Today I stumbled across an old CD I have full of MAME ROMs. I thought I’d see if you could play them in OS X, and sure enough it’s actually quite straight forward. This brief tutorial will guide you in playing MAME games in OS X.
- To get started, download and install MAME OS X. Once installed, launch it from your Applications folder.
- The first time you run MAME OS X, it will ‘audit’ several hundred (thousand?) ROMs (games). This can take upwards of half an hour to complete. If you don’t want to import/audit all of these games (and the audit does download any ROMs, it just creates a huge list of them)..
- …select File -> Abort Audit.
- Otherwise, once the audit has completed, you’ll be presented with a huge list of games.
- To actually play a game, drag the ROM (as a zip file) to the Your Username -> Library -> Application Support -> MAME OS X -> ROMs folder. PS. you can find lots of ROMs here.
- Then start the game by double-clicking it from the massive list of games in MAME OS X. NOTE: if you have trouble getting games to launch, please see this comment by Joshua Pierce. Thanks Josh!
- Something you may want to take a look at is MAME Library, a free program that makes organizing, finding and launching games even easier. If you’ve ever used iPhoto, you’ll be very familiar with the interface. When you launch MAME Library for the first time, it will import the database from MAME OS X. This only takes a minute or two.
- MAME Library organizes your games/ROMs via screenshots (which you can take by hitting F12 while playing a game).
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hello,
mame doesnt work for me most of the time. when i try to load a game it says that some files are missing and that i should look at the log file or something. any clue?
it only worked with alex kidd but with scratches on the sound. And i couldnt play, none of the buttons were working. Only P for pause.
thanx
Dennis
@Dennis:
And you’re sure the zip file is in the right place? I was able to play Contra (US), MegaMan and a few others no problem. I did have some issues w/ a couple of the games, but by and large most of them seemed to work. After you add a zip to the folder, select File > Audit Unaudited Games. Then try and play the game again.. Hope this helps!
im having the same problem with the missing files and auditing the file didn’t work. i downloaded marvel vs capcom highlighted it and clicked audit selected games and tried to play it after it was done but it still didn’t work
also the zip file is in the right place
@Andrew -
Over the last few weeks I’ve noticed that it’s kind of ‘hit and run’ when it comes to some games. They work no problem in Windows MAME, but in OS X they don’t launch at all…. I’d say it’s even as high as 25%
don’t work…
Hi, every time I download a MAME rom it automatically unzips?
According to what Ive found, its supposed to mean that your missing a .CHD (Core Hard Drive) file, sound files, or some other file, I dont know how or where to get these files, but its what it says (too bad I didnt figure that out before I got my hopes up for a 46 mb metal slug game)
^^ btw marvel vs capcom isn’t a chd game. The most up to date resource is mamedev.org . Aaron Giles is the mastermind behind it. Read his updates and post there for yor questions to be answered asap.
guys go to mininova.org and get the mame chd torrent and the mame roms torrent, both required, and will have it all!!! you can even get 1.20 roms and 1.19 chd, its all good
When I try and run MameOSX, it crashes immediately giving me a Bus Error… any ideas? I’m running 10.5.2.
This page ends up being the top listed item for many of my searches for a OS X version of MAME, so I figured I’d post this in case someone else has the same problems I have.
Anyway, I was a bit confused, and had the same problem as Andrew. MAME OS X did the complete audit thing, and then gave me a huge list of games, most of which I knew I didn’t have. Trying to play the ones I did know I have gave me errors telling me the files where missing, same as Andrew. The ROMs where in the right place.
Looking at the logs - it’s calling for quite a few missing files. I unzipped the ROM in question, and all of those missing files are there, so I assumed it’s not seeing the ROM file.
So anyway, long story short - I went into the preferences, and re-pointed the application to the ROM directory manually, setting that directory as the same one it *should* have been looking at from the beginning, and had no problems since then. What was any different, I don’t know, but since then, I’ve had no problems.
@Joshua Pierce:
Thanks very much for that tip - I’m going to update the tutorial w/ your info.
I can not get any of the games to start and I cant drag any of them to unzip them. If you have any advice on unzipping the rom from the list and getting it started please let me know. Thanks
If OSX automatically unzipped the folder all you have to do is to right click the folder and archive it then it should bring it back to a zip file. It worked for me.
Does street hoop works on macmame? Any ideas?
I can get as far as “Type OK or move the joystick left and right to continue” but no further. Any ideas?
OK it doesn’t like my cordless Logitech keyboard. Got the old Apple one out of the box and am currently playing Pang!
Hello everyone I am trying to open this game called Alien vs Predator on the program called MAMEUI32 0.122u8 and it is saying that I am missing a crap load of file to make the game run my computer is a dell and it runs on Microsoft XP some one pleas help me out I really wanna play this game
OK Guys, this is my theory so far. I’m pretty sure the missing files are contained within the APPLICATION, that’s why there’s an entire list of games already in the app, and that’s why the same roms will work on a PC but sometimes not on a Mac. Because the PC version is constantly updated. If you look online, you’ll see a lot of rom bundles with a particular version number, and they’ll usually tell you to use the same version number of the app. So that’s why I think you need to keep up to date with your app.
Also **VERY IMPORTANT**, when you first launch Mame OS X, it creates a ton of folder in your home directory’s Application Support/Mame OS X. This is where you should drag all of your ROMS. If not, it won’t know where to look. OR if you have them store somewhere else, go into prefs (like Joshua did) and select the proper location.
**Also Important** for space saving, You DON’T have to UNZIP your roms! The app can read the zipped files easily.
I have gone through both Joshua and Pigumon’s suggestions, and still end up with the “Missing Files” dialog box of death. Any further suggestions?
well this is a great guide, it was one of the things i was going to miss about the pc to mac switch but this beauty has changed all that
does anyone know how to get street fighter 3 to run in mame osx? theres a guy here that has apparently managed (http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=150120) but this thread seems more active so i thought id try hear first
ill keep messing around an let you know if i work it out
I’m still having problems getting certain roms to open, I tried choosing the directory itself but the game will not run
Some ROMS work; others open but display a distorted screen. How can this get corrected?
For those of you that are missing files-
Just a note- some of the ROMS that you are downloading are just versions of games- example- if you download Ms. Pac-Man you are probably just getting the Ms. Pac-Man files- but Ms. Pac-Man needs the Pac-Man files to run because Pac-Man was its parent game. Ms. Pac-Man ran on Pac-Man hardware so the Ms. Pac-Man ROM you downloaded is just the “chip” that was necessary to convert the machine.
Many ROMS online are incomplete. You can swap files from ROM to ROM by unzipping them and checking out the folder contents. For example, if your Galaga is missing galax.6e and your Galaxian folder has that file just copy it over and rezip the folder. Have gotten tons of files to work by simply completing the folders with the files that are asked for.
FYI.. currently working on my Mac-
1941.zip
asteroid.zip
bbmanw.zip
BERZERK.zip
btime.zip
bublbobl.zip
CAPBOWL.zip
carnival.zip
ccastles.zip
cclimber.zip
centiped.zip
champbas.zip
circus.zip
darius.zip
defender.zip
digdug.zip
digdug2.zip
digger.zip
dkong.zip
dkong3.zip
DKONGJR.zip
DOCASTLE.zip
elevator.zip
fantasia.zip
FOODF.zip
frogger.zip
galaga.zip
galaga3b.zip
galaga88.zip
galaxian.zip
galpani3.zip
galpanic.zip
gaplus.zip
gauntlet.zip
GHOULS.zip
GRAVITAR.zip
gt2k.zip
gtsuprem.zip
GYRUSS.zip
hyperspt.zip
invaders.zip
JRPACMAN.zip
kangaroo.1.zip
kangaroo.zip
klax.zip
MAPPY.zip
MARBLE.zip
MARIO.zip
milliped.zip
missile.zip
mk.zip
mk2.zip
mk3.zip
mpatrol.zip
mrdo.zip
mspacmab.zip
mspacman.zip
mspacpls.zip
ncv1.zip
ncv2.zip
newfant.zip
PACMAN.zip
pbobble.zip
pbobblen.zip
pengo.zip
pooyan.zip
popeye.zip
punchout.zip
qbert.zip
qix.zip
rampage.zip
RBTAPPER.zip
robotron.zip
scramble.zip
sf.zip
sf2ce.zip
sinistar.zip
spyhunt.zip
sqix.zip
starwars.zip
stratab.zip
SUPERPAC.zip
superpcm.zip
tapper.zip
tetrisbl.zip
toobin.zip
trackflc.zip
trackfld.zip
xevious.zip
zaxxon.zip
Help.
I’ve got Rampage to run but the frame-rate is really slow & jerky.
How do I make it smoother?
Also, how do I configure the controls?
Thanks folks.
I used to manage roms on older versions of MacMame with ease. But MAME OSX seems a little tricky compare to those version. First the interface is not clear enough. For example if you make a complete audit, you don’t know which roms is complete or not unless you hit the information icon for “each roms”. That really sucks. There’s another problem coming from the roms. “Gauntlet” for example. Why should I reload the same roms cause some ass decide to rename the file inside ? Come on its starting to get real pain even for guys like me who spent month to make a clean rom archives. Even clones are pain in the ass. They should make a simple rule. One game, One zip file that includes all the stupid fucking clones ! And please we should stop using the DOS format name… 2008 and we still have to deal with ‘gaunt2gp.zip’. I hate PC just for that. And for last, even if you have everything right with the correct rom at the right place, the emulator return ’some files were missing’. A complete audit seems not to work even the option, audit the selected item. I’m very close to give up cause its not fun anymore…
I was VERY VERY excited to play an old fav called Wardner. Got an adaptor to use PS1 controller. Plugged it in and it worked. Problem was, it was using an unusual button arrangement so I went into the menu that alters the controls for the game. I went to Button 1 and hit enter, it awaited the new button input. I hit the square button on the controller… nothing… I hit all the buttons… nothing. I hit the spacebar. It added the spacebar to the list of buttons that it would now consider to be button 1. I somehow figured out that holding function and escape would restore the button to default. However, now the game no longer recognizes my PS1 controller AT ALL.
Please help
Thank You
spidey
I’ve just realized to my horror that MAME OS X no longer recognizes my controller now no matter what game I select.
Pleae help!!!
Just to let everyone who comes across any problems playing games that all games work. Theres a link up top where the games can be found but in order for them to work you must download their “parent” zip file. For example if you wanted to play street fighter you must download the zip that contains all the files necessary which will be a zip in MB not KB. If you wanted to play a different revision of the game then you would download the files that are in kb. HAVE FUN!
I am just wondering, How long does it take to update the game list? …because i seem to be sitting, waiting, wishing it finishes soon so i can play some games
Thanks Ross
I’ve switched to a logitech controller. Controller problem solved. Also, I’ve found a way to get nearly all of the MAMEs to work. You download all of the MAME files for a game. Then open all of the zip files. Cut and paste the newest files into the folder containing the next newest files. Then Cut and paste all of those files into the next newest folder of files. Keep doing this until all of the files have been copied/overwritten into the oldest file. Then cut and paste all of those files into the (now empty) newest folder. Delete the empty older folders. You now have one folder that contains all of the files for the game, and any updated files will have overwritten any old files. Convert this new folder to a zip file. Now put the zip file into the appropriate place and play the MAME of the same name. Using this technique I’ve found that instead of 20%-40% of the games not working, now only about 3% won’t work. You see, I think that only one of the MAMEs for a given game contains the applications files needed to run it, and the others are add-on files that don’t work by themselves. Using this procedure you’ll end up with the application files plus all of the add-ons. In fact since your new super file contains everything. You can usually copy the zip file and rename it to correspond to any of the MAME names for the particular game and most will work. In fact, you should do this if my initial procedure fails, I’ve still gotten it to work by making as many copies of the “super” zip file as there are MAMEs for the game, renaming each one to correspond to each MAME name on the list for that game, put the all into the appropriate folder, and then just try playing each MAME for that game until I hit the one that works.
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