CaSTaway GP feedback

[xav]

I'd like to add my voice to the call for save states - primarily so that I can save games after they've loded but before they start playing. That way I can skip the intro screens, the loading screens, the credits and so on, and get straight into playing the game.

I'd also like the ability to create user-defined keyboards. Possibly even on a per disk basis (i.e. CaSTaway looks for a keyboard definition file with the same name as the disk image). That would make it much faster to use the keyboard in games that only require a small handful of keys to operate. Of course there would always need to be a way to toggle between the custom keyboard(s) and the full keyboard, just in case.

Whatever happens though, this is one of the coolest pieces of software I've ever come across. Xenon 2 in my pocket. What could be better

 

[stickofjoy]

Whatever happens though, this is one of the coolest pieces of software I've ever come across. Xenon 2 in my pocket. What could be better

Sensible Soccer AND Xenon 2 in your pocket?

 

[thebluenewt]

Sensible Soccer AND Xenon 2 in your pocket?

Man, I think you love Sensi almost as much as me!

 

[AdamDawes]

I'd like to add my voice to the call for save states

I would like to add mine too. One of the great things about emulation is that you can do things that the original machine was unable to do. Save states would be such a thing, and they would be excellent too. Halfway through a game of Stunt Car Racer when the phone rings? Don't pause it and wait while your batteries go flat, just save the memory to disk and switch off.

On a portable device like the GP32 it's also extremely useful to be able to save when your batteries get low instead of just having to switch off.

What is the argument against save states? I wouldn't have thought there could be much reason not to..?

 

[skeezix]

I'd like to add my voice to the call for save states

I would like to add mine too. One of the great things about emulation is that you can do things that the original machine was unable to do. Save states would be such a thing, and they would be excellent too. Halfway through a game of Stunt Car Racer when the phone rings? Don't pause it and wait while your batteries go flat, just save the memory to disk and switch off.

On a portable device like the GP32 it's also extremely useful to be able to save when your batteries get low instead of just having to switch off.

What is the argument against save states? I wouldn't have thought there could be much reason not to..?

Reasons are that it would be very wasteful of SMC space, and the games usually have a save system built in, that is intended to be used (and we support that . Theres a lot of good arguments for save-states, mind you, but I've always been a fan of being reasonably accurate.... saving-state takes a lot away from shooters, for instance. Lets you cheat too much, which takes the fun out of it

I'll look into adding 'em; I just never thought they were needed

jeff

 

[Avigrace]

I see on version 008 there is the games database included, this is a really great feature so far and already making life easier. However if I am looking for a particular game it can still be time consuming to check loads of games disks until I find it.

When in the disk list menu could it be possible to show the full list of games somehow? I guess there could be 2 methods of doing this.



#1 One line for each disk replacing the filename, this would mean that the current database you are putting together may need to be tweaked to reduce the length of the game titles (or a smaller font, or scrollable window)

Oids, Dungeon Master, 3D Pool
Super Hang-On, Super Sprint, ST Karate, Pool (Microdeal)



2# Repeat for each game in the list, but maybe alphabetically, obviously Dungeon Master and Oids will both point to the same file on the SMC. This could mean that the list will be up to 5 times longer than with current method or method #1 above but would make it much easier to find the game you want

3D Pool
Dungeon Master
Oids
Pool
ST Karate
Super Hang-On
Super Sprint


Would either of these (or something similiar (a search feature maybe??) ) be workable?

 

[skeezix]

I think lic brought this up..

I am planning on two modes.. the current by-disk mode, since it "always works" and is simple, and perhaps a by-game mode. By-game would have to go through your list and figure out what all games are available, and then build up the menu listing them. It would also list disks that are not mapped to games in the database, so you dont' just forget about them. Issues that arise are games that show up in multiple disks (which could even be different versions, one which may work in Castaway, and one which may not.. rough).

So I'm thinkign you might hit Right-shoulder to toggle modes.. the normal disk mode like now, and then the by-game mode, which would look like this:

FOODISK.ST <unknown>
Dungeon Master <A_097.STT>
Dungeon Master <MB_123.STR>
Zork 1 <FOO123.STT>

That sort of thing.

That could work. It'd be a little slower to show though, since we'd have to look up all the disks in the database before showing the menu.

jeff

 

[Avigrace]

That would be great, putting the filename at the end is a good idea, as you say if a game appears multple times you would want to know what one to load. This would make the database a fantastic addition and would put this emu right up there with the best emulators around.

The logo at boot up you were discussing would be great also as I love the Atari logo and I don't see it enough

I have had this emulator autoloaded now for 2 weeks now and everything else my GP can do has faded away

 

[Axeman]

I'd find savestates useful too...

My main use for them would be in work, where I've got limited break time and so want to be able to save the game and carry on where I left off in my next break.

That is way up on my personal wishlist. Of course, it'd be up to the individual user to make sure they didn't fill up their SMC...

 

[Rico]

Since this is an ongoing and important thread in the forum, I've decided it's not quite sticky enough...here you go

 

[AdamDawes]

I'd find savestates useful too...
[...]
That is way up on my personal wishlist. Of course, it'd be up to the individual user to make sure they didn't fill up their SMC...

Perhaps this is a reason for adding a 512k/1Mb option to Castaway..? If we're saving copies of the memory to the SMC and we're running 512k-compatible games in 1Mb of RAM, we'd have to write 512k more data in 1Mb mode than in 512k mode (IYSWIM)... Any thoughts?

 

[skeezix]

I'd find savestates useful too...
[...]
That is way up on my personal wishlist. Of course, it'd be up to the individual user to make sure they didn't fill up their SMC...

Perhaps this is a reason for adding a 512k/1Mb option to Castaway..? If we're saving copies of the memory to the SMC and we're running 512k-compatible games in 1Mb of RAM, we'd have to write 512k more data in 1Mb mode than in 512k mode (IYSWIM)... Any thoughts?

I'm going with 1MB always, I think. Having people set the RAM is too much confusion when half the games didn't work right on a 520ST in the later years

jeff

 

[Demonix]

How about getting an external port up and running with a port on a GP32 so we can connect Modems, get an IP address and connect to the net hehe... is there a web browser out for the ST?

 

[Demonix]

How about adding the following (just to make things look nicer!?):

1. A graphical load-up screen (Atari Logo perhaps?).

2. A graphical "A" drive "B" drive selection screen where you can see what file
is/was selected for A/B and perhaps automatic database lookup and
display the content (if known) below the selection - the file picker can be at the
bottom of the screen?

3. A simple help screen/advert for your web site!

 

[EvilDragon]

An alphabetically sorted database would be nice

So, if you select one game, the ST automatically selects the appropriate Automation disk

 

[stickofjoy]

issues I'd still like to see addressed:

gamma levels (non-linear)
L = keyboard toggle
A/B = type in upper/lower
accuracy of palette switches (see Pang, stray lines of wrong colour around palette switch position)
auto boot into a certain disc image
restart emu keeps last selected input mode

settings file that could store user config.

 

[xav]

Regarding the save state file size, how about this: ISTR that the ST started up with random crap in RAM, however there's no reason why an emulator couldn't initialise all the emulated RAM to zeros. If this takes noticeably longer than a "normal" startup, then it would need to be via a "Reboot and zero memory" option in the menu.

Once the memory is zeroed, it would be practical to use run-length-encoding on the save state file. That way the bulk of the file is occupied by memory that has been "dirtied" by the application. If a game was written to run in 512k, and doesn't go around dirtying every byte it can lay its hands on for no good reason, this should lead to a significant reduction in filesize.

But then, I'm not an emulator writer, so treat this as idle speculation.

 

[xav]

BTW Skeezix, I agree with you in principle about not having save states because they encourage cheating, but there are also many good reasons why CaSTaway should have them.

Personally I want them in order to be able to avoid long load times on some games as they decompress. Other people want them because of concerns about battery power, or as a longer-term version of a pause option (we already have the short-term version with the Options menu, even if a game doesn't offer its own pause mode).

So I say go ahead an add them if it's practical or possible to do so. Some people may "cheat" with them, but that's between them and their consciences, surely.



But the L toggle for the keyboard would come before save states on my wish list, if I'm honest.

 

[skeezix]

Oooooh ohhhhoooooo.. thats a magic phrase...

True. Dungeon Master from savestate shoud load in a couple seconds, as opposed to waiting a minute or two from fresh.

OKay, thats worth doing then Just express everythign in terms of Dungeon Master to get my attention

jeff

 

[stickofjoy]

Oooooh ohhhhoooooo.. thats a magic phrase...

True. Dungeon Master from savestate shoud load in a couple seconds, as opposed to waiting a minute or two from fresh.

OKay, thats worth doing then Just express everythign in terms of Dungeon Master to get my attention

jeff

Jeff, if you get Sensible Soccer working I have a feeling Dungeon Master would load faster anyway.