By default, when you play Donkey Kong in MAME, it renders the game in a 4:3 aspect.

The native resolution, however, is 256x224 - which is an 8:7 aspect. (Snapshots taken by F12 come out in this size as well.)

You can set MAME to play in 8:7, but it defaults to 4:3. My question is, which is "correct"?

My arcade machine looks much more like the "wider" (8:7) ratio, but that might just be because I have my width set incorrectly.

Personally, I prefer it "fat," always have, and that's how I played in MAME before I was doing TG submissions. I left the 4:3 as is for the TG WolfMAME games, and tolerated it, but now that I'm playing mostly on the arcade machine, when I go back to MAME it's just intolerably narrow!

I'd really like to know how the game was "meant to be played" - at its native resolution, or pulled in to 4:3?

I just want to know and get it settled once and for all so that I can switch to the correct one and get used to it! It actually makes a significant difference, particularly when it comes to spring recognition...

Well given that you can adjust the Horizontal width on the arcade cabinet, it's pretty hard to nail an exact ratio on the arcade, it's what feels/looks comfortable. But, I do think the default 4:3 in MAME is pretty close.

I set all mame games to 5:4, and notice no difference on arcade.
Never understood the 4:3 default, much too "skinny".

Originally Posted by PacWhiz

I set all mame games to 5:4, and notice no difference on arcade.
Never understood the 4:3 default, much too "skinny".

Of course it matter what type of monitor you have also. On older computer monitors, 4:3 looks good, on the newer wide screen, I have it set to 16:9 to get what I used to get with 4:3.

I don;t want/mean to hijack a thread but I've just come off of years using non-wolfmame to wolfmame and am seeing a FAT Pac-Man screen.

I cannot get WolfMame to display Pac-Man the same as regular Mame. Best I can get is setting Aspect Ratio to 19:12 !?

Pac-Man native resolution is 224:288 which is 7:9 right ? When I set it to this though it looks way too FAT. Is this actually how it is supposed to be ?