• Introduction
• MAI System and Disks Configuration File
• Floppy Disk Images
• Firmware/BIOS
• Input
  • Joystick/Gamepad
  • Atari Joystick
  • Apple II/II+ Keyboard
    • Default Mappings
• Custom Palettes
• Settings Reference

Introduction

MAI System and Disks Configuration File

Single-disk single-side software can be loaded directly. Multi-disk or multi-side software will require the creation of a special configuration file, saved with the file extension "mai", to be loaded with Mednafen.

Mednafen does not write to the floppy disk image files specified via the MAI configuration file. Modified disk data is automatically saved into and loaded from files in Mednafen's nonvolatile memory/save game directory. The ID/hash used in naming these files is calculated by hashing data generated based on the contents of the disk image files and any firmware files referenced in the MAI configuration file, along with the values of settings that control the hardware configuration.

In addition to loading a naked MAI file, Mednafen supports automatically loading a MAI file from within a ZIP archive. Any referenced files(e.g. floppy disk images and override firmware) must also be in the same ZIP archive. In regards to Mednafen selecting the correct file to open, the ordering of the MAI file in the ZIP archive in relation to other files doesn't matter.

Sample MAI configuration file:

MEDNAFEN_SYSTEM_APPLE2
# Above signature must be the first line.
#
# File paths specified in this file are relative to the directory containing the MAI file.
#

#
# Specify available RAM, in KiB.  Can be one of: 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 64
#  Specifying "64" enables emulation of a RAM-based 16K language card.
#
#  Default: 64
#
ram 64

#
# Select Apple II/II+ firmware.  Options are: integer applesoft
#  Ignored if "firmware.override" is specified.
#
#  Default: applesoft
#
firmware applesoft

# Apple II/II+ firmware, 12KiB, located at $D000-$FFFF
#  Optional; specify to override the firmware loaded via Mednafen's firmware
#  loading system.
#
#firmware.override "apple2.rom"

#
# Select ROM card firmware.  Options are: none integer applesoft
#  ROM card emulation is disabled if "none" is selected(regardless of the "romcard.override" setting), or if 64K of RAM
#  is selected by the "ram" setting.
#
#  Default: integer
#
romcard integer

#
# (see firmware.override description)
#  Note: Ignored if "romcard" is set to "none".
#
#romcard.override "applesoft.rom"


#
# Select game input device(s).
#
#      none: no game I/O devices
#
#   paddles: two rotary dial paddles
#
#  joystick: 2-axis, 2-button joystick, with selected default resistance
#            setting(1 through 4).
#
#   gamepad: 2-axis(D-pad), 2-button gamepad, with selected default resistance
#            setting(1 through 4).
#
#     atari: two Atari digital joyport joysticks
#
# Examples:
#  gameio none
#  gameio paddles
#  gameio joystick 2
#  gameio gamepad 2
#  gameio atari
#
# Default: joystick 2
#
gameio joystick 2

#
# Specify (maximum) resistance, in Ω, for each of the four selectable
# resistance settings for the "joystick" and "gamepad" devices.
#
#  Default: 93551 125615 149425 164980
#
gameio.resistance 93551 125615 149425 164980

#
# Enable Disk II in Slot 6(with two 5.25" disk drives attached).
#
#   Default: 1
#
disk2.enable 1
disk2.drive1.enable 1
disk2.drive2.enable 1

# Select 16-sector Disk II firmware.  Options are: 13sec 16sec
#   Effectively ignored if "disk2.firmware.override" is set.
#
#   Default: 16sec
#
disk2.firmware 16sec

# Optionally, specify to override the firmware loaded via Mednafen's
# firmware loading system.
#
#disk2.firmware.override "disk2_dos33_boot.rom" "disk2_dos33_seq.rom"


#
# Define available floppy disks (or sides).  Disk identifiers(the part
# immediately after "disk2.disks." must only contain characters a-z, 0-9, and _)
#
# Fields are: name filepath write_protect(optional)
#  If the write_protect field is omitted, then the default write protect setting
#  for the format is used.  For WOZ disk images, write protect is explicitly
#  specified in the INFO header.  For other formats, write protect defaults
#  to off(0).
#
disk2.disks.game1 "Disk 1 - Boot" "SomeGame - Disk 1.dsk" 1
disk2.disks.game2 "Disk 2" "SomeGame - Disk 2.dsk" 1
disk2.disks.game3 "Disk 3" "SomeGame - Disk 3.dsk" 1
disk2.disks.save "Save Disk" "SomeGame - Save Disk.dsk" 0

#
# Specify which disks are allowed to go into which drive.
#
# Prefix the disk identifier with a * to start with that disk inserted.
#
# Don't insert the same disk (identifier) into different
# drives at the same time unless you're some sort of spacetime wizard.
#
disk2.drive1.disks *game1 game2 game3
disk2.drive2.disks *save

Floppy Disk Images

If a virtual floppy disk image in memory has been modified(written to) during the course of emulation, the in-memory floppy disk image will be saved into a separate file under Mednafen's nonvolatile memory directory upon exit. On subsequent invocations with the same floppy disk image(or MAI file and its associated floppy disk images), this separate floppy disk image will be transparently loaded at startup and its data used in lieu of the source floppy disk image when creating the virtual floppy disk image in memory.

The following 5.25" Apple II floppy disk image formats are supported:

Firmware/BIOS

Place the correct firmware image files in the correct location.

If you want to use custom or modified firmware, create and load a MAI configuration file.

If you make a linear dump of your Disk II P6 sequencer ROM(s) through the P5 socket via a program running on an Apple II, remember to process the resulting data to swap: A7 and A5, D4 and D7, D5 and D6.

In contrast, the required Disk II P5 boot ROM format has its data arranged how it appears to the 6502(i.e. as if it's just linearly dumped with a simple program running on an Apple II).

Input

Joystick/Gamepad

Atari Joystick

• Ardy
• Bandits (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Beer Run (press CTRL+SHIFT+P on control method screen)
• Berzap
• Borg
• Borrowed Time
• Boulder Dash
• Boulder Dash II
• Bouncing Kamungas
• Bubble-Head
• Buzzard Bait
• Cyclod (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Dino Eggs
• Dogfight II (virtual port 1 is player 3, virtual port 2 is player 1)
• Fly Wars
• Free Fall
• Gorgon (later version?)
• Hadron (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Horizon V(press CTRL+SHIFT+P; uses both controllers simultaneously to control different aspects)
• Jawbreaker (second release/title with the same name)
• Jellyfish
• Laf-Pak, Mine Sweep (uses controller port typically used for player 2?)
• Lemmings (Sirius Software)
• Lunar Leepers (uses controller port typically used for player 2?)
• Miner 2049er
• Miner 2049er II
• Minotaur (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Mouskattack
• Pest Patrol
• Pie-Man
• Plasmania
• Seadragon
• Snake Byte (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Space Ark (press CTRL+N during game for config screen)
• Spy's Demise
• Star Maze (Sir-Tech) (press A on title/demo screen)
• Stellar 7
• Tass Times in Tonetown
• Twerps (press CTRL+SHIFT+P)
• Vindicator (Hal Labs) (press RETURN on level select screen one or more times; uses controller port typically used for player 2?)
• Wavy Navy
• Wayout

Apple II/II+ Keyboard

Note that emulated keyboard key state is not updated unless input grabbing(by default, mapped to CTRL+SHIFT+Menu) is toggled on.

Default Mappings

Custom Palettes

Settings Reference

Caution: Any settings that change emulation behavior as seen from the emulated game are shown with the setting name bolded in the table. One should be conscious of these settings if one has changed them from the default values when using network play or movies, as they can cause desychronizations if not set the same among hosts(or between the recording emulator and the playing emulator).