Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)

FreeBSD Manual Pages

  
 
  

home | help
MAME(6)		   MAME	- Multi-purpose	emulation framework	       MAME(6)

NAME
       MAME - Multi-purpose emulation framework

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 vio-
	      lated 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 de-
	      fault all	games are listed; however, you can limit this list  by
	      specifying  a  driver  name or wildcard after the	-listfull com-
	      mand.

       -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 source-
	      file.  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	rom  path  are
	      verified;	 however, you can limit	this list by specifying	a dri-
	      ver 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  dri-
	      ver 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 sys-
	      tem.

       -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	 soft-
	      warelistname (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  en-
	      abled  (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  ef-
	      fects  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 (-readcon-
	      fig).

       -[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 semi-
	      colons. 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 semi-
	      colons. 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-spe-
	      cific  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 exe-
	      cutable).

       -inipath	pathname
	      Specifies	a list of paths	within which to	find .INI files.  Mul-
	      tiple 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	 semi-
	      colons.  The  default is '.' (that is, search in the same	direc-
	      tory as the MAME executable).

       -cheatpath pathname
	      Specifies	a list of paths	within which to	find cheat files. Mul-
	      tiple 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 semi-
	      colons.  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
	      gamenamespecified	 crosshairpath,	 where # is the	player number.
	      Failing that, MAME will use built-in default crosshairs.

       -pluginspath pathname
	      Specifies	a single path within which to find  plugins.  The  de-
	      fault  is	 'plugins' (that is, a directory 'plugins' in the same
	      directory	as the MAME executable).

       -languagepath pathname
	      Specifies	a single path within which to find language files. The
	      default is 'language' (that is, a	directory  'language'  in  the
	      same directory as	the MAME executable).

   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 de-
	      fault 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	 auto-
	      matically	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  exe-
	      cutable).	If this	directory does not exist, it will be automati-
	      cally 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  exe-
	      cutable).	If this	directory does not exist, it will be automati-
	      cally 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  cre-
	      ated.

       -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  exe-
	      cutable).	If this	directory does not exist, it will be automati-
	      cally 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	direc-
	      tory 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 exit-
	      ing 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  in-
	      puts. 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	 play-
	      back).

       -[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 (de-
	      fault is F12).  This option works	only when  recording  mode  is
	      enabled (-record option).	 The file is saved on inp folder.  De-
	      fault 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 for-
	      mat, 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 pro-
	      vides a template that is used to generate	a filename. Three sim-
	      ple substitutions	are provided: the / character  represents  the
	      path  separator  on any target platform (even Windows); the lit-
	      eral %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;	other-
	      wise, 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 de-
	      fault, MAME will create snapshots	at the game's current  resolu-
	      tion  in raw pixels, and will create movies at the game's	start-
	      ing resolution in	raw pixels. If you specify this	 option,  then
	      MAME  will  create  both snapshots and movies at the size	speci-
	      fied, and	will bilinear filter the result. Note that  this  size
	      does  not	 automatically	rotate	if the game is vertically ori-
	      ented. 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	 snap-
	      shots and	movies.	 Note that viewname does not need to be	a per-
	      fect  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 de-
	      fault 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 cre-
	      ates 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	 game-
	      name\burnin-<screen.name>.png. The default is OFF	(-noburnin).

   Performance options
       -[no]autoframeskip, -[no]afs
	      Automatically  determines	the frameskip level while you're play-
	      ing 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  run-
	      ning.  For example, if you say -frameskip	2, then	MAME will dis-
	      play 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 op-
	      tions, 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  di-
	      rectory.

       -[no]throttle
	      Configures  the  default	throttling setting. When throttling is
	      on, MAME attempts	to keep	the game running  at  the  game's  in-
	      tended 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.  De-
	      fault 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  de-
	      fault 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 spec-
	      ified).  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	direc-
	      tions you	can handle.  If	your screen only pivots	counter-clock-
	      wise,  use -autoror.  Default for	both is	OFF (-noautoror	-noau-
	      torol).

       -[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  ini-
	      tial  value  for all visible game	screens. The standard value is
	      1.0. Selecting lower values (down	to 0.1)	will produce  a	 dark-
	      ened  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  dis-
	      play.  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 de-
	      fault 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
       -beam_width_min value

       -beam_width_max value
	      Sets the minimum and maximum width of the	 vectors.  This	 is  a
	      scaling  factor  against the standard vector width, which	is in-
	      terpolated between minimum and maximum according to  the	beam's
	      intensity.  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.

       -beam_intensity_weight value
	      Applies  an  exponential	weight to the minimum and maximum beam
	      width. For positive values the interpolated scaling factor  will
	      affect  lines  with  higher intensity more than lines with lower
	      intensity. The default is	0.0.

       -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|bgfx|none]
	      Specifies	which video subsystem to use for drawing:
	      soft  uses software rendering, which is slower but more compati-
	      ble.
	      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.
	      bgfx  uses the bgfx renderer which supports portable shaders and
	      multiple graphics	APIs including OpenGL, OpenGL ES and DirectX.
	      none  does no drawing and	is intended for	CPU benchmarking.
	      Default is 'soft'	on Linux or 'opengl' on	macOS.

       -numscreens [1-4]
	      Number of	screens	to create; usually, you	want just one. Default
	      is '1'.

       -[no]window, -[no]w
	      Run MAME in either full screen or	a window. This is a fully-fea-
	      tured 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 ef-
	      fect when	the -window option is used. The	default	is ON  (-maxi-
	      mize).

       -[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	graph-
	      ics. If you turn this off	you can	resize the window to  anything
	      you  like	 and get funny squishing and stretching.  The same ap-
	      plies 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]unevenstretchx, -[no]uesx
	      Act as -[no]unevenstretch	on horizontal basis only.

       -[no]intoverscan, -[no]ios
	      Allow overscan on	integer	scaled targets.

       -intscalex, -sx
	      Set horizontal integer scale factor.

       -intscaley, -sy
	      Set vertical integer scale factor.

       -[no]centerh
	      Center  horizontally  within the view area. Default is ON	(-cen-
	      terh).

       -[no]centerv
	      Center vertically	within the view	area.  Default	is  ON	(-cen-
	      terv).

       -[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.

       -[no]filter, -[no]glfilter, -[no]flt
	      Enable bilinear filtering	on screen output. Default is ON	(-fil-
	      ter).

       -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_forcepow2tex-
	      ture).

       -[no]gl_notexturerect
	      Don't  use  OpenGL GL_ARB_texture_rectangle. Turn	off if corrup-
	      tion 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).

       -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   widthx-
	      height[@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.

   BGFX	post-processing	options
       NOTE: All the options in	this group are available only when BGFX	 video
       post-processing	is  enabled,  i.e  -video  bgfx. For full info on BGFX
       please visit official MAME documentation	page:
       http://docs.mamedev.org/advanced/bgfx.html

       -bgfx_path pathname
	      This is where your BGFX shader files are stored.	The default is
	      'bgfx' (that is, a directory "bgfx" in the same directory	as the
	      MAME executable).

       -bgfx_backend auto|opengl
	      Selects a	rendering backend for BGFX  to	use.  The  default  is
	      'auto', which will let MAME choose the best selection for	you.

       -bgfx_debug
	      Enables BGFX debugging features. Most users will not need	to use
	      this.

       -bgfx_screen_chains default|unfiltered|hlsl[,...]
	      This  dictates how to handle BGFX	rendering on a per-display ba-
	      sis.  For	each display specify one of the	possible choices:
	      default	  default bilinear filterered output
	      unfiltered  nearest neighbor unfiltered output
	      hlsl	  HLSL display simulation through shaders
	      Separate directives for each window with a  comma	 (,)  and  for
	      each  physical screen with a colon (:). For example, for an emu-
	      lated game with 3	displays emulated on 3 windows on  your	 moni-
	      tor, -bgfx_screen_chains default,unfiltered,default specifies to
	      apply  default  filter on	what is	been rendered on the first and
	      third window and leave the content of the	second	window	unfil-
	      tered.

       -bgfx_shadow_mask filename
	      This  specifies  the  shadow  mask  effect  PNG file. Default is
	      'slot-mask.png'.

       -bgfx_avi_name filename
	      This specifies a filename	for BGFX output	logging.

   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 (-nouse-
	      allheads).

   Sound options
       -sound [sdl|portaudio|coreaudio|dsound|xaudio2|none]
	      Specifies	which sound subsystem to use for audio output:
	      sdl   uses the Simple DirectMedia	Layer audio output system (not
	      available	on Windows by default).
	      portaudio	 uses the PortAudio library which supports low-latency
	      output and multiple audio	APIs.
	      coreaudio	 uses the Core Audio API  which	 supports  low-latency
	      output and AudioUnit effects (only available on macOS).
	      dsound  uses the DirectSound API (only available on Windows).
	      xaudio2	uses the XAudio2 API which supports low-latency	output
	      (only available on Windows).
	      none  produces no	audio output.
	      Default is 'dsound' on Windows, 'coreaudio' on macOS or 'sdl' on
	      other platforms.

       -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).

       -[no]compressor
	      Enable audio compressor. It temporarily reduces the overall vol-
	      ume  when	 the  audio  output  is	 overdriven. The default is ON
	      (-compressor).

       -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 stream-
	      ing.   The  exact	 behavior depends on the selected audio	output
	      module (see the -sound option).  Smaller values provide less au-
	      dio delay	while requiring	 better	 system	 performance.	Higher
	      values increase audio delay but may help avoid buffer under-runs
	      and audio	interruptions.	The default is 1.

   Input options
       -[no]coin_lockout, -[no]coinlock
	      Enables  simulation  of  the  "coin lockout" feature that	is im-
	      plmeneted	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  at-
	      tempts to	enter a	coin while the lockout is active will fail and
	      will display a popup message in the user interface. If this fea-
	      ture  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 con-
	      trollers.	 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 key-
	      boards.  Some systems may	report more than one keyboard; by  de-
	      fault,  the data from all	of these keyboards is combined so that
	      it looks like a single keyboard. Turning this option on will en-
	      able MAME	to report keypresses on	different  keyboards  indepen-
	      dently. 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 inde-
	      pendently. 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  op-
	      tion selects a different handling	that makes it easier to	regis-
	      ter  simultaneous	 button	 presses,  but has the disadvantage of
	      making controls less  responsive.	 The  default  is  OFF	(-nos-
	      teadykey).

       -[no]ui_active
	      Enable  MAME  user  interface  on	 top  of emulated keyboard (if
	      present).	 User interface	may be	toggled	 during	 execution  by
	      pressing	the  key  defined  with	 -ui_modekey.	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	equiv-
	      alent 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 for-
	      mat.

       -joystick_deadzone, -joy_deadzone, -jdz value
	      If you play with an analog joystick, the center can drift	a lit-
	      tle.  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 lit-
	      tle, and may not match in	the +/-	 directions.  joystick_satura-
	      tion  tells  how	far  along an axis movement change will	be ac-
	      cepted 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-"QW-
	      ERTY" 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	value
	      Specifies	 the  key  used	 to toggle between full	and partial UI
	      mode.

       -uifontprovider auto|sdl|none
	      Provider for ui font.

       -output console|network|none
	      Provider for output.

       -keyboardprovider auto|sdl|none
	      Provider for keyboard input.

       -mouseprovider auto|sdl|none
	      Provider for mouse input.

       -lightgunprovider auto|none
	      Provider for lightgun input.

       -joystickprovider auto|sdl|none
	      Provider for joystick input.

       -[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 differ-
	      ent  order on the	next boot, MAME	will still see the joystick as
	      e.g. "Joystick 2". Use mame -v to	see which joysticks are	recog-
	      nized.  Default is 'auto'.

       -[no]sixaxis
	      Use special handling for PS3 Sixaxis  controllers.   Default  is
	      OFF (-nosixaxis).

       -mouse_index[1-8]
	      Map mouse	to specific index in MAME.

       -keyb_idx[0-8] keyboard
	      With these options you can assign	a keyboard to a	specific index
	      in MAME.

       -videodriver, -vd auto|x11|directfb
	      SDL video	driver to use; 'auto' selects SDL default.

       -renderdriver, -rd auto|software|opengl|directfb
	      SDL render driver	to use;	'auto' selects SDL default.

       -audiodriver, -ad auto|alsa|arts
	      SDL audio	driver to use; 'auto' selects SDL default.

       -gl_lib auto|alsa|arts
	      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 automatically enabling the	mouse,
	      or  joystick  depending on the presence of a particular class of
	      analog control for a particular game. For	example, if you	 spec-
	      ify  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 over-
	      ride the values of -[no]mouse, -[no]joystick, etc.

   Debugging options
       -[no]log
	      Creates a	file called error.log which contains all of the	inter-
	      nal  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. IM-
	      PORTANT: when reporting bugs, please run with mame -verbose  and
	      include  the  resulting information. The default is OFF (-nover-
	      bose).

       -[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  (-node-
	      bug).

       -debugscript filename
	      Specifies	 a  file  that contains	a list of debugger commands to
	      execute immediately upon startup.	The default is NULL  (no  com-
	      mands).

       -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).

   Communication options
       -comm_localhost
	      Local address to bind to.

       -comm_localport
	      Local port to bind to.

       -comm_remotehost
	      Remote address to	connect	to.

       -comm_remoteport
	      Remote port to connect to.

   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 de-
	      fault is 'default' (use the OSD-determined default font).

       -ui simple|cabinet
	      Type of UI.

       -ramsize, -ram value
	      Size of RAM (if supported	by driver).

       -[no]confirm_quit
	      Display confirm quit  screen  on	exit.  Default	is  ON	(-con-
	      firm_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	 auto-
	      boot.  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).

       -[no]plugins
	      Enable LUA plugin	support. Default is ON (-plugins).

       -plugin value
	      List of plugins to enable.

       -noplugin value
	      List of plugins to disable.

       -language, -lang	value
	      Display language.	Default	is 'English'.

       -watchdog value
	      Specifies	 a number of seconds after which MAME should automati-
	      cally exit if it detects that the	emulation has locked up.

SEE ALSO
       chdman(1), jedutil(1), ldresample(1), ldverify(1), romcmp(1)

LEGAL NOTICE
       Please visit the	MAME website for some important	legal information:

       http://mamedev.org/legal.html

0.176				  2016-07-21			       MAME(6)

Want to link to this manual page? Use this URL:
<https://man.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=mame&sektion=6&manpath=FreeBSD+Ports+14.3.quarterly>

home | help