.\" -*- 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 <cesare.falco@gmail.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://mess.redump.net/
.\"
.\"
.TH mess 6 2011-03-02 0.141 "The Multiple Emulator Super System (MESS)"
.\"
.\"
.\" NAME chapter
.SH NAME
MESS \- The Multiple Emulator Super System
.\"
.\"
.\" SYNOPSIS chapter
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B mess
.RI [ options ]
.I system
.\"
.\"
.\" 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.
.\"
.\"
.\" 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 'mess.ini' 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 \-showusage
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 'messlist.xml' 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 \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:
.RS
.TP
.B 0
all files were identified
.TP
.B 7
all files were identified except for some "non\-ROM" files
.TP
.B 8
some files were identified
.TP
.B 9
no files were identified
.RE
.TP
.B \-listdevices, \-ld
Output the list of devices referenced by a given system or set of systems.
.TP
.B \-listmedia, \-lm
Output the list of available media for the system.
.TP
.B \-listsoftware
Output the list of known software for the system.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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:
.RS
.TP 15
.B mess.ini
the main configuration file
.TP
.IB driver .ini
based on the source file name of the system driver
.TP
.IB parent .ini
for clones only, may be called recursively
.TP
.IB system .ini
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).
.RE
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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 \fIpath
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 \-samplepath, \-sp \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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.
.TP
.B \-hashpath \fIpath
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).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Output Directory Options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-cfg_directory \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \-memcard_directory \fIpath
Specifies a single directory where memory card files are stored. Memory
card files store the contents of removable memory cards for systems which
used this type of hardware. This data is read and written under control
of the user via the 'Memory Card' menu in the user interface. The
default is 'memcard' (that is, a directory 'memcard' in the same
directory as the MESS executable). If this directory does not exist,
it will be automatically created.
.TP
.B \-input_directory \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIpath
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 \fIfile
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 \-record, \-rec \fIfile
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 \-snapname \fIname
Describes how MESS should name files for snapshots.
.I name
is a string that provides a template that is used to generate a file name.
Three simple substitutions are provided:
.RS
.TP
.B /
represents the path separator on any target platform (even Windows)
.TP
.B %g
represents the driver name of the current system
.TP
.B %i
represents an incrementing index. If omitted, then each snapshot taken
will overwrite the previous one; otherwise, MESS will find the next
empty value for %i and use that for a file name.
.P
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.
.RE
.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|\fIview
Specifies the view to use when rendering snapshots and movies.
.RS
.TP 12
.B internal
renders a separate snapshot per screen or renders movies only of the
first screen using the special 'internal' view.
.TP
.B auto
selects the first view with all screens present
.TP
.I view
select the first view whose name matches all the characters.
For example,
.B mame \-snapview native
will match the "Native (15:14)" view even though it is not a perfect
match.
.P
The default value is 'internal'.
.RE
.TP
.B \-mngwrite \fIfile
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 \fIfile
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 \fIfile
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 \-[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
Controls the speed of gameplay, relative to realtime; smaller numbers are
slower. Default is 1.00.
.TP
.B \-refreshspeed, \-rs
Automatically adjusts the \-speed parameter to keep the effective refresh
rate below that of the lowest screen refresh rate.
.\"
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-multithreading, \-mt
Enable multithreading; this enables rendering and blitting on a separate
thread. The default is OFF.
.TP
.B \-numprocessors, \-np
Set number of processors; this overrides the number the system reports.
.TP
.B \-sdlvideofps
Show SDL video performance.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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
.TP
.B \-[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).
.TP
.B \-[no]autoror
.TP
.B \-[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.
.TP
.B \-[no]flipx
.TP
.B \-[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).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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).
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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 \fIwidth
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 soft\fR|\fBopengl\fR|\fBopengl16\fR|\fBnone
Specifies which video subsystem to use for drawing:
.RS
.TP 12
.B soft
uses software rendering, which is slower but more compatible.
.TP
.B opengl
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.
.TP
.B opengl16
uses alternate OpenGL code, which should provide faster
output on some cards.
.TP
.B none
does no drawing and is intended for CPU benchmarking.
.P
Default is 'soft'.
.RE
.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 \-keepaspect, \-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 \-unevenstretch, \-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 \-effect none\fR|\fIfile
Name of a PNG file to use for visual effects, or 'none'. Default is 'none'.
.TP
.B \-centerh
Center horizontally within the view area. Default is ON (\-centerh).
.TP
.B \-centerv
Center vertically within the view area. Default is ON (\-centerv).
.TP
.B \-waitvsync
Enable waiting for the start of VBLANK before flipping screens;
reduces tearing effects.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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 \fIvalue
Scale screen rendering by this amount in software. Default is 1.
.TP
.B \-scalemode, \-sm none\fR|\fBasync\fR|\fByv12\fR|\fByuy2\fR\
|\fByv12x2\fR|\fByuy2x2
Hardware scaling mode.
.RS
.TP 12
.B none
use software rendering
.TP
.B async
async overlay
.TP
.B yv12
yv12 overlay
.TP
.B yuy2
yuy2 overlay
.TP
.B yv12x2
yv12 overlay using x2 prescaling
.TP
.B yuy2x2
yuy2 overlay using x2 prescaling
.P
Default is 'none'.
.RE
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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 \-filter, \-glfilter, \-flt
Enable bilinear filtering on screen output. Default is ON (\-filter).
.TP
.B \-gl_forcepow2texture
Force power of two textures. Default is NO.
.TP
.B \-gl_notexturerect
Don't use OpenGL GL_ARB_texture_rectangle. Default is ON: turn off
(set this to 0) if corruption occurs in OpenGL mode, at cost of some
performance loss.
.TP
.B \-gl_vbo
Enable OpenGL VBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Default is ON: turn off (set this to 0) if corruption occurs.
.TP
.B \-gl_pbo
Enable OpenGL PBO, if available, for a performance increase.
Default is ON: turn off (set this to 0) if corruption occurs.
.TP
.B \-gl_glsl
Enable OpenGL GLSL, if available, for a performance increase.
.TP
.B \-gl_glsl_filter \fIvalue
Enable OpenGL GLSL filtering instead of FF filtering. Allowed values are
.RS
.TP 8
.B 0
plain
.TP
.B 1
bilinear
.P
Default is 1.
.RE
.TP
.BR \-glsl_shader_mame #
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader set mame bitmap, with # ranging
from 0 to 9.
.TP
.BR \-glsl_shader_screen #
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader screen bitmap, with # ranging
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 \-resolution, \-r
Select the resolution to use in full\-screen mode; \-switchres must
be enabled for this to work.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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).
.TP
.B \-useallheads
Split full screen image across monitors.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.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]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 \-natural, \-nat
Specifies whether to use a natural keyboard or not.
.TP
.B \-uimodekey, \-umk
Specifies the key used to toggle between full and partial UI mode.
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.TP
.B \-keymap
Enable keymap for non\-QWERTY keyboards. Used in conjunction
with \-keymap_file.
.TP
.B \-keymap_file \fIfile
Specifies the full path to the keymap file to be used. A few
keymap files are available in /usr/share/games/mame\-common/keymaps.
.TP
.B \-joy_idx1 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx2 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx3 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx4 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx5 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx6 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx7 \fIjoystick
.TP
.B \-joy_idx8 \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
.B mess \-v
to see which joysticks are recognized. Default is AUTO.
.TP
.B \-sixaxis
Use special handling for PS3 Sixaxis controllers.
.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 none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-adstick_device, \-adstick none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-pedal_device, \-pedal none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-dial_device, \-dial none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-trackball_device, \-trackball none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-lightgun_device none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-positional_device none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
.TP
.B \-mouse_device none\fR|\fBkeyboard\fR|\fBmouse\fR\
|\fBlightgun\fR|\fBjoystick
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 \-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).
.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 \fIfile
Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute
immediately upon startup. The default is NULL (no commands).
.TP
.B \-debug_internal, \-di
Use the internal debugger for debugging.
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.\" SDL specific
.\" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
.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 UI options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-uifont
Specify a font to use.
.TP
.B \-newui, \-nu
Use the new MESS UI.
.\"
.\" *******************************************************
.SS Misc options
.\" *******************************************************
.TP
.B \-bios default\fR|\fIbios
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
Enables the reading of the cheat database, if present, and the Cheat
menu in the user interface. 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 \-ramsize, \-ram
Size of RAM (if supported by driver).
.TP
.B \-writeconfig, \-wc
Writes configuration to
.IB driver .ini
on exit.
.\"
.\"
.\" FILES chapter
.SH FILES
.TP
.B /etc/mess/mess.ini
Main configuration file
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