE?

I see instructions to install in to FIRMWARE... should I move those files to actual FIRMWARE or FIRMWARE.BAK?

Thanks.

EDIT #3: Welp, I think i am going to give up at this point. I am not an idiot... and copying from one location to another SHOULDN'T be above my pay grade... but evidently it is because I just can't get the damn thing to work. I'm going to blame Paragon's software and call it a day I think because I'm getting to a point of frustration... though because I am a gluten for punishment, I'm going to give it ONE MORE GO... 4 strikes and I'm out though.

EDIT #4: Yeah... I'm done. Something is breaking because I quadruple checked that I was copying files to the proper folders... even tried both FIRMWARE.BAK, FIRMWARE, and even BOTH once... and yeah... still broke. I can run the update and it will update to 269 but then I can't attempt to install highscores because I can't take this card back to the PC... so, until I can get an image with .269 already installed, I'm stuck where I am.

EDIT #5: Came back fresh this morning and...yup... somethings GOTTA be happening with the copy process or something. I mean, it's not hard to follow those instructions and to copy the files where they are supposed to go... but each time the result ends up being "instant load then fall back to menu"... as if it's not seeing the executable or perhaps the rom... but I've checked the paths and they are fine... AND if I let the system update for me... it works fine! I just can't go back in the card then killing the opportunity to add the high score edits... >argh<

EDIT #6: I am a couple of things for sure. #1... persistent. I think that's pretty obvious. #2... really... really... really dumb sometimes. Before I go spouting off... I need to test

EDIT #7: Strike that. I'm not as much of an idiot as I thought. Though I am going to try something new...

[cool_factor]

Paragon software version 7 update:

As stated above I unregistered and uninstalled my Paragon v5 and installed the v7 trial. I used v7 on a borked sd card that would not load in arcade cab and ran the verify and let v7 verify and fix, did its thing and came back clean! That was Friday. Today I took that card and put it back into arcade cab, it loaded, went to attract mode and I played a few different games real quick. Turned off cab, removed sd card and went to PC and ran verify again, now it said it was corrupted but as you can see from attached pics it ignored some things that v5 tried to "fix", I then mounted the Linux partition and went into the Linux side of partition and edited the allgames.txt ROMS list, just a easy one, moved a couple games around. I exited back to desktop, unmounted and did the verify again (both times I told it NOT to fix anything, just verify) IT CAME BACK AS CLEAN! I went back to arcade cab inserted sd card and......fired right up to attract mode and let me load and play games! Last test, turn off cab, remove and reinsert cd card and start cab, same results, lets me load/play games! I think that post I found (that I didnt save) about v5 borking the linux partition had some truth to it, the OP uninstalled and installed v6 at the time and claims it was also fixed... Maybe something changed with Linux that v5 didnt like or vice versa?

v7.png (50.01 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

v7.1.png (27.5 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

v7.2.png (34.63 KiB) Viewed 3078 times

[FrizzleFried]

That is both awesome and suckage at the same time. I registered and paid for v5... my cheap ass don't wanna do it again. I guess it's time to see if the trial is like the other one... unlimited but slower.

[cool_factor]

That is both awesome and suckage at the same time. I registered and paid for v5... my cheap ass don't wanna do it again. I guess it's time to see if the trial is like the other one... unlimited but slower.

Its suppose to be slower but I honestly havent noticed a difference in speed between v5 and v7...

side note: It ticks me off its not a free upgrade and that NOWHERE can I find what the version differences are!!