Minor update, Castaway/GP 008.3

[skeezix]

Adds an icon to the launcher, and more importantly, hadds a "accurate renderer" mode for medium res (med res only worked in "fast renderer" before). This gets compatability for The Pawn and other Magnetic Scrolls games, and a few other games that mix low and medium resolution. Not too many did this though. The Pawn looks way cool now (always loved that game, but bloody hard

jeff

 

[Bonks]

lol, love the icon

hey i like this, some games that went into the workbench (or whatever its called on the Atari ) used to be hugely too small, there looking ok now and working

 

[tdp]

Thanx Jeff!!!!!!!

This is really good. I have got two questions (if you have the time).

I have tried to use the database to read Pompey Pirates and Medway images (was using version 1.4 - I think). I keep on getting told that the images are not part of the database, I selected images that are listed. I copied the text file into the atari st directory. Any ideas or suggestions as to what I am doing wrong?

Also, is it possible to re-assign button A to be the space-bar (noticed that this is set to up - nice touch for platformers)? This would make Xenon (1 and 2) and Turrican 1 and 2) completely playable.

Sorry about the questions.


TDP

 

[Axeman]

Maybe an option to assign it to the spacebar or up.... Dont like this chage thing

 

[Arutha]

I don't play Xenon or Turrican much, but do play Ghouls 'n Ghost/Ghosts 'n Goblins so I love the up. Not sure how often you need the spacebar, but the R trigger is set to spacebar I believe... is that enough or does it have to be pushed too often to be useful that way?

 

[ldaneels]

Hurrah !
Thank you very much for the fix. At long last, I can go back to having headaches on the Pawn !
With all the games I have tested, can guarantee this fixes a lot of minor problems also.
Thanks again & keep up the good work,

Loic

 

[skeezix]

Thanx Jeff!!!!!!!

This is really good. I have got two questions (if you have the time).

I have tried to use the database to read Pompey Pirates and Medway images (was using version 1.4 - I think). I keep on getting told that the images are not part of the database, I selected images that are listed. I copied the text file into the atari st directory. Any ideas or suggestions as to what I am doing wrong?

Also, is it possible to re-assign button A to be the space-bar (noticed that this is set to up - nice touch for platformers)? This would make Xenon (1 and 2) and Turrican 1 and 2) completely playable.

Sorry about the questions.


TDP

So you copied stgames.txt into the ATARIST folder on the SMC? MAke sure you're using the stgames.txt from the latest release; if you download the database from the website (currently a stgames17.txt file I think), you need to rename it to just stgames.txt -- the number at the end will confuse things, and is for our own information. You can also read the stgames.txt file and look a page or two down to see the revision history, which will reveal its version.

Also note that although a disk may belisted, it must both have a CRC, and a *matching* CRC. ie: A .MSA disk will have a different CRC than a .ST disk of the same disk; furthermore, the disk you have might be a 80 track disk, while someone else may have copied it as a 82-track disk.. same disk, same contents.. but a different size and CRC. So hence you'll see many disks with 2, 3, or more CRCs listed.. the disk being found in multiple ways.

So its entirely possible you have a disk set which isnt' yet CRC'd, even though the disk content is listed. Such is life with historical stuff

You can help by doing the CRC's for your disks if you like

As to spacebar.. yeah, in joystick mode, the right-shoulder is spacebar. Perfect for skipping intro screens.

jeff

 

[tdp]

Thanx Jeff.......errr Skeezix.

Me in my infinite wisdom (????????), failed to rename the stgames.txt file. <_<

With regard to the right shoulder button being space - I tried yesterday and it works - well sort of. It sometimes takes a number of presses for the action to be registered. I have checked to make sure that the problem is not my shoulder button (with other games and there is no problem there), I have also tried changing frame rate etc... Not sure if this is something that you are working on, or if it is an issue with my GP32.

BTW, have you thought of becoming a sale rep? I took my GP32 to work, and when the guy's saw your emulator working, they we're (to say the least) stunned. 3 people have now ordered back-lit GP32's now. Better chase Gamepark for that commission!!!!!!! :lol:

All the best.

 

[skeezix]

ha!

The keyboard type button response (including joystick modes spacebar) really depends on the application; ie: When you push a key (via whatever means), I just send a keydown/keyup right together. Really I should have it do a keydown, then continue emulation and then keyup a moment later, since as you noticed, a few games miss it sometimes as they're not paying enough attention. Normally I just hold it down.. when hitting spacebar to get into a game I just hold right-shoulder for a half second and the game usually gets it..

But if its really a problem, I can change it as above.

Anoteh hing is that sometimes the games are busy.. ie: when unpacking in background, etc.. and thats when you notice in keyboard mode that the keyboard cursor isn't moving very fast. Thats just because the emu is chugging behind. That can make it a pain to hit keys, too.

jeff

 

[tdp]

Anoteh hing is that sometimes the games are busy.. ie: when unpacking in background, etc.. and thats when you notice in keyboard mode that the keyboard cursor isn't moving very fast. Thats just because the emu is chugging behind. That can make it a pain to hit keys, too.

Thanx for the reply.

I thought about what you said before. Some games are like that - namely z-out/x-out. However, with xenon 1, the whole game is loaded in memory. So decompression is not an issue once that game is running.

In joystick mode, are you reading the whole keyboard (not sure how the route is done, but I could well imagine that this is a function that encapsulates reading the whole keyboard and not just the space bar)? If that is the case then I could understand the performance issue.

I'm not a programmer - so if the following suggestion sounds silly, I apologise in advance:-

Would it be worth adding the space bar reading routine with the joystick reading routine. Joystick response in the emulator is prefect I believe. I have not had any problems with joystick response. It does not matter how busy the emu gets, joystick respons is still top-notch (in my experience - and I have had lots of that now!!! ). Is this possible, or would this be a problem (due to the fact that you had to emulate some form of keyboard controller/driver - or something like that)?

What do you think?

 

[skeezix]

Its actually the game not polling the keyboard frequently enough for how we do it; ie: In joystick mode when you push right-shoulder, it just puts a key-down and key-up for the spacebar into the keyboard buffer (essentially). The game is chosing to ignore it. Its probably expecting the keydown to be a few milliseconds away from the keyup (since your fingers aren't light-speed), but for us we're just stuffing them in right in a row (instant down/up). Few games notice the difference, and its mnuch easier to code it how I did it

Does spacebar change your ship in Xenon1? I was trying to remember how to do it.. wagglign stick lef/tright does it for me..

So I can add a system, to delay the key-up from the key-down but its sort of a drag

jeff

 

[tdp]

You are definitely on fire when it comes to releases.

Yeah - space bar swaps between the spaceship and the tank fingy. In Xenon 2, if you bought dive, you could dive or fly underneath bullets. B)

I understand the problem now. Maybe it could be worth adding a few more milliseconds for spacebar when in joystick mode. I think that would be the best. However, please implement it if you have the time, and if you think that it is something that other Castaway users would want.

Whichever way you decide, you always delivery the goods.