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MiSTer Cheat Sheet
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mister_cheat_sheet.md

🕹️ MiSTer Cheat Sheet

Youtube

Some intro's to the MiSTer project;

To stay up to date on new cores and whats happening with MiSTer here are a few YT channels you can follow:

Menus

Press F12 to bring up the MiSTer Cores menu, or START + B button on the controller.

  • up/down (arrow keys or controller) will move through items
  • left/right will jump to the top/bottom of the menu items shown (i.e. page up / page down)
  • press any letter on the keyboard to jump to the option that starts with that letter
Cores Menu
Screenshot 2024-07-27 at 22 27 20

From this main Cores menu, press F12, or ESC to jump over to the System Settings menu.

System Settings Menu
Screenshot 2024-07-27 at 22 27 32

From here, left and right will move you between the System Settings and Misc Options.

Misc Options Menu
Screenshot 2024-07-27 at 22 34 34

You can see the Network IP address here. Use this IP address when connecting the MiSTer remote mobile app.

In-game Menu

When you've started a system (arcade game / console / computer) pressing F12 will first bring up that systems own menu. E.g. For the 1944 Arcade game

Screenshot 2024-07-27 at 22 47 19

These are options that only apply for this game / system.

In computer and console cores you'll use this menu to select a Cartridge/CD/disk/tape etc.

You can also adjust the core's video, audio and other settings e.g. change the controller buttons for just this game/system.

Pressing left/right from this menu will move you back to the main System or Misc Options menu, where you can load a different Core.

Some other things to note:

  • If you get stuck or lost in menus you can always hit the reset button on the MiSTer at any time for a full reboot.

When no game is running you can:

  • Press F11 to start paring a new Bluetooth controller
  • Press F1 to toggle the MiSTer wallpaper on/off
  • Press F9 to jump into a command console
    • login: root password: 1
    • You can type advanced commands in here to install and configure more things
    • Type reboot to exit this, or hit the reset button on the MiSTer
Screenshot 2024-07-27 at 22 28 23

Updating

You can update the system at anytime, to get new cores, games etc. Updating isn't automatic. You'll need to manually kick it off.

  • Make sure you're connected to internet (Wifi or Network icon showing)
  • Press F12 twice to open the System Settings
  • Select Scripts then update_all
  • NOTE: before the update starts you can press UP key to change some of the updater options
  • Wait for the update to complete, then press any key when it is done
  • NOTE: Sometimes the MiSTer will auto-reboot after an update

Configuring controller buttons

After you connect a new controller (plugging it in or connected via Bluetooth) you'll want configure it's buttons.

  • Open the System Settings menu
  • Select Define Joystick Buttons
  • Follow the instructions using the controller you'd like to set up
  • To skip some of the assignments use the space key on the keyboard
  • You'll need to set a button combo for activating the Menu (I normally choose Start+B pressed together)

Button assignments get saved, so you only have to do this once for a new controller.

You can also change the controller button assignments for individual games/systems. Look for an option in the Core menu - F12 after load a game or system.

Pairing new wireless controllers

From any menu (when a game is not running) press F11 to start paring a new Bluetooth controller. Put the controller into pairing mode and follow any instructions.

Favourites

You can add favourite games and systems to the Favourites menu.

The easiest way to do this is with the MiSTer remote app on your phone.

  • Search for any game or system
  • Press the 3 dots button then Create Shortcut
  • Choose Favorites (or a subfolder) as the Menu folder to put the shortcut in
  • Press CREATE SHORTCUT

To do this without the remote app;

  • Press F12 twice to open the System Settings
  • Select Scripts then favorites
  • Select <ADD A NEW FAVORITE>
  • You'll have to hunt for the game or system through all the menus
  • Select it
  • Choose what folder to add it to
  • Give rename it (optional) then select OK

NOTE: The Amiga core has its own built in menu - press TAB key on the keyboard to add the selected game to Amiga's Favourites menu.

Video sizing and modes

You can change the video settings in most cores, and apply a "Shader" and "Scaling" to them. To change the size and add scan-lines (more like an old CRT TV screen). To do this.

  • Launch the game / system
  • Press F12, then look for a menu option for Video
  • Change Scandoubler Fx to whatever scan lines you'd like to see;
    • HQ2x - smooths out pixels
    • CRT 25 / 50 / 75 % - adds scan lines (like old TVs)
  • Select Scale to change the screen-size
  • Select Aspect Ratio to change the screen filling / stretching

Note these settings won't get saved. To do that, navigate across to find the core's System menu, and select Save Settings.

Rotating the screen

Some arcade shooters will launch in TATE mode (i.e. flipped on the side) since the real arcades for these would have the screen rotated. To fix this, look for a Rotate option in the Core's own Video options.

Loading games in older computer cores

OSD = On Screen Display (ie. the system's menu)

Amstrad CPC: files DSK, TAPE "

DSK file

  1. load DSK through OSD
  2. type CAT
  3. type RUN"GAMENAME

TAPE file

  1. load CDT through OSD
  2. type |TAPE
  3. type RUN"
  4. press any key to start the tape loading

Notes: When loading TAPE games, hitting CTRL+END will automatically type RUN" and press ENTER for you GH: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Amstrad_MiSTer

Commodore 64 (C64): files D64, PRG, CRT, and TAP * "

D64 file- Quick loading

  1. load D64 from OSD
  2. press SHIFT+ESC to run the disk with JIFFY DOS Manual Loading
  3. load D64 from OSD
  4. type LOAD"*",8,1
  5. type RUN Swap disk
  6. load disk 2 D64 from OSD

PRG file

  1. load PRG from OSD
  2. hit the SPACE BAR to progress through l333t warez group

CRT file

  1. load CRT from OSD

TAP file

  1. Disable Jiffy DOS by setting Kernal to "Standard C64" in OSD
  2. hit ALT+ESC or type LOAD and press Enter
  3. load TAP from OSD

Notes: Set most games to PAL for improved compatibility. You may disable Jiffy DOS with @Q. RUN/STOP = ESC, Change Input = Scroll Lock. Tape sounds may be enabled from OSD. GH: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/C64_MiSTer

ZX Spectrum: files TAP, TRD, and Z80

TAP file

  1. load TAP through OSD
  2. select Tape Loader
  3. wait...

TRD file

  1. enter TR-DOS from the menu
  2. load TRD from OSD
  3. hit R to autotype RUN
  4. hit ENTER

Z80 Snapshot

  1. load Z80 through OSD
  2. hit ENTER

GH: https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/ZX-Spectrum_MISTer

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