Suggestions for ports
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Got Intruders Thunder 2 working, which brings up a question. Can .jar apps be executed from a Retropie startup script without a Desktop session running?
All I had to do was download IT2.jar from Sourceforge and run it from a Desktop Terminal.
java -jar IT2.jar
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@VictimRLSH said in Suggestions for ports:
Can .jar apps be executed from a Retropie startup script without a Desktop session running?
Not unless the game has been specifically programmed with a graphical library that doesn't require X11. Generally, you'll need a desktop session to run graphical Java applications - such as the game in question (which uses Java Swing, which in turn requires X11).
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@mitu I see there has been attempts to get a J2ME Libretro core working.
https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/11441/would-you-like-to-play-nokia-j2me-games-on-retropie/303
I can play many of them on microemulator, but that itself is a Java app that requires the Desktop session...
EDIT: Found an archive with 67,000 .jar games. Some work, some don't, if I attempt to curate this it could take the next 87 years. Still, it is a largely untapped base, much like Flashpoint. If these can be made to work from Retropie with install scripts and controller configured, it would be a huge addition to Retropie's game arsenal.
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@VictimRLSH makes me think of candystand.com. I spent a lot of time on that site around 20 years ago playing the miniature golf flash game (shockwave game?) . 😂
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@quicksilver You might be able to find that game in Flashpoint Infinity if you search for the original site name in its game database. Unfortunately I currently can't run that, at the moment the Pi4 is my only computer. It is doing an outstanding job as a primary PC though.
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Have been going through the makefile for Aquaria, as I found performance disappointing. Turns out they forced compiler flag -o2, changing to -ofast improved things quite a bit ^_^
There was also the option to change from sdl1 to sdl2, getting rid of the startx requirement for running the file. However, since I had to set resolution to 720x480, the screen gets rendered in the bottom left corner (both when windowed and fullscreen). Is there an easy way to get it centred and stretched to full widescreen image?
I am almost at the point that I feel confident enough in the quality for creating an install script for this game.
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@quicksilver Was this the one? Atatio mini golf?
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@VictimRLSH no, it looked like this:
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@quicksilver That's definitely something you would want to look for in Flashpoint. I searched the online list and it DOES have Candystand games, so it might be there.
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Has anyone been able to get the main openxcom branch running on the Pi4?
My attempt failed miserably, the compiled program locking up, merely displaying a black left-bottom corner on the screen.
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I got the fan-made SNES Zelda: A Link to the Past sequel Navi's Quest to compile. The source is at http://www.zeldaroth.fr/us/dlnsq.php
You need to install libsdl-gfx 1.2-5 to get it to compile.
Unpack the archive into its own directory and open a Terminal
sudo make -j4
copy or move the ZeldaNSQ executable from the bin directory to the base directory created when you unpacked the archive. There is no install script so start the game with ./ZeldaNSQ
It ignores your sound settings and everything is at full volume so be prepared to dial it down a bit. It is currently using Keyboard controls but I hope there is a way to get it configured for a controller.
There are 4 other completely new Zelda fan games on that site, hopefully I can get the rest to compile too. Looks like a very well made game, I might even actually PLAY it. LOL...
EDIT: Return of the Hylian compiles and runs just fine too. It was made much earlier and is a lot smaller than Navi's Quest and doesn't take nowhere near as long to compile. There is no need to move the executable, the makefile builds it right in the base directory.
EDIT #2: The 5th game in the series, Zelda Picross, only has Windows sources, so no luck there. All the others compiled and ran.
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Also got Valyria Tear https://github.com/ValyriaTear/ValyriaTear to not only compile (after chasing down several files it couldn't find...) but install into the Desktop Game's menu and launch from there. This game is beautiful, would make a great addition to Retropie if it can install from a script. I guess I need to learn how to backtrace my work and create install scripts now that I seem to have compiling down.
To say I have caught the game building bug now would be an understatement. It's more addictive than actually playing the games.
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@Impy I just compiled and got it to run. I ran into two problems:
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sudo cmake . from the root of the cloned directory stopped with Can't find yaml-cpp which is required This was remedied by installing libyaml-cpp-dev and continuing with sudo cmake . and then sudo make -j4 and sudo make install
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The compiling instructions on Github suggest the game data can be put in a variety of places, but I found I had to put it in /usr/local/share/openxcom/UFO folder (you need root permission to do this, you can invoke the file manager with sudo pcmanfm, but don't misclick...) The original asset files are in a directory called ufo (lower case). You need to enter this directory, select all the files, and copy them inside /usr/local/share/openxcom/UFO
Since make install worked, be sure you are invoking the game with openxcom from the Terminal instead of trying to run an executable from the install directory.
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@VictimRLSH Thanks! My problem was a combination of the location of the asset files and the need to use startx (retropie install)
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OpenTomb doesn't seem to have been worth the considerable effort to get to compile and "run". The display window is skewed, the controls are awkward, it completely hijacks the mouse (alt-tab to Terminal window and Ctrl-C to break). The overall impression is AWKWARD and UNFINISHED. You are much better off playing the Tomb Raider series on DosBox or PCSX-rearmed.
Solarus also took a LOT of effort to run, but this one was worth the effort. Solarus DX is a VERY good looking Zelda game. The controls and inventory control are a mix of Zelda:A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. There are also ports of the earlier Zelda fan games. The Solarus versions improve on the graphics and controls and the English translations are a lot better. It WILL make install into the Desktop Games menu, but the laucher won't run from there, you need to start a game by selecting the game itself from the Games menu.
I'm going to image a fresh install of Retropie and see if I can develop install scripts for some of my successes. Now to figure out how...
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@VictimRLSH said in Suggestions for ports:
Solarus also took a LOT of effort to run, but this one was worth the effort. Solarus DX is a VERY good looking Zelda game.
Solarus is already a system in RetroPie - did you install it by yourself ?
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@mitu Yeah, didn't realize there was already a port for it. LOL
It was good practice though.
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@mitu I'm noticing Arx Libertatis was being kicked around as a possible port for a while but don't see it in zerojay's script archives. I'm trying to crack that egg but it insists on not being able to build even if you ignore the sticking point of building icons as noted in the compiling instructions. That one might take some time.
I also notice some of those Zelda games in the Extra ports, including Picross which I couldn't find a useable source for.
EDIT: No luck getting Arx Libertatis going. Colditz-Escape compiled but segfaults when it tries to open a window. Numerous other failures today, much of the low-hanging fruit has already been picked...
EDIT: Got Conquest working and was able to join a multiplayer game. Seriously doubt if it would work from Retropie though, and would require a keyboard. There were 4 active servers on the list when I started it up, and only one said it was incompatible with my client.
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Cytadela runs, but I'm getting some system instability after running it, so it might not be a good candidate for a Retropie port even though it seems to be a pretty well made Wolf3d type game.
EDIT: Got Epiar going as well. There is no make install for this game, you seem to only be able to run it from the build directory at the moment. Nice looking game.
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Got FreeRTC working now too. This one brings up a question. Why are devs of Raspbian packages giving up so easily? I'm a noob to compiling and building open source games, yet have been succeeding in building games that are not in the repos yet. I've been noticing that the "low hanging fruit" of source code is already in Raspbian repositories, but anything requiring much more effort than a make and make install isn't winding up in there.
This one just required manually constructing a .cfg file with a font choice. I've noticed others that nobody did the legwork required to get a good game working. It is sad to see good games not get the opportunity to be played because nobody wanted to make the effort to make them work.
Glad I'm learning how to compile and build games, I'd be missing out on some cool stuff otherwise. I just need to make the extra effort myself so OTHER people can play some of these too.
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