MAME 2016 Windows screen crazy massive compared to other Mame Cores

When I’m using RA on my desktop, I prefer the games loading in a window that automatically adapts to their aspect ratio. Like classic shooters with their longer height and shorter width, or the opposite with say…fighting games. I have the Aspect Ratio set to Core Provided, and all MAME cores, except MAME 2016 work exactly as I wanted. MAME 16, however, comes up with a window that’s the entire width and height of my monitor, and even worse, appears halfway off the screen. Any ideas why this is? I do have a few games that only work in 2016, otherwise I wouldn’t bother. Thanks!

Check whether you have the “alternate render” core option enabled. That causes it to use a giant framebuffer.

No, it’s off. I just noticed something. Using an example of an old shooter, Mad Planets. I have RA’s UI in a window to start. I fire up the game for MAME 2016, and as usual, it’s huge and half off the screen, accompanied by wide black borders on both sides.

If I go to Windows Scale (where it adjusts the UI size), and make it smaller, the game, suspended in the background will suddenly crop off the black borders and the window will shrink and fit on screen nicely, taking on the game’s correct aspect ratio. Also, the UI will be the exact dimensions of the game running. If I close the game, and re-run it, it’s back to monster size again. I tried even saving the main retroarch.cfg and it doesn’t retain that info.

Hmm, it must be allocating the huge framebuffer at first and then not shrinking it to match the actual game once it’s loaded…