Category:MAME

MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is an emulator for many types of arcade hardware. Unlike other emulators, which seek to handle all games for their focus systems, MAME only supports games for which support has specifically been added to the emulator. It currently supports over 6000 different games (approximately 3500 of those are unique games, the rest are clones). Further information can be found on the official MAME website.

Configuration
Depending on which version of MAME you are using, there are different ways to configure MAME. If you are using regular command line driven MAME, you operate on the mame.ini file that lives in the same directory as mame.exe. If you are instead using the official Windows GUI version, MAMEUI (previously MAME32; no longer officially released on the MAME website), you will configure MAME through the Options -> Default Game Options menu selection which opens up the Default Game Properties dialog. All the settings contained in this dialog have an equivalent setting in the mame.ini file. If you are having trouble locating the correct setting in mame.ini, you should probably be using the MAMEUI version or a front-end. Basic MAME usage and configuration can be found in the MAME Documentation.

Front Ends
There are a variety of programs which can serve as front-ends to just about any version of MAME available. Front-ends generally provide point-and-click service to programs that are typically command-line run only. If you are not using MAMEUI, or a MAMEUI derivative, and you are not familiar with, or do not like using, command lines, a front-end is for you. Different front-ends emphasize different priorities; from ease of use to immensely detailed configuration, from an intuitive game selection process to the dynamic recreation of a fully rendered arcade environment. Choosing the front-end right for you is a matter of experimentation. Be prepared for a considerable amount of one time, up front set up work to help the front-end find MAME and all of the resources that it needs to work properly. Some front-ends require more set up than others.

EmuLoader
EmuLoader is a frontend that at first glance, looks amazingly similar to MAME32 (and for all intent purposes, could easily mimmick the appearance of it if desired), but provides a richer level of customizability, both on the game playing level, and on the GUI configuration level. EmuLoader supports just about every available dat and ini file as well as every form of artwork, and can be displayed in multiple languages. To download EmuLoader, head to the EmuLoader site.

GameEx
GameEx is a graphical DirectX based front-end for MAME, Zinc, Daphne, PC Games, and all command line based emulators, along with being a complete Home Theatre PC solution, especially when gaming is a priority or important. The original goal was for it to be used on Windows XP Media Center and also Arcade Cabinets. It will run on any version of Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, and XP. You don't need Windows Media Center to run GameEx. GameEx's presentation is crisp and clear, and can easily be seen on low resolution displays such as regular definition TVs. To download GameEx, head to the GameEx site.

3D Arcade
This front end is an extraordinary piece of work that seeks to recreate an entire arcade environment on your screen in 3D. A good 3D graphics accelerator is required to appreciate the full effect of this front-end. It literally allows you to "walk around" an arcade, and "walk up to" a cabinet to preview a game before you select it and start playing. It has limitless customizability as you can place arcade cabinets anywhere you like in any of the premade arcade geometries, or if you are a skilled 3D artist, you can design and implement your own arcade. Many such artists have contributed their work and made them available for download. The 3D Arcade front-end was based on another excellent front-end known as Emulaxian. Head over to 3D-Arcade to learn more about this front-end, and download the program as well as several arcade cabinet models and arcade environments to play in. It even supports animated agents that wander about the arcade, and ambient arcade "noise" or jukebox MP3 selections.

Attract-Mode
Attract-Mode is a graphical front-end for command line emulators such as MAME, MESS and Nestopia. It hides the underlying operating system and is intended to be controlled with a joystick, gamepad or spin dial, making it ideal for use in arcade cabinet setups. Attract-Mode is open source and runs on Linux, OS X and Windows. Downloads are available at the Attract-Mode site.

Special keys
Certain keys can be used to change the way MAME behaves while you are playing a game. Other keys can be used to get information about a particular game. The following are the more commonly used keys, according the their default assignment, which you may change at any time in the Input (general) menu of the in-game menu.

F4
Shows the game palette, decoded GFX, and any tilemaps. Use Enter key to switch between the three modes (palette, graphics, and tilemaps). Press F4 again to turn off the display. The key controls in each mode vary slightly:


 * Palette/colortable mode:


 * Graphics mode:


 * Tilemap mode:

Note: Not all games have decoded graphics and/or tilemaps.

The MAME menu
Once you have selected and started a game in MAME, you bring up the in-game MAME menu by pressing Tab. This menu should look something like the picture on the right. To learn more about Input (general) and Input (this Game), please see Playing MAME. The rest of the selections will be explained here.
 * Dip Switches: Selecting this option drills down to another menu where you are given the ability to toggle the dip switches that are found on the real arcade cabinet. Dip switches were small and (sometimes poorly) hidden switches on the cabinet that allowed an arcade operator to change several features of the games behavior, such as how many quarters were needed to earn one credit, how many lives a player started with, how many points were needed to gain an extra life, and the overall difficulty of the game.  Each game has its own set of dip switches and MAME will most likely inform you of the function of each switch, provided that function is known.  Note that if you make changes to any of the switches, you will most likely need to reset the game (F3) first before the changes take place. Some games place these settings in the service mode (press F2 to access service mode).
 * Bookkeeping Info: Selecting this option brings up another window that informs you of the amount of time in minutes and seconds that a game has been running for in MAME. It also informs you of how many quarters have been "entered" in to the machine over the lifetime of the ROM's use in MAME.
 * Game Information: Selecting this option brings up the same window that ordinarily appears if you do not check the Skip game info option in the Misc. page of the Game Properties dialog. This information includes: The name of the game, the year it was made, the company that made it, the list of CPUs used by the game, the list of sound processors used by the games, and the native screen resolution and refresh rate.
 * Video Options: Selecting this option brings up another menu that allows you to make on the fly changes to the rendering configuration that MAME uses. You can change the view ration, rotate the view, or make changes to the artwork configuration that you chose (which affects Backdrops, Overlays, and Bezels, as well as whether to crop them or not.)  For more information about these choices please refer to the Configuration page of this guide.
 * Reset Game: This has the same effect as pressing F3, described above.
 * Return to Game: Selecting this removes the menu from the screen and returns input to control of the game. The same thing can be accomplished by pressing Tab or Esc anywhere on this menu.