mame/docs/man/mess.6

.\"  -*- nroff -*-
.\"
.\" mess.6
.\"
.\" Man page created from usage and source information:
.\" * commands: see src/emu/clifront.c clifront.h
.\" * options: core entries, see src/emu/emuopts.c emuopts.h
.\"            SDL-specific entries, see src/osd/sdl/sdlmain.c osdsdl.h
.\" Cesare Falco <c.falco@ubuntu.com>, March 2011
.\"
.\" Some text borrowed from the xmame 0.106 man page,
.\" done by Rene Herrmann <rene.herrmann@berlin.de>, September 2000
.\" and updated by Andrew Burton <burtona@gol.com>, July 2003
.\"
.\" Other info's taken from MESS Wiki as well:
.\" http://www.mess.org/
.\"
.\"
.TH MESS 6 2015-05-20 0.162 "The Multiple Emulator Super System (MESS)"
.\"
.\"
.\" NAME chapter
.SH NAME
MESS \- The Multiple Emulator Super System
.\"
.\"
.\" SYNOPSIS chapter
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B mess
.I system
.RI [ "media software" ]
.RI [ options ]
.\"
.\"
.\" DESCRIPTION chapter
.SH DESCRIPTION
MESS documents the hardware for a wide variety of (mostly vintage) computers,
video game consoles, and calculators through software emulation. As a nice
side effect, MESS allows software and games for these hardware platforms
to run on modern PCs.
.\"
.\"
.\" SOFTWARE chapter
.SH SOFTWARE
A \fIsoftware\fR entry may be specified to attach an image file to the
emulated system. In such a case, the appropriate \fImedia\fR switch
is also required:
.TP
.B \-cart, \-cart1
Cartrigde, used mainly by game consoles
.TP
.B \-cass
Cassette (tape), widely used by old home computers
.TP
.B \-flop, -flop1
Floppy disk
.TP
.B \-cdrom
CD-Rom
.\"
.\"
.\" OPTIONS chapter
.SH OPTIONS
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Core commands
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-help, \-?
Displays current MESS version and copyright notice.
.TP
.B \-validate, \-valid
Performs internal validation on every driver in MESS. Run this
before submitting changes to ensure that you haven't violated any of
the core system rules.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Configuration commands
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-createconfig, \-cc
Creates the default \fBmess.ini\fR file in the current directory. All the
configuration options (not commands) described below can be permanently
changed by editing this configuration file.
.TP
.B \-showconfig, \-sc
Displays the current configuration settings.
.TP
.B \-showusage, \-su
Displays a summary of all the command line options. For options that
are not mentioned here, the short summary given by \fB\-showusage\fR
is usually sufficient.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Frontend commands
.\" *******************************************************
All the list commands below write info to the screen.
If you wish to write the info to a textfile instead, use redirection.
For example,
.B mess \-listxml > ~/messlist.xml
writes the full list of supported systems to \fBmesslist.xml\fR in your
home directory.
.TP
.B \-listxml, \-lx \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
List comprehensive details for all of the supported systems. The output
is quite long, so it is usually better to redirect this into a file.
The output is in XML format. By default all systems are listed; however,
you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-listfull, \-ll \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Displays a list of system driver names and descriptions. By default all
systems are listed; however, you can limit this list by specifying a
driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-listsource, \-ls \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Displays a list of drivers and the names of the source files their system
drivers live in. Useful for finding which driver a system runs on in
order to fix bugs. By default all systems are listed; however, you can
limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-listclones, \-lc \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Displays a list of clones. By default all clones are listed; however,
you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-listbrothers, \-lb \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Displays a list of "brothers" or other drivers from same sourcefile.
By default all systems are listed; however, you can limit this list by
specifying a driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-listcrc
Displays a full list of CRCs of all ROM images referenced by all
drivers within MESS code.
.TP
.B \-listroms, \-lr \fIsystem
Displays a list of ROM images referenced by the specified system.
.TP
.B \-listsamples \fIsystem
Displays a list of samples referenced by the specified system.
.TP
.B \-verifyroms \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Checks for invalid or missing ROM images. By default all drivers that
have valid ZIP files or directories in the rom path are verified;
however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or
wildcard.
.TP
.B \-verifysamples \fR[\fIsystem\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Checks for invalid or missing samples. By default all drivers that
have valid ZIP files or directories in the samplepath are verified;
however, you can limit this list by specifying a driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-romident
Attempts to identify ROM files, if they are known to MESS, in the
specified .zip file or directory. This command can be used to try and
identify ROM sets taken from unknown boards. On exit, the errorlevel
is returned as one of the following:
.br
\fB0\fR  all files were identified
.br
\fB7\fR  all files were identified except for some "non\-ROM" files
.br
\fB8\fR  some files were identified
.br
\fB9\fR  no files were identified
.TP
.B \-listdevices, \-ld
Output the list of devices referenced by a given system or set of systems.
.TP
.B \-listslots, \-lslot
Output the list of available slots and slot devices for the system.
.TP
.B \-listmedia, \-lm
Output the list of available media for the system.
.TP
.B \-listsoftware, \-lsoft
Output the list of known software for the system.
.TP
.B \-verifysoftware, \-vsoft \fR[\fIgamename\fR|\fIwildcard\fR]
Checks for invalid or missing ROM images in your software lists.
By default all drivers that have valid ZIP files or directories
in the rompath are verified; however, you can limit this list by
specifying a specific driver name or wildcard.
.TP
.B \-getsoftlist, \-glist
Retrieve software list by name.
.TP
.B \-verifysoftlist, \-vlist \fR[\fIsoftwarelistname\fR]
Checks a specified software list for missing ROM images if files exist
for issued softwarelistname. By default, all drivers that have valid
ZIP files or directories in the rompath are verified; however, you can
limit this list by specifying a specific softwarelistname (without .XML).
.TP
.B \-listmidi, \-mlist
List available MIDI I/O devices.
.TP
.B \-listnetwork, \-nlist
List available network adapters.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Configuration options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]readconfig, \-[no]rc
Enables or disables the reading of the config files. When enabled
(which is the default), MESS reads the following config files in order:
.br
1. \fBmess.ini\fR
.br
the main configuration file
.br
2. \fI[driver]\fB.ini\fR
.br
based on the source file name of the system driver
.br
3. \fI[parent]\fB.ini\fR
.br
for clones only, may be called recursively
.br
4. \fI[system]\fB.ini\fR
.br
note this sometimes resolves to the same of the source driver
.P
The settings in the later ini's override those in the earlier ini's.
The default is ON (\-readconfig).
.TP
.B \-[no]writeconfig, \-[no]wc
Write configuration to \fI[driver]\fR.ini on exit.
Default is OFF (\-nowriteconfig).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Search path options
.\" *******************************************************
Be careful to use the path, directory and file options in
mess.ini ONLY. Otherwise, the outcome may be unpredictable and not
consistent across releases.
.TP
.B \-rompath, \-rp, \-biospath, \-bp \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find ROM or hard disk images.
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
The default is 'roms' (that is, a directory 'roms' in the same directory
as the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-hashpath \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to search for software hash files.
Multiple paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons.
The default is 'hash' (that is, a directory 'hash' in the same directory
as the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-samplepath, \-sp \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find sample files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'samples' (that is, a directory 'samples' in the same directory as
the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-artpath, \-artwork_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find artwork files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'artwork' (that is, a directory 'artwork' in the same directory as
the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-ctrlrpath, \-ctrlr_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find controller\-specific
configuration files. Multiple paths can be specified by separating
them with semicolons. The default is 'ctrlr' (that is, a
directory 'ctrlr' in the same directory as the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-inipath \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find .ini files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is '/etc/mess'.
.TP
.B \-fontpath \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find .bdf font files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is '.' (that is, search in the same directory as the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-cheatpath \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find cheat files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'cheat' (that is, a directory 'cheat' in the same directory as
the MESS executable).
.TP
.B \-crosshairpath \fIpathname
Specifies a list of paths within which to find crosshair files. Multiple
paths can be specified by separating them with semicolons. The default
is 'crosshair' (that is, a directory 'crosshair' in the same directory as
the MESS executable).  If the Crosshair is set to default in the menu,
MESS will look for system/cross#.png and then cross#.png in the
specified path, where # is the player number.  Failing that,
MESS will use built\-in default crosshairs.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Output Directory Options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-cfg_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where configuration files are stored.
Configuration files store user configurable settings that are read at
startup and written when MESS exits. The default is 'cfg' (that is,
a directory 'cfg' in the same directory as the MESS executable). If this
directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-nvram_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where NVRAM files are stored. NVRAM files
store the contents of EEPROM and non\-volatile RAM (NVRAM) for systems
which used this type of hardware. This data is read at startup and
written when MESS exits. The default is 'nvram' (that is, a
directory 'nvram' in the same directory as the MESS executable). If this
directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-input_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where input recording files are stored.
Input recordings are created via the \-record option and played back via
the \-playback option. The default is 'inp' (that is, a directory 'inp'
in the same directory as the MESS executable). If this directory
does not exist, it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-state_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where save state files are stored. Save
state files are read and written either upon user request, or when using
the \-autosave option. The default is 'sta' (that is, a directory 'sta'
in the same directory as the MESS executable). If this directory does
not exist, it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-snapshot_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where screen snapshots are stored, when
requested by the user. The default is 'snap' (that is, a directory 'snap'
in the same directory as the MESS executable). If this directory
does not exist, it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-diff_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where hard drive differencing files are
stored. Hard drive differencing files store any data that is written
back to a hard disk image, in order to preserve the original image. The
differencing files are created at startup when a system with a hard disk
image. The default is 'diff' (that is, a directory 'diff' in the same
directory as the MESS executable). If this directory does not exist,
it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-comment_directory \fIpathname
Specifies a single directory where debugger comment files are stored.
Debugger comment files are written by the debugger when comments are
added to the disassembly for a system. The default is 'comments' (that is,
a directory 'comments' in the same directory as the MESS executable).
If this directory does not exist, it will be automatically created.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS State/playback options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-state \fIslot
Immediately after starting the specified system, will cause the save
state in the specified slot to be loaded.
.TP
.B \-[no]autosave
When enabled, automatically creates a save state file when exiting MESS
and automatically attempts to reload it when later starting MESS with
the same system. This only works for systems that have explicitly enabled
save state support in their driver. The default is OFF (\-noautosave).
.TP
.B \-playback, \-pb \fIfilename
Specifies a file from which to play back a series of system inputs. This
feature does not work reliably for all systems, but can be used to watch
a previously recorded system 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).
.TP
.B \-[no]exit_after_playback
If play back is enabled (see \-playback option) the program exits when
end of file is reached. Otherwise the machine will continue to run.
Default is OFF (\-noexit_after_playback).
.TP
.B \-record, \-rec \fIfilename
Specifies a file to record all input from a system session. This can be
used to record a system session for later playback. This feature does not
work reliably for all systems, but can be used to watch a previously
recorded system 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).
.TP
.B \-[no]record_timecode
Specify whether to create a timecode file. It contains a line with elapsed
times on each press of timecode shortcut key (default is F12).
This option works only when recording mode is enabled (\-record option).
The file is saved on inp folder.
Default is OFF (\-norecord_timecode).
.TP
.B \-mngwrite \fIfilename
Writes each video frame to the given file in MNG format, producing
an animation of the system session.
Note that \-mngwrite only writes video frames; it does not save any audio
data. Use \-wavwrite for that, and reassemble the audio/video using
offline tools. The default is NULL (no recording).
.TP
.B \-aviwrite \fIfilename
Stream video and sound data to the given file
in AVI format, producing an animation of the system session complete
with sound. The default is NULL (no recording).
.TP
.B \-wavwrite \fIfilename
Writes the final mixer output to the given file
in WAV format, producing an audio recording of the system session.
The default is NULL (no recording).
.TP
.B \-snapname \fIstring
Describes how MESS should name files for snapshots. \fIstring\fP
provides a template that is used to generate a filename. Three
simple substitutions are provided: the / character represents the
path separator on any target platform (even Windows); the literal \fB%g\fP
represents the driver name of the current system; and the literal \fB%i\fP
represents an incrementing index. If \fB%i\fP is omitted, then each
snapshot taken will overwrite the previous one; otherwise, MESS will
find the next empty value for \fB%i\fP and use that for a filename. The
default is '%g/%i', which creates a separate folder for each game,
and names the snapshots under it starting with 0000 and increasing
from there. In addition to the above, for drivers using different
media, like carts or floppy disks, you can also use the
\fB%d\fP\fI_[media]\fP indicator. Replace \fI[media]\fP with the media
switch you want to use. A few examples: if you use
.B mess nes \-cart robby \-snapname %g/%d_cart
snapshots will be saved as \fBsnaps/nes/robby.png\fP; if you use
.B mess c64 \-flop1 robby \-snapname %g/%d_flop1/%i
snapshots will be saved as \fBsnaps/c64/robby/0000.png\fP.
.TP
.B \-snapsize \fIwidth\fRx\fIheight
Hard\-codes the size for snapshots and movie recording. By default,
MESS 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 MESS 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'.
.TP
.B \-snapview internal\fR|\fBauto\fR|\fIviewname
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 \fIviewname\fP does not need to be a perfect match; rather, it
will select the first view whose name matches all the characters
specified by \fIviewname\fP. For example, \-snapview native will match the
"Native (15:14)" view even though it is not a perfect match.
\fIviewname\fP can also be 'auto', which selects the first view with all
screens present. The default value is 'internal'.
.TP
.B \-[no]snapbilinear
Specify whether snapshot/movie should have bilinear filtering applied.
Default is ON (\-snapbilinear).
.TP
.B \-statename \fIstring
Describes how MESS should store save state files, relative to the
state_directory path. \fIstring\fP provides a template that
is used to generate a relative path. Two simple substitutions are
provided: the / character represents the path separator on any target
platform (even Windows); the literal \fB%g\fP represents the driver name of
the current game. The default is '%g', which creates a separate folder
for each game. In addition to the above, for drivers using different
media, like carts or floppy disks, you can also use the
\fB%d_\fP\fI[media]\fP indicator. Replace \fI[media]\fP with the media
switch you want to use. A few examples: if you use
.B mess nes \-cart robby \-statename %g/%d_cart
save states will be stored inside \fBsta/nes/robby/\fP; if you use
.B mess c64 \-flop1 robby \-statename %g/%d_flop1
save states will be stored inside \fBsta/c64/robby/\fP.
.TP
.B \-[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 system/burnin\-<screen.name>.png. The default is OFF (\-noburnin).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Performance options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]autoframeskip, \-[no]afs
Automatically determines the frameskip level while you're playing the
system, adjusting it constantly in a frantic attempt to keep the system
running at full speed. Turning this on overrides the value you have set
for \-frameskip below. The default is OFF (\-noautoframeskip).
.TP
.B \-frameskip, \-fs \fIvalue
Specifies the frameskip value (autoframeskip must be disabled). This is the
number of frames out of every 12 to drop when running. For example, if you
say \-frameskip 2, then MESS will display 10 out of every 12 frames. By
skipping those frames, you may be able to get full speed in a system that
requires more horsepower than your computer has. The default value is 0,
which skips no frames.
.TP
.B \-seconds_to_run, \-str \fIvalue
This option can be used for benchmarking and automated testing. It tells
MESS to stop execution after a fixed number of seconds. By combining
this with a fixed set of other command line options, you can set up a
consistent environment for benchmarking MESS performance. In addition,
upon exit, the \-str option will write a screenshot called final.png
to the system's snapshot directory.
.TP
.B \-[no]throttle
Configures the default thottling setting. When throttling is on, MESS
attempts to keep the system running at the system's intended speed. When
throttling is off, MESS runs the system as fast as it can. Note that the
fastest speed is more often than not limited by your graphics card,
especially for older systems. The default is ON (\-throttle).
.TP
.B \-[no]sleep
Allows MESS to give time back to the system when running with \-throttle.
This allows other programs to have some CPU time, assuming that the
system isn't taxing 100% of your CPU resources. This option can potentially
cause hiccups in performance if other demanding programs are running.
The default is ON (\-sleep).
.TP
.B \-speed \fIvalue
Controls the speed of gameplay, relative to realtime; smaller numbers are
slower. Default is 1.00.
.TP
.B \-[no]refreshspeed, \-[no]rs
Automatically adjusts the \-speed parameter to keep the effective refresh
rate below that of the lowest screen refresh rate.
Default is OFF (\-norefreshspeed).
.\"
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" OS specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-[no]multithreading, \-[no]mt
Enable multithreading; this enables rendering and blitting on a separate
thread. The default is OFF (\-nomultithreading).
.TP
.B \-numprocessors, \-np \fIvalue
Set number of processors; this overrides the number the system reports.
.TP
.B \-bench \fIvalue
Benchmark for the given number of emulated seconds;
implies \-video none \-sound none \-nothrottle.
.\"
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-[no]sdlvideofps
Show SDL video performance. Default is OFF (\-nosdlvideofps).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Rotation options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[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 the actual machine would
have, turn this option off. The default is ON (\-rotate).
.TP
.B \-[no]ror \-[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).
Default for both is OFF (\-noror \-norol).
.TP
.B \-[no]autoror \-[no]autorol
These options are designed for use with pivoting screens that only
pivot in a single direction. If your screen only pivots clockwise,
use \-autorol to ensure that the 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.
Default for both is OFF (\-noautoror \-noautorol).
.TP
.B \-[no]flipx \-[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.
Default for both is OFF (\-noflipx \-noflipy).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Artwork options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]artwork_crop, \-[no]artcrop
Enable cropping of artwork to the system screen area only. This
option can also be controlled via the Video Options menu in the user
interface. The default is OFF (\-noartwork_crop).
.TP
.B \-[no]use_backdrops, \-[no]backdrop
Enables/disables the display of backdrops. The default is ON
(\-use_backdrops).
.TP
.B \-[no]use_overlays, \-[no]overlay
Enables/disables the display of overlays. The default is ON
(\-use_overlays).
.TP
.B \-[no]use_bezels, \-[no]bezel
Enables/disables the display of bezels. The default is ON
(\-use_bezels).
.TP
.B \-[no]use_cpanels, \-[no]cpanel
Enables/disables the display of cpanels. The default is ON
(\-use_bezels).
.TP
.B \-[no]use_marquees, \-[no]marquee
Enables/disables the display of marquees. The default is ON
(\-use_bezels).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Screen options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-brightness \fIvalue
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 MESS 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.
.TP
.B \-contrast \fIvalue
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
MESS 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.
.TP
.B \-gamma \fIvalue
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 MESS 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.
.TP
.B \-pause_brightness \fIvalue
This controls the brightness level when MESS is paused. The default
value is 0.65.
.TP
.B \-effect\fR [\fInone\fR|\fIfilename[.png]\fR]
Name of a PNG file to use for visual effects, or 'none'. Default is 'none'.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Vector rendering options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]antialias, \-[no]aa
Enables antialiased line rendering for vector systems. The default is ON
(\-antialias).
.TP
.B \-beam \fIvalue
Sets the width of the vectors. This is a scaling factor against the
standard vector width. A value of 1.0 will keep the default vector line
width. Smaller values will reduce the width, and larger values will
increase the width. The default is 1.0.
.TP
.B \-flicker \fIvalue
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.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Video options
.\" *******************************************************
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-video\fR [\fIsoft\fR|\fIopengl\fR|\fInone\fR]
Specifies which video subsystem to use for drawing:
.br
\fBsoft\fR  uses software rendering, which is slower but more compatible.
.br
\fBopengl\fR  uses OpenGL and your graphics accelerator to speed up many
aspects of drawing MESS including compositing artwork, overlays, and
bezels, as well as stretching the image to fit your screen.
.br
\fBnone\fR  does no drawing and is intended for CPU benchmarking.
.br
Default is SOFT.
.TP
.B \-[no]window, \-[no]w
Run MESS in either full screen or a window. This is a fully\-featured window
mode where the window resizes as necessary to track what the system does.
And you can resize it yourself with your OS's standard window controls.
The default is OFF (\-nowindow).
.TP
.B \-[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 MESS. If it is turned off, the window will start out at the
smallest supported size. This option only has an effect when the
\-window option is used. The default is ON (\-maximize).
.TP
.B \-[no]keepaspect, \-[no]ka
Forces the correct aspect ratio. This means when you're resizing the window
in windowed mode the actual system image will resize in discrete steps to
maintain the proper shape of the system graphics. If you turn this off you can
resize the window to anything you like and get funny squishing and stretching.
The same applies for full\-screen. Default is ON (\-keepaspect).
.TP
.B \-[no]unevenstretch, \-[no]ues
Allow non\-integer stretch factors. Video purists should stay far, far away
from this option, while everyone else will be happy to know that it lets you
fill the screen properly in full\-screen mode. Default is ON (\-unevenstretch).
.TP
.B \-[no]centerh
Center horizontally within the view area. Default is ON (\-centerh).
.TP
.B \-[no]centerv
Center vertically within the view area. Default is ON (\-centerv).
.TP
.B \-[no]waitvsync, \-[no]vs
Enable waiting for the start of VBLANK before flipping screens;
reduces tearing effects. Default is OFF (\-nowaitvsync).
.TP
.B \-[no]syncrefresh, \-[no]srf
Enable using the start of VBLANK for throttling instead of the game time.
Default is OFF (\-nosyncrefresh).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Software video rendering subsystem options
.\" *******************************************************
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All the options in this group are available only with softare video
rendering subsystem (\-video soft).
.TP
.B \-prescale\fR [\fIvalue\fR]
Scale screen rendering by this amount in software. Default is 1.
.TP
.B \-scalemode, \-sm \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIasync\fR|\fIyv12\fR|\fIyuy2\fR|\fIyv12x2\fR|\fIyuy2x2\fR]
Hardware scaling mode.
.br
\fBnone\fR    use software rendering.
.br
\fBasync\fR   async overlay.
.br
\fByv12\fR    yv12 overlay.
.br
\fByuy2\fR    yuy2 overlay.
.br
\fByv12x2\fR  yv12 overlay using x2 prescaling.
.br
\fByuy2x2\fR  yuy2 overlay using x2 prescaling.
.br
Default is NONE.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS OpenGL video rendering subsystem options
.\" *******************************************************
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
All the options in this group are available only with OpenGL video
rendering subsystem (\-video opengl or \-video opengl16).
.TP
.B \-[no]filter, \-[no]glfilter, \-[no]flt
Enable bilinear filtering on screen output. Default is ON (\-filter).
.TP
.B \-[no]gl_forcepow2texture
Force power of two textures. Default is OFF (\-nogl_forcepow2texture).
.TP
.B \-[no]gl_notexturerect
Don't use OpenGL GL_ARB_texture_rectangle. Turn off if
corruption occurs in OpenGL mode, at cost of some performance
loss. Default is ON (\-gl_notexturerect).
.TP
.B \-[no]gl_vbo
Enable OpenGL VBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Turn off if corruption occurs. Default is ON (\-gl_vbo).
.TP
.B \-[no]gl_pbo
Enable OpenGL PBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Turn off if corruption occurs. Default is ON (\-gl_pbo).
.TP
.B \-[no]gl_glsl
Enable OpenGL GLSL, if available, for a performance increase.
Default is OFF (\-nogl_glsl).
.TP
.B \-gl_glsl_filter \fIvalue
Enable OpenGL GLSL filtering instead of FF filtering 0=plain, 1=bilinear.
Default is 1: bilinear.
.TP
.BR \-glsl_shader_mame[0\-9]
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader set mame bitmap (from 0 to 9).
.TP
.BR \-glsl_shader_screen[0\-9]
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader screen bitmap (from 0 to 9).
.TP
.B \-gl_glsl_vid_attr
Enable OpenGL GLSL handling of brightness and contrast. Better RGB system
performance for free. Default is ON.
.TP
.B \-screen
Explicit name for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
.TP
.B \-aspect, \-screen_aspect
Aspect ratio for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
.TP
.B \-resolution, \-r
Preferred resolution for all screens;
format is \fIwidth\fRx\fIheight\fR[@\fIrefreshrate\fR] or 'auto'.
.TP
.B \-view
Preferred view for all screens
.TP
.B \-screen[0\-3]
Explicit name of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try
to make a best guess.
.TP
.B \-aspect[0\-3]
Aspect ratio of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try
to make a best guess.
.TP
.B \-resolution[0\-3], \-r[0\-3]
Preferred resolution for the first|second|third|fourth screen;
format is \fIwidth\fRx\fIheight\fR[@\fIrefreshrate\fR] or 'auto'.
.TP
.B \-view[0\-3]
Preferred view for the first|second|third|fourth screen.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Full screen options
.\" *******************************************************
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-[no]switchres
Affects full screen mode only. Chooses if MESS can try to change the
screen resolution (color depth is normally left alone) when in
full\-screen mode. If it's off, you always get your desktop resolution
in full\-screen mode (which can be useful for LCDs).
Default is OFF (\-noswitchres).
.TP
.B \-[no]useallheads
Split full screen image across monitors. Default is OFF (\-nouseallhead).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Sound options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]sound
Enable or disable sound altogether. The default is ON (\-sound).
.TP
.B \-samplerate, \-sr \fIvalue
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.
.TP
.B \-[no]samples
Use samples if available. The default is ON (\-samples).
.TP
.B \-volume, \-vol \fIvalue
Sets the startup volume. It can later be changed with the user interface
(see Keys section). The volume is an attenuation in dB:
for example, '\-volume \-12' will start with \-12dB attenuation.
The default is 0.
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-audio_latency \fIvalue
This controls the amount of latency built into the audio streaming.
The latency parameter controls the lower threshold. The default is 3;
increase to reduce glitches, decrease for responsiveness.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Input options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[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. If this feature is disabled, the coin lockout
signal will be ignored. The default is ON (\-coin_lockout).
.TP
.B \-ctrlr \fIcontroller
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).
.TP
.B \-[no]mouse
Controls whether or not MESS looks for a mouse controller to use. Note
that in many cases, lightguns are treated as mice by the operating
system, so you may need to enable this to enable lightgun support. When
this is enabled, you will not be able to use your mouse while running
MESS. If you want to get control of your computer back, you will need
to either pause MESS or quit. The default is OFF (\-nomouse).
.TP
.B \-[no]joystick, \-[no]joy
Controls whether or not MESS looks for joystick/gamepad controllers.
The default is ON (\-joystick).
.TP
.B \-[no]lightgun, \-[no]gun
Controls whether or not MESS 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).
.TP
.B \-[no]multikeyboard, \-[no]multikey
Determines whether MESS 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 MESS to report keypresses
on different keyboards independently. The default is OFF
(\-nomultikeyboard).
.TP
.B \-[no]multimouse
Determines whether MESS 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 MESS to report mouse
movement and button presses on different mice independently. The
default is OFF (\-nomultimouse).
.TP
.B \-[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 PC keyboard
hardware, it can be difficult or even impossible to accomplish that
using the standard keyboard handling. This option selects a different
handling that makes it easier to register simultaneous button presses,
but has the disadvantage of making controls less responsive. The
default is OFF (\-nosteadykey).
.TP
.B \-[no]ui_active
Enable MESS user interface on top of emulated keyboard (if present).
User interface may be toggled during execution by pressing the key
defined with \-ui_modekey.
Default is OFF (\-noui_active).
.TP
.B \-[no]offscreen_reload, \-[no]reload
Controls whether or not MESS treats a second button input from a
lightgun as a reload signal. In this case, MESS 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 systems 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).
.TP
.B \-joystick_map, \-joymap \fImap
Controls how joystick values map to digital joystick controls.
See /usr/share/doc/mame\-common/config.txt for full details on
joymap format.
.TP
.B \-joystick_deadzone, \-joy_deadzone, \-jdz \fIvalue
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.
.TP
.B \-joystick_saturation, \-joy_saturation, \-jsat \fIvalue
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.
.TP
.B \-[no]natural, \-[no]nat
Allows user to specify whether or not to use a natural keyboard.
This allows you to start your game or system in a 'native' mode, depending
on your region, allowing compatibility for non\-"QWERTY" style keyboards.
The default is OFF (\-nonatural).
.TP
.B \-[no]joystick_contradictory, \-[no]joy_contradictory
Enable contradictory direction digital joystick input at the same time.
Default is OFF (\-nojoystick_contradictory).
.TP
.B \-uimodekey, \-umk
Specifies the key used to toggle between full and partial UI mode.
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-[no]keymap
Enable keymap for non\-QWERTY keyboards. Used in conjunction
with \fB\-keymap_file\fR. Default is OFF (\-nokeymap).
.TP
.B \-keymap_file \fIkeymap_file
Specifies the full path to the keymap file to be used. A few
keymap files are available in /usr/share/games/mess/keymaps.
.TP
.B \-joy_idx[0\-8] \fIjoystick
With these options you can assign a joystick to a
specific index in MESS. Even if the kernel will list the joysticks
in a different order on the next boot, MESS will still see the joystick
as e.g. "Joystick 2". Use mame \-v to see which joysticks are recognized.
Default is 'auto'.
.TP
.B \-[no]sixaxis
Use special handling for PS3 Sixaxis controllers.
Default is OFF (\-nosixaxis).
.TP
.B \-lightgun_index[1\-8]
Map lightgun to specific index in MESS.
.TP
.B \-videodriver, \-vd x11\fR|\fBdirectfb\fR|\fBauto
SDL video driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
.TP
.B \-audiodriver, \-ad alsa\fR|\fBarts\fR|\fBauto
SDL audio driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
.TP
.B \-gl_lib alsa\fR|\fBarts\fR|\fBauto
Alternative libGL.so to use; auto selects SDL default.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Input automatic enable options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-paddle_device, \-paddle \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-adstick_device, \-adstick \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-pedal_device, \-pedal \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-dial_device, \-dial \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-trackball_device, \-trackball \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-lightgun_device \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-positional_device \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
.TP
.B \-mouse_device \fR[\fInone\fR|\fIkeyboard\fR|\fImouse\fR|\fIlightgun\fR|\fIjoystick\fR]
Each of these options controls auto\-enabling the mouse, or joystick
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 system that has a paddle control will automatically
enable mouse controls just as if you had explicitly specified \-mouse.
Note that these controls override the values of \-[no]mouse,
\-[no]joystick, etc.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Debugging options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]log
Creates a file called error.log which contains all of the internal
log messages generated by the MESS core and system drivers. The default
is OFF (\-nolog).
.TP
.B \-[no]verbose, \-[no]v
Displays internal diagnostic information. This information is very
useful for debugging problems with your configuration.
Please use the \-verbose option and include the resulting information
when reporting bugs. The default is OFF (\-noverbose).
.TP
.B \-[no]update_in_pause
Enables updating the screen bitmap while the system is paused. This is
useful for debuggin in some scenarios (and gets in the way in others).
Default is OFF (\-noupdate_in_pause).
.TP
.B \-[no]debug, \-[no]d
Activates the integrated debugger. By default, the debugger is entered
by pressing the tilde (~) key during emulation. It is also entered
immediately at startup. The default is OFF (\-nodebug).
.TP
.B \-debugscript \fIfilename
Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute
immediately upon startup. The default is NULL (no commands).
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-debugger \fIdebugger_name
Name of the debugger to use. Default is AUTO.
.TP
.B \-debugger_font, \-dfont \fIfont_name
Specifies the font to use for debugging. Default is AUTO.
.TP
.B \-debugger_font_size, \-dfontsize \fIsize
Specifies the font size to use for debugging.
.TP
.B \-[no]oslog
Outputs the error.log data to the system debugger. This can be used at
the same time as \-log to output the log data to both targets as well.
Default is OFF (\-nooslog).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Misc options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-[no]drc
Enable DRC cpu core if available. Default is ON (\-drc).
.TP
.B \-[no]drc_use_c
Force DRC use C backend. Default is OFF (\-nodrc_use_c).
.TP
.B \-[no]drc_log_uml
Write DRC UML disassembly log. Default is OFF (\-nodrc_log_uml).
.TP
.B \-[no]drc_log_native
Write DRC native disassembly log. Default is OFF (\-no_drc_log_native).
.TP
.B \-bios \fIbiosname
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'.
.TP
.B \-[no]cheat, \-[no]c
Activates the cheat menu with autofire options and other tricks from
the cheat database, if present.
The default is OFF (\-nocheat).
.TP
.B \-[no]skip_gameinfo
Forces MESS to skip displaying the system info screen. The default is OFF
(\-noskip_gameinfo).
.TP
.B \-uifont \fIfontname
Specifies the name of a BDF font file to use for the UI font. If this
font cannot be found or cannot be loaded, the system will fall back
to its built\-in UI font. On some platforms \fIfontname\fP can be a system
font name instead of a BDF font file. The default is 'default' (use
the OSD\-determined default font).
.TP
.B \-ramsize, \-ram \fIvalue
Size of RAM (if supported by driver).
.TP
.B \-[no]confirm_quit
Display confirm quit screen on exit. Default is ON (\-confirm_quit).
.TP
.B \-[no]ui_mouse
Display UI mouse cursor. Default is OFF (\-noui_mouse).
.TP
.B \-autoboot_command, \-ab \fIcommand
Command string to execute after machine boot (in quotes "").  To issue
a quote to the emulation, use \fB"""\fP in the string.
Using \fB\\n\fP will issue a create a new line, issuing what was
typed prior as a command. Example:
\fB\-autoboot_command "load """$""",8,1\\n"\fP.
.TP
.B \-autoboot_delay \fR[\fIvalue\fP]
Timer delay (in seconds) to trigger command execution on autoboot.
Default is 2.
.TP
.B \-autoboot_script, \-script \fR[\fIfilename.lua\fP]
File containing scripting to execute after machine boot.
.TP
.B \-[no]http
Enable local http server. Default is OFF (\-nohttp).
.TP
.B \-http_port \fIport
Internal webserver listener port.
.TP
.B \-http_path \fIpath
Path to web files. Default is /usr/share/games/mess/web.
.TP
.B \-[no]console
Enable emulator LUA console. Default is OFF (\-noconsole).
.TP
.B \-newui, \-nu
Use the new MESS UI.
.TP
.B \-watchdog \fIvalue
Specifies a number of seconds after which MESS should automatically exit
if it detects that the emulation has locked up.
.\"
.\"
.\" SEE ALSO chapter
.SH SEE ALSO
castool(1), chdman(1), floptool(1), imgtool(1)
.\"
.\"
.\" LEGAL NOTICE chapter
.SH LEGAL NOTICE
Please visit the MAME website for some important legal information:
.PP
http://mamedev.org/legal.html