Software update: MAME 0.172

Version 0.172 of MAME and MESS has been released. MAME stands for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator and is a program with which it is possible to classic arcade games to play. MESS stands for Multi Emulator Super System and emulates a large number of old computers, such as the Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Gameboy and ZX Spectrum. As of version 0.162, MAME and MESS are no longer offered separately, but have been merged. The software is now also available as open source offered. The extensive list of changes is herethe release notes can be found below.

MAME 0.172

It’s with great pleasure that we announce the release of MAME 0.172. This release includes several notable things above and beyond the usual assortment of new systems, new features, and bug fixes.

Most importantly, this is the first release of MAME since the change to a proper open-source licensing scheme as announced earlier this month. From this release onward, MAME will be distributed under a GPL-2.0+ license, with the bulk of code being covered under a 3-clause BSD license.

MAME now has an up-to-date set of documentation! you can find it here.

Due to the large number of configuration changes made in this version, we strongly advise all users to delete their existing INI configuration files and re-create them using the “-cc” option.

In case you are just overwriting previous release files note that you better remove plugin folder first.

For those of you running MAME on authentic CRT monitors, MAME now incorporates a number of scaling-related features from GroovyMAME, thanks to its author being brought on board the team, which should help reduce user fragmentation. Please note: If you have issues with MAME 0.172’s graphics output, please ensure that “unevenstretch” is set to 1 in your MAME configuration.

MAME 0.172 will also introduce a new high-score saving system using Lua scripting. The feature is still experimental, but it’s something to keep an eye on for interesting future developments!

This version additionally marks the creation of a cross-platform data-driven shader system via the BGFX renderer, which allows you to apply shader effects per-screen, and more.