MAME Path Handling
==================

MAME has a specific order it uses when checking for user files such as ROM sets and cheat files.


Order of Path Loading
---------------------

Let's use an example of the cheat file for AfterBurner 2 for Sega Genesis/MegaDrive (aburner2 in the megadrive softlist), and your cheatpath is set to "cheat" (as per the default) -- this is how MAME will search for that cheat file:

1. cheat/megadriv/aburner2.xml
2. cheat/megadriv.zip -> aburner2.xml
   Notice that it checks for a .ZIP file first before a .7Z file.
3. cheat/megadriv.zip -> <arbitrary path>/aburner2.xml
   It will look for the first (if any) aburner2.xml file it can find inside that zip, no matter what the path is.
4. cheat.zip -> megadriv/aburner2.xml
   Now it is specifically looking for the file and folder combination, but inside the cheat.zip file.
5. cheat.zip -> <arbitrary path>/megadriv/aburner2.xml
   Like before, except looking for the first (if any) aburner2.xml inside a megadriv folder inside the zip.
6. cheat/megadriv.7z -> aburner2.xml
   Now we start checking 7ZIP files.
7. cheat/megadriv.7z -> <arbitrary path>/aburner2.xml
8. cheat.7z -> megadriv/aburner2.xml
9. cheat.7z -> <arbitrary path>/megadriv/aburner2.xml
   Similar to zip, except now 7ZIP files.


[todo: ROM set loading is slightly more complicated, adding CRC. Get that documented in the next day or two.]
