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  2. Exploring MAME history for TG rules - Elevator Action example

This page is a chapter in 'Game Exploring MAME history for TG rules'

This is a worked example based on the "Mameinfo + MAMEUI-inifiles-0224GIT (13th Aug)" version against/for track the Arcade (not MAME) https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/el.../1?ref=fbshare . This is a (fictitious) example used to highlight the processes involved in understanding what checks are needed for MAME - most real MAME tracks would not require this depth.

For the record, the correct MAME Elevator Action is actually at https://www.twingalaxies.com/elevato...-pcb-1-1/mame/ .

Worked Example: Elevator Action - Founders
Twin Galaxies

Worked Example: Elevator Action - Rules Of The Track
Dip-Switch Bank A:
1-5 = OFF
6 = OFF/UNUSED
7 = OFF
8 = ON/OFF [Upright/Cocktail]
Dip-Switch Bank B:
1-8 = ON
Dip-Switch Bank C:
1-2 = OFF
3-4 = OFF/UNUSED
5-8 = OFF
Note: The above Dip Switches, when properly designated, will give the following Twin Galaxies Tournament Settings, used for this title;
3 Lives
Bonus Life @ 10,000 Points
Coin Display
Year Display
Difficulty: Very Easy

Worked Example: Elevator Action - Version Location Process
Version From Rules: none
Version From Founders: 0.106 (Twin Galaxies)

Worked Example: Elevator Action - ROM set identification
ROM set from rules: none
ROM set from track creation: none (pre-dates track creation)
Parent ROM set from the intended version: elevator

Worked Example: Elevator Action - MAME Release Date
From MAMEINFO.DAT: 0.106 May 13th 2006

Worked Example: Elevator Action - WIP Entries for $info=elevator
- 0.221: Changed (4 pcb version, 1.1) to parent 'Elevator Action (BA3, 4 PCB version, 1.1)' and (5 pcb version, 1.1) to clone 'Elevator Action (EA, 5 PCB version, 1.1)'. Renamed (elevator) to (elevatora) and (elevator4) to (elevator).

- 0.192: hap fixed ay2,3,4 volume regression. This fixes Elevator Action sound.

- 0.187: Replaced MC68705P3 CPU3 with MC68705P5.

- 0.182: Replaced M68705 CPU3 with MC68705P3.

- 0.178: Caius and The Dumping Union added clone Elevator Action (4 pcb version, 1.1). Cleaned up rom labels/locations for the Elevator Action sets and added notes. Noted that the 4 and 5 board sets dumped so far of Elevator Action are the exact same code and gfx, just split differently [Lord Nightmare]. Added ww15.pal16l8.ic24.jed.bin. Changed parent description to 'Elevator Action (5 pcb version, 1.1)'.

- 0.170: Corrections to some rom names and labels on Elevator Action based on PCB pictures [Lord Nightmare, brizzo].

- 0.148: Kevin Eshbach added partial DIP locations for Elevator Action.

- 0.138: hap and MASH fixed Elevator Action (some graphics on the escalators shift when you ride on them).

- 0.133u1: Renamed (elevatob) to (elevatorb).

- 0.128u4: David Haywood fixed Elevator Action freezes after coin insert with "8".

- 0.126u4: Guru added README for Elevator Action.

- 0.122u6: Changed M68705 CPU3 clock speed to 3MHz.

- 29th December 2007: Guru - Elevator Action... this is a strange one, the dumped matches the 'elevatob' set in MAME, but this is definitely an original PCB, so I suspect the existing dump is really from an original PCB (4-board unprotected version) and the bootleg set is the same thing exactly.

- 21st December 2007: Guru - A huge box arrived today. That 19.75kg box looks mighty impressive, although I'm not sure that all of it is going to be useful. Some could be alt. versions but most don't work so I'll need to dump all of these before I can tell exactly what they are. It contains Elevator Action (Taito 1982, original SJ hardware without MCU!) and others. Thanks to Tingoes for sending these out.

- 12th November 2006: Mr. Do - Elevator Action artwork has been "optimized" by Ad_Enuff; much smaller file size (up to 80%) with no loss in quality.

- 3rd September 2006: Mr. Do - Ad_Enuff optimized Elevator Action bezel. File sizes are now half of what they were (with no loss in quality).

Analysis
Starting at the bottom of those WIP entries and working upwards, look for any changes to ROM set names, ROM title changes or DIP switch information.

Ignore "0.133u1: Renamed (elevatob) to (elevatorb)." because it is not the same as the intended ROM set "elevator".

There is a title change in version 0.178:
- 0.178: Caius and The Dumping Union added clone Elevator Action (4 pcb version, 1.1). Cleaned up rom labels/locations for the Elevator Action sets and added notes. Noted that the 4 and 5 board sets dumped so far of Elevator Action are the exact same code and gfx, just split differently [Lord Nightmare]. Added ww15.pal16l8.ic24.jed.bin. Changed parent description to 'Elevator Action (5 pcb version, 1.1)'.
So from this point on, "Elevator Action (5 pcb version, 1.1)" is the parent title but the ROM set of this parent has not changed (still elevator).

The most recent entry has the final change available:
- 0.221: Changed (4 pcb version, 1.1) to parent 'Elevator Action (BA3, 4 PCB version, 1.1)' and (5 pcb version, 1.1) to clone 'Elevator Action (EA, 5 PCB version, 1.1)'. Renamed (elevator) to (elevatora) and (elevator4) to (elevator).
Here the "elevator" has been changed in version 0.221 to be "elevatora".

What The Rules Should Identify
ROMSet:
0.106-0.178: elevator - "Elevator Action"
0.179-0.220: elevator - "Elevator Action (5 pcb version, 1.1)"
0.221: elevatora - "Elevator Action (5 pcb version, 1.1)"
Dip-Switch Bank A:
1-5 = OFF
6 = OFF/UNUSED
7 = OFF
8 = ON/OFF [Upright/Cocktail]
Dip-Switch Bank B:
1-8 = ON
Dip-Switch Bank C:
1-2 = OFF
3-4 = OFF/UNUSED
5-8 = OFF
Note: The above Dip Switches, when properly designated, will give the following Twin Galaxies Tournament Settings, used for this title;
3 Lives
Bonus Life @ 10,000 Points
Coin Display
Year Display
Difficulty: Very Easy

What Still Is Not Known
Version 0.221u1 and afterwards: the ROM set is still unknown in these versions simply because there is no information about whether the ROM set name or the title of the ROM set has been changed afterwards. The MAMEINFO.DAT used is dated prior to the release of 0.224. It is likely to be safe to assume the information is good for 0.222 and 0.223 but is definitely not safe for any version after. It would take a repeat of the research with a newer MAMEINFO.DAT or manually running and comparing versions or hunting through the MAME Developer's GIT repository to confirm if changes were made.

One of the WIP notes indicates work was done on the DIP Switches:
- 0.148: Kevin Eshbach added partial DIP locations for Elevator Action.
This should be investigated and if version 0.148 now gives different labels to the DIP switches, further version-based notes would need to be added to the rules to avoid confusion.

The "unknown" quantity. While the developer logs are great at documenting that change has occurred, not every change is documented well. Some entries may simply read "major work on [...]" and not go into any detail. As a result, it is possible that undetailed changes have occurred which affect Twin Galaxies' rules.
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