System – Neo-Geo Programming Guide


Understanding the System

In order to program for the Neo-Geo, you'll need to understand how the hardware works at a basic level. This section covers the memory map for the two CPUs, the interaction between the 68000 and the other hardware, and the functionality and formats of Neo-Geo data.

68000 Memory Map

The 68000 is the heart of the operation, and it's where most of your code will run. You'll be sharing it with the BIOS, the Palette, the RAM, system registers, among others.

Cart systems

Start End Short Name Description
$000000 $0FFFFF   Vector Table, first bank of P ROM
$100000 $00F2FF WORKRAM_USER User RAM/Work RAM
$10F300 $00FFFF WORKRAM_BIOS RAM reserved for use by the BIOS.
$200000 $2FFFFF   P ROM second bank; also bankswitching and special chips
$300000 $39FFFF   Input ports
$3A0000 $3BFFFF   Output ports
$3C0000 $3FFFFF   GPU/LSPC ports
$400000 $401FFF PALETTES Current Palette RAM
$800000 $BFFFFF MEMCARD Memory card data (8MB max)
$C00000 $C1FFFF BIOSROM BIOS ROM (128KB)
$D00000 $D0FFFF BRAM_START,MVS_BRAM MVS-only Backup RAM (64KB)

CD systems

On CD systems, the layout is mostly similar, though there are some slight differences. As this guide is mostly geared towards cart system development, please don't consider this table to be 100% accurate.

Start End Short Name Description
$000000 $0FFFFF   Vector Table, 68k program (.PRG files), 68k RAM
$100000 $00F2FF WORKRAM_USER User RAM/Work RAM
$10F300 $00FFFF WORKRAM_BIOS RAM reserved for use by the BIOS.
$200000 $2FFFFF   ?
$300000 $39FFFF   Input ports
$3A0000 $3BFFFF   Output ports
$3C0000 $3FFFFF   GPU/LSPC ports
$400000 $401FFF PALETTES Current Palette RAM
$800000 $803FFF MEMCARD Virtual Memory card (8KB max). 8-bit; even bytes are always $FF.
$C00000 $C7FFFF BIOSROM BIOS ROM (512KB)
$E00000 $E0FFFF UPLOAD Upload zone (1MB)
$FF0000 $FF01FF?   CD and DMA specific I/O registers

Z80 Memory Map

Start End Size Description
$0000 $7FFF 32KB Main code bank (start of M1 ROM/.Z80 file)
$8000 $BFFF 16KB Switchable bank 3
$C000 $DFFF 8KB Switchable bank 2
$E000 $EFFF 4KB Switchable bank 1
$F000 $F7FF 2KB Switchable bank 0
$F800 $FFFF 2KB Work RAM

Registers

Like many computers and consoles from the 1980s and 1990s, the Neo-Geo interfaces with its hardware via registers located in memory. Registers live between $300000 and $3FFFFF, but not every address is used.

(todo: this section needs to have two name columns, in cases where the freemlib defines are different)

I/O Registers

Address Name Read Write
$300000 REG_P1CCNT
$300001 REG_DIPSW Read hardware dipswitches Kick watchdog

System Registers

System Registers are bytes that can only be written to.

Address Name Description
$3A0001 REG_NOSHADOW Normal video output
$3A0003 REG_BIOSVEC,REG_SWPBIOS Use BIOS vector table
$3A0005 REG_CRDUNLOCK1 Register 1/2 for enabling writes to memory card
$3A0007 REG_CRDLOCK2 Register 2/2 for disabling writes to memory card
$3A0009 CARD_REGSEL,REG_CRDREGSEL Enable memory card register select
$3A000B REG_BRDFIX Use the BIOS's fix tiles and M1 ROM.
$3A000D REG_SRAMLOCK Disables writes to MVS-only Backup RAM
$3A000F REG_PALBANK1 Use palette bank 1
$3A0011 REG_SHADOW Darken video output
$3A0013 REG_CARTVEC,REG_SWPROM Use cart's vector table
$3A0015 REG_CRDLOCK1 Register 1/2 for disabling writes to memory card
$3A0017 REG_CRDUNLOCK2 Register 2/2 for enabling writes to memory card
$3A0019 CARD_NORMAL,REG_CRDNORMAL Disable memory card register select
$3A001B REG_CRTFIX Use the cart's fix tiles and M1 ROM.
$3A001D REG_SRAMULOCK Enables writes to MVS-only Backup RAM
$3A001F REG_PALBANK0 Use palette bank 0

GPU/LSPC Registers

These registers control the LSPC/GPU. Byte writes only work on odd addresses and store the same data in MSB and LSB.

Address Name Read Write
$3C0000 REG_VRAMADDR Read VRAM data Set VRAM address
$3C0002 REG_VRAMRW Read VRAM data Write VRAM data
$3C0004 REG_VRAMMOD Read VRAM increment value Set VRAM increment value
$3C0006 REG_LSPCMODE    
$3C0008 REG_TIMERHIGH (invalid) Timer reload value (MSB)
$3C000A REG_TIMERLOW (invalid) Timer reload value (LSB)
$3C000C REG_IRQACK (invalid)  
$3C000E REG_TIMERSTOP (invalid)  

Neo-Geo CD Registers

The CD system registers start at $FF0000. Most of these registers have to do with the CD hardware and RAM transfers.

(todo)

Palettes

Palette data is located in its own section of RAM, between $400000 and $401FFF. The palette RAM can be swapped between two banks, allowing for many possibilities. In total, there are 4096 slots for palette colors, but 256 of them are used for transparency, so the real number is closer to 3,840 (including the background).

VERY IMPORTANT: The fix layer is only capable of using the first 16 palette sets ($0-$F). Sprites may use all 256 palette sets ($00-$FF).

Each palette consists of 16 colors, the first of which is used for transparency (so only 15 effective colors per fix tile/sprite).

(todo: Color format)

Fix Layer

The data for the Fix Layer lives in VRAM at $7000-$74FF.

(todo: VRAM fix section data format)

Extension space is from $7500-$7FFF, but is only known to be used on the NEO-CMC chips so far. (Is something similar used in modern third-party games?)

Sprites

Sprite tiles are stored differently depending on if the game is for a cart system or a CD system. On CD systems, the sprites go in .SPR files, while on cart systems, the data is split up into two ROMs.

When it comes to actually manipulating sprites, they take up most of the VRAM space.

Start End Description
$0000 $6FFF Sprite Control Block 1 (SCB1)
$8000 $81FF Sprite Control Block 2 (SCB2)
$8200 $83FF Sprite Control Block 3 (SCB3)
$8400 $85FF Sprite Control Block 4 (SCB4)
$8600 $867F Sprite List for Even Scanlines
$8680 $86FF Sprite List for Odd Scanlines

Sound

The sound in the Neo-Geo is handled by the Yamaha YM2610 (OPNB). The OPNB is capable of 4 channels of FM sound, 3 channels of Yamaha SSG (equivalent to AY-3-8910, or more closely, the YM2149), 6 channels of fixed sampling rate (18,500Hz) ADPCM (A), and one channel of variable sampling rate (1.8KHz-55.5KHz) ADPCM (B).

Unlike the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, where the (similar) YM2612 could be controlled by either the 68K or the Z80, the Neo-Geo only lets you control the YM2610 from the Z80. Furthermore, the cartridge systems only allow for 2048 bytes of Z80 RAM, meaning most of your data is going to need to be in ROM.

Overall the sound can be broken down into its various ROM components:

(todo)

This guide written by AJ/freem, 2014-2015.
"NEOGEO" is a registered trademark of SNK Playmore Corp. All other company and product names used are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
This guide is not authorized or licensed by SNK Playmore.