Importing MAME

[scottw]

Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction. Trying to import some of my MAME roms into XL, I am using the Rom2Xlobby program.

I put my roms (.zip) in a folder(just starting with 4 roms until I get the hang of it) and I run Rom2Xlobby, select the path to xlobby2.exe and click Download Databases.
Check Mame Emulators and click download. Close that window.
Select mame emulators from the list, it automatically fills in the template and click Create Selected.
It runs thru and says 4 found.

In my roms folder I now have a new XML and for pics, great so far I think.
Now what do I do with this????
I opened XL and hit f2 and selected the databases tab.
I click the "Add XML DB (xlobby format)" button and choose my XML file and it's added to the list. I click the database and refresh and get 0% progress and no info, no option but to x it out. I click edit database and there is nothing there.

No I know I am doing something wrong while adding the DB to XL.
Could someone point me in the right direction???

Thanks,
Scott

[badubo]

the databases generated by rom2xlobby are ready for direct use.
Don't use a refresh on them (as xlobby don't know how to reconstruct them, it will erase the content)

[scottw]

Thanks for the fast reply!!!!

Ok I added the XML using the "Add XML DB (xlobby format)", that is correct, right???

Now I am still learning how to use XL so please excuse my ignorance.
Just to test to see if anything came up I went to the pictures page, on the default skin, and hit pause/break to bring up the Skin Editor. I selected the pictures frame (where the pictures would be displayed) and then clicked the "Category" tab and then the "Database" tab. In the lists of the databases I select "Mame" but nothing comes up. If I select "Movies" I see my movie covers so I think I am doing it right, I can also see my pictures if I select "Pictures" but nothing for Mame.

Now I know this may not be the correct way to do this but I just wanted to see if the coverart for the Mame roms would show up.

Also If I try to edit the DB (not refresh) in XL it does not look like it contains any data, but if I look at the XML in windows I can see all the data.

Thanks for any help you can give!!!
Scott

[C-moi]

did you read this ?
http://france.xlobby.com/rom2xlobbyus.htm

I think that your db mame is empty

[dgemily]

In my roms folder I now have a new XML and for pics, great so far I think.

Ok I added the XML using the "Add XML DB (xlobby format)", that is correct, right???

No it's not correct in fact, the xml in your roms folder is not a database for xlobby. so if you add this in xlobby, it will not working....
when you use Ron2xlobby, it will create automaticly a dadabase xml ( xlobby format) in the folder "databases" of xlobby (xlobby\databases\...) so you don't need to add something....
so delete the database that you added (xlobby\databases\mame.xml) and restart rom2xlobby) when it's done, you will see a file MAME.XML in our databases repertory, then start xlobby and select the database MAME in your category : "hit pause/break to bring up the Skin Editor. I selected the pictures frame (where the pictures would be displayed) and then clicked the "Category" tab and then the "Database" tab. In the lists of the databases I select "Mame"" ( this is the way )

also, you need to assign an event with the command os:execute file pointing to the .exe of your mame emulator
and in the case Argument put %mame>parameter% where "mame" is the name of the category where your database is displayed. in this case you can add somes command line for the mame emulator like

Code: Select all

 "%mame>parameter%" -joy -skip_disclaimer -skip_gameinfo -noverbose -nowindow

anyway you can try some skins already configured and optimized for a database created by Rom2xlobby :
- Naylia's XLobbyMC Skin
- Xmedia2-games
- HeavyMetalXFR

[scottw]

Thanks for all the info. I did as you suggested and still a blank screen.

Here is my XML that it created in xlobby\databases:

Code: Select all

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<database>
  <sortorder>title</sortorder>
  <sortable>
    <sort>developer</sort>
    <sort>title</sort>
    <sort>genre</sort>
    <sort>mamegenre</sort>
    <sort>platform</sort>
    <sort>year</sort>
    <sort>name</sort>
    <sort>rating</sort>
    <sort>filename</sort>
  </sortable>
  <item>
    <display>After Burner (Japan)</display>
    <coverart>c:\documents and settings\default\desktop\roms\MAME_5182.jpg</coverart>
    <parameter>C:\Documents and Settings\Default\Desktop\roms\aburner.zip</parameter>
    <information>
      <comments>Controls: Joystick/Gamepad Similar Games: Blue Lightning, G-LOC: Air Battle</comments>
      <title>After Burner (Japan)</title>
      <URL>http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&amp;SQL=GIH




9460</URL>
      <name>After Burner</name>
      <rating>6.0</rating>
      <mamegenre>Shooter / Flying (chase view)</mamegenre>
      <plot>Although repetitive and a bit shallow, After Burner does a wonderful job creating realistic illusions of speed and 3D depth. Viewed from a third person, behind-the-plane perspective, this fun, graphically impressive, over-the-top shooter puts players in a high-speed fighter jet, firing a gun and lock-on missiles at incoming planes. Banking frequently decreases the chances of being hit by enemy fire. Suspension of disbelief is very easy in this game, especially when playing the sit-down, cockpit cabinet version. — Brett Alan Weiss </plot>
      <year>1987</year>
      <developer>Sega</developer>
      <genre>Shooter</genre>
      <platform>MAME</platform>
      <driver>segaxbd.c</driver>
      <filename>aburner</filename>
    </information>
  </item>
  <item>
    <display>Contra (PlayChoice-10)</display>
    <coverart>c:\documents and settings\default\desktop\roms\MAME_5499.jpg</coverart>
    <parameter>C:\Documents and Settings\Default\Desktop\roms\pc_cntra.zip</parameter>
    <information>
      <comments>Controls: Joystick/Gamepad</comments>
      <title>Contra (PlayChoice-10)</title>
      <URL>http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&amp;SQL=GIH




9796</URL>
      <name>Contra</name>
      <rating>6.0</rating>
      <mamegenre>Platform / Shooter Scrolling</mamegenre>
      <plot>Contra is a platform shooter with five distinct levels. Starting with a jungle theme, players must make their way through the increasingly high tech and alien enemy and level designs. The first, third, and fifth levels are more traditional side scrolling shooting stages. In these stages players must move from left to right shooting or evading all enemies before confronting an end boss, which must be defeated to advance.   The second and fourth levels, on the other hand, are pseudo 3D stages. Players watch the game from a camera view situated behind and above their characters. In these levels players must move into the screen through a series of rooms. Protecting each room are guards and turrets in the background as well as an electric barrier that prevents players from moving forward.   Players can move from side to side, duck, and can also jump sideways. By destroying a special target at the far end of the room, players can disable the electric field and proceed into the next room. At the end of the pseudo 3D stages players will fight bosses in a vertical shooter style board. Players can only move their characters left and right at ground level, and must shoot straight up to defeat the enemy boss characters from above.  The player-controlled characters are very vulnerable, as they die with one hit from any enemy units. But by shooting and collecting certain pods, players can equip their characters with different types of weapon upgrades that replace their default single-shot rifles.   Weapons available include an automatic rifle, a spread shot, a long laser gun, a short laser gun, and a flamethrower. These upgrades have unlimited ammunition, and players lose them only when their characters die.— Kyle Knight  Roots &amp; Influences: Contra for the Arcade would go on to spawn a NES modified clone as well as many sequels. </plot>
      <year>1988</year>
      <developer>Konami (Nintendo of America license)</developer>
      <genre>Adventure</genre>
      <platform>MAME</platform>
      <driver>playch10.c</driver>
      <filename>pc_cntra</filename>
    </information>
  </item>
  <item>
    <display>Excite Bike (PlayChoice-10)</display>
    <coverart>c:\documents and settings\default\desktop\roms\MAME_681.jpg</coverart>
    <parameter>C:\Documents and Settings\Default\Desktop\roms\pc_ebike.zip</parameter>
    <information>
      <title>Excite Bike (PlayChoice-10)</title>
      <genre>Racing</genre>
      <platform>MAME</platform>
      <filename>pc_ebike</filename>
      <year>1984</year>
      <driver>playch10.c</driver>
      <mamegenre>Driving / Race Bike</mamegenre>
      <developer>Nintendo</developer>
    </information>
  </item>
  <item>
    <display>Golf (PlayChoice-10)</display>
    <coverart>c:\documents and settings\default\desktop\roms\MAME_3608.jpg</coverart>
    <parameter>C:\Documents and Settings\Default\Desktop\roms\pc_golf.zip</parameter>
    <information>
      <title>Golf (PlayChoice-10)</title>
      <name>Golf</name>
      <genre>Sports</genre>
      <platform>MAME</platform>
      <mamegenre>Sports / Golf</mamegenre>
      <filename>pc_golf</filename>
      <URL>http://www.allgame.com/cg/agg.dll?p=agg&amp;SQL=GIH



10170</URL>
      <year>1984</year>
      <driver>playch10.c</driver>
      <rating>6.0</rating>
      <developer>Nintendo</developer>
    </information>
  </item>
</database>


Does that look ok???

[dgemily]

Does that look ok???

seems to be ok... did you restart xlobby ?

[dgemily]

There are 2 strange character :

<plot>Although repetitive and a bit shallow, After Burner does a wonderful job creating realistic illusions of speed and 3D depth. Viewed from a third person, behind-the-plane perspective, this fun, graphically impressive, over-the-top shooter puts players in a high-speed fighter jet, firing a gun and lock-on missiles at incoming planes. Banking frequently decreases the chances of being hit by enemy fire. Suspension of disbelief is very easy in this game, especially when playing the sit-down, cockpit cabinet version. — Brett Alan Weiss </plot>

and

long laser gun, a short laser gun, and a flamethrower. These upgrades have unlimited ammunition, and players lose them only when their characters die.— Kyle Knight Roots &amp; Influences: Contra for the Arcade would go on to spawn a NES modified clone as well as many sequels. </plot>

I hope these are comming when you posted it...if you have a problem when you restart xlobby, try to delete these characters...