MAMEnet

MAMEnet is an attempt to add network play to MAME.

Our goals are:

1) Allow any number of machines to connect and ensure their emulations are synchronized. This includes keeping the emulated machine in sync and sharing all inputs received from players.

2) Keep the code portable and well organized, so that new platform support can be added easily.

3) Provide an easy to use interface.

4) Integrate our network code with the baseline MAME distribution and port it to all supported platforms!

5) NEVER make changes to specific game drivers. This will allow new MAME game drivers to work with network support automatically.

(7-12-99) -- The Wake Up Call!

- Ok, I admit it. We have been lazy bastards. ;-)
Has it really been 5 months since the last update?!?!?

I don't know who SAV2880 is, and I don't know who compiled the latest MAME32 and sent it to
Retrogames, but whoever you are, thank you!
When the MAME32 dev list started buzzing about this 'release', we realized just how long it
has been since last we touched the code... Peter has agreed to drag himself away from playing
Total Annihilation: Kingdoms, and as soon as I get some free time, I'm going to look at the
code as well. As if this wasn't enough incentive to get the project going again, I'll quote
Peter below:

"If everybody is willing to go along with it I'm willing to clean up the
net code the way I wanted to see it and help fix up/finish the GUI to the
way we talked about oh so long ago. I won't guarantee everything will be
done, but I could tentatively commit to [0.36] beta2 assuming the rest of the
mame32 stuff catches up. (Thats at least 2-3 weeks away?)"

Older stuff...

- Sometimes connections fail when the server is not shut down in between games.

- Occasionally games reset when a remote peer drops out of the game.

- Analog games with only PLAYER1 input will not work correctly. (Only one player will have control.)

- MAME system keys (F3-reset,P-pause,etc) do not synchronize and may in fact crash MAME.

- Command line options need to be examined and updated.

- Enable/disable video display for server.

- Server admin control panel listing scores, coin counters, uptime, etc.; allows server to play or watch game.

- Better high latency (dial-up) support via improved network caching.

- UDP option if it gives better network performance.

- Allow the server to run headless (for running on-going games semi-permanently).

- Allow for in-game joining...

- Use save states to allow in-game joining (see headless mode above).

- Did I mention in-game joining? :-).

- Optimize, optimize, optimize...

(Intro .midi and our little friend above are taken from Atari's Gauntlet. This game kicks ass over the network!)

Coding:	Peter Eberhardy
	Michael Adcock
	Bryan Parker
Webpage:	Michael Adcock

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