Using the program
-----------------
MAME [name of the game to run] [options]
for example:
MAME mspacman -soundcard 0
...will run Ms Pac Man without sound
Options:
-tweak/-notweak (default: notweak)
MAME supports a large number of tweaked VGA modes whose
resolutions matching those of the emulated games. These modes
look MUCH better than VESA modes (and are usually faster), but
they may create compatibility problems with some video cards and
monitors. Therefore, they are not enabled by default. You should
by all means use -tweak if your hardware supports it. Note that
some modes might work and other might not--e.g. your card could
support 256x256 but not 384x224. In that case, you'll have to
turn -tweak on or off depending on the game you run. -noscanlines
can also solve many compatibility problems.
-ntsc a 288x224 mode with standard NTSC frequencies. You need some
additional hardware (VGA2TV converter) to use this.
-vesamode vesa1/vesa2b/vesa2l/vesa3
Forces the VESA mode. The best available one is used by default.
If your video card crashes during autodetection, however, use
this option to force a lower standard. (Start with vesa1, and go
upwards to find the highest one that works.)
-resolution XxY
where X and Y are width and height (ex: '-resolution 800x600')
MAME goes to some lengths to autoselect a good resolution. You
can override MAME's choice with this option. You can omit the
word "resolution" and simply use -XxY (e.g. '-800x600') as a
shortcut. Frontend authors are advised to use '-resolution XxY',
however.
-skiplines N / -skipcolumns N
If you run a game in a video mode smaller than the visible area,
you can adjust its position using the PgUp and PgDn keys (alone
for vertical panning, shifted for horizontal panning). You can
also use these two parameters to set the initial position: 0 is
the default, meaning that the screen is centered. You can specify
both positive and negative offsets.
-scanlines/-noscanlines (default: -scanlines)
Scanlines are small, evenly-spaced, horizontal blank lines that
are typical of real arcade monitors. If you don't prefer this
"authentic" look, turn scanlines off.
-stretch/-nostretch (default: stretch)
use nostretch to disable pixel doubling in VESA modes (faster,
but smaller picture).
-depth n (default: auto)
Some games need 16-bit color to get accurate graphics. To improve
speed, you can use '-depth 8', which limits the display to
standard 256-color mode. (You can also use '-depth 16' to force
256-color games to use 16-bit color, but this isn't recommended.)
-gamma n (default: 1.0)
Sets the initial gamma correction value.
-vgafreq n where n can be 0 (default) 1, 2 or 3.
Specifies different frequencies for the custom video modes. This
can reduce flicker, especially in 224x288 / noscanlines mode.
WARNING: IT IS POSSIBLE TO SET FREQUENCIES WAY OUTSIDE OF YOUR
MONITOR'S RANGE, WHICH COULD DAMAGE YOUR MONITOR. BEFORE USING
THIS OPTION, BE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH FREQUENCIES YOUR MONITOR
SUPPORTS. USE THIS OPTION AT YOUR OWN RISK.
-vsync/-novsync (default: -novsync)
Synchronize video display with the video beam instead of using
the timer. This option can be used only if the selected video
mode has an appropriate refresh rate. Otherwise, MAME will
refuse to start, telling you the actual refresh rate of the video
mode, and the rate it should have.
If you are using a tweaked mode, MAME will try to automatically
pick the correct setting for -vgafreq; you can still override it
using the -vgafreq option.
Note: the 224x288 / noscanlines mode doesn't work on most cards.
Many games use this mode, e.g. Pac Man and Galaga. If it doesn't
work with your card, either turn scanlines on, or don't use
-vsync.
If you are using a VESA mode, you should use the program that
came with your video card to set the appropriate refresh rate.
Note that when this option is turned on, speed will NOT
downgrade nicely if your system is not fast enough (i.e.,
gameplay will be jerky).
-alwayssynced/-noalwayssynced (default: -noalwayssynced)
For many tweaked VGA modes, MAME has two definitions: One which
is more compatible, and one which is less compatible but uses
frequencies compatible with -vsync. By default, the less-
compatible definition is used only when -vsync is requested;
using this option, you can force it to be used always.
-triplebuffer/-notriplebuffer (default: -notriplebuffer)
Enables triple buffering with VESA modes. This is faster than
-vsync, but doesn't work on all cards. Even if it does remove
"tearing" during scrolling, it might not be as smooth as -vsync.
-monitor NNNN (default: standard)
Selects the monitor type:
standard: standard PC monitor
ntsc: NTSC monitor
pal: PAL monitor
arcade: arcade monitor
-centerx N and -centery N
Each takes a signed value (-8 to 8 for centerx, -16 to 16 for
centery) and lets you change the low scanrate modes (monitor=ntsc,
pal, arcade).
-waitinterlace
Forces update of both odd and even fields of an interlaced low
scanrate display (monitor=ntsc,pal,arcade) for each game loop.
-ror Rotates the display clockwise by 90 degrees.
-rol Rotates display anticlockwise
-flipx Flips display horizontally
-flipy Flips display vertically
-ror and -rol add authentic *vertical* scanlines, given that you
have turned your monitor on its side.
CAUTION:
Monitors are complicated, high-voltage electronic devices.
Some monitors are designed to be rotated. If yours is _not_ one
of them, but you absolutely must turn it on its side, you do so
at your own risk.
*******************************************
PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE YOUR MONITOR UNATTENDED
IF IT IS PLUGGED IN AND TURNED ON ITS SIDE!
*******************************************
-norotate Disable all internal rotation of the image, therefore displaying
the image in its original orientation (for example, so you need
a vertical monitor to see vertical games).
In some cases, the image will be upside down. To correct this,
use '-norotate -flipx -flipy'
-frameskip n (default: auto)
Skips frames to speed up the emulation. The argument is the number
of frames to skip out of 12. For example, if the game normally
runs at 60 fps, '-frameskip 2' will make it run at 50 fps,
'-frameskip 6' at 30 fps. Use F11 to display the speed your
computer is actually reaching. If it is below 100%, increase the
frameskip value. You can press F9 to change frameskip while
running the game.
When set to auto (the default), the frameskip setting is
dynamically adjusted during run time to display the maximum
possible frames without dropping below 100% speed.
-antialias/-noantialias (default: -antialias)
Antialiasing for the vector games.
-beam n Sets the width in pixels of the vectors. n is a float in the
range of 1.00 through 16.00.
-flicker n Makes the vectors flicker. n is an optional argument, a float in
the range 0.00 - 100.00 (0=none, 100=maximum).
-translucency/-notranslucency (default: -translucency)
Enables or disables vector translucency.
-soundcard n Selects sound card. (If this is not specified, MAME will ask you.)
-sr n Sets the audio sample rate. The default is 22050. Smaller values
(e.g. 11025) cause lower audio quality but faster emulation speed.
Higher values (e.g. 44100) cause higher audio quality but slower
emulation speed.
-stereo/-nostereo (default: -stereo)
Selects stereo or mono output for games supporting stereo sound.
-volume n (default: 0)
Sets the startup volume. It can later be changed with the On
Screen Display (see Keys section). The volume is an attenuation
in dB: e.g., "-volume -12" will start with -12dB attenuation.
-ym3812opl/-noym3812opl (default: -noym3812opl)
Uses the SoundBlaster OPL chip for music emulation of the YM3812
chip. This is faster, and is reasonably accurate, since the chips
are 100% compatible. There is no control on the volume, however,
and you need a real OPL chip for it to work (If you are using an
SB-compatible card that emulates the OPL in software, the built-in
digital emulation will probably sound better).
-joy name (default: none)
Allows joystick input. 'name' can be:
none - no joystick
auto - attempts auto detection
standard - normal 2 button joystick
dual - dual joysticks
4button - Stick/Pad with 4 buttons
6button - Stick/Pad with 6 buttons
8button - Stick/Pad with 8 buttons
fspro - CH Flightstick Pro
wingex - Wingman Extreme
wingwarrior - Wingman Warrior
sidewinder - Microsoft Sidewinder (up to 4)
gamepadpro - Gravis GamePad Pro
grip - Gravis GrIP
grip4 - Gravis GrIP constrained to move only along the
x and y axes
sneslpt1 - SNES pad on LPT1 (needs special hardware)
sneslpt2 - SNES pad on LPT2 (needs special hardware)
sneslpt3 - SNES pad on LPT3 (needs special hardware)
psxlpt1 - PSX pad on LPT1 (needs special hardware)
psxlpt2 - PSX pad on LPT2 (needs special hardware)
psxlpt3 - PSX pad on LPT3 (needs special hardware)
n64lpt1 - N64 pad on LPT1 (needs special hardware)
n64lpt2 - N64 pad on LPT2 (needs special hardware)
n64lpt3 - N64 pad on LPT3 (needs special hardware)
db9lpt1 - C64/Atari/Sinclair joy via DB9 interface on LPT1
db9lpt2 - C64/Atari/Sinclair joy via DB9 interface on LPT2
db9lpt3 - C64/Atari/Sinclair joy via DB9 interface on LPT3
tgxlpt1 - digital joystick via Turbografix if on LPT1
tgxlpt2 - digital joystick via Turbografix if on LPT2
tgxlpt3 - digital joystick via Turbografix if on LPT3
Notes:
1) Use the TAB menu to calibrate analog joysticks. Calibration
data will be saved in mame.cfg. If you're using different
joysticks for different games, you may need to recalibrate your
joystick every time.
2) Extra buttons of noname joysticks may not work.
3) The "official" Snespad-Support site is:
http://snespad.emulationworld.com
4) http://www.debaser.force9.co.uk/ccmame has info on how to
connect PSX and N64 pads.
5) http://www.burg-halle.de/~schwenke/parport.html for details on
how to build Turbografix interface for 1-7 joysticks. Also go
there for information on DB9 interface, the cheapest
(wires-only) joystick interface ever.
-hotrod Sets a default keyboard configuration suitable for the HotRod
joystick by HanaHo Games.
-hotrodse Sets a default keyboard configuration suitable for the HotRod SE
joystick by HanaHo Games.
-steadykey Some games require two or more buttons to be pressed at exactly
the same time to make special moves. Due to limitations in the PC
keyboard hardware, it can be difficult or even impossible to
accomplish that using the standard keyboard handling. This option
selects a different handling that makes it easier to register
simultaneous button presses, but has the disadvantage of making
controls less responsive.
-log Creates a log of illegal memory accesses in ERROR.LOG
-help, -? Displays current MAME version and copyright notice
- - -
Note: By default, all the '-list' commands below write info to the screen. If
you wish to write the info to a textfile instead, add this to the end of your
command:
> filename
...where 'filename' is the textfile's path and name (e.g., c:\mame\list.txt).
- - -
-list Displays a list of currently supported games
-listfull Displays a list of game directory names + descriptions
-listroms Displays ROMs required by the specified game
-listsamples Displays samples required by the specified game
-listdetails Displays a detailed list of drivers and the hardware they use
-listgames list the supported games, year, manufacturer
-listinfo list comprehensive details for all of the supported games
-listclones Lists clones of the specified game. When no game is specified,
this generates a list of all MAME-supported clones.
-noclones used together with the list commands, doesn't list alternate
versions of the same game
-verifyroms Checks specified game(s) for missing and invalid ROMs.
Adding * checks all available games.
-verifysets Checks specified game(s) and reports its status.
Adding * checks all available games.
-verifysamples check selected game for missing samples.
Adding * checks all available samples.
-romdir Specifies an alternate directory (or zipfile name) for loading
the ROMs for the specified game.
E.g., 'mame pacman -romdir pachack' will run the Pac Man driver
but load the ROMs from the "pachack" dir or "pachack.zip" archive.
-mouse/-nomouse (default: -mouse)
Enables/disables mouse support
-cheat Cheats, like the speedup in Pac Man or the level-skip in many
other games, are disabled by default. Use this switch to turn
them on.
-debug Activates the integrated debugger.
During emulation, press the Tilde key (~) to activate the
debugger. This is available only if the program is compiled with
MAME_DEBUG defined.
-record name Records joystick input to file INP/name.inp
-playback name Plays back joystick input from file INP/name.inp
-ignorecfg ignore mame.cfg and start with the default settings
Keys
----
Tab Toggles the configuration menu
Tilde Toggles the On Screen Display
Use the up and down arrow keys to select the parameter (global
volume, mixing level, gamma correction etc.), left and right to
arrow keys to modify it.
P Pauses the game
Shift+P While paused, advances to next frame
F3 Resets the game
F4 Shows the game graphics. Use cursor keys to change set/color,
F4 or Esc to return to the emulation.
F9 Changes frame skip on the fly
F10 Toggles speed throttling
F11 Toggles speed display
Shift+F11 Toggles profiler display
F12 Saves a screen snapshot. The default target directory is SNAP. You
must create this directory yourself; the program will not create
it if it doesn't exist.
ESC Exits emulator