Troubleshooting

Having problems getting MAMEHub or a specific game to work? Here is a checklist of questions and possible answers to common problems.

Q: Why does my game not show up in the list?

A: MAMEHub follows a list of files set up by the MAME community. The reason for this is to make sure people are playing the same
   versions, in order to keep the lobby clear and avoid unnecessary confusion. If you happen to have an older file, it may not
   show up after you Audit your games.

   Another reason could be that you are missing certain files, such as the BIOS rom.

Q: Why does my game not start?

A: The first thing you have to do is turn on the event log. You do this by going to Edit -> Settings and check Show Emulator
   Log. Run the game again, wait for a pop-up window and scroll down to read the error.

   A common reason for a game not starting is a missing BIOS file. Most consoles and home computers need one as do some Arcade
   games (Neo-Geo, PGM, Naomi). Some games also need a so called CHD file (see below).

Q: Why can't I join somebody's game?

A: The emulator log (Edit -> Settings) may show you the reason you cannot connect. Make sure you and the person you're trying to
   join have opened port 6805 TCP & UDP in your routers and firewalls.

   Locked games also prevent other users from entering. A game closes automatically after a couple of minutes or the host can do
   it manually with the /lock command.

Q: What is desyncing and what can I do to prevent this?

A: When 2 or more played desync (desynchronize) it means that their games are no longer showing the same results. This often goes
   unnoticed until the behavior of the other players becomes extremely erratic.

   Games that do not support save states are more prone to having desyncs. Make sure all players are using the same (dipswitch)
   settings or cheats and do not reset the game while others are connected. Also, it is always wise to give the host a few
   seconds to set up the game before joining.

Q: What can I do to improve the in-game input lag / choppiness?

 A: Play with people that show a low ping in the lobby. Pings up to 200ms are playable depending on the type of game. Games that
   need high speed or reflexes, such as Fighters, benefit from a low ping (<100ms).

   Other options are to raise the priority of CSUME.EXE in the task manager. To do this hit CONTROL+ALT+DELETE, select the
   Processes tab, right-click CSUME.EXE and set the priority to AboveNormal.

   Playing through the command line (CSUME, see below) can sometimes help on extremely old machines, although the latest version
   of the MAMEHub lobby is well optimized.

Q: Can I play online without the Java lobby?

A: Yes you can, you will have to run the file CSUME.EXE from a command prompt. This can be useful for testing games that do not
   (yet) show up in the list or when you have an old PC and the Java applet is slowing your machine down. Another good reason to
   learn how use CSUME is when you wish to revert to an older version due to incompatibilities.

   Go to START -> Run... -> Type: cmd
   Change to the DIST folder with the 'cd' command, for example type: cd C:\Games\MAMEHub3\MAMEHubRepo\Binaries\dist
   Finally, make sure your game is in the ROMS folder and type:
   CSUME <system> -<media> <gamename> -server|-client -hostname <IP number> -username <name> -port <port>

   The system name is usually the same as the BIOS ZIP file, game name is the file name and media can be -cart (cartridge),
   -flop1 (floppy disk), -cass (cassette,tape), -cdrm (CDROM). Some examples:

   Arcade offline:      CSUME game1
   SNES online host:    CSUME snes -cart game2.smc -server -username Myname1 -port 6805
   Amiga online client: CSUME a500 -flop1 game3.adf -client -hostname 1.2.3.4 -username Myname2 -port 6805
   C64 offline:         CSUME c64 -cass "C:\Games\MAMEHub\c64_roms\use quotes if spaces in file.tap"
   TG16/PCE CDROM:      CSUME pce -cart syscard.pce -cdrm game4.chd

Q: I don't have a CHD file, now what? / How do I run CDROM games?

A: A CHD (Compressed Hard Drive) image file is needed for some hard drive based Arcade games and CDROM games (PS1, N64, SegaCD,
   TG-16 CDROM). If you only have the original CDROM or ISO you can create the CHD yourself. You need the program CHDMAN.EXE,
   which is included in the latest MAME package.
   The command is: chdman.exe createcd -i "path & name of an ISO image of the CDROM" -o "path & name of the output CHD"

   Custom CHDs will not show up in the MAMEHub game list. You have the choice of running the game with CSUME (see above) or
   manually add it to a so called HASH-file. Each system has its own file, which can be found in the HASH folder.

   Inside you will see files with the .hsi extension. You can simply open them in Notepad, Wordpad or any other text editor. Each
   CHD-based game is verified by its checksum, which is unique for every file, and its name. A good free tool to retrieve the
   CRC32 checksum of your CHD is HashMyFiles (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/hash_my_files.html). Finally, make sure the file name
   matches the name in the HSI file.

   An example: To add a custom CHD named CustomGame1.chd with an CRC32 of 8d1g1tc0d3 to the Japanese Playstation I will have to
   edit (or create, if the file does not exist) psj.hsi and make sure it contains at least the following lines:

   <hashfile>

       <hash crc32="8d1g1tc0d3" name="CustomGame1.chd" />

   </hashfile>