ABOUT MAME ARTWORK
IN-GAME ARTWORK
With the release of 0.107, MAME now supports hi-resolution artwork for backdrops, overlays, and bezels, and includes a new file format for the layout (.lay)Save these files to your \MAME\artwork directory. To use them in MAME, make sure you enable artwork either in your mame.ini or your frontend of choice. (NOTE: MAME defaults to enable all artwork.)
MAME includes additional effects files, which by default go in your artwork folder. I keep these files in a separate folder, and add the path to my .INI file instead. If you run the DAT file included on this site, they may be erased by mistake. If you need them, grab them here from the Supplemental Artwork page.
You might notice that I never credit myself for anything in the weekly news; that's modesty more than anything else. Besides, I'd rather shine the credit on the rest of the artwork team, and to any outside donations that we get. But since people keep insisting to me that I take some credit, here you go:
- I am responsible for coordinating all the artwork that comes in and goes out.
- I maintain this website, along with the Artwork sections of the two main FTPs that host the artwork.
- I have created the LAY files for 99.98% of all files on this site.
- Any artwork on loan from Vintage Arcade Superstore has been dug out of storage or disassembled from cabinets by me when I visit their warehouse; then transported home. Scans, stitching, and initial color correction are done by me in Photoshop.
- I initiated the effort to acquire occasional artwork from ClassicArcadeGrafix.
- The little extra things like lamps and LEDs are simply done in the LAY file, but as a more "exact science" than other pieces of artwork (but I still can't hook them up if a MAMEDev doesn't include the support in the game first).
- I've used my own money every so often to purchase artwork on eBay.
PLEASE DONATE. The best way for the MAME Artwork Project to continue to grow is outside help. How to donate? There are a few ways:
- If you have artwork available, you can:
- Scan it yourself and send me the files
- Send the artwork directly to me via UPS / FedEx, etc. Also let me know if you would like it sent back or not.
- If you live in the Southern California area, I can bring my equipment to your location and scan the artwork there. I could also be inclined to go as far as Phoenix, Las Vegas, or the Bay Area, depending on the amount of artwork needing to be scanned.
- How to contact me?
- Email at
- You can also post at the MAMEWorld Artwork Forum, or PM me there.
- Email at
- Finally, if you would just like to help out financially, that is now also accepted. During the first year of the project, I've purchased a good amount of artwork myself to be included in MAME, but there have also been a few that I have missed out on. I will continue to do so, but after much convincing, I will now accept outside monetary donations. Note that all monies donated will go exclusively toward the purchase of artwork. If you wish the donation to go towards specific artwork, please note it. You can donate via PayPal by clicking the donation button below:
CONTROL PANEL PICS
One of the things that always attracted me to a new game at the arcade "back in the day" was an eye-catching control panel. Think about it; the control panel is the interface that connects you to the game. A bad control panel just sucks, but a good one will make you one with the game.Back in 2001, Smitdogg of MAMETesters took upon himself the task of creating Control Panel pics to be used with MAME Frontends. EmuLoader had just added support for them, and other frontends soon followed, including MAME32.
Well, he took a 15-month break, did another release in 2003, and took a break again. I wanted more, so I took it upon myself (along with my new digital camera) to start taking more pics. I was on a quest. A quest for new pics and better pics.
In Fall of 2003, I forwarded my new stuff to Smitty, he did another release, and that became my first of many contributions. Smitdogg went AWOL (? - or just on break), so I've taken it upon myself to continue the project.
CABINET PICS
Back in 1999/2000, there was a website called The Arcade Art Museum, which specialized in creating cabinet pics for MAME frontends. Well, the guy in charge there moved on to spend his time doing bigger and better things =D Many of the pics from there are what exist in the current packs at MAME32QA.
Well, these pics were first made when most people ran at 640x480 resolutions and connected to the internet using 56K modems. In today's world, these pics just look really blurry when stretched in a frontend running at 1280x1024 or higher. Plus, there have many games that have been added to MAME that are still missing pics. Since I've been doing the Control Panel Packs for some time now, I figured I'd step up to the challenge and start the thing over from scratch. Again, I was on a quest for new and better pics.
Over the past twelve months, I've been collecting pics from everywhere, including many I took myself. I also got a hold of TheGuru who sent me everything he had been holding onto from the Arcade Art days, and then a bunch of stuff from Marshall.
My eventual goal is to enable people to have their own Arcade Art Museum on their own computer. Wish me luck! (And please don't ask about the marquees yet; one thing at a time please).
MARQUEE PICS
Many moons ago, there was a guy named Eldio. He liked marquees. He liked them so much, he created picture packs to use in MAME Frontends. In fact, you can still see the original website here. Alas, things became busy, and Eldio moved on to other things (though, if you pay attention, you can still find him lurking around MAMEWorld every so often).
So anyway, more than two years after the last update, Howard_Castro from BYOAC released an "unofficial pack" of marquees.
Well, as I don't want to see this project get abandoned, it's time to breathe some new life into it. Howard Castro is going to be the main maintaner for this; my plate is overflowing. I've got some stuff here that I need to go through, but one thing at a time. I'll contribute from time to time as I can. Bottom line: the marquees have an official page again.