[Feature Request] Support MAME Merged Romsets For Relevant Arcade Roms.

Mar 13, 2025 by ADMIN 72 views

Introduction

As an avid user of Ares, a popular emulator for arcade games, I have encountered a significant limitation in its current implementation. Ares does not support MAME merged romsets, which are an officially supported format for arcade roms. This limitation makes it difficult for users to access and play their favorite arcade games. In this article, we will discuss the importance of supporting MAME merged romsets and propose a solution to address this issue.

The Problem: MAME Merged Romsets and Ares

MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a widely used emulator for arcade games. It supports various formats for romsets, including merged romsets. A merged romset is a collection of roms that includes both the parent rom and its clones or revisions. The parent rom is the original game, while the clones or revisions are modified versions of the game. MAME merged romsets are stored in zip files, where the parent rom is located in the root directory, and the clones or revisions are stored in subdirectories within the zip file.

Ares, on the other hand, does not support MAME merged romsets. When a user tries to load a merged romset, Ares will only display the parent rom, even if the user has the clones or revisions available. This limitation makes it difficult for users to access and play their favorite arcade games.

The Solution: Support MAME Merged Romsets in Ares

To address this issue, we propose that Ares support MAME merged romsets. The solution would involve the following steps:

Parse the merged romset: When a user loads a merged romset, Ares would parse the zip file and identify the parent rom and its clones or revisions.
Display the parent rom and clones: Ares would display the parent rom as the default option, and the clones or revisions would be displayed as selectable options.
Error handling: If a user selects a clone or revision that is not available in the merged romset, Ares would display an error message.
Boot the game: If the user selects a valid clone or revision, Ares would boot the game as normal.

Alternatives Considered

One possible alternative to supporting MAME merged romsets is to parse every single zip file, regardless of whether it contains a merged romset or not. However, this approach would be inefficient and would likely cause performance issues. MAME itself does not use this approach, and it is not a viable solution for Ares.

Additional Context

The following images demonstrate the current limitations of Ares when loading MAME merged romsets.

Conclusion

Supporting MAME merged romsets is essential for Ares to provide a seamless gaming experience for users. By parsing the merged romset, displaying the parent rom and clones, and handling errors, Ares can provide users with access to their favorite arcade games. We propose that Ares implement this feature to improve its compatibility with MAME merged romsets.

Benefits of Supporting MAME Merged Romsets

Supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares would have several benefits, including:

Improved compatibility: Ares would be able to load and play MAME merged romsets, providing users with access to a wider range of arcade games.
Enhanced user experience: Users would be able to select from a variety of clones or revisions, allowing them to play different versions of their favorite games.
Increased user satisfaction: By providing users with access to their favorite arcade games, Ares would improve user satisfaction and loyalty.

Implementation Plan

To implement this feature, we propose the following steps:

Research and development: Conduct research on MAME merged romsets and their implementation in Ares.
Design and development: Design and develop the feature to parse the merged romset, display the parent rom and clones, and handle errors.
Testing and quality assurance: Test the feature to ensure that it works correctly and provides a seamless gaming experience for users.
Deployment: Deploy the feature in Ares, making it available to users.

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the importance of supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares, a popular emulator for arcade games. We proposed a solution to address the current limitations of Ares when loading MAME merged romsets. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares.

Q: What are MAME merged romsets?

A: MAME merged romsets are a collection of roms that includes both the parent rom and its clones or revisions. The parent rom is the original game, while the clones or revisions are modified versions of the game. MAME merged romsets are stored in zip files, where the parent rom is located in the root directory, and the clones or revisions are stored in subdirectories within the zip file.

Q: Why is it important to support MAME merged romsets in Ares?

A: Supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares is essential for providing a seamless gaming experience for users. By parsing the merged romset, displaying the parent rom and clones, and handling errors, Ares can provide users with access to their favorite arcade games.

Q: How will supporting MAME merged romsets improve the user experience?

A: Supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares will improve the user experience in several ways:

Improved compatibility: Ares will be able to load and play MAME merged romsets, providing users with access to a wider range of arcade games.
Enhanced user experience: Users will be able to select from a variety of clones or revisions, allowing them to play different versions of their favorite games.
Increased user satisfaction: By providing users with access to their favorite arcade games, Ares will improve user satisfaction and loyalty.

Q: What are the benefits of supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares?

A: The benefits of supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares include:

Improved compatibility: Ares will be able to load and play MAME merged romsets, providing users with access to a wider range of arcade games.
Enhanced user experience: Users will be able to select from a variety of clones or revisions, allowing them to play different versions of their favorite games.
Increased user satisfaction: By providing users with access to their favorite arcade games, Ares will improve user satisfaction and loyalty.

Q: How will supporting MAME merged romsets affect the performance of Ares?

A: Supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares will not significantly affect the performance of the emulator. The parsing of the merged romset will be done in the background, and the user will not notice any significant difference in performance.

Q: Can you provide an example of how supporting MAME merged romsets will work in Ares?

A: Here is an example of how supporting MAME merged romsets will work in Ares:

User loads a MAME merged romset: The user loads a MAME merged romset into Ares.
Ares parses the merged romset: Ares parses the merged romset and identifies the parent rom and its clones or revisions.
Ares displays the parent rom and clones: Ares displays the parent rom as the default option, and the clones or revisions are displayed as selectable options.
User selects a clone or revision: The user selects a clone or revision from the list of available options.
Ares boots the game: Ares boots the game, and the user can play the selected clone or revision.

Q: What is the implementation plan for supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares?

A: The implementation plan for supporting MAME merged romsets in Ares includes:

Research and development: Conduct research on MAME merged romsets and their implementation in Ares.
Design and development: Design and develop the feature to parse the merged romset, display the parent rom and clones, and handle errors.
Testing and quality assurance: Test the feature to ensure that it works correctly and provides a seamless gaming experience for users.
Deployment: Deploy the feature in Ares, making it available to users.

By following this implementation plan, Ares can provide users with a seamless gaming experience and improve its compatibility with MAME merged romsets.