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Archive.org Hosts Massive Collection of MAME ROMs
An anonymous reader writes to point out a giant gift to the world
from the Internet Archive: a massive collection of MAME ROMs, playable in your browser using Javascript Mess. From the blog post announcing this extension of the already mind-blowing Internet Archive: "Like the Historical Software collection, the Console Living Room is in beta – the ability to interact with software in near-instantaneous real-time comes with the occasional bumps and bruises. An army of volunteer elves are updating information about each of the hundreds of game cartridges now available, and will be improving them across the next few days. Sound is still not enabled, but is coming soon. Faster, more modern machines and up-to-date browsers work best with the JSMESS emulator."
Excuse me if I'm just not getting it but isn't this copyright infirngement?
Unfortunately, the only format they released the ROMs in is one huge ZIP file. Even the torrent, where torrent software might have allowed picking-and-choosing individual ROM files, is only the ridiculous 42.8GB ZIP.
I'm still looking for a list of files, but for that size, it might be EVERY MAME ROM in the MAME database of over 7000 ROMS.
On one hand, it's copyrighted content, but on the other, it's ~20 year old content, and not freely available in the public marketplace (or at least, not very affordably). Most manufacturers have chosen not to pursue copyright claims against anything that is not current-gen.
And this reader has been crossposting in how many threads already?
Democracy is for the people; you only vote once per season and we'll do the rest of the work for you don't have to.
Look at the stuff in the "MESS and MAME" collection. There's PSX dumps, there's Saturn dumps, and there's a whole bunch of arcade games that I know for a fact cannot be legally distributed (Raiden, Raiden Fighters, a couple of CAVE games, etc). I'm not even sure how legal those ROM dumps are even if you own the original arcade boards- almost all arcade PCBs have hardware protection on them (think of DRM, but a billion times worse), and in order to dump the ROM contents properly and/or run them you'd have to crack that protection first.
I mean, shit, this is basically a ROM hoarders wet dream. I have never ever seen that stuff hosted anywhere other then torrent websites. I'm honestly surprised that archive.org allowed this to be posted and I'm surprised the mamedev guys haven't freaked out over it, because this could potentially attract a lot of negative attention (and mamedev is very, very prone to sudden outbursts of illogical drama).
Even better if the entire Internet is shut down, not just the Archive.
Too bad there's no good, modern MAME client for Linux. Or for the Mac for that matter (last version was 2009)
This little freeware program allows you to not only see what's in an archive shortly after you begin to D/L it, you can prioritize individual files inside it or pick and choose any number of them to D/L or not. Also to get bits and pieces of the archive in truncated form, still retaining the format container. I haven't used it but maybe 3 times, but these situations are perfect for it: this huge-ass, inconvenient HTTP grab of over 40 damn gigs. There's a portable version available somewhere but I can't locate it ATM.
http://www.loadscout.com/index.html
If [the current owners of copyright have] a problem they can say something to IA.
They would likely say it RIAA style: by suing for a large amount and, along with the service of the suit, offering to settle for a far smaller amount.
There is no way whatsoever for me to download that file to my Nexus 16GB, especially since I can't seem to get USB OTG working.
Go to Google Play Store and download Rhythm Software File Manager to your Nexus device. While you're doing that, download this file on a desktop computer. Once the download finishes, possibly months later if your connection is metered, unzip this file to a folder and share the folder using FTP or SMB. On your Nexus device, open Rhythm Software File Manager, tap Network, scan your subnet for shared folders, and copy the ROM from the shared folder to the device.
pacman -Si sdlmame
But does it run Pac-Man?
To clarfy:
These games still have commercial value. If rights holders turned a blind eye, they would be effectively permitting commercial exploitation of the ROMs (and yes, people still pay to play them). Good news for some, perhaps, but bad for the few remaining amusement companies operating licensed machines, and bad for the rights holders who will find themselves facing competition from their own games. Also, if they don't defend the trademark violations they could find their properties in the public domain. While I'd love to be able to legally print and sell Pac Man t-shirts without licensing, I can't see that happening.
Oh, and if historical value mattered, Disney wouldn't still be successfully enforcing their copyright over the Silly Symphonies.
Whoever it ws at IA that thought 'oh, they won't care' is in for a rude awakening I suspect...
Here you go: https://ia801001.us.archive.org/zipview.php?zip=/26/items/MAME_0.151_ROMs/MAME_0.151_ROMs.zip
Us pinfans have been happily using VisualPinball & PinMAME for ages now. The VP team negotiated terms of usage with the owners of pinball ROMS (Stern, Bally, and other defunct-ish companies) which included a flatout promise not to design or publish pinball sims for games less than a year old. It seems to have worked well, in the sense that I know of no attempt either to ban distribution of the ROM files or to sue any designer or user of VP files.
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
And no one ask me for permission to copy my work. This is a fuck you to creative people who actually spent time in their lives to realize a new idea.
The Internet Archive was granted a DMCA exception for "Computer programs and video games distributed in formats that have become obsolete and which require the original media or hardware as a condition of access."
As has previously been explained, a DMCA exemption allows you to bypass the DRM on something you legally own. You still have to abide by copyright law.
Also the exemptions are re-assessed annually and they decided not to keep the DMCA exemption in place for old computer games.
It is most likely compiled from C/C++ original using asm.js as the abstraction layer. Unreal plays in the browser reasonably, and Mozilla is working on speedups still.
I'm going to assume I'm right without confirming, but feel free to read more about it yourself and come up with details to complain about rather than js is bad.
It looks to me like they were granted an exemption from the portion of the DMCA that forbids circumvention of an access method *only*, not an exemption from copyright law in general. So, it's definitely legal for them to break DRM to get the ROMs for archival purposes, but not necessarily legal for them to distribute said ROMs. I'm betting money there's going to be some kind of court action as a result of this, regardless of whether archive.org is in the clear or not.
Please stand clear of the doors, por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas
From Other Files -- torrent, or the generated Magnet
It's still One Big File, but at least you might reduce the load on archive.org. Neighborly, y'know?
Or you could always donate (3 to 1 match until EOY) to help with the upcoming lawsuit. (Oh there'll be one, well, just because. These bits USED to be owned, and I'm sure there are some people who still think they are -- whether they truly are or not.)
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
I've been piecing the Mame ROM collection together from Alt.binarier.emulators.mame
I admit I haven't worked on it for a year or so, I have 26 Gigs worth of ROMS, and
my UseNet isn't that quick. The version I was working on was 37 Gigs, this at 43 Gig
has grown a bit.
I like Moon Patrol if your my age it's one of the popular stand up arcades of the time
a moon buggy you jumped craters and boulders then the addition of space craft you shot at.
It's got four keys forward, backwards, jump, and fire. So would work an just about any
phone like my Nokia 3650 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3600/3650 -you really need
to see the key lay out.
I've got the ones that count for me Mr Do, Bubble Booble, and as mentioned moon Patrol.
I'd like to say !Score! but this Torrent could take a very long time, I'm uploading 31 KB/s .5 to 1.1 K/s we'll just download it and see what's there. I knocked the upload
downloading
down to 5 KB/s could be a junk file.
You never reboot your phone? Causes problems if you don't every so often.
Just search play.google.com or your supplier for MAME there's a player version for you.
Javascript?!?!?!
No thanks. I'd rather emulate an emulator using javascript whilst emulating windows, just to be on your level.
I love the youth of today for taking priceless optimized stuff and waving your "i'am a lazy fuck, who pisses on hard work" in its face. Nice job.
I just use Mame, http://mamedev.org/ I see it's up to .152 :} the torrent (.151) is outdated already.