For modern SD cards and mini-consoles, a is highly recommended for easy customization. How to Verify and Rebuild Your 0.78 List
to see if it is better suited for a different core like MAME 2010. or a guide for a different MAME version MAME Reference Sets | pleasuredome - GitHub Pages
The parent game holds the main files. Clone games (e.g., 2-player version, Japanese version) only hold region-specific files. Saves a massive amount of disk space.
Keep your arcade games compressed in their .zip formats. Emulators read the internal ROM chips directly from the zip file.
The set captures the peak of the 8-bit and 16-bit arcade era:
Many games on the list are "clones" (e.g., a Japanese version or a 2-player variant). A clone requires the "parent" ROM file to be in the same folder to run properly.
The massive mutant brawler, supporting multi-screen configurations in its original cabinet form. Fighting Game Foundations
Highly manageable compared to modern, multi-terabyte MAME sets. MAME 0.78 Game List Overview