Release DraStic Nintendo DS emulator

[Orion4874]

Question, when DLDI patching a homebrew app, is there any specific .dldi file that should be used? Every flashcart had their own before carts started autopatching. Or would it not make any difference?

 

[Linux-SWAT]

I don't recall homebrew needs to be DLDI patched.

 

[Exophase]

Question, when DLDI patching a homebrew app, is there any specific .dldi file that should be used? Every flashcart had their own before carts started autopatching. Or would it not make any difference?

DraStic doesn't actually emulate any flash card so no DLDI patch will work (and therefore no DLDI homebrew will work). You'll have to wait for me to implement something, and hopefully that'll include some kind of auto-patching.

 

[Kumaki]

I have some homebrew stuff working on DraStic...I, likewise, do not recall any DLDI patching needed to make homebrew work.

Then again, I don't know what kind of flashcart you are talking about.  I, myself, used an Acekard.

Now, there IS some of my homebrew which doesn't work on DraStic, but most of what doesn't work...is actually done elsewhere.  For example, Atari 2600 emulated on DS...whhy would you want to do that on DraStic...basically run an emu inside of an emu...when we have a perfectly good Atari 2600 emu as a standalone?

Likewise, for example, I have DS with ability to play some MAME stuff.  This doesn't work on DraStic.  But again, one can play MAME already, on Pandora, so why would you want to run an emu inside of an emu?

Most of my homebrew stuff does work on DraStic, no DLDI patching needed.

 

[Kumaki]

Now if you have homebrew that requires DLDI patching...and I know some exists out there...I guess Exo is saying that homebrew won't currently work on DraStic.

I have heard of some homebrew that only works on certain cards...mainly because it was stuff that did NOT work on an Acekard.  It would work on, say. Cyclo?? is that the right name?  It was something like that, anyway...been a while since I have been on the site where this was mentioned.

 

[ZXDunny]

DLDI patching is for homebrew that needs to access the flashcart's internal (or external) storage to load datafiles or ROM images or whatever. If your homebrew is a simple .nds file which has no external data files then it will work fine.

MAME obviously will not work, as Drastic has no mechanism at present for loading files external to the ROM image... And MAME needs ROM files.

D.

 

[levi]

Okay, added a few test runs to the wiki page. Seems rather bare for now, given all the test reports people are giving in this thread.


Really impressive how well MarioKart DS runs on this version. On a lot of circuits it runs with well with no frameskip with no opponents around, but some circuits are clearly harder work and reduce the framerate. Makes it a little harder for me to get gold on 150cc, but it's clearly playable now.


Ivy the Kiwi seems to have the same physics-style bug as before (I forget if I ever reported it) but it's easier to see now as it runs with no frameskip at all pretty well otherwise. It appears as if it misses a glut of frames periodically, and the Kiwi skips along the stage rather uncontrollably at times, and that's even with frameskip disabled. Alternatively, it might be a collision detection bug, I reckon, as the game does shoot the kiwi forward similarly if, for example, you try to draw a twine through it. It's not very clear at the moment.

 

[Orion4874]

Well, I tried running Warcraft: Tower Defense which is also the first homebrew I've tried with DraStic. It wouldn't run and I got an error message telling me to make sure the file was DLDI patched. I patched it with a random .dldi file and tried again. This time I didn't get the error but it hung on the "Initializing FAT/EFS screen.

 

[ZXDunny]

Well, I tried running Warcraft: Tower Defense which is also the first homebrew I've tried with DraStic. It wouldn't run and I got an error message telling me to make sure the file was DLDI patched. I patched it with a random .dldi file and tried again. This time I didn't get the error but it hung on the "Initializing FAT/EFS screen.

As per the author of Drastic:

DraStic doesn't actually emulate any flash card so no DLDI patch will work (and therefore no DLDI homebrew will work). You'll have to wait for me to implement something, and hopefully that'll include some kind of auto-patching.

Which would explain why the game gave you the error it did, surely?

D.

 

[PokeParadox]

There a few DLDI homebrew apps that could be nice, but I can see why it's not a priority.

 

[KickAss]

just updated to the most recent version. massive improvement in such short time. exodude, you keep amazing me!

 

[full_indigo]

DraStric is unbelievable outstanding. The recent update make 3D games like "Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" playable. Great job, many thanks.


A minor issue occurs when pressing the pandora button. DraStic freezes.


I have a request for a missing feature. I'm stuck in Phantom Hourglass in the third visit of the Temple of the Ocean King to locate the sea creast:


Issue: One has to close the DS and open it again to proceed.


Is it possible that you can please implement this feature?

 

[levi]

Stuff going a bit peculiar if you accidentally hit the Pandora button seems to be the case with everything using Notaz' SDL. It'd be nice if stuff behaved better in this case agreed, but I don't know what DraStic can do about it.

Re simulating opening and closing the DS, I believe this is in the worklog already, and there have been discussions on how it will work in the Android port, so I'm sure we'll see it in the Pandora version sooner or later.

 

[notaz]

A minor issue occurs when pressing the pandora button. DraStic freezes.

This is old firmware bug, most likely your firmware is old.

Stuff going a bit peculiar if you accidentally hit the Pandora button seems to be the case with everything using Notaz' SDL. It'd be nice if stuff behaved better in this case agreed

Peculiar like? Can you elaborate more?

 

[Kumaki]

DraStric is unbelievable outstanding. The recent update make 3D games like "Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" playable. Great job, many thanks.

A minor issue occurs when pressing the pandora button. DraStic freezes.

I have a request for a missing feature. I'm stuck in Phantom Hourglass in the third visit of the Temple of the Ocean King to locate the sea creast:

Issue: One has to close the DS and open it again to proceed.

Is it possible you can you please implement this feature?

I'd be curious to know WHY someone would have to close and re-open the DS at any point, in any game, just to proceed with the game.

And how one would have figured this out in the first place.

That seems an awful weird thing to have put into a game.

 

[EvilDragon]

It's really amazing how well it runs

Exo, Okamiden crashes back to desktop at some time at the game.

Is there anything I can help debugging this? Should I send you the savestate or pnd_run output?

 

[mcobit]

DraStric is unbelievable outstanding. The recent update make 3D games like "Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" playable. Great job, many thanks.


A minor issue occurs when pressing the pandora button. DraStic freezes.


I have a request for a missing feature. I'm stuck in Phantom Hourglass in the third visit of the Temple of the Ocean King to locate the sea creast:


Issue: One has to close the DS and open it again to proceed.


Is it possible you can you please implement this feature?

I'd be curious to know WHY someone would have to close and re-open the DS at any point, in any game, just to proceed with the game.
And how one would have figured this out in the first place.


That seems an awful weird thing to have put into a game.

Sometimes game developers put such stuff in to emerge the player into the games atmosphere. Like blowing out cabdles by blowing into the microphone etc.. I personally like such things. There was an example posted before where you have to close the lit of the ds to proceed.


Iirc, there was a xmen game on the genesis where you had to push the reset button to shut down a computer. The game would reboot and save its last state so the system knows it was at this level and proceeded with the next level.


Really cool stuff if you ask me. But of course such things are not always obvious without a usermanual or walkthrough guide.

 

[Askarus]

DraStric is unbelievable outstanding. The recent update make 3D games like "Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" playable. Great job, many thanks.


A minor issue occurs when pressing the pandora button. DraStic freezes.


I have a request for a missing feature. I'm stuck in Phantom Hourglass in the third visit of the Temple of the Ocean King to locate the sea creast:


Issue: One has to close the DS and open it again to proceed.


Is it possible you can you please implement this feature?

I'd be curious to know WHY someone would have to close and re-open the DS at any point, in any game, just to proceed with the game.
And how one would have figured this out in the first place.


That seems an awful weird thing to have put into a game.

Sometimes game developers put such stuff in to emerge the player into the games atmosphere. Like blowing out cabdles by blowing into the microphone etc.. I personally like such things. There was an example posted before where you have to close the lit of the ds to proceed.


Iirc, there was a xmen game on the genesis where you had to push the reset button to shut down a computer. The game would reboot and save its last state so the system knows it was at this level and proceeded with the next level.


Really cool stuff if you ask me. But of course such things are not always obvious without a usermanual or walkthrough guide.

I can remember as my Brother had problems to proceed in Zelda because of that lid close thing.

We had to look it up in the internet.

 

[WizardStan]

The Zelda lid-close thing in this case specifically is that you find a map on a wall with a location marked which you can look at on the top screen, and in order to transfer that location to your own personal map you need to open the map on the bottom screen and then "mash" the two together: close the screen.

 

[Exophase]

It's really amazing how well it runs

Exo, Okamiden crashes back to desktop at some time at the game.

Is there anything I can help debugging this? Should I send you the savestate or pnd_run output?

Yes, send me a savestate and directions on how to reproduce it.