IRC user “sairuk” made the act486auto plugin to automate software installation in MAME, potentially allowing scripts that can be written and read by humans to audit the installation process. The plugin here represents Git commit 1f9dad5d30701d0930470778af91f566eb709a4b, plus additional local changes (pcipc support and a FreeDOS 1.4 install script).

An attempt was made to automate the FreeDOS 1.4 install with this, the freedos14.lua script in particular represents the partial progress that was made. Progress was halted due to the following issues:

• Creating the script is an extremely time-consuming and frustrating process of trial and error. Watch the screen for frames, write them down, write up key presses, play it back, hope it was correct, and keep reiterating.
• MAME really is not designed to be automated through its Lua engine. Random desyncs are frequent, even when using empty NVRAM and hard disk CHDs that should provide a blank-slate to start from. This was not only observed in developing the FreeDOS script, but it can also be observed in the completed msdos622.lua script written by sairuk.