Run NEO GEO CD games on Retroarch (mame_libretro) via RocketLauncher

General Guides
#15

Hey That, glad you’re liking the guides. I believe this method won’t work for direct loading, like “load content” and the go find the chd and load it directly, this method will work fine if you use Rocket Launcher.

And for that, I’m now thinking of making tutorials for both ways, i.e., for those who use the frontend and Rocket Launcher, and for those who launch files directly via Retroarch or use a frontend that launches the games directly without a manager like RocketLauncher.

Answering the second question, you shouldn’t need to change configs to load other games that aren’t consoles, like a normal MAME zip.

My current setup works this way, I have Arcade Classics that is almost totally emulated by MAME core, except sega model 2 and 3, I also have some consoles emulated by MAME (former MESS), that are NEO GEO CD, CD-i and in the near future FM Towns Marty. All games are running fine and I don’t have to mess with any configs to play all systems, this is what we want after all, a solid setup without our intervention.

I’ll have to dig the other way a little and build up a specific tutorial for cases like yours, probably the dummy files and the hash.

#16

I tried to run NEO GEO CD using the hash, dummy and naming the CHD according to the hash file naming, naming the roms folder to neocdz, Retroarch crashes, I’m not sure why it crashes since it works fine via RocketLauncher, so it’s definitely not a MAME driver problem.

It doesn’t mean this guide is not useful, I use RocketLauncher, Hyperspin as my frontend. RocketLauncher gives Retroarch instructions on what to run and how to run it, that’s where comes the Boot from CLI. Although Retroarch is crashing in the hash and dummy method (not covered in this tutorial), if you use a frontend that is managed by RocketLauncher, NEO GEO CD and other systems emulated by MAME will run fine.

I also updated the title stating it’s focused for RocketLauncher use.

When I manage to run these systems in the most common way (directly via Retroarch) I’ll make a guide explaining how, if no one else does before.

I’d like that someone that has this system working in the hash and dummy method, to confirm that it’s working on the latest stable Retroarch build and core, so I can figure out why it’s crashing.

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#17

BYeah this make more sense now you explain the RocketLauncher integration.

Well I can try again and see if I can get it going.

For direct RA setup with softlist & Launcing from Hyperspin android

I have these things set

MAME folder in RA system folder with ini+hash folder and MAME.ini(read+write config set to 1)

Neocd.ini in the ini folder with custom rompath & read/write config set to 1)

Rom folder is structured Snk Neo geo CD-> neocdz.zip & neocdz folder

Then snk Neo geo CD ->neocdz - all my CHD folders are here with CHD’s in, also the dummy zips are here. AND another neocdz folder with the Unzipped bios inside.

Same rom format as this guide(http://www.hyperspin-fe.com/forums/topic/28989-tutorial-android-atari-5200-retroarch-setup/#comment-259437)

In retroarch I have enable softlist and auto rom type set to cdrm (I think- just woke up) and I also set read and write config to on here also. All the “boot to” options are off

Forgot to say I didn’t rename the CHD files. I left them as I got them from the dome of pleasure softlist CHD set .181 or .182 (not sure which one)

#18

I don’t really want to update my core or settings to much for fear of breaking it (I don’t have easy access to the core folder on droid to replace it) I only set it up a week or so ago

#19

OK, thanks for taking the time and for the detailed post. I just need to make sure that it’s broken or not in RA 1.4.1 with the latest MAME core.

#20

heres my log running neogeo CD, using mame(181 as of buildbot release) with default settings + hash folder + dummy file(which likely needed for cd-based like neogeo,segacd,cd-i?) method - folder name, dummyfile name and actual chd filename should be based on hash.

https://hastebin.com/ixexuqiyot.tex

if you do not want the dummy files, then you disabled software list, remove hash, and set the correct media_type but still need the files to be in the right folder(neocdz as in neogeo-cd’s case) as the folder will identify what type of system is to be used on the rom. the disadvantage of having software list OFF and no hash is that you need to switch media_type everytime you switch system. you cannot play neogeo-cd and just decide to play arcade without switching first media_type.

and also, do not enabled “mame_boot_from_cli” as this messes up loading in retroarch.

#22

I been able to make this work with the most recent version of RA.

With dummy files and CHD, make sure it is placed in a properly named folder with the bios, and add another folder inside called mame and add the hash folder inside of it, like this:

neocd1.jpg942×291 106 KB
neocd2.jpg942×291 40.4 KB

#23

Don’t think I have come across this method before. What is your system/bios directory set to?

#24

Bios need to be in the same folder as the rom/chd files

#25

Hi! Where do these 3 bios down (neogeo.zip, neocdz.zip and neocd.zip)?

If possible could post a download link of the pack with retroarch + bios neo geo cd?

Thanks.

#26

BIOS files are copyrighted and cannot be distributed or linked to here. Those files will be in the MAME ROMset alongside any games, and they need to be in the same directory as the games you’re trying to launch, AFAIK.

#27

OK, thank you friend!

#28

I love to play Neo Geo game mostly in Neo Geo game I play its Metal Slug, King of Fighters, Shock Troopers, Puzzle Bobble, Spinmaster, etc. That’s why is a really useful thread for me thanks for the suggestion about it.

#29

It’s been some time, but I’m swinging back to this system. I’m running into the same road block during setup… Changes to controls can’t be saved.

I’ve setup mame_libretro succesfully for standard arcade use. The controls for general and this machine save just fine in the …/games/arcade/mame/ folder I keep my roms in.

Using this core for NGCD though, nothing get’s saved anywhere when I try to change the internal MAME controls - which I absolutely need to do in order to play the games on my setup.

I don’t know where to find where it’s loading the control files from when booting NGCD games. It’s not the …/games/consoles/SNK Neo Geo CD/ folder like mame arcade games, and it’s not the …retroarch/system/ folder either. I put my configured files in both to make sure.

#30

I just checked with KOF 97, for NEO GEO CD, using latest MAME core and Retroarch 1.7.1 stable. Pressed tab when in-game, and configured some buttons, restarted retroarch and the same game, it was saved. I noticed that in Quick Menu/Options has some settings for MAME configurations, like “Read Configuration”, “Write Configuration”, mine are ON, try checking if you have a setup like this and see if it works for you.

#31

Yes those setting need to be on for MAME cfg’ to take effect iirc it saves them into the “saves” folder

#32

I tried enabling those settings, as they were off. Restarted to verify the core options saved, they did. Then I configured the MAME controls to my liking, restarted… and no change. Nothing saved.

Are your Neo Geo CD games in the same directory as your MAME roms?

@Thatman84 What saves folder are you referring to? I can’t seem to find anywhere it saves/loads anything when running games from my neo geo directory.

It’s like this thing only wants to save/load my mame configuration when the game I’m loading is in my mame roms directory.

#33

My games are all compressed in CHD, the roms path are in another folder, as I use Hyperspin and Rocket Launcher loads everything. Checking where the configs are stored led me to this path:

\Retroarch\saves\MAME\mame\cfg

There I noticed it created this config specific for NEO GEO CD, neocdz.cfg, inside it it has the config I saved for KOF 97, I can probably use it as a game specific configuration, but I’m not sure, and the current configuration will fit all other games anyway.

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#34

A-HA!!

See my …/Retroarch/saves/ directory is completely empty! I’ve never had anything in there. So there’s def something configured differently here… just gotta figure out what now…

I did try copying my mame configs from arcade to the saves dir, but no change sadly :frowning:

#35

EUREKA!!!

So I got to thinking, and I’ve ALWAYS turned on the options in Options>Saving to put my saves and savestates in my content directory! So I isolated those two lines, and put a core override for MAME like so:

savestates_in_content_dir = "false"
savefiles_in_content_dir = "false"

Then put my existing MAME config in the save dir and BOOM!!! IT’S ALIVE!!! lightning strikes and thunder crashes MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Ok, but seriously though, that completely fixed the issue. So, for some reason, the Neo Geo CD setup via mame get’s confused about where it’s supposed to read/write the cfg files to if ‘save to content dir’ options are enabled.

I NEVER would have figured that out without your guys help. Like, it never would have occured to me the cfg files were being handled as saves.

Now I need to actually sit down and curate this set of games. I’m missing a bunch of random ones lol

Again though, thanks guys. :smiley:

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