MAMEWorld Forums - Programming - Re: Race Drivin and linking?

> > I've poked through the source code, but can't find any mention of whether the
> serial
> > port(s) on the Atari polygon hardware (Hard Drivin, Race Drivin, STUN Runner, Steel
> > Talons, etc) are implemented in MAME in any way. Anyone know or know how to tell
> for
> > sure?
> >
> > Would be cool to figure out how to link two machines running MAME and Race Drivin.
> >
> > More cool would be to build a custom Race Drivin Panorama.
>
> Can't speak for the linking but Haze implemented Race Drivin Panorama not too long
> ago.
>
> http://mamedev.emulab.it/haze/2015/05/08/post-release-progress/
>
> - Stiletto

Yeah, I know RDP is in MAME. But it's not as generic as I'd like...on the real hardware, you could actually keep adding displays. You add another set of boards and you can configure them for any angle you want (well, nearly). Folks have hacked together five screen RDPs, and in the lab back in the day when it was being built, they did a four screen version that had a rear view. They put the monitor behind the driver and put a real rear view mirror above the center screen and it worked.

But the current MAME implementation is hard coded to three screens, all running on your one computer monitor and on one computer. I'd rather see it abstracted out such that you could use three distinct computers.

Why? Because then you could use *real* RDP hardware in the center (which can be derived from RD hardware quite easily) and MAME machines for as many other angles as you want (I think 59 are supported in total!). No, I don't want 59, but I would like four.

My plan currently is to convert my RD to a single screen RDP. Then I'm going to build a second screen using real hardware (looks like it's just a compact multisync board and ADSP board and the right ROMs/slapstic). I'll hook it up and make sure I can make it work. Once that's working, I'd love to then see if I can use MAME to make another display.

I believe modifying harddriv.c to support this idea of hardware is easy. What's *not* easy is adding serial port support. That's where I'd *definitely* need help if it isn't implemented already.

As a bonus, if serial support were there, one could setup two MAME machines and do head-to-head RD racing. Or one real RD and one MAME. Not sure that's as useful, obviously, as using MAME for the side displays of RDP.

--Donnie