MAME - How to Compile - Mr. Do's Arcade

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Why would you want to compile MAME yourself? There's always an executable version available at the home page, right? Well, there's a couple reasons why:

Immediate updates. In between each major release, there are "u" releases ("u" stands for update). Binaries for these are never available on the main page.
You already have the source. Even if you don't know how to program, the source is interesting to browse through. It'll give you an idea just how much time is actually spent on this wonderful project. Plus, the devs have included notes throughout the source that aren't anywhere else.

You don't have to be a programmer to compile MAME. If your only goal is to be able to compile the new versions, here's the step-by-step (for a Windows system):

NOTE: This is to compile MAME starting with version 0.119.

NOTE2: Though instructions are updated, some screenshots not yet updated to MAMEUI - =P

Build the MinGW compiling environment

Download the following two (2) files from the MAMEDev webpage (under the Easy Way section). Create a temporary folder on your desktop so that you can keep track of where they are.
- mingw-mame-20070810.exe
- dx80_mgw.zip

You should now have two files in the desktop folder you created.
Double click on the first file (mingw-mame-20070810.exe).
- This file is a self-extracting executable (it will unzip everything for you).
- In the Extract to: box, type C:\mingw.
- This will install MinGW to C:\mingw (the rest of this page is going to assume C:\mingw).

You should now have a folder with the eight subfolders as shown on the right.
Extract the dx80_mgw.zip to a temporary folder.
From the temp folder, copy the following files to C:\mingw\include
- d3d8.h
- d3d8caps.h
- d3d8types.h
- ddraw.h
- dinput.h
- dsound.h

Your compiling environment is now complete!

Build the MAME Source Tree

Download the current source from the MAMEDev website.
- Inside this zip file is another zip file named mame.zip.
- Extract the contents of mame.zip to where you plan on keeping your MAME source tree. (The rest of this page is going to assume C:\mamesrc).
- You should now have a folder that looks like the following:

Extra Files, DIFFs, and Stuff

Download this file here: compile_extras.zip
This ZIP contains the following files:
- PatchMAME.bat - a batch file to help run patch.exe
- MakeMAME.bat - a batch file to help compile MAME
- Command prompt shortcut - to run a command prompt window at your source folder
Extract to C:\mamesrc

Most people compile so that they can try the u updates to see what kind of progress has been made.
These DIFF files can be downloaded from the MAMEDev website.
- Extract DIFFs to your C:\mamesrc folder.

You should now have a folder that looks similar to the example here.
This example shows the main source tree, the first update for MAME 0.119, patch.exe, and the three other files.

If necessary, edit MakeMAME.bat and PatchMAME.bat
Right-click on the file, and choose Edit. This will open the file in Notepad.
- If you used the defaults on this page, then you don't need to edit these files.
If you used a different drive or folder, in MakeMAME.bat, change the highlighted section to the path of the \bin folder where you installed MinGW.
Do the same for PatchMAME.bat.

Apply the "u" Update DIFFs

If you are just compiling the main source code, then you can skip this section.

Double-click the command prompt shortcut to open a command-line window.
The actual command to patch with a DIFF file is:
patch -p0 -E <0119u1.diff
(in this example, using 0119u1.diff)
The batch file makes it a little easier to type; you can use the command:
patchmame 0119u1
(in this example, using 0119u1.diff)
You will see a window similar to the one shown. These are all of the source files that are changing.

When applying DIFFs, make sure to apply them in order (0119u1, 0119u2, 0119u3, etc.)

Create the MAME executable

At the command prompt, type makemame, then go grab a Coke, as it's going to be about 20-30 minutes.
You'll see a bunch of lines of code scroll by. That's the compiler doing its work.
When the code is done compiling, go back and check your mamesrc folder. You will have eight new files: mame.exe
chdman.exe
jedutil.exe
ledutil.exe
makemeta.exe
regrep.exe
romcmp.exe
srcclean.exe
src2html.exe
Copy all of these to whichever folder you use for MAME.

CONGRATULATIONS!! You have now entered the world of compiling! You can now stay up to date within the world of MAME on your own, without having to wait for another website to upload a pre-compiled version.

What about MAMEUI ?

If you're not crazy about the command-line version of MAME, you have a couple more steps before you create the MAME executable if you want to create the GUI version, MAMEUI.

NOTE: This is to compile MAMEUI starting with version 0.120.

Download the MAMEUI source. It is a self-extracting executable like the MinGW package above.
- Make sure the MAMEUI source you grab matches the "u" version you are compiling.
  - For example, if you are grabbing the MAME UI source for 0.120.1, make sure you are applying to 0.120u1 command-line version.
  - MAMEUI is not always updated the same day a command-line version is updated, depending on what changes have been made.
From the MAMEUI source:
- Copy the entire winui folder to C:\mamesrc\src\osd
- Copy mameui.mak to the root directory of your source folder (if you have been following the examples, that would be C:\mamesrc)
Download these extra compiling tools.
- Extract the extra tools to C:\mingw, again, keeping the folder structure intact.
Download these additional batch files.
- Edit the path in MakeHELPUI.bat and MakeMAMEUI.bat to the \bin folder where you installed MinGW, just as you did to MakeMAME.bat above (again, if you've been following using the examples above, you do not need to edit these files).

Create the MAMEUI executable

At the command prompt, type makemameui, then grab a Coke again. Go ahead and get ice, too, as it will be slightly longer this time.
- There is no need to delete the obj directory if you want to do both versions, as each creates its own subfolder.
When the code is done compiling, you'll be at the command prompt again.
Type makehelpu to create the help file for MAMEUI.
In your mamesrc folder, you will now have nine new files: mameui.exe
mameui.chm
chdman.exe
jedutil.exe
ledutil.exe
makemeta.exe
regrep.exe
romcmp.exe
srcclean.exe
src2html.exe
Copy all of these to whichever folder you use for MAMEUI.
From the MAMEUI source, copy \folders to the same folder.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN!! You have now both versions of MAME, ready to run. Try both to see which suits you better.

Other Notes

When you apply a DIFF patch after you have previously compiled (say, from 0.120u1 to 0.120u2), it is best to do a clean compile, which basically means to delete your obj folder before you compile. Otherwise you may end up with errors or a bad executable.
(This section courtesy of Vas Crabb) - As of MAME 0.121u2, architecture flags for each CPU are no longer included in the stock makefile. You can specify them in an environment variable or command-line option to make called ARCHOPTS. Just add the variable for your processor in the second line of the MakeMAME.bat (or MakeMAMEUI.bat) batch file to one of the following:
- Example - mingw32-make ARCHOPTS=-msse3
- The following options take advantage of CPU features, but don't do any other fancy tricks:
  - Intel Core2 or P4 w/ SSE3
    ARCHOPTS=-msse3
  - P4 w/o SSE3; Pentium M, Intel Core
    ARCHOPTS=-msse2
  - AMD64
    ARCHOPTS = -march=athlon64
  - AthlonXP
    ARCHOPTS = -march=athlon-xp
  - IBM G5, IBM Cell (PS3), IMB POWER5
    ARCHOPTS="-mpowerpc64 -mpowerpc-gfxopt -mpowerpc-gpopt -maltivec"
  - Motorola G4
    ARCHOPTS="-mpowerpc -mpowerpc-gfxopt -maltivec"
  - IBM G3
    ARCHOPTS="-mpowerpc -mpowerpc-gfxopt"
- For architecture-specific optimizations and instruction tuning, you can try these options (note: may bring out some bugs in GCC):
  - Intel Core2
    ARCHOPTS="-march=pentium-m -msse3"
  - Pentium M, Intel Core
    ARCHOPTS=-march=pentium-m
  - Pentium 4 (w/ 64-bit capability)
    ARCHOPTS=-march=nocona
  - Pentium 4 (w/ SSE3)
    ARCHOPTS=-march=prescott
  - Pentium 4 (w/o SSE3)
    ARCHOPTS=-march=pentium4
  - Motorola G4 (7450, later)
    ARCHOPTS=-mcpu=7450
  - Motorola G4 (7447, earlier)
    ARCHOPTS=-mcpu=7400
  - IBM G5
    ARCHOPTS=-mcpu=G5
  - IBM G3
    ARCHOPTS=-mcpu=G3
If you have a dual-core or quad-core processor, you can use the option -j3 or -j5, respectively, to significantly decrease your compiling time.
- For example, I have a Core 2 Duo, so I compile with the following command-line:
  - mingw32-make -j3 ARCHOPTS="-march=pentium-m -msse3"

And finally, you can apply source changes from other people or other builds as they come about using these simple tools.

Hope you had fun =)

NEEDED FILES

compile_extras.zip
Includes the two extra batch files, and command prompt shortcut

compileui_extras.zip
Extra batch files for MAMEUI.

mameui_extras.zip
Extra compile tools needed for MAMEUI.

LINKS

MAMEWorld Compiling Forum
If you have questions about compiling, stop by here.

MAMEDev.org
MAME Dev Home Page - Find the source here

MAMEUI
Get the MAMEUI source here

Neoforma's Compiling Page
Compiling tutorial in Russian (and thanks for the new batch file)