Mortal Kombat 4 (Zeus 1) MiSTer FPGA core

blahm1d develops and publishes this Mortal Kombat 4 (Zeus 1) MiSTer FPGA core for DE10-Nano. Supported games, installation, source and release status.

Supported games

Current build and known issues

v16 material-relative directional lighting · 2026-10-03

Beta; timing closed; cabinet verification pending

Shared material-relative fighter response in fights and Continue; reviewed well depth, environment and particle response; mappable Lighting Toggle default ON. All 132 required timing checks passed with zero TNS. Exact v16 installed and launched for owner verification; gameplay acceptance pending. Experimental lighting; background contrast remains under study. No ROMs included. Existing MK4 v3.0 / MAME 0.289 recipe unchanged.

These statements describe the published core build. They do not establish that every supported game has passed every cabinet test.

Install with Update_All

  1. Download downloader_blahm1d.ini.
  2. Put it in your MiSTer SD card root (/media/fat/).
  3. Run Update_All to install or update the FPGA core and MRA.

ROMs are supplied by users through their Update_All settings or BYOR. No game ROMs are included in this feed.

Keep your existing save and DIP filenames. Downloader preserves existing save defaults.

Play on PC: MK4 v17 lighting in a Windows MAME fork

Updated 9 October 2026: MAME 0.289 development snapshot a025aba9 with the MK4 v17 RTL material-response and blend changes ported to the mk4 version 3.0 driver. The calibration is empirical; original Zeus lighting microcode has not been recovered and visual differences remain. This fork is not made or supported by the MAME team. No ROMs are included.

Install

Extract the archive, keep your existing nvram and cfg folders when upgrading, put your own mk4.zip and tms320c32.zip in roms, then run Play MK4 (lighting).bat.

Download MAME v17 for Windows (109 MB)☕ Buy me a coffee

Files

Original PCB capture versus v17 RTL

All nine arenas. PCB frames use one fixed white/black calibration from Kombat Kode text and blank-frame black. The comparison side is actual v17 RTL replay, not cabinet or MAME footage. Poses and effect phases differ. The MAME port matches 433,844 vertex results and 5,243,616 pixel operations checked against that RTL; separate executable captures from all nine arenas are included in the evidence download. These checks do not prove a pixel-perfect PCB match.

Open animated GIF directly

Nine MK4 arenas alternating calibrated original PCB capture and v17 RTL rendering
Nine MK4 arenas alternating calibrated original PCB capture and v17 RTL rendering

Play on PC: Vulkan 4x polygon rendering

Windows 64-bit build dated 11 October 2026. Render MK4 polygons at 4x internal resolution for smoother edges, using the original game textures and models. Includes the existing experimental v17 lighting. Requires a Vulkan-capable GPU and its vendor driver. Performance depends on hardware and scene. This is an unofficial modified MAME build. No remastered texture pack, game ROMs or saved games are included.

Install

Extract the entire ZIP into a writable folder. Put your own compatible MK4 version 3.0 mk4.zip and tms320c32.zip in roms, then run Play MK4 4x.bat. Press Tab to configure controls. This portable copy stores settings and saves under user. Include the source archive below when sharing the binary.

Download Vulkan 4x for Windows (117 MB)☕ Buy me a coffee

Files

4x polygon rendering in action

Actual emulator screenshot with original textures and v17 lighting. Tanya versus Jax in The Well; internal capture resolution 1600 x 1016. Original model topology is preserved.

Still screenshot (full resolution)

Tanya versus Jax in The Well: Vulkan 4x polygon rendering with original textures.
Tanya versus Jax in The Well: Vulkan 4x polygon rendering with original textures.

Play on PC: 4x polygons + 2x remastered textures (preview)

Preview dated 11 October 2026. Windows 64-bit Vulkan build with 4x internal polygon rendering and a bundled 2x GenAI texture pack. Includes the executable, textures and launch BAT files. Textures use half the width and height of the earlier 4x artwork, reducing their decoded pixel storage by 75%. Includes quieter surfaces across all nine arenas and most fighter/versus artwork. Coverage is incomplete: two versus portraits, one fighter sheet and other artwork remain unfinished. Original model topology and experimental v17 lighting remain. Requires a Vulkan-capable GPU; occasional long frames remain and performance varies. Unofficial modified MAME build. No game ROMs or personal saves included.

Install

Extract into a new writable folder. Put your own MK4 version 3.0 mk4.zip and tms320c32.zip in roms, keeping both zipped. Run Play MK4 4x Polygons 2x Textures.bat. Press Tab to configure controls. Use the bundled executable because older builds require 4x textures. Settings and saves stay under user. A second BAT plays with original textures. Include the source archive below when sharing the binary.

Download 4x polygons + 2x textures preview for Windows (188 MB)☕ Buy me a coffee

Files

Texture preview and nine-arena comparison

Actual emulator captures of Tanya versus Jax. The 45-second GIF cycles through base MAME v17, Vulkan 4x polygons with original textures, and Vulkan 4x polygons with the published 2x texture pack in each of the nine arenas. Each arena uses the same checkpoint, controller inputs and capture frame. Base MAME is captured at 400 x 254 and enlarged with nearest-neighbor scaling; Vulkan captures are 1600 x 1016. GIF frames are resized and use a shared 256-color palette. The screenshots retain full resolution and color. Artwork coverage remains incomplete as described above.

Still screenshot (full resolution)

Tanya versus Jax in The Well: Vulkan 4x polygons with the published 2x remastered texture preview.
Tanya versus Jax in The Well: Vulkan 4x polygons with the published 2x remastered texture preview.

Animated comparison: all nine arenas, three rendering modes

Open animated GIF directly

Animated 45-second loop: Tanya versus Jax in nine arenas. Changes every 1.5 to 2 seconds: base MAME v17, Vulkan 4x polygons, then Vulkan 4x polygons plus 2x textures.
Animated 45-second loop: Tanya versus Jax in nine arenas. Changes every 1.5 to 2 seconds: base MAME v17, Vulkan 4x polygons, then Vulkan 4x polygons plus 2x textures.

Source and credits

FPGA core development and publication: blahm1d. Download the corresponding source archive and license notices. Original authors, donor projects and third-party copyright notices are preserved in the source.