Manuals+
MAME Emulator Guide

MAME: The Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator

Introduction to MAME

MAME, the Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, is a multi-purpose emulation framework that facilitates the emulation of vintage hardware and software. Originally targeting vintage arcade machines, MAME has since absorbed the sister-project MESS (Multi Emulator Super System) to support a wide variety of vintage computers, video game consoles, and calculators.

It was first released in 1997 in Italy. MAME focuses on accuracy, even if it's at the cost of performance. If on low-end hardware, consider using older (more inaccurate) versions of MAME, or specialized emulators for such games instead.

MAME games scrape metadata for the "arcade" group(s) and load the MAME set from the currently selected theme, if available.

MAME does not use an individual "core" for each system like RetroArch does. Instead, the ROM itself usually contains the necessary information to accurately emulate it, thus making it specific to the version of MAME it was made for. It is highly recommended to read the generic arcade guide first to get familiar with arcade machine emulation.

Visual Description: An illustration shows several classic arcade cabinets, including Pac-Man and Space Invaders, suggesting the scope of MAME's emulation capabilities.

Quick Reference

Emulators

BIOS and Samples

BIOS: Based on the romset type used, either none is required, ones are required for each game you need to play, or a single BIOS file is needed for a group of games.

Samples: Some arcade game machines featured additional storage that allowed for uncompressed audio to be utilized. These are referred to as "samples". Some machines had a backup synthesized track if the samples weren't present; others had none.

For MAME2003plus (mame078plus), if your game has the appropriate samples, place them in the /userdata/bios/mame2003/samples folder. Samples can be for one specific game or be applicable to multiple versions of the game.

ROMs

Place your MAME ROMs in /userdata/roms/mame. You can put ROMs intended for different versions of MAME into subfolders within this directory. For instance, MAME2003-plus ROMs can be placed in /userdata/roms/mame/mame2003plus. The latest versions of ROMsets to use can be found on the arcade guide.

Each romset is specific to the version of MAME being used:

? For MESS supported systems, each system has its own folder to use. Putting games designed for the MESS system inside of the mame/ folder will not work.

Emulators

RetroArch

RetroArch has its own dedicated page.

libretro: imame4all

iMame4All is an older version of MAME that is fairly easy to run, even on hardware as weak as the RPi Zero. Many games, especially newer ones, have known issues with this version. It supports the least number of games.

The ROMset for this version is typically referred to as "0.37b5".

Configuration

Specific configuration details for libretro: imame4all are generally managed through RetroArch's core options.

libretro: mame078plus

Not to be confused with the regular MAME2003. Internally named "mame078plus", MAME2003plus was once considered the "golden standard" for its balance of ease of use and broad hardware support. However, many ROMs, especially for newer systems, have known issues with this version.

The "plus" version has seen recent developments that backport compatibility fixes from newer MAME versions. For this reason, regular MAME2003 ROMs may not work correctly in this version.

The ROMset for this version is typically referred to as "078plus".

Configuration

ES setting name (batocera.conf_key) Description ⇒ ES option key_value
Settings that apply to all systems this core supports
CONTROL MAPPING global.mame2003-plus_analog Choose from Analog or Digital controller: Analog analog, Digital digital.
FRAMESKIP global.mame2003-plus_frameskip Skip frames to improve performance (smoothness): Off 0, 1 1, 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, 5 5.
INPUT INTERFACE global.mame2003-plus_input_interface Use input directly sends by keyboard to the core: Retropad retropad, Keyboard keyboard, Simultaneous simultaneous.
TATE MODE global.mame2003-plus_tate_mode Rotating display to vertical mode rendering: Off disabled, On enabled.
NEOGEO MODE global.mame2003-plus_neogeo_bios Manually specify your choice of Neo Geo BIOS: Console AES World asia-aes, Arcade MVS Europe euro, Arcade MVS USA us, Arcade MVS Japan japan, Arcade Universe BIOS 4.0 (Cheats) unibios40, Arcade Universe BIOS 3.3 (Cheats) unibios33.

libretro: mame0139

Internally named "mame0139", Mame2010 is an older version of MAME that offers a combination of speed and compatibility.

The ROMset for this version is typically referred to as "0.139".

Configuration

Specific configuration details for libretro: mame0139 are generally managed through RetroArch's core options.

libretro: mame

This represents the latest version of MAME available at the time of the stable release. Check the table on the arcade guide for the most current version.

Configuration

ES setting name (batocera.conf_key) Description ⇒ ES option key_value
Settings that apply to all systems this core supports
CPU OVERCLOCK global.mame_cpu_overclock Minimize in-game slowdowns of some games: default default, 30 30, 35 35, 40 40, 45 45, 50 50, 55 55, 60 60, 65 65, 70 70, 75 75, 80 80, 85 85, 90 90, 95 95, 100 100, 105 105, 110 110, 115 115, 120 120, 125 125, 130 130, 135 135, 140 140, 145 145, 150 150.
VIDEO RESOLUTION global.mame_altres Increase the video resolution: 640×480 640×480, 800×600 800×600, 960×720 960×720, 1024×768 1024×768, 1280×720 1280×720, 1600×800 1600×800, 1920×1080 1920×1080, 2560×1440 2560×1440, 3840×2160 3840×2160.

Further adjustments can be made in the /userdata/bios/mame.ini file.

MAME Configuration (General)

Standardized features available to all MAME systems include: mame.videomode, mame.decoration, mame.padtokeyboard.

ES setting name (batocera.conf_key) Description ⇒ ES option key_value
Settings that apply to all cores of this emulator
GRAPHICS BACKEND mame.video Choose your graphics rendering: BGFX bgfx, Accel accel, OpenGL opengl.
BGFX BACKEND mame.bgfxbackend Choose your graphics API: MAME Detect automatic, OpenGL opengl, OpenGL ES gles, Vulkan vulkan.
BGFX VIDEO FILTER mame.bgfxshaders Apply a particular visual effect: Off None, Bilinear default, CRT Geom crt-geom, CRT Geom Deluxe crt-geom-deluxe, Super Eagle eagle, HLSL hlsl, HQ2X hq2x, HQ3X hq3x, HQ4X hq4x.
CRT SWITCHRES mame.switchres CRT monitor SwitchRes support: Off 0, On 1.
TATE MODE mame.rotation Rotating display to vertical mode rendering: Off None, Rotate 90 autoror, Rotate 270 autorol.
ALT DPAD MODE mame.altdpad If the D-Pad does not work properly: Off (Default) 0, DS3 Orientation 1, X360 Orientation 2.

MAME offers an in-game Menu (push in [L3] + [R3] or press [HOTKEY] + [menu button]). This can be used to manually adjust inputs or game settings. Alternatively, all of MAME's options can be edited by opening the /userdata/system/configs/mame/mame.ini file (you may need to create this file if it's not already present).

If you're having issues with a specific game, check the MAMEdev FAQ for that game. For MESS systems specifically, you might find more information on MESS's wiki.

Be sure to remember to update the ROMset when updating Batocera, as this version is bumped every stable version.

Sega Model 1

This infamous Model 1 arcade board was a dramatic step-up above the competition in regards to 3D polygonal graphics. Thousands of vector-shaded polygons were drawn on-screen at once, with an extremely responsive 60 FPS arcade feel (for some games).

Emulation for the Model 1 is sadly not yet mature, with issues like slowdown, graphical inaccuracies, and random crashes. However, if you have a powerful enough machine, you should be able to power through it. Model 1's ROMs are best played on MAME 2010 or newer.

There were only seven games (in reality, five with different variations) produced for this arcade board, most likely due to its prohibitive cost of development for each game.

Visual Description: An image of a Sega Model 1 arcade cabinet is displayed.

Games for Sega Model 1

Game MAME 2010 Filename Additional information
Netmerc/Tecwar N/A On-rails first-person virtual-reality shooter played with a HMD and mounted gun which was never released. Considered the "holy grail" of Sega Model 1. This game cannot be emulated yet by any emulator in Batocera.
Star Wars Arcade swa.zip A tie-in game for the films of the era. Quite impressive for the time.
Virtua Fighter Infamous 3D fighting game that would go on to get several ports onto home consoles. Renowned for its weighty, realistic animations.
Virtua Formula vformula.zip An enhanced edition of Virtua Racer, featuring six-player network play and formula one shaped rides.
Virtua Racer vr.zip Circuit racer leaning more towards an arcade experience than the simulation of other 3D racer games of the era.
Wing War wingwar.zip Arcade dogfighting game where two players take turns attacking and defending each other.
Wing War R360 A special version with a 360-degree rotating cockpit. Extremely rare and expensive.

Controls

Here are the default MAME's controls shown on a Batocera Retropad:

Visual Description: A diagram of a retro-style game controller. It features a joystick on the left, a directional pad (D-pad) on the right with buttons labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Below the D-pad are buttons labeled "COIN" and "START". A second joystick or analog stick is shown on the lower left, labeled "STICK".

Troubleshooting

MAME is a very complicated project, and issues can crop up easily.

None of my games are booting!

First, check that the version of MAME you are attempting to run it with is the same as the ROMset you obtained it from. Mismatched versions aren't guaranteed to run, though sometimes if there were no differences made between MAME versions, the game can run in both versions (though that's generally an exception, not the rule).

I have an issue with a specific game

If you're having issues with a specific game, check the MAMEdev FAQ for that game. For MESS systems specifically, you might find more information on MESS's wiki.

Poor game performance

Arcade games tend to be more difficult to emulate than regular console games in general by their very nature. Newer versions of MAME emulate these arcade games more accurately than older versions, which generally means that real-world performance takes a dip as more accuracy is added (although in some cases, it can dramatically improve performance, really it's on a game-by-game basis).

If your machine is struggling with running a particular game, try using an older set with its respective version of MAME; it may perform better. Just remember to make that special per-game setting to actually utilize the correct MAME version if deciding to go down this route!

I can't open the MAME menu!

Sometimes the key needed to be pressed to access the in-game MAME menu is different depending on which version of MAME you are using. Typically, these keys can be:

If you are specifically using a libretro: Mame core, you can manually activate the MAME menu by going to RetroArch's Quick Menu ([HOTKEY] + [menu button]) → Options → System → Display MAME Menu. Once this option is activated, exit out of the Quick Menu, and you will be greeted by MAME's menu. Repeat these actions to close the menu.

I open the MAME menu too often!

This issue might stem from the MAME key being set to an in-game key as well. Either set it to another key or remap the MAME menu key.

Further troubleshooting

Most questions are answered in the generic arcade guide. For further troubleshooting, refer to the generic support pages.

Models: MAME2003plus, mame078plus, mame0139, Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator, Arcade Machine Emulator, Machine Emulator, Emulator

File Info : application/pdf, 9 Pages, 336.90KB

PDF preview unavailable. Download the PDF instead.

mame

References

mPDF 8.0.17

Related Documents

Preview MAME Documentation Release 0.227: A Comprehensive Guide to Arcade Emulation
Discover the MAME emulator with this detailed documentation for Release 0.227. Learn about its purpose, system requirements, installation, usage, command-line options, and technical specifications for preserving arcade and computer history.