MAME Score Scanner

Exact

Direct score matching

Use this when you believe the visible score is already stored directly as BCD or integer bytes. Enter the visible score, record full-board blocks, and let the scanner replay many exact score modes.

Delta

Before and after comparison

Use this when the score changes are easier to detect than the final format. Record multiple snapshots before and after scoring, then rank hot ranges and isolate a focused cluster for deeper checking.

Simple Mode

Normal daily workflow

Best for quick score discovery: record all blocks, analyze across the whole board, fill winner boxes, and create probe or final layouts without needing manual block stepping.

Advanced Mode

Debugging and edge cases

Best for discovery work: manual block stepping, manual mode forcing, focus ranges, turn-flag hunting, helper rows, and database saving once the result is solid enough to keep.

Typical simple mode workflow

1. Load the game in MAME, then open the scanner so it can connect to the bridge.
2. Let the scanner auto-detect the game if possible, or type/load the game profile manually.
3. Choose the likely board family if it is not already set correctly.
4. Enter a known score and click `Record All Blocks`.
5. Score points, pause again, enter the new score, and repeat `Record All Blocks` several times.
6. Run `Analyze Exact All` to test many supported score methods across the whole board.
7. If a clean result is found, move it into the winner box and create the final layout.
8. If several candidates remain, create a probe layout and verify them visually.

Typical advanced mode workflow

1. Switch to Advanced Mode.
2. Use Exact workflow when you believe the score is stored directly as BCD or integer bytes.
3. Use Delta workflow when you need to compare changes or work through a noisy game.
4. Step through blocks manually if the board-wide approach is too broad.
5. Use `Apply Focus` to isolate a hot cluster after `Analyze` or `Analyze Delta All`.
6. Use `Create Focus Probe .LAY` or `Create Probe .LAY` to watch uncertain survivors live.
7. Use `Save To Database` when you are confident enough in the final ranges and mode.

Important buttons

• Load Game: loads a saved game profile if it exists, and also helps after bridge auto-detection fills the game field.
• Record All Blocks: captures a full set of board blocks for the score currently entered.
• Analyze Exact All: replays many supported score modes against all-block dumps across the selected board.
• Analyze Delta All: ranks hot blocks and suggests a focus cluster from all-block delta data.
• Create Probe .LAY: builds a visual compare layout from remaining exact candidates.
• Create Focus Probe .LAY: builds a raw hex/live-byte probe from the current focus range.
• Create Custom .LAY: builds a centered stacked score layout from addresses you enter manually.
• Create Final .LAY: builds a centered stacked score layout from the P1, P2, and HI winner boxes.
• Save To Database: stores the current game, board, mode, ranges, and notes in the local profile database.

Winner boxes

Winner boxes are the main handoff point between analysis and export. They should hold the full range, not just the first byte, for example `0x60B5->0x60B7`. If the scanner finds a result automatically it can place it in the currently selected winner target box.

You can also type or edit these boxes manually after confirming a probe. Each field can keep its own mode, leading-zero preference, and optional display-adjust helper of `none`, `+1`, or `-1` for preview/export-only corrections.

Turn flag workflow

1. Use this only after Live, parked score fields, and HI are already confirmed for a live/parked game.
2. Turn on Live/Parked mode and, if you are only testing, turn `Auto Fill Winners` off first.
3. Pause on P1, click `Capture`, switch to P2 and pause again, then click `Diff`.
4. Click `Capture` again on P2, switch back to P1 and pause, then click `Diff` again.
5. Run `Auto Flag Turn` to rank likely turn-flag bytes and suggested P1/P2 flag values.
6. Only fill `Active Flag`, `P1 Flag`, and `P2 Flag` after the parked ranges themselves are already confirmed.

Layout Designer

Layout Designer affects preview and export only. It lets you move the title, labels, and score rows, rename exported text, and choose row digit formatting for HI, P1, P2, and TIME using trim, minimum-2-digit, fixed-width, implied-trailing-zero, follow-winner, or timer-specific display styles.

It follows the real digit count for the selected mode, uses matching label and score colors, repacks only visible rows, auto-applies presets when selected, and remembers your current working layout while the app session stays open.

Time helper rows can also follow timer-specific export styles or digit-style helper decoding, and the left Preview Elements list remains the safest way to manage the layout because hidden rows stay selectable there.

PreMame for console per-game layouts

Some console systems boot through one shared artwork\system\default.lay, which makes per-game console layouts awkward if you want each cart to have its own small file. `PreMame` is an optional wrapper that solves that by checking the loaded cart name before MAME starts, temporarily swapping in a matching per-game .lay if one exists, and restoring the original `default.lay` after MAME closes.

• If a matching per-game .lay exists, PreMame temporarily uses it as `default.lay` for that launch.
• If no matching per-game .lay exists, the normal `default.lay` remains in use.
• The original console `default.lay` is restored automatically after exit.
• Arcade games do not need this unless you explicitly route them through the wrapper.

Known special cases

• Galaga uses display-byte decoding instead of plain BCD.
• Galaxian uses reversed-byte 3-byte BCD.
• Pac-Man is confirmed as a working `bcd4rev` Namco example using the known RAM map ranges.
• Donkey Kong can produce a strong address winner even when more than one mode still survives.
• Popeye uses live and parked score-slot behavior rather than a simple fixed P1/fixed P2 layout.
• Frogger is a strong example of a 2-byte reversed BCD score with an implied trailing zero, using `bcd2rev_implied0` and a 5-digit exported layout.
• Genesis/Sonic is a good example of mixed helper data: score works as an implied-zero integer, while timer preview is better treated as a dedicated helper field.
• SNES Mario World is a good example of mixed helper data too: score/lives are numeric HUD values, but the timer is better treated as a 3-digit display helper and may need preview/export display adjustment.