MAME(6)
The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator
SYNOPSIS
mame
[options]
gamename
DESCRIPTION
Started in 1997 by Nicola Salmoria, MAME was originally intended as a series
of emulators for individual games, which were later combined into a single
multi-game emulator. In the following years, MAME grew over and over up to
the actual size, with more than 100 contributors to the project.
OPTIONS
Core commands
- -help, -?
-
Displays current MAME version and copyright notice.
- -validate, -valid
-
Performs internal validation on every driver in the system. Run this
before submitting changes to ensure that you haven't violated any of
the core system rules.
Configuration commands
- -createconfig, -cc
-
Creates the default mame.ini file in the current directory. All the
configuration options (not commands) described below can be permanently
changed by editing this configuration file.
- -showconfig, -sc
-
Displays the current configuration settings.
- -showusage, -su
-
Displays a summary of all the command line options. For options that
are not mentioned here, the short summary given by -showusage
is usually sufficient.
Frontend commands
All the list commands below write info to the screen.
If you wish to write the info to a textfile instead, use redirection.
For example,
mame -listxml > ~/mamelist.xml
writes the full list of supported game to file
mamelist.xml in your home
directory.
- -listxml, -lx [gamename|wildcard]
-
List comprehensive details for all of the supported games. The output
is quite long, so it is usually better to redirect this into a file.
The output is in XML format. By default all games are listed; however,
you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after
the -listxml command.
- -listfull, -ll [gamename|wildcard]
-
Displays a list of game driver names and descriptions. By default all
games are listed; however, you can limit this list by specifying a
driver name or wildcard after the -listfull command.
- -listsource, -ls [gamename|wildcard]
-
Displays a list of drivers and the names of the source files their game
drivers live in. Useful for finding which driver a game runs on in
order to fix bugs. By default all games are listed; however, you can
limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after the
-listsource command.
- -listclones, -lc [gamename|wildcard]
-
Displays a list of clones. By default all clones are listed; however,
you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard after
the -listclones command.
- -listbrothers, -lb [gamename|wildcard]
-
Displays a list of "brothers" or other drivers from same sourcefile.
By default all games are listed; however, you can limit this list by
specifying a driver name or wildcard after the -listbrothers command.
- -listcrc
-
Displays a full list of CRCs of all ROM images referenced by all
drivers within MAME code.
- -listroms, -lr gamename
-
Displays a list of ROM images referenced by the specified game.
- -listsamples gamename
-
Displays a list of samples referenced by the specified game.
- -verifyroms [gamename|wildcard]
-
Checks for invalid or missing ROM images. By default all drivers that
have valid ZIP files or directories in the rompath are verified;
however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or
wildcard after the -verifyroms command.
- -verifysamples [gamename|wildcard]
-
Checks for invalid or missing samples. By default all drivers that
have valid ZIP files or directories in the samplepath are verified;
however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or
wildcard after the -verifyroms command.
- -romident
-
Attempts to identify ROM files, if they are known to MAME, in the
specified .zip file or directory. This command can be used to try and
identify ROM sets taken from unknown boards. On exit, the errorlevel
is returned as one of the following:
0 all files were identified
7 all files were identified except for some "non-ROM" files
8 some files were identified
9 no files were identified
- -listdevices, -ld
-
Output the list of devices referenced by a given game or set of games.
- -listslots, -lslot
-
Output the list of available slots and slot devices for the system.
- -listmedia, -lm
-
Output the list of available media for the system.
- -listsoftware, -lsoft
-
Output the list of known software for the system.
- -verifysoftware, -vsoft [gamename|wildcard]
-
Checks for invalid or missing ROM images in your software lists.
By default all drivers that have valid ZIP files or directories
in the rompath are verified; however, you can limit this list by
specifying a specific driver name or wildcard.
- -getsoftlist, -glist
-
Retrieve software list by name.
- -verifysoftlist, -vlist [softwarelistname]
-
Checks a specified software list for missing ROM images if files exist
for issued softwarelistname. By default, all drivers that have valid
ZIP files or directories in the rompath are verified; however, you can
limit this list by specifying a specific softwarelistname (without .XML).
- -listmidi, -mlist
-
Create a list of list available MIDI I/O devices for use with emulation.
- -listnetwork, -nlist
-
List available network adapters.
Configuration options
- -[no]readconfig, -[no]rc
-
Enables or disables the reading of the config files. When enabled
(which is the default), MAME reads the following config files in order:
1. mame.ini
the main configuration file
2. name.ini
where name is your executable name, i.e. mame unless you changed it
(e.g. if you renamed mame to mame0137, the parsed file will be
mame0137.ini)
3. debug.ini, if the debugger is enabled
4. vector.ini, for vector games only
5. [driver].ini
based on the source filename of the game driver
6. [parent].ini
for clones only, may be called recursively
7. [gamename].ini
note this sometimes resolves to the same of the source driver
The settings in the later ini's override those in the earlier ini's.
So, for example, if you wanted to disable overlay effects in the
vector games, you can create a vector.ini with the "effect none" line
in it, and it will override whatever effect value you have in your
mame.ini. The default is ON (-readconfig).
- -[no]writeconfig, -[no]wc
-
Write configuration to [driver].ini on exit.
Default is OFF (-nowriteconfig).
Search path options
Be careful to use the path, directory and file options in
mame.ini
ONLY. Otherwise, the outcome may be unpredictable and not
consistent across releases.
- -rompath, -rp, -biospath, -bp pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find ROM or hard disk images.
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
The default is 'roms' (that is, a directory "roms" in the same directory
as the MAME executable).
- -hashpath pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to search for software hash files.
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
The default is 'hash' (that is, a directory 'hash' in the same directory
as the MAME executable).
- -samplepath, -sp pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find sample files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'samples' (that is, a directory "samples" in the same directory as
the MAME executable).
- -artpath, -artwork_directory pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find artwork files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'artwork' (that is, a directory "artwork" in the same directory as
the MAME executable).
- -ctrlrpath, -ctrlr_directory pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find controller-specific
configuration files. Multiple paths can be specified by separating
them with semicolons. The default is 'ctrlr' (that is, a directory
"ctrlr" in the same directory as the MAME executable).
- -inipath pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find .INI files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is '/etc/mame/'.
- -fontpath pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find .BDF font files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is '.' (that is, search in the same directory as the MAME executable).
- -cheatpath pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find cheat files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'cheat' (that is, a directory 'cheat' in the same directory as
the MAME executable).
- -crosshairpath pathname
-
Specifies a list of paths within which to find crosshair files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'crosshair' (that is, a directory "crosshair" in the same directory as
the MAME executable). If the Crosshair is set to default in the menu,
MAME will look for gamenameross#.png and then cross#.png in thespecified crosshairpath, where # is the player number. Failing that,
MAME will use built-in default crosshairs.
Output Directory Options
- -cfg_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where configuration files are stored.
Configuration files store user configurable settings that are read at
startup and written when MAME exits. The default is 'cfg' (that is,
a directory "cfg" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this
directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
- -nvram_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where NVRAM files are stored. NVRAM files
store the contents of EEPROM and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) for games
which used this type of hardware. This data is read at startup and
written when MAME exits. The default is 'nvram' (that is, a directory
"nvram" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory
does not exist, it will be automatically created.
- -input_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where input recording files are stored.
Input recordings are created via the -record option and played back via
the -playback option. The default is 'inp' (that is, a directory
"inp" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory
does not exist, it will be automatically created.
- -state_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where save state files are stored. Save
state files are read and written either upon user request, or when using
the -autosave option. The default is 'sta' (that is, a directory "sta"
in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory does
not exist, it will be automatically created.
- -snapshot_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where screen snapshots are stored, when
requested by the user. The default is 'snap' (that is, a directory
"snap" in the same directory as the MAME executable). If this directory
does not exist, it will be automatically created.
- -diff_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where hard drive differencing files are
stored. Hard drive differencing files store any data that is written
back to a hard disk image, in order to preserve the original image. The
differencing files are created at startup when a game with a hard disk
image. The default is 'diff' (that is, a directory "diff" in the same
directory as the MAME executable). If this directory does not exist,
it will be automatically created.
- -comment_directory pathname
-
Specifies a single directory where debugger comment files are stored.
Debugger comment files are written by the debugger when comments are
added to the disassembly for a game. The default is 'comments' (that is,
a directory "comments" in the same directory as the MAME executable).
If this directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
State/playback options
- -state slot
-
Immediately after starting the specified game, will cause the save
state in the specified slot to be loaded.
- -[no]autosave
-
When enabled, automatically creates a save state file when exiting MAME
and automatically attempts to reload it when later starting MAME with
the same game. This only works for games that have explicitly enabled
save state support in their driver. The default is OFF (-noautosave).
- -playback, -pb filename
-
Specifies a file from which to play back a series of game inputs. This
feature does not work reliably for all games, but can be used to watch
a previously recorded game session from start to finish. In order to
make things consistent, you should only record and playback with all
configuration (.cfg), NVRAM (.nv), and memory card files deleted. The
default is NULL (no playback).
- -[no]exit_after_playback
-
If play back is enabled (see -playback option) the program exits when
end of file is reached. Otherwise the machine will continue to run.
Default is OFF (-noexit_after_playback).
- -record, -rec filename
-
Specifies a file to record all input from a game session. This can be
used to record a game session for later playback. This feature does not
work reliably for all games, but can be used to watch a previously
recorded game session from start to finish. In order to make things
consistent, you should only record and playback with all configuration
(.cfg), NVRAM (.nv), and memory card files deleted. The default is NULL
(no recording).
- -[no]record_timecode
-
Specify whether to create a timecode file. It contains a line with elapsed
times on each press of timecode shortcut key (default is F12).
This option works only when recording mode is enabled (-record option).
The file is saved on inp folder.
Default is OFF (-norecord_timecode).
- -mngwrite filename
-
Writes each video frame to the given filename in MNG format, producing
an animation of the game session. Note that -mngwrite only writes video
frames; it does not save any audio data. Use -wavwrite for that, and
reassemble the audio/video using offline tools. The default is NULL (no
recording).
- -aviwrite filename
-
Stream video and sound data to the given filename in AVI format,
producing an animation of the game session complete with sound. The
default is NULL (no recording).
- -wavwrite filename
-
Writes the final mixer output to the given filename in WAV format,
producing an audio recording of the game session. The default is NULL
(no recording).
- -snapname string
-
Describes how MAME should name files for snapshots. string
provides a template that is used to generate a filename. Three
simple substitutions are provided: the / character represents the
path separator on any target platform (even Windows); the literal %g
represents the driver name of the current game; and the literal %i
represents an incrementing index. If %i is omitted, then each
snapshot taken will overwrite the previous one; otherwise, MAME will
find the next empty value for %i and use that for a filename. The
default is %g/%i, which creates a separate folder for each game,
and names the snapshots under it starting with 0000 and increasing
from there. Example: if you use
mame robby -snapname foo/%g%i
snapshots will be saved as snaps/foo/robby0000.png,
snaps/foo/robby0001.png and so on.
- -snapsize widthxheight
-
Hard-codes the size for snapshots and movie recording. By default,
MAME will create snapshots at the game's current resolution in raw
pixels, and will create movies at the game's starting resolution in
raw pixels. If you specify this option, then MAME will create both
snapshots and movies at the size specified, and will bilinear filter
the result. Note that this size does not automatically rotate if the
game is vertically oriented. The default is 'auto'.
- -snapview internal|auto|viewname
-
Specifies the view to use when rendering snapshots and movies. By
default, both use a special 'internal' view, which renders a separate
snapshot per screen or renders movies only of the first screen. By
specifying this option, you can override this default behavior and
select a single view that will apply to all snapshots and movies.
Note that viewname does not need to be a perfect match; rather, it
will select the first view whose name matches all the characters
specified by viewname. For example, -snapview native will match the
"Native (15:14)" view even though it is not a perfect match.
viewname can also be 'auto', which selects the first view with all
screens present. The default value is 'internal'.
- -[no]snapbilinear
-
Specify whether snapshot/movie should have bilinear filtering applied.
Default is ON (-snapbilinear).
- -statename string
-
Describes how MAME should store save state files, relative to the
state_directory path. string provides a template that
is used to generate a relative path. Two simple substitutions are
provided: the / character represents the path separator on any target
platform (even Windows); the literal %g represents the driver name of
the current game. The default is '%g', which creates a separate folder
for each game. Example: if you use
mame robby -statename foo/%g
save states will be stored inside sta/foo/robby/.
- -[no]burnin
-
Tracks brightness of the screen during play and at the end of
emulation generates a PNG that can be used to simulate burn-in
effects on other games. The resulting PNG is created such that the
least used-areas of the screen are fully white (since burned-in areas
are darker, all other areas of the screen must be lightened a touch).
The intention is that this PNG can be loaded via an artwork file with
a low alpha (e.g, 0.1-0.2 seems to work well) and blended over the
entire screen. The PNG files are saved in the snap directory under
the gamename\burnin-<screen.name>.png. The default is OFF (-noburnin).
Performance options
- -[no]autoframeskip, -[no]afs
-
Automatically determines the frameskip level while you're playing the
game, adjusting it constantly in a frantic attempt to keep the game
running at full speed. Turning this on overrides the value you have set
for -frameskip below. The default is OFF (-noautoframeskip).
- -frameskip, -fs value
-
Specifies the frameskip value (autoframeskip must be disabled). This is the
number of frames out of every 12 to drop when running. For example, if you
say -frameskip 2, then MAME will display 10 out of every 12 frames. By
skipping those frames, you may be able to get full speed in a game that
requires more horsepower than your computer has. The default value is 0,
which skips no frames.
- -seconds_to_run, -str value
-
This option can be used for benchmarking and automated testing. It tells
MAME to stop execution after a fixed number of seconds. By combining
this with a fixed set of other command line options, you can set up a
consistent environment for benchmarking MAME performance. In addition,
upon exit, the -str option will write a screenshot called final.png
to the game's snapshot directory.
- -[no]throttle
-
Configures the default thottling setting. When throttling is on, MAME
attempts to keep the game running at the game's intended speed. When
throttling is off, MAME runs the game as fast as it can. Note that the
fastest speed is more often than not limited by your graphics card,
especially for older games. The default is ON (-throttle).
- -[no]sleep
-
Allows MAME to give time back to the system when running with -throttle.
This allows other programs to have some CPU time, assuming that the
game isn't taxing 100% of your CPU resources. This option can potentially
cause hiccups in performance if other demanding programs are running.
The default is ON (-sleep).
- -speed value
-
Controls the speed of gameplay, relative to realtime; smaller numbers are
slower. Default is 1.00.
- -[no]refreshspeed, -[no]rs
-
Automatically adjusts the -speed parameter to keep the effective refresh
rate below that of the lowest screen refresh rate.
Default is OFF (-norefreshspeed).
- -numprocessors, -np value
-
Set number of processors; this overrides the number the system reports.
- -bench value
-
Benchmark for the given number of emulated seconds;
implies -video none -sound none -nothrottle.
- -[no]sdlvideofps
-
Show SDL video performance. Default is OFF (-nosdlvideofps).
Rotation options
- -[no]rotate
-
Rotate the game to match its normal state (horizontal/vertical). This
ensures that both vertically and horizontally oriented games show up
correctly without the need to rotate your monitor. If you want to keep
the game displaying 'raw' on the screen the way it would have in the
arcade, turn this option OFF. The default is ON (-rotate).
- -[no]ror | -[no]rol
-
Rotate the game screen to the right (clockwise) or left (counter-
clockwise) relative to either its normal state (if -rotate is specified)
or its native state (if -norotate is specified).
Default for both is OFF (-noror -norol).
- -[no]autoror | -[no]autorol
-
These options are designed for use with pivoting screens that only
pivot in a single direction. If your screen only pivots clockwise,
use -autorol to ensure that the game will fill the screen either
horizontally or vertically in one of the directions you can handle.
If your screen only pivots counter-clockwise, use -autoror.
Default for both is OFF (-noautoror -noautorol).
- -[no]flipx -[no]flipy
-
Flip (mirror) the game screen either horizontally (-flipx) or
vertically (-flipy). The flips are applied after the -rotate and
-ror/-rol options are applied.
Default for both is OFF (-noflipx -noflipy).
Artwork options
- -[no]artwork_crop, -[no]artcrop
-
Enable cropping of artwork to the game screen area only. This
option can also be controlled via the Video Options menu in the user
interface. The default is OFF (-noartwork_crop).
- -[no]use_backdrops, -[no]backdrop
-
Enables/disables the display of backdrops. The default is ON
(-use_backdrops).
- -[no]use_overlays, -[no]overlay
-
Enables/disables the display of overlays. The default is ON
(-use_overlays).
- -[no]use_bezels, -[no]bezel
-
Enables/disables the display of bezels. The default is ON
(-use_bezels).
- -[no]use_cpanels, -[no]cpanel
-
Enables/disables the display of cpanels. The default is ON
(-use_bezels).
- -[no]use_marquees, -[no]marquee
-
Enables/disables the display of marquees. The default is ON
(-use_bezels).
Screen options
- -brightness value
-
Controls the default brightness, or black level, of the game screens.
This option does not affect the artwork or other parts of the display.
Using the MAME UI, you can individually set the brightness for each game
screen; this option controls the initial value for all visible game
screens. The standard value is 1.0. Selecting lower values (down to 0.1)
will produce a darkened display, while selecting higher values (up to
2.0) will give a brighter display. The default is 1.0.
- -contrast value
-
Controls the contrast, or white level, of the game screens. This option
does not affect the artwork or other parts of the display. Using the
MAME UI, you can individually set the contrast for each game screen;
this option controls the initial value for all visible game screens. The
standard value is 1.0. Selecting lower values (down to 0.1) will produce
a dimmer display, while selecting higher values (up to 2.0) will
give a more saturated display. The default is 1.0.
- -gamma value
-
Controls the gamma, which produces a potentially nonlinear black to
white ramp, for the game screens. This option does not affect the
artwork or other parts of the display. Using the MAME UI, you can
individually set the gamma for each game screen; this option controls
the initial value for all visible game screens. The standard value is
1.0, which gives a linear ramp from black to white. Selecting lower
values (down to 0.1) will increase the nonlinearity toward black,
while selecting higher values (up to 3.0) will push the nonlinearity
toward white. The default is 1.0.
- -pause_brightness value
-
This controls the brightness level when MAME is paused. The default
value is 0.65.
- -effect [none|filename[.png]]
-
Name of a PNG file to use for visual effects, or 'none'. Default is 'none'.
Vector rendering options
- -[no]antialias, -[no]aa
-
Enables antialiased line rendering for vector games. The default is ON
(-antialias).
- -beam value
-
Sets the width of the vectors. This is a scaling factor against the
standard vector width. A value of 1.0 will keep the default vector line
width. Smaller values will reduce the width, and larger values will
increase the width. The default is 1.0.
- -flicker value
-
Simulates a vector "flicker" effect, similar to a vector monitor that
needs adjustment. This option requires a float argument in the range of
0.00-100.00 (0=none, 100=maximum). The default is 0.
Video options
- -video [soft|opengl|none]
-
Specifies which video subsystem to use for drawing:
soft uses software rendering, which is slower but more compatible.
opengl uses OpenGL and your graphics accelerator to speed up many
aspects of drawing MAME including compositing artwork, overlays, and
bezels, as well as stretching the image to fit your screen.
output on some cards.
none does no drawing and is intended for CPU benchmarking.
Default is SOFT.
- -[no]window, -[no]w
-
Run MAME in either full screen or a window. This is a fully-featured window
mode where the window resizes as necessary to track what the game does.
And you can resize it yourself with your OS's standard window controls.
The default is OFF (-nowindow).
- -[no]maximize, -[no]max
-
Controls initial window size in windowed mode. If it is set on, the
window will initially be set to the maximum supported size when you
start MAME. If it is turned off, the window will start out at the
smallest supported size. This option only has an effect when the
-window option is used. The default is ON (-maximize).
- -[no]keepaspect, -[no]ka
-
Forces the correct aspect ratio. This means when you're resizing the window
in windowed mode the actual game image will resize in discrete steps to
maintain the proper shape of the game graphics. If you turn this off you can
resize the window to anything you like and get funny squishing and stretching.
The same applies for full-screen. Default is ON (-keepaspect).
- -[no]unevenstretch, -[no]ues
-
Allow non-integer stretch factors. Video purists should stay far, far away
from this option, while everyone else will be happy to know that it lets you
fill the screen properly in full-screen mode. Default is ON (-unevenstretch).
- -[no]centerh
-
Center horizontally within the view area. Default is ON (-centerh).
- -[no]centerv
-
Center vertically within the view area. Default is ON (-centerv).
- -[no]waitvsync, -[no]vs
-
Enable waiting for the start of VBLANK before flipping screens;
reduces tearing effects. Default is OFF (-nowaitvsync).
- -[no]syncrefresh, -[no]srf
-
Enable using the start of VBLANK for throttling instead of the game time.
Default is OFF (-nosyncrefresh).
Software video rendering subsystem options
NOTE:
All the options in this group are available only with softare video
rendering subsystem, i.e
-video soft.
- -prescale [value]
-
Scale screen rendering by this amount in software. Default is 1.
- -scalemode, -sm [none|async|yv12|yuy2|yv12x2|yuy2x2]
-
Hardware scaling mode.
none use software rendering.
async async overlay.
yv12 yv12 overlay.
yuy2 yuy2 overlay.
yv12x2 yv12 overlay using x2 prescaling.
yuy2x2 yuy2 overlay using x2 prescaling.
Default is NONE.
OpenGL video rendering subsystem options
NOTE:
All the options in this group are available only with OpenGL video
rendering subsystem, i.e
-video opengl or
-video opengl16.
- -[no]filter, -[no]glfilter, -[no]flt
-
Enable bilinear filtering on screen output. Default is ON (-filter).
- -prescale [value]
-
Scale screen rendering by this amount in software. Default is 1.
- -[no]gl_forcepow2texture
-
Force power of two textures. Default is OFF (-nogl_forcepow2texture).
- -[no]gl_notexturerect
-
Don't use OpenGL GL_ARB_texture_rectangle. Turn off if
corruption occurs in OpenGL mode, at cost of some performance
loss. Default is ON (-gl_notexturerect).
- -[no]gl_vbo
-
Enable OpenGL VBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Turn off if corruption occurs. Default is ON (-gl_vbo).
- -[no]gl_pbo
-
Enable OpenGL PBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Turn off if corruption occurs. Default is ON (-gl_pbo).
- -[no]gl_glsl
-
Enable OpenGL GLSL, if available, for a performance increase.
Default is OFF (-nogl_glsl).
- -gl_glsl_filter value
-
Enable OpenGL GLSL filtering instead of FF filtering 0=plain, 1=bilinear.
Default is 1: bilinear.
- -glsl_shader_mame[0-9]
-
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader set mame bitmap (from 0 to 9).
- -glsl_shader_screen[0-9]
-
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader screen bitmap (from 0 to 9).
- -gl_glsl_vid_attr
-
Enable OpenGL GLSL handling of brightness and contrast. Better RGB game
performance for free. Default is ON.
- -screen
-
Explicit name for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
- -aspect, -screen_aspect
-
Aspect ratio for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
- -resolution, -r
-
Preferred resolution for all screens;
format is widthxheight[@refreshrate] or 'auto'.
- -view
-
Preferred view for all screens
- -screen[0-3]
-
Explicit name of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try
to make a best guess.
- -aspect[0-3]
-
Aspect ratio of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try
to make a best guess.
- -resolution[0-3], -r[0-3]
-
Preferred resolution for the first|second|third|fourth screen;
format is widthxheight[@refreshrate] or 'auto'.
- -view[0-3]
-
Preferred view for the first|second|third|fourth screen.
Full screen options
- -[no]switchres
-
Affects full screen mode only. Chooses if MAME can try to change the screen
resolution (color depth is normally left alone) when in full-screen mode. If
it's off, you always get your desktop resolution in full-screen mode (which can
be useful for LCDs). Default is OFF (-noswitchres).
- -[no]useallheads
-
Split full screen image across monitors. Default is OFF (-nouseallheads).
Sound options
- -[no]sound
-
Enable or disable sound altogether. The default is ON (-sound).
- -samplerate, -srf value
-
Sets the audio sample rate. Smaller values (e.g. 11025) cause lower
audio quality but faster emulation speed. Higher values (e.g. 48000)
cause higher audio quality but slower emulation speed. The default is
48000.
- -[no]samples
-
Use samples if available. The default is ON (-samples).
- -volume, -vol value
-
Sets the startup volume. It can later be changed with the user interface
(see Keys section). The volume is an attenuation in dB: e.g.,
"-volume -12" will start with -12dB attenuation. The default is 0.
- -audio_latency value
-
This controls the amount of latency built into the audio streaming.
The latency parameter controls the lower threshold. The default is 1
(meaning lower=1/5 and upper=2/5). Set it to 2 (-audio_latency 2) to keep
the sound buffer between 2/5 and 3/5 full. If you crank it up to 4,
you can definitely notice the lag.
Input options
- -[no]coin_lockout, -[no]coinlock
-
Enables simulation of the "coin lockout" feature that is implmeneted
on a number of game PCBs. It was up to the operator whether or not
the coin lockout outputs were actually connected to the coin
mechanisms. If this feature is enabled, then attempts to enter a coin
while the lockout is active will fail and will display a popup message
in the user interface. If this feature is disabled, the coin lockout
signal will be ignored. The default is ON (-coin_lockout).
- -ctrlr controller
-
Enables support for special controllers. Configuration files are
loaded from the ctrlrpath. They are in the same format as the .cfg
files that are saved, but only control configuration data is read
from the file. The default is NULL (no controller file).
- -[no]mouse
-
Controls whether or not MAME looks for a mouse controller to use. Note
that in many cases, lightguns are treated as mice by the operating
system, so you may need to enable this to enable lightgun support. When
this is enabled, you will not be able to use your mouse while playing
a game. If you want to get control of your computer back, you will need
to either pause the game or quit. The default is OFF (-nomouse).
- -[no]joystick, -[no]joy
-
Controls whether or not MAME looks for joystick/gamepad controllers.
The default is ON (-joystick).
- -[no]lightgun, -[no]gun
-
Controls whether or not MAME makes use of lightgun controllers.
Note that most lightguns map to the mouse, so using -lightgun and
-mouse together may produce strange results. The default is OFF
(-nolightgun).
- -[no]multikeyboard, -[no]multikey
-
Determines whether MAME differentiates between multiple keyboards.
Some systems may report more than one keyboard; by default, the data
from all of these keyboards is combined so that it looks like a single
keyboard. Turning this option on will enable MAME to report keypresses
on different keyboards independently. The default is OFF
(-nomultikeyboard).
- -[no]multimouse
-
Determines whether MAME differentiates between multiple mice. Some
systems may report more than one mouse device; by default, the data
from all of these mice is combined so that it looks like a single
mouse. Turning this option on will enable MAME to report mouse
movement and button presses on different mice independently. The
default is OFF (-nomultimouse).
- -[no]steadykey, -[no]steady
-
Some games require two or more buttons to be pressed at exactly the
same time to make special moves. Due to limitations in the PC keyboard
hardware, it can be difficult or even impossible to accomplish that
using the standard keyboard handling. This option selects a different
handling that makes it easier to register simultaneous button presses,
but has the disadvantage of making controls less responsive. The
default is OFF (-nosteadykey).
- -[no]ui_active
-
Enable MAME user interface on top of emulated keyboard (if present).
Default is OFF (-noui_active).
- -[no]offscreen_reload, -[no]reload
-
Controls whether or not MAME treats a second button input from a
lightgun as a reload signal. In this case, MAME will report the gun's
position as (0,MAX) with the trigger held, which is equivalent to an
offscreen reload. This is only needed for games that required you to
shoot offscreen to reload, and then only if your gun does not support
off screen reloads. The default is OFF (-nooffscreen_reload).
- -joystick_map, -joymap map
-
Controls how joystick values map to digital joystick controls.
See /usr/share/doc/mame/config.txt for full details on map format.
- -joystick_deadzone, -joy_deadzone, -jdz value
-
If you play with an analog joystick, the center can drift a little.
joystick_deadzone tells how far along an axis you must move before the
axis starts to change. This option expects a float in the range of
0.0 to 1.0. Where 0 is the center of the joystick and 1 is the outer
limit. The default is 0.3.
- -joystick_saturation, -joy_saturation, -jsat value
-
If you play with an analog joystick, the ends can drift a little,
and may not match in the +/- directions. joystick_saturation tells how
far along an axis movement change will be accepted before it reaches
the maximum range. This option expects a float in the range of 0.0 to
1.0, where 0 is the center of the joystick and 1 is the outer limit.
The default is 0.85.
- -[no]natural, -[no]nat
-
Allows user to specify whether or not to use a natural keyboard.
This allows you to start your game or system in a 'native' mode, depending
on your region, allowing compatibility for non-"QWERTY" style keyboards.
The default is OFF (-nonatural).
- -[no]joystick_contradictory, -[no]joy_contradictory
-
Enable contradictory direction digital joystick input at the same time.
Default is OFF (-nojoystick_contradictory).
- -coin_impulse time
-
Set coin impulse time. A negative value for time disables the impulse;
set time to 0 to obey driver or give a positive value to set impulse time.
- -uimodekey, -umk
-
Specifies the key used to toggle between full and partial UI mode.
- -[no]keymap
-
Enable keymap for non-QWERTY keyboards. Used in conjunction with
-keymap_file. Default is OFF (-nokeymap).
- -keymap_file keymap_file
-
Specifies the full path to the keymap file to be used. A few
keymap files are available in /usr/share/games/mess/keymaps.
- -joy_idx[0-8] joystick
-
With these options you can assign a joystick to a
specific index in MAME. Even if the kernel will list the joysticks
in a different order on the next boot, MAME will still see the joystick
as e.g. "Joystick 2". Use mame -v to see which joysticks are recognized.
Default is 'auto'.
- -[no]sixaxis
-
Use special handling for PS3 Sixaxis controllers.
Default is OFF (-nosixaxis).
- -lightgun_index[1-8]
-
Map lightgun to specific index in MAME.
- -videodriver, -vd x11|directfb|auto
-
SDL video driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
- -audiodriver, -ad alsa|arts|auto
-
SDL audio driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
- -gl_lib alsa|arts|auto
-
Alternative libGL.so to use; auto selects SDL default.
Input automatic enable options
- -paddle_device, -paddle [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -adstick_device, -adstick [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -pedal_device, -pedal [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -dial_device, -dial [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -trackball_device, -trackball [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -lightgun_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -positional_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
- -mouse_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-
Each of these options controls autoenabling the mouse, or joystick
depending on the presence of a particular class of analog
control for a particular game. For example, if you specify the option
-paddle mouse, then any game that has a paddle control will automatically
enable mouse controls just as if you had explicitly specified -mouse.
Note that these controls override the values of -[no]mouse, -[no]joystick, etc.
Debugging options
- -[no]log
-
Creates a file called error.log which contains all of the internal
log messages generated by the MAME core and game drivers. The default
is OFF (-nolog).
- -[no]verbose, -[no]v
-
Displays internal diagnostic information. This information is very
useful for debugging problems with your configuration. IMPORTANT: when
reporting bugs, please run with mame -verbose and include the resulting
information. The default is OFF (-noverbose).
- -[no]update_in_pause
-
Enables updating the screen bitmap while the game is paused. This is
useful for debuggin in some scenarios (and gets in the way in others).
Default is OFF (-noupdate_in_pause).
- -[no]debug, -[no]d
-
Activates the integrated debugger. By default, the debugger is entered
by pressing the tilde (~) key during emulation. It is also entered
immediately at startup. The default is OFF (-nodebug).
- -debugscript filename
-
Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute
immediately upon startup. The default is NULL (no commands).
- -debugger debugger_name
-
Name of the debugger to use. Default is AUTO.
- -debugger_font, -dfont font_name
-
Specifies the font to use for debugging. Default is AUTO.
- -debugger_font_size, -dfontsize size
-
Specifies the font size to use for debugging.
- -[no]oslog
-
Outputs the error.log data to the system debugger. This can be used at
the same time as -log to output the log data to both targets as well.
Default is OFF (-nooslog).
Misc options
- -[no]drc
-
Enable DRC cpu core if available. Default is ON (-drc).
- -[no]drc_use_c
-
Force DRC use C backend. Default is OFF (-nodrc_use_c).
- -[no]drc_log_uml
-
Write DRC UML disassembly log. Default is OFF (-nodrc_log_uml).
- -[no]drc_log_native
-
Write DRC native disassembly log. Default is OFF (-no_drc_log_native).
- -bios biosname
-
Specifies the specific BIOS to use with the current game, for game
systems that make use of a BIOS. The -listxml output will list all of
the possible BIOS names for a game. The default is 'default'.
- -[no]cheat, -[no]c
-
Activates the cheat menu with autofire options and other tricks from
the cheat database, if present.
The default is OFF (-nocheat).
- -[no]skip_gameinfo
-
Forces MAME to skip displaying the game info screen. The default is OFF
(-noskip_gameinfo).
- -uifont fontname
-
Specifies the name of a BDF font file to use for the UI font. If this
font cannot be found or cannot be loaded, the system will fall back
to its built-in UI font. On some platforms fontname can be a system
font name instead of a BDF font file. The default is 'default' (use
the OSD-determined default font).
- -ramsize, -ram value
-
Size of RAM (if supported by driver).
- -[no]confirm_quit
-
Display confirm quit screen on exit. Default is ON (-confirm_quit).
- -[no]ui_mouse
-
Display UI mouse cursor. Default is OFF (-noui_mouse).
- -autoboot_command, -ab command
-
Command string to execute after machine boot (in quotes ""). To issue
a quote to the emulation, use """ in the string.
Using \n will issue a create a new line, issuing what was
typed prior as a command. Example:
-autoboot_command "load """$""",8,1\n".
- -autoboot_delay [value]
-
Timer delay (in seconds) to trigger command execution on autoboot.
Default is 2.
- -autoboot_script, -script [filename.lua]
-
File containing scripting to execute after machine boot.
- -[no]console
-
Enable emulator LUA console. Default is OFF (-noconsole).
- -watchdog value
-
Specifies a number of seconds after which MAME should automatically exit
if it detects that the emulation has locked up.
