Provided by: mess_0.152-0ubuntu2_amd64 
NAME
MESS - The Multiple Emulator Super System
SYNOPSIS
mess [options] system
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
Core commands
-help, -?
Displays current MESS version and copyright notice.
-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.
Configuration commands
-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.
-showconfig, -sc
Displays the current configuration settings.
-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.
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, mess -listxml > ~/messlist.xml writes the full list of supported
systems to messlist.xml in your home directory.
-listxml, -lx [system|wildcard]
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.
-listfull, -ll [system|wildcard]
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.
-listsource, -ls [system|wildcard]
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.
-listclones, -lc [system|wildcard]
Displays a list of clones. By default all clones are listed; however, you can limit this list by
specifying a driver name or wildcard.
-listbrothers, -lb [system|wildcard]
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.
-listcrc
Displays a full list of CRCs of all ROM images referenced by all drivers within MESS code.
-listroms, -lr system
Displays a list of ROM images referenced by the specified system.
-listsamples system
Displays a list of samples referenced by the specified system.
-verifyroms [system|wildcard]
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.
-verifysamples [system|wildcard]
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.
-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:
0 all files were identified
7 all files were identified except for some "non-ROM" files
8 some files were identified
9 no files were identified
-listdevices, -ld
Output the list of devices referenced by a given system or set of systems.
-listslots, -lslot
Output the list of available slots and slot devices for the system.
-listmedia, -lm
Output the list of available media for the system.
-listsoftware, -lsoft
Output the list of known software for the system.
-verifysoftware, -vsoft [gamename|wildcard]
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.
-getsoftlist, -glist
Retrieve software list by name.
-verifysoftlist, -vlist [softwarelistname]
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).
-listmidi, -mlist
List available MIDI I/O devices.
Configuration options
-[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:
1. mess.ini
the main configuration file
2. [driver].ini
based on the source file name of the system driver
3. [parent].ini
for clones only, may be called recursively
4. [system].ini
note this sometimes resolves to the same of the source driver
The settings in the later ini's override those in the earlier ini's. The default is ON (-readconfig).
-writeconfig, -wc
Write configuration to [driver].ini on exit.
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.
-rompath, -rp, -biospath, -bp pathname
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).
-samplepath, -sp pathname
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).
-artpath, -artwork_directory pathname
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).
-ctrlrpath, -ctrlr_directory pathname
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).
-inipath pathname
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'.
-fontpath pathname
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).
-cheatpath pathname
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).
-crosshairpath pathname
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.
-hashpath pathname
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).
Output Directory Options
-cfg_directory pathname
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.
-nvram_directory pathname
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.
-memcard_directory pathname
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.
-input_directory pathname
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.
-state_directory pathname
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.
-snapshot_directory pathname
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.
-diff_directory pathname
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.
-comment_directory pathname
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.
State/playback options
-state slot
Immediately after starting the specified system, will cause the save state in the specified slot
to be loaded.
-[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).
-playback, -pb filename
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).
-record, -rec filename
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).
-snapname string
Describes how MESS should name files for snapshots. string 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 %g represents the driver name of the
current system; and the literal %i represents an incrementing index. If %i is 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 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
%d_[media] indicator. Replace [media] with the media switch you want to use. A few examples: if
you use mess nes -cart robby -snapname %g/%d_cart snapshots will be saved as snaps/nes/robby.png;
if you use mess c64 -flop1 robby -snapname %g/%d_flop1/%i snapshots will be saved as
snaps/c64/robby/0000.png.
-snapsize widthxheight
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'.
-snapview internal|auto|viewname
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 viewname does not need to be a perfect
match; rather, it will select the first view whose name matches all the characters specified by
viewname. For example, -snapview native will match the "Native (15:14)" view even though it is not
a perfect match. viewname can also be 'auto', which selects the first view with all screens
present. The default value is 'internal'.
-statename string
Describes how MESS should store save state files, relative to the state_directory path. string
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 %g 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 %d_[media] indicator. Replace [media] with the media
switch you want to use. A few examples: if you use mess nes -cart robby -statename %g/%d_cart save
states will be stored inside sta/nes/robby/; if you use mess c64 -flop1 robby -statename
%g/%d_flop1 save states will be stored inside sta/c64/robby/.
-mngwrite filename
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).
-aviwrite filename
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).
-wavwrite filename
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).
-[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).
Performance options
-[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).
-frameskip, -fs value
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.
-seconds_to_run, -str value
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.
-[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).
-[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).
-speed Controls the speed of gameplay, relative to realtime; smaller numbers are slower. Default is 1.00.
-refreshspeed, -rs
Automatically adjusts the -speed parameter to keep the effective refresh rate below that of the
lowest screen refresh rate.
-multithreading, -mt
Enable multithreading; this enables rendering and blitting on a separate thread. The default is
OFF.
-numprocessors, -np
Set number of processors; this overrides the number the system reports.
-sdlvideofps
Show SDL video performance.
Rotation options
-[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).
-[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). The
default for both of these options is OFF (-noror -norol).
-[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.
-[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. The default for both of these options
is OFF (-noflipx -noflipy).
Artwork options
-[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).
-[no]use_backdrops, -[no]backdrop
Enables/disables the display of backdrops. The default is ON (-use_backdrops).
-[no]use_overlays, -[no]overlay
Enables/disables the display of overlays. The default is ON (-use_overlays).
-[no]use_bezels, -[no]bezel
Enables/disables the display of bezels. The default is ON (-use_bezels).
-[no]use_cpanels, -[no]cpanel
Enables/disables the display of cpanels. The default is ON (-use_bezels).
-[no]use_marquees, -[no]marquee
Enables/disables the display of marquees. The default is ON (-use_bezels).
Screen options
-brightness value
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.
-contrast value
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.
-gamma value
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.
-pause_brightness value
This controls the brightness level when MESS is paused. The default value is 0.65.
Vector rendering options
-[no]antialias, -[no]aa
Enables antialiased line rendering for vector systems. The default is ON (-antialias).
-beam width
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.
-flicker value
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.
Video options
-video [soft|opengl|opengl16|none]
Specifies which video subsystem to use for drawing:
soft uses software rendering, which is slower but more compatible.
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.
opengl16 uses alternate OpenGL code, which should provide faster output on some cards.
none does no drawing and is intended for CPU benchmarking.
Default is SOFT.
-[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).
-[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).
-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).
-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).
-effect none|filename
Name of a PNG file to use for visual effects, or 'none'. Default is 'none'.
-centerh
Center horizontally within the view area. Default is ON (-centerh).
-centerv
Center vertically within the view area. Default is ON (-centerv).
-waitvsync
Enable waiting for the start of VBLANK before flipping screens; reduces tearing effects.
Software video rendering subsystem options
All the options in this group are available only with softare video rendering subsystem (-video soft).
-prescale value
Scale screen rendering by this amount in software. Default is 1.
-scalemode, -sm [none|async|yv12|yuy2|yv12x2|yuy2x2]
Hardware scaling mode.
none use software rendering.
async async overlay.
yv12 yv12 overlay.
yuy2 yuy2 overlay.
yv12x2 yv12 overlay using x2 prescaling.
yuy2x2 yuy2 overlay using x2 prescaling.
Default is NONE.
OpenGL video rendering subsystem options
All the options in this group are available only with OpenGL video rendering subsystem (-video opengl or
-video opengl16).
-filter, -glfilter, -flt
Enable bilinear filtering on screen output. Default is ON (-filter).
-gl_forcepow2texture
Force power of two textures. Default is NO.
-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.
-gl_vbo
Enable OpenGL VBO, if available, for a performance increase. Default is ON: turn off (set this to
0) if corruption occurs.
-gl_pbo
Enable OpenGL PBO, if available, for a performance increase. Default is ON: turn off (set this to
0) if corruption occurs.
-gl_glsl
Enable OpenGL GLSL, if available, for a performance increase.
-gl_glsl_filter value
Enable OpenGL GLSL filtering instead of FF filtering 0=plain, 1=bilinear. Default is 1: bilinear.
-glsl_shader_mame[0-9]
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader set mame bitmap (from 0 to 9).
-glsl_shader_screen[0-9]
Preferred custom OpenGL GLSL shader screen bitmap (from 0 to 9).
-gl_glsl_vid_attr
Enable OpenGL GLSL handling of brightness and contrast. Better RGB system performance for free.
Default is ON.
-screen
Explicit name for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
-aspect, -screen_aspect
Aspect ratio for all screens; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
-resolution, -r
Preferred resolution for all screens; format is widthxheight[@refreshrate] or 'auto'.
-view Preferred view for all screens
-screen[0-3]
Explicit name of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
-aspect[0-3]
Aspect ratio of the first|second|third|fourth screen; 'auto' here will try to make a best guess.
-resolution[0-3], -r[0-3]
Preferred resolution for the first|second|third|fourth screen; format is
widthxheight[@refreshrate] or 'auto'.
-view[0-3]
Preferred view for the first|second|third|fourth screen.
Full screen options
-[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).
-useallheads
Split full screen image across monitors.
Sound options
-[no]sound
Enable or disable sound altogether. The default is ON (-sound).
-samplerate, -sr value
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.
-[no]samples
Use samples if available. The default is ON (-samples).
-volume, -vol value
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.
-audio_latency value
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.
Input options
-[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).
-ctrlr controller
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).
-[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).
-[no]joystick, -[no]joy
Controls whether or not MESS looks for joystick/gamepad controllers. The default is ON
(-joystick).
-[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).
-[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).
-[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).
-[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).
-[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).
-joystick_map, -joymap map
Controls how joystick values map to digital joystick controls. See
/usr/share/doc/mame-common/config.txt for full details on joymap format.
-joystick_deadzone, -joy_deadzone, -jdz value
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.
-joystick_saturation, -joy_saturation, -jsat value
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.
-natural, -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 compatability for
non-"QWERTY" style keyboards. The default is OFF (-nonatural).
-uimodekey, -umk
Specifies the key used to toggle between full and partial UI mode.
-keymap
Enable keymap for non-QWERTY keyboards. Used in conjunction with -keymap_file.
-keymap_file keymap_file
Specifies the full path to the keymap file to be used. A few keymap files are available in
/usr/share/games/mess/keymaps.
-joy_idx[0-8] joystick
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'.
-sixaxis
Use special handling for PS3 Sixaxis controllers.
-lightgun_index[1-8]
Map lightgun to specific index in MESS.
-videodriver, -vd x11|directfb|auto
SDL video driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
-audiodriver, -ad alsa|arts|auto
SDL audio driver to use; auto selects SDL default.
-gl_lib alsa|arts|auto
Alternative libGL.so to use; auto selects SDL default.
Input automatic enable options
-paddle_device, -paddle [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-adstick_device, -adstick [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-pedal_device, -pedal [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-dial_device, -dial [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-trackball_device, -trackball [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-lightgun_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-positional_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
-mouse_device [none|keyboard|mouse|lightgun|joystick]
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.
Debugging options
-[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).
-[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).
-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).
-[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).
-debugscript filename
Specifies a file that contains a list of debugger commands to execute immediately upon startup.
The default is NULL (no commands).
-debug_internal, -di
Use the internal debugger for debugging.
-[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).
Misc options
-drc Enable DRC cpu core if available. Enabled by default.
-drc_use_c
Force DRC use C backend.
-bios biosname
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'.
-[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).
-[no]skip_gameinfo
Forces MESS to skip displaying the system info screen. The default is OFF (-noskip_gameinfo).
-uifont fontname
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 fontname
can be a system font name instead of a BDF font file. The default is 'default' (use the
OSD-determined default font).
-ramsize, -ram
Size of RAM (if supported by driver).
-confirm_quit
Display confirm quit screen on exit.
-ui_mouse
Display UI mouse cursor.
-autoboot_command, -ab command
Command string to execute after machine boot (in quotes ""). To issue a quote to the emulation,
use """ in the string. Using \n will issue a create a new line, issuing what was typed prior as a
command. Example: -autoboot_command "load """$""",8,1\n".
-autoboot_delay [seconds]
Timer delay (in seconds) to trigger command execution on autoboot. Default is 2.
-autoboot_script, -script [filename.lua]
File containing scripting to execute after machine boot.
-http Enable local http server. Disabled by default.
-http_port port
Internal webserver listener port.
-http_path path
Path to web files. Default is /usr/share/games/mess/web.
-newui, -nu
Use the new MESS UI.
-watchdog
Specifies a number of seconds after which MESS should automatically exit if it detects that the
emulation has locked up.
SEE ALSO
castool(1), chdman(1), imgtool(1), testkeys(1)
LEGAL NOTICE
Please visit the MAME website for some important legal information:
http://mamedev.org/legal.html