CATEGORY

For the most part, Category is based on what type of game or other device that the artwork is for. For some Arcade games, there may be more than one type of category, depending on where the artwork originated. Some Game Consoles may include both Base and Handheld artwork; some Arcade Games may include both Arcade artwork and Widescreen artwork; etc. We do not list the Category for each individual View; each Category is listed once for a set if there is at least one artwork View within that set that falls into that category. (e.g. if an Arcade game has nine different views, consisting of Arcade, Compilation, and Widescreen artwork, each of those categories will be listed once on the download table for that artwork set).

Arcade

Artwork is from when that arcade game was originally in arcades

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original artwork or cabinet
• Artwork may be sourced from a flyer of that game, if verified accurate to the original game
• Cleanup of the artwork may have been done either raster (e.g. Photoshop) or vector (e.g. Illustrator)

Board Game

Game was sold as a board game in stores

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Game in real life is typically played on a tabletop
• Will include any chess games in MAME

Calculator

Primary purpose of hardware is as a calculator

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Is not a pocket computer
• Does not have additional functions as portable organizer, etc.

Casino

Game is an arcade-type game, but primary purpose is for gambling

• Game likely does not have electromechanical parts
• If artwork is not from the original game, will be classified as Other under Artwork Type

Compilation

Original game was an Arcade game

• Game was released as a port or part of a game compilation for PC or a Game Console
• Artwork can be used in-game while playing on PC or Game Console
• Where possible, artwork is the actual file found in the game code
• If original file is not MAME compatible (i.e. not a PNG or JPG), file is converted to PNG in Photoshop
• In select instances, file may be a screenshot or texture grab using emulation software

Computer

Primary purpose of hardware is a computer

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Typically requires loading external software (games or applications) from a MAME Software List
• Hardware in real life typically requires external AC power
• Not a handheld computer
• Not a game console

EM Reels

Game is an arcade-type game, but primary purpose is gambling

• Game includes electromechanical external artwork required to properly emulate the game

Game Console

Primary purpose of hardware is a game console

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Typically requires loading external software for games from a MAME Software List
• Hardware in real life is required to be attached to an external display
• Hardware in real life requires an external AC power
• Hardware in real life requires an external controller plugged into the main console
• Not a computer

Handheld Computer

Primary purpose of hardware is a portable computer

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Can run multiple software applications, compared to a typical calculator
• Not a laptop computer

Handheld Console

Primary purpose of hardware is a game console

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Typically requires loading external software for games from a MAME Software List
• Hardware in real life completely portable, with a self-contained display, battery, and controls

Handheld Game

Primary purpose of hardware is a single portable game

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• All game software is self-contained within the physical unit
• Does not utilize MAME Software Lists
• Hardware in real life is completely portable, with a self-contained display, battery, and controls

HB MAME

Game is a homebrew or hack variant of another Arcade or Handheld Console game

• Game is not emulated in regular MAME; only found in HB MAME

Pinball

Game is a pinball game

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware or artwork
• Game includes electromechanical external artwork required to properly emulate the game
• Game may include digital elements for scoring or other gameplay features

Plug and Play

Primary purpose of hardware is to play games

• Artwork source may be a scan or photograph of original hardware
• Game software is self-contained within the physical unit
• May utilize MAME Software Lists for adding additional games
• Hardware in real life is required to be attached to an external display
• Hardware in real life has self-contained controls

Custom

Artwork that does not fall into any of the above categories

• Artwork may be anything under the sun
• For many, artwork is setup with dimensions of 1920x1080, or equivalent, so that when played in MAME, the artwork goes corner to corner, so that there are no black bars above, below, or to the side of the emulated screen
• Most artwork in this category will be classified as Other under Artwork Type
• Some may fall under regular arcade classifications of bezel, marquee, etc., if they are specifically made to act as such

ARTWORK TYPE

When MAME 0.107 was released, the artwork system was updated to be more flexible, and introduced the Space Invaders method of treating how the artwork was rendered in MAME. Elements of artwork were considered either a Bezel, Overlay, or Backdrop. Thinking about that in a 3-D perspective, a Bezel would be in a plane above the game screen, Overlay would be in the same plane as the game screen, and the Backdrop would be in a plane below the game screen. They then mix together, flatten, and the final output is what you see on your monitor. (Not the complete technical definition here, but the simple to understand one).

Also starting with MAME 0.107, we were given the ability to turn those three individual artwork layers on or off. In 0.143, additional layers were added for Marquee and Control Panel. These essentially acted the same as the bezel layer (in a plane above the screen), but were added to give the end user the ability to turn additional layers on or off as desired as more elements were added to various games.

With MAME 0.212, the artwork system is starting to go through another overhaul. The final end result will be a much more flexible artwork system, that will work with both arcade games and the multitude of other devices that MAME now emulates (e.g. handheld LCD games, computers, etc.). Unfortunately, this has resulted in the removal of turning layers on or off in an individual artwork view, for the time being.

Point being… we still care about the Artwork Type available within each view of an artwork set. This helps us easily identify which parts of a particular game or hardware might be missing, so that we know what is needed to acquire full artwork for that game or hardware.

So that we are not inundated with tens of columns on the download page, definition of a type will slightly differ between an Arcade game versus non-Arcade hardware, but it will still make sense. (I just have not figured out yet how to change)

The Artwork Type is based on the individual artwork View. As some sets will contain multiple versions of artwork, some sets will fall into more than one category. When viewing the download page, you will see Artwork Type filled in for each individual View that is available within a MAME set.

ARTWORK TYPE - Arcade Games

CB — Cabinet

Shows elements of the actual body of the arcade cabinet, excluding the next five Types listed below

• Showing outer edge of the cabinet with t-molding would fall under here
• Where the plastic moulding of the cabinet is part of the artwork
• Other elements like the coin mech, speakers, etc.
• If artwork view is of the Cocktail version of the game, it will likely be marked as containing artwork type CB

BZ — Bezel

Typically large rectangular artwork displayed around the monitor, with a window cut through to view the game

• Typical bezels were printed on glass, hard plexiglass, or cardboard
• Additional layers of artwork that sit between the main bezel and the monitor, for the purpose of this site, are still considered Bezel artwork (e.g. Discs of Tron, Triple Hunt)
• If the cabinet artwork of the game also serves a dual-purpose of acting as the monitor bezel, it will be listed twice; once for CB and once for BZ

CP — Control Panel

The part of the cabinet where the controls are installed will typically have artwork displayed under the controls, with holes cut for the controls to fit through

• Where possible, the in-game artwork will also show renders of the various controls (joysticks, buttons, etc.)
• This includes additional input elements that may not always be in the normal spot of a typical control panel (e.g. gearshift in a cockpit cabinet)

MQ — Marquee

On US, Euro, and very early Japan arcade cabinets, typically short and wide rectangular artwork displayed near the top of the cabinet, normally showing the name of the arcade game

• In games that incorporate the marquee into the bezel artwork, the download table will be marked as both BZ and MQ
• Some games here and there, especially deluxe versions of some games, would utilize an oversized marquee; that artwork will also be classified as MQ
• When Japan started using candy cabs, marquees for games came in various sizes, from around notebook paper sized, that could slide into a plexiglass holder mounted on top of the cabinet (e.g. a Sega Astro City cabinet), to larger, oversized marquees for cab models that supported it (e.g. a Sega Blast City cabinet), among others. These artworks will also be classified as MQ

IC — Instruction Card

This artwork type has many variations, due to the fact that it is one of the most important parts of artwork on an arcade cabinet: it teaches the player how to play the game that they are about to spend 25¢, ¥100, or 10p to play. All of the below iterations of artwork will be labeled as an IC artwork type:

• The earliest cocktail versions of games would include instruction cards that were placed under the top glass
• Later upright games would forego fancy bezel artwork, and simply include instructions to be placed under the upper bezel glass
• Many games in Japan starting in the candy cab age also shipped with various sized instruction cards, separate from the marqee
• Longer horizontal cards that contained complex moves for fighting game characters shipped with many games, to be installed under the bezel window of the game (though when you go further back, I think Donkey Kong was the first really big game to have a separate instruction card that was not incorporated into either the bezel or control panel
• If the Bezel artwork for a game also incorporates instructions on how to play the game, it will be classified as both BZ and IC
• If the Control Panel artwork for a game also incorporates instructions on how to play the game, it will be classified as both CP and IC
• If the Marquee artwork for a game also incorporates instructions on how to play the game, it will be classified as both MQ and IC

BD — Backdrop

Some games used mirrors to make it appear as if the game screen appeared in front of artwork further back in the cabinet, creating a kind of 3-D effect when playing the game (e.g. Space Invaders)

• These will be the only types of artwork classified as Backdrop for arcade games
• E.g. if a game has additional artwork under the bezel glass or to the sides of the monitor, that artwork, even though it may be a backdrop of the bezel, is still in front of the game monitor

OT — Other

Artwork that does not fall into any of the above Types will be classified as Other

• Artwork for Categories of Compilations, and Custom will usually be Other

ARTWORK TYPE - Non-Arcade Games

CB — Cabinet Case

Shows the external case of the emulated hardware

• For single PCB computers, these would also be classified as CB
• Where the plastic moulding of the cabinet is part of the artwork
• Other elements like the coin mech, speakers, etc.
• If artwork view is of the Cocktail version of the game, it will likely be marked as containing artwork type CB

BZ — Bezel Monitor

Shows emulated hardware connected to an external monitor

• Includes hardware such as a monitor connected to a computer, a television connected to a game console, etc.
• Does not include hardware where the screen is integrated into a portable device (e.g. Game & Watch)
• Does include hardware where the screen is integrated into a non-portable device (e.g. Apple Macintosh)

CP — Control Panel Input Device

Shows emulated hardware connected to an external input device

• This includes a keyboard connected to a computer, a controller connected to a game console, etc.
• Does not include hardware where the input device is integrated into a portable device (e.g. a calculator)
• Does include hardware where the input device is integrated into a non-portable device (e.g. ZX Spectrum)

MQ — Marquee Data Device

Shows emulated hardware connected to an external device that can send or receive data, but not including Input Devices

• Some examples may include a floppy drive, a tape drive, a printer, etc.
• A drive integrated into a computer case would still be applicable here

IC — Instruction Card Instructions / Manuals

Shows instructions on how to operate the hardware, or how to play one or more software titles on that hardware

• Typically, this will be setup in the LAY file as a separate artwork view in the artwork set, to be available to the user from within the Video Options menu, rather than having to reference external files
• To keep the artwork table clean, rather than list all of the different views that apply to Instructions or Manuals, we will simply designate IC on View 1 if applicable

BD — Backdrop

Some handheld LCD games make use of artwork that sits behind the clear LCD screen

• These will be the only types of artwork classified as Backdrop for non-arcade games

OT — Other

Artwork that does not fall into any of the above Types will be classified as other

• Artwork for the Category of Widescreen will usually be Other

ARTWORK EFFECTS

Not to be confused with effects files that make the game screen appear to be viewed on a CRT monitor, these are effects that are created using additional code in the LAY file, which may or may not include additional files within the artwork set.

LP — Lamps / LEDs

Shows lamps that turn on or off during emulation, or various types of LEDs

• Lamps or LEDs must first be defined in the driver of the emulated hardware, then referenced in the LAY file of the artwork set
• Tutorial forthcoming at a later date

IA — Interactive Artwork

Inputs shown on screen can be activated by using the in-game cursor; also applies to artwork using animated controls, or where artwork state changes due to dipswitch value

• Inputs must be referenced in the LAY file as defined in the MAME driver in order to be clickable
• Can also be setup to show animated inputs during emulation (e.g. the LOW HI gearshift in a racing game)
• Tutorial forthcoming at a later date

OV — Overlay

Alters the colors of the emulated screen, as opposed to if running the game with out any internal or external artwork applied

• May be defined with only code in the LAY file, or may utilize image files within the artwork set