Short: SMS/Game Gear emulator, CLI frontend Author: Juan Antonio Gomez Galvez (orig), C.R.A.N.E (TecniMan) (CLI) Uploader: C R A N E (TecniMan) Type: misc/emu Version: RC4 Requires: AGA, 68020+ Architecture: m68k-amigaos >= 3.0 # AmiMasterGearCLI RC4 Command-line adaptation of AmiMasterGear 0.81 Original emulator by Juan Antonio Gomez Galvez CLI adaptation by C.R.A.N.E (TecniMan) Contact: amigacrane@gmail.com ## ABOUT AmiMasterGearCLI is an unofficial command-line adaptation of AmiMasterGear, the Sega Master System and Game Gear emulator for AGA Amigas originally designed and programmed by Juan Antonio Gomez Galvez. This version is based on the publicly released AmiMasterGear 0.81 assembly source. The goal of AmiMasterGearCLI is not to replace or redesign the original emulator. The original emulation core has intentionally been kept as close as possible to AmiMasterGear 0.81. The main purpose of this adaptation is to remove the original graphical frontend and make AmiMasterGear easier to launch from AmigaDOS, scripts, frontends and WHDLoad environments. ## REQUIREMENTS * Amiga with AGA chipset * 68020 or better * AmigaOS 3.x environment * Sufficient memory for the selected ROM ## INSTALLATION Copy: AmiMasterGearCLI wherever you want on your Amiga. Optionally copy: AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs to: S:AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs and edit it with any text editor. ## USAGE Basic usage: AmiMasterGearCLI Example: AmiMasterGearCLI DH1:ROMs/SMS/Sonic.sms AmiMasterGearCLI can also use command-line options to override preferences. Examples: AmiMasterGearCLI Sonic.sms JOY1=AMIGA AmiMasterGearCLI Sonic.sms VIDEO=NTSC REGION=JP AmiMasterGearCLI Sonic.sms WHDLOAD ## EXIT AND PAUSE KEYS RC4 adds configurable pause and exit keys. They can be defined in AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs: PAUSEKEY=P EXITKEY=F10 Supported configurable keys include: DEL P F1-F10 ESC HELP SPACE ENTER RAWxx RAWxx can be used to specify an Amiga raw key code directly. The original AmiMasterGear exit keys remain available as safety exits: ESC HELP This means AmiMasterGearCLI can now provide its own configurable QuitKey without requiring WHDLoad. For example: PAUSEKEY=P EXITKEY=F10 WHDLOAD=NO allows P to act as the Master System Pause button and F10 to exit directly back to AmigaDOS. ## PREFERENCES AmiMasterGearCLI does not use the original binary AmiMasterGear.prefs file. Instead it uses a simple human-readable text file: S:AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs Example: TYPE=AUTO VIDEO=PAL REGION=EU VLINES=289 JOY1=AMIGA JOY2=OFF SWAP=NO SPEED=REAL GFX=1 SPR=1 BORDER=BLACK SHOWFPS=NO LOADBAT=YES SAVEBAT=YES RTSCROLL=YES RTPALETTE=NO PAUSEKEY=P EXITKEY=F10 WHDLOAD=NO The supplied AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs can be used as a starting point. Command-line options override values from the preferences file. ## MAIN CHANGES FROM AMIMASTERGEAR 0.81 * Command-line-only launcher. * Direct ROM loading from AmigaDOS. * Original GadTools graphical frontend removed from the runtime build. * No frontend dependency on GadTools, Intuition or ASL. * New human-readable AmiMasterGearCLI.prefs text configuration. * Configurable Master System Pause key through PAUSEKEY. * Configurable emulator exit key through EXITKEY. * Pause/NMI handling corrected so the Master System Pause input works independently of VDP interrupt state. * Duplicate NMI generation from keyboard/joystick Pause input avoided. * Optional WHDLoad-friendly interrupt/VBR handling so WHDLoad QuitKey can remain active. * Clean return to the AmigaDOS shell. * Original Z80, VDP, PSG, AGA/Copper and general emulation architecture intentionally retained. ## COMPATIBILITY Game compatibility should generally be comparable to the original AmiMasterGear version on which this adaptation is based. AmiMasterGearCLI does not attempt to fix or redesign the historical emulation core. If a game did not work correctly in the original AmiMasterGear, it may also fail in AmiMasterGearCLI. ## PAUSE / NMI HANDLING The Sega Master System Pause button is connected to the Z80 NMI input rather than being part of the normal controller input. AmiMasterGearCLI RC4 includes corrected Pause/NMI handling based on the RC3.2 implementation. Pause input is processed independently of VDP interrupt state and only one NMI is generated for each Pause activation. The Pause key can now be selected from the preferences file: PAUSEKEY=P This also makes it possible to choose a convenient keyboard mapping when AmiMasterGearCLI is launched directly from AmigaDOS or from a frontend. ## WHDLOAD AmiMasterGear takes direct control of Amiga hardware while emulation is running. AmiMasterGearCLI includes an optional WHDLoad compatibility mode that preserves WHDLoad's interrupt/VBR handling so the configured WHDLoad QuitKey can remain functional. Enable it either in the preferences file: WHDLOAD=YES or from the command line: AmiMasterGearCLI Sonic.sms WHDLOAD RC4 no longer requires WHDLoad in order to provide a configurable exit key. EXITKEY can be used while running AmiMasterGearCLI directly from AmigaDOS. For normal use the recommended configuration is: PAUSEKEY=P EXITKEY=F10 WHDLOAD=NO During testing, WHDLOAD=NO provides the most reliable keyboard and controller response. With WHDLOAD=YES, some systems/configurations may exhibit delayed button response or directional keys remaining active longer than expected. WHDLoad mode is therefore retained mainly for installations where WHDLoad integration and its own QuitKey behaviour are specifically desired. ## DEDICATION Dedicated to my life partner, Daphne Baelemans (La Guiri), to my daughter Alicia Maria (PolloHacker), and to my son Jens Rembrandt, who will be born this November. ## CREDITS AND ORIGIN Original AmiMasterGear emulator: Juan Antonio Gomez Galvez Original source header credits: "Disenado y Programado por: Juan Antonio Gomez Galvez" "1997 (c) RED Soft S.L. Barcelona, Spain" AmiMasterGearCLI adaptation: C.R.A.N.E (TecniMan) amigacrane@gmail.com AmiMasterGearCLI is based on the AmiMasterGear 0.81 source publicly archived on Aminet. This adaptation does not claim ownership of the original AmiMasterGear emulator, its emulation core, algorithms, graphics, documentation or historical design. ## AI ASSISTANCE The AmiMasterGearCLI adaptation was developed with assistance from OpenAI ChatGPT. ChatGPT was used for source-code analysis, CLI refactoring, debugging, vasm/Devpac compatibility work, WHDLoad integration, the plain-text preferences system, Pause/NMI handling and documentation. Project direction, testing, Amiga/WHDLoad validation and release decisions were carried out by C.R.A.N.E (TecniMan). This AI-assistance disclosure applies only to the AmiMasterGearCLI adaptation and not to the original AmiMasterGear project. ## DISTRIBUTION AND COPYRIGHT The original AmiMasterGear source and documentation remain the work of their respective authors and copyright holders. AmiMasterGearCLI is an unofficial derivative/adaptation. No Sega ROM images, BIOS images or copyrighted game data are included with this distribution. Users must provide ROM images they are legally entitled to use. This package does not attempt to relicense the original AmiMasterGear code under GPL, MIT, BSD or any other modern open-source licence. ## VERSION AmiMasterGearCLI RC4 Based on AmiMasterGear 0.81 source CLI adaptation by C.R.A.N.E (TecniMan) Developed with assistance from OpenAI ChatGPT 17-Aug-2026