Flash-Based MAME Front End
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This site is dedicated to development and distribution of my Flash-based front end for MAME. I've long been an admirer of MAME, the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator and the work that the project does to keep classic arcade gaming alive. As someone who grew up on Asteroids, Space Invader, and Pacman, I really appreciate the nostalgia of having access to these old games. |
About M.A.M.E Front Ends
A frontend is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for MAME. A frontend discovers what games are installed on the system and presents a graphical user interface for choosing which one to run. Frontends may have features like animations, screenshots, pictures of cabinets and artwork, details about the games, and so forth. Most importantly, a frontend allows you to use MAME in a cabinet without needing to provide a keyboard or mouse to control the system. You just use the cabinet joysticks and buttons to select and launch games.
How the Front End Works
The front end is a Flash projector file that is run full-screen on the display. The projector is set to capture all keyboard input. The two types of keyboard presses that control the projector file are arrow buttons and the Ctrl key. These keys are mapped to the player one joystick (arrows) and the player one fire button (Ctrl) in MAME itself. This means that the front end can be navigated with a joystick and buttons if your MAME setup is in a cabinet.
Constucting a Cabinet
Although I greatly enjoyed playing MAME games on my PC, I decided that the "full experience" required a cabinet. As I've said elsewhere, there's a big difference between seeing the game running on your PC while controlling it through the keyboard (fun) and playing while standing up, slamming a real joystick and actual arcade buttons. It's a whole other level.