Skip to content

AdvanceMAME - RetroBIOS
Type standalone
Classification Enhanced forks
Source https://github.com/amadvance/advancemame
Upstream https://www.mamedev.org
Version 5.0
Profiled 2026-08-08
Cores advancemame, advmame
Systems snk-neogeo-mvs, igs-pgm, sega-stv, sega-megaplay, sega-megatech, deco-cassette, nintendo-playch10, nintendo-nss, super-kaneko-nova, konami-gx, konami-gv, century-cvs, capcom-zn1, capcom-zn2, tecmo-tps, taito-fx1, eighting-zn1, atlus-zn1, atari-zn1, acclaim-zn1, hyper-neogeo64, arcadia-systems, exidy-maxaflex, brezzasoft-crystal, imax-macs
MAME version 0.106
Technical notes

MAME 0.106 core (src/version.c:12) carrying its own video layer and driver backports from later MAME releases. Twenty-six BIOS root sets, each a NOT_A_DRIVER entry (src/driver.h:180) registered in src/mamedriv.c. src/drivers/macs.c:613 declares a twenty-seventh, macs2bios, that src/mamedriv.c never registers, so no build reaches it and the five MACS games all parent to macsbios. The set is unchanged between release 5.0 and the profiled commit.

ROM archives are searched under dir_rom, defaulting to $home/rom:$data/rom on Linux and Mac OS X and to rom on DOS and Windows, in the forms DIR/GAME/ROM.EXT, DIR/GAME.zip/ROM.EXT and DIR/GAME/ROM.zip/ROM (advance/osd/fileio.c:74, doc/advmame.d:680,699-701). $home is $ADVANCE, or $HOME/.advance when that variable is unset (doc/advmame.d:503-509). Each ROM is looked up along the parent chain (src/romload.c:481-483), so a child game reads its BIOS from the root set's own archive, which has to sit beside the game archive. Inside an archive a member is matched by name, then by its printable CRC32 (src/fileio.c:1213-1223).

No BIOS ROM carries ROM_OPTIONAL or a no-good-dump marker, so a missing one counts as an error rather than a warning and aborts with "required files are missing, the game cannot be run" (src/romload.c:248-268,385-388). Loaded ROMs are checked for exact length and against the declared CRC32 and SHA1, both mismatches being warnings (src/romload.c:327-363).

Where a system offers several BIOS revisions, SYSTEM_BIOS_ADD names them and misc_bios selects one, entry 0 being the default (doc/advmame.d:2086-2094). Only the selected revision is read; the others share the archive as alternatives. Neo Geo lists MVS revisions alone, the AES, Universe and debug entries being commented out (src/drivers/neogeo.c:1420-1423,1439-1442).

The support files sit directly in $home or $data (advance/osd/fileio.c:81,88-90, advance/linux/file.c:249-256). A language file is read too, under whatever name misc_languagefile carries (advance/osd/glue.c:715-716); the project ships none, English being built into the binary (src/ui_text.c:263-265). Samples and artwork are per-game archives under dir_sample and dir_artwork, ZIP only, named after the driver: WAV members for samples (src/sound/samples.c:198-200), a .art layout and its PNGs for artwork (src/artwork.c:2119,2224).

misc_historyfile and misc_infofile were retired and are discarded when found in a configuration file (advance/osd/emu.c:517-518), leaving history.dat and mameinfo.dat unread. options.controller is pinned to zero (advance/osd/glue.c:708), so no controller file is read either. blitmax.dat, startup.dat and help.dat are compiled into the binary (advance/osd/video.c:1787,1795, advance/osd/ui.c:1575).

29 files | 26 required, 3 optional | 29 in repo, 0 missing Categories: 3 game data, 26 BIOS ZIPs

hiscore.dat optional in repo game_data

cheat.dat optional in repo game_data

  • Source: src/cheat.c:8682, src/cheat.c:8751
  • Cheat definitions, selected by misc_cheatfile (advance/osd/glue.c:799,3291) and read only when misc_cheat is on, which it is not by default. Absent, the cheat menu reads "cheat database not found" (src/cheat.c:2536).

event.dat optional in repo game_data

  • Source: advance/osd/safequit.c:165-180, advance/osd/safequit.c:260
  • Event and safequit definitions, selected by misc_eventfile and read straight from $home then $data rather than through the file type table. Absent, the exit menu always prompts instead of checking coin and play state.

neogeo.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: snk-neogeo-mvs
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/neogeo.c:7939-7953, src/drivers/neogeo.c:8553
  • Platforms: batocera, emudeck, lakka, recalbox, retroarch, retrobat, retrodeck, retropie, romm
  • Eight MVS BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (euro, euro-s1, us, us-e, asia, japan, japan-s2, japan-s1), euro by default. sm1.sm1, 000-lo.lo and sfix.sfx are loaded whichever variant is selected.
  • Contents (11 entries):
    • sp-s2.sp1 -Europe MVS (Ver. 2) -128.0 KB
    • sp-s.sp1 -Europe MVS (Ver. 1) -128.0 KB
    • usa_2slt.bin -US MVS (Ver. 2) -128.0 KB
    • sp-e.sp1 -US MVS (Ver. 1) -128.0 KB
    • asia-s3.rom -Asia MVS (Ver. 3) -128.0 KB
    • vs-bios.rom -Japan MVS (Ver. 3) -128.0 KB
    • sp-j2.rom -Japan MVS (Ver. 2) -128.0 KB
    • sp1.jipan.1024 -Japan MVS (Ver. 1) -128.0 KB
    • sm1.sm1 -Z80 sound BIOS -128.0 KB
    • 000-lo.lo -Y zoom control -64.0 KB
    • ... and 1 more

pgm.zip required in repo bios_zip

stvbios.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: sega-stv
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/stv.c:3092-3094, src/drivers/stv.c:4026
  • Platforms: lakka, recalbox, retroarch, retrobat, retrodeck, retropie
  • Nine BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (japan, japana, us, japanb, taiwan, europe, unknown, dev1061, japanc), japan by default.
  • Contents (9 entries):
    • epr19730.ic8 -Japan (bios epr19730) -512.0 KB
    • mp17951a.s -Japan (bios mp17951a) -512.0 KB
    • mp17952a.s -USA (bios mp17952a) -512.0 KB
    • 20091.bin -Japan (bios 20091) -512.0 KB
    • mp17953a.ic8 -Taiwan (bios mp17953a) -512.0 KB
    • mp17954a.s -Europe (bios mp17954a) -512.0 KB
    • stv110.bin -Unknown (debug?) -512.0 KB
    • stv1061.bin -Development (bios 1.061) -512.0 KB
    • epr-17740.bin -Japan (bios epr17740) -512.0 KB

megaplay.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: sega-megaplay
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/megaplay.c:735-738, src/drivers/megaplay.c:933
  • Platforms: retrodeck
  • Two BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (ver1, ver2), ver1 by default.
  • Contents (2 entries):
    • ep15294.ic2 -Mega Play BIOS (Ver. 1) -128.0 KB
    • epr-a15294.ic2 -Mega Play BIOS (Ver. 2) -128.0 KB

megatech.zip required in repo bios_zip

decocass.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: deco-cassette
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/decocass.c:727-730, src/drivers/decocass.c:1213
  • Platforms: lakka, retroarch, retrodeck, retropie, romm
  • Two main CPU BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (bios0, bios1), bios0 by default. The audio CPU, MCU and PROMs are loaded whichever variant is selected.
  • Contents (8 entries):
    • rms8.cpu -main CPU BIOS (bios0) -4.0 KB
    • dsp3.p0b -main CPU BIOS (bios1) -2.0 KB
    • dsp3.p1b -main CPU BIOS (bios1) -2.0 KB
    • rms8.snd -audio CPU -2.0 KB
    • cass8041.bin -MCU -1.0 KB
    • dsp8.3m -PROM -32 B
    • dsp8.10d -PROM -32 B
    • rms8.j3 -DRAM banking and timing PROM -32 B

playch10.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: nintendo-playch10
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/playch10.c:1648-1651, src/drivers/playch10.c:1659
  • Platforms: retrodeck
  • Two BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (dual, single), dual by default. Tiles and PROMs are loaded whichever variant is selected.
  • Contents (8 entries):
    • pch1-c.8t -Dual Monitor Version -16.0 KB
    • pck1-c.8t -Single Monitor Version -16.0 KB
    • pch1-c.8p -BIOS tiles -8.0 KB
    • pch1-c.8m -BIOS tiles -8.0 KB
    • pch1-c.8k -BIOS tiles -8.0 KB
    • pch1-c.6f -PROM -256 B
    • pch1-c.6e -PROM -256 B
    • pch1-c.6d -PROM -256 B

nss.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: nintendo-nss
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/nss.c:524-526, src/drivers/nss.c:657
  • Platforms: retrodeck
  • Contents (4 entries):
    • spc700.rom -SPC700 IPL ROM -64 B
    • dsp1data.bin -DSP1 data ROM -2.0 KB
    • nss-c.dat -BIOS CPU -32.0 KB
    • nss-ic14.02 -BIOS CPU -32.0 KB

skns.zip required in repo bios_zip

konamigx.zip required in repo bios_zip

konamigv.zip required in repo bios_zip

cvs.zip required in repo bios_zip

cpzn1.zip required in repo bios_zip

cpzn2.zip required in repo bios_zip

tps.zip required in repo bios_zip

taitofx1.zip required in repo bios_zip

psarc95.zip required in repo bios_zip

atluspsx.zip required in repo bios_zip

atpsx.zip required in repo bios_zip

acpsx.zip required in repo bios_zip

hng64.zip required in repo bios_zip

ar_bios.zip required in repo bios_zip

  • System: arcadia-systems
  • Validation: size, crc32, sha1
  • Source: src/drivers/arcadia.c:352-354, src/drivers/arcadia.c:717
  • Platforms: retrobat, retrodeck
  • Three BIOS variants selected with misc_bios (onep300, onep211, tenp211), onep300 by default. kick12.rom is loaded whichever variant is selected.
  • Contents (11 entries):
    • kick12.rom -Amiga Kickstart 1.2 -256.0 KB
    • scpav3_0.1h -OnePlay 3.00 -64.0 KB
    • scpav3_0.1l -OnePlay 3.00 -64.0 KB
    • scpa211h -OnePlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • scpa211l -OnePlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • gcp-1-hi -TenPlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • gcp-1-lo -TenPlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • gcp-2-hi -TenPlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • gcp-2-lo -TenPlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • gcp-3-hi -TenPlay 2.11 -64.0 KB
    • ... and 1 more

maxaflex.zip required in repo bios_zip

crysbios.zip required in repo bios_zip

macsbios.zip required in repo bios_zip

bctvidbs.zip required in repo bios_zip

Generated on 2026-08-23T16:12:06Z