Release GnGB a Game Boy and Color Game Boy emulator for Testing

[thatgui]

^ PickleLauncher is designed around multiple input options, and does it pretty well I reckon. The hardware is capable of touch control, and many people like using it, so that's why it's there. Not because a dev is trying to be 'modern, hipp, cool' I can't speak for dgame or his plans, but I can tell you not to judge the current launcher as it is. A skin is in progress. It won't address all your concerns but it will make better use of the screen.

My "inputrant" was not targeted at picklelauncher in general, there surely are scenarios (like a gesture controlled videoplayer) where it is very reasonable to have it included. I ment, that by making it more finger friendly (i. e. the navigational buttons in general, the size of the action buttons) in this special usecase you loose a lot of screen space but won't gain any "usefullness" (at least in my opinion)

You might be interested to know that PickleLauncher is fully user configurable, via config.txt in the appdata folder. Set fonts, sizes, positions, switch off the buttons you don't want, even make a whole new skin if you can handle image editing. More info here ...as you can see I'm new to it myself.

Unfortunatly, I hardly have time to use my pandora, so making an extra version (which has to be updated manually for future updates) is not really an option.


No offense, I think a lot of people will appreciate your effort on making a skin for mupen64, but this (also as panplayer for example) simply does not represent a Gui that helps me get the job done. You get some eyecandy which is nice (the first ten to twenty times you start it, after that it fades out of your "recognition-area"), but sacrifice information for it.

 

[gruso]

Once this release is out, I will throw together a custom version and show you what can be done. You don't have to worry about keeping it updated; you put the files into appdata once, and they will forever override the contents of the PND.

 

[moxie]

This is interesting, because I didn't realise until I read this thread that Picklelauncher had touchscreen controls - I've been using it from the dpad-and-buttons and never thought about it Which, I suppose, is the very definition of multiple input options

 

[Pickle]

whip out that stylus! One reason the buttons are large, so you could use a finger.


fyi my dev setup has been in limbo (bad hd), but this weekend i should be able to get it back up and get to spend some time on some projects.

 

[Blue Protoman]

Blue Protoman,


Turbo keys are not supported by the emulator and would have to be coded in.

Blasphemy.

 

[dgame]

I’ve modified the GnGB code so that START and SELECT now default to Pandora’s START and SELECT as well as what is defined by the map_key line..


These alternate START and SELECT buttons can be redefined (or disabled with 0) by two new positions at the end of the map_key line.


The map_key line now has ten positions:


AXE_UP,AXE_DOWN,AXE_LEFT,AXE_RIGHT,A,B,START,SELECT, START,SELECT

 

[dgame]

GnGB WIP updates:


I’ve been reading the threads about standardized controls and added some alternate in-game controls to GnGB.


The Space Bar toggles the menu.


The Pandora game buttons can now be used to configure the in-game menu options as well (B to select option and X for Back/Close)


All of the original/current input methods (Tab to open menu, Enter to select options, ESC to close) also remain, although Tab can now toggle the menu as well.


I also put in a feature that may be useful to marathon players like me.


The “S” key will save the battery-backed RAM to disk.


The battery-backed RAM is normally saved to disk automatically when you quit the game.


If the Pandora’s battery unexpectedly dies, then the emulator does not close properly and you lose your progress. I discovered this the hard way.


So now after I save in-game I tap the S key on the keyboard and it saves the battery-backed RAM to disk.


Right now I have it splash a message on screen saying it saved the Battery RAM, but I’ll make it stealth in the next test release.


The message is annoying and the little flash of the SD card activity light is enough indication for me.

 

[moxie]

Sounds good


If you want bug reports: The emu fails on the games "Wendy: Every witch way" and "Shantae", by not showing the sprites at all. However, these two are apparently "known troublesome" games, according to Prometheus, so that might not be something you can do something about.


Anyways, keep up the good work, etc.

 

[pepone]

DaMummy,


I want this to be as user friendly as possible before I post to any official distribution channels.


Gruso is working on a nice skin which will be included before it goes final.


Gruso,


Thanks for the skin! I sent you a reply.


PokeParadox,


The Super Game Boy (SGB) emulation uses its own color palette . The SGB support is listed as experimental and the source code has several "fix me' comments. It may be possible to use the GBC color mode and SGB borders but that is beyond my current skill level.


The SGB mode also seems to not like notaz's improved SDL, so it is effectively broken by this new packaging. EDIT: Fixed.


I am not the author of this emulator I just compiled it to work on the Pandora and I wrote a little script to allow PickleLauncer to be able to set the resolution.


Pepone is a member of this forum and one of the authors of GnGB maybe he can help here.


Thanks for the support!!!

It's far far in my memory, and I didn't code this part. But IIRC, you have to be in sgb mode to get the borders. Basicly, when the rom's program code detect that it run under a super gameboy, it send some command's and border's tiles packet on a special register, then those command are interpreted by the supergameboy.


If the rom run in color gameboy mode, the commands will not be sent... you can't get both.

 

[PokeParadox]

Well actually... it is possible, it's been done in VBA, and some other emulators and I think some GBC emualtors on GBA and NDS also did it.


Basically the SGB background is a static image... you run SGB for the bar minimum of time just to put that static image in the framebuffer. Then you reset the rom and run it in GBC mode to get the nicer colours, but render within the border without clearing it...


I know the theory of how to do it, but I'm not an emulator coder, unfortunately.

 

[pepone]

Didn't know that..


Only the first borders is showed though? Does game that use multiple borders work with vba?

 

[PokeParadox]

I think only the first border would be shown in this hybrid mode, but I don't have any games which use multi-borders so I can't confirm.

 

[FaeMinx]

Sorry for the random question, but:


How difficult would it be to include a graphics filter that simulates the shadows created by the dot-matrix pixels???


IMO, that along with a slightly green/yellow screen is what's really needed to make me feel like i'm reliving my childhood. I would absolutely *love* to see this implemented.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Will this work with Pokemon Crystal? I'm using an older version, and the game has weird problems, and no realtime system.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

How come it has pixel smoothing on all the time now? I don't like how the pixels are blurred. I want them sharp, like they used to be!

 

[gruso]

That's a setting in the Pandora OS. You can choose the filter in LCD Settings.

 

[dgame]

Thanks Gruso,


The next version will have the ability to adjust the video filter from within the launcher.

 

[Silent-Hunter]

My question about the realtime clock was never answered. Does this have realtime clock support?

 

[captain_coconut]

mednafen appears to support the real time clock if that helps.

 

[dgame]

I don't think GnGB supports support RTC as IIRC the GBC ROMs that use the RTC have to be patched to work.


But if you have a specific game in mind I can test it for you.