24 replies to this topic

[mbecks]

hello. I've been trying to get some stern tables working where i cant find the ROMs here or at the other site. I downloaded the ROM file for Metallica premium monsters table from stern directly. When i download it I get a .BIN file. how do i convert that and rename it to something that VPX can find and use? thanks for you time.

[Thalamus]

Open pinmame. ( setup.exe inside vpinmame folder ).  Use test feature. Look at what pinmame is looking for, rename the file and zip it as pinmame expects it, put it in roms folder and your done. Or better - start to treat your roms proper, use clrmame pro.

Edited by Thalamus, 24 January 2020 - 11:08 PM.

[mbecks]

thanks. i'm giving it a try now. What is clrmame pro and what is its purpose?

[mbecks]

I still am having trouble here. Here is what i did:

step 1: I downloaded the table here. https://vpinball.com...ica-stern-2013/

step 2: I opened the tables script file in visual pinball and found the cgamename that the table is requesting. it is mtl_164 .

step 3: I downloaded the game code for metallica premium 1.80 from sterns website here https://sternpinball...port/game-code/

step 4: This download what a file like this MTL180LE.BIN , I renamed this file to mtl_164.BIN

step 5: I right clicked on the file and went send to > compressed (zipped) folder.

step 6: I put this zipped folder names mtl_164 containing the file mtl_164.BIN into my roms file.

step 7: I try to open the table in vpx and get the "Machine 'mtl_164' (metallica (V1.64) terminated before intialized, check the rom path or rom file!"

 

I know i am the problem here i'm just not sure what I am doing wrong. any help would be very much appreciated.

[Outhere]

This is what I use for making color roms  — http://vpuniverse.co...or-rom-patcher/
Download rom from here – https://sternpinball...port/game-code/
After you patch the file renamed the bin file like this mtl180hc.bin
And then zip it up and name it like this mtl_180hc.zip
Visual Pinball\VPinMame\altcolor\mtl_180hc  <–  The PAL file go’s in the mtl_180hc folder

 

In script change like this --->    Const cGameName = "mtl_180hc"

Edited by Outhere, 28 January 2020 - 06:11 PM.

[gtxjoe]

I still am having trouble here. Here is what i did:

step 1: I downloaded the table here. https://vpinball.com...ica-stern-2013/

step 2: I opened the tables script file in visual pinball and found the cgamename that the table is requesting. it is mtl_164 .

step 3: I downloaded the game code for metallica premium 1.80 from sterns website here https://sternpinball...port/game-code/

step 4: This download what a file like this MTL180LE.BIN , I renamed this file to mtl_164.BIN

step 5: I right clicked on the file and went send to > compressed (zipped) folder.

step 6: I put this zipped folder names mtl_164 containing the file mtl_164.BIN into my roms file.

step 7: I try to open the table in vpx and get the "Machine 'mtl_164' (metallica (V1.64) terminated before intialized, check the rom path or rom file!"

 

I know i am the problem here i'm just not sure what I am doing wrong. any help would be very much appreciated.

 

The table you downloaded is Metallica Pro, not Metallica Premium.  They use different roms, so you need to download the Metallica Pro version of the rom, MTL180.bin

You should rename the rom to mtl_180.bin and then zip it up into a file called mtl_180.zip

Now you need to modify the script to use the newer metallica rom.  In the script, search for mtl_164 and renameit to mtl_180

[32assassin]

I still am having trouble here. Here is what i did:

step 1: I downloaded the table here. https://vpinball.com...ica-stern-2013/

step 2: I opened the tables script file in visual pinball and found the cgamename that the table is requesting. it is mtl_164 .

step 3: I downloaded the game code for metallica premium 1.80 from sterns website here https://sternpinball...port/game-code/

step 4: This download what a file like this MTL180LE.BIN , I renamed this file to mtl_164.BIN

step 5: I right clicked on the file and went send to > compressed (zipped) folder.

step 6: I put this zipped folder names mtl_164 containing the file mtl_164.BIN into my roms file.

step 7: I try to open the table in vpx and get the "Machine 'mtl_164' (metallica (V1.64) terminated before intialized, check the rom path or rom file!"

 

I know i am the problem here i'm just not sure what I am doing wrong. any help would be very much appreciated.

 

 

2.  You should never rename your roms based on what the table is  asking for because

a.  the bin and the zip don't always match 

b.  the rom might be outdated ( and it is in is case).   You download version 1.8,  yet you renamed it to  version 1.64

 Capture.PNG   251.16KB   16 downloads

 

this is a screen grab for Word Tour Poker and you can see that the bin and the zip file don't always match

 2.PNG   42.16KB   10 downloads

 

7. Aside from the fact that you used an LE rom as a Pro rom.  Even if you download a Pro rom 1.80  and renamed it as  1.64  the reason your table is crashing  is because you are trying to use  rom  1.80     as version 1.64.  

run a test  and you will see that the checksum  highlight in the picture  will give you an error.

you can fix this by simply disabling   CRC errors in your default PINMAME settings.  Something you need to do if you are using color patches.

My World Tour Poker picture shows a CRC error  "Bad Checksum"  because it was modified (aka  patched to use colors)  if I did not have ignore CRC errors the table would be crashing with the same error.

 

if you have the Limited Edition table 

I suggest you rename MTL180LE.BIN  --> mtl180h.bin

then zip it to  mtl_180h.zip

 

 

and change the name on the script so that the table requests  

cGameName="mtl_180h"

 

and as Gtxjoe mentioned  dont use a Pro rom as an LE rom

 

Pro rom 

Zip name = mtl_180.zip

Bin name = mtl180.bin

 

cGamename="mtl_180"

Edited by 32assassin, 28 January 2020 - 08:23 PM.

[32assassin]

and I did not mention  clrmamepro because I wanted to make this video

 

but clrmamepro is a rom rebuilding utility,  it will check to make sure that all the bin files needed by a table are in the zip file

and it will also make sure that the bin and zip names are correct.

 

I personally use romcenter because of the nice GUI,  something clrmamepro did not have when I was rebuilding my MAME roms.

 

 

1. download all the SAM roms

2. place them all in a folder and zip them to individual zip (you might not need to do this)

3.  name does not matter.

4.  Romcenter/Clrmame pro will rebuild your roms based on the CRC value.

it can not rename patched roms given that the CRC has been changed.

 

as you can see from the video   it takes longer to zip all the bin files then to  rebuild them to what PINAME expects.

 

One click  (FIX games)   you can rebuild every single SAM rom instead of doing one at a time.

https://mega.nz/#!wk...fkfndLV_d1w85c0

[flstclasic]

What will clrmame tell me that The PinMame test feature doesn’t tell me? 

[gtxjoe]

Clrmpro can process hundreds of roms in the time it takes you to check one via Test

[mbecks]

I will be giving this another go soon, making a video showing everything I do. One thing that is confusing me is people are saying I’m downloading the LE version of the tables .BIN file. The downloads available at sterns website are the pro and premium rims. When I download the pro version I see it says MTL180LE.bin. Why would it be doing the.

[Outhere]

for me pro downloads MTL180.bin

[mark pickworth]

Hi. Could someone please explain how do I convert an SPK file from Stern to a useable VPX ROM?

[Thalamus]

You can't. If it was that easy to emulate Spike MPU, well, then we would be playing new Stern titles a long time ago. Pinmame needs to be coded so it can use those *.spk roms, and that is not a easy feat. Don't know if we're ever going to see that happen to be honest.

[toxie]

At least the early Spikes are doable, we'd just need a skilled volunteer to spend some time on it.

[Thalamus]

By writing that I felt butterflies in my stomach. Game of Thrones is among the first spikes, and has one of the deepest rule-set of them all. Love that game. Now, where is that skilled volunteer with a lot of time to spare ?

[mark pickworth]

Thanks for the quick responses, guys. I appreciate it.

[Capturemike]

Open pinmame. ( setup.exe inside vpinmame folder ).  Use test feature. Look at what pinmame is looking for, rename the file and zip it as pinmame expects it, put it in roms folder and your done. Or better - start to treat your roms proper, use clrmame pro.

Worked a treat, thanks so much!

[Joe]

At least the early Spikes are doable, we'd just need a skilled volunteer to spend some time on it.

maybe spike V1 stern does have the FULL SD card images on there site for just about all of them.

V2 maybe not and they are still getting updates + they are on line and that on line part may as part of the modding checks look for pinmame like stuff.

[wiesshund]

 

At least the early Spikes are doable, we'd just need a skilled volunteer to spend some time on it.

maybe spike V1 stern does have the FULL SD card images on there site for just about all of them.

V2 maybe not and they are still getting updates + they are on line and that on line part may as part of the modding checks look for pinmame like stuff.

 

not the OS, just the program code.

 

but technically stern is still selling spike 1 products
so not sure how far down that rabbit hole one can go.