Ultima 7

[Puck2099]

Does anyone know the technical specifications of the Zaurus?

I would like to compare it with the GP32 in order to know how fast it could run.

Thanks

 

[Tidus]

Ey, I'm trying to port Exult too

There is a problem between C++ and Game Park's libraries, but I think that I can get a SDL version with that problem solved

Bye

​

WOW 2 guys working on that so great!! Ultima on a handled like the GP32 really worth it imo
maybe you should team up with paranoidd & ask more about GP libraries in the Dev Corner they will be too happy to help you too

btw the last Zaurus are running with a big Intel XScale PXA255 400MHz processor & the 64 Mb of Ram really helps to give alot more of horsepower compare to our little GP32 ;op
but maybe the first zaurus which can make run Exult got only 200 Mhz CPU + 8/16 Mb of memory .... at less I hope

 

[paranoidd]

There isn't need to use any special ported library, we can do that nativelly on GP32Linux with SDL. I already have it compiled here on my personalized distribution for GP32Linux.

Actually it's more simple than it looks: after compiled SDL, it's just a matter of compiling Exult and playing it. The problem is to have a solid Linux support behind it all, which is where I'm working now.

I hope to have good news on the next week

 

[Puck2099]

There isn't need to use any special ported library, we can do that nativelly on GP32Linux with SDL. I already have it compiled here on my personalized distribution for GP32Linux.

Actually it's more simple than it looks: after compiled SDL, it's just a matter of compiling Exult and playing it. The problem is to have a solid Linux support behind it all, which is where I'm working now.

I hope to have good news on the next week

​

But, don't you think that running Exult under GP32Linux would be very slow?

I have tried some applications that came with the mini distro and they aren't too much fast...

Anyway, if you can get it work you will be my idol

Bye

 

[frolik]

This is most excellent news, Puck2099- don't give up on your port, I must say any way of playing U7 is desireable but the best way is definately to have a native gp32 port. My offer still stands about the #20 (no pound sign on me keyboard!)

Keep up the good work lads

 

[Tidus]

This is most excellent news, Puck2099- don't give up on your port, I must say any way of playing U7 is desireable but the best way is definately to have a native gp32 port. My offer still stands about the #20 (no pound sign on me keyboard!)

Keep up the good work lads 

​

btw my offer still count too ;op My money will go to the one who success to make U7 work by any way in a playable form on GP32

so keep up the good work as Frolik said & give us more news when you'll both progress in your port

 

[Puck2099]

I have been speaking with Chui, the coder that ported SDL to GP32. He has told me that although he has a new version of the SDL libraries that is not GPSDK dependent, there are still problems between C++ and them.

This is a awful new because Exult is written in C++ so the direct port is not possible. I don't know how possible could be rewrite 4 MB of code changing all the C++ code to simple C, maybe it is impossible.

Anyway, Ultima VII was the first game that I played in my computer (as part of the pack EA Compilation) and my favourite game so I will not surrender yet B)

Sorry for my bad English

 

[Digitalrat]

This is a awful new because Exult is written in C++ so the direct port is not possible. I don't know how possible could be rewrite 4 MB of code changing all the C++ code to simple C, maybe it is impossible.

I think it would be better to completely rewrite Exult then... Would be much work. If you don't want to wait until Chui fix the SDL you should certainly go this way.

Sorry people, but I think it would be the best to get all the power together for new games for the GP32. Maybe they would be even better than U7?

 

[Tidus]

So any news around there from the 2 ports?? ;p

 

[frolik]

jeje I'm all ears!!

 

[Puck2099]

I have been very busy last two weeks working in my GP32's website and I want to have a playable beta of GP Lady Killer for this Saturday so I am quite busy now.

I have been this morning reading part of Exult's code to understand it a bit before start porting it. It's quite complicated but I think it would be possible to make a port rewriting all SDL functions

On Sunday I will start working in it. Every progress will be reported in my website but be pacient

Bye

 

[Tidus]

I have been very busy last two weeks working in my GP32's website and I want to have a playable beta of GP Lady Killer for this Saturday so I am quite busy now.

FANTASTIC news ) (1) Will it be a public beta??? I would love that :rolleyes:

I have been this morning reading part of Exult's code to understand it a bit before start porting it. It's quite complicated but I think it would be possible to make a port rewriting all SDL functions

On Sunday I will start working in it. Every progress will be reported in my website but be pacient

Bye

​

FANTASTIC news )) (2)
WOW 2 AWESOME great news in ONE POST )))
for sure it worth to be patient your website is in my fav' and I'm watching it carrefuly ;p

 

[Puck2099]

FANTASTIC news ) (1) Will it be a public beta??? I would love that :rolleyes:

Yes, it will be a public beta

FANTASTIC news )) (2)
WOW 2 AWESOME great news in ONE POST )))
for sure it worth to be patient your website is in my fav' and I'm watching it carrefuly ;p

​

Thanks, I do what I can, but my half time job and University classes don't let me much free time

 

[frolik]

take as long as you need dude, we'll be here salivating

 

[Tidus]

take as long as you need dude, we'll be here salivating

​

Exactly ;p
don't worry , true fans are always patient

 

[Puck2099]

I send an email yesterday to Exult's crew asking them if it would be possible to make a GP32 port and they asked me the following:

>This videoconsole has an ARM9 processor up to 166 Mhz and 8 MB of
>SDRAM. I think it has enough processor power but maybe the RAM is not
>enough to run Exult "as it is". What do you think?, do you view
>possible to port Exult to it?
>
I think it would be quite a challenge, since Exult is quite a memory hog
(>20MB). Still, it might be possible if you stripped out parts and did
lots of caching.

Well, it looks quite difficult but at least there is a possibility so I will try to make it works :rolleyes:

Relating to this, does anyone know if there was virtual memory in MS-DOS?, how fast were hard drives ten years ago comparing to transfer rate between GP32 and SMC?

Thanks

 

[ravuya]

I'm sure you could strip down its memory usage with some intelligent re-coding, although I'm not sure if you could do it to 8MB.

To my knowledge, the original U7 client did not take up to 20MB... it was probably somewhere around 8-10MB (I remember upgrading for it, at least). Still a ludicrous memory hog for its time.

Edit: No, as it turns out the original U7 only took up about 2.5MB, unfortunately its internal memory manager was largely incompatible with what was available. I think I upgraded from 4MB so I could run the game without a bootdisk.

DOS with virtual memory.. I can't really remember if it did, personally. I'm sure there were third-party programs for it.

 

[frolik]

ultima 7 used to use an extended memory manager (XMS) in ms-dos, and was very fussy about memory - though I don't know about virtual memory....

 

[Blah]

Theres no virtual memory unless its built in to the program.