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MAME Update Wizard Improvements

LaunchBox for Windows

❗Problem

The current MAME Import Wizard is excellent for first-time imports but lacks robust support for routine updates. Users who wish to update their MAME version or ROM set must either re-import the entire set—risking the loss of manual metadata, controller configurations, and curated artwork—or perform a tedious manual update. This creates friction for users who want to keep up with MAME’s monthly release cycle while preserving their customized setups.

💡Proposal

Enhance the existing MAME Import Wizard to support a dedicated Update Mode that intelligently handles incremental updates and preserves user customizations.

Suggested Features:

  • Auto-detect existing MAME version, ROM set type (merged, split, non-merged), and configuration paths

  • Compare current and new ROM sets to detect new, updated, or removed games

  • Allow selective updates of:

    • Emulator version (with option to keep config files like mame.ini)

    • ROMs only (skip media and metadata)

    • Media and metadata for new games only

  • Preserve custom changes:

    • Skip overwriting existing media and manually edited metadata

    • Retain emulator assignment and platform associations

  • Offer a preview screen with a checklist of games being added or updated

  • Optional toggle to “Use previous import settings” for faster batch updates

  • ROM path-based duplicate detection (useful for non-arcade categories like handhelds and devices)

  • Prompt user to remove or ignore deprecated games no longer in the latest MAME set

✅Benefits

  • Enables easy, safe monthly MAME updates without losing customized data

  • Reduces the risk of duplicate entries, especially for non-Arcade platforms

  • Saves time by automating repetitive steps in the update process

  • Supports more advanced workflows (e.g., using non-merged sets, keeping hacks/clones)

  • Encourages users to stay current with MAME releases while maintaining a clean library

This would give LaunchBox users a powerful, user-friendly way to keep their MAME library up to date without starting from scratch each time.

Posted by PanteraZombie ·
Status: Open To Community6 comments

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Comments6

  • Clutz450

    •

    Mar 10, 2025

    If I may chime in, I feel like having a better explanation of how to update a MAME Fullset in the Wizard would be very helpful. I did my full MAME import a while ago and have been afraid to update it. I noticed that when I let the wizard install MAME for me, it created a folder named after the version number, which led me to believe that updating isn’t a simple process (otherwise I would have expected LaunchBox to just create a folder called MAME without the version number like it does for every other emulator). Just my 2 cents on this topic. Hope it helps. Thank you.

  • Brian Faeran

    Team•

    Mar 5, 2025

    Thanks for the request.

    My first thought is that if you run the MAME import wizard a second time, it allows you to update your current MAME set to something new. This currently allows you to update the emulator to the version you request, and replaces your games with files that match that set.

    The one thing it doesn’t do is allow you to keep your manual metadata changes, as that will all get replaced with the update/import.

    So if this request was more like “allow me to keep my manually changed metadata values when I update MAME using the MAME import wizard”, would that essentially solve this for you? Or are there other things you feel are missing here?

    • PanteraZombie

      •

      Mar 6, 2025

      Ah, I wasn’t aware that running the import Wizard does a type of update if you already have it installed. But yes, the overall idea is to keep/lock all of my MAME configurations/settings/shaders/curated artwork etc… as well as any custom LaunchBox associated metadata.

      So maybe instead of creating a separate “Update Wizard”, maybe update/add on to the existing Wizard. So when the Wizard detects that you have a current installation of MAME, it could prompt you to “Keep existing MAME controller configurations” for example… and it won’t touch the files already in that MAME subfolder.

      • Brian Faeran

        Team•

        Mar 6, 2025

        So running the MAME import again should keep all of your MAME emulator stuff intact (unless of course you are going from a really old version of MAME to a new version, or vice versa, where the configurations were drastically different). You’ll see an option to “Update” MAME, and if you use that, you should be good there.

        The only thing that would happen is any manually changed game specific LaunchBox metadata would get lost (Media would be fine).

        So from the sounds of it, this process might be good enough for your use case for the most part?

        How much manual changes are you doing to your MAME metadata?

        This ticket could turn into a request to also save any user manual changes to a game’s metadata during this update process.

        • PanteraZombie

          •

          Mar 7, 2025

          I’m not doing a ton of custom changes with the MAME metadata in LaunchBox itself, primarily custom LB media and configurations within the MAME folder itself. That being said, there is still a fairly significant amount of metadata I’ve added/customized for playlist purposes. So essentially… however it can best be done, I would love to be able to:

          • download the new updated romset

          • copy over and replace old existing roms while adding the newly supported ones in the set

          • have the MAME Import Wizard install the new version of MAME without overwriting my custom changes from the previous

          • allow the Import Wizard to skip all media and metadata for any existing games, while only adding and scraping for the newly added games.

          *Also was curious on what the current overall recommendation is for which romset to use now… Non-Merged/Merged/Split?

          I have been using Merged, but wondering if it might be a bit easier keeping them updated if I switch to Non-Merged… the difference in HDD space isn’t really an issue for me. I also like having some of the hacks/clones as stand-alone games in my library.

          Hopefully this helps summarize what I would like to see a bit more. Thanks Brian!

        • Gosunkugi

          •

          Apr 5, 2025

          “save any user manual changes to a game’s metadata during this update process.”

          God please yes. I update my MAME manually every month to avoid all my metadata being constantly overwritten, rather than importing a full romset.

          Updating by full romset also has the drawback of resetting your chosen emulator.

          Keeping the changed metadata intact would be such a welcome addition.