Beta UAE4ARM

[TomB]

Here is a new beta version of UAE4ARM.

My first intention was to get closer to WinUAE as a preparation for a new version for the Pyra. The Pyra has more cpu power, so I can add more features from WinUAE and all stuff is still fast enough. Now I have a version which is about 10% slower than the last release of UAE4ARM, but you still can play most games and watch all demos on the Pandora. To get the same performance as the last release, I have to set my Pandora cpu to 1100 Mhz.

I'm not sure if I create a new release version for the Pandora in the next weeks. It depends on feedback and performance enhancements.

Savestates from older version are not working in this beta. Your config files will work.

Changes since last release (2016-09-24):
- Merged lot of changes from WinUAE 3.3.0
- Added panel "Quickstart"
- Fixed bug when first click in popup window was ignored
- Support for more compression formats: xz, fdi
- Support for disk write protect
- Support for HD write protect
- Support for Action Replay
- Support for A600/A1200/A4000 IDE controller
- Support for Superhires
- Support for A4000 motherboard/processorboard RAM
- Support for CD32 fmv module
- Better handling of cpu fastest possible (less frameskips and less audio hickups)

- Known issue: loading a config with some changes compared to current config may not work. Restart UAE4ARM to use the new config.

Note to porters: Do not use this code in a release version. It still needs more testing.

Regards,
TomB

 

[Stainy]

Whooooeeeeeee!! welcome back TomB shall grab tonight and start the testing.

 

[Stouffa]

Hi Tom, welcome back to the good old Pandora scene! Do you have any connection to the people working on the Amiberry fork of UAE4ARM on the raspberry Pi? Is there any progress on that that you might like to incorporate into your main branch (I know there's supposed to be an upcoming release with automatic screen size selection for games for one). There's also a good setup through RetroPie where each WHDload game pack gets its own configuration file so they get loaded directly without need of a HDF file

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[TomB]

I know there's supposed to be an upcoming release with automatic screen size selection for games for one

Using the automatic size and center mode of WinUAE will slowdown emulation. This is the why it's not part of UAE4ARM.

I will merge the code of the raspberry-pi version and android version into this code. It's already on my list.

 

[Stouffa]

I've not really used WinUae for many years, so I'm a bit behind on it's capabilities! What do you think of Dom Creswells WHD booter software for loading games or have you had a chance to look at it?

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[TomB]

What do you think of Dom Creswells WHD booter software for loading games

I never heard about this. Maybe I find some time to look at it.

 

[Stouffa]

He has programs to automatically generate uae configuration files so if you have a folder of WHDload packs, it'll start them and run Amiberry with the correct details. The packs are separated into different types (eg AGA or CD32) so the correct configuration will be applied (you can still go into the emulator menu and make further changes as needed, and then save them per game). If a person just wants to play games it's a fast way of getting everything up and running (no creation of a HDF or Workbench installation required)

Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

 

[PokeParadox]

Using the automatic size and center mode of WinUAE will slowdown emulation. This is the why it's not part of UAE4ARM.

I will merge the code of the raspberry-pi version and android version into this code. It's already on my list.

Interesting, I assume it's continuously polling the display buffer?
IF this is the case, could we not have the routine run via a mapped key combination so that it can be run as a one off operation when the user sees that resolution has changed?

 

[TomB]

In WinUAE, at each display line, several variables are checked and updated to get the first and last output of the line. With these values, center_image() in display.cpp does the centering and somewhere else is the automatic screen mode change.

 

[TomB]

Here is a new version with following changes:
- Fixed loading new config (now using same method like WinUAE)
- Display message instead of crash in some situations
- More cleanup of threads/pipes/mutex

Regards,
TomB

 

[levi]

- Display message instead of crash in some situations
- More cleanup of threads/pipes/mutex

These sound like the first may slow down emulation, while the second will speed it up. Do you have any idea of the performance changes overall?

 

[TomB]

I don´t expect any performance difference between the last two versions.

 

[hoderer]

thanks for your work. it's getting better and better. at this point it's not possible to use two different bluetooth input methods. a friend of mine built two competition pro bluetooth joysticks for me and it's too bad that I can only use one with uae4arm. my friend used the board of a 8bitdo zero gamepad and built it into the competition pro. it works like a charm.

is two player bluetooth support somewhere on your to do-list?

 

[TomB]

I don't have any controller I can connect to the Pandora. So i can't see what happens and figure out what to do to fix it.

 

[hoderer]

I don't have any controller I can connect to the Pandora. So i can't see what happens and figure out what to do to fix it.

Hey Tom! If you're really interested in implementing this feature I would totally buy you two fine bluetooth controllers from 8bitdo. Just drop me an email to paddy@gmx.com. I'm using the uae4arm port for android, but if it's in your version, it's gonna be in the android version, too (I guess).

 

[TomB]

To use controllers on Android, you have to ask the porter of uae4arm to Android to fix this. The core can handle any controller provided by the host specific code. I can´t do any changes on the Android specific code to fix your problem. Sorry.

 

[TomB]

Here is another beta of UAE4ARM. In this version, I merged lot of changes from WinUAE 3.5.0.

Thanks to GCC 7.2 and the profiler, we have same or better performance than latest version in Repo. So after some more testing, I will create a new release version for the Pandora.

Notes:
- Statefiles of previous versions are not compatible to this version.
- Saved configurations which use CD32 may not work. Please recreate them.

Changes since last beta (2017-08-08):
- Merged lot of changes from WinUAE 3.5.0
- Fixed possible segfault and bus error on two locations
- Better performance by using gcc 7.2 with profiler