1 This file describes general usage information about MAME. It is intended
2 to cover aspects of using and configuring the program that are common
3 across operating systems. For additional OS-specific options, please see
4 the separate documentation for your particular version of MAME.
5
6
7
8 Using the program
9 -----------------
10
11 The usual way to run MAME is by telling it to run a particular game:
12
13 mame <gamename> [options]
14
15 For example:
16
17 mame robby -nosound
18
19 ...will run Robby Roto without sound. There are many, many options
20 available. All commonly supported options are listed below. Options that
21 are specific to one operating system or version of MAME will be listed
22 in a separate document.
23
24 An alternative way to run MAME is to give it a command:
25
26 mame <command> [parameters]
27
28 For example:
29
30 mame -listsource gridlee
31
32 ...will print the name of the source file where the gridlee driver lives
33 to the screen. There are just a handful of these commands in MAME. They
34 are all listed below, just before the options list.
35
36
37
38 Default Keys
39 ------------
40
41 All the keys below are fully configurable in the user interface. This list
42 shows the standard keyboard configuration.
43
44 Tab Toggles the configuration menu.
45
46 ~ Toggles the On Screen Display. When the on-screen display is
47 visible, you can use the following keys to control it:
48
49 Up - select previous parameter to modify
50 Down - select next parameter to modify
51 Enter - reset parameter value to its default
52
53 Left - decrease the value of the selected parameter
54 Control+Left - decrease the value by 10x
55 Shift+Left - decrease the value by 0.1x
56 Alt+Left - decrease the value by the smallest amount
57
58 Right - increase the value of the selected parameter
59 Control+Right - increase the value by 10x
60 Shift+Right - increase the value by 0.1x
61 Alt+Right - increase the value by the smallest amount
62
63 P Pauses the game.
64
65 Shift+P While paused, advances to next frame.
66
67 F2 Service Mode for games that support it.
68
69 F3 Resets the game.
70
71 Shift+F3 Performs a "hard reset", which tears everything down and re-
72 creates it from scratch. This is a more thorough and complete
73 reset than an F3.
74
75 F4 Shows the game palette, decoded GFX, and any tilemaps. Use the
76 Enter key to switch between the three modes (palette, graphics,
77 and tilemaps). Press F4 again to turn off the display. The key
78 controls in each mode vary slightly:
79
80 * Palette/colortable mode:
81 [ ] - switch between palette and colortable modes
82 Up/Down - scroll up/down one line at a time
83 Page Up/Page Down - scroll up/down one page at a time
84 Home/End - move to top/bottom of list
85 -/+ - increase/decrease the number of colors per row
86 Enter - switch to graphics viewer
87
88 * Graphics mode:
89 [ ] - switch between different graphics sets
90 Up/Down - scroll up/down one line at a time
91 Page Up/Page Down - scroll up/down one page at a time
92 Home/End - move to top/bottom of list
93 Left/Right - change color displayed
94 R - rotate tiles 90 degrees clockwise
95 -/+ - increase/decrease the number of tiles per row
96 Enter - switch to tilemap viewer
97
98 * Tilemap mode:
99 [ ] - switch between different tilemaps
100 Up/Down/Left/Right - scroll 8 pixels at a time
101 Shift+Up/Down/Left/Right - scroll 1 pixel at a time
102 Control+Up/Down/Left/Right - scroll 64 pixels at a time
103 R - rotate tilemap view 90 degrees clockwise
104 -/+ - increase/decrease the zoom factor
105 Enter - switch to palette/colortable mode
106
107 Note: Not all games have decoded graphics and/or tilemaps.
108
109 F6 Toggle cheat mode (if started with "-cheat").
110
111 F7 Load a save state. You will be requested to press a key to
112 determine which save state you wish to load. Note that the save
113 state feature is not supported for a large number of drivers. If
114 support is not enabled for a given driver, you will receive a
115 warning when attempting to save or load.
116
117 Shift+F7 Create a save state. Requires an additional keypress to identify
118 the state, similar to the load option above.
119
120 F8 Decrease frame skip on the fly.
121
122 F9 Increase frame skip on the fly.
123
124 F10 Toggle speed throttling.
125
126 F11 Toggles speed display.
127
128 Shift+F11 Toggles internal profiler display (if compiled in).
129
130 F12 Saves a screen snapshot.
131
132 Insert Fast forward. While held, runs the game with throttling disabled
133 and with the maximum frameskip.
134
135 Escape Exits emulator.
136
137
138
139
140 Core commands
141 -------------
142
143 -help / -h / -?
144
145 Displays current MAME version and copyright notice.
146
147 -validate / -valid
148
149 Performs internal validation on every driver in the system. Run this
150 before submitting changes to ensure that you haven't violated any of
151 the core system rules.
152
153
154
155 Configuration commands
156 ----------------------
157
158 -createconfig / -cc
159
160 Creates the default mame.ini file. All the configuration options
161 (not commands) described below can be permanently changed by editing
162 this configuration file.
163
164 -showconfig / -sc
165
166 Displays the current configuration settings. If you route this to a
167 file, you can use it as an INI file. For example, the command:
168
169 mame -showconfig >mame.ini
170
171 is equivalent to -createconfig.
172
173 -showusage / -su
174
175 Displays a summary of all the command line options. For options that
176 are not mentioned here, the short summary given by "mame -showusage"
177 is usually sufficient.
178
179
180
181 Frontend commands
182 -----------------
183
184 Note: By default, all the '-list' commands below write info to the screen.
185 If you wish to write the info to a textfile instead, add this to the end
186 of your command:
187
188 > filename
189
190 ...where 'filename' is the textfile's path and name
191 (e.g., c:\mame\list.txt).
192
193 -listxml / -lx [<gamename|wildcard>]
194
195 List comprehensive details for all of the supported games. The output
196 is quite long, so it is usually better to redirect this into a file.
197 The output is in XML format. By default all games are listed; however,
198 you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after
199 the -listxml command.
200
201 -listfull / -ll [<gamename|wildcard>]
202
203 Displays a list of game driver names and descriptions. By default all
204 games are listed; however, you can limit this list by specifying a
205 driver name or wildcard after the -listfull command.
206
207 -listsource / -ls [<gamename|wildcard>]
208
209 Displays a list of drivers and the names of the source files their
210 game drivers live in. Useful for finding which driver a game runs on
211 in order to fix bugs. By default all games are listed; however, you
212 can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after
213 the -listsource command.
214
215 -listclones / -lc [<gamename|wildcard>]
216
217 Displays a list of clones. By default all clones are listed; however,
218 you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after
219 the -listsource command.
220
221 -listbrothers / -lb [<gamename|wildcard>]
222
223 Displays a list of 'brothers', or rather, other sets which are located
224 in the same sourcefile as the gamename searched for.
225
226 -listcrc [<gamename|wildcard>]
227
228 Displays a full list of CRCs of all ROM images referenced by all
229 drivers within MAME.
230
231 -listroms [<gamename|wildcard>]
232
233 Displays a list of ROM images referenced by the specified game.
234
235 -listsamples [<gamename|wildcard>]
236
237 Displays a list of samples referenced by the specified game.
238
239 -verifyroms [<gamename|wildcard>]
240
241 Checks for invalid or missing ROM images. By default all drivers that
242 have valid ZIP files or directories in the rompath are verified;
243 however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or
244 wildcard after the -verifyroms command.
245
246 -verifysamples [<gamename|wildcard>]
247
248 Checks for invalid or missing samples. By default all drivers that
249 have valid ZIP files or directories in the samplepath are verified;
250 however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or
251 wildcard after the -verifyroms command.
252
253 -romident [path\to\romstocheck.zip]
254
255 Attempts to identify ROM files, if they are known to MAME, in the
256 specified .zip file or directory. This command can be used to try and
257 identify ROM sets taken from unknown boards. On exit, the errorlevel
258 is returned as one of the following:
259
260 0: means all files were identified
261 7: means all files were identified except for 1 or more "non-ROM"
262 files
263 8: means some files were identified
264 9: means no files were identified
265
266 -listdevices / -ld [<gamename|wildcard>]
267
268 Displays a list of all devices known to be hooked up to a game. The ":"
269 is considered the game itself with the devices list being attached to give
270 the user a better understanding of what the emulation is using.
271
272 -listslots [<gamename|wildcard>]
273
274 Show available slots and options for each slot (if available). Primarily
275 used for MESS to allow control over internal plug-in cards, much like PC's
276 needing video, sound and other cards.
277
278 -listmedia / -lm [<gamename|wildcard>]
279
280 List available media that the chosen game or system allows to be used. This
281 includes media types (cartridge, cassette, diskette and more) as well as
282 common file extentions which are supported.
283
284 -listsoftware [<gamename|wildcard>]
285
286 Posts to screen all software lists which can be used by the entered gamename
287 or system. Notice, this is simply a copy/paste of the .XML file which reside
288 in the HASH folder which are allowed to be used.
289
290 -getsoftlist [<gamename|wildcard>]
291
292 Posts to screen a specific software list which matches with the gamename
293 provided.
294
295
296
297 Configuration options
298 ---------------------
299
300 -[no]readconfig / -[no]rc
301
302 Enables or disables the reading of the config files. When enabled
303 (which is the default), MAME reads the following config files in order:
304
305 - mame.ini
306 - <mymame>.ini (i.e. if MAME was renamed mame060.exe, MAME
307 parses mame060.ini here)
308 - debug.ini (if the debugger is enabled)
309 - <parent>.ini (for clones only, may be called recursively)
310 - <gamename>.ini
311 - vertical.ini (for games with vertical monitor orientation)
312 - horizont.ini (for games with horizontal monitor orientation)
313 - vector.ini (for vector games only)
314 - <driver>.ini (based on the source filename of the driver)
315
316
317 The settings in the later ini's override those in the earlier ini's.
318 So, for example, if you wanted to disable overlay effects in the
319 vector games, you can create a vector.ini with the "effect none" line
320 in it, and it will override whatever effect value you have in your
321 mame.ini. The default is ON (-readconfig).
322
323
324
325 Core search path options
326 ------------------------
327
328 -rompath / -rp <path>
329
330 Specifies a list of paths within which to find ROM or hard disk images.
331 Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
332 The default is 'roms' (that is, a directory "roms" in the same directory
333 as the MAME executable).
334
335 -samplepath / -sp <path>
336
337 Specifies a list of paths within which to find sample files. Multiple
338 paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
339 is 'samples' (that is, a directory "samples" in the same directory as
340 the MAME executable).
341
342 -artpath <path> / -artwork_directory <path>
343
344 Specifies a list of paths within which to find artwork files. Multiple
345 paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
346 is 'artwork' (that is, a directory "artwork" in the same directory as
347 the MAME executable).
348
349 -ctrlrpath / -ctrlr_directory <path>
350
351 Specifies a list of paths within which to find controller-specific
352 configuration files. Multiple paths can be specified by separating
353 them with semicolons. The default is 'ctrlr' (that is, a directory
354 "ctrlr" in the same directory as the MAME executable).
355
356 -inipath <path>
357
358 Specifies a list of paths within which to find .INI files. Multiple
359 paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
360 is '.;ini' (that is, search in the current directory first, and then
361 in the directory "ini" in the same directory as the MAME executable).
362
363 -fontpath <path>
364
365 Specifies a list of paths within which to find .BDF font files. Multiple
366 paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
367 is '.' (that is, search in the same directory as the MAME executable).
368
369 -cheatpath <path>
370
371 Specifies a list of paths within which to find .XML cheat files.
372 Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The
373 default is 'cheat' (that is, a folder called 'cheat' located in the same
374 directory as the as the MAME executable).
375
376 -crosshairpath <path>
377
378 Specifies a list of paths within which to find crosshair files. Multiple
379 paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
380 is 'crsshair' (that is, a directory "crsshair" in the same directory as
381 the MAME executable). If the Crosshair is set to default in the menu,
382 MAME will look for gamename\cross#.png and then cross#.png in the
383 specified crsshairpath, where # is the player number. Failing that,
384 MAME will use built-in default crosshairs.
385
386
387 Core Output Directory Options
388 -----------------------------
389
390 -cfg_directory <path>
391
392 Specifies a single directory where configuration files are stored.
393 Configuration files store user configurable settings that are read at
394 startup and written when MAME exits. The default is 'cfg' (that is,
395 a directory "cfg" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If
396 this directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
397
398 -nvram_directory <path>
399
400 Specifies a single directory where NVRAM files are stored. NVRAM files
401 store the contents of EEPROM and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) for games
402 which used this type of hardware. This data is read at startup and
403 written when MAME exits. The default is 'nvram' (that is, a directory
404 "nvram" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this
405 directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
406
407 -memcard_directory <path>
408
409 Specifies a single directory where memory card files are stored.
410 Memory card files store the contents of removable memory cards for
411 games which used this type of hardware. This data is read and written
412 under control of the user via the "Memory Card" menu in the user
413 interface. The default is 'memcard' (that is, a directory "memcard"
414 in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory does
415 not exist, it will be automatically created.
416
417 -input_directory <path>
418
419 Specifies a single directory where input recording files are stored.
420 Input recordings are created via the -record option and played back
421 via the -playback option. The default is 'inp' (that is, a directory
422 "inp" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory
423 does not exist, it will be automatically created.
424
425 -state_directory <path>
426
427 Specifies a single directory where save state files are stored. Save
428 state files are read and written either upon user request, or when
429 using the -autosave option. The default is 'sta' (that is, a directory
430 "sta" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory
431 does not exist, it will be automatically created.
432
433 -snapshot_directory <path>
434
435 Specifies a single directory where screen snapshots are stored, when
436 requested by the user. The default is 'snap' (that is, a directory
437 "snap" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this
438 directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
439
440 -diff_directory <path>
441
442 Specifies a single directory where hard drive differencing files are
443 stored. Hard drive differencing files store any data that is written
444 back to a hard disk image, in order to preserve the original image.
445 The differencing files are created at startup when a game with a hard
446 disk image. The default is 'diff' (that is, a directory "diff" in the
447 same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory does not
448 exist, it will be automatically created.
449
450 -comment_directory <path>
451
452 Specifies a single directory where debugger comment files are stored.
453 Debugger comment files are written by the debugger when comments are
454 added to the disassembly for a game. The default is 'comments' (that
455 is, a directory "comments" in the same directory as the MAME
456 executable). If this directory does not exist, it will be
457 automatically created.
458
459
460
461 Core state/playback options
462 ---------------------------
463
464 -state <slot>
465
466 Immediately after starting the specified game, will cause the save
467 state in the specified <slot> to be loaded.
468
469 -[no]autosave
470
471 When enabled, automatically creates a save state file when exiting
472 MAME and automatically attempts to reload it when later starting MAME
473 with the same game. This only works for games that have explicitly
474 enabled save state support in their driver. The default is OFF
475 (-noautosave).
476
477 -playback / -pb <filename>
478
479 Specifies a file from which to play back a series of game inputs. This
480 feature does not work reliably for all games, but can be used to watch
481 a previously recorded game session from start to finish. In order to
482 make things consistent, you should only record and playback with all
483 configuration (.cfg), NVRAM (.nv), and memory card files deleted. The
484 default is NULL (no playback).
485
486 -record / -rec <filename>
487
488 Specifies a file to record all input from a game session. This can be
489 used to record a game session for later playback. This feature does
490 not work reliably for all games, but can be used to watch a previously
491 recorded game session from start to finish. In order to make things
492 consistent, you should only record and playback with all configuration
493 (.cfg), NVRAM (.nv), and memory card files deleted. The default is
494 NULL (no recording).
495
496 -mngwrite <filename>
497
498 Writes each video frame to the given <filename> in MNG format,
499 producing an animation of the game session. Note that -mngwrite only
500 writes video frames; it does not save any audio data. Use -wavwrite
501 for that, and reassemble the audio/video using offline tools. The
502 default is NULL (no recording).
503
504 -aviwrite <filename>
505
506 Stream video and sound data to the given <filename> in AVI format,
507 producing an animation of the game session complete with sound. The
508 default is NULL (no recording).
509
510 -wavwrite <filename>
511
512 Writes the final mixer output to the given <filename> in WAV format,
513 producing an audio recording of the game session. The default is
514 NULL (no recording).
515
516 -snapname <name>
517
518 Describes how MAME should name files for snapshots. <name> is a string
519 that provides a template that is used to generate a filename. Three
520 simple substitutions are provided: the / character represents the
521 path separator on any target platform (even Windows); the string %g
522 represents the driver name of the current game; and the string %i
523 represents an incrementing index. If %i is omitted, then each
524 snapshot taken will overwrite the previous one; otherwise, MAME will
525 find the next empty value for %i and use that for a filename. The
526 default is %g/%i, which creates a separate folder for each game,
527 and names the snapshots under it starting with 0000 and increasing
528 from there. In the case of using different media, you can use the
529 %d_[media] indicator. Replace [media] with the default media being
530 used. In the example: 'mess nes megaman2u -snapname %g/%d_cart'
531 snapshots will then be placed in 'snaps\nes\megaman2u.png'
532
533 -snapsize <width>x<height>
534
535 Hard-codes the size for snapshots and movie recording. By default,
536 MAME will create snapshots at the game's current resolution in raw
537 pixels, and will create movies at the game's starting resolution in
538 raw pixels. If you specify this option, then MAME will create both
539 snapshots and movies at the size specified, and will bilinear filter
540 the result. Note that this size does not automatically rotate if the
541 game is vertically oriented. The default is 'auto'.
542
543 -snapview <viewname>
544
545 Specifies the view to use when rendering snapshots and movies. By
546 default, both use a special 'internal' view, which renders a separate
547 snapshot per screen or renders movies only of the first screen. By
548 specifying this option, you can override this default behavior and
549 select a single view that will apply to all snapshots and movies.
550 Note that <viewname> does not need to be a perfect match; rather, it
551 will select the first view whose name matches all the characters
552 specified by <viewname>. For example, -snapview native will match the
553 "Native (15:14)" view even though it is not a perfect match.
554 <viewname> can also be 'auto', which selects the first view with all
555 screens present. The default value is 'internal'.
556
557 -[no]burnin
558
559 Tracks brightness of the screen during play and at the end of
560 emulation generates a PNG that can be used to simulate burn-in
561 effects on other games. The resulting PNG is created such that the
562 least used-areas of the screen are fully white (since burned-in areas
563 are darker, all other areas of the screen must be lightened a touch).
564 The intention is that this PNG can be loaded via an artwork file with
565 a low alpha (e.g, 0.1-0.2 seems to work well) and blended over the
566 entire screen. The PNG files are saved in the snap directory under
567 the gamename/burnin-<screen.name>.png. The default is OFF (-noburnin).
568
569
570
571 Core performance options
572 ------------------------
573
574 -[no]autoframeskip / -[no]afs
575
576 Automatically determines the frameskip level while you're playing the
577 game, adjusting it constantly in a frantic attempt to keep the game
578 running at full speed. Turning this on overrides the value you have
579 set for -frameskip below. The default is OFF (-noautoframeskip).
580
581 -frameskip / -fs <level>
582
583 Specifies the frameskip value. This is the number of frames out of
584 every 12 to drop when running. For example, if you say -frameskip 2,
585 then MAME will display 10 out of every 12 frames. By skipping those
586 frames, you may be able to get full speed in a game that requires more
587 horsepower than your computer has. The default value is -frameskip 0,
588 which skips no frames.
589
590 -seconds_to_run / -str <seconds>
591
592 This option can be used for benchmarking and automated testing. It tells
593 MAME to stop execution after a fixed number of seconds. By combining
594 this with a fixed set of other command line options, you can set up a
595 consistent environment for benchmarking MAME performance. In addition,
596 upon exit, the -str option will write a screenshot called final.png
597 to the game's snapshot directory.
598
599 -[no]throttle
600
601 Configures the default thottling setting. When throttling is on, MAME
602 attempts to keep the game running at the game's intended speed. When
603 throttling is off, MAME runs the game as fast as it can. Note that the
604 fastest speed is more often than not limited by your graphics card,
605 especially for older games. The default is ON (-throttle).
606
607 -[no]sleep
608
609 Allows MAME to give time back to the system when running with -throttle.
610 This allows other programs to have some CPU time, assuming that the
611 game isn't taxing 100% of your CPU resources. This option can
612 potentially cause hiccups in performance if other demanding programs
613 are running. The default is ON (-sleep).
614
615 -speed <factor>
616
617 Changes the way MAME throttles gameplay such that the game runs at some
618 multiplier of the original speed. A <factor> of 1.0 means to run the
619 game at its normal speed. A <factor> of 0.5 means run at half speed,
620 and a <factor> of 2.0 means run at 2x speed. Note that changing this
621 value affects sound playback as well, which will scale in pitch
622 accordingly. The internal resolution of the fraction is two decimal
623 places, so a value of 1.002 is the same as 1.0. The default is 1.0.
624
625 -[no]refreshspeed / -[no]rs
626
627 Allows MAME to dynamically adjust the gameplay speed such that it does
628 not exceed the slowest refresh rate for any targeted monitors in your
629 system. Thus, if you have a 60Hz monitor and run a game that is
630 actually designed to run at 60.6Hz, MAME will dynamically change the
631 speed down to 99% in order to prevent sound hiccups or other
632 undesirable side effects of running at a slower refresh rate. The
633 default is OFF (-norefreshspeed).
634
635
636
637 Core rotation options
638 ---------------------
639
640 -[no]rotate
641
642 Rotate the game to match its normal state (horizontal/vertical). This
643 ensures that both vertically and horizontally oriented games show up
644 correctly without the need to rotate your monitor. If you want to keep
645 the game displaying 'raw' on the screen the way it would have in the
646 arcade, turn this option OFF. The default is ON (-rotate).
647
648 -[no]ror
649 -[no]rol
650
651 Rotate the game screen to the right (clockwise) or left (counter-
652 clockwise) relative to either its normal state (if -rotate is
653 specified) or its native state (if -norotate is specified). The
654 default for both of these options is OFF (-noror -norol).
655
656 -[no]autoror
657 -[no]autorol
658
659 These options are designed for use with pivoting screens that only
660 pivot in a single direction. If your screen only pivots clockwise,
661 use -autorol to ensure that the game will fill the screen either
662 horizontally or vertically in one of the directions you can handle.
663 If your screen only pivots counter-clockwise, use -autoror.
664
665 -[no]flipx
666 -[no]flipy
667
668 Flip (mirror) the game screen either horizontally (-flipx) or
669 vertically (-flipy). The flips are applied after the -rotate and
670 -ror/-rol options are applied. The default for both of these options
671 is OFF (-noflipx -noflipy).
672
673
674
675 Core artwork options
676 --------------------
677
678 -[no]artwork_crop / -[no]artcrop
679
680 Enable cropping of artwork to the game screen area only. This works
681 best with -video gdi or -video d3d, and means that vertically oriented
682 games running full screen can display their artwork to the left and
683 right sides of the screen. This does not work with -video ddraw
684 because of the way the game screens are rendered and scaled after the
685 fact. This option can also be controlled via the Video Options menu in
686 the user interface. The default is OFF (-noartwork_crop).
687
688 -[no]use_backdrops / -[no]backdrop
689
690 Enables/disables the display of backdrops. The default is ON
691 (-use_backdrops).
692
693 -[no]use_overlays / -[no]overlay
694
695 Enables/disables the display of overlays. The default is ON
696 (-use_overlays).
697
698 -[no]use_bezels / -[no]bezels
699
700 Enables/disables the display of bezels. The default is ON
701 (-use_bezels).
702
703 -[no]use_cpanels / -[no]cpanels
704
705 Enables/disables the display of control panels. The default is ON
706 (-use_cpanels).
707
708 -[no]use_marquees / -[no]marquees
709
710 Enables/disables the display of marquees. The default is ON
711 (-use_marquees).
712
713
714
715 Core screen options
716 -------------------
717
718 -brightness <value>
719
720 Controls the default brightness, or black level, of the game screens.
721 This option does not affect the artwork or other parts of the display.
722 Using the MAME UI, you can individually set the brightness for each
723 game screen; this option controls the initial value for all visible
724 game screens. The standard value is 1.0. Selecting lower values (down
725 to 0.1) will produce a darkened display, while selecting higher values
726 (up to 2.0) will give a brighter display. The default is 1.0.
727
728 -contrast <value>
729
730 Controls the contrast, or white level, of the game screens. This
731 option does not affect the artwork or other parts of the display.
732 Using the MAME UI, you can individually set the contrast for each
733 game screen; this option controls the initial value for all visible
734 game screens. The standard value is 1.0. Selecting lower values (down
735 to 0.1) will produce a dimmer display, while selecting higher values
736 (up to 2.0) will give a more saturated display. The default is 1.0.
737
738 -gamma <value>
739
740 Controls the gamma, which produces a potentially nonlinear black to
741 white ramp, for the game screens. This option does not affect the
742 artwork or other parts of the display. Using the MAME UI, you can
743 individually set the gamma for each game screen; this option controls
744 the initial value for all visible game screens. The standard value is
745 1.0, which gives a linear ramp from black to white. Selecting lower
746 values (down to 0.1) will increase the nonlinearity toward black,
747 while selecting higher values (up to 3.0) will push the nonlinearity
748 toward white. The default is 1.0.
749
750 -pause_brightness <value>
751
752 This controls the brightness level when MAME is paused. The default
753 value is 0.65.
754
755 -effect <filename>
756
757 Specifies a single PNG file that is used as an overlay over any game
758 screens in the video display. This PNG file is assumed to live in the
759 root of one of the artpath directories. The pattern in the PNG file is
760 repeated both horizontally and vertically to cover the entire game
761 screen areas (but not any external artwork), and is rendered at
762 the target resolution of the game image. For -video gdi and -video d3d
763 modes, this means that one pixel in the PNG will map to one pixel on
764 your output display. For -video ddraw, this means that one pixel in the
765 PNG will map to one pixel in the prescaled game screen. If you wish to
766 use an effect that requires mapping n PNG pixels to each game screen
767 pixel with -video ddraw, you need to specify a -prescale factor of n as
768 well. The RGB values of each pixel in the PNG are multiplied against the
769 RGB values of the target screen. The default is 'none', meaning no
770 effect.
771
772
773
774 Core vector options
775 -------------------
776
777 -[no]antialias / -[no]aa
778
779 Enables antialiased line rendering for vector games. The default is ON
780 (-antialias).
781
782 -beam <width>
783
784 Sets the width of the vectors. This is a scaling factor against the
785 standard vector width. A value of 1.0 will keep the default vector
786 line width. Smaller values will reduce the width, and larger values
787 will increase the width. The default is 1.0.
788
789 -flicker <value>
790
791 Simulates a vector "flicker" effect, similar to a vector monitor that
792 needs adjustment. This option requires a float argument in the range
793 of 0.00 - 100.00 (0=none, 100=maximum). The default is 0.
794
795
796
797 Core sound options
798 ------------------
799
800 -[no]sound
801
802 Enable or disable sound altogether. The default is ON (-sound).
803
804 -samplerate <value> / -sr <value>
805
806 Sets the audio sample rate. Smaller values (e.g. 11025) cause lower
807 audio quality but faster emulation speed. Higher values (e.g. 48000)
808 cause higher audio quality but slower emulation speed. The default is
809 48000.
810
811 -[no]samples
812
813 Use samples if available. The default is ON (-samples).
814
815 -volume / -vol <value>
816
817 Sets the startup volume. It can later be changed with the user
818 interface (see Keys section). The volume is an attenuation in dB:
819 e.g., "-volume -12" will start with -12dB attenuation. The default
820 is 0.
821
822
823
824 Core input options
825 ------------------
826
827 -[no]coin_lockout / -[no]coinlock
828
829 Enables simulation of the "coin lockout" feature that is implmeneted
830 on a number of game PCBs. It was up to the operator whether or not
831 the coin lockout outputs were actually connected to the coin
832 mechanisms. If this feature is enabled, then attempts to enter a coin
833 while the lockout is active will fail and will display a popup message
834 in the user interface. If this feature is disabled, the coin lockout
835 signal will be ignored. The default is ON (-coin_lockout).
836
837 -ctrlr <controller>
838
839 Enables support for special controllers. Configuration files are
840 loaded from the ctrlrpath. They are in the same format as the .cfg
841 files that are saved, but only control configuration data is read
842 from the file. The default is NULL (no controller file).
843
844 -[no]mouse
845
846 Controls whether or not MAME makes use of mouse controllers. When
847 this is enabled, you will likely be unable to use your mouse for other
848 purposes until you exit or pause the game. The default is OFF
849 (-nomouse).
850
851 -[no]joystick / -[no]joy
852
853 Controls whether or not MAME makes use of joystick/gamepad controllers.
854 When this is enabled, MAME will ask DirectInput about which
855 controllers are connected. The default is OFF (-nojoystick).
856
857 -[no]lightgun / -[no]gun
858
859 Controls whether or not MAME makes use of lightgun controllers.
860 Note that most lightguns map to the mouse, so using -lightgun and
861 -mouse together may produce strange results. The default is OFF
862 (-nolightgun).
863
864 -[no]multikeyboard / -[no]multikey
865
866 Determines whether MAME differentiates between multiple keyboards.
867 Some systems may report more than one keyboard; by default, the data
868 from all of these keyboards is combined so that it looks like a single
869 keyboard. Turning this option on will enable MAME to report keypresses
870 on different keyboards independently. The default is OFF
871 (-nomultikeyboard).
872
873 -[no]multimouse
874
875 Determines whether MAME differentiates between multiple mice. Some
876 systems may report more than one mouse device; by default, the data
877 from all of these mice is combined so that it looks like a single
878 mouse. Turning this option on will enable MAME to report mouse
879 movement and button presses on different mice independently. The
880 default is OFF (-nomultimouse).
881
882 -[no]steadykey / -[no]steady
883
884 Some games require two or more buttons to be pressed at exactly the
885 same time to make special moves. Due to limitations in the keyboard
886 hardware, it can be difficult or even impossible to accomplish that
887 using the standard keyboard handling. This option selects a different
888 handling that makes it easier to register simultaneous button presses,
889 but has the disadvantage of making controls less responsive. The
890 default is OFF (-nosteadykey)
891
892 -[no]ui_active
893
894 Enable user interface on top of emulated keyboard (if present). The
895 default if OFF (-noui_active)
896
897 -[no]offscreen_reload / -[no]reload
898
899 Controls whether or not MAME treats a second button input from a
900 lightgun as a reload signal. In this case, MAME will report the gun's
901 position as (0,MAX) with the trigger held, which is equivalent to an
902 offscreen reload. This is only needed for games that required you to
903 shoot offscreen to reload, and then only if your gun does not support
904 off screen reloads. The default is OFF (-nooffscreen_reload).
905
906 -joystick_map <map> / -joymap <map>
907
908 Controls how joystick values map to digital joystick controls. MAME
909 accepts all joystick input from the system as analog data. For true
910 analog joysticks, this needs to be mapped down to the usual 4-way or
911 8-way digital joystick values. To do this, MAME divides the analog
912 range into a 9x9 grid. It then takes the joystick axis position (for
913 X and Y axes only), maps it to this grid, and then looks up a
914 translation from a joystick map. This parameter allows you to specify
915 the map. The default is 'auto', which means that a standard 8-way,
916 4-way, or 4-way diagonal map is selected automatically based on the
917 input port configuration of the current game.
918
919 Maps are defined as a string of numbers and characters. Since the grid
920 is 9x9, there are a total of 81 characters necessary to define a
921 complete map. Below is an example map for an 8-way joystick:
922
923 777888999 Note that the numeric digits correspond to the keys
924 777888999 on a numeric keypad. So '7' maps to up+left, '4' maps
925 777888999 to left, '5' maps to neutral, etc. In addition to the
926 444555666 numeric values, you can specify the character 's',
927 444555666 which means "sticky". In this case, the value of the
928 444555666 map is the same as it was the last time a non-sticky
929 111222333 value was read.
930 111222333
931 111222333
932
933 To specify the map for this parameter, you can specify a string of
934 rows separated by a '.' (which indicates the end of a row), like so:
935
936 777888999.777888999.777888999.444555666.444555666.444555666.
937 111222333.111222333.111222333
938
939 However, this can be reduced using several shorthands supported by the
940 <map> parameter. If information about a row is missing, then it is
941 assumed that any missing data in columns 5-9 are left/right symmetric
942 with data in columns 0-4; and any missing data in colums 0-4 is
943 assumed to be copies of the previous data. The same logic applies to
944 missing rows, except that up/down symmetry is assumed.
945
946 By using these shorthands, the 81 character map can be simply
947 specified by this 11 character string: 7778...4445
948
949 Looking at the first row, 7778 is only 4 characters long. The 5th
950 entry can't use symmetry, so it is assumed to be equal to the previous
951 character '8'. The 6th character is left/right symmetric with the 4th
952 character, giving an '8'. The 7th character is left/right symmetric
953 with the 3rd character, giving a '9' (which is '7' with left/right
954 flipped). Eventually this gives the full 777888999 string of the row.
955
956 The second and third rows are missing, so they are assumed to be
957 identical to the first row. The fourth row decodes similarly to the
958 first row, producing 444555666. The fifth row is missing so it is
959 assumed to be the same as the fourth.
960
961 The remaining three rows are also missing, so they are assumed to be
962 the up/down mirrors of the first three rows, giving three final rows
963 of 111222333.
964
965 -joystick_deadzone <value> / -joy_deadzone <value> / -jdz <value>
966
967 If you play with an analog joystick, the center can drift a little.
968 joystick_deadzone tells how far along an axis you must move before the
969 axis starts to change. This option expects a float in the range of
970 0.0 to 1.0. Where 0 is the center of the joystick and 1 is the outer
971 limit. The default is 0.3.
972
973 -joystick_saturation <value> / joy_saturation <value> / -jsat <value>
974
975 If you play with an analog joystick, the ends can drift a little,
976 and may not match in the +/- directions. joystick_saturation tells how
977 far along an axis movement change will be accepted before it reaches
978 the maximum range. This option expects a float in the range of 0.0 to
979 1.0, where 0 is the center of the joystick and 1 is the outer limit.
980 The default is 0.85.
981
982 -natural
983 Specific whether or not to use a natural keyboard or not. This allows
984 you to start your game or system in "partial" keyboard emulation mode,
985 giving you the ability to use all normal UI keys. The default is OFF,
986 (-nonatrual)
987
988 -joystick_contradictory
989
990 Enable contradictory direction digital joystick input at the same time
991 such as Left and Right or Up and Down at the same time. The default
992 is OFF (-nojoystick_contradictory)
993
994 -coin_impulse [n]
995
996 Set coin impulse time based on n (n<0 disable impulse, n==0 obey driver,
997 0<n set time n). Default is 0.
998
999
1000
1001 Core input automatic enable options
1002 -----------------------------------
1003
1004 -paddle_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a paddle control is present
1005 -adstick_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if an analog joystick control is present
1006 -pedal_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a pedal control is present
1007 -dial_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a dial control is present
1008 -trackball_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a trackball control is present
1009 -lightgun_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a lightgun control is present
1010 -positional_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a positional control is present
1011 -mouse_device enable (none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick) if a mouse control is present
1012
1013 Each of these options controls autoenabling the mouse, joystick, or
1014 lightgun depending on the presence of a particular class of analog
1015 control for a particular game. For example, if you specify the option
1016 -paddle mouse, then any game that has a paddle control will
1017 automatically enable mouse controls just as if you had explicitly
1018 specified -mouse. Note that these controls override the values of
1019 -[no]mouse, -[no]joystick, etc.
1020
1021
1022
1023 Debugging options
1024 -----------------
1025
1026 -[no]log
1027
1028 Creates a file called error.log which contains all of the internal
1029 log messages generated by the MAME core and game drivers. The default
1030 is OFF (-nolog).
1031
1032 -[no]verbose / -[no]v
1033
1034 Displays internal diagnostic information. This information is very
1035 useful for debugging problems with your configuration. IMPORTANT: when
1036 reporting bugs, please run with mame -verbose and include the
1037 resulting information. The default is OFF (-noverbose).
1038
1039 -[no]update_in_pause
1040
1041 Enables updating of the main screen bitmap while the game is paused.
1042 This means that the VIDEO_UPDATE callback will be called repeatedly
1043 during pause, which can be useful for debugging. The default is OFF
1044 (-noupdate_in_pause).
1045
1046 -[no]debug
1047
1048 Activates the integrated debugger. By default, the debugger is entered
1049 by pressing the tilde (~) key during emulation. It is also entered
1050 immediately at startup. The default is OFF (-nodebug).
1051
1052 -debugscript <filename>
1053
1054 Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute
1055 immediately upon startup. The default is NULL (no commands).
1056
1057 -debug_internal
1058
1059 A special 'internal' debugger for debugging. Activated when used along
1060 with -debug. The default if OFF (-nodebug_internal).
1061
1062
1063
1064 Core misc options
1065 -----------------
1066
1067 -bios <biosname>
1068
1069 Specifies the specific BIOS to use with the current game, for game
1070 systems that make use of a BIOS. The -listxml output will list all of
1071 the possible BIOS names for a game. The default is 'default'.
1072
1073 -[no]cheat / -[no]c
1074
1075 Enables the reading of the cheat database, if present, and the Cheat
1076 menu in the user interface. The default is OFF (-nocheat).
1077
1078 -[no]skip_gameinfo
1079
1080 Forces MAME to skip displaying the game info screen. The default is
1081 OFF (-noskip_gameinfo).
1082
1083 -uifont <fontname>
1084
1085 Specifies the name of a font file to use for the UI font. If this font
1086 cannot be found or cannot be loaded, the system will fall back to its
1087 built-in UI font. On some platforms 'fontname' can be a system font
1088 name (TTF) instead of a (BDF) font file. The default is 'default' (use
1089 the OSD-determined default font).
1090
1091 -ramsize [n]
1092
1093 Allows you to change the default RAM size (if supported by driver).
1094
1095 -confirm_quit
1096
1097 Display a Confirm Quit dialong to screen on exit, requiring one extra
1098 step to exit MAME. The default is OFF (-noconfirm_quit).
1099
1100 -ui_mouse
1101
1102 Displays a mouse cursor when using the built-in UI for MAME. The default
1103 is (-noui_mouse).
