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* Update MAME docs revision to 0.216 * Add FAQ question about autofire with walkthrough of setup process. * Add VSCode .gitignore for RST compilation temporary folder (/docs/source/_build) * Add a caveat about autofire+normal fire mapping * Add -lowlatency to the docs.
2474 lines
83 KiB
ReStructuredText
2474 lines
83 KiB
ReStructuredText
.. _universal-command-line:
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Universal Commandline Options
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=============================
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This section contains configuration options that are applicable to *all* MAME
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sub-builds (both SDL and Windows native).
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Commands and Verbs
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------------------
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Commands include **mame** itself as well as various tools included with the MAME
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distribution such as **romcmp** and **srcclean**.
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Verbs are actions to take upon something with the command (e.g.
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**mame -validate pacman** has *mame* as a command and *-validate* as a verb)
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Patterns
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--------
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Many verbs support the use of *patterns*, which are either a system or device
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short name (e.g. **a2600**, **zorba_kbd**) or a glob pattern that matches either
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(e.g. **zorba_\***).
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Depending on the command you're using the pattern with, pattern matching may
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match systems or systems and devices. It is advised to put quotes around your
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patterns to avoid having your shell try to expand them against filenames (e.g.
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**mame -validate "pac\*"**).
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.. _mame-commandline-paths:
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File Names and Directory Paths
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------------------------------
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A number of options for specifying directories support multiple paths (for
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for example to search for ROMs in multiple locations). MAME expects multiple
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paths to be separated with semicolons (``;``).
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MAME expands environment variable expressions in paths. The syntax used depends
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on your operating system. On Windows, ``%`` (percent) syntax is used. For
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example ``%APPDATA%\mame\cfg`` will expand the application data path for the
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current user's roaming profile. On UNIX-like system (including macOS and
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Linux), Bourne shell syntax is used, and a leading ``~`` expands to the current
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user's home directory. For example, ``~/.mame/${HOSTNAME}/cfg`` expands to
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a host-specific path inside the ``.mame`` directory in the current user's home
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directory. Note that only simple variable substitutions are supported; more
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complex expressions supported by Bash, ksh or zsh are not recognised by MAME.
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Relative paths are resolved relative to the current working directory. If you
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start MAME by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer, the working directory is
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set to the folder containing the MAME executable. If you start MAME by
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double-clicking it in the macOS Finder, it will open a Terminal window with the
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working directory is set to your home directory (usually ``/Users/<username>``)
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and start MAME.
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If you want behaviour similar to what Windows Explorer provides on macOS, create
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a script file containing these lines in the directory containing the MAME
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executable (for example you could call it ``mame-here``)::
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#!/bin/sh
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cd "`dirname "$0"`"
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exec ./mame64
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You should be able to use any text editor. If you have a choice of file format
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or line ending style, chose UNIX. I've assumed you're using a 64-bit release
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build of MAME, but if you aren't you just need to change ``mame64`` to the name
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of your MAME executable. Once you've created the file, you need to mark is as
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executable. You can do this by opening a Terminal window, typing **chmod a+x**
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followed by a space, dragging the file you created onto the window (this causes
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Terminal to insert the full escaped path to the file), and then ensuring the
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Terminal window is active and hitting **Return** (or **Enter**) on your
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keyboard. You can close the Terminal window after doing this. Now if you
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double-click the script in the Finder, it will open a Terminal window, set the
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working directory to the location of the script (i.e. the folder containing
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MAME), and then start MAME.
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Core Verbs
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----------
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.. _mame-commandline-help:
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**-help** / **-h** / **-?**
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Displays current MAME version and copyright notice.
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.. _mame-commandline-validate:
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**-validate** / **-valid** [*<pattern>*]
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Performs internal validation on one or more drivers and devices in the
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system. Run this before submitting changes to ensure that you haven't
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violated any of the core system rules.
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If a pattern is specified, it will validate systems matching the pattern,
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otherwise it will validate all systems and devices. Note that if a pattern
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is specified, it will be matched against systems only (not other devices),
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and no device type validation will be performed.
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Configuration Verbs
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-------------------
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.. _mame-commandline-createconfig:
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**-createconfig** / **-cc**
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Creates the default ``mame.ini`` file. All the configuration options (not
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verbs) described below can be permanently changed by editing this
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configuration file.
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.. _mame-commandline-showconfig:
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**-showconfig** / **-sc**
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Displays the current configuration settings. If you route this to a file,
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you can use it as an INI file. For example, the command:
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**mame -showconfig > mame.ini**
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is equivalent to **-createconfig**.
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.. _mame-commandline-showusage:
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**-showusage** / **-su**
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Displays a summary of all the command line options. For options that are
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not mentioned here, the short summary given by "mame -showusage" is usually
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a sufficient description.
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Frontend Verbs
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--------------
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Note: By default, all the '**-list**' verbs below write info to the standard
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output (usually the terminal/command window where you typed the command). If
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you wish to write the info to a text file instead, add this to the end of your
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command:
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**>** *filename*
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where *filename* is the name of the file to save the output in (e.g.
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``list.txt``). Note that if this file already exists, it will be completely
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overwritten.
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Example:
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| **mame -listcrc puckman > list.txt**
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This creates (or overwrites the existing file if already there) ``list.txt``
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and fills the file with the results of **-listcrc puckman**. In other
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words, the list of each ROM used in Puckman and the CRC for that ROM are
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written into that file.
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.. _mame-commandline-listxml:
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**-listxml** / **-lx** [*<pattern>*...]
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List comprehensive details for all of the supported systems and devices in
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XML format. The output is quite long, so it is usually better to redirect
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this into a file. By default all systems are listed; however, you can limit
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this list by specifying one or more *patterns* after the **-listxml** verb.
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This XML output is typically imported into other tools (like graphical
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front-ends and ROM managers), or processed with scripts query detailed
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information.
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.. _mame-commandline-listfull:
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**-listfull** / **-ll** [*<pattern>*...]
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Displays a list of system driver names and descriptions. By default all
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systems and devices are listed; however, you can limit this list by
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specifying one or more *patterns* after the **-listfull** verb.
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.. _mame-commandline-listsource:
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**-listsource** / **-ls** [*<pattern>*...]
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Displays a list of system drivers/devices and the names of the source files
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where they are defined. Useful for finding which driver a system runs on in
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order to fix bugs. By default all systems and devices are listed; however,
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you can limit this list by specifying one or more *pattern* after the
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**-listsource** verb.
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.. _mame-commandline-listclones:
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**-listclones** / **-lc** [*<pattern>*]
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Displays a list of clones. By default all clones are listed; however, you
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can limit this list by specifying a *pattern* after the **-listsource**
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verb. If a pattern is specified, MAME will list clones of systems that
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match the pattern, as well as clones that match the pattern themselves.
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.. _mame-commandline-listbrothers:
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**-listbrothers** / **-lb** [*<pattern>*]
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Displays a list of *brothers*, i.e. other systems that are defined in the
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same source file as a system that matches the specified *pattern*.
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.. _mame-commandline-listcrc:
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**-listcrc** [*<pattern>*...]
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Displays a full list of CRCs and names of all ROM images referenced by
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systems and devices matching the specified pattern(s). If no patterns are
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specified, ROMs referenced by all supported systems and devices will be
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included.
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.. _mame-commandline-listroms:
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**-listroms** / **-lr** [*<pattern>*...]
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Displays a list of ROM images referenced by supported systems/devices that
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match the specified pattern(s). If no patterns are specified, the results
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will include *all* supported systems and devices.
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.. _mame-commandline-listsamples:
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**-listsamples** [<*pattern*>]
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Displays a list of samples referenced by the specified pattern of system or
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device names. If no pattern is specified, the results will be *all* systems
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and devices.
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.. _mame-commandline-verifyroms:
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**-verifyroms** [<*pattern*>]
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Checks for invalid or missing ROM images. By default all drivers that have
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valid ZIP files or directories in the rompath are verified; however, you can
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limit this list by specifying a *pattern* after the **-verifyroms** command.
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.. _mame-commandline-verifysamples:
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**-verifysamples** [<*pattern*>]
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Checks for invalid or missing samples. By default all drivers that have
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valid ZIP files or directories in the samplepath are verified; however, you
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can limit this list by specifying a *pattern* after the **-verifyroms**
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command.
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.. _mame-commandline-romident:
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**-romident** [*path\\to\\romstocheck.zip*]
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Attempts to identify ROM files, if they are known to MAME, in the specified
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.zip file or directory. This command can be used to try and identify ROM
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sets taken from unknown boards. On exit, the errorlevel is returned as one
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of the following:
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* 0: means all files were identified
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* 7: means all files were identified except for 1 or more "non-ROM" files
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* 8: means some files were identified
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* 9: means no files were identified
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.. _mame-commandline-listdevices:
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**-listdevices** / **-ld** [<*pattern*>]
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Displays a list of all devices known to be hooked up to a system. The ":" is
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considered the system itself with the devices list being attached to give
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the user a better understanding of what the emulation is using.
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If slots are populated with devices, any additional slots those devices
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provide will be visible with **-listdevices** as well. For instance,
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installing a floppy controller into a PC will expose the disk drive slots.
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.. _mame-commandline-listslots:
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**-listslots** / **-lslot** [<*pattern*>]
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Show available slots and options for each slot (if available). Primarily
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used for MAME to allow control over internal plug-in cards, much like PCs
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needing video, sound and other expansion cards.
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If slots are populated with devices, any additional slots those devices
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provide will be visible with **-listslots** as well. For instance,
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installing a floppy controller into a PC will expose the disk drive slots.
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The slot name (e.g. **ctrl1**) can be used from the command
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line (**-ctrl1** in this case)
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.. _mame-commandline-listmedia:
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**-listmedia** / **-lm** [<*pattern*>]
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List available media that the chosen system allows to be used. This
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includes media types (cartridge, cassette, diskette and more) as well as
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common file extensions which are supported.
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.. _mame-commandline-listsoftware:
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**-listsoftware** / **-lsoft** [<*pattern*>]
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Posts to screen all software lists which can be used by the entered
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*pattern* or system. Note that this is simply a copy/paste of the .XML file
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which reside in the HASH folder which are allowed to be used.
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.. _mame-commandline-verifysoftware:
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**-verifysoftware** / **-vsoft** [<*pattern*>]
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Checks for invalid or missing ROM images in your software lists. By default
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all drivers that have valid ZIP files or directories in the rompath are
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verified; however, you can limit this list by specifying a specific driver
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name or *pattern* after the **-verifysoftware** command.
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.. _mame-commandline-getsoftlist:
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**-getsoftlist** / **-glist** [<*pattern*>]
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Posts to screen a specific software list which matches with the system name
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provided.
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.. _mame-commandline-verifysoftlist:
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**-verifysoftlist** / **-vlist** [softwarelistname]
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Checks a specified software list for missing ROM images if files exist for
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issued softwarelistname. By default, all drivers that have valid ZIP files
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or directories in the rompath are verified; however, you can limit this list
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by specifying a specific softwarelistname (without .XML) after the
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-verifysoftlist command.
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.. _osd-commandline-options:
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OSD-related Options
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-------------------
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.. _mame-commandline-uimodekey:
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**-uimodekey** [*keystring*]
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Key used to enable/disable MAME keyboard controls when the emulated system
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has keyboard inputs. The default setting is **Forward Delete** on macOS or
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**SCRLOCK** on other operating systems (including Windows and Linux). Use
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**FN-Delete** on Macintosh computers with notebook/compact keyboards.
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.. _mame-commandline-uifontprovider:
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**-uifontprovider**
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Chooses provider for UI font rendering.
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| On Windows, you can choose from: ``win``, ``dwrite``, ``none`` or ``auto``.
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| On macOS, you can choose from: ``osx``, ``none`` or ``auto``.
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| On other platforms, you can choose from: ``sdl``, ``none`` or ``auto``.
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| Default setting is ``auto``.
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.. _mame-commandline-keyboardprovider:
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**-keyboardprovider**
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Chooses how MAME will get keyboard input.
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| On Windows, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``rawinput``, ``dinput``, ``win32``, or ``none``
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| On SDL, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``sdl``, ``none``
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| The default is ``auto``.
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| On Windows, ``auto`` will try ``rawinput`` with fallback to ``dinput``.
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| On SDL, ``auto`` will default to ``sdl``.
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.. _mame-commandline-mouseprovider:
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**\-mouseprovider**
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Chooses how MAME will get mouse input.
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| On Windows, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``rawinput``, ``dinput``, ``win32``, or ``none``
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| On SDL, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``sdl``, ``none``
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| The default is ``auto``.
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| On Windows, ``auto`` will try ``rawinput`` with fallback to ``dinput``.
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| On SDL, ``auto`` will default to ``sdl``.
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.. _mame-commandline-lightgunprovider:
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**\-lightgunprovider**
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Chooses how MAME will get light gun input.
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| On Windows, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``rawinput``, ``win32``, or ``none``
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| On SDL, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``x11`` or ``none``
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| The default is ``auto``.
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| On Windows, auto will try ``rawinput`` with fallback to ``win32``, or ``none`` if it doesn't find any.
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| On SDL/Linux, ``auto`` will default to ``x11``, or ``none`` if it doesn't find any.
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| On other SDL, ``auto`` will default to ``none``.
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.. _mame-commandline-joystickprovider:
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**\-joystickprovider**
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Chooses how MAME will get joystick input.
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| On Windows, you can choose from: ``auto, ``winhybrid``, ``dinput``, ``xinput``, or ``none``
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| On SDL, you can choose from: ``auto``, ``sdl``, ``none``
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| The default is ``auto``.
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| On Windows, auto will default to ``dinput``.
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| Note that Microsoft XBox 360 and XBox One controllers connected to Windows will work best with ``winhybrid`` or ``xinput``. The ``winhybrid`` option supports a mix of DirectInput and XInput controllers at the same time.
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| On SDL, auto will default to ``sdl``.
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OSD CLI Options
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---------------
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.. _mame-commandline-listmidi:
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**\-listmidi**
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Create a list of available MIDI I/O devices for use with emulation.
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.. _mame-commandline-listnetwork:
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**\-listnetwork**
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Create a list of available Network Adapters for use with emulation.
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OSD Output Options
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------------------
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.. _mame-commandline-output:
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**\-output**
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Chooses how MAME will handle processing of output notifiers.
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You can choose from: ``auto``, ``none``, ``console`` or ``network``
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Note that network port is fixed at 8000.
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Configuration Options
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---------------------
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.. _mame-commandline-noreadconfig:
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**-[no]readconfig** / **-[no]rc**
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Enables or disables the reading of the config files. When enabled (which is
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the default), MAME reads the following config files in order:
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- ``mame.ini``
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- ``debug.ini`` (if the debugger is enabled)
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- ``source/``\ *<driver>*\ ``.ini`` (based on the source filename of the driver)
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- ``vertical.ini`` (for systems with vertical monitor orientation)
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- ``horizont.ini`` (for systems with horizontal monitor orientation)
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- ``arcade.ini`` (for systems in source added with ``GAME()`` macro)
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- ``console.ini`` (for systems in source added with ``CONS()`` macro)
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- ``computer.ini`` (for systems in source added with ``COMP()`` macro)
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- ``othersys.ini`` (for systems in source added with ``SYST()`` macro)
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- ``vector.ini`` (for vector systems only)
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- *<parent>*\ ``.ini`` (for clones only, may be called recursively)
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- *<systemname>*\ ``.ini``
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(See :ref:`advanced-multi-CFG` for further details)
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The settings in the later INIs override those in the earlier INIs. So, for
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example, if you wanted to disable overlay effects in the vector systems, you
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can create a ``vector.ini`` with line ``effect none`` in it, and it will
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override whatever ``effect`` value you have in your ``mame.ini``.
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The default is ON (**-readconfig**).
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Core Search Path Options
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------------------------
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.. _mame-commandline-homepath:
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**-homepath** *<path>*
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Specifies a path for Lua plugins to store data.
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The default is ``.`` (that is, in the current working directory).
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.. _mame-commandline-rompath:
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**-rompath** / **-rp** / **-biospath** / **-bp** *<path>*
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Specifies one or more paths within which to find ROM or disk images.
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Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
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The default is ``roms`` (that is, a directory ``roms`` in the current
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working directory).
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|
|
.. _mame-commandline-hashpath:
|
|
|
|
**-hashpath** / **-hash_directory** / **-hash** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find software definition files.
|
|
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``hash`` (that is, a directory ``hash`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-samplepath:
|
|
|
|
**-samplepath** / **-sp** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find audio sample files.
|
|
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``samples`` (that is, a directory ``samples`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-artpath:
|
|
|
|
**-artpath** *<path>* *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find external layout and artwork
|
|
files. Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``artwork`` (that is, a directory ``artwork`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-ctrlrpath:
|
|
|
|
**-ctrlrpath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find default input configuration
|
|
files. Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``ctrlr`` (that is, a directory ``ctrlr`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-inipath:
|
|
|
|
**-inipath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find INI files. Multiple paths
|
|
can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
On Windows, the default is ``.;ini;ini/presets`` (that is, search in the
|
|
current directory first, then in the directory ``ini`` in the current
|
|
working directory, and finally the directory ``presets`` inside that
|
|
directory).
|
|
|
|
On macOS, the default is
|
|
``$HOME/Library/Application Support/mame;$HOME/.mame;.;ini`` (that is,
|
|
search the ``mame`` folder inside the current user's Application Support
|
|
folder, followed by the ``.mame`` folder in the current user's home
|
|
directory, then the current working directory, and finally the directory
|
|
``ini`` in the current working directory).
|
|
|
|
On other platforms (including Linux), the default is ``$HOME/.mame;.;ini``
|
|
(that is search the ``.mame`` directory in the current user's home
|
|
directory, followed by the current working directory, and finally the
|
|
directory ``ini`` in the current working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-fontpath:
|
|
|
|
**-fontpath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find BDF (Adobe Glyph Bitmap
|
|
Distribution Format) font files. Multiple paths can be specified by
|
|
separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``.`` (that is, search in the current working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-cheatpath:
|
|
|
|
**-cheatpath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find XML cheat files. Multiple
|
|
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``cheat`` (that is, a folder called ``cheat`` located in the
|
|
current working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-crosshairpath:
|
|
|
|
**-crosshairpath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find crosshair image files.
|
|
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``crsshair`` (that is, a directory ``crsshair`` in the
|
|
current working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-pluginspath:
|
|
|
|
**-pluginspath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find Lua plugins for MAME.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``plugins`` (that is, a directory ``plugins`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-languagepath:
|
|
|
|
**-languagepath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies one or more paths within which to find language files for
|
|
localized UI text.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``language`` (that is, a directory ``language`` in the
|
|
current working directory).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-swpath:
|
|
|
|
**-swpath** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the default path from which to load loose software image files.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``sofware`` (that is, a directory ``software`` in the current
|
|
working directory).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Output Directory Options
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-cfgdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-cfg_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the directory where configuration files are stored. Configuration
|
|
files are read when starting MAME or when starting an emulated machine, and
|
|
written on exit. Configuration files preserve settings including input
|
|
assignment, DIP switch settings, bookkeeping statistics, and debugger window
|
|
arrangement.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``cfg`` (that is, a directory ``cfg`` in the current working
|
|
directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nvramdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-nvram_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the directory where NVRAM files are stored. NVRAM files store the
|
|
contents of EEPROM, non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), and other programmable devices
|
|
for systems that used this type of hardware. This data is read when
|
|
starting an emulated machine and written on exit.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``nvram`` (that is, a directory ``nvram`` in the current
|
|
working directory)). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-inputdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-input_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the directory where input recording files are stored. Input
|
|
recordings are created using the **-record** option and played back using
|
|
the **-playback** option.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``inp`` (that is, a directory ``inp`` in the current working
|
|
directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-statedirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-state_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the 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 current working
|
|
directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-snapshotdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-snapshot_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the directory where screen snapshots and video recordings are
|
|
stored when requested by the user.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``snap`` (that is, a directory ``snap`` in the current
|
|
working directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-diffdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-diff_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the directory where hard drive difference files are stored. Hard
|
|
drive difference files store data that is written back to an emulated hard
|
|
disk, in order to preserve the original image file. The difference files
|
|
are created when starting an emulated system with a compressed hard disk
|
|
image.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``diff`` (that is, a directory ``diff`` in the current
|
|
working directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be created
|
|
automatically.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commentdirectory:
|
|
|
|
**-comment_directory** *<path>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies a directory where debugger comment files are stored. Debugger
|
|
comment files are written by the debugger when comments are added to the
|
|
disassembly for a system.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``comments`` (that is, a directory ``comments`` in the
|
|
current working directory). If this directory does not exist, it will be
|
|
created automatically.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core State/Playback Options
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-norewind:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]rewind**
|
|
|
|
When enabled and emulation is paused, automatically creates a save state in
|
|
memory every time a frame is advanced. Rewind save states can then be
|
|
loaded consecutively by pressing the rewind single step shortcut key
|
|
(**Left Shift + Tilde** by default).
|
|
|
|
The default rewind value is OFF (**-norewind**).
|
|
|
|
If debugger is in a 'break' state, a save state is instead created every
|
|
time step in, step over, or step out occurs. In that mode, rewind save
|
|
states can be loaded by executing the debugger **rewind** (or **rw**)
|
|
command.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-rewindcapacity:
|
|
|
|
**-rewind_capacity** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
Sets the rewind capacity value, in megabytes. It is the total amount of
|
|
memory rewind savestates can occupy. When capacity is hit, old savestates
|
|
get erased as new ones are captured. Setting capacity lower than the
|
|
current savestate size disables rewind. Values below 0 are automatically
|
|
clamped to 0.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-state:
|
|
|
|
**-state** *<slot>*
|
|
|
|
Immediately after starting the specified system, will cause the save state
|
|
in the specified <slot> to be loaded.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noautosave:
|
|
|
|
**-[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
|
|
system. This only works for systems that have explicitly enabled save state
|
|
support in their driver.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noautosave**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-playback:
|
|
|
|
**-playback** / **-pb** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies a file from which to play back a series of inputs. This feature
|
|
does not work reliably for all systems, 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).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-exitafterplayback:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]exit_after_playback**
|
|
|
|
When used in conjunction with the **-playback** option, MAME will exit after
|
|
playing back the input file. By default, MAME continues to run the emulated
|
|
system after playback completes.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noexit_after_playback**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-record:
|
|
|
|
**-record** / **-rec** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies a file to record all input from a session. This can be used to
|
|
record a session for later playback. This feature does not work reliably
|
|
for all systems, but can be used to watch a previously recorded 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).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-recordtimecode:
|
|
|
|
**-record_timecode**
|
|
|
|
Tells MAME 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
|
|
timecode file is saved in the ``inp`` folder.
|
|
|
|
By default, no timecode file is saved.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-mngwrite:
|
|
|
|
**-mngwrite** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Writes each video frame to the given <filename> in MNG format, producing an
|
|
animation of the session. Note that **-mngwrite** only writes video frames;
|
|
it does not save any audio data. Either use **-wavwrite** to record audio
|
|
and combine the audio and video tracks using video editing software, or use
|
|
**-aviwrite** to record audio and video to a single file.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``NULL`` (no recording).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-aviwrite:
|
|
|
|
**-aviwrite** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Stream video and sound data to the given <filename> in uncompressed AVI
|
|
format, producing an animation of the session complete with sound. Note
|
|
that the AVI format does not changes to resolution or frame rate,
|
|
uncompressed video consumes a lot of disk space, and recording uncompressed
|
|
video in realtime requires a fast disk. It may be more practical to record
|
|
an emulation session using **-record** then make a video of it with
|
|
**-aviwrite** in combination with **-playback** and **-exit_after_playback**
|
|
options.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``NULL`` (no recording).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-wavwrite:
|
|
|
|
**-wavwrite** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Writes the final mixer output to the given <filename> in WAV format,
|
|
producing an audio recording of the session.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``NULL`` (no recording).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-snapname:
|
|
|
|
**-snapname** *<name>*
|
|
|
|
Describes how MAME should name files for snapshots. <name> is a string that
|
|
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 string ``%g``
|
|
represents the driver name of the current system; and the string ``%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 system,
|
|
and names the snapshots under it starting with 0000 and increasing from
|
|
there.
|
|
|
|
In addition to the above, for drivers using different media, like carts or
|
|
floppy disks, you can also use the ``%d_[media]`` indicator. Replace [media]
|
|
with the media switch you want to use.
|
|
|
|
A few examples:
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
If you use **mame nes -cart robby -snapname %g/%d_cart** snapshots will be
|
|
saved as ``snaps\\nes\\robby.png``.
|
|
|
|
If you use **mame c64 -flop1 robby -snapname %g/%d_flop1/%i** snapshots will
|
|
be saved as ``snaps\\c64\\robby\\0000.png``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-snapsize:
|
|
|
|
**-snapsize** *<width>x<height>*
|
|
|
|
Hard-codes the size for snapshots and movie recording. By default, MAME
|
|
will create snapshots at the system's current resolution in raw pixels, and
|
|
will create movies at the system'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 system is vertically oriented.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``auto``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-snapview:
|
|
|
|
**-snapview** *<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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nosnapbilinear:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]snapbilinear**
|
|
|
|
Specify if the snapshot or movie should have bilinear filtering applied.
|
|
Shutting this off can improve performance while recording video to a file.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-snapbilinear**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-statename:
|
|
|
|
**-statename** *<name>*
|
|
|
|
Describes how MAME should store save state files, relative to the
|
|
state_directory path. <name> is a string that 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 string ``%g``
|
|
represents the driver name of the current system.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``%g``, which creates a separate folder for each system.
|
|
|
|
In addition to the above, for drivers using different media, like carts or
|
|
floppy disks, you can also use the ``%d_[media]`` indicator. Replace
|
|
``[media]`` with the media switch you want to use.
|
|
|
|
A few examples:
|
|
|
|
If you use **mame robby -statename foo/%g** save states will be stored
|
|
inside ``sta\\foo\\robby\\``.
|
|
|
|
If you use **mame nes -cart robby -statename %g/%d_cart** save states will
|
|
be stored inside ``sta\\nes\\robby\\``.
|
|
|
|
If you use **mame c64 -flop1 robby -statename %g/%d_flop1** save states will
|
|
be stored inside 'sta\\c64\\robby\\'.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noburnin:
|
|
|
|
**-[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
|
|
systems. 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
|
|
``<systemname>/burnin-<screen.name>.png``.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noburnin**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Performance Options
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noautoframeskip:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]autoframeskip** / **-[no]afs**
|
|
|
|
Dynamically adjust the frameskip level while you're running the system to
|
|
maintain full speed. Turning this on overrides the **-frameskip** setting
|
|
described below.
|
|
|
|
This is off by default (**-noautoframeskip**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-frameskip:
|
|
|
|
**-frameskip** / **-fs** *<level>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the frameskip value. This is the number of frames out of every 12
|
|
to drop when running. For example, if you specify **-frameskip 2**, MAME
|
|
will render and display 10 out of every 12 emulated frames. By skipping
|
|
some frames, you may be able to get full speed emulation for a system that
|
|
would otherwise be too demanding for your computer.
|
|
|
|
The default value is **-frameskip 0**, which skips no frames.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-secondstorun:
|
|
|
|
**-seconds_to_run** / **-str** *<seconds>*
|
|
|
|
This option tells MAME to automatically stop emulation after a fixed number
|
|
of seconds of emulated time have elapsed. This may be useful for
|
|
benchmarking and automated testing. By combining this with a fixed set of
|
|
other command line options, you can set up a consistent environment for
|
|
benchmarking MAME's emulation performance. In addition, upon exit, the
|
|
**-str** option will write a screenshot called ``final.png`` to the system's
|
|
snapshot directory.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nothrottle:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]throttle**
|
|
|
|
Enable or disable thottling emulation speed. When throttling is enabled,
|
|
MAME limits emulation speed to so the emulated system will not run faster
|
|
than the original hardware. When throttling is disabled, MAME runs the
|
|
emulation as fast as possible. Depending on your settings and the
|
|
characteristics of the emulated system, performance may be limited by your
|
|
CPU, graphics card, or even memory performance.
|
|
|
|
The default is to enable throttling (**-throttle**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nosleep:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]sleep**
|
|
|
|
When enabled along with **-throttle**, MAME will yield the CPU when
|
|
limiting emulation speed. This allows other programs to use CPU time,
|
|
assuming the main emulation thread isn't completely utilising a CPU core.
|
|
This option can potentially cause hiccups in performance if other demanding
|
|
programs are running.
|
|
|
|
The default is on (**-sleep**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-speed:
|
|
|
|
**-speed** *<factor>*
|
|
|
|
Changes the way MAME throttles the emulation so that it runs at some
|
|
multiple of the system's original speed. A *<factor>* of ``1.0`` means to
|
|
run the system at its normal speed, a *<factor>* of ``0.5`` means run at
|
|
half speed, and a *<factor>* of 2.0 means run at double speed. Note that
|
|
changing this value affects sound playback as well, which will scale in
|
|
pitch accordingly. The internal precision of the fraction is two decimal
|
|
places, so a *<factor>* of ``1.002`` is rounded to ``1.00``.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``1.0`` (normal speed).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-norefreshspeed:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]refreshspeed** / **-[no]rs**
|
|
|
|
Allows MAME to adjust the emulation speed so that the refresh rate of the
|
|
first emulated screen does not exceed the slowest refresh rate for any
|
|
targeted monitors in your system. Thus, if you have a 60Hz monitor and run
|
|
a system that is designed to run at 60.6Hz, MAME will reduce the emulation
|
|
speed to 99% in order to prevent sound hiccups or other undesirable side
|
|
effects of running at a slower refresh rate.
|
|
|
|
The default is off (**-norefreshspeed**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-numprocessors:
|
|
|
|
**-numprocessors** / **-np** **auto**\ \|\ *<value>*
|
|
|
|
Specify the number of threads to use for work queues. Specifying ``auto``
|
|
will use the value reported by the system or environment variable
|
|
``OSDPROCESSORS``. This value is internally limited to four times the
|
|
number of processors reported by the system.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``auto``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-bench:
|
|
|
|
**-bench** *<n>*
|
|
|
|
Benchmark for *<n>* emulated seconds. This is equivalent to the following
|
|
options:
|
|
|
|
**-str** *<n>* **-video none -sound none -nothrottle**
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-lowlatency:
|
|
|
|
**-lowlatency**
|
|
|
|
This tells MAME to draw a new frame before throttling to reduce input
|
|
latency. This is particularly effective with VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
|
|
displays.
|
|
|
|
This may cause frame pacing issues in the form of jitter with some
|
|
systems (especially newer 3D-based systems or systems that run software
|
|
akin to an operating system), so the default is off (**-nolowlatency**).
|
|
|
|
Core Rotation Options
|
|
---------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-norotate:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]rotate**
|
|
|
|
Rotate the system to match its normal state (horizontal/vertical). This
|
|
ensures that both vertically and horizontally oriented systems show up
|
|
correctly without the need to rotate your monitor. If you want to keep the
|
|
system displaying 'raw' on the screen the way it would have in the arcade,
|
|
turn this option OFF.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-rotate**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noror:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]ror**
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-norol:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]rol**
|
|
|
|
Rotate the system 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).
|
|
|
|
The default for both of these options is OFF (**-noror -norol**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noautoror:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]autoror**
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noautorol:
|
|
|
|
**-[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 system 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**.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noflipx:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]flipx**
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noflipy:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]flipy**
|
|
|
|
Flip (mirror) the system screen either horizontally (**-flipx**) or
|
|
vertically (**-flipy**). The flips are applied after the **-rotate** and
|
|
**-ror**/**-rol** options are applied.
|
|
|
|
The default for both of these options is OFF (**-noflipx -noflipy**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Video Options
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-video:
|
|
|
|
**-video** *<bgfx|gdi|d3d|opengl|soft|accel|none>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies which video subsystem to use for drawing. Options here depend on
|
|
the operating system and whether this is an SDL-compiled version of MAME.
|
|
|
|
Generally Available:
|
|
|
|
| Using ``bgfx`` specifies the new hardware accelerated renderer.
|
|
|
|
|
| Using ``opengl`` tells MAME to render video using OpenGL acceleration.
|
|
|
|
|
| Using ``none`` displays no windows and does no drawing. This is primarily present for doing CPU benchmarks without the overhead of the video system.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On Windows:
|
|
|
|
| Using ``gdi`` tells MAME to render video using older standard Windows graphics drawing calls. This is the slowest but most compatible option on older versions of Windows.
|
|
|
|
|
| Using ``d3d`` tells MAME to use Direct3D for rendering. This produces the better quality output than ``gdi`` and enables additional rendering options. It is recommended if you have a semi-recent (2002+) video card or onboard Intel video of the HD3000 line or better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On other platforms (including SDL on Windows):
|
|
|
|
| Using ``accel`` tells MAME to render video using SDL's 2D acceleration if possible.
|
|
|
|
|
| Using ``soft`` uses software rendering for video output. This isn't as fast or as nice as OpenGL but will work on any platform.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Defaults:
|
|
|
|
| The default on Windows is ``d3d``.
|
|
|
|
|
| The default for Mac OS X is ``opengl`` because OS X is guaranteed to have a compliant OpenGL stack.
|
|
|
|
|
| The default on all other systems is ``soft``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-numscreens:
|
|
|
|
**-numscreens** *<count>*
|
|
|
|
Tells MAME how many output windows to create. For most systems, a single
|
|
output window is all you need, but some systems originally used multipl
|
|
screens (*e.g. Darius and PlayChoice-10 arcade machines*). Each screen
|
|
(up to 4) has its own independent settings for physical monitor, aspect
|
|
ratio, resolution, and view, which can be set using the options below.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``1``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-window:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]window** / **-[no]w**
|
|
|
|
Run MAME in either a window or full screen.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nowindow**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-maximize:
|
|
|
|
**-[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 closest possible size to
|
|
the original size of the display; it will scale on only one axis where
|
|
non-square pixels are used. This option only has an effect when the
|
|
**-window** option is used.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-maximize**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-keepaspect:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]keepaspect** / **-[no]ka**
|
|
|
|
When enabled, MAME preserves the correct aspect ratio for the emulated
|
|
system's screen(s). This is most often 4:3 or 3:4 for CRT monitors
|
|
(depending on the orientation), though many other aspect ratios have been
|
|
used, such as 3:2 (Nintendo Game Boy), 5:4 (some workstations), and various
|
|
other ratios. If the emulated screen and/or artwork does not fill MAME's
|
|
screen or Window, the image will be centred and black bars will be added
|
|
as necessary to fill unused space (either above/below or to the left and
|
|
right).
|
|
|
|
When this option is disabled, the emulated screen and/or artwork will be
|
|
stretched to fill MAME's screen or window. The image will be distorted by
|
|
non-proportional scaling if the aspect ratio does not match. This is very
|
|
pronounced when the emulated system uses a vertically-oriented screen and
|
|
MAME stretches the image to fill a horizontally-oriented screen.
|
|
|
|
On Windows, when this option is enabled and MAME is running in a window (not
|
|
full screen), the aspect ratio will be maintained when you resize the window
|
|
unless you hold the **Control** (or **Ctrl**) key on your keyboard. The
|
|
window size will not be restricted when this option is disabled.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-keepaspect**).
|
|
|
|
The MAME team strongly recommends leaving this option enabled. Stretching
|
|
systems beyond their original aspect ratio will mangle the appearance of the
|
|
system in ways that no filtering or shaders can repair.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-waitvsync:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]waitvsync**
|
|
|
|
Waits for the refresh period on your computer's monitor to finish before
|
|
starting to draw video to your screen. If this option is off, MAME will
|
|
just draw to the screen as a frame is ready, even if in the middle of a
|
|
refresh cycle. This can cause "tearing" artifacts, where the top portion of
|
|
the screen is out of sync with the bottom portion.
|
|
|
|
The effect of turning **-waitvsync** on differs a bit between combinations
|
|
of different operating systems and video drivers.
|
|
|
|
On Windows, **-waitvsync** will block until video blanking before allowing
|
|
MAME to draw the next frame, limiting the emulated machine's framerate to
|
|
that of the host display. Note that this option does not work with
|
|
**-video gdi** mode in Windows.
|
|
|
|
On macOS, **-waitvsync** does not block; instead the most recent completely
|
|
drawn frame will be displayed at vblank. This means that if an emulated
|
|
system has a higher framerate than your host display, emulated frames will
|
|
be dropped periodically resulting in motion judder.
|
|
|
|
On Windows, you should only need to turn this on in windowed mode. In full
|
|
screen mode, it is only needed if **-triplebuffer** does not remove the
|
|
tearing, in which case you should use **-notriplebuffer -waitvsync**.
|
|
|
|
Note that SDL-based MAME support for this option depends entirely on your
|
|
operating system and video drivers; in general it will not work in windowed
|
|
mode so **-video opengl** and fullscreen give the greatest chance of
|
|
success with SDL builds of MAME.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nowaitvsync**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-syncrefresh:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]syncrefresh**
|
|
|
|
Enables speed throttling only to the refresh of your monitor. This means
|
|
that the system's actual refresh rate is ignored; however, the sound code
|
|
still attempts to keep up with the system's original refresh rate, so you
|
|
may encounter sound problems.
|
|
|
|
This option is intended mainly for those who have tweaked their video card's
|
|
settings to provide carefully matched refresh rate options. Note that this
|
|
option does not work with **-video gdi** mode.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nosyncrefresh**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-prescale:
|
|
|
|
**-prescale** *<amount>*
|
|
|
|
Controls the size of the screen images when they are passed off to the
|
|
graphics system for scaling. At the minimum setting of 1, the screen is
|
|
rendered at its original resolution before being scaled. At higher
|
|
settings, the screen is expanded in both axes by a factor of *<amount>*
|
|
using nearest-neighbor sampling before applying filters or shaders. With
|
|
**-video d3d**, this produces a less blurry image at the expense of speed.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``1``.
|
|
|
|
This is supported with all video output types (``bgfx``, ``d3d``, etc) on
|
|
Windows and is **ONLY** supported with OpenGL on other platforms.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-filter:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]filter** / **-[no]d3dfilter** / **-[no]flt**
|
|
|
|
Enable bilinear filtering on the system screen graphics. When disabled,
|
|
point filtering is applied, which is crisper but leads to scaling artifacts.
|
|
If you don't like the filtered look, you are probably better off increasing
|
|
the **-prescale** value rather than turning off filtering altogether.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-filter**).
|
|
|
|
This is supported with OpenGL and D3D video on Windows and is **ONLY**
|
|
supported with OpenGL on other platforms.
|
|
|
|
Use ``bgfx_screen_chains`` in your INI file(s) to adjust filtering with the
|
|
BGFX video system.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-unevenstretch:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]unevenstretch**
|
|
|
|
Allow non-integer scaling factors allowing for great window sizing
|
|
flexability.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON. (**-unevenstretch**)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Full Screen Options
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-switchres:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]switchres**
|
|
|
|
Enables resolution switching. This option is required for the
|
|
**-resolution\*** options to switch resolutions in full screen mode.
|
|
|
|
On modern video cards, there is little reason to switch resolutions unless
|
|
you are trying to achieve the "exact" pixel resolutions of the original
|
|
systems, which requires significant tweaking. This option is also useful
|
|
on LCD displays, since they run with a fixed resolution and switching
|
|
resolutions on them is just silly. This option does not work with
|
|
**-video gdi**.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noswitchres**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Per-Window Options
|
|
-----------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-screen:
|
|
|
|
NOTE: **Multiple Screens may fail to work correctly on some Mac machines as of
|
|
right now.**
|
|
|
|
**-screen** *<display>*
|
|
|
|
**-screen0** *<display>*
|
|
|
|
**-screen1** *<display>*
|
|
|
|
**-screen2** *<display>*
|
|
|
|
**-screen3** *<display>*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Specifies which physical monitor on your system you wish to have each window
|
|
use by default. In order to use multiple windows, you must have increased
|
|
the value of the **-numscreens** option. The name of each display in your
|
|
system can be determined by running MAME with the -verbose option. The
|
|
display names are typically in the format of: ``\\\\.\\DISPLAYn``, where
|
|
'n' is a number from 1 to the number of connected monitors.
|
|
|
|
The default value for these options is ``auto``, which means that the first
|
|
window is placed on the first display, the second window on the second
|
|
display, etc.
|
|
|
|
The **-screen0**, **-screen1**, **-screen2**, **-screen3** parameters apply
|
|
to the specific window. The **-screen** parameter applies to all windows.
|
|
The window-specific options override values from the all window option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-aspect:
|
|
|
|
**-aspect** *<width:height>* / **-screen_aspect** *<num:den>*
|
|
|
|
**-aspect0** *<width:height>*
|
|
|
|
**-aspect1** *<width:height>*
|
|
|
|
**-aspect2** *<width:height>*
|
|
|
|
**-aspect3** *<width:height>*
|
|
|
|
|
|
Specifies the physical aspect ratio of the physical monitor for each window.
|
|
In order to use multiple windows, you must have increased the value of the
|
|
**-numscreens** option. The physical aspect ratio can be determined by
|
|
measuring the width and height of the visible screen image and specifying
|
|
them separated by a colon.
|
|
|
|
The default value for these options is ``auto``, which means that MAME
|
|
assumes the aspect ratio is proportional to the number of pixels in the
|
|
desktop video mode for each monitor.
|
|
|
|
The **-aspect0**, **-aspect1**, **-aspect2**, **-aspect3** parameters apply
|
|
to the specific window. The **-aspect** parameter applies to all windows.
|
|
The window-specific options override values from the all window option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-resolution:
|
|
|
|
**-resolution** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>* / **-r** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>*
|
|
|
|
**-resolution0** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>* / **-r0** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>*
|
|
|
|
**-resolution1** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>* / **-r1** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>*
|
|
|
|
**-resolution2** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>* / **-r2** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>*
|
|
|
|
**-resolution3** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>* / **-r3** *<widthxheight[@refresh]>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies an exact resolution to run in. In full screen mode, MAME will try
|
|
to use the specific resolution you request. The width and height are
|
|
required; the refresh rate is optional. If omitted or set to 0, MAME will
|
|
determine the mode automatically. For example, **-resolution 640x480** will
|
|
force 640x480 resolution, but MAME is free to choose the refresh rate.
|
|
Similarly, **-resolution 0x0@60** will force a 60Hz refresh rate, but allows
|
|
MAME to choose the resolution. The string ``auto`` is also supported, and
|
|
is equivalent to ``0x0@0``.
|
|
|
|
In window mode, this resolution is used as a maximum size for the window.
|
|
This option requires the **-switchres** option as well in order to actually
|
|
enable resolution switching with **-video d3d**.
|
|
|
|
The default value for these options is ``auto``.
|
|
|
|
The **-resolution0**, **-resolution1**, **-resolution2**, **-resolution3**
|
|
parameters apply to the specific window. The **-resolution** parameter
|
|
applies to all windows. The window-specific options override values from
|
|
the all window option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-view:
|
|
|
|
**-view** *<viewname>*
|
|
|
|
**-view0** *<viewname>*
|
|
|
|
**-view1** *<viewname>*
|
|
|
|
**-view2** *<viewname>*
|
|
|
|
**-view3** *<viewname>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the initial view setting for each window. The *<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,
|
|
**-view native** will match the "*Native (15:14)*" view even though it is
|
|
not a perfect match. The value ``auto`` is also supported, and requests
|
|
that MAME perform a default selection.
|
|
|
|
The default value for these options is ``auto``.
|
|
|
|
The **-view0**, **-view1**, **-view2**, **-view3** parameters apply to the
|
|
specific window. The **-view** parameter applies to all windows. The
|
|
window-specific options override values from the all window option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Artwork Options
|
|
--------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noartworkcrop:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]artwork_crop** / **-[no]artcrop**
|
|
|
|
Enable cropping of artwork to the system screen area only. This means that
|
|
vertically oriented systems running full screen can display their artwork to
|
|
the left and right sides of the screen. This option can also be controlled
|
|
via the Video Options menu in the user interface.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF **-noartwork_crop**.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-fallbackartwork:
|
|
|
|
**-fallback_artwork**
|
|
|
|
Specifies fallback artwork if no external artwork or internal driver layout
|
|
is defined.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-overrideartwork:
|
|
|
|
**-override_artwork**
|
|
|
|
Specifies override artwork for external artwork and internal driver layout.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Screen Options
|
|
-------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-brightness:
|
|
|
|
**-brightness** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
Controls the default brightness, or black level, of the system 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 system
|
|
screen; this option controls the initial value for all visible system
|
|
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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-contrast:
|
|
|
|
**-contrast** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
Controls the contrast, or white level, of the system 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 system screen; this
|
|
option controls the initial value for all visible system 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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-gamma:
|
|
|
|
**-gamma** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
Controls the gamma, which produces a potentially nonlinear black to white
|
|
ramp, for the system 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 system screen; this option controls the initial value for
|
|
all visible system 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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-pausebrightness:
|
|
|
|
**-pause_brightness** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
This controls the brightness level when MAME is paused.
|
|
|
|
The default value is ``0.65``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-effect:
|
|
|
|
**-effect** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies a single PNG file that is used as an overlay over any system
|
|
screens in the video display. This PNG file is assumed to live in the root
|
|
of one of the artpath directories. The pattern in the PNG file is repeated
|
|
both horizontally and vertically to cover the entire system screen areas
|
|
(but not any external artwork), and is rendered at the target resolution of
|
|
the system image.
|
|
|
|
For **-video gdi** and **-video d3d** modes, this means that one pixel in
|
|
the PNG will map to one pixel on your output display. The RGB values of
|
|
each pixel in the PNG are multiplied against the RGB values of the target
|
|
screen.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``none``, meaning no effect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Vector Options
|
|
-------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-beamwidthmin:
|
|
|
|
**-beam_width_min** *<width>*
|
|
|
|
Sets the vector beam minimum width.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-beamwidthmax:
|
|
|
|
**-beam_width_max** *<width>*
|
|
|
|
Sets the vector beam maximum width.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-beamintensityweight:
|
|
|
|
**-beam_intensity_weight** *<weight>*
|
|
|
|
Sets the vector beam intensity weight.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-flicker:
|
|
|
|
**-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``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Video OpenGL Debugging Options
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
These options are for compatibility in **-video opengl**. If you report
|
|
rendering artifacts you may be asked to try messing with them by the devs, but
|
|
normally they should be left at their defaults which results in the best
|
|
possible video performance.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glforcepow2texture:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]gl_forcepow2texture**
|
|
|
|
Always use only power-of-2 sized textures.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF. (**-nogl_forcepow2texture**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glnotexturerect:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]gl_notexturerect**
|
|
|
|
Don't use OpenGL GL_ARB_texture_rectangle.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON. (**-gl_notexturerect**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glvbo:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]gl_vbo**
|
|
|
|
Enable OpenGL VBO (Vertex Buffer Objects), if available.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON. (**-gl_vbo**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glpbo:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]gl_pbo**
|
|
|
|
Enable OpenGL PBO (Pixel Buffer Objects), if available (default ``on``)
|
|
|
|
The default is ON. (**-gl_pbo**)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Video OpenGL GLSL Options
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glglsl:
|
|
|
|
**-gl_glsl**
|
|
|
|
Enable OpenGL GLSL, if available.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glglslfilter:
|
|
|
|
**-gl_glsl_filter**
|
|
|
|
Use OpenGL GLSL shader-based filtering instead of fixed function
|
|
pipeline-based filtering.
|
|
|
|
*0-plain, 1-bilinear, 2-bicubic*
|
|
|
|
The default is 1. (**-gl_glsl_filter 1**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glslshadermame:
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_mame0**
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_mame1**
|
|
|
|
...
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_mame9**
|
|
|
|
|
|
Custom OpenGL GLSL shader set MAME bitmap in the provided slot (0-9); one
|
|
can be applied to each slot.
|
|
|
|
[todo: better details on usage at some point.
|
|
See http://forums.bannister.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=100988#Post100988 ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glslshaderscreen:
|
|
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_screen0**
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_screen1**
|
|
|
|
...
|
|
|
|
**-glsl_shader_screen9**
|
|
|
|
|
|
Custom OpenGL GLSL shader screen bitmap in the provided slot (0-9).
|
|
|
|
[todo: better details on usage at some point.
|
|
See http://forums.bannister.org/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=100988#Post100988 ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-glglslvidattr:
|
|
|
|
**-gl_glsl_vid_attr**
|
|
|
|
Enable OpenGL GLSL handling of brightness and contrast.
|
|
Better RGB system performance.
|
|
|
|
Default is ``on``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Sound Options
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-samplerate:
|
|
|
|
**-samplerate** *<value>* / **-sr** *<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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nosamples:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]samples**
|
|
|
|
Use samples if available.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-samples**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-volume:
|
|
|
|
**-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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-sound:
|
|
|
|
**-sound** *<``dsound``|``coreaudio``|``sdl``|``xaudio2``|``portaudio``|``none``>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies which sound subsystem to use. Selecting ``none`` disables sound
|
|
output altogether (sound hardware is still emulated).
|
|
|
|
| On Windows, ``dsound``, ``xaudio2``, ``portaudio`` and ``none`` are available.
|
|
| On macOS, ``coreaudio``, ``sdl``, ``portaudio`` and ``none`` are available.
|
|
| On other operating systems, ``sdl``, ``portaudio`` and ``none`` are available. (Special build options allow ``sdl`` to be used on Windows, or ``portaudio`` to be disabled.)
|
|
|
|
|
| The default is ``dsound`` on Windows. On Mac, ``coreaudio`` is the default. On all other platforms, ``sdl`` is the default.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On Windows and Linux, *portaudio* is likely to give the lowest possible
|
|
latency, while Mac users will find *coreaudio* provides the best results.
|
|
|
|
When using the ``sdl`` sound subsystem, the audio API to use may be selected
|
|
by setting the *SDL_AUDIODRIVER* environment variable. Available audio APIs
|
|
depend on the operating system. On Windows, it may be necessary to set
|
|
``SDL_AUDIODRIVER=directsound`` if no sound output is produced by default.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-audiolatency:
|
|
|
|
**-audio_latency** *<value>*
|
|
|
|
The exact behavior depends on the selected audio output module. Smaller
|
|
values provide less audio 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``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Input Options
|
|
------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nocoinlockout:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]coin_lockout** / **-[no]coinlock**
|
|
|
|
Enables simulation of the "coin lockout" feature that is implemented on a
|
|
number of arcade 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
|
|
(in debug mode). If this feature is disabled, the coin lockout signal will
|
|
be ignored.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-coin_lockout**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-ctrlr:
|
|
|
|
**-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).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nomouse:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]mouse**
|
|
|
|
Controls whether or not MAME makes use of mouse controllers. When this is
|
|
enabled, you will likely be unable to use your mouse for other purposes
|
|
until you exit or pause the system.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nomouse**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nojoystick:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]joystick** / **-[no]joy**
|
|
|
|
Controls whether or not MAME makes use of joystick/gamepad controllers.
|
|
|
|
When this is enabled, MAME will ask the system about which controllers are
|
|
connected.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nojoystick**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nolightgun:
|
|
|
|
**-[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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nomultikeyboard:
|
|
|
|
**-[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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nomultimouse:
|
|
|
|
**-[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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nosteadykey:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]steadykey** / **-[no]steady**
|
|
|
|
Some systems require two or more buttons to be pressed at exactly the same
|
|
time to make special moves. Due to limitations in the 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**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-uiactive:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]ui_active**
|
|
|
|
Enable user interface on top of emulated keyboard (if present).
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noui_active**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nooffscreenreload:
|
|
|
|
**-[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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-joystickmap:
|
|
|
|
**-joystick_map** *<map>* / **-joymap** *<map>*
|
|
|
|
Controls how joystick values map to digital joystick controls. MAME accepts
|
|
all joystick input from the system as analog data. For true analog
|
|
joysticks, this needs to be mapped down to the usual 4-way or 8-way digital
|
|
joystick values. To do this, MAME divides the analog range into a 9x9 grid.
|
|
It then takes the joystick axis position (for X and Y axes only), maps it to
|
|
this grid, and then looks up a translation from a joystick map. This
|
|
parameter allows you to specify the map.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``auto``, which means that a standard 8-way, 4-way, or 4-way
|
|
diagonal map is selected automatically based on the input port configuration
|
|
of the current system.
|
|
|
|
Maps are defined as a string of numbers and characters. Since the grid is
|
|
9x9, there are a total of 81 characters necessary to define a complete map.
|
|
Below is an example map for an 8-way joystick:
|
|
|
|
+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
|
|
| | 777888999 | |
|
|
| | 777888999 | | Note that the numeric digits correspond to the keys |
|
|
| | 777888999 | | on a numeric keypad. So '7' maps to up+left, '4' maps |
|
|
| | 444555666 | | to left, '5' maps to neutral, etc. In addition to the |
|
|
| | 444555666 | | numeric values, you can specify the character 's', |
|
|
| | 444555666 | | which means "sticky". In this case, the value of the |
|
|
| | 111222333 | | map is the same as it was the last time a non-sticky |
|
|
| | 111222333 | | value was read. |
|
|
| | 111222333 | |
|
|
+-------------+---------------------------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
To specify the map for this parameter, you can specify a string of rows
|
|
separated by a '.' (which indicates the end of a row), like so:
|
|
|
|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|
| **-joymap 777888999.777888999.777888999.444555666.444555666.444555666.111222333.111222333.111222333** |
|
|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|
|
|
However, this can be reduced using several shorthands supported by the <map>
|
|
parameter. If information about a row is missing, then it is assumed that
|
|
any missing data in columns 5-9 are left/right symmetric with data in
|
|
columns 0-4; and any missing data in columns 0-4 is assumed to be copies of
|
|
the previous data. The same logic applies to missing rows, except that
|
|
up/down symmetry is assumed.
|
|
|
|
By using these shorthands, the 81 character map can be simply specified by
|
|
this 11 character string: 7778...4445 (which means we then use
|
|
**-joymap 7778...4445**)
|
|
|
|
Looking at the first row, 7778 is only 4 characters long. The 5th entry
|
|
can't use symmetry, so it is assumed to be equal to the previous character
|
|
'8'. The 6th character is left/right symmetric with the 4th character,
|
|
giving an '8'. The 7th character is left/right symmetric with the 3rd
|
|
character, giving a '9' (which is '7' with left/right flipped).
|
|
Eventually this gives the full 777888999 string of the row.
|
|
|
|
The second and third rows are missing, so they are assumed to be identical
|
|
to the first row. The fourth row decodes similarly to the first row,
|
|
producing 444555666. The fifth row is missing so it is assumed to be the
|
|
same as the fourth.
|
|
|
|
The remaining three rows are also missing, so they are assumed to be the
|
|
up/down mirrors of the first three rows, giving three final rows of
|
|
111222333.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-joystickdeadzone:
|
|
|
|
**-joystick_deadzone** *<value>* / **-joy_deadzone** *<value>* / **-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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-joysticksaturation:
|
|
|
|
**-joystick_saturation** *<value>* / **joy_saturation** *<value>* / **-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``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-natural:
|
|
|
|
**\-natural**
|
|
|
|
Allows user to specify whether or not to use a natural keyboard or not.
|
|
This allows you to start your system in a 'native' mode, depending on your
|
|
region, allowing compatability for non-"QWERTY" style keyboards.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nonatural**)
|
|
|
|
In "emulated keyboard" mode (the default mode), MAME translates
|
|
pressing/releasing host keys/buttons to emulated keystrokes. When you
|
|
press/release a key/button mapped to an emulated key, MAME
|
|
presses/releases the emulated key.
|
|
|
|
In "natural keyboard" mode, MAME attempts to translate characters to
|
|
keystrokes. The OS translates keystrokes to characters
|
|
(similarly when you type into a text editor), and MAME attempts to translate
|
|
these characters to emulated keystrokes.
|
|
|
|
**There are a number of unavoidable limitations in "natural keyboard" mode:**
|
|
|
|
* The emulated system driver and/or keyboard device or has to support it.
|
|
* The selected keyboard *must* match the keyboard layout selected in the emulated OS!
|
|
* Keystrokes that don't produce characters can't be translated. (e.g. pressing a modifier on its own such as **shift**, **ctrl**, or **alt**)
|
|
* Holding a key until the character repeats will cause the emulated key to be pressed repeatedly as opposed to being held down.
|
|
* Dead key sequences are cumbersome to use at best.
|
|
* It won't work at all if IME edit is involved. (e.g. for Chinese/Japanese/Korean)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-joystickcontradictory:
|
|
|
|
**-joystick_contradictory**
|
|
|
|
Enable contradictory direction digital joystick input at the same time such
|
|
as **Left and Right** or **Up and Down** at the same time.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nojoystick_contradictory**)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-coinimpulse:
|
|
|
|
**-coin_impulse** *[n]*
|
|
|
|
Set coin impulse time based on n (n<0 disable impulse, n==0 obey driver,
|
|
0<n set time n).
|
|
|
|
Default is ``0``.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Input Automatic Enable Options
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-paddledevice:
|
|
|
|
**-paddle_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-adstickdevice:
|
|
|
|
**-adstick_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-pedaldevice:
|
|
|
|
**-pedal_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|```lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-dialdevice:
|
|
|
|
**-dial_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-trackballdevice:
|
|
|
|
**-trackball_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-lightgundevice:
|
|
|
|
**-lightgun_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-positionaldevice:
|
|
|
|
**-positional_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-mousedevice:
|
|
|
|
**-mouse_device** (``none``|``keyboard``|``mouse``|``lightgun``|``joystick``)
|
|
|
|
Each of these options controls autoenabling the mouse, joystick, or lightgun
|
|
depending on the presence of a particular class of analog control for a
|
|
particular system. 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**.
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|
|
|
Note that these controls override the values of **-[no]mouse**,
|
|
**-[no]joystick**, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Debugging Options
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-verbose:
|
|
|
|
**-[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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-oslog:
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|
|
|
**-[no]oslog**
|
|
|
|
Output ``error.log`` messages to the system diagnostic output, if one is
|
|
present.
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|
|
By default messages are sent to the standard error output (this is typically
|
|
displayed in the terminal or command prompt window, or saved to a system log
|
|
file). On Windows, if a debugger is attached (e.g. the Visual Studio
|
|
debugger or WinDbg), messages will be sent to the debugger instead.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nooslog**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-log:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]log**
|
|
|
|
Creates a file called error.log which contains all of the internal log
|
|
messages generated by the MAME core and system drivers. This can be used at
|
|
the same time as **-log** to output the log data to both targets as well.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nolog**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-debug:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]debug**
|
|
|
|
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**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-debugscript:
|
|
|
|
**-debugscript** *<filename>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute
|
|
immediately upon startup.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``NULL`` (*no commands*).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-updateinpause:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]update_in_pause**
|
|
|
|
Enables updating of the main screen bitmap while the system is paused. This
|
|
means that the video update callback will be called repeatedly while the
|
|
emulation is paused, which can be useful for debugging.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noupdate_in_pause**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-watchdog:
|
|
|
|
**-watchdog** *<duration>* / **-wdog** *<duration>*
|
|
|
|
Enables an internal watchdog timer that will automatically kill the MAME
|
|
process if more than *<duration>* seconds passes without a frame update.
|
|
Keep in mind that some systems sit for a while during load time without
|
|
updating the screen, so *<duration>* should be long enough to cover that.
|
|
|
|
10-30 seconds on a modern system should be plenty in general.
|
|
|
|
By default there is no watchdog.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-debuggerfont:
|
|
|
|
**-debugger_font** *<fontname>* / **-dfont** *<fontname>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the name of the font to use for debugger windows.
|
|
|
|
| The Windows default font is ``Lucida Console``.
|
|
| The Mac (Cocoa) default font is system fixed-pitch font default (typically ``Monaco``).
|
|
| The Qt default font is ``Courier New``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-debuggerfontsize:
|
|
|
|
**-debugger_font_size** *<points>* / **-dfontsize** *<points>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the size of the font to use for debugger windows, in points.
|
|
|
|
| The Windows default size is ``9`` points.
|
|
| The Qt default size is ``11`` points.
|
|
| The Mac (Cocoa) default size is the system default size.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Communication Options
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commlocalhost:
|
|
|
|
**-comm_localhost** *<string>*
|
|
|
|
Local address to bind to. This can be a traditional ``xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx``
|
|
address or a string containing a resolvable hostname.
|
|
|
|
The default is value is "``0.0.0.0``" (which binds to all local IPv4
|
|
addresses).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commlocalport:
|
|
|
|
**-comm_localport** *<string>*
|
|
|
|
Local port to bind to. This can be any traditional communications port as
|
|
an unsigned 16-bit integer (0-65535).
|
|
|
|
The default value is "``15122``".
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commremotehost:
|
|
|
|
**-comm_remotehost** *<string>*
|
|
|
|
Remote address to connect to. This can be a traditional xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
|
|
address or a string containing a resolvable hostname.
|
|
|
|
The default is value is "``0.0.0.0``" (which binds to all local IPv4
|
|
addresses).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commremoteport:
|
|
|
|
**-comm_remoteport** *<string>*
|
|
|
|
Remote port to connect to. This can be any traditional communications port
|
|
as an unsigned 16-bit integer (0-65535).
|
|
|
|
The default value is "``15122``".
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-commframesync:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]comm_framesync**
|
|
|
|
Synchronize frames between the communications network.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nocomm_framesync**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Core Misc Options
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-drc:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]drc**
|
|
|
|
Enable DRC (dynamic recompiler) CPU core if available for maximum speed.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-drc**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-drcusec:
|
|
|
|
**\-drc_use_c**
|
|
|
|
Force DRC to use the C code backend.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nodrc_use_c**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-drcloguml:
|
|
|
|
**\-drc_log_uml**
|
|
|
|
Write DRC UML disassembly log.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nodrc_log_uml**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-drclognative:
|
|
|
|
**\-drc_log_native**
|
|
|
|
Write DRC native disassembly log.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nodrc_log_native**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-bios:
|
|
|
|
**-bios** *<biosname>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the specific BIOS to use with the current system, for systems that
|
|
make use of a BIOS. The **-listxml** output will list all of the possible
|
|
BIOS names for a system.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``default``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-cheat:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]cheat** / **-[no]c**
|
|
|
|
Activates the cheat menu with autofire options and other tricks from the
|
|
cheat database, if present. This also activates additional options on the
|
|
slider menu for overclocking/underclocking.
|
|
|
|
*Be advised that savestates created with cheats on may not work correctly
|
|
with this turned off and vice-versa.*
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nocheat**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-skipgameinfo:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]skip_gameinfo**
|
|
|
|
Forces MAME to skip displaying the system info screen.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noskip_gameinfo**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-uifont:
|
|
|
|
**-uifont** *<fontname>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the name of a 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).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-ui:
|
|
|
|
**-ui** *<type>*
|
|
|
|
Specifies the type of UI to use, either ``simple`` or ``cabinet``.
|
|
|
|
The default is Cabinet (**-ui cabinet**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-ramsize:
|
|
|
|
**-ramsize** *[n]*
|
|
|
|
Allows you to change the default RAM size (if supported by driver).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-confirmquit:
|
|
|
|
**\-confirm_quit**
|
|
|
|
Display a Confirm Quit dialong to screen on exit, requiring one extra step
|
|
to exit MAME.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-noconfirm_quit**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-uimouse:
|
|
|
|
**\-ui_mouse**
|
|
|
|
Displays a mouse cursor when using the built-in UI for MAME.
|
|
|
|
The default is (**-noui_mouse**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-language:
|
|
|
|
**-language** *<language>*
|
|
|
|
Specify a localization language found in the ``languagepath`` tree.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-nvramsave:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]nvram_save**
|
|
|
|
Save the NVRAM contents when exiting machine emulation. By turning this off,
|
|
you can retain your previous NVRAM contents as any current changes made will
|
|
not be saved. Turning this option off will also unconditionally suppress the
|
|
saving of .nv files associated with some types of software cartridges.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-nvram_save**).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scripting Options
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-autobootcommand:
|
|
|
|
**-autoboot_command** *"<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.
|
|
|
|
This works only with systems that support natural keyboard mode.
|
|
|
|
Example: **-autoboot_command "load """$""",8,1\\n"**
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-autobootdelay:
|
|
|
|
**-autoboot_delay** *[n]*
|
|
|
|
Timer delay (in seconds) to trigger command execution on autoboot.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-autobootscript:
|
|
|
|
**-autoboot_script** / **-script** *[filename.lua]*
|
|
|
|
File containing scripting to execute after machine boot.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-console:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]console**
|
|
|
|
Enables emulator Lua Console window.
|
|
|
|
The default of OFF (**-noconsole**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-plugins:
|
|
|
|
**-plugins**
|
|
|
|
Enable the use of Lua Plugins.
|
|
|
|
The default is ON (**-plugins**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-plugin:
|
|
|
|
**-plugin** *[plugin shortname]*
|
|
|
|
A list of Lua Plugins to enable, comma separated.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-noplugin:
|
|
|
|
**-noplugin** *[plugin shortname]*
|
|
|
|
A list of Lua Plugins to disable, comma separated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
HTTP Server Options
|
|
-------------------
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-http:
|
|
|
|
**-[no]http**
|
|
|
|
Enable HTTP server.
|
|
|
|
The default is OFF (**-nohttp**).
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-httpport:
|
|
|
|
**-http_port** *[port]*
|
|
|
|
Choose HTTP server port.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``8080``.
|
|
|
|
.. _mame-commandline-httproot:
|
|
|
|
**-http_root** *[rootfolder]*
|
|
|
|
Choose HTTP server document root.
|
|
|
|
The default is ``web``.
|