Castaway/GP Release 005!

[skeezix]

Get it hot off the presses here

http://www.codejedi.com/shadowplan/gp32.html

This has got most everythign anyone ever wanted. Only a few requests left Let me know any bugs you stumble across

Be sure to check the README and CHANGES file for all the changes, and check the bottom of the README for the ToDo list left to look at.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

jeff

 

[kram]

So if I understand the readme correctly, it runs full speed with sound!?

 

[MrT]

Thanks Jeff

The quick switch between mouse and cursor works like a dream on DM, I prefer the sound as it is to slower with better sound.

I have not even tried playing anything but DM so I have yet to test the disk swapping etc.

I am just so pleased to be on the same side of the pond as you, as I get a few hours of playing this before my fellow Brits and European cousins get hold of it, (well apart from the night owls!)

Once again superb, I do not know how you can keep delivering like you do, your missus must be a patient lass.

Cheers Jeff (Skeezix)

(Buy something people - http://www.codejedi.com/shadowplan/register.html )

MrT

 

[Feeblez]

fullspeed with sound! ... tho it is rather crackly at this early stage

wow! skeezix, this is excellent!

the new gui is great and so much easier to use
(still find the virtual keyboard slightly fiddly, but i dont think that can be avoided)

llamatron ... the sound kind of comes in and out, but it is definately there and you can hear the samples

stuntcar racer ... bloody brilliant! i drove round several tracks and didn't come off once, very playable!

give the man a prize!!!

 

[Tobriand]

Is it me or have the crackles gone down a *lot* since 4.5?
And the speed gone up substantially - or at least, gone up on Mouse and Joystic input modes (no need for fs 2 anymore - yaaaaaay MPFC without jutteryness is great)

Out of interest, is there any reason why the keyboard mode is substantially slower than the other two? At a guess, something to do with needing to actually do some updated rendering on the input bit of the screen too, but that is a pure guess (and doesn't entirely hold true since Frameskip mode doesn't go slow)

Skeezix, I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again; this is amazing. The next best thing to an x86 emu

Out of interest, anyone know of anything that lets you compress a .st file from just a load of random non-imaged files (i.e. I want to play Moria on the move ). I know of Makedisk, but that also copies a load of sector information, and I'm concerned that a disk formatted for x86 and imaged wouldn't work well in something that looked for an Atari formatted disk.

The new input system is sooo much more responsive (I managed to sit there for 30n seconds before just trying to switch between Keyboard and frameskip lol - now its done in an instant), although it's going to take a little while to get used to (still hitting L in the hope that it'll move onto the next input method before realising that now I've got to press start )

Also, you mention a 200 file limit in the readme... if it could be extended, it might be nice, but I'm assuming that's the reason Castaway loads a large directory so much faster than any other emu or the file managers. Albeit, uncompressed, we'll not get much more than 200 images on an SMC if there's Castaway there and nothing else, but if a 256MB smc comes out, it'd be worthwhile.

Thanks above all for Disk Swapping - now I can sit down and play a few RPGs and not worry that I'll need to stick a disk in before I've saved... as well as those annoying games that require Disk 2 to be in Drive A...


Thanks again; you've given this community a great gift.

 

[Rob Simpson]

Er, does anyone know how to use Shift or Caps Lock with the keyboard? I can't see it, and there's nothing in the readme file about it...

 

[ldaneels]

Hi, thanks for the great release.
I am not really using the sound after having been traumatized with mortvielle manor, but otherwise this is an excellent release. Plus I am sure it will get better with time.
Also, very glad to see that you are a DM fan. I was initially wondering how to play the game without sweating profusely, but everything is working like a charm. Will try Captive soon...
I have noticed some intros / demos,... kind of freeze & block the emu (hard to access menus). It does not crash, but just seem to slow down the emu to a near stop. Any idea if this is fixable ?
In the same line, E-motion is running to a crawl & the screen is flashing during gameplay. Does it have to do with the rendering ?
Also, could you confirm if it is 100% safe (as in will it work correctly) to replace a disk in a drive without ejecting the disk first ? It seems to work, but I am not totally sure... & I don't want to screw up the emulation just because I am lazy...
Would it be possible to bind the Disk menu (actually only the insert disk if eject is not required before you insert a new disk) to the left shoulder button (since it is not used) ?
Thanks again & keep up the good work,

Loic

 

[wraggster]

Great work Skeezix , just about to post your news on the 4 emulation news sites i work for.

 

[FarmerCuckoo]

Dreamcast-Wraggster?

 

[Matty Jetman]

Nice one again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't wait to try it out but I've now got to go to work.....

As soon as I get back the first game I will try is Microprose GP!!!!

I'll let you all know how I get on.

This is just the best news ever!!!!!!!!!

Adios,
Matt

 

[Axeman]

This is a nice neat release! After the text-based shenanegans of the previous ones, the nice GUI is a welcome suprise

I want to as k something though - does the amount of popping in the sound vary on different GP32s? The reason why is that some people are reporting a bit of popping, whilst it constantly farts on the background on mine, and the farting is louder than the sound itself...

Anyone know if this is the case?

 

[Demonix]

skeezix - out of interest what was the name of your BBs? I used to run a BBs back in the good olde days called the Demons Domain....

 

[Vanamonde]

farts on the background on mine, and the farting is louder than the sound itself...

Anyone know if this is the case?

It certainly is the case on my GP32. The `noise' drowns out the SFX and music.

Just a thought can your GP32 handle the 166Mhz setting (for covercloking the CPU) on GPengine?

 

[skeezix]

So if I understand the readme correctly, it runs full speed with sound!?

Emulation speed depends on what the applications/games are doing.

Heavy math slows it down a lot, since the gp32 isnt' the fastest math processing machine around.

Most games will run full speed wihtout sound (0 or 1 frameskip). With sound you may need 0-2 frameskip. I tend to sit at 1 frameskip a lot of the time for good measure, though some games run well at 0 frameskip.

While games are "unpacking" if you're using cracked versions, or doing serious disk loading (dungeon master for example), its good to crank frameskip to like max (90) while its screwing around, then back to 0 or 1 while your'e using the game. The cracks and disk loading is a hard hit to the speed.

So in general, very solid emulation, but some niggles

jeff

 

[skeezix]

Er, does anyone know how to use Shift or Caps Lock with the keyboard? I can't see it, and there's nothing in the readme file about it...

The keyboard doesn't have shift or caps lock on it right now. Nor does it have Alt or Control, either. I figure those are used for computing, and rarely for gaming, so we can live without 'em. (I'd also have to build a key-hold mode, since all of these keys have staying power, unlike most normal keys which are not generally held down).

You dont' really need them do you?

jeff

 

[skeezix]

skeezix - out of interest what was the name of your BBs? I used to run a BBs back in the good olde days called the Demons Domain....

My BBS was "The Assassin's Grove". I forget the Fido number

I have a limited version of it online; worlds only online Atari ST BBS

telnet to "shadow.skeleton.org", login as "bbs"

jeff

 

[skeezix]

Hi, thanks for the great release.
I am not really using the sound after having been traumatized with mortvielle manor, but otherwise this is an excellent release. Plus I am sure it will get better with time.
Also, very glad to see that you are a DM fan. I was initially wondering how to play the game without sweating profusely, but everything is working like a charm. Will try Captive soon...
I have noticed some intros / demos,... kind of freeze & block the emu (hard to access menus). It does not crash, but just seem to slow down the emu to a near stop. Any idea if this is fixable ?
In the same line, E-motion is running to a crawl & the screen is flashing during gameplay. Does it have to do with the rendering ?
Also, could you confirm if it is 100% safe (as in will it work correctly) to replace a disk in a drive without ejecting the disk first ? It seems to work, but I am not totally sure... & I don't want to screw up the emulation just because I am lazy...
Would it be possible to bind the Disk menu (actually only the insert disk if eject is not required before you insert a new disk) to the left shoulder button (since it is not used) ?
Thanks again & keep up the good work,

Loic

DM and CSB work great. I think Captive works 100%, too.

The Cursor mode is great for walking around, and mouse mode for picking stuff up. Toggling back and forth is a snap

You don't need to eject the disk first.. just inserting will work. Ejecting first gives the game a chance to react, but very few really care.

jeff

 

[skeezix]

Skeezix, I've said this before, and I'm sure I'll say it again; this is amazing. The next best thing to an x86 emu

Out of interest, anyone know of anything that lets you compress a .st file from just a load of random non-imaged files (i.e. I want to play Moria on the move ). I know of Makedisk, but that also copies a load of sector information, and I'm concerned that a disk formatted for x86 and imaged wouldn't work well in something that looked for an Atari formatted disk.

The new input system is sooo much more responsive (I managed to sit there for 30n seconds before just trying to switch between Keyboard and frameskip lol - now its done in an instant), although it's going to take a little while to get used to (still hitting L in the hope that it'll move onto the next input method before realising that now I've got to press start )

Also, you mention a 200 file limit in the readme... if it could be extended, it might be nice, but I'm assuming that's the reason Castaway loads a large directory so much faster than any other emu or the file managers. Albeit, uncompressed, we'll not get much more than 200 images on an SMC if there's Castaway there and nothing else, but if a 256MB smc comes out, it'd be worthwhile.

Thanks above all for Disk Swapping - now I can sit down and play a few RPGs and not worry that I'll need to stick a disk in before I've saved... as well as those annoying games that require Disk 2 to be in Drive A...


Thanks again; you've given this community a great gift.

yeah, now that I have Castaway, I don't really need anythign else for my GP32 to be happy

I dont' know of any tools to convert directories into .ST files per se; I know you can do it with STonX .. mount a local drive as a ST harddrive, then copy the files into a .ST disk image.

I'm fond of the menu system; I gave out the code to a few others, too.. seems peole like it, and its really onyl abotu 70 lines of code

The limit is 200 files, because I figure most disks are at least 4-00k (if not double sided and 700+k). Thus you shoudl be able to fill an entire 128MB SMC with ST stuff and still have files left over. ITs an easy change.. if I need I can crank it up to 200. We'll see

Disk swap works okay?

jeff

 

[Axeman]

After playing Xenon 2 for a few hours I'm beginning to think that this is all I need for my GP32 too

 

[stickofjoy]

Er, does anyone know how to use Shift or Caps Lock with the keyboard? I can't see it, and there's nothing in the readme file about it...

The keyboard doesn't have shift or caps lock on it right now. Nor does it have Alt or Control, either. I figure those are used for computing, and rarely for gaming, so we can live without 'em. (I'd also have to build a key-hold mode, since all of these keys have staying power, unlike most normal keys which are not generally held down).

You dont' really need them do you?

jeff

How about A types upper case letters and B types lower case letters?